News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

“Sheldon” gives us another splendid mismatch

Television loves to link opposites.
It gives us Lucy and Desi, Sam and Diane, Turner and Hooch, Frasier and anyone. And now it has Georgie and Mandy. As “Young Sheldon” continues its final season (see overview under “stories”), they’re read for their wedding (shown here) at 8 p.m. April 11 and for their own show, next season.
When they met, she was 28, a former TV weatherperson; he was 17 and lying about his age. And the actors who played them were just as opposite:
Montana Jordan is now 21. Before “Sheldon,” his resume consisted of one obscure movie. Emily Osment is 32; she had already been a regular in six series. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 1, 2024
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It’s Diarra from Detroit in New Jersey

As you watch the new mystery-comedy series, one thing is clear: This is VERY Detroit.
The title, after all, is “Diarra From Detroit.” Diarra Kilpatrick, the writer-producer-star, calls herself a “walking Detroit ambassador.”
Kenya Barris, who produces the show (and won praise and prizes for “Black-ish”) echoes that. The show (on the BET+ streaming channel) is “a love letter to Detroit,” he told the Television Critics Association.
It has the city’s look and feel, Kilpatrick told the TCA. And … it’s filmed in New Jersey.
That stirs arguments on both sides of a tricky issue. “We’re waiting for Michigan to get their tax incentives together,” Kilpatrick said, “so we can go back there.”
Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 27, 2024
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NBC sets plans for summer dominance

Even in an ordinary year, NBC tends to dominate the ratings. And Olympic years are quite extraordinary.
So the network will stick with what works this summer – “America’s Got Talent,” “American Ninja Warrior” (shown here) and three game shows – “Password,” “The Wall” and “Weakest Link.” It apparently won’t try anything new and won’t need to. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 18, 2024
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Good news: “Snowpiercer” is rescued

Happy endings are possible, it seems, even in the grimmest circumstances. That’s:
— Even in a post-apocalyptic world in which most folks have frozen to death; and
— Even in something that the Discovery people have touched.
In short, “Snowpiercer” (shown here) has been rescued. Its first three seasons will rerun later this year on AMC+; its fourth one will debut early next year on AMC. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 14, 2024
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Oscars brought fun for (almost) everyone

My favorite part of the Oscars came just before my least-favorite.
The good part: Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monolog. It was just what we’d hoped for – a clever guy who knows movies, thinks about them and is willing to take some chances.
And the bad: The godawful notion of having a separate tribute to each nominated actor. That meant 20 mini-speeches over the course of the show, some of them fawning. After a red-carpet preview in which every gown was proclaimed fabulous, this was too much.
Still, much of the night was great, including the music (Billie Eilish is shown here) and, especially, Kimmel. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 11, 2024
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Yes, PBS is fun: dramas, concerts, more

OK, we all know that PBS likes to educate. It’s the place to learn about French chefs, Russian czars and Roman aquaducts.
But it’s also a fun place.We’re reminded of that with a new batch of Sunday dramas (starting March 17) that includes Helena Bonham Carter (shown here) … a four-Friday slice of Broadway (starting May 10) … and music, from Willie Nelson to Elton John.
“Art has been at the heart of our work for more than 50 years,” Paula Kerger, the PBS president, told the Television Critics Associatiion. She means 50 years literally: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 9, 2024
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Travel time? Settle for kinda-good

When you’re traveling, ii seems, you might settle for sorta-good.
Things are rarely perfect. In his second season of “The Reluctant Traveler” (which starts March 8 on Apple TV+), Eugene Levy found:
— An island hotel at the northern edge of Germany. The setting was “absolutely gorgeous,”he told the Television Critics Association, but there was a wellness theme. “You couldn’t get a cup of coffee there. You couldn’t get a glass of wine. You have to fast for three days.”
— A Swedish town (shown here), filled with cute buildings, sweet people and “mosquitoes – like a lot of mosquitoes. Like, it was a very thick season for mosquitoes.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 7, 2024
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Good news: Sheldon’s brother gets a spin-off

CBS has found another way to feast off its past hits.
Next season, it will have a comedy with Montana Jordan and Emily Osment (shown here) continuing their “Young Sheldon” roles as Georgie and Mandy.
That comes one day after the network cast a prequel, looking at the earlier years of Leroy Gibbs, whom Mark Harmon played in “CSI.”
This new one, however, is unusual. It’s a spin-off to a spin-off and a sequel to a prequel. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 5, 2024
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Fox finally has a fresh flurry of shows

After a sluggish stretch, post-strike, the Fox network is now a-swirl with new projects.
This week (March 4-6), the network is launching three new nights. That includes some scripted shows, after months when Fox (cartoons excluded) had none.
Now Fox has set its summer reality-show plans, including the return of Jamie Foxx and his daughter Corinne (shown here) and the addition of Lisa Vanderpump. It has also set other projects, including a sort of male strip special. Details include: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 5, 2024