Day: May 17, 2021

Fox’s fall line-up: second (and third and more) chances

Are most of us desperate to rebound, to recover, to have a second chance at life?
The Fox network seems to think so. Introducing his fall line-up to reporters, programming chief Charlie Collier talked of a time for “second chances and re-invention.”
His new shows keep reflecting that: Three women rethink their lives after a friend’s death (“Pivoting”) … A Cambodian doctor rebuilds her life after becoming a cleaning woman for U.S. mobsters (“The Cleaning Lady”) … People desperate for a second chance try a dance show (“The Big Leap,” shown here).
Even a reality show (tucked neatly after “The Masked Singer”) has a re-invention theme: Performers don’t compete as themselves, but as their avatars. Read more…

Best-bets for May 19: “Chicago” dramas, good and bad

1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. Easily the best of NBC’s three Chicago shows, “P.D.” (shown here in a previous episode) offers a taut hour that spills into next week’s season-finale. Samantha Miller (Nicole Ari Parker) is a police reformer who joined the show this season; now her son needs help, in what seems like a quick case, then grows. One bit of inaction strains credibility; also, viewers will be disappointed that this is the rare “P.D.” episode that doesn’t wrap things up. Still, it’s a strong, solid hour that will bring them back next week. Read more…

It’s boom-or-bust time for fall line-ups

This used to be a grand TV tradition, a time when careers might soar or crumble.
It’s the week of “upfronts,” when networks announce their fall schedules to advertisers. It will be NBC and Fox on Monday (May 17), ABC on Tuesday and CBS on Wednesday; some shows will make the cut, others (including “All Rise,” shown here) won’t.
And if this doesn’t seem as big as it used to? Well, nothing does, really. Read more…