News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

Hallmark actors? It’s almost a lifetime deal

Some actors may grow up dreaming of Broadway or Hollywood or film-festival fame.
Not as many, perhaps, dream of Hallmark Channel movies. “I had no idea that Hallmark was more than a greeting-card store,” Andrew Walker (shown here with Rachel Boston) said.
But when they do start landing Hallmark roles, it can transform their careers. Just ask Niall Matter.
“It was at a time in my life when I had actually lost everything,” Matter told the Television Critics Association. “I was driving for Lyft because I couldn’t drive for Uber, because of my driving record.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 8, 2026
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Hallmark at 25: more … and then some more

As the Hallmark Channel celebrates its 25th birthday, it’s planning a lot of the same. A lot.
The cable network started on April 5, 2001, as an unlikely merger of three H’s — Henson (Jim, the Muppet man), Halmi (Robert, a movie/mini-series guy) and Hallmark, the greeting-card folks.
The others soon departed, but Hallmark kept growing. It has Christmas movies — roughly a zillion of them — and more, sometimes with tie-ins.
It’s again linking with pro-football (the Bears, this year) and with the Biltmore estate. It has also set a movie linking with Disney … which makes historical sense: Long ago, we’re told, Hallmark was one of the first businesses to license Mickey Mouse.
There’s also has a streaming service, Hallmark+ (currently with a Lacey Chabert mini-series, shown here). We’ll start there: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 5, 2026
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“Chelsea” arrives, bridging the mystery gap

For fans of British-style mysteries, this is the gap month.
PBS’ Sunday shows wrapped on Aug. 2: “Patience” ended a good second season; “Grantchester” ended a great, 11-year run.
Now we wait through a stretch of reruns or pledge drives. On Sept. 6, things bounce back with “Marlow Murder Club” and “Marble Hall Murders.”
But what do we do in the interim? Try the Britbox streamer or the Ovation channel? Maybe even read a book?
Possibly, but here’s an alternative: The Acorn streamer (www.acorn.tv) chooses this ideal time for its new season of “The Chelsea Detective” (shown here). Each of the first four Mondays in August adds a movie-length tale; most have clever plots, all have interesting characters. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 2, 2026
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ABC’s fall start will sprawl over four weeks

(For a full round-up of all four big, commercial broadcaast networks, see Stories)

It will be an early start for ABC shows this fall. Or a late one.
Coming early are football; “Dancing With the Stars,” with a two-night opener Sept. 14-15; and “R.J. Decker” (shown here), Sept. 15.
But “Grey’s Anatomy,” as usual, will be late; it starts Oct. 15, alongside the “9-1-1” shows. Much later will be a wave of shows waiting for mid-season, led by “High Potential,” “Will Trent” and “Shifting Gears.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 29, 2026
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It’s a busy time for fantasy folks

For sci-fi and fantasy fans, there’s no late-summer snooze.
Announcements keep emerging from Comic-Con in San Diego, some of them about shows that will arrive before September.
Earlier this week (see separate story), fans heard about current shows — “House of the Dragon.” “The Walking Dead: Dead City” and “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” — plus “Lanterns,” which starts Aug. 16. They also heard of a November blitz that will bring entire seasons of “Blade Runner 2099” and “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
Then came a new round of news about “Futurama” (shown here) and others. Chronologically, that includes: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 27, 2026
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Fantasy feast set for November

Sometime in November, fantasy fans may find their brains reaching overload.
Entire seasons of two shows will air on Amazon Prime during a crowded, 15-day stretch. They are:
— The third season of “Lord Of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Four episodes will arrive Nov. 11, two Nov. 18 and the final two Nov. 25.
— The first season of “Blade Runner 2099,” from producer Ridley Scott. All eight episodes will arrive Nov. 25 … which is both Thanksgiving eve and the day “Rings of Power” wraps its season. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 24, 2026
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TV is obsessing on outer space (again)

The TV world is again obsessing on outer space.
On the non-fiction side, PBS has two series viewing the space race, from the early competition to the International Space Station (shown here) co-operation. There’s a new one at 9 p.m. Tuesdays and a splendid rerun at 9 p.m. Fridays.
And the fiction side? New seasons are starting for Paramount+’s “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (Thursdays, starting July 23) and Syfy’s “The Ark” (Wednesdays, starting July 29).
Then there are all the past shows — roughly 3.2 zillion of them — stockpiled on the streamers. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 23, 2026
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Fox plans a tidy (too tidy?) start this fall

For one network, the start of the fall season will be tidy and uncomplicated.
Fox will stuff all of its season-openers into one week. That starts with games (“Name That Tune” and “Weakest Link”) on Monday, Sept. 21, and ends with laughs — “The Simpsons” (shown here), “Animal Control” and more — on Sunday, Sept. 27.
And yes, it will all feel familiar. The season starts with zero new shows. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 15, 2026
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“Survivor 50” gets a summertime encore

Is the world ready to see “Survivor 50” (shwon here) again?
We’ll find out soon. Beginning Monday (July 20), CBS plans to rerun the entire season in one rush, between now and Sept. 15.
That’s 13 episodes, nine them 90 minutes and four of them longer. The 90-minute ones fit neatly behind the Wednesday editions of “Big Brother,” which has two previous “Survivor” contestants (Rick Devin and Season 45 winner Dee Valladares) in the house.
This 50th edition of “Survivor” was stuffed with high-profile contestants from the past. The schedule is: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 13, 2026