Mike Hughes

Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Aug. 22: lotsa music, new and not

1) MTV Video Music Awards, 8-10:30 p.m. Sunday, MTV (where it reruns at 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m.), plus several other cable channels and CW; MTV also has a preview at 6:30. Jack Harlow – who ties Kendrick Lamar for the lead with seven nominations, will perform. So will Nicki Minaj (shown here), who gets the Video Vanguard award. Also performing: Lizzo, Kane Brown, Maneskin, J Balvin, Anitta, Panic at the Disco, the K-pop group Blackpink and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 18, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 20: Lots of Spielberg-style adventure

1) “Jaws” (1977), 7 p.m., AMC; or “Back to the Future” (1985), 8 p.m., CMT. More than anyone else, Steven Spielberg has shown that a movie can be artfully crafted and wildly entertaining. He proved that by directing “Jaws” (shown here) and by producing “Back to the Future” – a film that (under director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis) can best be describes as Spielberg-esque. And yes, that’s a good thing. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 18, 2022
Stories

“Sprung” sprang from Covid chaos

Locked into a pandemic, TV writers faced empty time and empty pages.
They scrambled for new ideas. Oddly, few turned to the obvious – the pandemic itself.
“There was stuff in development,” Greg Garcia said, “(but) I haven’t seen too many of them surface.”
Now his idea has: “Sprung”(shown here)  — debuting Friday (Aug. 19) – has three things that make it stand out: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 17, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 19: superspreader, super streamers and Annaleigh

1) “Secret Celebrity Renovation,” 8 p.m., CBS. It’s been a great stretch for Annaleigh Ashford (shown here) … albeit one that included “B Positive” being canceled. She was terrific in that show … and in Broadway TV specials … and as Clinton-accuser Paula Jones in a mini-series. More roles are coming – as actress Judy Holliday and as a prime force behind the Chippendale dancers. First, she visits home here, to help some home renovations for her dad and recently-retired mom. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 17, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 18: a must-stream Thursday

1) “Reservation Dogs,” any time, Hulu. Crafted with subtlety and depth, “Dogs” (focusing on young native Americans) is taking big detours this season For two episodes, Elora (shown here, left) was fleeing to California with her former nemesis … until their car broke down. In the third, Bear (right) got his first job; that one ended with Elora saying her grandmother was dying. Now the community gathers for a deathwatch; the result is a great blend of warmth, humor and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 16, 2022
News and Quick Comments

The end of the “Saul” era: a review

First, let’s pause for a substantial spoiler alert:
If you didn’t catch the series finale of  “Better Call Saul” (shown here in a previous episode) Monday (Aug. 15), please don’t read this yet.
It’s a terrific episode, quirks and all, and should be seen without any advance hints. Catch it on AMC+ or elsewhere, including any time-travel devices you have on your TV.
OK, now for those who have seen it, a quick review: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 16, 2022
Stories

Now it’s new Hallmark vs. (sorta) old Hallmark

On the family-friendly side of the TV world, there’s scrambling in both directions:
— Hallmark is shedding its old ways. Now it has more diversity of people, more variety of styles; that’s clear in several projects, including “Unthinkably Good Things” (shown here), which arrives Aug. 28, 
— Meanwhile, others are grabbing chunks of the old Hallmark world. GAC (formerly Great American Country) has even signed some perpetual stars, led by Candace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar.
“There’s a lot of talent … that GAC is now working with,” granted Lisa Hamilton Daly, the Hallmark programming chief. “But I think we are constantly trying to evolve our talent pool.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 15, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 17: an “Abbott” mini-marathon

1) “Abbott Elementary,” 8-10 p.m., ABC Arriving at mid-season, “Abbott” has soared. It swept the Television Critics Association awards – program of the year, plus best new show, comedy and comedy individual (Quinta Brunson, shown here); it also has seven Emmy nominations, including best comedy. Now ABC celebrates with four reruns, starting with the pilot. At 8:30, Janine (Brunson) tries to know her colleagues better. Then come a step-dance class and “desking. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 15, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 16: Dramas debut, ancient bikini returns

1) “Devils” season-opener, 9 p.m., CW. With sleek visuals, this European series makes financial schemes feel like tech thrill rides. In the first season, Massimo battled his ex-mentor (Patrick Dempsey; they’re shown here) and took control of a mega-bank. Now we jump between crises – Brexit in 2016, Covid in 2020 – that created financial chaos. There are murders, past and present, and careers wobble. It’s hard to follow some of the fiscal-babble, but easy to feel engaged. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 14, 2022
Stories

For a lawyer, hulking up can be tricky

Most women know this feeling, we’re told:
People keep making impressions based on physical appearance. They think one thing if you’re dressed dourly in a lawyer’s suit; they think another if you’re 6-foot-7 and green and …
OK, maybe that exact experience isn’t universal. But it’s what we see in “She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law” (shown here), a nine-week series that starts Thursday (Aug. 18) on Disney+.
“‘She-Hulk’ is an extreme version (of what) every person – especially every woman – goes through,” said Kat Coiro, the show’s head writer. “Just dressing up changes the way that you’re perceived.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 13, 2022