What to Watch Sunday: True-crime specials on Faith Hedgepeth, Alex Murdaugh [The Charlotte Observer]

Alex Murdaugh: Death. Deception. Power. (8 p.m., Oxygen) -Journalist Troy Roberts explains the multi-layered and quickly unfolding story of South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, currently charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report. The nation’s attention turned to prominent attorney after his wife Maggie and son Paul were found brutally murdered in June 2021. In the months that followed, Alex admitted that he hired a former client to kill him so that his remaining son could benefit from an insurance policy. The special also looks at the related deaths of Stephen Smith, Gloria Satterfield and Mallory Beach.

15th Annual CNN Heroes All Star Tribute (8 p.m,. CNN) -Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa co-host the fifteenth annual celebration honoring the year’s top ten CNN Heroes, Young Wonders, special guests and the viewer’s choice for CNN hero of the year.

70th Miss Universe (8 p.m., Fox) -Hosted by Steve Harvey, and broadcast live from Eilat, Israel, women from all over the globe vie for the crown in the annual competition.

Real Life Nightmare: Murder at Chapel Hill (9 p.m., Headline News) - Tonight’s installment of this CNN Headline News series focuses on the murder of Faith Hedgepeth, a UNC Chapel Hill student found bludgeoned to death in her apartment in September 2012. Hedgepeth’s murder went unsolved until an arrest was made this past September. Learn more about Faith’s case.

The Ken and Barbie Killers (9 p.m., Investigation Discovery / Discovery+) - An inside look at Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka’s relationship, what led the image-obsessed couple to commit cruel and disturbing crimes, and the result of a controversial and transformative trial.

Succession (9 p.m., HBO)- In tonight’s Season 3 finale Matsson’s vision for the GoJo-Waystar relationship leads Shiv and Roman to manage the fallout, and Logan weighs his options. But what about Kendall floating in that pool?

Christmas movies and specials on tonight

Blending Christmas (8 p.m., Lifetime)- In this new movie, a couple’s relationship suffers as they try to get their bickering families to get along during a holiday getaway.

Sister Swap: Christmas in the City (8 p.m., Hallmark) - Two sisters find a new sense of purpose and discover what they both truly need in life during the holidays in this new Hallmark movie.

A Chef’s Life Holiday Special (8 p.m., PBS NC) - In this repeat, Chef Vivian Howard’s holiday celebration features Southern cooking and Hanukkah traditions; recipes include corned ham, oyster dressing, hoppin’ john and red-velvet cake.

A New Lease on Christmas (8 p.m., ION) - In this new movie, a single real estate agent falls for a handsome coffee shop owner, only to discover that the job she just took requires her to evict him from his shop.

A Christmas Proposal (8:30 p.m., CBS / Paramount+)- In this new movie, a hotshot Seattle attorney (Adam Rodriguez) hoping to impress his family during a Christmas visit asks a down-on-her-luck chef (Jessica Camacho) to pose as his girlfriend. Their business arrangement soon gets complicated as real sparks begin to fly during the holiday season.

Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown (9 p.m. The CW)- Counting down 12 of the world’s best holiday commercials; a look at other great commercials that capture the true spirit of the holiday season. Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner host.

Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.

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