News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

CNN Films score (again) with “Navalny”

It’s easy to dump on Jeff Zucker, the former head of NBC and CNN and more.
But let’s look at something that has turned out well: Under Zucker, CNN developed a strong lineup of shows on Saturday and Sunday nights; that’s clear now, with:
–Sundays: “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” has just started its second season. Barring breaking news, it’s at 9 p.m. and midnight, with another travel-and-food show (“Nomad with Carlton McCoy”) at 10 and 1, plus a Tucci rerun at 11.
— Saturday, May 14: “Navalny” (shown here), a compelling documentary movie, reruns from 9-11 p.m., followed by Tucci and McCoy reruns. It had been set for May 7, but then was pushed back a week. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 1, 2022
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“Signora” brings smart stories, Foxy fun

Sylvia Fox didn’t really want to go to small-town Italy for her niece’s wedding.
She had plenty of things to do in London. Working for the MI-6 unit, she handled informants worldwide; also, she had an ex-husband with benefits.
But after fuming at her bosses, she departed for the wedding. She would soon prove to be one of the greatest aunts in fictional history.
That’s the start of “Signora Volpe” (shown here), an exceptionally good mystery series. The first season – three movie-length tales – streams over three Mondays (starting May 2) on www.acorn.tv. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 29, 2022
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CNN+: quick end to a bad idea

CNN+ now goes down as one of life’s really bad ideas.
It lasted three weeks longer than the Titanic, 13 months less than the Hindenburg. No one was killed, but lots of talent (including Chris Wallace, shown here) was wasted.
Officially, the streaming service will shut down on April 30, 32 days after it began. The cause-of-death is listed as corporate confusion: Officials went ahead with the plan, fully aware that the incoming owners (Discovery) might dislike the idea; they did and shut it down instantly.
But unofficially? This was just never a good idea. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 22, 2022
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Welcome to Earth Day

This is Earth Day (Friday, April 22) and the streaming networks and PBS are busy. A separate piece (see Stories) looks at three new Disney+ shows; meanwhile, here’s a round-up:
ARRIVING TODAY (April 22)
— Three films on Disney+. “Polar Bear” (shown here) is from the DisneyNature people, whose lush films are usually in theaters the week of Earth Day. The others are from National Geographic: “Explorer: The Last Tepui” follows Alex Honnold (the climber of “Free Solo” fame), as he leads a climb up a 1,000-foot cliff, so a botanist can study an “island in the sky.” Also, “The Biggest Little Farm: The Return” revisits John and Molly Chester, city people creating an eco-friendly farm in California.
— A two-day marathon of BBC America reruns. “Planet Earth” is 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, followed by the marine-world “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II” from 5-11 p.m. They then rerun – “Planet Earth” from 11 p.m. to Saturday at 9 a.m., “Blue Planet II from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, then “Africa” from 3-8 p.m. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 22, 2022
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A very short story

While watching the “Nature” season-finale, I learned an important fact: Storks like cork trees.
There are a lot of those trees in Portugal, with the cork bark harvested every eight years. Its branches often hold giant stork nests. I learned this while catching an advance version of the episode that airs at 8 p.m. April 27 on PBS.
Then I considered writing an epic poem. It would have a stork sitting on cork with a friend from York, brandishing a fork and studying a quark. I decided not to; it would make me seem like a dork.
(The end) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 20, 2022
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Here’s the schedule for Earth Day TV

As Earth Day arrives (Friday, April 22), the streaming networks and PBS are piling up specials. Here’s a round-up.
COMING UP
–Wednesday (April 20), then at pbs.org and the PBS Video app: PBS has “Changing Planet” at 8 p.m., launching a seven-year effort to study key areas. “Earth Emergency” follows at 10.
— Friday: Three films debut on Disney+ (see separate story). “Polar Bear” (shown here) is from the DisneyNature people, whose lush films are usually in theaters the week of Earth Day. The others are from National Geographic: “Explorer: The Last Tepui” follows Alex Honnold (the climber of “Free Solo” fame), as he leads a climb up a 1,000-foot cliff, so a botanist can study an “island in the sky.” Also, “The Biggest Little Farm: The Return” revisits John and Molly Chester, city people creating an eco-friendly farm in California. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 18, 2022
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“Password” joins summer spree of game shows

There will be another new game show this summer – except this one is also very old. It’s “Password,” which began 61 years ago.
NBC’s summer version – hosted by Keke Palmer — will continue the basic plan of pairing celebrities with regular folks. But Jimmy Fallon (shown here playing with Jim Parsons), who is also the producer, will be one of the celebrities in each hour; the last of the eight episodes will be all-celebrity. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 13, 2022
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ABC plans a playful summer

ABC is planning another game-stuffed summer, but with a difference:
This time, it will have three new games, alongside the vintage ones.
The network’s summer success has been built on pieces of the “Bachelor” franchise (also returning this summer, with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, shown her), plus games from way back. This summer – starting in July, after the pro-basketball playoffs — that continues: “Press Your Luck” goes back to 1983, “Family Feud” (now with celebrities) to 1976 and “$100,000 Pyramid” to 1973 (when it was merely $10,000).
But joining them will be the new shows. “Generation Gap,” hosted by Kelly Ripa, has kids and grandparents answering trivia about the others’ generation. “The Final Straw” has people trying to remove objects from a tower, without making it fall. And “Claim to Fame” is more of a reality show, involving people who, at first, don’t reveal their link to more-famous relatives; it’s hosted by Kevin Jonas, 33, of the Jonas Brothers and his not-famous brother Frankie, 21. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 8, 2022