Month: September 2025

Beach bods to the rescue: “Baywatch” rebooted

The Fox network is going back to the beach — again.
Last season, it tried “Rescue HI-Surf,” which never quite found the vibe of the old “Baywatch” (shown here). So next season it will … well, reboot “Baywatch.”
There will be different characters, but the same red swimsuits and, perhaps, same concept — lifeguards who look good in beachwear, while saving lives. Read more…

Best-bets for Sept. 23: a huge night of starts, finishes

1) “Murder in a Small Town” season-opener, 8 p.m., Fox. This was one of last season’s best surprises, filled with subtlety and humanity. There’s a soft-spoken police chief, his librarian lover (they’re shown here) and diligent deputies. The second season starts with a domestic dispute gone bad. With the exception of an out-of-sync character (the mayor), it’s an excellent hour. Read more…

Best-bets for Sept. 22: strong “Voice,” weak “Minds”

1) “The Voice,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. For reality shows, this is a pivotal week. There are finales (“America’s Got Talent” on Wednesday, “Project Runway” Thursday, “Big Brother” Sunday) and eight season-openers. That includes “Voice,” with its people — Snoop Dogg (shown here in tonight’s opener), Reba McEntire, Michael Buble and Niall Horan — starting to find their singers. Read more…

It’s a lowdown saga of pain, persistence and Tulsa

In old movies and TV shows, we saw journalists like Woodward and Bernstein, Lou Grant and Murphy Brown, Edward R. Murrow and maybe Clark Kent.
Some were fictional, some weren’t. Most were unscarred; they had thriving news organizations backing them.
And now? Meet Lee Raybon (the central figure in the poster here), the jey character in “The Lowdown,” which debuts at 9 and 10:30 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 23) on FX. He’s battered, bruised and broke; he works free-lance, with no employer to shield him.
“I think that’s all we have left, you know?” writer-director-producer Sterlin Harjo said in a Zoom press conference. “We have citizen journalists.” Read more…

Best-bets for Sept. 21: Fox’s future; music memories

1) “A Grammy Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire: The 21at Night of September,” 8-10 p.m. ET, CBS. With its vibrant blend of pop, jazz, R&B and more, EWF (shown here) has had seven top-10 singles; one asks: “Do you remember the 21st night of September?” Now, on Sept. 21, we get EWF, Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monae, Jon Batiste, the Jonas Brothers and the London Philharmonic. Read more…

Week’s top-10 for Sept. 22: lots of finales and debuts

1) “America’s Got Talent” finale, 9-11 p.m. Tuesday and 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, NBC. The final 10 acts get one more shot. There are seven music acts (including an improv rapper and, shown here, a high school choir), plus dancers, acrobats and a spectacular projection act. Their performances Tuesday will be recapped at 8 Wednesday, setting up a two-hour finale. Read more…

For retro-TV fans, here’s a fresh look

TV’s retro-surge has another player.
Now CW is jumping in, with a series of one-hour documentaries. Over eight Mondays (starting Oct. 13), “TV We Love” will range from the esteemed “I Love Lucy” (shown here) to … well, “The Brady Bunch.”
Retro-TV took hold with the changeover to HDTV. Suddenly, each station had three extra channels that viewers could reach without cable.
PBS used those to create PBS Kids and other specialties. Most stations, however, simply lined up channels that offer oldies, from “Star Trek” to “All in the Family” to cowboy movies. Read more…