Day: August 24, 2023

Stories

When, really, does new TV season start?

For TV viewers, there are pressing questions:
1) When will the new season start?
2) Will there actually be a new season?
The second answer is a firm “sort of.” Flattened by the writers’ and actors’ strikes, networks have put together makeshift line-ups. It won’t be pretty, but it will be TV.
And the first one has several answers. Some details (especially from ABC) are missing, but most are here, especially with the dominant role of football (shown here). For the broadcast networks, let’s consider one of these to be the starting date for a rickety season: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2023
News and Quick Comments

CNN gets a new streaming site

The wobbly relationship between CNN and its new owner may be strengthened a bit.
A new streaming hub, “CNN Max,” was announced today by Warner Bros. Discovery. When it launches Sept. 27, it will be free to people who subscribe to the Max (formerly HBO Max) streamer. Specifics are unclear, but it appears to:
— Help cord-cutters, who might find themselves without a full-time news channel. This will have separate shows, but will cover breaking news and use the regular CNN anchors.
— Be a convenient place to find past productions, including the Oscar-winning “Navalny” (shown here) and two Emmy-winning travel series with Stanley Tucci and with the late Anthony Bourdain. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Aug. 28: An opening burst of mysteries & football

1) Mysteries, 8-11 p.m. Sunday, PBS. We could call this the start of the fall season; three well-crafted shows return for six-week seasons “Unforgotten” (9 p.m.) uses all six weeks for one murder case – and a dilly. In the opener, the new inspector (shown here) arrives on what’s already the worst day of her life. “Van der Valk” (10) has three two-part stories; the first is tangled and intriguing. “Professor T” (8) has a new story each week, with an enigmatic criminologist. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 26: College football takes over

1) College football, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. For most schools, the season starts next weekend. Each year, however, two historically Black colleges gets a one-week jump. This time, South Carolina State (3-8 last year) faces Jackson State, which was 12-0 in the regular-season (with an average score of 38-11), before losing a bowl game. Now its coach (Deion Sanders) and its star quarterback (his son Shedeur, shown here) have switched to Colorado. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2023