Month: October 2021

Best-bets for Nov. 2: music, military, more

1) “Queens,” 10 p.m., ABC. The first two episodes brought extremes: A four-woman rap group (shown here) re-united after 20 years, soared during a TV-show song… then crashed in its first concert. Now it must repair the damage or quit again. Several scenes are brilliantly done, but wildly unbelievable – a rap battle (involving real-life music stars Eve and Brandy), a parent-teacher conference, a conservatory audition. Beautifully directed by Shiri Appleby, it’s excessive at times … then ends with a major jolt. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 1: Leap into Fox’s one no-sports day

1) “The Big Leap,” 9 p.m., Fox. This show tries to do it all – comedy, drama and, at times, zesty dance moves. The previous episode was all-out drama; we learned that Gabby’s high school teacher fathered her son, then ignored them. Tonight, surprisingly, goes the other way. Gabby seethes, seeking revenge on the dancer who spilled her secret; Nick (Scott Foley), the producer, savors the notion; also, his choreographer has gone hallucinogenic. There are serious moments, too, but this one is mostly for fun. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 31: Simpsons lead a packed Halloween

1) “The Simpsons,” 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., FXX. This is a rarity – a Sunday with no “Simpsons” on Fox. (Barring a four-game sweep, Fox has the World Series at 8:15 p.m. ET, with preview at 8.) Fortunately, there’s something better: FXX reruns the first 30 years of “Treehouse of Horror” episode (shown here), in order, from 9 a.m. to midnight. That’s followed by two other episodes – “Halloween of Horror” and “Thanksgiving of Horror” — at midnight and 12:30 a.m. Read more…

Week’s top-10 for Nov. 1: A busy stretch for dramas

1) “CSI: Vegas,” 10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. This “CSI” reboot has been tackling an enigma: Someone framed former lab tech Hodges; that could invalidate thousands of convictions. Now Grissom and Sidle have a suspect, in an intriguing story that will reach a turning point next week. This episode also offers a quicker and flashier case: All of the people on a flight have been brutally killed … yet someone managed to escape with a fortune. Folsom (Matt Laurea, shown here with Mandeep Dhillon) solves it, and even has a few warm moments. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 30: “Heights,” horror, holiday

1) “In the Heights” (2021), 8 p.m., HBO, repeating at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Before triumphing with “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda composed and starred in this splendid musical about life in a Latinx musical. Wisely, he let others take over the movie. Anthony Ramos (shown here) stars (with Miranda getting one song) and John M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) directed. The result is one of the best movies in years. Warm moments mingle with vibrant numbers that suggest the great movie-musicals of old. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 29: The dead (including Beethoven) arise

1) “Now Hear This: Beethoven’s Ghost,” 9 p.m., PBS. In most “Now Hear This” hours, violinist Scott Yoo (shown here) blends music, commentary and a travelog. Now comes a terrific detour: As five musicians record Beethoven’s music, the composer’s ghost (perfectly played by John Hans Tester) roams … wjth Freud’s ghost trying some instant analysis. The music – especially from Yoo and pianist Anna Polonsky – soars. Read more…

TV Halloween: the final, funny/messy stretch

It’s time for one final round-up of Halloween TV.
That starts and ends with “The Simpsons” and its off-brilliant, sometimes-just-messy “Treehouse of Horror” episodes (shown here). A dozen of them rerun Wednesday … then 30 of them air, in order, on Sunday.
There’s much more. We’ll briefly mention the scary stuff at the end (and repeat my “Chucky” story), but first let’s round up the fun stuff, Oct. 27-31: Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 28: “Walker” returns, “Positive” transforms

1) “B Positive,” 9:30 p.m., CBS. Already a good show, this has had a drastic makeover for its second season. At the core is Gina, a good-hearted (if sometimes daft) soul, brilliantly played by Annaleigh Ashford. She inherited a fortune … and bought the retirement home where she works. That lets the show add a flock of newcomers. It already had two Tony-winners, Ashford and Linda Lavin (they’re shown here); now it adds two more, Ben Vereen and Priscilla Lopez, plus Jane Seymour and Hector Elizondo. Read more…

New “Trek” brings old fans … and the others

A quarter-century ago Kate Mulgrew strode into TV history, shielded by semi-ignorance.
Yes, she knew that her character, Kathryn Janeway, would be the first female “Star Trek” captain. There was a fuss about that; the producers even lured Sally Ride (the first woman in space) to the premiere.
But what she didn’t know about was “Star Trek” itself. “I didn’t watch it …. My introduction was when I walked onto that bridge at about 7 o’clock in the morning.”
Hey, a lot of people don’t know “Trek” – including the young actors who star with Mulgrew in “Star Trek: Prodigy” (shown here), the computer-animated series that debuts Thursday (Oct. 28) on Paramount+. The actors had a virtual press conference with the Television Critics Association. Read more…