Mike Hughes

Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for July 17: Country’s best, plus FX surge

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…

By Mike Hughes / July 14, 2023
News and Quick Comments

CW tries a makeover, just as the TV world wobbles

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…

By Mike Hughes / July 14, 2023
Stories

Amid strikes, networks plan a makeshift fall

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…

By Mike Hughes / July 14, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 16: a big night for mysteries and time-travel

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…

By Mike Hughes / July 14, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 15: stars of basketball and baking

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…

By Mike Hughes / July 13, 2023
Stories

Raylan has an insta-grown daughter … and a fun story

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…

By Mike Hughes / July 13, 2023
News and Quick Comments

HBO dramas dominate the Emmy nominations

In a changing TV world, one thing remains solid: HBO dominates the Emmy awards, especially when it’s linked to a streaming network.
The nominations, announced today (July 12) were led by “Succession” (shown here), “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus.” They totaled 27, 24 and 23 nominations; only Apple’s “Ted Lasso,” with 21, came close.
Those first three are all on what used to be HBO Max and is now simply Max. All three are up for best drama series, with the final season of “Succession” as the frontrunner.
(The comedy category includes the final seasons of “Ted Lasso,” Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Barry.”) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 12, 2023
News and Quick Comments

Fox sets a strike-resistant schedule for fall

Depending on how you look at it, the Fox network is way behind its competition … or a tad ahead:
BEHIND: It has finally announced a schedule for this fall. The others set theirs two months ago.
AHEAD: That schedule is in full strike mode. It has four nights of reality shows (including “The Masked Singer,” shown here), two nights of sports and one of animated shows … none of them touched (for now) by the writers’ strike.
Until now, only one network had a schedule that completely reflects the ongoing strike. That was ABC, planning a full non-fiction slate, except for an hour of “Abbott Elementary” reruns. Now comes Fox, planning: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 12, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 14: Canadian chaos, American reality

1) “Moonshine,” 9 p.m., CW. In last week’s opener, life imploded for Lidia (Jennifer Finnigan). A busy Manhattan architect, she returned home to Nova Scotia with her two teens, for her aunt’s memorial service. She promptly learned that she’d inherited 43 percent of her family’s crumbling resort … and that her husband is cheating, Now she’s decided to stay in this chaotic place (shown here), as secrets and suspicions persist. She tries to make changes, starting with the “Goat Roast.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 12, 2023