1) “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin” opener, Apple TV+. The real Turpin grew up as a butcher, then became a poacher, horse thief and highway robber; later, he was elevated by fiction and myth. Now we get a fresh take, rippling with odd fun in the Monty Python/Rowan Atkiinson style. This wonderfully self-centered Turpin (left, in disguise) stirs lots of laughs, some of them just silly. Read more…
Adan Canto had a richly mobile life.
As a boy, he walked from Mexico to the United States – daily. As a young man, he lived in Mexico City, San Antonio, Manhattan and Los Angeles; he starred in Spanish roles and then in English, including – until his recent death – the male lead (shown here) in “The Cleaning Lady,” which starts its season at 8 p.m. Tuesday (March 5) on Fox.
Canto’s life was so mobile that even this seems logical: His death, Jan. 8, was at his home in … Clear Lake, Iowa. His memorial service was in the same Clear Lake ballroom where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper had their final concert. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. During the 12 seasons of “Good Wife” and “Good Life,” Elsbeth Tascioni was merely a bonus. A lawyer with a sharp mind and a quirky soul, she did 19 episodes, bringing an Emmy for Carrie Preston and fun for viewers. Now she moves to New York for a weekly mystery. The opener is great fun, centering on Stephen Moyer (shown here with Preston) of “True Blood” as a theater director. Read more…
Waiting for the pandemic to end, Robert and Michelle King re-discovered a key fact: People like stories that end.
“Every night, we wanted to watch an episode of ‘Columbo,’” Robert said, “instead of the eight-hour movies that were thrown our way.”
So they created “Elsbeth” (shown here), the fun murder-mystery that debuts at 10 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 29) on CBS. It fits a pattern that works for CBS. Read more…
1) “Survivor” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., CBS. This diverse batch of contestants ranges from a slot-machine salesman, 22, to a parenting coach, 48. It includes natives of India, Guyana and Hong Kong. There’s an actor, an artist and a musician; also, a science teacher, an aerospace technician and a software engineer. Now they get muddy (ahown here) in a hurry; after a couple weeks of two-hour episodes, this will recede to 90 minutes. Read more…
1) “Good Trouble,” 10 p.m., Freeform.. A week from its finale, this excellent series has Mariana (Cierra Ramirez, shown here in a different episode) overloaded with ugly problems and handsome guys. She’s helping Joaquin try to expose a cult leader; she’s also co-CEO with Evan, whose near-death left him unable to remember their romance. There’s more here (including so-so show-business plots), peaking with big romantic moments. Read more…
1) “Deal or No Deal Island” debut, 9:30-11 p.m., NBC. The flimsy “Deal” has been turned into a sort of “Survivor” clone – complete with “Boston Rob” (from many “Survivor” editions) as a contestant. There’s a handsome host (Joe Manganiello) and wild stunts, starting with a mud bog (shown here). The players are interesting, but only one gets to win much; for now, they’re just building up the pot. Read more…
When adapting a Jane Austen novel, the trick is to not be too … well, Jane Austen-ish.
Keep her plot and her sharp sense of character, but relax her stiff, centuries-old dialog.
Lately, several projects have done this quite well. The newest one, however, is a decent attempt that’s sometimes buried in Austen excess.
That’s “Sense and Sensibility” (shown heere), at 8 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 24) and 5 p.m. Sunday on the Hallmark Channel. It’s of special interest because it: Read more…
At a time when way too many shows are being canceled, there’s some good news.
In a short burst, there were separate announcements about the renewal of “Frasier” on Parmount+, “True Detective” on HBO and “All Creatures Great and Small” (shown here) on PBS.
Those last two were expected, but they come with surprise details. The shows are: Read more…
1) “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” opener, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:21 and 11:42. For nine years, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) dominated “Walking Dead.” He fought zombies, led survivors, married Michonne … then was hauled away. Now we finally see him again (shown here). In the compelling start of this six-parter, he makes extreme (and gory) attempts to escape and find his wife. Stick with this episode to the potent end. Read more…
Best-bets for July 3: The party starts a day early 
Best-bets for July 2: bison, “Bear,” baseball 
Best-bets for July 1: TV guns for holiday mood 
