Mike Hughes

Stories

PBS: It’s not young and wild, but sorta trying

As reporters waited for PBS’ virtual press conferences to begin, a pop song boomed out. Over and over (18 times in all) the Strumbellas declared: “I’m young and wild.”
An interesting song choice. “Young” and “wild” are things we keep assuming that PBS people are not.
By image, at least, PBS viewers are old and tame and secretly English. They watch “Antique Roadshow,” conduct antique lives and grumble about Sundays without “Downton Abbey.” Their hero (David Attenborough, 96) would even be considered elderly on CBS.
That image, however, collides with the PBS shows and goals. The network is often diverse — from Chuck D (shown here) to a Mexican-American cartoon heroine —  and occasionally youthful. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 29, 2022
News and Quick Comments

PBS sprawls from rap to Flack to Tiger and beyond

It’s not easy to be in the something-for-everyone business.
Other networks might specialize in food or weather or creepy crimes or such. But Paula Kerger describes PBS as “a variety network.” That means ranging from rap to Flack (Roberta Flack, shown here, that is), from “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” to Ukraine’s war-torn neighborhoods.
In a virtual press conference with the Television Critics Association, Kerger occasionally talked about shows that are on the air right now. She praised: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 28, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best bets for July 30: NBC has fast cars, sharp satire

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. We don’t expect big laughs from Benedict Cumberbatch. But his second hosting turn (with Arcade Fire as music guest) begins with a brilliant sketch (shown here): The draft of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade cited 13th-century English law. Here, he’s in 1235, pushing a law against abortion, sort of like the one banning pointy shoes. Exceptions for incest or rape? No way, someone says; “those are the only kinds of sex we have.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 28, 2022
Stories

“Frontline” stays in its wartime mode

When the war in Ukraine (shown here) began, “Frontline” did a quick pivot.
“We knew right away” that this had to be a new focus, Raney Aronson-Rath, the series producer, told the Television Critics Association.
One result – “Ukraine: Life Under Russia’s Attack — airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 2). Two others have already aired, with two more on the way. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 28, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 29: nice Billy, nasty Jaws

1) “Secret Celebrity Renovation” season-opener, 8 p.m., CBS. Here’s the opener that was scheduled for last week, then nudged back. It offers two familiar star: Billy Gardell of “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” does a project for a friend’s mother(shown here). Rob Mariano (Boston Rob of “Survivor” fame) did a project for his parents last season; now he joins the show as a contractor. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 27, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 28: mega-monster, mega-truck, little Sheldon

1) “Top Gear,” 10 p.m., BBC America. The British have their own truck-driver shortage now, so the hosts switch gears. Accustomed to zippy little sports cars, they try behemoths. Paddy McGuinness (shown here), a truck-driver’s son, gets a 770- horsepower Scania, with high-tech details. He expects to visit greasy-spoon diners; instead, the truck-stop has sofas and a smiling barista. Despite trouble with accents and phrases, Americans will find this sort of fun Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 26, 2022
Weekly Previews

Looking ahead: Music leads top-10 for Aug. 1-7

1) “CMA Fest,” 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. For four June days, country fans had this Nashville fest, the first in three years; now we see highlights. One host (Dierks Bentley) performs with Billy Ray Cyrus; they’re shown here. The other (Elle King) with Ashley McBryde. Other links: Wynonna Judd and Carly Pearce, Lady A and Breland, Zac Brown Band and Darius Rucker. Also performing: Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 25, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 27: Desert beauty, classroom fun

1) “The Green Planet,” 8 p.m., PBS. If you think you have trouble with a hot dry spell, consider the desert plants; some wait for a decade or longer for rain. Then they zoom into action; time-lapse film catches the stunning stretch when primroses and others briefly turn the desert colorful. This terrific hour with David Attenborough (shown here) shows how plants entwine, sharing their roots; and how cacti and others store water reserves. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 25, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 26: serenity and deceit in the wilds

1) “America’s Got Talent” and “Snake in the Grass,” 8 and 10 p.m., NBC. Next Monday, “Snake” (shown here) has its USA Network debut. First, it gets a bigger spotlight on NBC (USA’s corporate partner), behind “Talent,” the summer ratings-leader. “Snake” dumps four people (from “Survivor,” “Naked and Afraid,” etc.) in the wilds for 36 hours. They face challenges, while trying to figure out which one is secretly working against them. Bobby Bones hosts. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 24, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 25: “Mike & Molly” mates share the night

1) “The Great Giveback,” 9 p.m., HGTV. Melissa McCarthy seems to have lots of cousins, all of them taller than her. One is Jenny McCarthy, the actress and ex-Playmate; another is actress Jenna Perusich. Last year on “Celebrity IOU,” Melissa helped do a fix-up that Perusich designed for her dad (a retired Chicago cop) and mom. Now the two cousins (shown here) have their own show; tonight, they create a special room for a kindly pianist. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 23, 2022