Month: June 2022

1) “Jailbreak Lovers,”8-10:03 p.m., Lifetime. This starts with the sort of true story that tabloids savor: Toby Young, 48, led a dog-training program for prisoners; then she fell for John Manard, 27, and helped him escape. But there’s more to it: Catherine Bell, who stars with Tom Stevens (they’re shown here), was intrigued by the notion of a good-hearted rules-follower whose one mis-step was a whopper. Bell fills the film with hints of warmth, hope and even humor. Read more…

1) “SWAT,” 8 p.m., CBS. The network’s experiment with Friday-night reality has finally ended,. CBS had set three shows for 8 p.m. Fridays; two (“Undercover Boss” and “Come Dance With Me”) aired, one (“The Activist”) didn’t. Now it’s back to its specialty – three crime shows each Friday. That starts with “SWAT” (shown here) in the spot where it will be this fall. In this rerun, the team arrests some dangerous robbery suspects – which has Tan confronting a pivotal figure from his past. Also, Luca must temporarily step in for Hicks. Read more…

1) “Westworld,” (1973), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies; or “Westworld,” 8 p.m., HBO. To some of us, amusement parks are peaceful places; to Michael Crichton, they brought chaos – dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park,” killer robots in “Westworld.” Crichton’s ‘73 film starring Richard Benjamin (shown here, right) is entertaining … but no match for the existential depth of the HBO series. Dolores died at the end of the third season, but now Evan Rachel Wood has a new character. This season-opener also airs at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; the second episode will be 9 p.m. Sunday. Read more…

1) “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution,” 9-11 p.m., A&E; reruns at 7 p.m. Thursday, leading into the second half. When Dick Gregory was a teen track star, his son says, he learned that Blacks’ times weren’t in local record books. He became an activist, then a comedian, then — in later years (shown here) — both. When most Blacks were confined to small clubs and “party records,” he was in the Playboy Club and on TV. This excellent film starts there, then ranges from Bill Cosby to Richard Pryor …whose daughter teaches a class on “History of the ‘N’ Word.” Read more…

1) “Superman & Lois” season-finale, 8 p.m., CW. Remember when Superman seemed invincible? Not any more; Ally Alston has been draining his powers to feed her own, while also merging worlds. Now Chrissy Beppo, the Smallville Gazette editor, has been authorized by the Defense department to tell people the merging of planets is real and happening, Others – including Lois Lane and Lana Lang (the Smallville mayor, shown here) try to save the world. Read more…