Stories

A REALLY bad parent? Try the animal world

Lots of folks might think they have (or are) bad parents. They might be right.
But anything they do pales compared to the animal world. “Underdogs” — a quirky delight Sundays on the National Geographic Channel (with one hour on ABC and everything on Disney+ and Hulu) — offers:
— A goose that hatches its four eggs on an 800-foot cliff, (shown here), then has no plan for how its offspring will get down.
— A koala whose idea of good baby food is … well, poop.
— Lemurs, who overdo the notion of “it takes a village.” A baby is passed through a dizzying succession of aunts, uncles and, maybe, strangers. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 9, 2025

Stories

It’s Wausau’s moment in TV (and zombie) history

There are many splendid things about Wausau, Wisconsin.
It’s had baseball teams, football stars (including the only Crazylegs and the only double-zero) and a 150-year-old insurance company. But it has not, to my knowledge, had zombies.
Until now.
“Revival” (shown here) — debuting at 10 p.m. Thursday (June 12) on Syfy and USA — offers a fresh take on the living dead. Other shows have great hordes of unpleasant ones, sweeping (well, shuffling) across the land. This one has a modest number of mostly benign ones, confined to the greater Wausau area. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 7, 2025

Stories

As “Jaws” nears 50, TV starts celebrating

“Jaws” — the film that changed beach-going (a little) and movie-going (a lot) is about to turn 50.
And yes, TV will celebrate. The movie (shown here) debuted on June 20, 1975; now:
— On June 7, the AMC network will show “Jaws” and its sequel (1978) at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m., repeating them at 7 and 10. The less-regarded “Jaws 3” (1983) will be at 12:30 a.m., with “Jaws the Revenge” (1987) at 2:45.
— At 9 p.m. July 10, the National Geographic Channel debuts “Jaws@50: The Definitive Insider Story.” It’s produced by Amblin, the company run by “Jaws” director Steven Spielberg. He’s in the film; so are actor-screenwriter Carl Gottlieb. composer John Williams and the family of novelist Peter Benchley. Also included are other filmmakers (George Lucas, James Cameron, J.J. Abrams, etc.), plus maritime experts Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 31, 2025

Stories

Streamers surged in a Covid world

(This is the latest chapter of a book-iu-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the full book, so far, click “The Book,” under “categories.”)

For a cozy time, streaming networks were just a bonus fringe.
They were kind of like an Imax theater in a multiplex or a luxury box in a stadium: They offered appealing alternatives (including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” shown here), without affecting the masses.
Then Covid came and spun everything into overdrive.
In less than nine months, four major streamers were born — Apple TV+. Disney+, Max and Peacock. Others grew. Streaming seemed like a made-for-Covid phenomena. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 23, 2025

Stories

From Covid quiet to Memorial concert commotion

The pandemic twisted a lot of show-business careers, for bad (mostly) and good.
For Scotty Hasting, it was good. He went from a struggling war veteran to an emerging country-music star. And now he’ll perform for the masses at PBS’ Memorial Day eve concert.
“When it gets quiet, the demons come out,” Hasting said. “Covid was way too quiet.”
He needed a distraction. Fortunately, an old guitar was nearby. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 19, 2025

Stories

“Cards” and “Crown” and such: Netflix takeover began

(This is a re-written version of the latest chapter of a book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the full book, so far, click “The Book,” under “categories.)

People thought television would kill the movies. It didn’t.
They thought cable would kill television. It didn’t.
Then streaming came along and killed (or seriously wounded) all of them.
That started in 2013, when Netflix suddenly had “House of Cards” and a Marvel surge. It broadened two years later, with “The Crown” (shown here) and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 16, 2025

Stories

ABC joins the creep away from scripted shows

ABC is joining a TV trend — gradually creeping away from scripted series.
Still, it’s doing it in moderation. On the scripted side, the fall schedule — announced today (May 13)– does include:
— One new show, “9-1-1: Nashville.”
— Only one major cancellation, “Doctor Odyssey.”
— And good slots for two successful rookies from this season, “High Potential”(shwon here) and Tim Allen’s “Shifting Gears.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 13, 2025

Stories

Fox’s fall line-up: lots of games, few scripted shows

Maybe it’s a sign of the times … or maybe just a weird year.
But this fall, scripted shows (except for cartoons) will virtually vanish from the Fox network.
Fox has unveiled a line-up with only two such shows — “Murder in a Small Town” (shown here with star Rossif Sutherland) and “Doc.” They’ll be huddled together on Tuesdays; the rest of the week will be awash in games, reality shows, sports and Sunday cartoons. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 12, 2025

Stories

Fantasy role for a “poor boy”: fast car, furious life

“Luckily,” Josh Holloway said, “I grew up poor.”
Well … maybe that’s just semi-lucky. And maybe he was just semi-poor. But it did help prepare him for “Duster” (shown here), the show — from “Lost” producer J.J. Abrams — that starts Thursday (May 15) on Max.
Hollywood has plenty of actors who can sort of fake being small-town, Southern and blue-collar. For Holloway, it should come naturally. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 11, 2025

Stories

Tony Soprano and the White House: A golden age began

(This is a revised version o the latest chapter of the book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” To read the full book, so far, from the beginning, click “The Book,” under “categories.”)

All in all, the 20th century was quite interesting.
It sort of started (in January of 1901) with the death of Queen Victoria. It ended (in 1999) with the birth of both “The Sopranos” and “The West Wing.”
In short, the century began with the end of the Victorian era and ended with the start of a TV golden age. In between, other stuff happened.
For TV, the new era has gone by different names. John Landgraf, the FX networks chief, calls it “Peak TV.” David Bianculli, a TV critic, calls it “The Platinum Age.” I’ll go with the second golden age of drama. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 7, 2025