Stories

Even during strike, PBS and others deliver drama

Facing the bleak prospect of an unscripted TV season, viewers have some solace:
Yes, there are still some other countries in the world. Many of them speak English, just like we do (or even better). And yes, especially, there’s PBS.
The latest news is the fall line-up of “Masterpiece” mysteries, which fill PBS’ Sundays. It will include the second seasons of “World on Fire” (shown here in the first season) and “Annika,” the third of “Van der Valk” and the fifth of “Unforgotten.” If the past is any hint, these will be smart and involving, if a tad drab. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 23, 2023

Stories

Her restaurant life? It’s “crazy and wonderful”

If you watch any restaurant show – especially “The Bear,” the acclaimed drama-comedy that returns to Hulu on June 22 – there are two logical reactions:
1) I would never want to work in a restaurant. People fret, fail, shout, rage, agonize; they also have bad hours and are prone to addiction and alcoholism.
2) I’d really like to work in a restaurant. It looks like fun.
Courtney “Coco” Storer (shown here), the inspiration and “culinary producer” for “The Bear,” occasionally leans toward the first one. “I always ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this? Are you insane?’” she said.
But mostly, she’s with the second. “I love it,” she told the Television Critics Association. “I don’t think I’ll ever leave the hospitality world. As crazy as it is, I think it’s equal parts crazy as it is wonderful.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 19, 2023

Stories

Two passions — birds and Black-rights — merged

Like most people, Christian Cooper (shown here) didn’t expect to have the world’s attention.
But when he did, he was ready. “If all these people are going to shove microphones and cameras in my face, I’m going to use it to say what I think (is) important,” he told the Television Critics Association.
At the top of that list are … well, birds and race relations.
The two merged one day in Central Park, indirectly leading to “Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper.” The show debuts at 10 p.m. Saturday (June 17) on the Nat Geo Wild cable channel, then reaches Disney+ on Wednesday (June 21). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 16, 2023

Stories

Juneteenth is packed with music, movies, more

As a very old – and very new – holiday, Juneteenth is becoming a TV event.
Hit your remote Monday (June 19) and you’ll find documentaries, movies (LOTS of movies) and a mega-concert.
The concert, simulcast by CNN and the Oprah Winfrey Network, will have rap, pop and R&B stars, old and new. It will also have a Tina Turner tribute by Chloe Bailey (shown here), who’s best known for teaming with her sister (Halle Bailey, the “Little Mermaid” star) in Chloe + Halle.
It’s set for 8-11 p.m. ET … which crosses over lots of other events, including music documentaries on E (8 p.m.) and ABC (10). Then there are all those movies, ranging from the classics (“In the Heat of the Night,” “Do the Right Thing”) to the more-recent “Black Panther,” “Till” and “Respect.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 16, 2023

Stories

Here’s the good, the bad and the schlocky

Yes, movies keep trying to be bigger and better.
But it’s time to celebrate the opposite – ones that are brash and bizarre and, at times, really bad.
On Friday night (June 16), Turner Classic Movies has a sort of schlockfest, from “Beach Blanket Bingo” (shown here) and “Barbarella” (8 and 9:45 p.m. ET) to the notorious “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” at 5:45 a.m.
All of them fit the loose category of “camp.” In a short film on its website, TCM describes camp as when “artifice and exaggeration transcends taste” and when it has “style over substance,” a place where “pretentiousness and virtue are left behind.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 8, 2023

Stories

CW fills out its summer line-up

The CW network – in the midst of a year-round makeover – has finally set the rest of its summer plans.
Even before the writers’ strike, the mini-network (under new ownership) was shedding its expensive superhero adventuress. Instead, it’s going for unscripted shows or scripted ones from other countries.
An example of the former is “Inside the NFL,” coming to CW this fall, after previous runs on HBO, Showtime and Paramount+.
That fall line-up will have several Canadian shows, which are also key to the plans now (including “Family Law,” shown here). Here’s the summer line-up: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 7, 2023

Stories

Summer surprise: There are still lots of new, scripted series

As we settle into our summertime, strike-time lives, here’s a surprise:
Even now, we can find some new, scripted episodes on broadcast networks or basic cable.
Yes, those networks have started their summer slumber … which could be prolonged. The writers’ strike is expected to linger, affecting fall line-ups. We can still find plenty of new scripted shows on premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz) or streamers, but are there any on broadcast or basic cable?
Surprisingly, yes. Some nights — Wednesday (“Wonder Years” is shown here) and Sundays — are loaded. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 2, 2023

Stories

Sunny summer? Cruel summer? They’re both here

Summer can be cruel, if you’re a TV viewer. Scripted shows fade; reruns and reality shows bloom.
And it can be either kind or cruel if you’re a teen-ager. That depends on which life you’re living – the one that soars through commercials and beach movies or the one that often lurks in real life.
Now both extremes exist in “Cruel Summer.” The show starts its second season (shown here) at 9 and 10 p.m. Monday (June 5) on Freeform, with new character and the same sort of scripted depth.
The setting is right out of a teen’s summer ideal. This is a fictional town, nestled along a lake. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 29, 2023

Stories

“Yellowjackets”: Another gem on “Succession” night

In an all-or nothing world, this sort of fits:
Here we are in TV’s summer season, when viewers figure nothing worthy is available. Yet two important hours are at exactly the same time – 9 p.m. Sunday, May 28.
One is the series-finale of “Succession,” on HBO; the other is the season-finale of “Yellowjackets” (shown here in a previous episode) on Showtime. Both show the extremes people will reach for survival and dominance.
And yes, you can still see both of them, by: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 26, 2023

Stories

He’s memorializing again … on a much bigger stage

For many people, it’s a brief blip: On Memorial Day, they remember fallen soldiers; then life goes on.
But for Michael Trotter, it seemed to be daily – writing and singing tributes to his late colleagues. “Sometimes it would be six in a week,” he said. “Sometimes six in a month.”
These days, he’s half of the powerhouse, married duo called The War and Treaty (shown here), which will sing at the National Memorial Day Concert, at 8 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday (May 28, the eve of the holiday) on PBS. They’ll be alongside gospel great Yolanda Adams, country stars Trace Adkins and Jo Dee Messina, “American Idol” champion Phillip Phillips and more.
It continues a journey that began two decades ago, when Trotter wrote a song on (really) Saddam Hussein’s piano. Along the ways, there have been harsh detours. “We’ve gone through a lot of difficulties,” said Tanya Trotter, his wife and music partner. “We were homeless a lot.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 21, 2023