When Is ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Airing on TV This Year?

It's a Wonderful Life, British 2007 re-release posters, Larry Simms, Jimmy Hawkins, James Stewart, Donna Reed, Karolyn Grimes, 1946 — Everett Collection

For countless Americans, gathering together to watch It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the highlights of the holiday season. Even in the age of streaming, there’s something special about experiencing the 1946 Frank Capra classic as it airs, while millions of other people are also tuning in to the story of George Bailey and the folks of Bedford Falls.

Luckily, there are multiple opportunities to catch It’s a Wonderful Life on TV this holiday season, starting this week! With showings on both cable and network TV, and tw0 different day-long marathons, you’ll have plenty of chances to laugh, cry and remember that no man who has friends is a failure.

So when can you and family gather together to watch Clarence get his wings this year?

First up, you can watch It’s a Wonderful Life on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 8pm and 11pm ET, on the USA Network.

But if you have plans then, don’t despair: E! will run the traditional It’s a Wonderful Life marathon, first on Thursday, Nov. 28, with showings at 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm ET, and then again on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm ET.

If you’re not a fan of cable, not to worry: The film will show at 8pm ET on Christmas Eve on NBC.

And if you have plans every single one of these nights? Well, aren’t you popular! Luckily, you can still stream the film on Prime Video.

It's a Wonderful Life, Larry Simms, Jimmy Hawkins, Donna Reed, Karolyn Grimes, James Stewart, 1946

Everett Collection

Though It’s a Wonderful Life is now considered an essential Christmas film, that wasn’t always the case. In fact, even the director didn’t know he was making a future holiday classic. Frank Capra admitted in a 1984 interview, “I didn’t even think of it as a Christmas story when I first ran across it. I just liked the idea.”

Though it was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, the film was not beloved by critics or audiences, and barely made back its production costs when it was released. The film’s failure was considered a sign that Capra, the auteur behind It Happened One Night and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, had lost his creative touch.

movie poster for 1946's "It's a Wonderful Life." On the left of the poster is a large illustration of James Stewart (on the left) holding Donna Reed close as their characters kiss in a scene from the movie. Below them, in a yellow box, reads text "Frank Capra's wonderfilm It's a Wonderful LIfe' starring James Stewart, America's favorite feller, and Donna Reed, Jimmy's favorite girl" At the top right of the poster reads "It's a Wonderful Love!" and right below that is another illustration of Stewart and Reed's characters, with Stewart on the left holding up Reed with both gazing and smiling at each other.

Courtesy Everett Collection

The film remained relatively forgotten until 1974, when its copyright expired. TV networks on the lookout for cheap films to air snapped up It’s a Wonderful Life, simply because it was a low-cost way to fill the airwaves during the holiday season — if a film has no copyright, there’s no need to pay a studio when you air it. But in the process, viewers fell in love with the Baileys and the story of the true value of a life well lived.

Wondering why the movie isn’t still playing nonstop on every channel these days? A 1993 court case found that while the film had no copyright, the short story it was based on did — which allowed a movie studio to once again have ownership of the film.

So while it’s no longer a daily part of the holiday season, there are still plenty of chances between now and Christmas day to grab your eggnog, get comfy on the couch and watch George give Mary the moon.

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When Is ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Airing on TV This Year?

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November 2021