TV viewers get used to bad news. Shows are cancelled or delayed; promises are broken.
So the flip side was a fine surprise: “Will & Grace” is back much earlier than expected; and its return (9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24), after a wobbly start, is hilarious.
Read more…
It’s called the “Trump bump” and it seems to be universal.
Donald Trump has been very good for the journalism field he mocks … and for the satirists he hates.
A new example of the latter has just arrived: CBS has extended Stephen Colbert’s contract for three more years, through August of 2023. Read more…
For country-music fans – often ignored, sometimes mocked – this is a splendid stretch
.That started last month, with Ken Burns’ “Country Music” taking 16 PBS hours. Now the second phase includes double Reba McEntire (shown here, double Carrie Underwood and lots of Garth Brooks: Read more…
In many teen shows, the parents are after-thoughts. They’re there to say “no” … and to be ignored.
An exception has been “Riverdale” and Fred Andrews, the good-guy dad played so convincingly by Luke Perry (shown here).
Seven months after Perry died, Fred’s death fills the season-opener .It’s a tribute to the character and the man who played him. “Luke came in and… just was Fred Andrews,” producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said last year. Read more…
Cynthia Erivo is about to jump from one great American to another.
On Nov. 1, “Harriet” (shown here) reaches movie theaters, with Erivo, 32, as Harriet Tubman, who kept risking her life to help other slaves get north. That same month, she’ll start work as Aretha Franklin
.The National Geographic Channel announced that filming will begin then, for the third edition of its “Genius” anthology. Read more…
“Almost Family” is an almost-terrific show that reminds us of what’s possible
:A show can still try to do it all. It can have heavy-duty, life-and-death crises one moment … light human drama the next … and some outright comedy scattered in between.
Lots of shows did that in the past, from “Lou Grant” to “L.A. Law”; fewer have tried lately. Read more…
So now we’re in the post-Downton era.
The “Downton Abbey” movie has arrived, drawing an expected rush of praise and an unexpectd rush of money. Now viewers wonder what else can capture that British-style charm and class.
Experts had guessed the “Downton” movie would bring $20 million in its North American debut. It got $31 million – topping the predictions (and the next-highest movie) by more than 50 per cent.
As expected, it has style, class, deep characters and some dashes of humor. Where can we go for more? I’d suggest: Read more…
For a while, it looked like the no-host Emmys might actually work
.There was a brilliant bit with Ben Stiller and Bob Newhart. There were funny moments from Anthony Anderson and from three people who should have hosted – Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers. The show was fast and funny and …
Then it skidded to a stop, reminding us why hosts are crucial. Sure, there were a few great moments, including the acceptance speech of Michelle Williams, a winner in the “Fosse/Verdon” mini-series; more often, people drably thanked their agents and such. Read more…
It’s time for TV’s four big broadcast networks to have their turn.
In one crowded week (starting Monday, Sept. 23). they’ll launch of of their fall shows. That includes 13 of their 16 new shows, starting with the low-key charm of “Bob (hearts) Abishola” (shown here); the others arrive a week later.
Here, subject to change, are the daily line-ups. We’ll have separate stories on CW, when it starts two weeks later. And stories on the others – PBS, cable, streaming – are ongoing. Read more…
This year’s Emmy telecast will have lots of hosts – smart, slick, funny ones.
It’s just that … well, none of them will be hosting. No one will.
Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert have all been witty award-show hosts; Billy Porter (shown here) would be another good one. This time, alas, they’re merely presenters. Read more…
