1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. It’s a busy time for Dakota Johnson. She stars in Taylor Swift’s new video and (with Anne Hathaway) in “Verity” (shown here), which reached theaters Friday. And now is her third time as “SNL” host. Turnstile — which won Grammys for best metal performance (“Birds”) and rock album — has its first turn as music guest Read more…
As “Marshals” launches its first full season, it has an ongoing theme.
Yes, this is still an action show. The season-opener — 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 (but 8 p.m. on the West Coast), launching what CBS calls Premiere Week — has guns blazing from horsemen, helicopter and Jeep.
But beyond that are questions about following a strong father. That’s “definitely a theme throughout the season,” said showrunner Spencer Hudnut.
We see that in the opener, with Dolly Weaver and her domineering dad; Kayce Dutton likes one, hates the other. And we see it with Kayce’s struggles with his son (shown here). Read more…
Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month draws shrugs from most networks and glee from PBS.
This year, things seem more gleeful than ever. In an 11-day stretch, there will be three documentaries — looking at jazz, movies (including “La Bamba,” shown here) and guerrilla-style disruption — plus an award show and more.
Officially, National Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15 — a key date for the drive toward independence for Mexico and five Central American countries — and continues through Oct. 15. PBS, however, is bunching most of its events into early October. They include: Read more…
1) “Asco: Without Permission,” 10 p.m., PBS. In 1970, four Chicano teens (shown here a few years later) began guerrilla art in Los Angeles. They did parades, performances, graffiti, more. They called their group Asco, expanded it, then folded it in ’87, for separate careers. Now their early work is in the art galleries they mocked. It’s a great story, told with a few unneeded detours. Read more…
1) “Cupertino” (shown here), 10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. He’s a veteran lawyer, big, confident and imposing; she’s a newcomer, a tad timid, from a deeply religious family. They have only one thing in common: Unfairly fired, they’re ready to clash with evil firms. The result is the season’s best new broadcast show. It’s from the “Elsbeth” producers, juggling humor and rage. Read more…
1) “Coven Academy” debut, 8-10 p.m., Freeform. Ready or not, “31 Nights of Halloween” is starting. There are movies — “Edward Scissorhands” at 11:30 a.m., “Addams Family” films at 1:55 and 3:55, “Hocus Pocus” at 5:55. Then “Coven” begins, with teen witches (shown here). You can catch it over three Thursdays, or all 10 episodes Friday on Disney+ and Hulu. Read more…
At first, music videos seemed like minor miracles.
With a shortage of money and an excess of whimsy, people were turning songs into visual experiences. We were amazed; we still are, sometimes.
But what we saw at Video Music Awards on Sunday (Sept. 27) went far beyond that. Numbers done live, onstage numbers felt like video epics.
That went from the first number (Madonna, shown here in a recent performance, linking with Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and a swarm of props and dancers) to the last one (Gener8ion and Yung Lean re-creating their video), this popped with amazing visuals. Read more…
1) “Scrubs” season-openers, 8 and 8:30 p.m., ABC. Half-hour comedies are scarce now. This is the first broadcast-network one (cartoons excluded) with new episodes this fall. It juggles the serious — Dr. Cox has an incurable autoimmune condition — and the fun: Elliot (second from right) finds fresh confidence; J.D. (second from left) schemes an insurance workaround. Read more…
1) “Comics Unleashed” anniversary special, 9-11 p.m., CBS. At 18, Byron Allen was the youngest comedian to be on Johnny Carson’s show; at 65, Allen (shown here at one of his shows) has a company that owns stations, The Weather Channel, BuzzFeed and more. At the core are micro-budget shows like “Unleashed,” which was obscure until it took over Stephen Colbert’s spot; it marks its 20th year. Read more…
Half of a conversation — just one word, actually — helped nudge a new drama series.
Well, that word was repeated often and with increasing glee. For writer George Kay, it was a spark for “War,” which starts at 9 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 1) on HBO and HBO Max, with Dominic West and Sienna Miller (shown here) as divorce combatants.
Kay had already envisioned the basics — a show about two high-end London law firms, one old and one new. Each season would involve one case, viewed from both sides. But what would the first case be? Read more…
