News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

Crimesolving is fun again, beyond paradise

Every now and then, TV returns to something it’s quite good at – light tales that solve a mystery at the end of each hour.
That isn’t its first choice. It prefers deep, dark tales that go for weeks – good ones like “Parish” (9 p.m. Sundays, AMC) or “Veil” (starting April 30, Hulu).
But a few shows have the right, light touch. There’s the delightful “Elsbeth” (10 p.m. Thursdays, CBS) and occasional British shows on PBS and streaming on Acorn or Britbox. Right now, I’d point to Britbox’s “Beyond Paradise” (shown here). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 23, 2024
News and Quick Comments

“SWAT” saved from cancellation

In a sudden reversal, CBS has decided “SWAT” will be back next season, after all.
The network had been saying this is the final season for the show. It said the same for “Young Sheldon” and “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” (which end in Ma) and “Blue Bloods,” which ends next fall, after a summer break.
But ratings have been solid for “SWAT,” which launches CBS’ successful Friday line-up. Fans lobbyed, producers negotiated and CBS had a rare reversal. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 13, 2024
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CBS flurry: finales, fun, FBI

This has been a busy time for CBS, with a flurry of announcements.
They range from the Tony Awards (Ariana DeBose, shown here, will host again) to spin-offs (“NCIS,” “Young Sheldon”), renewals, season-finale dates and even a reprieve for “SWAT” (shown here) which had been cancelled.
Here are highlights:ere” which had been cancelled. Here are highlights: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 11, 2024
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“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