Netflix, 3:00 a.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: Based on the Anne of Green Gables stories by Lucy Maud Montgomery, this strong adaptation premiered on Netflix in 2017, had its second season in 2018, and presents its third and final season today, two years later. That’s three years since it began, three years in the life of the character, and three years in the life of the actress playing her. Amybeth McNulty, playing the plucky, pig-tailed title character, is now 18 years old – so the shelf life of her precious precociousness is fast nearing its natural expiration point. Otherwise, with very mature actors playing much younger roles, future seasons would seem more like Beverly Hills, 90210 on the Prairie.
MGM HD, 10:00 p.m. ET
David Lynch’s 1986 super-atmospheric movie about hidden dangers lurking in the seemingly calm suburbs crystallized his approach to cinema, bringing a keen attention to visuals and sound to a soap opera plot gone frighteningly twisted. Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern, who later would play pivotal characters in one or both of the Twin Peaks TV series, play innocent young lovers whose romance is interrupted and complicated by a masochistic chanteuse played by Isabella Rossellini. Dennis Hopper is evil incarnate as her dominating “daddy,” and other memorably odd roles are played by Dean Stockwell, Jack Nance, and Brad Dourif.
BBC America, 11:00 p.m. ET
This end-of-year New Year’s Eve special features, among others, talk show super-guest Tom Hanks… along with Matthew Rhys and many others.