What to Watch on Thursday: The RuPaul's Drag Race season 14 cast is 'Ruvealed'

Annie Live!

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 8 p.m. on NBC

It's been a hard-knock life these last few years, but if there's one thing we need to remember, it's that the sun will come out tomorrow. And the live musical is back to do just that with NBC's Annie Live! starring Harry Connick Jr. as the follicularly-challenged Daddy Warbucks and newcomer Celina Smith as the adorable titular moppet. The iconic Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin score will bring back happy memories or create entirely new ones, and if that's not enough, we can count on Taraji P. Henson, Tituss Burgess, and Megan Hilty to bring the laughs as Miss Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily St. Regis, respectively. You're never fully dressed without a smile, so let this holiday musical special put one on your face. —Maureen Lee Lenker

Related content:

• Meet your new Annie for NBC's next live musical

• Taraji P. Henson will terrorize little girls as Miss Hannigan in Annie Live

• Nicole Scherzinger joins Annie Live as Grace: 'I'm over-the-moon excited'

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Queen Ruveal

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: 8 p.m. on VH1

Don't let the smooth taste of her (unwavering global) success fool you: even though she's gracing covers, cozying up to Rihanna at the Met Gala, and shooting a role in the Billy Eichner feature Bros, Symone still has time for the Mama that birthed her. The season 13 champion returns to VH1 and the Drag Race family to announce the 14 new queens coming for her crown across RuPaul's Drag Race season 14, and, trust us, plenty of gags are in store. With her-story making queens from all reaches of the nation, this cast will turn over a new leaf (cue Kandy Muse: "What is a new leaf?") for a franchise that can't stop topping itself. —Joey Nolfi

Paramount + RuPaul is gooped by a tie vote on 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6'

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Santa Inc.

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on HBO Max

Series Debut
A new Santa Claus is coming to town — though it may be one you don't quite expect. In HBO Max's Santa Inc., Sarah Silverman's elf, Candy Smalls, throws herself into the North Pole's political ring to try to take over from Seth Rogen as Santa Claus. To become the world's first female Santa Claus, Candy must wade through the boys' club… and maybe some yellow snow, too. Despite the hurdles, Candy is determined to make change or, as she says, die trying. The cast is rounded out by Leslie Grossman, Gabourey Sidibe, Nicholas Braun, Craig Robinson, Maria Bamford, Joel Kim Booster and Beck Bennett. —Ashley Boucher

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Queen of the Universe

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Paramount+

Series Debut
Coco Montreses of the world, rejoice: Drag queens have finally found the note on Paramount+'s new, super queer singing competition Queen of the Universe. Pitting drag queens from 10 countries around the world (Jujubee! Ada Vox!) against each other, Queen's royal court enter a vocal gauntlet that's all about raw singing talent — no lip-syncing allowed. Judges Trixie Mattel, Michelle Visage, Leona Lewis, and Vanessa Williams up the stakes, as the queens will have to impress not only the millions of eyes watching around the globe, but four powerful figures with real reach in the entertainment industry. So, tuck up and settle in for choral acrobatics and queen-sized sets all strung together by an unyielding barrage of notes higher than Laganja Estranja at the gig. —J.N.

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Rugrats

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Paramount+

The holidays have converged, leaving Didi in a panic as she tries to make the first night of Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, and Las Posadas go off without a hitch. But as anyone with children can tell you: hope for the best and plan for the worst. Baby Jesus goes missing and loopholes abound as Angelica takes it upon herself to introduce the babies to the ways of — and around — Santa. It's a pickle only Tommy & Co. can toddle through, and your own little ones will be laughing all the way. —Lacey Vorrasi-Banis

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Baking It

HOW/WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Peacock

Series Debut
When executive producer Amy Poehler was looking for hosts for her Making It spin-off, she didn't have to look too far, recruiting her former SNL colleagues Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg to oversee the action on this culinary competition. While the two certainly know the pressures of television, Samberg admits this show — where eight teams of two home bakers create savory and sweet creations — was "probably harder for me than doing live comedy." Rudolph says she didn't find it to be "scary," but she didn't like when it was time to eliminate bakers: "That always just bums me out." And those decisions ultimately fall to the show's judges, four grandmas who are also talented bakers. "They're pretty wild," teases Rudolph of Nana Harriet, Grandma Anne, Gigi Sherri, and Bubbe Norma. "That group gets loose." Samberg notes there was supposed to be a fifth grandma, but, alas, "she got ran over by a reindeer." —Gerrad Hall

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Hear more on all of today's must-see picks, plus Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg on making Baking It, in EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.

What ELSE to Watch

8 p.m.

Young Sheldon — CBS

Walker — The CW

Listening to Kenny G (music doc) — HBO

A Christmas Village Romance (movie) — Lifetime

8:30 p.m.

United States of Al — CBS

9 p.m.

The Great Christmas Light Fight (season finale) — ABC

Project Runway — Bravo

Ghosts — CBS

Legacies — The CW

Flip or Flop (season premiere) — HGTV

Double Shot at Love with DJ Pauly D and Vinny — MTV

Meet the Press Reports — NBC News NOW

The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (movie) — VH1

9:30 p.m.

B Positive — CBS

10 p.m.

Bull — CBS

Streaming

Perfect Life (season premiere) — HBO Max

The Challenge: All Stars — Paramount+

The Pact (U.S. streaming debut) — Sundance Now

Persona (series debut) — Topic

Movies

Great Balloon Bomb Invasion (doc) — Discovery+

Single All the Way — Netflix

*times are ET and subject to change

We know TV has a lot to offer, be it network, cable, premium channels, or streaming platforms including Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and others. So EW is here to help, guiding you every single day to the things that should be on your radar. Be sure to listen/subscribe to our What to Watch podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Player FM, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, or via your own voice-controlled smart-speaker (Alexa, Google Home).