Mike Hughes

Best-bets for March 30: Black issues, past and present

1) “American Experience,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. Isaac Woodard was a Black veteran of World War II, still in uniform and heading home to South Carolina. He argued with a bus driver who didn’t want to make a rest-room stop; at the next stop, police jailed, beat and blinded him. The result had national impact: President Truman promptly desegregated the military and the federal government; a local judge became a pariah in his community as he spoke up for civil rights. It’s a powerful story, but a tough one to watch; for a modern racial view, “Soul of a Nation” (shown here) is the next item. Read more…

Best-bets for March 29: “Piercer” ends season, “Proof” ends tale

1) “Snowpiercer” season-finale, 9 and 10 p.m., TNT, rerunning at 11 and midnight. Wilford is in charge again, living in luxury and planning a carnival (really). Layton (Daveed Diggs, shown here in a previous episode) – formerly a revolutionary hero – is at the bottom, working with sewage. Still, he schemes to rescue Melanie, who left the train to gather vital information at a research station. These two hours are harsh, brutal and, as usual, beautifully crafted. Read more…

“Mayans” duo world — noisy action, subtle passion

It’s a small, quiet scene in a show known for big, noisy ones. And it packs the emotional power we expect from “Mayans M.C.”
On one side of the glass is Alicia, who hasn’t been in jail before; on the other is EZ (shown here, second from right, in a previous episode), who has.
“Anything you try to keep – hope – will just get destroyed” in prison, he tells her. “So kill it first …. Shut it all down.”
Her question: “When I get out, how do I turn it back on?”
That’s a question for Elgin James, who’s been on both sides of the glass. He’s the co-creator and producer of “Mayans,” which airs at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on FX, then goes to Hulu. He’s in charge of a much-praised drama; he’s also spent a year in prison. Read more…

TV helps fill any empty Easters

For the second straight year, television has a bigger Easter role.
Some churches remain closed by COVID; others downsize their events. TV, however, booms ahead. It has old movies — “Ben-Hur” (shown here) and “Ten Commandments” and such — and new ones, including “Mahalia,” on Easter eve. It has music and mini-seres and more.
Here’s a round-up of events between Palm Sunday (March 28) and Easter Sunday (April 4). Not included here are the kids’ shows, with bunnies and eggs and such. Read more…

Week’s top-10 for March 29: flurry of finales, debuts

1) “United States of Al” debut(shown here), 8:30 p.m. Thursday, CBS. For six dangerous years, these men were close. Riley was a Marine; Amalwir (“Al”) was his Afghan translator, friend and sometimes protector. Now, after three years of bureaucracy, Al reaches the U.S.; culture shocks begin on both sides. Unlike many Chuck Lorre shows – “Big Bang,” “B Positive” (now moving to 9:30), “Mom” – this doesn’t have big laughs. Like all Lorrte shows, it has lots of little laughs, plus some deeply likable characters. Read more…

Best-bets for March 28: Zoey and Jackie return

1) “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” return, 9 p.m., NBC. After a seven-week pause, this odd delight steps into a new night, with Zoey(shown here in a previous episode) in a funk. She worries about a brother she likes, a co-worker she dislikes and friends who are opening a restaurant. She worries a lot; that happens when you can hear people’s thoughts via pop songs. She also clings to a sweet memory of her late father. But for all the gloom, this hour also has a large and joyous song-and-dance number and a great ending. Read more…

Bacon masters a verbal volcano of schemes and hate

Jackie Rohr is a verbal volcano. Words spill out – sometimes clever, often caustic and conniving.
He’s racist, misogynist and nasty; he’s also an FBI agent in 1993 Boston. As played by Kevin Bacon (shown here with Aldis Hodge) in “City on a Hill” – which starts its second season at 10 p.m. Sunday (March 28) on Showtime – he’s one of TV’s most memorable characters.
And yes, there are viewers who admire the fact that he gets things done.
“These are not things I personally feel about the man,” Bacon told the Television Critics Association. “He’s not really a person (I would) like or respect or want to spend time with. He’s a (feces), really.” Read more…

Best-bets for March 27: Awards have Murphy, Misty, Maxwell, more

1) NAACP Image Awards, 8 p.m., CBS, BET, MTV, VH1 and more. After a decade of being on only one cable network, this returns to broadcast and beyond. Viola Davis is up for best actress in a movie (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) and TV (“How to Get Away With Murder”) and for entertainer of the year, alongside Regina King, Tyler Perry, D-Nice and Trevor Noah. Maxwell performs, Eddie Murphy (shown here in “Coming 2 America”) and Misty Copeland get special awards and presenters include Leslie Jones and JB Smoove. Read more…

Best-bets for March 26: Streamers have Ducks, Falcon

1) Streaming. This is a busy day for the streamers. At the same time that Disney starts “Mighty Ducks” (see next paragraph) and continues Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (shown here), others have series. Amazon Prime has animation for grown-ups, launching “Invincible”; Hulu has horror, with the season-finale of “Into the Dark.” Others have non-fiction – “Cocktails and Tall Tales with Ina Garten and Melissa McCarthy” debuts on Discovery+; “Nailed It” starts a new Netflix season, now with duos doing the baking. Read more…

After a two-decade pause, he’s back on the radar

Two opposite forces seemed to tug at Emilio Estevez.
Like his dad (Martin Sheen), he’s a serious soul, in search of large causes. Like his brother (Charlie Sheen), he has starred in pop-culture movies.
And then … well, the serious side took over. “To a lot of people, it had seemed like I had sort of dropped off the radar,” Estevez, 58, told the Television Critics Association.
Now, after two-decades, he’s back on view with “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” (shown here), which starts Friday (March 26) on Disney+. It follows a movie trilogy that has also spawned an animated series and the name of a Disney-owned pro hockey team. Read more…