News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

“The Crown”: warm portrait of humans in crisis

Peter Morgan is back on familiar turf now. He’s even edited himself a tad.
His latest “The Crown” (shown here) splurge – four episodes, ending with Diana’s funeral – is sort of “The Queen”-plus. In Morgan’s style, it has deep, fascinating human insights that may or may not be true.
Morgan has done this with others. His screenplays portrayed Idi Amin, Henry VIII, David Frost, Tony Blair and Anne Boleyn’s sister. But the 2006 “Queen” movie captured new attention. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 19, 2023
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Looking for ABC post-strike shows? It’s a long wait

As they wait for the real TV season to arrive, viewers will need patience – three months of it.
CBS has already announced that its post-strike shows will finally reach the air shortly after Feb. 11, when the Super Bowl airs. Now ABC says many of its returns will be even later.
“Grey’s Anatomy” (shown here in the Meredith farewell episode) won’t start until March; the same is true of its spin-off, “Station 19,” and of “9-1-1,” which is moving from Fox. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 17, 2023
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Bad news: It’s Sheldon’s final season

There’s some more bad news for TV viewers: This will be the final year for “Young Sheldon”
CBS announced that the show’s seventh season – which doesn’t even start until Feb. 15 – will be its last. The hour-long finale will be May 16.
After three months of summer reruns and two months on the shelf, “Sheldon” (shown here) finally was returned to its regular spot (8 p.m. Thursdays), starting Nov. 16. That’s for more reruns; CBS is holding off its post-strike season until after the Feb. 11 Super Bowl. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 15, 2023
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Music specials — from country to hip hop — are coming

TV networks will give us plenty of music specials next month, as we wait semi-patiently for the post-strike season to begin.
Today (Nov. 14), ABC announced its line-up for the Dec. 14 “CMA Country Christmas,” hosted by Amy Grant (shown here) and Trisha Yearwood. Also, CBS announced a date (Dec. 27) for the Kennedy Center Honors. Those are in a month that will range from Willie Nelson to hip hop.
Some details: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 14, 2023
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Strike deal brings hope to a wobbly season

So the strikes are apparently ending … at last.
Writers were on strike for 148 days, before a deal was reached – tentatively on Sept. 24, officially a few days later. Now actors – on strike for 118 days – have reached a deal; it goes to the board Friday (Nov. 10) and then to the membership for a vote.
For some movie people, the effect is simple: The Christmastime films have already been made; now the stars will soon be free to promote them.
TV, as always, is more of a moving target. Writers have been working on the scripts for six weeks; it’s just a question of how quickly things can get back to work. Let’s take CBS as an example: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 9, 2023
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Next year, wrestling adds another network

There’s another step in TV’s transformation:
Next year, two broadcast networks will have weekly wrestling shows. One will even have minor-league (sort of) wrestlers.
Beginning next October, “WWE NXT” (shown here) will have a weekly spot on the CW network – the first time it’s been on a broadcast network, instead of cable. Meanwhile, the main WWE show continues on Fox.
NXT began 13 years ago, as a WWE launchng point. In the most recent “WrestleMania,” more than 90 percent of the people had been in NXT. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 8, 2023
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Cable and streamer set Perry “Friends” marathon

For fans of the late Matthew Perry, there are plenty of ways to watch his “Friends” episodes this week.
They can catch them early in the morning on one cable channel (TBS) or late at night on another (Nickelodeon). Or they can catch them any time on Max.
Perry (shown here, second from left) died Saturday at 54, bringing a flood of praise for his work … and fresh interest in seeing it.
The easiest way is on Max, which spent a fortune for streaming rights to all 10 seasons … then added a much-praised reunion special with the six stars. In addition, however, two cable channels stepped in, Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 31, 2023
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Ready to stream: Poirot and lots of Greeks

Two movies – the kind we’re supposed to see in theaters – reach our TV sets this coming week.
Each was directed by its star. Each is sort of a “part three,” filmed in interesting corners of Europe. Neither is anywhere near as good as the first … but yes, they’re still worth watching.
On Tuesday – in time for one last Halloween scare – “A Haunting in Venice” (shown here), Kenneth Branagh’s third Hercule Poirot film, reaches Hulu. Then on Friday, Peacock has “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.”
In many ways, these two are opposites – one dark and foreboding, the other quite cheery. Here are looks at both: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 29, 2023
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Switching to Spanish, “SNL” soars

In the 953 “Saturday Night Live” episodes, the hosts have ranged afar.
They’ve gone from 7-year-old Drew Barrymore to 88-year-old Betty White. They’ve included actors, singers, comedians and Elon Musk, plus presidential candidates, a president’s son, a presidential spokesman and Miskell Spillman, 80, who said she needed one more thrill in life; she would have another 14 years to savor it.
Despite all the differences, most had a common thread – the English language. That sort of changed Saturday (Oct. 21), with Bad Bunny (shown here with Pedro Pascal) as host. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 22, 2023