E6 TUESDAY,OCTOBER 27,2020 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR Hope for a storybook ending TV Highlights During the coronavirus crisis, the Los Angeles Times is making some tem- [Bookstore, from E1] Portman (in conversation porary changes to our print holidays but was always busy with Times film critic Justin sections. The prime-time and filled with all sorts of Chang) and Viet Thanh TV grid is on hiatus in print people. Nguyen and Ellison Nguyen, but an expanded version is Then one day in 2003, authors of “Chicken of the available in your daily Times something terrible hap- Sea.” eNewspaper. You can find a pened. The owner of Once Yet even the success of printable PDF online at: Upon a Time, who had online ordering has chal- latimes.com/whats-on-tv. opened the store in1966, said lenges: Temporary closures SERIES she was going to retire. She and layoffs at publishing wanted to sell the little book- houses have made books The Price Is Right at Night store but couldn’t find any- increasingly hard to find in a (N) 8 p.m. CBS one to buy it, so she was timely fashion. Once Upon a The Voice (N) 8 p.m. NBC afraid it would have to close. Time prides itself on packag- The two little girls were ing books in an inviting way Swamp Thing Swamp very sad. Jessica was so sad —each is kept pristine with Thing (Derek Mears) senses that she wrote a letter to The careful wrapping — and that agrowing darkness in the Times, begging someone to takes time, effort and staff. swamp. 8 p.m. CW buy the store. When her Most of the store’s employees The Bachelorette Former mother, Maureen, read the are part time, and after keep- bachelorette DeAnna Pap- letter, she talked with her ing all eight on the payroll for pas pays a surprise visit. 8 husband — and together they many months, Maureen has p.m. ABC decided they would save the had to let two of them go. And Homestead Rescue (season little bookstore that their though she continues to pay finale) 8 p.m. Discovery daughters and so many other local children to write re- Let’s Make a Deal Prime- children loved. Photographs by Francine Orr Los Angeles Times views, visible on every shelf, It would be nice to end the OWNER Maureen Palacios, left, and daughter Jessica, 26, at Once Upon a Time. she has had to put her cher- time 9 p.m. CBS story here with “and they ished tradition of hiring local This Is Us In the two-hour lived happily ever after,” but notepads and quill pens, teens on hold. “It’s terrible, season premiere, the family “ever after” is a very long stacks of seasonal picture but we really can’t afford to gathers to celebrate the time, and running a small books and book club picks ... have anyone without good 40th birthday of Randall, family business takes a lot of all filled me with a sense, sales skills right now,” she Kate and Kevin (Sterling K. hard work, especially when unfamiliar these days, of says. Brown, Chrissy Metz and people buy so many things, comfort and security. Hence her own extended Justin Hartley). 9 p.m. NBC including books, online. The silence, however, is a hours. Tell Me a Story An anony- But Maureen and her bit strange. “I know,” Mau- Still, support has come mous delivery sends Ashley family loved books and chil- reen says. “We miss the from many places. “We have a (Natalie Alyn Lind) into a dren and their little town and sounds of kids so much, the lot of authors who are loyal to dark tailspin.9p.m. CW the little town loved them laughter, the squeals, even us, because we have always back. People came from all the sight of all the plushies worked hard to do whatever Kal Penn Approves This around to spend time in the being tossed around.” we can to sell books so au- MessageThe season finale pretty little bookstore in At this moment, she is thors have a chance to be draws on lessons from previ- Montrose, buying books and overseeing a decor transition seen,” Maureen says. Stuart ous episodes to encourage cards and toys. Sometimes from Halloween to Christ- Gibbs recently did a virtual voting. 10 :30 p.m. Freeform they would meet authors, HOLIDAY essentials like greeting cards join books mas. Halloween, she con- book launch from the store SPECIALS who would read to the chil- and toys at the children’s bookstore in Montrose. cedes, has been a bit of a for his latest, “Spy School dren and sign their books. bust. Although portions of Revolution,” selling hun- Nick News: Kids Pick the Sometimes Maureen brought happily ever after. site so customers could order Honolulu Avenue are busy, dreds of copies all over the President (N) 7 p.m. Nickel- those authors to the schools So they are fighting to and pay online. As the with extended restaurant country. And Jimmy Fallon odeon nearby to meet more children save Once Upon a Time, the months stretched on, many seating, the businesses on chose Once Upon a Time as Not Done: Women Remak- and their teachers, and she oldest children’s bookstore in customers began calling in either side of Once Upon a one of five bookstores to host ing America This new spe- was always happy to search the country, one more time. orders. Maureen added a Time, and the one across the aFacebook Live launch on cial explores justice for around and find the books On a recent weekday cellphone line so texting was street, are closed. Without Tuesday of his new book, “5 women. 8 p.m. KOCE teachers wanted their stu- morning, Maureen Palacios possible, and when they the normal foot traffic, the More Sleeps ‘til Christmas.” dents to read. tried to describe how they could, staffers would use the store’s windows could not Indeed, Once Upon a 2020 Hip Hop Awards (N) 9 Jessica and Amelia grew were going to do that, and it phone to FaceTime with tempt the usual numbers; Time’s Facebook page is as p.m. BET and VH1 up and became young wom- essentially boils down to: Try customers, creating a virtual even the most adorable bustling as the store itself The Soul of America Jon en, but they still worked in everything. shopping experience by pumpkin pillows and spooky once was — with staff picks, Meacham offers his insights the bookstore when they In the earliest days of the “walking” them though the candle holders were a diffi- book clubs, story times and into the United States’ weren’t in school — along COVID-19 pandemic, Once store. They also began offer- cult sell. an upcoming reading series current political and histori- with many other kids, be- Upon a Time was able to ing limited delivery for those “We have flipped our called “Cocoa, Chair and cal moment. 9 p.m. HBO cause Maureen believed that remain open with curbside who did not feel comfortable business model,” Maureen Chat.” Pippi is the star of its The Campaigns That Made loving a community meant service because Maureen’s coming to the curb, a service says, “but we still need more Instagram. History Surprising and giving lots of its high-school relationships with local they continued even after the foot traffic.” But the surprise social shocking political contests students their first jobs. teachers gave the store status store reopened in May. So she’s skipping the media hit has been “Bunny that have highlighted presi- Everyone on the staff loved to as an essential business. This very morning, she usual, though always brief, vs. …..,” in which bunnies dential politics over the last read, and no one, including Schools were closed, and says, after working until foray into Thanksgiving and battle for plushie dominance. half-century. 9 p.m. History Maureen, was ever too busy teachers couldn’t get to the almost midnight to fill online going straight to the winter The short series, which was to talk with kids or parents books they were assigning, so and phone orders, she and holidays, upon which so filmed in the store and SPORTS about what the best books they offered PDFs. Jessica delivered to eight many retail hopes are pinned. screened on its Facebook were for someone who liked “But a lot of people don’t addresses before coming to Asign in her front window page, is a perfect example of World Series Game 6: The magic or mystery or stories like to read PDFs,” Maureen the store. “I now know more says, “Plan for Hope in 2021,” Once Upon a Time’s “try Tampa Bay Rays versus the from history. says, “so teachers told par- about this area than I ever and she, like many bookstore everything” pandemic credo. Dodgers. 5 p.m. Fox So for many years, the ents they could buy the books have,” she says, laughing. owners, is hoping people will “Easter came and went, TALK SHOWS little bookstore was always here.” “Some of them are easy, but remember to support their and we had all these bunny bustling; it hosted Harry The staff set up a system you get into those hills of La local businesses during the plushies left,” Maureen says. CBS This Morning Chris- Potter parties and holiday by which people could order Cañada and man, I’m lost.” holiday season. The fourth “So we started doing this tina Tosi. (N) 7 a.m.