Day: May 15, 2021

ABC adds diversity for fall and beyond

For ABC, the new TV season will have a diverse look.
Of the four new shows the network has announced, three have predominantly Black casts. That includes a “Wonder Years” reboot (shown here) that now has Don Cheadle voicing the grown-up narrator, recalling a 1960s childhood in Montgomery, Ala.
That news comes shortly after ABC canceled two Black-themed shows (“For Life” and “Mixed-ish”) and three others (“Rebel,” “American Housewife” and “Call Your Mother”). The network’s other shows have been renewed, including some – “The Rookie,” “Home Economics,” “Big Sky,” “American Idol,” “A Million Little Things” – that might have been close calls.
ABC will present its line-up to advertisers at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, but sent news over the weekend about four new series. They are: Read more…

Best-bets for May 17: stars of pop and pulpit

1) “American Experience: Billy Graham,” 9-11 p.m. today, PBS. Graham (shown here) was a Southern farm kid, 6-foot-2, with blue eyes, a strong voice and an amorous nature. He quit Bob Jones College because he wanted to date girls. At another Bible school he met a missionary’s daughter; they were married 64 years, with five children. Graham was a classic evangelist, this terrific film says, but overstepped political lines. The Watergate tapes were “a crushing experience,” triggering apologies and moderation. Read more…

After filling our TV for decades, Tim Allen steps back

Tim Allen has been living inside our TV sets for three decades.
He started “Home Improvement” in 1991 and will end “Last Man Standing” (shown here in an early promo photo) at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday (May 20) on Fox)In a 30-year stretch, he spent 17 years with those two shows; also, TV kept rerunning his movies – especially “Galaxy Quest” and all the “Toy Story” and “Santa Clause” tales.
Now Allen’s overload stretch is ending; this will require some adjustment. Read more…