Melissa McCarthy, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Garner bring star power to 2023's holiday TV movies

It's time again for a flurry of Christmas TV movies, the genre where good but stressed-out people must overcome an obstacle like a bad job or a personal flaw like selfishness in order to find true love and rediscover the real meaning of family, success and the holidays (or all three). These seven festive and mostly funny flicks on cable and streaming are better than a Yule Log channel and just as cozy and warm.

'Best. Christmas. Ever!' (now available on Netflix)

Burning up the Netflix chart of most-watched movies is this tale of two former college pals whose families are temporarily stranded together by a snowstorm. Charlotte (Heather Graham) lives a rather average life, while Jackie (Brandy Norwood) fills her Christmas letters with brags about her perfect existence. So naturally, Charlotte is eager to find some flaws in Jackie’s dream world. Any movie that admits how self-aggrandizing those annual Christmas letters can be is OK by us, as is any story that unites ‘90s favorites Graham and Norwood. After the movie, check out Graham in 1999’s “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and Norwood in 1997’s “Cinderella.”

'Genie' (now available on Peacock)

Richard Curtis wrote one of the most popular Christmas movies ever, “Love Actually,” which immortalized Hugh Grant dancing to the Pointer Sisters hit “Jump” and Andrew Lincoln declaring his love for Keira Knightley on cue cards. Curtis' latest script revisits the holidays, only this time Melissa McCarthy pops out of an old jewelry box to deliver much-needed wishes to an auction assistant (Paapa Essiedu) whose thankless job forces him to miss his daughter’s eighth birthday party. If you’ve ever wanted to see McCarthy dressed as a sparkly gold foil Christmas tree, your wish has been granted.

'A Biltmore Christmas' (8 p.m. Nov. 26, Hallmark)

For your Thanksgiving weekend staycation, how about a visually dazzling trip to the historic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, combined with a time-traveling romance? The premise here: A contemporary screenwriter (Bethany Joy Lenz) who’s doing a remake of a Christmas classic shot at the estate is magically transported back to the original's 1947 set, where she hits it off with a suave actor (Kristoffer Polaha) and inadvertently causes problems that must be corrected before she returns to the present day. It’s a creative spin on a meet-cute formula, but really, the best Christmas movie to time-travel back to would be 1947's “The Bishop’s Wife,” because .. .Cary Grant!

'Family Switch' (premieres Nov. 30 on Netflix)

Don’t you hate it when you wake up in the body of a family member, as in “Freaky Friday”? That’s what happens in this Christmas comedy starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms as Jess and Bill Walker, a mom and dad who switch identities with their two teenage children on a crucial day in each of their lives. Did we mention that the Walkers’ baby boy body-swaps with their dog, too? Blame the mixup on a very special astrologer (Oscar winner and nonagenarian extraordinaire Rita Moreno). The film, directed by McG (“Charlie’s Angels”), contains nods to Garner’s other body-swapping saga, “13 Going on 30.”

'Candy Cane Lane' (premieres Dec. 1 on Amazon Prime Video)

There’s nothing quite like a dad  trapped in a pressure cooker of holiday emotions (see Arnold Schwarenegger’s Turbo Man action figure-seeking father in “Jingle All the Way” or Tim Allen in the "Santa Clause" franchise).  Now add Eddie Murphy to the list as Chris Carver, a father in sunny California whose bid to win a neighborhood holiday decorating contest leads to major turmoil when he makes a deal with an elf (Jillian Bell) who unleashes a chaos-causing spell. Murphy’s co-stars include Robin Thede, Chris Redd, Nick Offerman and the fabulous Tracee Ellis Ross as Chris' wife, who is named (what else?) Carol.

'Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas' (8 p.m. Dec. 2, Lifetime)

When five reigning soap opera prima donnas from the 1980s unite to film the last Christmas episode of their longtime show, the atmosphere is more tense than a Krystle-Alexis swimming pool smackdown from “Dynasty.” Still, the women put aside their raging egos to act as matchmakers for their producer and director, who are meant for each other. Any TV movie that boasts ‘80s small-screen divas like Loni Anderson (“WKRP in Cincinnati”), Linda Gray (“Dallas”), Morgan Fairchild (“Falcon Crest”), Donna Mills and Nicollette Sheridan (both of “Knots Landing” fame) is worth its weight in puffed sleeves and shoulder pads, er, gold.

'Heaven Down Here' (8 p.m. Dec. 14, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

“We could use a little more heaven down here,” sings country music star Mickey Guyton in her ballad that inspired this story about four overwhelmed people who find themselves stuck inside a diner by a Christmas Eve blizzard. Will they find a way to connect and renew their hopes for the future? With a cast led by Krystal Joy Brown (who portrayed Diana Ross in Broadway’s “Motown: The Musical) and featuring the great Phylicia Rashad, viewers could have their faith restored in TV’s power to deliver a truly moving holiday message.

Celebrity TV specials to make your 2023 Christmas season bright

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.