TV Eye

'Tis the season for ... thanks, reflection, or outright goofiness? Like the dessert plate after a holiday meal, there's always room for a slice of everything -- that's just what the upcoming holiday season on TV is serving up. Naturally, there will be holiday episodes of your favorite series, with some milking the season more than others. Providence and Once and Again come to mind, while others like Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, and Titus will surely be merrily irreverent. And who knows what the wickedly funny freshman sitcom The Bernie Mac Show has in store for viewers? What follows are a few of the more promising choices. Dates and times are subject to change, so check local listings to confirm:

Whoopi Goldberg stars in the newest contribution to holiday film fare in the amusing Call Me Claus. Goldberg plays Lucy Cullins, the cynical and humorless producer of a home shopping network. Her search for an actor to play an on-camera Santa Claus brings her in contact with the real thing, played by Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George). It turns out it's time for Old St. Nick to retire, and by a twist of fate, it's Lucy's turn to take the reins of the proverbial sleigh and eight reindeer. The only problem is that, because of a childhood trauma, Lucy can't stand the holidays. Of course, it's up to Santa and his elf sidekick (Taylor Negron) to change her mind. Victor Garber (Alias) co-stars. Call Me Claus premieres Sunday, Dec. 2, 7pm on TNT with encores on Dec. 8, and Dec. 14-17.

A twist on the Scrooge tale is offered in VH1's musical adaptation, A Diva's Christmas Carol. Vanessa Williams stars as Ebony Scrooge, a miserly pop singer who schemes to funnel the proceeds from a Christmas charity concert into her own bank account. TLC songstress Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas stars as Marli (aka Jacob Marley), with Kathy Griffin as the Ghost of Christmas Past and John Taylor (of Duran Duran) as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Showtimes are Saturday, Dec. 1, at 4pm and 6pm, and on Dec. 5 at 5pm, on VH1.

Who can resist the gentle simplicity of the 1965 classic A Charlie Brown Christmas? This year, the seasonal favorite makes its appearance on ABC, followed by a 30-minute special hosted by Whoopi Goldberg on the making of the animated gem. The special includes archival interviews with Charles Schulz and his tribute to Vince Guaraldi, whose magical piano score is a large part of what makes A Charlie Brown Christmas one of the most beloved holiday television specials of all time. Airs Dec. 6, 7pm, on ABC.

Not for the kiddies but sure to delight demented adults is A Very South Park Christmas. Sick, sick, sick, and ferociously funny, those South Park boys happily skewer Christmas specials from years past, holiday commercialism, faiths of all persuasions, and then some. Airs Dec. 5 at 10:30pm on Comedy Central with encores throughout the holiday season.

Holiday Break

If all that holiday cheer is making you delirious, consider these alternatives: HBO will encore last season's The Sopranos followed by back-to-back episodes of Sex and the City, starting this Sunday, Dec. 2, at 7pm, and continuing through December. On Wednesdays in December, the first season of Six Feet Under and last season's Oz will also have encore runs. Oz reprises begin on Dec. 5 at 10pm, and Six Feet Under on Dec. 12 at 9pm.

Project Greenlight, the pet project of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, premieres Dec. 2 on HBO. Following an Internet call for screenplays, filmmaker Pete Jones and his script Stolen Summer were ultimately selected from more than 10,000 entrants. The prize was a million-dollar budget and the opportunity to produce his film while cameras captured the "real life drama inherent to the process," according to Damon, co-founder and co-executive producer of Project Greenlight (www.projectgreenlight.com). "Because people are under the gun, working really hard and trying to make decisions fast, we thought it would make for fascinating television," he said.

In addition, Affleck and Damon saw their project as "an opportunity for someone outside of the Hollywood power structure to get the chance to make a movie," Affleck said. "We saw this as a kind of democratization of the process in deciding who gets to make a movie, because it was a peer-evaluated contest on the Internet."

The 12-episode series begins Dec. 2 at 9pm on HBO.

On the Marc

Catch Austin Chronicle film critic and feature writer Marc Savlov on the Sundance Channel this Sunday offering his thoughts on the film Genghis Blues, part of the Sundance Channel's series 10 Great Films You've Probably Never Heard Of. Savlov was one of 10 critics chosen across the country to answer "pre-written, Sundance-authorized questions about the film and why I thought it was so spiffy," he explains. Though Savlov fears he will come off as a goofball, we're sure he'll appear as brilliant on camera as he does in print. Genghis Blues airs Dec. 2 at 8pm, with additional screenings on Dec. 6, Dec. 10, Dec. 15, and Dec. 16. Check local listings or www.sundancechannel.com for more information.