Month: July 2019

Best-bets for Aug. 2: “SHIELD” saves the world

1) “Agents of SHIELD” season-finale, 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. Epic in scale and (presumably) in budget, “SHIELD” has had modest ratings. Still, it’s been renewed annually, possibly because Disney (ABC’s parent company) owns Marvel and makes profits selling sci-fi shows overseas. Now “SHIELD” has been given one more 13-episode season for next summer. Tonight, ABC says, the team tries “to stop the end of everything.” That seems like a worthy goal. Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 1: A farewell to zombies

1) “iZombie” series finale, 8 p.m., CW. For the second straight night, CW ends one of its best shows. On Wednesday, it was “Jane the Virgin”; tonight is “iZombie.” Both are bright-looking, with a smart and likeable woman at the core; only one, however, has someone munch the brains of murder victim, hoping to absorb memories and attitudes. That’s Liv (shown here), a doctor and inadvertent zombie who works in the morgue and helps police. Now she has a bigger goal — preventing a war between humans and zombies. Read more…

PBS: The one spot with no regime change

LOS ANGELES — In a TV world filled with regime change, PBS’ Paula Kerger is the exception.
Already the longest-lasting head of a major network, Kerger announced today (July 29) that she’s signed for five more years as the network’s president and CEO
.That’s not what she expected when she started the job 13 years ago, Kerger said. “I thought, ‘Five years, maybe.’” Read more…

Best-bets for July 31: Farewell to “Jane”

1) “Jane the Virgin” series finale, 9 p.m., CW. Jane’s grandmother (shown here with her daughter and granddaughter) has always loved telenovela finales. “The good people get what they deserve,” she says. “And there’s usually a wedding.” Now we get all of that and more. It’s the 100th episode (if you count the 8 p.m. hour of interviews as No. 99) and many of the key issues were settled in No. 98. Still, there are a few surprises … including a bizarre wedding vehicle. Eventually, good people — and good viewers — do get what they deserve. Read more…

At last, TV has lots of sketchy women

LOS ANGELES — TV has always been fond of sketch comedy.It’s gone from Sid Caesar and Milton Berle to The Kids in the Hall and “Saturday Night Live.” It’s had the full range of people … but only if your range is mostly confined to white males.But now there’s the flip side — two shows centering on all-female casts:– “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (shown here) opens Friday on HBO, with four black women at the core. “It hadn’t been done before,” Issa Rae said. She produces the show and is in some sketches, but says this was propelled by Robin Thede and “her passion for comedy.” Read more…

Best-bets for July 30: Close Encounters with space and politics

1) “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (shown here) and “Star Wars” (both 1977), 8 and 10:30 p.m., Turner Classic Movies. It’s a splendid night for space. PBS’ “American Experience” concludes its rerun of the excellent, three-part “Chasing the Moon” (8-10 p.m.). And TCM has these masterpieces from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, respectively. And yes, 1977 was a fun year to go to the movies. Read more…

Let’s pause to savor Richard Curtis’ summer

LOS ANGELES — Let’s officially designate this as the Richard Curtis Summer, crossing most media:
— It started early on TV, with the “Red Nose Day” special May 23. That’s part of a global charity Curtis co-founded 34 years ago, raising (so far) more than $1.3 billion.
— It reached movie theaters on June 28 with “Yesterday.” That has passed $100 million worldwide, which would be minor in the superhero universe, but is big for a sweet-spirited comedy/drama
.– And now it reaches the streaming world. “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” sleek and amiable, starts Wednesday (July 31) on Hulu, adapting his movie. “It’s a British institution almost, those Richard Curtis films.” said Nathalie Emmanuel, one of the stars. Read more…

Best-bets for July 29; “Big Bang” is back, “Bachelorette” departs

1) “The Bachelorette” finale, 8-10:01 p.m., ABC; concludes Tuesday. On the eve of the finale, we still see Hannah Brown, 24, (shown here) with three guys to choose from. Peter Weber, 27, is a pilot from California; Tyler Cameron, 26, is a contractor from Florida; Jed Wyatt, 25, is a singer-songwrier from Tennessee. Tonight, she dumps one and takes the others to meet her family. On Tuesday, we see her choice. Read more…

Starz prepares for its “Power” outage

LOS ANGELES — With two heavyweight shows leaving, Starz is preparing for its next life.
That will include a “Power” spin-off with Mary J. Blige’s music, plus a “Dangerous Liaisons” prequel and more. That comes just as Starz loses its giants:
— “Power” (shown here) starting Aug. 25. It will have 10 episodes, take a break, then start the last five in January. “Everyone is going to have a big opinion after those last five episodes,” said co-creator Courtney Kemp. “A BIG opinion.” There will also be a talk show, “Power Confidential,” after each hour.
— “Outlander,” starting its last, 12-episode season in January. Read more…