Mike Hughes

Stories

Coming to Hulu: more, more and (yes) more

If you’re summarizing Hulu’s current line-up in three words, it might be “more,” “more” and “more.” And then maybe a little more.
At a time (late summer) when some networks nap, the streamer has a surge. There are a few big stars – two Steves (Martin and Carell) and, later, one Oprah. There are also names — Emayatzy Corinealdi, Chris Estrada, Travante Rhodes, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – you haven’t seen on many movie marquees.
Part of the surge is due to airing two major, second-season shows in the summer:
— “Only Murders in the Building” has new episodes Tuesdays, through Aug. 23. Its first season drew 17 Emmy nominations, including best comedy and comedy actors (Steve Martin and Martin Short, shown here with Selena Gomez).
— “Reservation Dogs” has new ones Wednesdays, through Sept. 28. Its first season won Peabody and American Film Institute awards. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 8, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 9: A great game returns

1) “Password” debut, 10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. For 61 years, off and on, this game has provided quick, slick fun. The new version has Keke Palmer hosting, with Jimmy Fallon (also the producer) playing each time; they’re shown here. Tonight, he’s with Jon Hamm (who’s especially good), then at 9 p.m. Wednesday, he’ll be with Heidi Klum. In the modern trend, people work way too hard at being cheerful. Still, these are smart, likable souls who make an old game feel fresh in its 60s. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 7, 2022
News and Quick Comments

Mysteries sprawl across Australia

Couples seem to “meet cute” in movies and TV shows.
Not this time. Instead, they nearly collide.
Two strangers are driving opposite ways on a narrow Australian road, neither paying much attention. Soon, one vehicle is upended; so are two lives.
That’s in “Darby and Joan” (shown here), the eight-part mini-series on the Acorn streaming service, with two parts each Monday, starting Aug. 8. It has flaws, especially in the early parts, but gradually clicks. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 7, 2022
News and Quick Comments

Brunson’s “Abbott” tops TCA awards

It’s been a splendid first season – well, partial season – for Quinta Brunson and “Abbott Elementary.”
The ABC comedy debuted at mid-season and has had only 13 episodes so far. But in the Television Critics Association awards, it was named best comedy, best new show and program of the year; also, Brunson (shown here) won the award for individual achievement in comedy.
That’s a multi-tasking individual. In the Emmy Awards, she’s the first Black woman with three comedy nominations – as best actress, as producer and as writer of the pilot film. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 6, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 8: “Saul” ends (almost), “Darby” begins

1) “Better Call Saul,” 9-10:17 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 11:17. Only two episodes remain in this great prequel. Last week, we finally re-met the “Breaking Bad” guys, Walter and Jesse. They redid the scene when they first met Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk, shown here) — also known as Gene and, later, as Saul — the shifty lawyer for their emerging drug business. Now he’s ready to work with them. Tonight, AMC says, a discovery will raise the stakes. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 6, 2022
Stories

It’s a quick leap: from warehouse worker to TV star

Americans have a special fondness for working guys who suddenly get a shot at the top.
They savor folks like Chuck Wepner, the liquor salesman and battered boxer (billed as “The Bayonne Bleeder”) who suddenly fought Muhammad Ali for the title; he knocked him down, went almost 15 rounds and inspired the movie “Rocky.”
And now there’s Chris Estrada (shown here), whose TV show (“This Fool”) debuts its entire, 10-episode season Thursday (Aug. 12) on Hulu. When it was first hatched, he said, “I was still working at warehouse.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 6, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 7: “Elizabeth” ends, others will soon

1) “Grantchester,” 9 p.m., PBS. We’re down to the season’s final two episodes, with mysteries to solve – including a good one tonight – and personal crises to face. Geordie, the cop, descended into alcohol and gloom; his wife ousted him and brought in her good-hearted niece, Bonnie. Will the vicar (shown here, center, in a previous season) likes Bonnie, but dallies with a temptress who is engaged to Geordie’s boss. Some of that will be confronted now, with the rest next Sunday. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 5, 2022
Weekly Previews

Week’s top 10 for Aug. 8: A time for finales, debuts, returns

1) “So You Think You Can Dance” finale, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. Only two dancers remain, bringing opposite styles. Keaton Kermode, 20, is husky by dance standards; growing up in an Indiana town of 542, he was a 190-pound running back and safety in football. Alexis Warr, 21, trained at the same Utah dance studio as Derek Hough, then backed him on tour. Keaton is mainly a contemporary dancer; Warr wants to be the show’s first ballroom champ. They’re shown here, dancing together. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 4, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 6: Lots of movies, including a gem

1) “Belfast” (2021), 8 p.m., HBO. When Kenneth Branagh was 9, his family left Ireland to escape the Protestant-Catholic hatred. In England, he mastered Shakespeare as an actor, writer (seven movie adaptations) and director. Now here’s his first original movie script, a black-and-white masterpiece (shown here) about his youth. Branagh won an Oscar for his script and was nominated as a director. There were six more nominations, including best picture. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 4, 2022
Stories

Stay or go? The question propels a strong series

Sterlin Harjo had achieved an elusive goal – being an independent filmmaker.
Alongside the usual projects (documentaries, shorts, a few TV episodes), he had made three scripted movies. Each, he said, got “good reviews from the critics who saw it – which are, like, maybe five.”
Then “Reservation Dogs” (shown here) happened … and the number was much higher than five. “The first season was featured on more than 80 critics’ year-end best lists,” said John Solberg of FX,
FX makes the show – with an all-Native cast and crew — for Hulu, which has just started streaming the second season. The first won awards — including Peabody and American Film Institute– and is nominated for two more (best comedy and best new show) by the Television Critics Association. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 4, 2022