Mike Hughes on TV

Stories

When does the real season start? Soon … or not

After waiting semi-patiently for three months, TV viewers have a logical question:
Now that the strikes have ended, when will the real season start? The answer varies; it will be:
— Quite soon. Two comedies (one is shown here) arrive Dec. 23; 11 more shows arrive in the first week of January.
— Really late. Another 12 shows – led by the eternal “Grey’s Anatomy” – wait until March.
— Or somewhere in between. You could think of the Super Bowl, on Feb. 11, as the turning point. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 10, 2023

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 12: holiday joy or “Fargo” fury

1) “Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. From its opening moments, this is a truly gorgeous concert. More than 500 volunteers are in the massive choir, orchestra and more, with Lea Salonga (shown here) — from Broadway and from Disney’s “Mulan” and “Aladdin” – as soloist. The music soars through classical and pop, sacred and secular, and David Suchet tells a moving story. This also airs on BYU-TV on Dec. 17, 21, 22 and 24. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 10, 2023

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 11: time for games and songs

1) “Big Brother Reindeer Games” start, 8-10 p.m., CBS. For eight hours over the next two weeks, we’ll see past “Big Brother” contestants compete in action games. The nine-person field includes the winners from 2020 to 2022 (Cody Calafiore, Xavier Prather and Taylor Hale), plus the 2016-17winners (Nicole Franzel and Josh Martinez). They’re joined by Danielle Reyes, Cameron Hardin, Frankie Grande and Brittney Haynes.Others (including Jordan Lloyd, shown here, will help with the games.) That continues Tuesday, Thursday and next week. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 9, 2023

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 10: young chefs, old rappers

1) “A Grammy Salute to Hip Hop,” 8:30-10:30 p.m. (but 8-10 p.m. on the West Coast), CBS. Fifty years and four months ago, a Bronx party launched the music and mood of hip hop. This celebration includes three people who went on to big acting careers – Will Smith (re-united with DJ Jazzy Jeff), Queen Latifah (whose “Equalizer” rerun follows) and LL Cool J. (Smith and Latifah are in the center of this photo.) Others are Common, Questlove, Cypress Hill, MC Lyte, 2 Chainz, Jeezy, Three 6 Mafia and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 9, 2023

Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Dec. 11: Music soars; dramas end

1) “Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration,” 8:30-10:30 p.m., CBS (but 8-10 p.m. on the West Coast). Nelson turned 90 almost eight months ago, but why quibble? A 12-time Grammy winner, he performs in a concert that has his sons, Lukas and Mikah, plus more. There are stars from country (George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton) and beyond (Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Beck, Gary Clark Jr. and Snoop Dogg, shown here with Nelson). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 8, 2023

News and Quick Comments

Lear specials set for CBS, PBS and mini-networks

Two broadcast networks have now set tributes to the late Norman Lear on Friday.
CBS will have a new hour at 8 p.m.; many PBS stations will rerun a 2016 “American Masters” profile at 9.
Lear wrote and produced “All in the Family” (shown here) and other shows that nudged TV into its first golden age of comedy. After his death Tuesday, at 101, several mini-networks scheduled tributes. Now two larger ones have also jumped in; the list includes: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 7, 2023

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 9: “Hoops” night and laugh time

1) “Primetime Hoops” opener, 7 and 9 p.m. ET, Fox. These days, Fox focuses heavily on live events – wrestling on Fridays, pro football on Sunday afternoons and now its new “Hoops” format each Saturday. That starts with UCLA (shown here) at Villanova and then Notre Dame at Marquette. Earlier, there’s Syracuse-Georgetown at 11:30 a.m. and Alabama-Purdue at 1:30 p.m. There’s more on cable, plus the final game of the pros’ tournament, at 8:30 on ABC. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 7, 2023

Stories

Lear’s great life had Bunker-ish roots

Hovering over Norman Lear’s life was one indomitable force.
That was his father. “I loved him, but I didn’t always like him,” Lear (shown here), who died Tuesday at 101, once told reporters.
Hyman “Herman” Lear “was going to make and have a million dollars in 10 days to two weeks, all his life,” Lear told the Television Critics Association in 2016. “And, of course, he didn’t come close.”
And then his son surpassed any such dreams. He became “a television hero,” said Michael Kanto, said in 2016, the year he produced an “American Masters” profile of Lear that many PBS stations will rerun at 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. Lear’swho produced a PBS profile of Lear that year. Lear’s success could be measured in: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 6, 2023

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 8: blue bloods and tanned studs

1) “FBoy Island” finale, 9 p.m., CW. Each woman now has two guys to choose between. If she picks a “nice guy,” he has to share the $100,000; an acknowledged “FBoy” could keep it or share. That’s tough on Hali Okeowa, who has two FBoys. Daniella Grace has nice-guy Christian and FBoy Jared … who told viewers he sees no future for them, because she’s nine years older. Katie Thurston (shown here in her “Bachelorette” days) has nice-guy Vince and FBoy Benedict. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 6, 2023

News and Quick Comments

Christmas mega-list? Here’s an update

Yes, the Christmas TV season has already been going on for a few weeks (or a few months or maybe a few years).
But there’s a lot more coming, so it’s time for an update. We’ve added several late-scheduled shows, plus details on some of the others, including the “CMA Christmas” special Dec. 14 with (shown here) Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant. We’ve also deleted everything before today (Dec. 5), plus one show that was shelved.
(For general reference, the original list still exists, under “stories.”)
This skips most Christmas episodes of regular shows and (with a few exceptions) reruns of TV movies. For theatrical films, it includes the eternal ones and skips the rest. Also, it barely scratches the vast resources of streaming networks; check your streamer for details. Here we go: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 5, 2023