December is a slow TV month, since networks aren’t keen to air new material during a period when most viewers take time off.
Even so, TV never truly sleeps. As the holiday season gets under way, keep an eye out for these new shows:
“Dark” (Streaming on Netflix)
Hailed as the German “Stranger Things,” the 10-episode “Dark” is notable for being the first German-produced original series for Netflix. It’s a supernatural saga following four families as they become entrenched in an inter-generational mystery involving a missing child.
“The Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special” (8 p.m. Sunday on CBS)
CBS is airing a two-hour special in celebration of the 50th anniversary of “The Carol Burnett Show.” Aside from Burnett herself, it features original cast members Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner and other notable comedians and actors including Jim Carrey, Kristin Chenoweth, Harry Connick Jr. and Jane Lynch.
“Cash Cab” (10 p.m. Monday on Discovery)
Not technically new, but the popular game show is returning after a five-year hiatus. Original host Ben Bailey is back to pose trivia questions to unsuspecting cab riders for the chance to win money.
“Happy!” (10 p.m. Dec. 6 on Syfy)
Christopher Meloni stars as an alcoholic ex-cop-turned-hit man who must rescue a little girl, with the help of her imaginary friend (a flying blue horse voiced by Patton Oswalt).
“Knightfall” (10 p.m. Dec. 6 on History)
History is ramping up its original scripted shows. “Knightfall” centers around the Knights Templar during the Crusades.
“Wormwood” (Dec. 15 on Netflix)
Starring Peter Sarsgaard, this six-part miniseries blurs genre lines between fiction and documentary and concerns the CIA’s mysterious Cold War MK-Ultra program, which involved LSD and mind control.
“Jean-Claude Van Johnson” (Dec. 15 on Amazon)
Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a version of himself coming out of retirement to work as a private undercover agent.
“A Christmas Story Live!” (7 p.m. Dec. 17 on Fox)
Based on the popular 1983 big-screen movie, this live production stars Andy Waken as Ralphie Parker, Maya Rudolph as his mother and Matthew Broderick as the narrator.
“Gunpowder” (10 p.m. Dec. 18 on HBO)
A bloody three-part miniseries based on the famous failed scheme in 1605 to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”) produces and stars with Liv Tyler and Mark Gatiss.
“The Last Post” (Dec. 22 on Amazon )
This six-part miniseries centers on a unit of Royal Military Police officers and their families in 1960s Yemen.
“Black Mirror” (this month on Netflix)
Not a new show, but this modern-day “Twilight Zone” has standalone episodes that require no knowledge of prior seasons.