As the upcoming TV season crumbles, PBS becomes more important.
The network has just released its plans for the fall. It has lots of Sunday dramas, a string of Friday profiles, a speck of music and, as usual, loads of non-fiction.
That includes a strong Latino emphasis, plus subjects ranging from buffalo (shown here) to Elon Musk, from nature to reflections on integration, busing and women’s sports. Read more…
1) “CMA Fest” (shown here with Little Big Town), 8-11 p.m., ABC. This country concert has an arena-rock vibe. Guitars wail, crowds roar, the music is almost relentlessly high-octane. It’s always fun and, at scattered moments, more. We hear great songwriting (Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt,” Cody Johnson’s “’Til You Can’t”) and splendid combos. When Vince Gill and Luke Combs do “One More Last Chance” or Hardy and Lainey Wilson do “Wait in the Truck,” we’re at the heart of country. Read more…
1) “Justified: City Primeval” openers, 10 and 11:15 p.m., FX. Eight years after its finale, the terrific “Justified” series has been cleverly spliced onto another tale. Raylan (Timothy Olyphant, shown heree) isn’t in the “City Primeval” novel, but both were created by Elmore Leonard and they fit well. Raylan, from Kentucky, is whisked to Detroit with his troublemaking teen (well-played by Olyphant’s real daughter Vivian). There’s humor, violence and vivid characters. Read more…
1) “Cruel Summer,” 10 p.m., Freeform. This has become a surprisingly good show, with complex characters played by gifted young actors. Tonight’s episode (the 8th of 10) finally shows most of what happened the night Luke was killed. As usual, it also bounces to six months earlier and later. In some ways, the transition of Megan unrealistically extreme. Still, Sadie Stanley (shown here, second from left, in a previous episode) makes if believable. Read more…
1) “CMA Fest,” 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. There’s an arena-rock vibe to this country concert. Guitars wail, crowds roar, the music is almost relentlessly high-octane. The result is fun and occasionally more. We hear great songwriting (Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt,” Cody Johnson’s “’Til You Can’t”) and splendid combos. When Vince Gill and Luke Combs (they’re shown here) do “One More Last Chance” or Hardy and Lainey Wilson do “Wait in the Truck,” we’re at the heart of country. Read more…
It’s sort of like doing landscaping during a tornado.
The little CW network was in the midst of a full makeover. Then the writers’ and actors’ strikes swirled in, forcing more changes.
The result is a revised schedule, strong on scripted shows from overseas and unscripted ones from the U.S. It ranges from the lusty “FBoy Island” (shown here) to the biblical “The Chosen.”
The CW survived for years on a unique financial model. Its expensive science-fiction shows – “The Flash,” “Arrow,” etc. — had weak ratings, but did well overseas, keeping its producers (who also were CW co-owners) happy.
Then the network was sold and the new owners began shedding most of that, replacing it with lower-cost alternatives. It still has “Riverdale” and “Nancy Drew” on Wednesdays this summer, with a few of the old CW dramas renewed for the new season. Read more…
As Hollywood’s mega-strike begins, viewers are wondering about the fall TV season.
There will be one, of course; there always is. But it will have lots of non-fiction – reality shows, game shows and such – plus others. There will be sports (especially football), Fox’s Sunday cartoons (including the new “Krapopolis,” shown here), a few foreign imports, some Disney movies … and, of course, reruns.
All of that became more inevitable when the 160,000-member actors’ union joined the picket lines today (July 14). The 10,000-member writers’ union had been there since May 2.
Even if there’s a quick settlement – a possibility, at least, now that both unions are involved – it’s way too late to start a normal season. Here’s what the broadcast networks have announced so far: Read more…
1) “Ridley,” 8 p.m., PBS. In the first two stories (spread over four Sundays), we’ve started to know Ridley (played by Adrian Dunbar, shown here). He’s a retired cop whose wife and daughter were killed. He still consults on cases, but is also an occasional crooner who co-owns a bar. Now that becomes a key element: He falls for a singer, who asks him to find her brother. It’s an emotional tale (concluding next week), backed by great music. Read more…
1) WNBA all-star game, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC. The top women’s basketball players collide in prime time, with A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart as captains. They were the top vote-getters, with Brittney Griner (shown here) finishing third. It’s the ninth all-star selection for Griner, who is 32 and 6-foot-9. Bouncing back quickly from nine months in Russian prison, she’s been almost matching her 2021 season, when she averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Read more…
Kids grow up fast these days, we’re told. So Willa Givens shouldn’t surprise us.
She was a baby (literally), the daughter of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and a former court stenographer, when “Justified” began its final season. And now, eight years later?
In “Justified: City Primeval” (shown here) – debuting with episodes at 10 and 11:15 p.m. Tuesday (July 18) on FX – she’s 15, an attractive teen with long hair, goofy smile and adventurous spirit. How did this happen?
“We fudged the timeline,” writer-producer Dave Andron admitted to the Television Critics Association. Read more…
