1) “OceanXplorers” debut, 9 p.m., National Geographic. James Cameron takes a big-budget, big-ambition approach to deep-sea exploration. Cameron – the director of “Titanic,” “Terminator” and “Avatar” – has a high-tech ship (shown here), two mini-subs and a helicopter. Over six Sundays, it follows whales, sharks and more Read more…
For Netflix viewers, this is an unexpected bonanza.
On Monday (Aug. 19), they’ll suddenly add 13 series. Most are pretty good; some are sort of great.
All arrive from the AMC cable network, for a one-year stay on Netflix. That includes “Walking Dead” and Anne Rice tales (including “Interview With the Vampire,” shown here), plus others – “Dark Winds,” “Monsieur Spade” – that are less-known, but beautifully crafted.
Their journey tells a lot about recent TV changes: Read more…
1) “The Bachelorette,” 8-10 p.m. today, ABC. Jenn Tran (shown here) visits home towns of her final four guys. She’s 26 and becoming a physician’s assistant. The guys: Marcus Shoberg, 32, former Army Ranger; Jeremy Simon, 29, real-estate investor; Jonathan Jackson, 27, creative director; Devin Strater, 28, freight-company owner. Read more…
1) “Mammals,” 8-9:20 p.m., BBC America. With one exception (a making-of episode next week), this concludes a beautifully crafted series. In forests, we see chimps (shown here) molding tools … Siberian squirrels gliding in the sky … and the first film of a bobcat catching a salmon. There are lions, tigers and 10 million bats, Read more…
On Sept. 10, viewers will face a rare dilemma: Should they watch the first Harris-Trump debate or obsess on Hallmark?
Hmmm … fate of the free world or love amongst the chaste and beautiful. Why is life always so complicated?
Actually, you could catch both. It’s just that Sept. 10 (already the date of the ABC debate) is now the starting date for Hallmark+.
Company executives had previously laid out the general idea. (See separate story.) A small streaming service (Hallmark Movies Now) will be folded into this larger one. In addition to shows from the two Hallmark cable channels, it will soon include other movies (shown here), plus a series, a mini-series and a surge of reality shows. Now the details are available; they include: Read more…
1) “Let’s Make a Deal Primetime” opener, 8 p.m., CBS. For the final month of summer, CBS nudges closer to having all-new Fridays. “Deal” (shown here), originally planned for Wednesdays, nudges “Lingo” to 9 p.m. The lone rerun is “Blue Bloods” at 10: Frank frets when the daughter of his best friend is jailed. Read more…
David Chokachi summed up his duties with admirable accuracy.
“We weren’t … doing Shakespeare.” he said. “We were doing ‘Baywatch.’”
Yes, there’s a difference, “Baywatch” (shown here) had no sonnets or soliloquies, but lots of running, rescuing and red swimwear.
Sometimes, that’s enough. “It succeeded beyond everybody’s expectation,” Chokachi told the Television Critics Association. “A billion viewers – we’re in the Guinness Book of World Records.”
It also influenced people’s decisions – geographic, vocational and more. Just ask Matthew Felker, who directed “After Baywatch,” a documentary arriving Aug. 27 on Hulu. Read more…
There’s a genre that we might call “Florida noir” and “Florida Gothic.”
Or we might not. “Noir” and “Gothic” imply darkness and gloom; Florida implies blue skies, clear water and open possibilities.
That contrast helps propel these tales. They include some of the novels by Carl Hiaasen, Dave Barry and Elmore Leonard and occasional mini-series. Last year was Netflix’s “Florida Man”; now the delightful “Bad Monkey,” with Vince Vaughn (shown here) is Wednesdays on Apple TV+, starting Aug. 14. Read more…
1) “Young Sheldon,” 9 p.m., CBS. The final season was filled with great moments; now it’s being rerun. In this episode (four weeks from the finish), Sheldon’s grandmother has a tough probation officer (Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, shown here). Also, Georgie gets some marital advice from his new father-in-law. Read more…
1) “MasterChef” return, 8 and 9 p.m,. Fox. After a three-week break, the show doubles up episodes. First (shown here), people make birthday cakes; then they’re in teams, with ingredients for each generation. So far, “Gen X” has lost two chefs and “Millennials” lost one; others are intact. Read more…
Best-bets for March 31: bees, Burns and “Doc” 
Best-bets for March 30: man of passion, songs of faith 
Best-bets for March 29: Basketball sparks a busy day 
