Month: July 2023

1) What We Do in the Shadows,” 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 10:36 and 11:12. This clever show often prefers the dry and droll – understated reactions to bizarre, vampires-in-Staten-Island situations. Not this time; instead, brash sight gags are piled high. There’s a two-faced head … a vampire in the stratosphere … and an LGBQ parade by a candidate (shown here) who isn’t even sure what the letters stand for. It’s not the usual “Shadows,” but it’s quite funny. Read more…

1) “CMA Fest” (shown here with Little Big Town), 8-11 p.m., ABC. This country concert has an arena-rock vibe. Guitars wail, crowds roar, the music is almost relentlessly high-octane. It’s always fun and, at scattered moments, more. We hear great songwriting (Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt,” Cody Johnson’s “’Til You Can’t”) and splendid combos. When Vince Gill and Luke Combs do “One More Last Chance” or Hardy and Lainey Wilson do “Wait in the Truck,” we’re at the heart of country. Read more…

1) “Justified: City Primeval” openers, 10 and 11:15 p.m., FX. Eight years after its finale, the terrific “Justified” series has been cleverly spliced onto another tale. Raylan (Timothy Olyphant, shown heree) isn’t in the “City Primeval” novel, but both were created by Elmore Leonard and they fit well. Raylan, from Kentucky, is whisked to Detroit with his troublemaking teen (well-played by Olyphant’s real daughter Vivian). There’s humor, violence and vivid characters. Read more…

1) “Cruel Summer,” 10 p.m., Freeform. This has become a surprisingly good show, with complex characters played by gifted young actors. Tonight’s episode (the 8th of 10) finally shows most of what happened the night Luke was killed. As usual, it also bounces to six months earlier and later. In some ways, the transition of Megan unrealistically extreme. Still, Sadie Stanley (shown here, second from left, in a previous episode) makes if believable. Read more…

1) “Ridley,” 8 p.m., PBS. In the first two stories (spread over four Sundays), we’ve started to know Ridley (played by Adrian Dunbar, shown here). He’s a retired cop whose wife and daughter were killed. He still consults on cases, but is also an occasional crooner who co-owns a bar. Now that becomes a key element: He falls for a singer, who asks him to find her brother. It’s an emotional tale (concluding next week), backed by great music. Read more…