News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

“King and I”: a stern, serious musical for all eras

Right now, PBS is helpfully reminding us of a key fact: Musicals can be very different. Very.
Last Friday (Nov. 1), the network had the relentlessly shallow “42nd Street.” It had sharp songs, zesty dancers … and a plot so thin that some (but not all) actors gave campy performances.
And this Friday (9 p.m. Nov. 8)? “The King and I” (shown here) is pretty much the opposite. It has some flaws, but dead-serious intentions.
Both are part of TV’s current musicals surge, outlined in stories at the left. Now for a few “King” comments: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 4, 2019
News and Quick Comments

Back to brevity with the clever “Back to Life”

Living in the land of bulk, American TV series want to go mega. Seven seasons, at 22 episodes a year, will do fine.
But British TV comes in all sizes. The latest example is “Back to Life,” the splendid little Showtime series. It debuts at 10 and 10:30 p.m. Nov. 10 (five weeks later than originally scheduled) and its first season has only six half-hour episodes
.That’s three hours total. The whole series is an hour shorter than “Cleopatra,” even 39 minutes shorter than “Heaven’s Gate.” In that time, we get drama, comedy and a big finish. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 2, 2019
News and Quick Comments

Fox maps its post-football life

For the Fox network, this is a tricky question:
What happens when the sports surge ends? What will it be like without the OK ratings from the World Series and the huge numbers from Thursday-night and Sunday-afternoon football?
Now there are answers, adding one old show (Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing,” shown here) and several new ones, In particular, Fox will use football as a launching pad; for instance: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 25, 2019
News and Quick Comments

A farewell to much-loved men, real and fictional

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…

By Mike Hughes / October 7, 2019
News and Quick Comments

Erivo: From Tubman to Aretha

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…

By Mike Hughes / October 3, 2019
News and Quick Comments

This one can be dramatic and funny and 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…

By Mike Hughes / September 29, 2019
News and Quick Comments

Yes, there’s TV life after “Downton”

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…

By Mike Hughes / September 28, 2019