Mike Hughes

Best-bets for May 19: a finale-filled evening

1) “Station 19” and “Big Sky” season-finales, 8 and 10 p.m., ABC. Next week, “Grey’s Anatomy” wraps its season with its 399th and 400th episodes. First, ABC clears out the other Thursday shows: On “Station 19,” Andy is on trial for manslaughter, after foiling a rape attempt; now she finds a key witness. On “Big Sky,” Jenny (shown here in a previous episode) rushes to find Travis; Cassie, after a surprise, changes her quest forever. And after meeting both, the new sheriff may stick around. Read more…

NBC’s new season: “Leap,” Lee, Lopez, Larroquette

NBC will play it safe this fall, then get only a tad friskier as the season goes on.
Its line-up, announced today (Monday), has only two new shows, both with familiar names. One is a reboot of “Quantum Leap,” with Raymond Lee (shown here) as the new star; the other has George Lopez, now paired with his daughter in the comedy, “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Another reboot arrives at mid-season: “Night Court” has John Larroquette returning to his Emmy-winning role, now with Melissa Rauch (“Big Bang Theory”) as the judge. Read more…

Update: Fox sets fall line-up … with “9-1-1”

Update: A half-day after leaving it in doubt, the Fox network has made something clear:
Yes, it will have “9-1-1” and “The Resident” (shown here) next season.
When executives talked to reporters early Monday morning, that was still in doubt. Charlie Collier, the network CEO, would only say that negotiations were going well; he even took the unusual step of announcing the other shows for the fall season – but not a day-to-day schedule.
A spin-off, “9-1-1: Lone Star,” was definitely coming back, but “9-1-1” – Fox’s top show in the Nielsen ratings – was indefinite. Heading into its sixth season (as is “The Resident”), it needed a new contract.
Now the earlier story:
Read more…

Best-bets for May 18: Dancers start, masks depart

1) “So You Think You Can Dance” opener, 9 p.m., Fox. From its debut in 2005, “Dance” (shown here in a previous season) has been one of TV’s best reality competitions. It had great dancers and (after the auditions) gifted choreographers; it also had a producer and head judge (Nigel Lythgoe) who took this seriously. Now the show is back (for the first time in three years), but its leader isn’t. Lythgoe, 72, is out; JoJo Siwa, who turns 19 on Thursday, is one of the judges, alongside Matthew Morrison (“Glee”) and Stephen “tWitch” Boss. Read more…

Forget reruns: Here’s a round-up of new summer shows

In TV’s olden days, summer brought a slow slog through reruns. People had to settle for alternatives – friends and family, parks and playgrounds and such.
Not any more; summers have become fairly busy with new shows.
This is the season that spawned “Survivor,” “American Idol” and more; it’s still the time of “America’s Got Talent,” “The Bachelorette” and — returning after a two-year absence — “So You Think You Can Dance” (shown here). And now it also has a fairly good collection of new, scripted shows.
Here’s a sampling, with more announcements still coming. We’ll stick to the channels (broadcast or basic-cable) that most homes get. If you have premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz) and streamers (Netflix, Disney+, etc.), the list explodes. You might never reach the beach.
Read more…

Best-bets for May 17: Seasons end and Richie soars

1) Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, 9 p.m., PBS. Lionel Richie (shown here) gets his due, as the 13th winner of an annual prize that has included Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan. This hour is poorly crafted — too many speeches, too many broad-brimmed hats, too many attempts to involve a masked audience. But making up for that is the magnificent music. Richie’s songs are performed beautifully by Andra Day, Chris Stapleton, Yolanda Adams, Boyz II Men, Miguel, Luke Bryan and by Richie. Read more…

USA Network season: It’s mostly macho

The USA Network will be a mostly macho place next season.
It will also be mostly unscripted, at least among its original (non-rerun) shows. The network — which once debuted “Monk,” “Psych,” “Suits” and “Mr. Robot” — has plans next season for exactly one scripted original –continuing “Chucky,” the killer-doll tale.
Instead, USA seems to reflect the success of its Monday and Tuesday wrestling, via the WWE. (One new show will be hosted by WWE star Nikki Bella, shown here; a returning reality show features a WWE couple.) It also reflects an expanded sports line-up, now that sister channel NBC Sports Network has folded. The announcements for next season include Read more…

Best-bets for May 16: finales and classy movies

1) The Good Doctor” season-finale, 10 p.m. today, ABC. When this show started, Shaun was an autistic kid who was brilliant at surgery and overwhelmed by life. Things transformed when Lea, a sweet-spirited techie, moved into the apartment next door. (They’re shown here.) Last week, she was in her wedding gown when she realized a big-deal ceremony would be too much for him. Tonight, they try again, this time with a less-formal wedding. Then, ABC says, someone has a medical emergency. Read more…

Best-bets for May 15: “Equalizer” ends season; music multiplies

1) “The Equalizer” season-finale, 8 p.m., CBS. This is a classic case of making the best of a bad situation. After sex-abuse accusations, Chris Noth was fired, leaving a void;. He’d been Bishop, Robyn’s former mentor and her CIA contact., so a new story emerged: Bishop was killed when Mason Quinn downed his plane; now Robyn’s obsession with revenge turns dangerous. Also, her daughter (shown here in a previous episode) finally meets the people Robyn has been working with. Read more…

Week’s top-10 for May 16: a flock of finales

1) “American Idol” (shown here) finale, 8-11 p.m. Sunday, ABC. In a week stuffed with finales, this is a big one – naming the 20th “Idol” winner. We’re far from the days when “Idol” topped the ratings and its winners (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) became stars. But this is still ABC’s most-watched show and is second only to “The Bachelor” for ages 18-49; its ratings declined moderately this year, while others plunged. Tonight, we can expect performances by guests and the contestants … and then a winner. Read more…