TCM, 10:00 a.m. ET
TCM realizes that, the day after Thanksgiving, lots of people have the day off, and may want to spend a few hours entertained by their TV sets. Presto: an all-day marathon of Pink Panther movies. The best ones, the ones with Peter Sellers starring as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the role that he made his own (even though others adopted it after he quit the Blake Edwards comedy film franchise). And the fun here starts early, with the two 1964 comedy gems, The Pink Panther and A Shot in the Dark, running back to back, beginning at 10 a.m. ET. In the first film, Sellers and his character were intended as comic second bananas, supporting more serious stars David Niven and Robert Wagner. But by the second film, the focus was completely on Sellers, and with good reason. Make that great reason.
BBC America, 11:00 p.m. ET
Here’s another example of why Graham Norton continues to reign over television’s most entertaining and genuine talk show. By bringing his guests on all at the same time, he allows for moments of true spontaneity, and interactions you won’t witness anywhere else. Tonight’s guests include Elizabeth Banks, Ricky Gervais and singer Kylie Minogue, all of whom have been on Norton’s show before – but not together. In her most recent appearance, Banks was surprised when Norton pulled out a naughty party board game she’d made and distributed more than a decade ago, for bachelorette parties. He plays the same trick tonight, and this time gets her to be quizmaster, with Minogue and Gervais as contestants. His reactions made me laugh out loud, and that was only the beginning…