News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

Nat Geo pushes ahead during pandemic

Storm-chasing, it seems, just isn’t fair. The storm never obeys borders; the chasers have to.
For “Category 6” – a new show filming storms for the National Geographic Channel – that problem comes with the pursuit of Tropical Storm Isiasis (shown here). The show is following it up the Atlantic coastline, producer Lisa Bloch told the Television Critics Association. But “come New Jersey, the storm (will) have to go on without us.”
Blame COVID for that: New Jersey says all people must quarantine 14 days before entering the state. The storm is free to zoom ahead, unpursued.
Such complications abound these day. As the TCA’s virtual sessions with cable networks began Monday, the emphasis was on getting by. “We’ve gone from 4-to-8 person crews to one,” Bloch said. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 4, 2020
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Two mysteries: This time, CW’s the winner

Two mystery shows are arriving now, just when we really need some fresh, scripted shows.
One, “Endeavour” (shown here) is in PBS’ prestigious “Masterpiece” series, with rich craftsmanship and subtly nuanced performances. The other, “Coroner,” is on much-less-prestigious CW.
And the surprise? This time, the CW show is much better. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 3, 2020
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Lewis tribute leads flood of Black-themed shows

John Lewis will receive another TV tribute –this time in prime time on CBS.
“John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero,” will be 10 p.m. Tuesday, hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Brad Pitt and Gayle King. That’s one of many shows that have been added lately, as TV networks pay increased attention to Black people and issues.
Lewis died of cancer July 17 at 80, after 33 years in Congress and 57 years of civil-rights leadership. He was a prime force in the March on Washington in 1963 and the Selma bridge march in 1965. (He’s shown here in a reunion march at the bridge.) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 31, 2020
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African immigrants (fictional or real) have their TV moments

Stories of African immigrants are getting a rare spurt of TV attention.
You can find them Monday (Aug. 3) in a witty comedy – “Bob (Hearts) Abishola,” 8:30 p.m. on CBS — and a serious documentary, “POV,” 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). You can even see this beneath the reality-show glitz of “Real Housewives of Potomac,” at 9 p.m. Sundays on Bravo.
And yes, that’s a huge range – from comedy and glitter to the PBS film. which describes the six-year ordeal of a woman simply identified as Sabine (shown here), who went from country to country. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 31, 2020
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Emmys like “SNL” and Pitt (or Fauci)

Donald Trump has another reason to fume: Dr. Fauci – or, actually, Brad Pitt playing Dr. Fauci – has an Emmy nomination.
Pitt (shown here) played him in a brief opening sketch on “Saturday Night Live.” Now he’s part of the show’s big haul for acting nominations.
That includes three regulars (Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon) and three hosts (Eddie Murphy, Adam Driver and Phoebe Waller-Bridge), plus guest actress Maya Rudolph and Pitt. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 28, 2020
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TV this fall? PBS plans music, drama, zombies

As TV networks’ fall plans sputter, there’s a counterpoint:
PBS still has big plans for the season. That includes concerts (including Lea Salonga, shown here), dramas, politics, nature and whimsy.
Well, not a lot of whimsy. (This is PBS, after all.) But it will air “History of Zombies” on the eve of Halloween and visit “Santa’s Wild Home” before Christmas; it will also have a jazz tribute to “Sesame Street,” visit tropical islands and board the queen’s plane. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 26, 2020
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Documentaries view race, politics and COVID

The current hot-button issues – COVID, race and politics – will be faced in four new documentaries.
Freshly added is an ABC special Tuesday, looking at the evolution of the U.S. virus crisis and interviewing Drs. Anthony Fauci and Robert Redfield and others. That joins one documentary (Sunday) on race and two (Friday and Tuesday) viewing conspiracy theories of Alex Jones as they affect politics. Details, chronologically, are: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 23, 2020