Day: November 2, 2019

Back to brevity with the clever “Back to Life”

Living in the land of bulk, American TV series want to go mega. Seven seasons, at 22 episodes a year, will do fine.
But British TV comes in all sizes. The latest example is “Back to Life,” the splendid little Showtime series. It debuts at 10 and 10:30 p.m. Nov. 10 (five weeks later than originally scheduled) and its first season has only six half-hour episodes
.That’s three hours total. The whole series is an hour shorter than “Cleopatra,” even 39 minutes shorter than “Heaven’s Gate.” In that time, we get drama, comedy and a big finish. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 4: Master minds collide

1) “Jeopardy,” check local listings. James Holzhauer stirred fresh interest in a show that’s been around for 55 years. He won 32 straight nights and amassed $2.46 million, close to the non-tourney record of Ken Jennings ($2.52 million, with 75 wins). Then Emma Boettcher, a young librarian, beat him; she won twice more, totaling $98,000. Now the two-week “Tournament of Champions” begins. The schedule has him on Wednesday and her on Thursday; they could collide next week. Read more…