Stories

25 years later, TV looks back at 9/11

The 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks will bring a fresh wave of media attention.
One three-part documentary airs tonight (Aug. 21) and then streams; another is coming Sept. 1. And several will debut Sept. 11, 25 years after planes hit the World Trade Center towers (shown here) and the Pentagon.
Here’s a chronological round-up of what’s been announced so far:

— Tonight: “9/11 Reunited” debuted from 8-11 p.m.on the National Geographic Channel and then goes to Disney+ and Hulu. It brings together some of the strangers whose lives intersected that day, often through lifesaving heroics,

— Sept. 1: “9/11 United We Stand: 25 Years Later” debuts from 9-11 p.m. on ABC, reaches Hulu and Disney+ the next day and returns to ABC Sept. 11. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 21, 2026

Stories

“AGT” has its singing, swirling, swallowing line-up

After 11 weeks of whoops and buzzers and such, “America’s Got Talent” finally has the line-up for its live shows.
Beginning Aug. 18, acts will perform on four Tuesdays — 11 per week, but 10 on Sept. 8. Viewers will vote, then will learn the next day who made it to the semi-finals, Sept. 15.
Almost half the acts –19 of 43 — are musicians, but the rest are scattered.
There are six dance acts, including dancing dogs, dancing robots and light-up dancers. There are five magic acts, four comedians and a contortionist, plus aerialists (shown here is Veronica Goroshkova, who performs Aug. 25), acrobats and more, including two guys who swallow swords. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 15, 2026

Stories

“Lanterns”: Galactic heroes prowl Nebraska

For their entire careers, writer-producers Damon Lindelof and Chris Mundy occupied opposite corners.
Lindelof has been in whimsyland — “Lost,” “Watchmen,” “The Leftovers” and fantasy films. Mundy has been in on gritty, crime-strewn turf — “Ozark,” “Criminal Minds,” the Jodie Foster season of “True Detective.”
What could nudge these writer-producers together? “Lanterns” (shown here) debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday, for an eight-week season on HBO and HBO Max.
Yes, Lindeloff said, it has the Green Lantern guys, with their magic rings. But “it has een described as a ‘True Detective’ story on Earth.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 14, 2026

Stories

NBC grasps for its good old days

If you visit NBC these days, you may catch a sweet whiff of nostalgia.
At least, it was there when the network (and its Peacock streamer) held a daylong press session Monday (Aug. 10). There was talk of old concepts, old heroes, old shows (including the “Rockford Files” reboot, shown here) and the good old days.
“We’re bringing back must-see TV,” insisted Gail Lerner, the “Newlyweds” producer.
Others talked about the resilience of some concepts, including shows with struggling private investigators. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 11, 2026

Stories

Hallmark at 25: grand goals, mixed results

Like many 25-year-olds, the Hallmark Channel (shown here) has grand goals and ideals.
The details, however, remain a work in progress.
The ideals? “We’re here to put more care, positivity and goodness into the world,” said Darren Abbott, the Hallmark Media president.
A few years ago, that felt old-fashioned. Now it may be refreshingly retro.
“In a world where snark and darkness (are) the order of the day,” said Michelle Vicary, the head of programming, Hallmark finds “a different part of the human experience.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 9, 2026

Stories

Canadian canine cop makes comfy TV

If you want a pleasantly adequate TV show, here are good elements — cops, canines and Canadians.
All of which point to “Hudson & Rex” (shown here), which starts its season at 8 p.m. ET Thursday (Aug. 6) on UPtv.
No, this isn’t one of the most famous TV shows (or one of the 200 most-famous) and it’s not on a famous network. UP reaches a little over half of U.S. TV homes, via cable, digital, Philo, Frndly and DirecTV. It likes shows that are upbeat (hence the name) and family-friendly. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 2, 2026

Stories

When does fall season start? Here’s a round-up

As August arrives, TV viewers get fidgety.
They wonder when the fall season will begin. The answer — for the four big networks — depends on what they’re looking for:
— Scripted shows? A few arrive early — ABC’s “R.J. Decker,” Sept. 15; NBC’s new “Line of Fire,” Sept. 21; Fox’s shows, Sept.22 (including “Best Medicine,” shown here) and 27. More consider Oct. 4 to be premiere week.
— Unscripted ones, however, arrive earlier. ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” has a two-night blitz, Sept. 15-16; NBC’s “The Voice” has a three-nighter, Sept. 21-23. All the others have September starts, including NBC’s new “Traitors” spin-off, Sept. 17.
— And football? Well, that waits for no one. We’ll start there; this round-up is confined to the four big commercial broaadcast networks, in prime time: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 1, 2026

Stories

Doris and Bogie? It will be a wide-ranging August

As summer TV winds down, Turner Classic Movies adds some starpower.
That’s its annual “Summer Under the Stars.” Each day in August focuses on the films — usually the best ones — from one actor.
Some of these stars still have strong followings. This opens with Doris Day (shown here) and Humphrey Bogart. One stretch (Aug. 14-16) has Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Cary Grant; two days later, it’s Robert Redford. John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn are back-to-back on Aug. 22-23, James Stewart and Bette Davis on Aug. 26-27. Scattered around are Steve McQueen (Aug. 8), Groucho Marx (Aug. 12) and Marlon Brando (Aug. 20).
And others? Well, when was the last time you had a spirited discussion about Marie Windsor, Dana Andrews, Bonita Granville or Basil Rathbone? Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 24, 2026

Stories

Strange old challenges on “Strange New Worlds”

It’s not easy to inhabit the strange old world of “Star Trek.”
Consider Rebecca Romijn, who plays First Officer Una Chin-Riley in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (Thursdays on Paramount+). For this fourth season (shown here, with Uhura at the controls), she was busy learning to speak Klingon.
It was “a challenge I never knew I wanted,” she told the Television Critics Association. “But I really embraced it, because there are at least 20 people in the world who speak Klingon perfectly.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 22, 2026

Stories

From Pompeii to Poseidon: surviving disasters

Staring at movies and TV shows, we’re used to this:
A disaster has started; people promptly shift into another gear. They panic, push, shout, scream and generally misbehave.
Is this realistic? “We do see panic in some emergencies,” Sarita Robinson said. “But not as often as portrayed.”
She’s studied such things for 30 years and has the academic credentials to prove it. She’s ponders disasters, new and old — in one case, very old: She’s in Tom Hiddleston’s “Pompeii: Out of Time,” a fascinating documentary (shown here), from 8-11 p.m. Wednesday (July 22) on the National Geographic Channel. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 20, 2026