Day: February 7, 2020

Stories

“Agatha” brightens quaint, quiet village

English villages, we’ve learned on TV, are pleasant places designed for murder mysteries
.They have quaint buildings and quiet people, stone walls and stoic constables. So imagine the fictional village of Carsley, when the very-fictional Agatha Raisin swooped in.
“It was quite a sleepy village before she came in,” said Matt McCooey, who plays local cop Bill Wong in the “Agatha Raisin” tales. “And then this whirl of color and energy and beauty.”
That’s Agatha, played by Ashley Jensen (shown here with McCooey). “The color palette is just so glorious and such fun to pick out when we go to costume fittings,” Jensen said. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 7, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 9; Oscars … and much more

1) Academy Awards, 8 p.m. ET, ABC. For the second straight year, here’s no host. Last year was salvaged by music from Queen and Lady Gaga, but it was still dull and humorless. This year? The music is promising again, with nominated songs done by Elton John, Randy Newman, Chrissy Metz and the immensely talented Idina Menzel and Cynthia Erivo. Viewers will recognize some of the nominated films (“Joker,” “Ford v. Ferrari,: “Once Upon a Time in America,” shown here with Brad Pitt) and actors (Pitt, Tom Hanks, Renee Zellweger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 7, 2020
Stories

Carrie (and Claire) plunge into turmoil, one more time

As the final “Homeland” season begins, one scene seems to define the fictional Carrie Mathison and the very real Claire Danes (shown here), who plays her.
Carrie, a CIA agent, is back from months of isolation and torture. With her mind and memory shattered, she’s in slow recovery; then there’s a question: Does she want to go back in the field right now?Her answer is an instant yes.
That’s also Danes’ answer to returning to a draining role.
“It’s taxing,” she told the Television Critics Association last month. “It’s kind of pummeling.” But she came back for an eighth season, even after her original commitment had finished. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 7, 2020
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Feb. 10: “Survivor” and “Idol” return

1) “Survivor” opener, 8-10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. The 40th edition is full of winners. All 20 contestants(show here with host Jeff Probst) have been champions before; one (Sandra Diaz-Twine) has done it twice. They go back as far as Ethan Zohn, who won the third edition, in 2001 … and are as recent as the 2018 winners, Nick Wilson and Wendell Holland. Rob and Amber Mariano are also back. She won in 2004, right after accepting his proposal; he won in 2011. Leaving their four daughters (ages 5 to 10) behind, they both headed to Fiji. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 7, 2020