Tuesdays have become a feast-or-famine time for ABC.
For months, the night was confined to reruns and reality and such. Now, starting Feb. 20, comes a drama surge.
It’s the second season of “Will Trent,” the sixth of “The Rookie” (shown here), the seventh and final one of “The Good Doctor.” Three popular shows return, back-to-back.
And then, after just 10 episodes, their seasons will be done. More on that later. Read more…
Sam Spade’s French adventure is ending now. Zombies are ready to take his timeslot.
First, the story needs to be resolved – or, in this case, semi-resolved. The “Monsieur Spade” (shown here) finale is 9 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 18) on AMC.
Viewers can also catch the full, six-episode experience on the Acorn or AMC+ streaming services. They’ll find an Americana classic – the tough, terse-talking private eye – transferred to an opposite world.
“I just thought it was as far away from Sam Spade as possibly could be: Having a vineyard, even drinkng wine at all,” producer-director Scott Frank told the Television Critics Association. Read more…
1) “The Equalizer” season-opener, 8 p.m., CBS. It was nine months ago that a former CIA colleague put Robyn’s people in grave danger. That was the season-finale; then the strikes pushed back the new season. Now Robyn (Queen Latifah, shown here) makes her move … and learns of the decision that led to the death of another agent. Read more…
1) “An American in Austen,” 8-10 p.m.,, Hallmark. Lots of people might imagine being in the world Jane Austen created for her best character, Elizabeth Bennett. In this film, that happens: A modern Austen buff (played by a Canadian actress, shown here, who happens to be named Eliza Bennett) is transported to that era. Also, “Paging Mt. Darcy” (2024), set at an Austen conference, reruns at noon. Read more…
For Olympic fans, the days of the primetime surprise may be over,
NBC will have a different approach for the games (July 26 to Aug. 11) in Paris: Every major event (including gymnastics, with Siimone Biles shown here) will be live in the daytime, then repackaged for night.
That’s a big change from the days when it was easy to keep secrets. Major events – including, in the winter, U.S-Russia hockey and Kerrigan-Harding skating – could be delayed for hours, then delivered to surprised viewers at night.
Not any more. “The network is going to be live (in the daytime), no holding back,” Molly Solomon, president of NBC’s Olympics coverage, told the Television Critics Association. At night, the same events will be in “a curated presentation – the best performances of the day, distilled down to three hours.” Read more…
1) “The Good Doctor’ season-opener, 10 p.m. Tuesday, ABC.. A well-crafted show starts its final season … trimmed from 13 episodes to 10. There’s a lot to cover in the world of Shaun (Freddie Highmore), the brilliant and autistic surgeon. He and Lea are raising their baby (shown here) while he faces a tough case — two babies needing a heart transplant. Also this season, a younger autistic doctor will arrive. Read more…
In the wobbly world of media, this might have seemed like a long shot.
“The 19th” – a journalism source with a female perspective—was launching in the midst of the pandemic. “Are you insane?” one amiable investor asked with a laugh.
That’s shown in the early moments of “Breaking the News” (shown here), a documentary that airs at 10 p.m. Monday (Feb. 19) on PBS’ “Independent Lens.” As it turns out, the idea proved to be quite sane. In its first two years, The 19th – named after the amendment that gave women the vote — raised a reported $12 million and broke national stories. Read more…
1) “Blue Bloods” season-opener, 10 p.m., CBS. This wraps up a packed week, with season-openers for virtually all CBS shows. It’s the final season for “Blue Bloods,” “Young Sheldon” and “Bob (Hearts) Abiishola,” but with a difference: The others will end in May; “Blue Bloods” will pause this summer, then wrap up in the fall. Tonight, Jamie goes undercover in a human-trafficking wing and his dad (Tom Selleck, shown here)m the police commissioner, again battles the mayor. Read more…
1) “Young Sheldon” season-opener, 8 p.m., CBS. Gradually, this has become less about Sheldon and more about his quirky clan. Now that peaks as the final season begins, with Sheldon and his mom in Germany. They bring some good moments, but the best ones are back home, where a tornado flattened his grandmother’s house. Now she’s wedged in (shown here) with the rest of the crowd, including Sheldon’s dad, siblings, baby niece and more. Read more…
1) “Resident Alien” season-opener, 10 p.m., Syfy and USA Network. This gem is finally back, with its blend of solid scii-fi and goofy humor. Sent to destroy all humans, an alien killed the local doctor, took his body … then decided he might like people. Now some of them know his secret, one boy can see his real form (shown here) … and a more-evil alien is in town. The result, as usual, is an odd delight. Read more…
