Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009

NCIS
8/7c CBS
Ralph Waite guest stars as Gibbs' father, Jackson, who visits his son for the holidays and perplexes Gibbs with his unusual behavior. While Gibbs wrestles with that mystery, another mystery involving a father and son surfaces when the enlisted son of a retired colonel-turned-preacher is found dead, and the team believes he might be the victim of a hate crime. — Bill Ecklund
Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live
9/8c Fox
In this special, culinary tyrant Gordon Ramsay does what most TV chefs do: He prepares a recipe while showing viewers how to do it. On the menu: Steak Diane with sautéed potatoes and peas; an angel-hair pasta with shrimp, chile peppers and tomatoes; and quick tiramisu for dessert. According to the press release for the hour, Gordo "guarantees" that viewers will be able to "cookalong" successfully "if you just do what he says." Viewers who can't are free, of course, to scream at their TV sets. — Paul Droesch
Funniest Commercials of the Year: 2009
10/9c TBS
'Tis the season for holiday cheer, reuniting with family and, of course, blatant commercialism. Host Kevin Nealon celebrates the craziest advertising out there with this tribute to the year's best and funniest television commercials, including spots from the U.S. and abroad. Expect plenty of painful sight gags and a bevy of beautiful ladies shilling products. The latter puts the spotlight on one of the axioms of advertising: Sex sells. — Jack Rodgers
Teen Mom
10/9c MTV
After filming wrapped on last summer's surprise hit, 16 and Pregnant, cameras continued to follow four of the young women featured on that series as they struggled to balance the very grownup responsibilities of parenthood while still being teens themselves. The result is this cautionary docu-reality series, which premiered last week. It provides an intimate and often eye-opening glimpse at some of the challenges young mothers face. It's must-see TV for teens — and their parents, too. — Karen Andzejewicz
Charlie Brown Christmas
8/7c ABC
Forget about it. It's simply the best holiday special ever. Not only do we get the great music and Snoopy's penguin impersonation, there's also the crazy dance sequence, the tragic little tree and Linus lisping his way into our hearts with his take on the true meaning of Christmas. The hour also includes animated vignettes based on old Peanuts strips, including one in which Sally pens a misguided missive to "Samantha Claus."