Mike Hughes

Best-bets for July 10: new mysteries, games, more

1) “Masterpiece: Grantchester” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. After the disappointing little “Endeavour” season, “Masterpiece” bounces back strongly. There are six solid mystery hours, each against the backdrop of personal stories. Will, the crime-solving vicar, continues to make a mess of his romantic life ,,, his former curate runs a coffeeshop … and his housekeeper has a crisis. (They’re shown here.) Also, his police pal Geordie has been badgered by his boss and ousted by his wife. The boss part is overwrought, but the rest provides nuanced layers to smart mysteries. Read more…

Week’s top-10 for July 11: dating, putting and funny vampires

1) “The Bachelorette” opener, 8-10 p.m. today, ABC. These two might seem like opposites: Rachel Recchia, 26, is 5-foot-2; Gabby Windey, 31, is 5-9. Rechia is a flight instructor, working on being a pilot; Windey is a nurse who won an award for her pandemic care. But both (shown here) are ex-cheerleaders and both were “Bachelor” runners-up; now can each can choose a guy. They meet 32 tonight, including a banker, a broker, a bartender and a “meatball enthusiast.” Read more…

Best-bets for July 9: true-crime classic for the ages

1) “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. In real life, Clyde Barrow was an ex-con who met Bonnie Parker, a 19-year-old waitress with an estranged husband. They launched a three-year crime spree; despite murders (including nine lawmen), their five-person gang became Depression celebrities. That’s captured brilliantly in this film, which drew 10 Oscar nominations, including its stars (Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, shown here) and best picture. Read more…

Before “Flowers”: fresh generations of gloom

Imagine someone asking you to spend four months abroad, encased in deceit, dismay and cruelty.
Hey, how could you resist? Jemima Rooper insists it was kind of fun. Actors “became a loving family – not the twisted family you see” onscreen.
She’s Olivia — show here, right, approaching her new domain — in “Flowers in the Attic: The Origin.” That reaches Lifetime at 8 p.m. July 9, launching an avalanche of gloom. On four Saturdays, we get the roots of the dark classic, “Flowers in the Attic.”
During the pandemic, acting jobs were scarce in England (Rooper’s homeland) and the U.S. But here were four movies, filmed back-to-back in Romania. “We just felt really happy to be working.” Read more…

Best-bets for July 8: Magnums (new and old) survive

1) “Magnum P.I.,” 9 p.m., CBS. Fans of this show are in a better mood now: CBS didn’t renew it for next season, but NBC has stepped in with a partial reprieve – 10 episodes in each of the next two seasons. For now, CBS has “Magnum” reruns; tonight, one private eye is tracking another: Magnum is suspicious of Higgins (they’re shown here in a jollier episode); he’s unaware that she’s undercover in a group that’s trying to destroy the MI-6, the British spy service. Read more…

Another “Magnum” surprise: NBC grabs it

It’s been a season of surprises for “Magnum P.I.” fans.
The first surprise – a big one – came when the show (shown here) was cancelled by CBS. The second came this weekend (seven weeks later), when NBC decided to pick the show up.
For now, fans can still catch reruns at 9 p.m. Fridays on CBS. The new episodes will be limited – only 10 a year (not the usual 22) for two seasons, with the first perhaps arriving early in 2023. Read more…

Best-bets for July 6: It’s reality’s big night

1) “The Challenge: USA” debut, 9:30- 11 p.m., CBS. Here’s CBS’ key newcomer for the summer. It takes 28 previous contestants from four reality shows, giving them super-sized physical challenges. (Shown here, Lee Temory and Tiffany Mitchell descend from a skyscraper.) Some of these people are already winners; that includes three “Survivor” champions (Tyson Apostol, Ben Driebergen and Sarah Lacina) and one apiece from “Amazing Race” (James Wallington), “Love Island” (Justine Ndiba) and “Big Brother” (Xavier Prather). Read more…

She finds joy at home … and along Route 66

Mona Haydar keeps finding joy in surprising places.
She does that in “The Great American Muslim Road Trip” (10 p.m. Tuesdays on PBS), ranging from tiny towns to Las Vegas and beyond. She did it long before that, growing up in Michigan.
There’s “amazing artistry coming out of Detroit, Flint, Lansing,” Haydar, 34, told the Television Critics Association. “The Michigan art scene is just really, really beautiful right now.” Read more…

Best-bets for July 5: Let’s travel to Death Valley and beyond

1) “America Outdoor” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Something about Death Valley doesn’t seem inviting. Maybe it’s the name … or temperatures that can reach 134 degrees. But two million people visit each year, Baratunde Thurston (shown here) says, and a few stay. A former mining town of 4,000 now has a population of one. That guy arrived from Austin, Texas, four years ago with friends and stayed alone. He’s turning the general store into a museum; he also survived a snowstorm – really – that stranded him indoors for 4-5 days. It’s an appealing start to the series Read more…