Mike Hughes

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 25: Kelsea and Kenny and more

1) “CMT Crossroads” (shown here), 10 p.m., CMT. Here are gifted stars with opposite roots: Kelsea Ballerini grew up on a farm near Knoxville and sang in church. Halsey is a city kid from New Jersey; she had some rough years and homelessness in Manhattan. But they’re similar in age (26 and 25 respectively) and in the ability to propel emotion. A sampling of this concert hour shows great duets on Halsey’s “Graveyard” and on Ballerini’s “Homecoming Queen.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 23, 2020
Stories

As “This Is Us” ends its season, its mini-trend continues

When “This Is Us” arrived, it was an anomaly. Now it’s a trend.
Well, maybe a mini-trend … or a micro-trend. At least, it’s made an impact.
“I feel really lucky,” producer Joan Rater told the Television Critics Association in January. “We get to tell these stories, thanks to shows like ‘This Is Us.’”
Her new show (“Council of Dads,” shown here in its waterfront Savannah setting) has a direct link: “This Is Us” has its season-finale at 9 p.m. Tuesday (March 24) on NBC; “Council” follows at 10:01, aiming for a similar audience. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Statlers’ song said it all

Who would have guessed that a Statler Brothers song, recorded 55 years ago, would neatly reflect our virus-shutdown lives?
But there it is, complete with a reference to Captain Kangaroo. In 1965, the Statlers sang these immortal words, written by their tenor, Lew DeWitt; approximately:
“Counting flowers on the wall, that don’t bother me at all; Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2020
News and Quick Comments

“Daily Show” revises; latenight adjusts

A fresh version of “The Daily Show” will debut Monday (March 23), with a catchy title.
“The Daily Social Distancing Show” will be 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays on Comedy Central. It’s the latest answer to latenight’s effort to stay topical, yet stay safe.
As the coronavirus shutdown set in, latenight shows retreated to reruns. ABC even nudged Jimmy Kimmel back an hour, at least temporarily, to 12:35 a.m. weekdays; “Nightline,” with its virus reports, moved up to 11:35 p.m. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 24: A double shot of warmth

1) “This Is Us” season-finale, 9 p.m., NBC. This richly layered drama manages to end each season with jolts of emotion. We’ll expect that tonight, much of it coming from the two brothers. As last week’s fascinating episode ended, their mom reluctantly agreed to go away for a clinical trial, trying to head off Alzheimer’s disease. That soothed Randall (Sterling K. Brown, show here), but may enrage Kevin. They collide tonight, at the first birthday party for Jack, the blind son of their sister Kate and her husband Toby. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2020
Stories

Stuck at home? Here are some strong choices

As the virus shutdown continues, it’s time to dive deeper into the TV pool.
I’m guessing you’ve already found some of the streaming giants, from Amazon’s marvelous “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” to Netflix’s deeply observant “The Crown.” But now let me offer some of my personal preference to dig through.
A few are coming up quickly – the first half of a nature gem (shown here) on Monday (March 23), the season-finale of “This Is Us” on Tuesday. Most, however, are easy to find; here they are, in five chunks: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 21, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 23: Nat Geo gives us China and the universe

1) “The Hidden Kingdoms of China” debut, 8-11 p.m. ET, Nat Geo Wild; reruns at 11 ET, then concludes March 30. China is known for its cities and its 1.4 billion people. Still, this is a sprawling place – almost 20 percent bigger than the U.S., minus Alaska – with lots of wilderness. That’s captured here with stunning beauty. The first hour sees the mountain creatures; the second has the South Hunan jungles. The third is a delight, with giant pandas (shown here)P, golden pheasants, bamboo bats and moustache toads. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 21, 2020
Stories

“One Day” adjusts to TV changes

For the “One Day at a Time” actors, there have been some sharp adjustments.
The first was the notion of having a studio audience. “I was terrified,” Justina Machado recalled.
And the second is NOT having one. On March 10, “One Day” became the first situation comedy to forego a studio audience because of coronavirus concerns.
By then, the show was taping its fourth season and actors were comfortable. “I could not even imagine this show without an audience,” Machado had told the Television Critics Association in January.
That’s been one or many changes for “One Day.” It was canceled by Netflix and then rescued by cable’a Pop network, where it starts its season Tuesday. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 20, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Virus puts TV music in limbo

The coronavirus has put TV’s music shows in limbo.
The latest news is that “American Idol” (shown here with Grace Leer) has sent its contestants home, at least for now. It had already taped episodes through March 29, but had planned to go live on March 30.
That joins other music-related changes, including: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 20, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 22: Masterful “Women,” musical fun

1) “Little Women” (shown here), 8-11 p.m., PBS. Yes, the 2019 movie was masterful. Still, this 2018 mini-series is also first-rate. Given more time (but not more money), it has Louisa May Alcott’s special blend of unapologetic warmth and sentiment, alongside sibling rage and worldly ambition. Newcomer Maya Hawke (daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman) is a superb Jo, in a tradition from Katharine Hepburn in 1933 to Saoirse Ronan in 2019. Emily Watson and Angela Lansbury offer fine support. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 20, 2020