Year: 2024

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 5: Two seasons start, one show ends

1) “The Cleaning Lady” season-opener, 8 p.m.,, Fox. A month after the death of one of its stars, this adjusts nimbly. Adan Canto died at 42 of appendix cancer; he was terrific as Arman, a good-hearted drug boss who rescued Thony, the doctor-turned-cleaner. Now we’re told Arnan plans to use a drug plane to extricate her sister from the Philippines; a crisis forces a fragile pairing of Thony (shown here, center) and Arman’s wife-or-widow. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 3, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 4: Double “Bob” and lots of dancing

1) “Bob (Hearts) Abishola,” 8 and 8:30 p.m., CBS. One of TV’s best comedies gets two episodes, propelling some plot shifts for its final season. First, Bob’s sister (shown here, center) says she’ll have a baby on her own; that nudges Abishola and Bob to re -examine the notion of having a baby. Then Abishola’s ex-husband suddenly arrives from Nigeria; he charms most people … and makes others suspicious. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 2, 2024
Stories

Sudden surprise: explosive role for gifted actor

For an actor, the notion of “career plannng” is sheer whimsy.
Just ask Matthew Jeffers (shown here), who delivers a stunning, Emmy-worthy performance in the latest “Walking Dead” spin-off.
“When I moved to New York, I envisioned … this happening – going from 15th-century England to post-apocalyptic America,” he deadpanned.
Nobody really imagines that,.but it happened. After co-starring in a Shakespeare in the Park production of “Richard IIII” in New York, he soars in the second episode of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live”; it airs at 9 p.m. Sunday (March 3) on AMC and streams on AMC+. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 1, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 3: zombies, despot and Jackie

1) “I Am Jackie O,” 7-9 p.m., CW. “So many of my boyfriends are dumber,” the future Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wrote in a letter. “It’s a curse for a woman to be bright.” Then came Jack Kennedy, who matched her in intellect and education. (They’re shown here, with Caroline.) She helped him get elected, campaigning in Spanish and Italian … then retreated behind an image of wispy-voiced blandness. Here’s a profile of an intriguing life. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 1, 2024
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for March 4: Fox surge, plus the Oscars

1) Academy Awards, 7 p.m. ET Sunday, ABC, rerunning at about 11. The no-host, no-fun years are gone. Jimmy Kimmel has his second straight turn (and fourth overall) as host, with music that includes Billie Eilish, Becky G, Ryan Gosling (shown here in “Barbie”), Jon Batiste and the Osage Singers. And this year has nominees people have actually seen, led by the buoyant “Barbie” and front-runner “Oppenheimer.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 29, 2024
News and Quick Comments

Miss Scarlet will return; the Duke won’t

Miss Scarlet will be back, but now she’ll be Dukeless.
PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre” announced today (Feb. 29) that there will be a fifth season of “Miss Scarlet and the Duke.” But it will be renamed “Miss Scarlet,” with Kate Phillips starring alone. Stuart Martin (they’re shown here) will no longer be there as police Inspector William Wellington, nicknamed “The Duke” because of his surname.
Martin, 38, said the departure is his idea and gave no explanation. He has finished his most-recent filming project, the two-part “Rebel Moon.” He’s married to Lisa McGrillis, who has regular roles on multiple British shows; they have two children. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 29, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 2: “SNL” and lots of movies

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. At 26, Sydney Sweeney (shown here) already seems to be everywhere. Lately, she’s done movies, successful (“Anyone But You”) and not (“Madame Web”). Earlier, she had simultaneous Emmy nominations for “Euphoria” and “White Lotus.” Now she gets her first turn as “SNL” host; country singer Kacey Musgraves is the music guest. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 29, 2024
News and Quick Comments

Tony and Ziva are back; so is Stallone

There seems to be a two-way street now, linking CBS and its corporate partner, Paramount+. Separate announcements said:
— A fresh spin-off of CBS’ “NCIS” is coming, bringing back Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo (shown here) as Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. But this one, confined to a 10-episode season, will be on Paramount+.
— “Tulsa King,” the Paramount+ series starring Sylvester Stallone, will rerun its first season this summer on CBS. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 29, 2024
Stories

It’s a fresh burst of British eccentricity

When it comes to comedy, Americans have mastered the middle ground.
We’re the land of Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Simon and Carol Burnett, of “Friends” and “Big Bang” and all the late-night comics. Our huor is quick, slick and consistent.
And what about our former overlords? “In England, there is definitely a distinct sense of humor,” Noel Fielding (shown here) said. “And it’s quite eccentric.”
The latest example is his “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin,” which debuts Friday (March 1) on Apple TV+. Most people will agree that it’s eccentric; some will feel it’s also funny, in a bizarre, British kind of way. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 28, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 1: adventures, silly and serious

1) “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin” opener, Apple TV+. The real Turpin grew up as a butcher, then became a poacher, horse thief and highway robber; later, he was elevated by fiction and myth. Now we get a fresh take, rippling with odd fun in the Monty Python/Rowan Atkiinson style. This wonderfully self-centered Turpin (left, in disguise) stirs lots of laughs, some of them just silly. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 28, 2024