“The Happy Elf,” 7 p.m. Friday, WMAQ-Ch. 5: An animated, holiday tale inspired by a song from Harry Connick Jr., who narrates. It tells of Eubie, one of Santa’s helpers, on a mission to bring Christmas cheer to a forlorn, Santa-deprived place called Bluesville.
“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” 7 p.m. Friday, WLS-Ch. 7: The annual deluge of holiday-themed specials begins in earnest this weekend (other fare includes the Tom Arnold vehicle “Chasing Christmas” on ABC Family on Sunday), but the new shows and movies have a long way to go before they displace classic specials such as this one in the hearts of many TV viewers. In this 35-year-old tale, Fred Astaire narrates the story of toymaker Kris Kringle, who runs afoul of nasty ruler Burgermeister Meisterburger; the gift-giver Kringle eventually triumphs over thanks to an assist from Mother Nature and some helpful elves and reindeer. There’s more Christmas-themed TV than ever these days, but this is the kind of sweet and gentle holiday fare they just don’t make anymore.
“Monk,” 9 p.m. Friday, USA Network: In “Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa,” a special holiday entry, a cop is poisoned by wine intended for Capt. Stottlemeyer, the character played with such crusty, put-upon appeal by former Chicago stage actor Ted Levine. Meanwhile, Tony Shalhoub’s Monk, our favorite TV neurotic, gets to don a Santa suit in one especially scrumptious bit.
“Creature Comforts,” 10 p.m. Friday, BBC America: This series of stop-motion animated shorts from Nick Park shows all the originality, skill and humor you’d expect from the Oscar-winning creator of “Wallace & Gromit.” In this half-hour series, snippets from interviews with average British folks are put into the mouths of animals, and the results are gently ironic vignettes that illustrate the idea that perhaps humans and animals aren’t that different after all. It’s strange that BBC America is scheduling this series for late Friday nights; it’s really delightful fare for the whole family (then again, “Creature Comforts” is also now available on DVD).
“Project Runway,” 10 a.m. Saturday, Bravo: The second season of this fashion-focused reality show begins Wednesday, but first Bravo is re-airing the dramatic final five hours of the sensational first season. For style fans and devotees of quality reality television, this series is must-see TV; if you haven’t watched “Project Runway” before, don’t miss this chance to catch up with the most nail-biting episodes of Season 1.
“Soul Train Christmas Starfest,” 11:30 p.m. Saturday, WGN-Ch. 9: Stars of R&B stop by Don Cornelius’ studio to sing some of their favorite classic and contemporary holiday tunes in this two-hour special.
“Da Vinci and the Code He Lived By,” 8 p.m. Sunday, the History Channel: For cable networks, “The Da Vinci Code” is the gift that keeps on giving. New specials based on Dan Brown’s hit book or on the artist of its title crop up regularly on cable, and this one fits the History Channel’s typical model: slightly cheesy re-enactments, sonorous narration and serviceable insights from a series of well-spoken academics and experts. Though it doesn’t really touch on the themes of Brown’s book much, Da Vinci’s life and times get a solid going-over here; who knew the Renaissance legend didn’t primarily consider himself a painter (he was more into engineering and war-fighting technology) or that he had no time for that upstart Michelangelo?
“Sleeper Cell,” 9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime: A new series, a cut above the usual fare on this cable channel, telling of an undercover agent implanted in a small band of terrorists in Los Angeles. Michael Ealy plays Darwyn, the agent, who signs on to work with terrorist Farik (Oded Fehr), a cool, smooth, eerily calm sadist whose notions of retribution include burying an errant disciple up to his neck in desert sand and then pummeling his exposed head with rocks. Ealy comes off as an appealing hero with anti-hero touches, a stoic, grim-faced mystery hinting of inner demons. One gripping and disturbing early sequence involves a plot to inject anthrax into the ventilation system of a shopping mall.
“The Dead Zone,” 9 p.m. Sunday, USA: Though it’s not as winning as this weekend’s one-off holiday episode of “Monk,” “The Dead Zone’s” Christmas outing is worth a look for fans of the spooky show. Jennifer Finnigan guest-stars again as psychic Alex Sinclair, who has struck romantic sparks in the past with seer Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall); it’s nice to see the appealing Finnegan in something other than her grim CBS series, “Close to Home.” In this episode, Smith and Sinclair come across a man who says he’s Santa — but appears to have a criminal past. Santa as a stick-up artist? Smith and Sinclair don’t want to believe it and try to discover the truth about the kindly old gent.