News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

Latino voters flash political power

A new math ripples through this year’s political campaign.
Yes, the ethnic groups are key. But now, by a smidgen, Latinos are the largest of the groups.
At times, said Bernardo Ruiz (whose PBS documentary airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday), that’s a hard group for anyone to dominated. “The Latino vote has never been a monolith.”
But at times. it seems like one. “Latino Vote: Dispatches From the Battleground” starts with a Latino surge, helping Bernie Sanders more than double anyone else in the Nevada primary. That was sparked, Ruiz told the Television Critics Association recently, by “the work that Chuck Rocha (shown here) … and others did, including a number of local organizers ancommunity activists.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 5, 2020
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PBS walks thin line between classy and soapy

There’s a thin line between quality drama and brash, soap-style excess.
“Flesh and Blood,” the new four-part “Masterpiece” tale, keeps skidding near the line. It stays on the good side, thanks to first-rate directing, dialog and … especially, acting.
This is a mini-series filled with skilled actors – led by Francesca Annis and Imelda Staunton (shown here, center and right, with Stephen Rea) – who are PBS favorites. They bring some gravity to a story that wants to spin wildly out of control.
The opener (9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4) sets up the basics: There’s been a tragedy – maybe an accident, maybe not – that left someone dead or critically injured. Police do interviews, spurring flashbacks. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 1, 2020
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Documentary masters tackle the MacDonald mystery

Like many teen-ager, Marc Smerling wanted to see a horror film.
But the movie – it may have been a “Halloween” re-release, he said – was sold out. Instead, he saw “The Thin Blue Line,” Errol Morris’ distinctive documentary about a murder case.
“It blew me away,” Smerling recently told the Television Critics Association. He savored “the visual storytelling, the soft of courage it took to make something that incredible.”
Now, decades later, he’s working with that filmmaker. “A Wilderness of Error” (shown here with Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald and his wife) — debuting at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, on FX — is directed by Smerling; Morris wrote it, adapting his own book. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 24, 2020
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The new TV season has started … sort of

(This is an updated version of a story from the previous week.)
We finally have an answer to TV’s peskiest question: When will the season start?
It started (sort of) on Sept. 21, with Fox’s “L.A.’s Finest” (shown here) and “Filthy Rich” and CBS’ “Manhunt.” It will be smaller than past years, but there will be lots of new shows on the five commercial broadcast networks.
Fox is the most thorough. With one exception – it has to wait a couple weeks for Thursday-night football – it will be rerun-free. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 21, 2020
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PBS sets Ginsburg special Thursday (Sept. 24)

(PBS has just scheduled a new Ruth Bader Ginsburg special. I’m putting that here, on top of the previous story about Ginsburg movies; thast story follows.)
A PBS special Thursday (Sept. 24) will view Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life and the aftermath.
That may be difficult for many people to find, however, “RBG: Her Legacy & The Court’s Future” is set for 8 p.m. Thursday. That’s a slot usually as local-station time, with nothing scheduled by PBS.
Altermative places to find it include pbs.org. pbsorg/newshour, the PBS Video App and PBS; FaceBook, YouTube and Twitter sites. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 19, 2020
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ABC’s dramas return; CBS sets movie night

The wobbly plans for the new TV season have received a couple boosts lately.
One is a temporary step: Next month, CBS will revert to making Sunday an old-movie night.
And the other is more thorough: ABC will have most of its dramas return in November.
One ABC drama (“The Good Doctor,” shown here) returns on Nov. 2; five more arrive Nov. 12-19. That includes “Big Sky” from David E. Kelley (“L.A. Law,” “Ally McBeal,” “Big Little Lies”); its arrival on Nov. 17 should make it the season’s first new, scripted show on the five commercial broadcast networks. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 19, 2020
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ABC comedies return next month

There will be some laughter this autumn, after all.
ABC says its Wednesday situation comedies — including “The Conners,” shown here — will start their seasons on Oct. 21 and 28. They’ll be virtually the only sitcoms (not counting reruns and cartoons) in primetime.
Networks have assembled makeshift line-ups for the fall, strong on reality shows and a few dramas. For sitcoms, however, the field is smaller: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 11, 2020
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“Van der Valk”: English actors, Dutch settings, strong stories

Piet Van der Valk is sort of your standard TV (or movie) detective.
He’s handsome and brooding; he’s single and lives on a boat. Handsome detectives often brood; they also live in odd places – boats or bars or backrooms or such.
What’s unusual about him, though, is that he’s:
1) On PBS, in a smart and deeply layered show. “Masterpiece: Van der Volk” (shown here) is 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, 20 and 27). You could call it the first scripted show of the broadcast TV season; it’s a good one … and a huge jump over this summer’s disappointing “Endeavour.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 8, 2020
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Gene-editing stokes sci-fi type dreams, fears

The worlds of science-fiction and science-fact seem to collide when the subject turns to CRISPR.
That’s a type of “gene-editing” (illustrated here) which could lead to something very good – blocking genetic diseases. Or to some very bad forms of human engineering.
This debate has come up before, Alta Charo told the Television Critics Assoication recently. “Each time, we (ask): ‘Are we able to withstand the temptation to do things that are really destructive to the fabric of society and yet keep the value to prevent disease and help build families.”
She’s a University of Wisconsin professor, both a lawyer and a bioethicist. And she’s one of the key people in a compelling “Nova” season-opener, from 8-10 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 9) on PBS. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 7, 2020