Mike Hughes

Best-bets for Nov. 29: Time to get kinky or get Frosty

1) “Great Performances: Kinky Boots,” 9 p.m., PBS. In a five-Friday stretch, PBS has had a vast range. It’s had a serious drama, a Shakespearean comedy and three musicals – one silly, one heavy and now “Kinky” (shown here), with a shoe company switching to flashy footwear. Onstage, this was a big hit; it won six Tonys, including best musical and score. On TV, Cyndi Lauper’s vibrant music only partly makes up for the cardboard characters, including a central guy who temporarily goes bad, for plot convenience. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov.28: A parade … and much more

1) Thanksgiving Day Parade, 9 a.m. to noon, NBC.and CBS, Here are all the elements to launch TV’s Christmas season – noise, color, size and Santa. The parade (shown here) are 11 bands, 1,000 clowns, 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers and 26 floats, many bearing lip-syncing star –.Ciara, Chicago, Lea Michele, Billy Porter, Black-Eyed Peas and more. Networks also add separate acts, especially early. CBS has Miranda Lambert; NBC opens with “Sesame Street” Muppets and has the casts of four musicals. Read more…

The Eaton era: masterful “Masterpiece”

The Rebecca Eaton era is ending at “Masterpiece.” It has been … well, mostly masterful.
At its peak, it has provided some of the finest moments on television – “Downton Abbey” (shown here), “Prime Suspect,” “Wallander,” “Sherlock” and more, including “Little Women” and “Bleak House” reboots.
At its low point, it’s merely been bland, such as the recent “The Chaperone.” Then it has bounced back.
PBS announced recently that Eaton, 72, is being “promoted” to “executive-producer-at-large.” She’ll work at developing new drama projects, while also fundraising for The Masterpiece Trust, which has raised $20 million since she launched it eight years ago. Read more…

Mister Rogers? Yes, he really was like that

TV critics are used to pomp and hype, to overstuffed praise for underdeveloped shows.
So it’s refreshing when we get the opposite: That was the day Fred Rogers showed up.
It springs to mind now – almost 22 years later – because of the odd (and oddly wonderful) movie, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Here is Tom Hanks playing a gentle man who happened to be an important TV producer-writer-composer-star; people might wonder: Was Rogers really like that?
Apparently. And that’s what we got that January day in 1998. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 26: Dolly is eternal

1) “Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. Parton (shown here), 73, continues her triumphant tour of the networks. ABC had a primetime profile, then featured her at the Country Music Association awards. Netflix made eight movies based on her songs; on Dec. 8, Hallmark has her “Christmas at Dollywood” movie. And NBC has her performing along with some famous friends, including Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Emmylou Harris, Lady Antebellum, Margo Price, Hank Williams Jr. and more. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 25: “Stars” and “Bars”

1) “Dancing With the Stars” finale, 8-10:01 p.m., ABC. The final-four line-up is stuffed with people who almost won other competitions. Lauren Alaina, 25, was runner-up on “American Idol” … Ally Brooke (shown here with Sasha Farber), 26, was in a group (Fifth Harmony) that finished third on “X-Factor” … and Hannah Brown, 25, finished seventh on “Bachelor”; she then became the “Bachelorette” star. Now one of them might be a winner; they’re in the finals, alongside Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson’s former comedy colleague. Read more…

Inside prison, it’s a second-chance education

In the hard-scrabble world of big-city teens, these two were the lucky ones.
Sebastian Yoon grew up in a middle-income home, with two siblings and a hard-working dad. Jule Hall was a bright kid who enjoyed homework; “I loved school,” he said.
Both had the potential to go far. Before 18, they were both in New York’s tough Rikers Island jail.
Now they’re featured in “College Behind Bars” (shown here), 9-11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 25-26), after a different sort of luck. They were among the few people who landed spots in the Bard College prison program. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 24: American music, British drama

1) American Music Awards, 8 p.m, ABC. Taylor Swift (shown here) will perform and be crowned artist of the decade. But Post Malone leads this year, with seven nominations; he’ll perform with Ozzy Osbourne, Travis Scott and WATT. Ciara hosts a strong night for women: Selena Gomez has her first TV performance in two years; Shania Twain has her first AMA one in 16 years. Also performing:Billie Eilish, Thomas Rhett, Christina Aguilera, Green Day, Camila Cabello, Dua Luppo, Lizzo, Kesha, more. Read more…

Week’s top-10: Christmas consumes our TV

1) Thanksgiving Day Parade, 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, NBC and CBS, Even if you’re not into parades, this represents something important: It’s the start of a packed day (see next item) and of the crowded Christmas-TV season. And the parade? It has 11 bands, 1,000 clowns, 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers and 26 floats, many bearing lip-syncing stars. Networks also add separate acts, especially early. CBS has Miranda Lambert; NBC opens with “Sesame Street” Muppets and has the casts of four musicals. Read more…