Mike Hughes on TV

Another Dolly special, this one loaded with stars

The newest Dolly Parton tribute will link much of Nashville.
It will have the Dolly-style country divas — Reba McEntire, Ella Langley (shown here), Carrie Underwood — and more. It will range from banjo whiz Bela Fleck to singing actresses Kristen Bell and Kristin Chenoweth.
It will also include Lainey Wilson, who hosts the Country Music Association awards, Nov. 18 on ABC ad Disney+. Before that, she’ll be one of the performers when those networks (9-11 p.m. Oct. 21) have “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 5, 2026

Stories

Love lasts forever … but how long, exactly?

“Happily ever after” is a fine notion — depending on how long “ever” is.
A five-decade romance can be pleasant; five centuries might be a bit much. That’s one of the ideas behind “Eternally Yours,” at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays on CBS, starting Oct. 8.
Charles and Liz (Ed Weeks and Allegra Edwards, shown here) married in the heat of passion. Now, 500 years later — did we mention that they’re vampires? — the passion has cooled. Life gets complicated for their adopted daughter and her new boyfriend.
The idea reflects two Joes (Joe Port and Joe Wiseman), who created the series. They’re not romantic and not, to our knowledge, vampires; still, Port said, it’s “very, very autobiographic, in a weird way.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 5, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 7: openers for “Abbott” and Chicagos

1) “Abbott Elementary” season-opener, 8:31 p.m. ABC. For broadcast networks, this is the only scripted, primetime show noticed by Emmy voters. It’s had 37 nominations (including this year for best comedy, plus three actors and more) and four wins. Now Gregory (James Tyler Williams, one of the nominees, shown here) starts his duties as assistant principal. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 5, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 6: strong start for “NCIS” spin-off

1) “NCIS: New York” debut, 9 p.m., CBS. For 342 episodes, LL Cool J, has played NCIS agent Sam Hanna in California and Hawaii. Now (shown here) Sam returns to his home town of New York. “Hasn’t changed much,” he says, amid a gun battle. After a dazzling little solo mission, he meets his new colleagues; the pairing with Scott Caan is excellent. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 4, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 5: time for Canadian crimesolving

1) “Private Eyes West Coast” debut, 8 p.m., CW. The producers of CW’s fun “Wild Cards” launch another Canadian crime tale. In their “Private Eyes,” Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson (shown here) worked for a Toronto detective agency. Now they quit their jobs and move to the serenity of Victoria, in British Columbia. There, of course, they find a murder. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 3, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 4: “Marshals” starts CBS surge

1) “Marshals” season-opener, 8:30 p.m., CBS (but 8 p.m. on the West Coast). Other networks began earlier, but CBS held its scripted shows until now. It has 14 of them in the next six days (including “Tracker” at 9:30 today), starting here: Kayce likes Dolly Weaver (they’re shown here), but hates her dad, who wants to buy his ranch. The result is high-octane and lethal. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 2, 2026

Stories

He’s the consummate New Yorker … via Los Angeles

As the latest “NCIS” spin-off begins, Sam Hanna is finally coming home. So is LL Cool J, who plays him.
Hanna has done 342 episodes in Los Angeles and Hawaii. Now — starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 6) on CBS — “NCIS: New York” (shown here) begins.
It will visit “every kind of nook and cranny of New York, in the five boroughs,” said showrunner Byron Balasco.
That makes this different from other shows, LL Cool J promised. “It’s definitely more gritty …. It gives you so many different people from all over the world, so many different types of energies.”
And it pairs him with a guy who feels like the consummate New Yorker. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 1, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 3: Dakota, Tom and lotsa football

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. It’s a busy time for Dakota Johnson. She stars in Taylor Swift’s new video and (with Anne Hathaway) in “Verity” (shown here), which reached theaters Friday. And now is her third time as “SNL” host. Turnstile — which won Grammys for best metal performance (“Birds”) and rock album — has its first turn as music guest Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 30, 2026

Stories

“Marshals”: beauty, gunfire and domineering dads

As “Marshals” launches its first full season, it has an ongoing theme.
Yes, this is still an action show. The season-opener — 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 (but 8 p.m. on the West Coast), launching what CBS calls Premiere Week — has guns blazing from horsemen, helicopter and Jeep.
But beyond that are questions about following a strong father. That’s “definitely a theme throughout the season,” said showrunner Spencer Hudnut.
We see that in the opener, with Dolly Weaver and her domineering dad; Kayce Dutton likes one, hates the other. And we see it with Kayce’s struggles with his son (shown here). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 30, 2026

News and Quick Comments

PBS brings Hispanic music, movies and mischief

Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month draws shrugs from most networks and glee from PBS.
This year, things seem more gleeful than ever. In an 11-day stretch, there will be three documentaries — looking at jazz, movies (including “La Bamba,” shown here) and guerrilla-style disruption — plus an award show and more.
Officially, National Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15 — a key date for the drive toward independence for Mexico and five Central American countries — and continues through Oct. 15. PBS, however, is bunching most of its events into early October. They include: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 30, 2026