1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. At 26, Sabrina Carpenter (shown here) takes on a challenge most people avoid — doubling up as “SNL” host and music guest. Last season, only three people — Charlie XCX, Timothee Chalamet and Lady Gaga — did both; even Ariana Grande had someone else do the music… as did Bad Bunny this season. Read more…
Being an opening act can be a matter of extremes.
You get a small space on a big stage, a brief set in a long day. You see lots of people, few of them interested in seeing you.
“We’ve all been in that position of (facing people who) not only don’t know who we are, but don’t care,” Keith Urban recalled in a Zoom press conference. “We’ve got to try and grab them in that minimal amount of time.”
Now he’s at the other end, in “The Road.”
The 90-minute opener (9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19) ends with a song by Urban — whom the crowd came to see. Before that, a dozen contestants do one song each, while Blake Shelton (shown here) and Keith Urban watch. Both of them know the turf. Read more…
1) “Boston Blue” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. After 14 years of “Blue Bloods,” CBS isn’t ready to lose a good thing. So Danny (Donnie Wahlberg, shown here) heads to Boston (Wahlberg’s home town), where his son is a cop. He soon meets a large and tangled police/courts family like his own. This opener is too busy, but it’s also well-crafted by gifted director Anthony Hemingway, offering a rich blend of warmth and intensity. Read more…
Even when she’s chasing killers and saving lives, Sonequa Martin-Green can almost relax.
It’s refreshing, she said, “not having to save the actual universe all the time.”
For five seasons of “The Walking Dead,” she fought zombies; for all five seasons of “Star Trek: Discovery,” she was the main character, facing crises in new worlds. Now her new duty — as a “Boston Blue” police detective (shown here)– might feel like a breeze.
The show — debuting at 10 p.m. Friday (Oct. 17) on CBS — is a spin-off of “Blue Bloods.” For 14 seasons, Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg, left) played a tough New York cop. As that show was ending, producers hatched the new plan: He goes to Boston, where his son is a rookie cop; at times, they link. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. After opening its season Sunday with a fairly good episode, this returns to its regular spot with a great one. The set-up is lame, with a reluctant gunman (David Cross) in a toy story. But that manages to surround Elsbeth (shown here with Cross) with toys and danger. The result is a delight. Read more…
1) “Abbott Elementary,” 8:30 p.m., ABC. The Philadelphia Phillies recently ended their play-off run, but we can view their best night. The “Abbott” cast went to the Aug. 28 game (shown here), to film an episode set on “Teachers Appreciation Night.” The result: Kyle Schwarber hit four home runs in a 19-4 win. Read more…
1) “American Masters,” 9 p.m., PBS. At 21, Marlee Matlin was the youngest best-actress Oscar-winner (for “Children of a Lesser God,” shown here) and the first deaf winner. She began a torrid and toxic romance, faced some rough times …. then settled into a long acting career, long marriage and more. This film starts poorly (34 minutes before the chronology begins), then becomes compelling.
Read more…
1) “DMV” debut, 8:30 p.m., CBS. In the “Superstore” style, it’s a workplace comedy that find fun little bits with the patrons and longer stories with the staff. Since this is the Department of Motor Vehicles, the patrons are far-ranging — an entitled jerk, a scary driver, a clueless oldster. The likable staff is led by Harriet Dyer and (shown here, center) Tim Meadows. Read more…
(Portions of this are excerpted from “Television, and How It Got That Way,” a book-in-process. I’m running it now, because of an “I Love Lucy” profile airing at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, on CW. For the almost-complete book, click “The Book,” on the right side of the home page.)
To ponder the miracle of “I Love Lucy,” consider the void around it.
This was 1951, when TV was young and wobbly. There were a few worthy shows — Sid Caesar, Ed Sullivan, live dramas — and a lot of others.
In a week of primetime shows that fall, you’d find wrestling (twice) and boxing (twice). You’d find “Georgetown University Forum” and “Johns Hopkins Science Review, “Youth on the March” and “American Youth Forum,” plus “Film Filler” and “Lessons in Safety.”
Into that shaky field came the “Lucy” show. “It should bounce to the top of the ratings heap,” a Hollywood Reporter critic wrote. Read more…
1) “Matlock” season-opener, 8:30 p.m., CBS (but 8 p.m. on the West Coast. Last season ended with Matty finding the key information: It was “Senior” (Beau Bridges) who ordered that the drug study be buried; his son Julian (Jason Ritter) did it. Now Julian’s ex-wife has the study and Matty (shown here) wants to go public. Tonight and Thursday, strong hours set the tone for this second season. Read more…
