News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

A great show (“Fargo”) bumped by the virus

For the first time, perhaps, a major TV series has been set aside because of the coronavirus:
The next “Fargo” mini-series (shown here) won’t be this spring, after all. It was originally set to begin April 19; now the FX network will only say that it hopes the show will air some time in 2020.
Until now, the TV impact has mainly been confined to live or almost-live events: Basketball games were canceled … the Academy of Country Music awards moved to September … Jimmy Kimmel went to two weeks of reruns, with some other latenight shows skipping a studio audience. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 17, 2020
News and Quick Comments

More virus-related changes: “Baseball” is back, country is gone, news specials are added

TV networks are making changes at blitz speed, to keep up with the coronavirus situation.
Now ABC has added a primetime special and a latenight emphasis … CBS’ country-music awards have been delayed until September … and PBS has said there will be “Baseball” (the Ken Burns series, shown here) when there’s no actual baseball being played.
The changes, in chronological order of impact: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 15, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Virus spurs network schedule changes

As the coronavirus impact grows, TV is making quick adjustments.
CBS and ABC are filling the voids left by canceled basketball games. That means more reruns, plus spreading the two-hour “Hawaii Five-0” (shown here) finale over two weeks.
And PBS has a helpful reminder: We’ve been through much worse. Changes include: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 13, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Virus brings quick TV changes

As reaction to the coronavirus spreads, here are a few quick TV notes:
– First, a quick one for tonight (Thursday, March 12): At 10 p.m. ET, CNN has a town hall: Coronavirus: Fact and Fiction,” with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper. From the start of the crisis, Gupta has done a superb job of bringing clarity and sanity to the coverage.
– Now a later one, after the current rush: At 8 p.m. next Thursday (March 19), PBS has “Confronting Coronavirus.” Judy Woodruff anchors, with Amna Nawa, William Brangham and a panel of experts. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 12, 2020
News and Quick Comments

“Dragon” is slain (temporarily) by virus

This may be good and bad news, all rolled into one:
“Slay the Dragon” (shown here) – the praised documentary about Michigan’s anti-gerrymandering drive – was expected in a few theaters this weekend. Now, instead, it will have one release date, April 3, for theaters, video-on-demand and digital platforms.
“We saw what was happening with the spread of coronavirus and sat down with (the distributor) to discuss a last-minute change in our release plan,” the directors (Barak Goodman and Chris Durrance) said in a statement. The new plan, they said, means “nearly every home in America will have access.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 9, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Quick specials: James Lipton, Kirk Douglas, virus

Reacting to death and disease, television has a string of specials – some of them scheduled quickly – in the next few days.
A James Lipton special is today (Wednesday, March 4) on Ovaton, but then will be available online for the next week. A Kirk Douglas marathon is Thursday on Turner Classic Movies and a coronavirus special is Friday on ABC.
Lipton (shown here) died Monday at 93; Douglas died Feb. 5 at 103, but TCM tends to schedule things a month in advance. The specials are: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 4, 2020
News and Quick Comments

One more big-deal option: It’s “FX on Hulu”

(Right now, you’ll spot an odd convergence of stories about FX. That’s because the network has been holding back, waiting to start its “FX on Hulu” hub. Now is the time;  highlighted here are stories on FX’s “Breeders” and “Devs”; one on “Dave” is coming. But the story here pauses to take an overview of the hub, including future shows — “Mrs. America” is shown here, with Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly — and ones this week. Here we go:)
There’s a new streaming service – yes, another one – out there.
Or you might call it a semi-service – a hub to something that was already there. Either way, “FX on Hulu” is a major player. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 2, 2020
News and Quick Comments

“Five-0” ends, Smothers Brothers (via reruns) return

It’s the circle of life (TV version). Some shows die … some return … some live forever:
1) “Hawaii Five-0” is ending (again). The original version ran for 12 seasons; the reboot is wrapping up after 10. Its two-hour finale will be April 3. There’s no explanation for why it’s leaving now, but CBS has an overload of successful dramas – including “Magnum,” with the same producer and same setting – and “Five-0” is an expensive show. All shows have to end sometime.2)
Or do they? “Murdoch Mysteries” has finished 13 seasons now, with no sign of slowing down. At 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) Saturday, March 7, it will air its 200th episode. Set in early-20th-century Toronto, the show finds a way to pack that era’s top people – from Einstein and Edsion to Tesla and Curie –into one busy hour.
3) And the best news is that even canceled shows return via reruns. Now one of the all-time best – “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” (shown here) – will be on GetTV. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 28, 2020