Month: June 2023

Best-bets for July 2: “Tough” show starts, dour one ends

1) “Tough as Nails” opener, 8-10 p.m., CBS. After pushing its summer shows back to August, CBS relented: After tonight, “Tough” (shown here) will have a new hour each Friday and Sunday. This season was filmed in Canada, with four Canadians among the 12 contestants. The field ranges from a 31-year-old ironworker to a 58-year-old toolmaker; it includes two firefighters and a motorcycle-builder. Phil Keoghan (shown here) hosts the show, which he co-created. Tonight, each person must cut, grind and torch 500 pounds of scrap metal. Read more…

After just three seasons, terrific “Dogs” will depart

For TV buffs, that Billy Joel song title seems accurate: Only the good die young.
Earlier this year, the wondrous “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” voluntarily ended after just four seasons. Now we learn that “Reservation Dogs” (shown here) will do the same after three.
No, that’s not fair. Not in a world where “Alice” had nine seasons, “My Three Sons” had 12, “Ozzie and Harriet” had 14. “Ozzie,” in fact, had 435 episodes; when “Reservation Dogs” finishes its final season – starting Aug. 2 on Hulu – it will have had 28. Read more…

A TV survivor ends a 26-season stay

The TV world has plenty of shows that vanish in an instant.
Paula Poundstone’s variety show lasted two episodes; the Osbournes’ variety show lasted one. Brian Bosworth and Glenn Frey had detective shows that each lasted one. “Turn-On” lasted one … but a Cleveland station dropped it after the first commercial break.
Given that, we should pause to admire “Endeavour” (shown here). When it ends its run (9-11 p.m. Sunday, July 2, on PBS), it will be part of a 26-season stretch. Read more…

Week’s top-10 for July 3: Fourth flurry, plus sharks and games

1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, PBS, rerunning at 9:30. Each year, this offers a rich tapestry of music, plus fireworks (shown here). This time, the fiery finish will include Charles Esten (“Nashville”) singing “Let Freedom Ring.” The night also has Chicago, Boyz II Men, Babyface, Belinda Carlisle, Renee Fleming and Maddie & Tae, plus Broadway — the cast of Neil Diamond’s “A Beautiful Noise” and a Tina Turner tribute from Adrienne Warren, who played her onstage. Read more…

Best-bets for July 1: Football season finally ends

1) Football, 8 p.m. ET, NBC. It’s the final game of the season – just three weeks before NFL training camps begin for a new year. This is the USFL, in its second season since being revived. The defending champion, Birmingham (8-2 in the regular season), behind quareterback Alex McGough (shown here), rolled to a 47-22 win over New Orleans (7-3) in the South division semi-finals. Now it faces Pittsburgh, which had an overtime win over Michigan, in a North battle of teams with 4-6 records. Read more…

Best-bets for June 30: cowboys, firefighters and CIA

1) “Yellowstone,” 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., Paramount Network. It will be a long wait for the last six episodes of this final season (coming November, or later). But now we can re-see Kevin Costner (shown here, right) and the others from the start. Tonight’s reruns go mid-way through the first season; that resumes at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the second-season finale at 11:50 p.m. There’s more Sunday, leading into reruns of the prequel, “1883.” Read more…

He gets close-up views of fame, football and Fourth fireworks

For singers, July 4 at the Capitol can be imposing.
There they are, live on PBS, belting to the multitudes – estimated at 300,000 or more. Faith Hill was once startled by even the afternoon rehearsal crowd.
“It never gets old,” said Charles Esten (shown here), who will sing “Let Freedom Ring” this year (8 p.m., rerunning at 9:30), as fireworks flare. “You always feel the energy.” Read more…

Best-bets for June 28: “Grown-ish” returns; “Mayans” rages

1) “Grown-ish” season-opener, 10 p.m., Freeform. The early seasons, the focus was on Zoey (shown here), but now it’s her brother Andre’s second year in college. Tonight, he’s nudged by his dad to choose a major and by his friends to go to a music festival … where he meets rapper NLE Choppa. It’s an ambitious half-hour with two so-so sories — Andre’s indecision and Kiela’s effort to schedule everyone’s fun. Read more…

Best-bets for June 27: fantasy farewells, Fox film

1) “Gotham Knights” series-finale, 9 p.m., CW. This has had a sharp concept, strong visuals, attractive characters … and disastrous timing. Just as it debuted, CW (under new ownership) began dumping its fantasy shows. In “Knights,” Bruce Wayne (Batman) was killed and his adopted son was framed. On the lam, he linked with Joker’s daughter (they’re shown here0 and others. Now they try a dangerous rescue; also, Harvey Dent copes with his evil persona, “Two-Face.” Read more…