Waiting for the pandemic to end, Robert and Michelle King re-discovered a key fact: People like stories that end.
“Every night, we wanted to watch an episode of ‘Columbo,’” Robert said, “instead of the eight-hour movies that were thrown our way.”
So they created “Elsbeth” (shown here), the fun murder-mystery that debuts at 10 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 29) on CBS. It fits a pattern that works for CBS. Read more…
1) “Survivor” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., CBS. This diverse batch of contestants ranges from a slot-machine salesman, 22, to a parenting coach, 48. It includes natives of India, Guyana and Hong Kong. There’s an actor, an artist and a musician; also, a science teacher, an aerospace technician and a software engineer. Now they get muddy (ahown here) in a hurry; after a couple weeks of two-hour episodes, this will recede to 90 minutes. Read more…
1) “Good Trouble,” 10 p.m., Freeform.. A week from its finale, this excellent series has Mariana (Cierra Ramirez, shown here in a different episode) overloaded with ugly problems and handsome guys. She’s helping Joaquin try to expose a cult leader; she’s also co-CEO with Evan, whose near-death left him unable to remember their romance. There’s more here (including so-so show-business plots), peaking with big romantic moments. Read more…
1) “Deal or No Deal Island” debut, 9:30-11 p.m., NBC. The flimsy “Deal” has been turned into a sort of “Survivor” clone – complete with “Boston Rob” (from many “Survivor” editions) as a contestant. There’s a handsome host (Joe Manganiello) and wild stunts, starting with a mud bog (shown here). The players are interesting, but only one gets to win much; for now, they’re just building up the pot. Read more…
When adapting a Jane Austen novel, the trick is to not be too … well, Jane Austen-ish.
Keep her plot and her sharp sense of character, but relax her stiff, centuries-old dialog.
Lately, several projects have done this quite well. The newest one, however, is a decent attempt that’s sometimes buried in Austen excess.
That’s “Sense and Sensibility” (shown heere), at 8 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 24) and 5 p.m. Sunday on the Hallmark Channel. It’s of special interest because it: Read more…
At a time when way too many shows are being canceled, there’s some good news.
In a short burst, there were separate announcements about the renewal of “Frasier” on Parmount+, “True Detective” on HBO and “All Creatures Great and Small” (shown here) on PBS.
Those last two were expected, but they come with surprise details. The shows are: Read more…
1) “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” opener, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:21 and 11:42. For nine years, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) dominated “Walking Dead.” He fought zombies, led survivors, married Michonne … then was hauled away. Now we finally see him again (shown here). In the compelling start of this six-parter, he makes extreme (and gory) attempts to escape and find his wife. Stick with this episode to the potent end. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth” debut, 10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. Elsbeth Tascioni has been an occasional delight. A lawyer with a sharp mind and a quirky soul, she did 19 episodes of “The Good Wife” and its spin-off, spread over 12 years, bringing an Emmy for Carrie Preston. Now she moves to New York and gets a weekly mystery; in this fun opener, she probes a theater program led by Stephen Moyer (shown here) of “True Blood.” Read more…
1) “Sense & Sensibiility” (shown here), 8 p.m., Hallmark. Wrapping up its four-Saturday stretch of movies linked to Jane Austen, Hallmark remakes a classic, this time with a Black cast. Two British actresses star – Bethany Antonia (Lady Baela in “House of the Dragon”) as Marianne and Deborah Ayorinde as Elinor. Read more…
There are different kinds of actors out there – some verbal, some physical. You could call them Streepians and Stallonians.
Then there’s Danai Gurira, now returning to the zombie world. She masters it all.
Nine months ago, TV viewers saw her in the title role of Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” An English king was played by a Black American woman, catching fresh nuance.
And now she’s back to her alternate life. When “Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” debuts (9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, on AMC), Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his wife Michonne (Gurira, they’re shown here) are desperate to re-unite, despite the hordes of zombies. Read more…
