Month: August 2020

News and Quick Comments

A strong Canadian drama transplants to NBC

“Transplant” lives up to its name in many ways.
It’s a Canadian series, transplanted to the U.S. and NBC. It’s about a Syrian man (Hamza Haq, shown here), transplanted to Canada. It’s about a restaurant worker, transplanted to …
Well, we won’t get ahead of ourselves on that. The show’s opening episode (10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1) parcels out information slowly and deliberately. It’s best to watch it in that way. When you get to the spoiler point, later in this review, please stop reding until you’ve seen the episode. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 26, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 28: Savage kin, quirky talent

1) “Savage Kingdom” (shown here) season-finale, 9-11 p.m., National Geographic. So a mom comes home and finds her kids are missing. So is the dad, who was supposed to watch them; instead, his no-account brother is there. Soon, she and the kids are leaving, looking for her sister and a new domain. That story – about a lioness – is one of several in the finale of this three-week, six-hour series. Others involve a cheetah, an outcast hyena and the leader of a pack of wild dogs. “Kingdom” is beautifully filmed, but, well, savage. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 26, 2020
Stories

The Queen: A sprawling life in three phases

Boiling any life story down to an hour can be tricky. Now try the story of Queen Elizabeth II (ashown here).
“Her life is so vast in so many ways,” Tom Jennings said by phone.
His richly detailed film, “Being the Queen,” debuts at 9 p.m. Monday (Aug. 31) on the National Geographic Channel. That follows a 7 p.m. rerun of his previous “Diana: In Her Own Words.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 26, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 27: The campaign surge begins

1) Republican convention, 8-11 p.m. ET, PBS; 10 p.m., ABC, CBS and NBC; all night, news channels. Now the presidential race hits full-speed. Last Thursday, Joe Biden gave his nomination-acceptance speech; tonight, Donald Trump has his turn. There will be warm-up speakers, of course. Scheduled (subject to change) are senators (Mitch McConnell, Tom Cotton), congressmen (Kevin McCarthy, Jeff Van Drew), a cabinet member (Ben Carson) and others, from Trump’s daughter Ivanka to the Rev. Franklin Graham (shown here), son of the late evangelist Billy Graham. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 25, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Oprah special Aug. 28 ripples with history

Six key moments in Black history – from the tragedy of the Emmet Till lynching to the triumph (shown here) of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech – all happened on the same date.
That was Aug. 28, which was dramatized in a short film by Oscar-nominee Ava DuVernay. Now that will be the centerpiece of an Oprah Winfrey Network special on – appropriately – Friday, Aug. 28.
“OWN Spotlight: Culture Connection & August 28th, Ava DuVernay & Rev. Sharpton” will air at 1, 4 and 6 p.m. that day. It will also be on OWN YouTube page, starting at 2 p.m. ET. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2020
Stories

It’s time to celebrate … well, the planet

We don’t seem to see the word “celebration” much these days.
What could we possibly celebrate? Well … how about the entire planet?
“Planet Earth: A Celebration” arrives at 8 p.m. Aug. 31 on four cable channels, as a sort of end-of-summer bonus. It’s downright joyous, with flamingos (shown here) strutting on parade in the Andes; it’s also nightmarish, as racer snakes pursue baby iguanas. Mostly, it’s a reminder that the British are good – REALLY good – at nature filmmaking. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 26: United, they party

1) “United We Fall” season-finale, 8 p.m., ABC. This pleasant-enough comedy has has a rough ride. ABC planned to run the eight episodes this spring; when COVID shutdowns hit, it considered promoting the show to the fall … then, instead, dumped it in the summer. All of this back-and-forth has been for an OK show, with Will Sasso, Christina Vidal and Jane Curtin as struggling parents and his mom. Tonight, they plan a celebration (shown here) to renew their vows; naturally, there’s a snowstorm and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 25: Gamers unleash funny fury

1) “Dead Pixels,” 8 and 8:30 p.m., CW. In real life, we hear a chorus of rage whenever Hollywood tries something new. Female ghostbusters? Gay superhero? The attacks begin. We might imagine that these are foul internet trolls, but now they get a human dimension: Last week’s fun opener (rerunning at 8:30) introduced likable young people who happen to obsess on one videogame (shown here). Now they get word that Vince Vaughn will star in the movie version. Rage ensudes; so does humor. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 23, 2020
Stories

VENN hopes to harness videogame energy

This is what being cool was like in the1980s: You’re the first kid on the block – well, one of the first anywhere – to play Mario and Duck Hunt; kids from around the neighborhood watch you.
And this is what it’s like in 2020: You have you own channel; kids from around the world watch you.
Ben Kusin has been that first one. “I became really cool – as cool as a 1st-grader can be,” he joked.
Now he’s working with people from that second one. This month, he and Ariel Horn launched VENN (shown here with Chrissy Costanza). That stands for Videogame Entertainment News Network; it’s online (www.venn.tv) and beyond. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 22, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 24: Perky politics, sexy singles

1) Republican convention, 8-11 p.m. ET, PBS; 10 p.m., ABC, CBS and NBC; all night, news channels. There may be a fairly quiet start today (with official business in Charlotte, N.C.) and a high-decibel finish Thursday (with Donald Trump at the White House. The program starts at 9 p.m. ET today and 8:30 p.m. on other days and will bealot like the 2016 convention (shown here), but with fewer balloons, fewer people and less … well, everything. Speakers scheduled include Melania Trump on Tuesday and Mike Pence on Wednesday, plus Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Joni Ernst, Kevin McCarthy, Kristi Noem and others. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 22, 2020