Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Allison Williams, left, as Peter Pan and Taylor Louderman as Wendy Darling in the musical “Peter Pan Live!” on NBC on Thursday.

The TV Watch

Smooth Flight to Neverland, Mostly. Just Ask @tinkerbell.

By ALESSANDRA STANLEY

The biggest challenge for the NBC musical “Peter Pan Live!” was contending with the outsize expectations set up by the network’s barrage of publicity.

Artsbeat: The Best 'Peter Pan' Tweets

‘Peter Pan’ Is No ‘Sound of Music’ but Still Draws a Crowd to NBC

By BILL CARTER

The live musical, starring Allison Williams, drew about nine million viewers, about half the audience for the live version of “Sound of Music” with Carrie Underwood.

Television Review

A Biblical Girls’ Club

By NEIL GENZLINGER

“The Red Tent,” a two-part adaptation of Anita Diamant’s novel about a biblical story, is being broadcast on Sunday and Monday on Lifetime.

December 5, 2014

‘Peter Pan Live!’: The Best Tweets

Some of the night’s best reactions to “Peter Pan Live!”

December 4, 2014

Ugg-A-Wha? Updating Stereotypes in ‘Peter Pan’

The producers of “Peter Pan Live!” aimed to update elements of the original musical that were insensitive to Native Americans.

December 2, 2014

Jagger and Scorsese Team Up for HBO Series on 1970s Rock Scene

The series will star Bobby Cannavale.

More Television News in ArtsBeat »

Entries in the Silver Bell Sweepstakes

By MARC SPITZ

Holiday movies usually share similar lessons but not necessarily the same merits. Here is a sampling — good and bad — from the past 25 years.

Nancy Snyderman to Return to ‘Today’ After Ebola Quarantine Flap

BILL CARTER

The appearance will end an extended absence by Dr. Snyderman, who drew a chorus of criticism for breaking a self-imposed quarantine after returning from Liberia.

Flying by the Seat of Their Pants

By JEREMY EGNER

A computer-generated Tinker Bell, moving sets and a contraption-heavy pirate ship are among the technical hurdles that face NBC in presenting a live “Peter Pan.”

Pippi Longstocking, center, on the Swedish TV series. The free-spirited character was created by the author Astrid Lindgren.

Sweden’s Storybook Heroine Ignites a Debate on Race

By RACHEL DONADIO

Pippi Longstocking’s language has become part of a growing and often uncomfortable debate about ethnicity in Sweden.

The filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, left, and Robert A. Durst outside an office tower on the Avenue of the Americas between 43rd and 44th Streets built by the Dursts in 1970.

Stranger Than Fiction? Try Fact

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

HBO plans to broadcast a six-part documentary on Robert Durst, the real estate heir notorious for leading the police on a nationwide manhunt after decapitating his neighbor.

A scene from “Toy Story That Time Forgot,” an animated holiday special that is scheduled to air on ABC on Tuesday evening.

Santa, Please: Ignore the Existential Questions

By NEIL GENZLINGER

“Toy Story That Time Forgot” and “The Robot Chicken Lots of Holidays but Don’t Worry Christmas Is Still in There Too” are just two of the recent holiday television specials.

Critic's Notebook

From left, Noel Paul Stookey, Mary Travers and Peter Yarrow, the focus of “50 Years With Peter, Paul and Mary” on PBS.

Celebrating Singers, Current and Not So Much

By NEIL GENZLINGER

PBS does music, with specials highlighting Bing Crosby, Bruce Springsteen and Peter, Paul & Mary.

Mardy Ma, left, and Katie Leung in “One Child,” on SundanceTV.

Opaque Justice in China

By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

The mini-series “One Child” sends a young Chinese-British woman into the heart of China’s capital punishment system.

Television

James Nesbitt in a scene from the mini-series “The Missing,” on Starz.

Acting Out a Nightmare

By KATHRYN SHATTUCK

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: You momentarily drop your child’s hand, and in a heartbeat he vanishes into the ether.

Adam F. Goldberg, center, created “The Goldbergs,” on ABC, basing it on his family in the 1980s.

‘The Goldbergs’ Focuses a Nostalgic Lens on Family Dysfunction

By MELENA RYZIK

In its second season on ABC, “The Goldbergs” has built a solid following and improved ratings by adhering to a formula now scarce on TV.

Formula One has been working to build its global television presence since the early 1980s.

A Sport Looks to the Next Media Frontier

By BRAD SPURGEON

The elite racing series of Formula One, which went global via television, is now turning to new technologies to continue that expansion.

Jimmy Fallon’s Name Goes on 30 Rock Marquee

By BILL CARTER

The marquee, consistent with the building’s Art Deco architecture, announces that it is home to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Critic’s Notebook

“Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever,” on Lifetime.

Angry Turkeys, Meet Grumpy Cats

By NEIL GENZLINGER

The airwaves will teem with programming about animals in coming days, from another “Big Cat Week” on Nat Geo Wild to Destination America’s take on aggressive turkeys.

Ben McKenzie, who has had a leading role in three successful TV shows.

Sometimes, Old-Fashioned Pays Off

By MIKE HALE

Ben McKenzie, back in New York after more than a decade, relishes his role as a detective with integrity in “Gotham.”

Television

Daniel H. Pink with a cardboard cutout on “Crowd Control.”

Hey, I’m Going 55. Cough Up the Cash.

By NEIL GENZLINGER

“Crowd Control,” a 12-part series on the National Geographic Channel, explores unconventional ways to get people to do what they are usually reluctant to do.

Interactive Feature

Fall Arts Preview - Times 100

How to wade through the crush of culture coming your way this season? Here’s a guide to 100 events that have us especially excited, in order of appearance.