A forgotten story that the esteemed Jim Henson wrote in 1968 with his “Muppet Show” and “Fraggle Rock” writing partner Jerry Juhl about a family who meets up with forest creatures in a rural Thanksgiving is finally produced decades later as a Saturday night Lifetime movie. “Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.) stars Mary Steenburgen and Jay Harrington and is narrated by Ludacris. But the stars may be the fuzzy, Henson-style puppets who are the musical monsters of Turkey Hollow who have names like Thwring, Squonk, Zorp and Burble.
A more conventional holiday movie (if for a different holiday) can be found in “Northpole: Open for Christmas” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.) another new TV movie in which an ambitious businesswoman with no holiday spirit eventually changes her tune after she inherits her aunts Christmastime inn and gets a load of the local handyman. The sequel to an earlier “Northpole” features Lori Laughlin, Dermot Mulroney and Bailee Madisonroyal.
Elsewhere, Vivica A. Fox, Debbi Morgan, Richard Lawson and Trichina Arnold star in the Thanksgiving film of family problems, “Royal Family Holiday” (TV One, 8 p.m.), shot entirely in Detroit.
Primetime football includes Baylor at Oklahoma State (Fox, 7:30 p.m.) and TCU at Oklahoma (ABC, 8 p.m.).
The screen adaptation of E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” (HBO, 8 p.m.), with Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan finally makes its premium cable premiere.
A Thanksgiving film on network prime time is the animated 2013 “Free Birds” (NBC, 8 p.m.) has two turkeys(voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, traveling back in time to the first Thanksgiving to change the menu.
A magical alien hides in central London on a new “Doctor Who” (BBC America, 9 p.m.).
The Danes invade Wessex on “The Last Kingdom” (BBC America, 10 p.m.).
Lena reunites with her mother and sister on “The Returned” (Sundance, 10 p.m.).
George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Hugh Laurie, Jessica Hynes and Snoop Dogg are on “The Graham Norton Show” (BBC America, 11:15 a.m.).
Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay trade holiday cooking tips on “All-Star Thanksgiving” (Food, 8 p.m.).
A trio of 1960s crime films tonight on Turner Classic Movies includes “Bullitt” (8 p.m.), “Point Blank” ((10:15 p.m.) and “Experiment in Terror” (midnight). Then comes Perry King in the punk rock “Class of 1984” (TCM, 2:15 a.m.).
College football begins at noon with games that include Michigan at Penn State (ABC), North Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN), Purdue at Iowa (ESPN2), Memphis at Temple (ESPNU), Illinois at Minnesota (ESPNews), Rutgers at Army (CBS Sports) and Iowa State at Kansas State (Fox Sports 1).
Then at 3:30 p.m., it’s Michigan State at Ohio State (ABC), LSU at Mississippi (CBS), UCLA at Utah (Fox), Southern Cal at Oregon (ESPN), Wake Forest at Clemson (ESPN2), Harvard at Yale (NBC Sports), Houston at Connecticut (ESPNU), Buffalo at Akron (CBS Sports) and Louisville at Pittsburgh (ESPNews).
Later comes Mississippi State at Arkansas (ESPN, 7 p.m.), Georgia Southern at Georgia (ESPNU, 7 p.m.), Navy at Tulsa (CBS Sports, 7 p.m.), Tennessee at Missouri (ESPN2, 7:15 p.m.), Boston College at Notre Dame (NBC Sports, 7:30 p.m.), Tulane at SMU (ESPNews, 8 p.m.), California at Stamford (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.), San Diego State at UNLV (CBS Sports, 10:30 p.m.) and Colorado at Washington State (ESPN2, 10:15 p.m.).
Hockey has Toronto at Boston (NHL, 7 p.m.).
The Americana Music Festival is presented on “Austin City Limits” (PBS, 11 p.m., check local listings) with Don Henley, Lucinda Williams, Robert Randolph, Buffy Sainte-Marie and the Mavericks among the performers.
Matthew McConaughey hosts a new “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) where the musical guest may be even a bigger star, Adele.