Stories

Tiny star soars in a BIG hall

If we ever need to give all the Christmas jobs to one person, Kristin Chenoweth could try
.She has the voice of an angel, the height of an elf and, seemingly, the disposition of Santa Claus. If she can learn to make toys and pull a sleigh, she’ll be perfect.
This month, viewers have already seen her sing in Nashville and act in a Hallmark movie (which reruns often). Now a concert (shown here) – Dec. 16 on PBS, Dec. 19 streaming – has her on the big stage … literally. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 10, 2019

Stories

Kennedy Center Honors can by funky and cute

One of TV’s annual gems returns Sunday (Dec. 15) – a little different than in its past.
Yes, “The Kennedy Center Honors” telecast again includes a classical-music figure. It always does; this time, it’s conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.
But now it also has the funky fun of Earth, Wind & Fire … plus Elmo and Oscar and friends … and two eternal ingenues, Sally Field (shown here with Burt Reynolds) and Linda Ronstadt. That’s a big change from the start in 1978. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 9, 2019

Stories

That’s progress: Small cost, big quality

When it’s time to make a pilot film, TV people open up the bank vault.
The “Game of Thrones” pilot has been reported at $5-to-10 million. “Lost” was reportedly $10-to-14 million, including buying an old plane.
Now meet “Work in Progress,” which debuts at 11 p.m. Sunday. “We spent a little under $30,000 on the pilot,” said director-writer-producer Tim Mason.
That version, he said, is what will debut on Showtime. It has no dazzle and no airplane, but it does have the humor and drama of Abby McEnany (shown here), a Chicago comedian and actress. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 5, 2019

Stories

“Reprisal” star: tough and frilly

The modern world says people can fit any image.
They can be dark leather or pink fluff … or both, switching from day to day. A prime example came when Abigail Spencer (shown here) arrived to talk about “Reprisal.”
Here is a rough, sometimes brutal series. “I grew up on (Quentin) Tarantino films,” said creator Josh Corbin, “and I am a fan of the violent genre.”
Early in the opener (Friday, Dec. 6, on Hulu), his heroine (Spencer) is slapped, slugged and dragged; later in the hour, she’s lethal. It’s “a role that is typically written for a man,” Spencer said.
It’s suitable for leather and chains. And while Spencer was describing it (to the Television Critics Association, in July), she was wearing a prom-worthy dress, pink and fluffy. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 4, 2019

Stories

New Scrooge (and more) joins Christmas flurry

The Christmas mega-list keeps getting more mega.
Last week, I had a long list of holiday movies and specials and such. Since then, more have been added.
FX has an ambitious — and very dark — “Christmas Carol,” with Guy Pearce and Andy Serkis (both shown here) as Scrooge and Christmas past. AMC has added a cartoon marathon Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, plus lots of showings of Will Ferrell’s “Elf.” And on Christmas Day, Britbox will have James Corden’s new “Gavin and Stacey” Christmas movie. Here’s the list, updated to Nov. 30: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 30, 2019

Stories

Have yourself a Moody Christmas

Each December, we know what to expect from TV movies and specials.
“It’s ‘Oh, we’re going to stand around a Christmas tree,’” Elizabeth Perkins said.
There are plenty of those shows …. but now there’s “The Moodys.” Charlie Collier, the Fox programming chief, calls it a “single-camera, dysfunctional family comedy.”
Perkins plays the mom … and an opening scene (a flashforward) has her firing a BB gun at the tree; Denis Leary (they’re shown here) is the dad. “He’s irreverent,” she said. “He’s always willing to go there.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 30, 2019

Stories

Mister Rogers? Yes, he really was like that

TV critics are used to pomp and hype, to overstuffed praise for underdeveloped shows.
So it’s refreshing when we get the opposite: That was the day Fred Rogers showed up.
It springs to mind now – almost 22 years later – because of the odd (and oddly wonderful) movie, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Here is Tom Hanks playing a gentle man who happened to be an important TV producer-writer-composer-star; people might wonder: Was Rogers really like that?
Apparently. And that’s what we got that January day in 1998. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 25, 2019

Stories

Inside prison, it’s a second-chance education

In the hard-scrabble world of big-city teens, these two were the lucky ones.
Sebastian Yoon grew up in a middle-income home, with two siblings and a hard-working dad. Jule Hall was a bright kid who enjoyed homework; “I loved school,” he said.
Both had the potential to go far. Before 18, they were both in New York’s tough Rikers Island jail.
Now they’re featured in “College Behind Bars” (shown here), 9-11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 25-26), after a different sort of luck. They were among the few people who landed spots in the Bard College prison program. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 22, 2019

Stories

It’s a story of war, love, death and birth

A decade ago, Waad Al-Kateab stepped into a new life.
She was 18 and idealistic (“headstrong,” her parents said), a freshman at the massive University of Aleppo, in Syria. Then war changed everything.
That’s part of the story of “For Sama,” which reaches PBS Tuesday (Nov. 19). The award-winning documentary focuses partly on her decision to stay, even after having baby Sama.
“We stayed with these people in Aleppo for five years …. We just felt we belong to this place, to these people as our family,” Al-Kateab (shown here, away from the war zone). “We can’t just … leave.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 15, 2019

Stories

Great advice: Find friends, ignore naked guys

A talented actress, we’re told, can ignore all distractions.
Still, that’s not easy when there’s a naked-guy table … and a naked-guy lamp … and more.
“We truly did mess a bunch of lines,” said Shay Mitchell, a “Dollface” co-star. “I’d be saying my line (and) a lamp-shade naked man was just walking by. I was like, ‘All right. Where was I?
”That’s part of the quirky approach of “Dollface,” which debuts Friday on Hulu.
Jules (Kat Dennings, shown here) has been casually dumped by her boyfriend of five years, propelling her fantasy scenes. “When Jules is going through a heightened emotion, the magical realism kind of comes in to guide her,” Dennings said. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 10, 2019