1) Olympics begin. In a bold move, NBC is dumping its time-shift approach. Instead, it’s showing every event live — NBC, USA or CNBC, plus Peacock – when it happens, then repackaging it from 8-11 p.m. daily on NBC. That starts today, with some medals being handed out in swimming (shown here), diving, skateboarding and more. Read more…
1) Olympics opening ceremony, NBC. With a six-hour time difference, NBC will air this twice – live at 1:30 p.m.. ET (with a preview at noon) and again at 7:30. Mike Tirico, Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning will anchor, as the Seine River (shown here) has a parade of athletes. There are 10,500 of them from 206 countries, including 592 from the U.S. Read more…
Two quirky series – each with a vibrant fan base – bring fresh news.
For “What We Do In the Shadows,” it’s the date for the sixth and final season. That will be Oct. 21, for an 11-episode run.
And for “Bridgerton,” the timing is still unknown but the focal point is set Next season turns to Benedict Bridgerton (shown here), the artist who’s had a Bohemian lifestyle. Details are: Read more…
A week into its summer run, “Big Brother” (shown here) is already shifting its timeslot.
Beginning Thursday (July 25), the show moves up to the 8 p.m. spot on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Only on Sundays (when “Tulsa King” is at 8) will it stay at 9.
Originally, the network had set the 8-p.m.-Wednesday slot for new hours of “Let’s Make a Deal.” Now, however, that show will wait until Aug. 16; it will be at 8 p.m. Fridays, nudging “Lingo” to 9. The new line-up: Read more…
1) “Ghosts,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. Freddie, the new assistant, has been way too eager. Now he feels the place has ghosts — it does, but (shown here) he can’t see them — and he buys ghostbusting gear. Also, he sells the car that is the only home of Sasappis’ girlfriend. Read more…
Decades ago, people explained to Samantha Morton the hard realities of an acting career.
“I was told that I didn’t have a period face,” she told the Television Critics Association. “So I wasn’t a period actress.”
That was back in the ‘90s, when the British were making lots of historical dramas. And there she was , with a face stuck in the wrong period. BUT …
Turn on Starz at 8 p.m. Fridays (rerunning at 9:30) and you’ll see her starring in “The Serpent Queen” (shown She plays 14th-century leader Catherine De Medici. Look around for classics and you’ll see her in the title role of “Jane Eyre.” In the 27 years between those, she’s done lots of work in all periods and styles. Read more…
1) “Time Bandits” opener, Apple TV+. Kevin is a likable Sheldon-esque lad. He recites fun facts and is ignored by everyone, including his family. Then time-trekking outlaws arrive. Adapted from a 1981 film, this gets a great boost from the creators of “What We Do in the Shadows” and from Lisa Kudrow (shown here, center, next to Kevin) as the bandits’ sorta-leader. Read more…
It’s not easy being the sleaziest guy on PBS.
Some people silently scowl at you; some aren’t silent. Just ask Mark Umbers, -whose third season of “Hotel Portofino” starts at 8 p.m., Sunday, July 28.(He’s shown here as Cecil Ainsworth, feigning contentment with his wife Bella.)
One friend-of-a-friend bumped into him in London, he recalled. “She couldn’t talk tp me,. She said, ‘I’ve seen your show. You’re very triggering’ And she just walked away.”
It’s logical to walk away from Cecil, but not from Umbers. In real life, he seems to be a charming chap. He’s not an elitist jerk, but he plays one on TV; he also has a jerk-adjacent resume — prep school and Oxford, majoring in Latin and in Greek literature and history. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent” (shown here), 8-10 p.m., NBC. It’s a turning point for the season, wrapping up eight weeks of auditions. After tonight, the show takes a two-week Olympic break before switching to its live episodes, with viewers voting. There will be five semi-finals (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), setting up the Sept. 18 finale. Read more…
1) “61st Street” season-opener, 9 p.m., CW. AMC filmed two seasons of this deeply layered story, with Courtney B. Vance (above) as a Chicago lawyer – but only aired the first one. More than two years later, we see the second on a different network. It’s tough, with a brutal assault and emphasis on the attacker, propelling the lawyer down a lonely road. Read more…
Best-bets for July 1: TV guns for holiday mood 
Best-bets for June 30: R.J., T and soccer 
Best-bets for June 29: The July 4th build-up begins 
