Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian drama The Hand Of The God premieres on Netflix

Also tonight: William Shatner goes to space for real, Elite is back with Short Stories, and special holiday previews of NBC comedies

By Saloni Gajjar | December 15, 2021 | 6:00am

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Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian drama The Hand Of The God premieres on Netflix

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Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo and Marlon Jouber in The Hand Of God Photo: Gianni Fiorito/Netflix

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Wednesday, December 15. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

The Hand Of God (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, this Italian drama is the country’s official entry for Best International Feature Film for the Oscars. In her review for The A.V. Club, Leila Latif writes: “Sorrentino’s heightened account of his early manhood feels more like a bundle of overlapping personal recollections than a straightforward narrative. Time, space, tone, and plausibility bend from scene to scene. The film views these formative experiences through the rose-tinted lens of treasured memories—the sea and sky always the boldest of blues, the women’s hair coiffed perfectly stiff, the famously decaying grandeur of Naples lent a new sheen.”

Regular coverage

Hawkeye (Disney+, 3:01 a.m.)
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FXX, 10 p.m.)
Survivor (CBS, 8 p.m.): Myles McNutt will drop in on the two-part 41st season finale.

Wild cards

Shatner In Space (Amazon Prime Video, 12:01 a.m.): No, it’s not Star Trek; it’s real. William Shatner’s space flight on October 13, alongside Chris Boshuizen, Glen de Vries, and Audrey Powers, is documented in the hourlong special, Shatner In Space. It will give viewers an inside look at the before, during, after of his historic trip that made him the oldest person ever to travel to space.

Young Rock, Kenan, Mr. Mayor (NBC, 8 p.m.): New seasons of these NBC comedies are still a month away, but audiences will get a special preview in these holiday episodes starting at 8 p.m.

Elite Short Stories: Phillipe, Caye, Filipe (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): The wait for season five of this Spanish teen drama will be ameliorated ever so slightly with these new short episodes, the first of which focus on—as the title suggests—Phillipe von Triesenberg (Pol Granch), Cayetana Grajera (Georgina Amorós), and newcomer Filipe (Àlex Monner). Two more episodes will drop on Dec. 20 and 23, respectively, focusing on different characters.

Rumble (Paramount+, 3:01 a.m.): Directed by Hamish Grieve, this animated comedy’s voice cast includes Will Arnett, Geraldine Viswanathan, Terry Crews, Charles Barkley, and Jimmy Tatro. Set in a world where monsters and humans collide, a young girl named Winnie seeks to follow her father’s footsteps and coach a lovable yet inexperienced monster named Steve for the global sport of Monster Wrestling. Our reviewer Jesse Hassenger didn’t find Rumble to be that much fun, though, stating: “Giant monsters. A wresting picture. What did they need, a road map?”