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Tonys plan to pack night with music

With lots of time on its hands, this year’s Tony Awards ceremony will be awash in music.
The telecast will be 8-11 p.m. ET Sunday (June 11) on CBS, with some West Coast stations airing it twice – at 5 and 8 p.m. PT. There will also be a preview show at 6:30 PT on Pluto, hosted by Julianne Hough and Skylar Astin.
With the writers strike continuing, there won’t be a script. That leaves plenty of time for music from the casts (including “Shucked,” shown here), the host (Ariana DeBose) and others. Alongside the awards (for musicals and plays), there will be: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 8, 2023

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Podcasts and murders combine for fun (again)

(This is an updated version of the “Based on a True Story” review)
In the modern media world, two genres have entwined.
There are true-crime podcasts and there are streaming networks’ comedy-dramas. Mix them together and you have a delight.
First was “Only Murders in the Building,” the Steve Martin gem that starts its third season Aug. 8 on Hulu. Now comes Peacock’s “Based on a True Story” (shown here) with its entire first season Thursday (June 8). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 6, 2023

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Nashville adds a burst of summer music

There’s another burst of music coming into TV’s rerun/reality summer.
The “CMA Fest” airs each summer on ABC, but this year it will be sooner (July 19) and longer (8-11 p.m.) than it used to be.
It’s being billed as the 50th anniversary and again has Dierks Bentley (ahown here) and Elle King hosting. This time, they’re joined by Lainey Wilson. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 5, 2023

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Good news: “Miracle Workers” finally returns

“Miracle Workers” is finally returning … a half-year later than expected.
TBS has set the show to start its fourth season on Monday, July 10. This time (shown here), its stars (Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswanathan) are post-apocalyptic warriors, trying to settle into suburbia.
That follows the offbeat approach of the show. In the first season, they were in the afterlife, trying to prove humans were worth saving. In the second, he was a prince and she was expected to follow the family profession of shoveling feces. In the third, they were on a wagon train headed west. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 1, 2023

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Arnold’s action-adventure is fun … for a while

In this new streaming age, how many episodes do you need?
Many shows try 10; eight is popular, occasionally six. (For whatever reason, even numbers usually prevail.) But for “FUBAR” (shown here) – which arrived recently on Netflix – I would have suggested 1.5.
Okay, maybe 2.5, because the final hour is kind of fun. But the rest is flawed.
“FUBAR” is a big deal for any streamer. Here is a major movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and one-time governor, starring in an eight-hour mini-series with all the things he does best – action, explosions and moments of dry irony. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 30, 2023

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A marvelous show has warm, witty finale

A marvelous TV show has its final episode today (Friday, May 26).
Like most great ones, it’s leaving too soon. Unlike some, it has an exceptionally good finale.
Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (shown here) departs after five season, during a week overloaded with departures. On Sunday, HBO’s “Succession” ends after four; the following Wednesday (May 31), Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” ends after three.
These decisions were all apparently voluntary. But they don’t seem fair in a world that gave nine seasons to “Alice,” 12 to “My Three Sons” and 14 to “Ozzie & Harriet.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 26, 2023

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At last, a bit of good news: There will be a Tonycast

With TV mired in its summer-and-strike slump, viewers need a shred of good news.
Now they have one: There will be a Tony telecast, after all. It will be June 11, Ariana DeBose (shown here) will again host and – if the past is any indication – it will be great fun.
CBS had already been promoting the show, but others had doubts. If writers were picketing, performers might have stayed away in support. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 25, 2023

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CBS delays summer shows until August

CBS has finally acknowledged (sort of) that the writers strike will disrupt its fall schedule.
The network is starting some of its summer reality shows later than usual. That will nudge them into what would would usually be the start of the new season. The dates are:
— “Big Brother” (shown here with host Julie Chen) starts its 25th season on Aug. 2. Last year, it started four weeks sooner.
— “Superfan” sdebuts a week later, on Aug. 9. It had originally been set for June 9.
— “Secret Celebrity Renovation” starts July 28, but “The Challenge: USA” will wait until Aug. 10. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 23, 2023

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For CW, it’s a near-total makeover this fall

Dealing with duo forces – new owners and the ongoing writers strike – the CW is tossing out most of its schedule.
Gone next season will be the superheroes that filled the mini-network. Only two scripted shows will be back: “All American” arrives this fall, paired withg Courtney B. Vance’s “61st Street” (shown here); “Walker” is expected at mid-season.
The rest of the line-up has reality shows, plus scripted ones that have already started airing in other countries, mainly Canada. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 18, 2023

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ABC’s extreme step: a line-up without scripted shows

ABC has taken a drastic step that other networks avoided:
It is acknowledging that the writers’ strike will scuttle the start of a normal season, this fall. Instead, it has planned something very abnormal – a complete, 22-hour schedule with no new, scripted episodes.
That would cut off viewers from “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Station 19,” “The Rookie,” “The Good Doctor,” “Will Trent” and more, including “9-1-1,” which is moving to ABC from Fox. To fill all those holes in the schedule, the network will:
— Give double-duty to its “Bachelor” franchise: “The Golden Bachelor” – an older-person version of the show – will be at 10 p.m. Mondays (past the bedtime for some seniors). For people who prefer friskier singles in swimwear, “Bachelor in Paradise” (shown here from last season) will be 9-11 p.m. Tuesdays Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 16, 2023