Bunkers and Jeffersons get a quick rerun Saturday
ABC has set an instant rerun of its “All in the Family”/”Jeffersons” special, re-enforcing a key lesson:
Sometimes, old-time TV can (with a slight twist) become a new hit. Read more…
News and Quick Comments
CBS summer: Blood & crime & rerun relief
CBS has just announced its summer plans for “Big Brother.”
The show debuts June 25-26 and soon settles into a Wednesday-Thursday-Sunday pattern
.We’ll hold our applause on that, but we will praise something else: The network is taking some impressive steps to move beyond reruns in the summertime. Read more…
Good news: “Big Bang” finale will rerun on Monday
Don’t say I never give you any good news.
(I mean, really, please don’t say that.)
Here’s something very good: CBS has just changed its schedule for Monday (May 20), to insert a rerun of Thursday’s “Big Bang Theory” finale, from 8-9 p.m. Read more…
“Red Line” finale: Seeds were planted 40 years ago
This is TV’s version of “pay it forward.”
A few producer-directors passed their skills along, nurturing young actors who wanted to direct.
We’re reminded of that again with the excellent “Red Line” finale (shown here, with Emayatzy Corinealdi, Aliyah Royale and Noah Wyle), from 8-10 p.m. Sunday (May 19) on CBS. But first, prime examples are: Read more…
CW’s fall line-up: Batwoman, Supergirl and lots of fem-power
The rise of female superheroes will get another boost this fall:
Now Batwoman and Supergirl will be back-to-back on Sundays, TV’s strongest night.
“Batwoman,” a spin-off of the just-ended “Gotham,” is one of only two new shows this fall on the CW mini-network. The other is “Nancy Drew,” about a teen crimesolver. A third one, “Katy Keene,” will wait until mid-season, along with four returning shows. Read more…
CBS plans its post-“Big Bang” life
On the day before “Big Bang” says farewell, CBS has unveiled its lineup for next season.
It will try to retain is comedy dominance on Thursdays, with “Young Sheldon” (shown here in Thursday’s season-finale) and “Mom” at 8 and 9 p.m. Those will surround two new comedies: Walton Goggins plays a recent widower in “The Unicorn”; Patricia Heaton — already with two hits in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle” — tries for her third act with “Carol’s Second Act.” Read more…
Cable this fall: Lots of new shows, LOTS of “Simpsons”
It’s easy to get lost inside the sprawling Disney empire.
Today (May 14), many of Disney’s cable networks announced their plans for next season. There was big news – which would have seemed bigger, except it was at the same time as the fall-schedule news from Disney-owned ABC … and the news that Disney is buying full control of Hulu. Once you get past that, key news included:
— “The Simpsons” will have a three-network home – Fox and FX and now Freeform. FX’s John Landgraf said he had a nine-year deal with the show; after using it for five years to propel the FXX channel, he was ready for a sub-lease. Read more…
Doris Day: With the right script (or song), she was great
In her long career and longer life, Doris Day was many things. She was a big-band singer with an incredibly gorgeous voice.
She was a serious actress who boosted films like “Midnight Lace” (1960). She was an animal-rights advocate.
But mostly, Day – who died today, at 97 – was known for her comedies, some good and some awful. We can sample them on June 9, with a Turner Classic Movies marathon. Read more…
NBC’s fall line-up: Yes, it looks familiar
NBC’s new fall line-up will look suspiciously like its old one.
The schedule, unveiled today (May 12), has only one new drama — starring Jimmy Smits, who became an NBC star 33 years ago. It also has two new comedies. Read more…
CBS renews … almost everything
Next week, the networks unveil their new fall line-ups. CBS fans, however, don’t have a lot of worries.
Today, the network renewed six drama hours and two news shows. That follows previous renewals of three comedies and eight dramas. Add them together and you already have 17 1/2 hours of a 22-hour season. Here’s a recap:
— Dramas renewed today: “SWAT” (shown here), “SEAL Team,” “Bull,” “Madam Secretary” and two Friday shows, “MacGyver” and “Hawaii 5-0.” Read more…