1) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season-openers, 9 and 9:32 p.m., FX and FXX. The 18th season begins, for the longest-running American sitcom ever. That’s due to short seasons (10 episodes this time) and wildly weird stories. Tonight’s first episode is on the wedding day for Frank (Danny DeVito, shown here at the right in a previous episode).It’s bizarre and sometimes hilarious; the second is fairly funny. Read more…
For their entire careers, writer-producers Damon Lindelof and Chris Mundy occupied opposite corners.
Lindelof has been in whimsyland — “Lost,” “Watchmen,” “The Leftovers” and fantasy films. Mundy has been in on gritty, crime-strewn turf — “Ozark,” “Criminal Minds,” the Jodie Foster season of “True Detective.”
What could nudge these writer-producers together? “Lanterns” (shown here) debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday, for an eight-week season on HBO and HBO Max.
Yes, Lindeloff said, it has the Green Lantern guys, with their magic rings. But “it has een described as a ‘True Detective’ story on Earth.” Read more…
1) “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:01. More than other shows, this covers the full range. It’s sometimes gory and brutal, sometimes surprisingly warm and deep. This hour leans toward the latter, with quietly moving moments for Maggie and Luis (Lauren Cohan, shown here, and Raul Castillo). Then the final minutes are sensational. Read more…
1) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season-openers, 9 and 9:32 p.m. today, FX and FXX. Starting its 18th season, this is the longest-running American sitcom ever. That’s due to short seasons (10 episodes this time) and wildly weird stories. Tonight’s first episode — wedding day for Frank (Danny DeVito, second from right in a previous episode) is bizarre and sometimes hilarious; the second is fairly funny. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. This reruns the May 2 episode, with Olivia Rodrigo (shown here at a concert) doubling as host and music guest — something only two other people (Harry Styles and Sabrina Carpenter) did this year. At 23, she’s one of the youngest people to double up; Britney Spears set the record, at 18. Read more…
1) “The Front Page” (1974), 9:45 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. A great, three-day stretch begins for TCM. Natalie Wood and Cary Grant marathons are Friday and Saturday, but first is Jack Lemmon. He links with Walter Matthau (shown here, left) for two terrific comedies, thi one and “The Fortune Cookie”) at 3:30. The tender “The Apartment” is 5:45, with “Some Like It Hot” at 11:45. Read more…
If you visit NBC these days, you may catch a sweet whiff of nostalgia.
At least, it was there when the network (and its Peacock streamer) held a daylong press session Monday (Aug. 10). There was talk of old concepts, old heroes, old shows (including the “Rockford Files” reboot, shown here) and the good old days.
“We’re bringing back must-see TV,” insisted Gail Lerner, the “Newlyweds” producer.
Others talked about the resilience of some concepts, including shows with struggling private investigators. Read more…
1) “The Americas,” 8 and 9 p.m., NBC. The first rerun (with “fun facts” added) visits the Caribbean, with its 7,000 island; there are compelling views of red crabs marching to sea, across a busy (and lethal) road. The second tells how this series got its great footage, including this view of flamingos in the Andes. Read more…
1) “Nation’s Dumbest,” 9 p.m., Fox. The rest of this season is a search for the second-dumbest. Carmen Electra (shown here) has already proved herself as the bottom of the class. She failed frequently, was late for one test, skipped another and last week was “expelled.” She said she was brave to try the show, “not knowing so much stuff.” Jon Heder, who knows lots of stuff, won the round. Read more…
Like many 25-year-olds, the Hallmark Channel (shown here) has grand goals and ideals.
The details, however, remain a work in progress.
The ideals? “We’re here to put more care, positivity and goodness into the world,” said Darren Abbott, the Hallmark Media president.
A few years ago, that felt old-fashioned. Now it may be refreshingly retro.
“In a world where snark and darkness (are) the order of the day,” said Michelle Vicary, the head of programming, Hallmark finds “a different part of the human experience.” Read more…
Best-bets for Aug. 17: “Sunny” starts; “Club” ends 
Best-bets for Aug. 16: princesses and zombies 
Best-bets for Aug. 15: double Rodrigo, triple “9-1-1” 
