News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

Olympic opener: color, whimsy, big-head composers

So it turns out that Italy has quite an impressive history.
The early minutes of the Olympic ceremony remind us of that. It has hints of fashion and film, art and opera and more. It referred to Verdi and Da Vinci and Armani and Fellini; it didn’t mention Mussolini, but time was limited.
It even played the Lone Ranger theme song, although in Italy (and most of the world) that’s a tune about an archer shooting an apple off his kid’s head.
(Italy, it should be noted, had made some of the greatest cowboy films in history, just none about masked men. It’s also pretty good at art and opera.) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 6, 2026
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In elegant worlds, subtlety (sometimes) exists

If you encase a story with elegance — beautiful people wearing gorgeous things in stately places — you can get away with a lot.
That pops up now, with two lush productions:
— “Bridgerton” (shown here) has just aired the first half of its eight-episode season on Netflix. The second half arrives Feb. 26.
— “Forsytes” debuts March 22 on PBS’ “Masterpiece,” for a six-week run. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 1, 2026
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CBS sets details for reality shows and soaps

CBS has announced some reality-show and soap-opera details. They include:
— The 16 chefs — all of them award-winners or nominees — in “America’s Culinary Challenge,” which starts March 4.
— The 10 “classic episodes” that will rerun at 8 p.m. weekdays, leading into the Feb. 25 start of the 50th “Survivor.”
— And, jumping ahead to June, a multi-episode crossover between two soap operas — “Beyond the Gates” (shown here), which has its first anniversary Feb. 24, and “The Young and the Restless,” which began 53 years ago.
These came out during Zoom press conferences today with the Television Critics Association. Details include: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 27, 2026
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Wanna fight monsters? There’s a lot to learn

Sometimes you just have to learn by getting it wrong.
That’s especially true if you’re working the media and/or battling demi-gods. Just ask Walker Scobell (shown here), whose “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” airs its second-season finale today (Jan. 21).
Both seasons are on Disney+, where you can see Scobell evolve — from a 13-year-old novice to … well, a 17-year-old who’s still learning.
On Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show this week, he started talking into the microphone on the desk. Kimmel had to explain that it was a fake mic, just a decoration. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 21, 2026
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Indiana football? Yes, it’s changed a bit

Before settling into tonight’s college football championship game — 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 on ESPN — let’s flash back a bit.
It’s Oct. 5, 1991, and the Indiana Hoosiers are hosting Michigan State. Folks in Indiana are interested … somewhat.
With some tickets unsold, the crowd is listed at 46,882. That’s less than half the size of the crowd that will be in Ann Arbor two weeks later, when the Hoosiers visit Michigan.
And don’t expect to see all 46,000 in their seats. As the game starts, many students are still outside the stadium, tailgating. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 19, 2026
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New comedy gets a post-football boost, Jan. 18

Another TV network is adapting Fox’s idea: If you REALLY want someone to sample a new show, put it after a football game.
Now it’s NBC’s turn: In a late change, it will air “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” (shown here) at about 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) Sunday, Jan. 18, after the Rams-Bears playoff game.
That will be a week before Fox does the same thing: It will debut Patrick Dempsey’s “Memory of a Killer” at about 10 p.m. ET Jan. 25, after the game that decides which NFC team will be in the Super Bowl. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 17, 2026
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ABC sets a “Florida gothic” crime show

ABC will add a burst of Florida-quirkiness to its Tuesday line-up.
“RJ Decker” (shown here with Scott Speedman) — based on a Carl Hiasson novel — debuts at 10 p.m. March 3. It will follow “Will Trent” and “High Potential,” nudging “The Rookie” to Mondays behind “American Idol.:
The “Florida gothic” genre — mixing sunny settings, weird characters and the occasional alligator — has surged with the novels of Elmore Leonard, Dave Barry and more, including Hiasson. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 14, 2026
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Double-birthday looms: the U.S. and Route 66

An upcoming TV series has found a fresh way to link the birthdays of the United States and (shown here) its Route 66 highway system.
“The Great American Road Rally: Celebrity Edition” will start May 13 on the CW network. It will continue on Wednesdays and conclude on July 22 — two-and-a-half weeks after the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on Independence.
This won’t be a race, with fast-and-furious cars smashing speed limits. Instead, the 10 cars — each aligned with a charitable cause — will pause in different towns, for fundraising and awareness events. Still pending are: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 13, 2026
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Hulu loads up on Kardashians, new and old

Let’s say you feel there just aren’t enough ways to see the Kardashians.
Now you can quit worrying. Starting Feb. 17, all of the shows — that’s a lot — will be on Hulu and Disney+.
That’s the result of a deal that includes streaming rights to all 20 seasons of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” (shown here with Khloe, Kendall and Kylie), plus its spin-offs and specials. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 9, 2026