At times, the calendar can be our friend.T
hat’s the case with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. It falls on a Saturday (July 20), meaning:
— More people will be available. Families can snuggle together … as families did a half-century ago.
— And this is a low point – a mid-summer Saturday – for viewers. There are fewer distractions. With that in mind, here’s a round-up of Saturday choices. Read more…
1) CBS in space. A half-century ago, Walter Cronkite (shown here) and CBS grabbed a large chunk of viewers who obsessed on the moon mission. Now the network tries to recapture some of that. At 9:32 a.m. — exactly 50 years after the fact – its streaming site (www.cbsnews.com/live) reruns the original coverage of the lift-off. At 6:30 p.m., Norah O’Donnell anchors “CBS Evening News” from the Kennedy Space Center. And at 10, she anchors “Man on the Moon,” incorporating Cronkite’s coverage. Read more…
1) “CBS Evening News,” 6:30 p.m., CBS. This is the day Norah O’Donnell (shown here) takes over multi-duties; she’s anchor and managing editor of the newscast … anchor of political events … and occasional “60 Minutes” correspondent. That puts her on Murrow/Cronkite/Rather/Couric turf and she starts with a subject Walter Cronkite savored, the moon launch. Tonight, she discusses the future with space entrepreneur Jeff Bezos and with Caroline Kennedy, whose father propelled the moon program. Read more…
As the new “Suits” season arrives, viewers can brace for a fresh blitz of lawyer words.
The concepts bounce around; actors have to seem like they’re cozy with them.
“When you’re doing ‘techno-babble’ – which is what we used to call it – you have to make sure you understand it,” said Denise Crosby (shown here), the new “Suits” antagonist.
And yes, she’s worked with some of the best babblers of tangled techno. She was Tasha Yar, the security officer in the first year of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” After the character died, she’s been Yar’s daughter … and her grandmother (in a fan-fiction film) … and, due to time travel, Yar herself. Read more…
1) “Masterpiece: Grantchester” season-opener, 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. For three summers, James Norton has played a village vicar – decent and fragile – who helps a cop (Robson Green, shown here with Norton) solve crimes. Now he has his final two cases; we also glimpse the man who will replace him next week. Set in the 1950s, tonight’s first hour has a strong civil-rights theme; the second eyes a corrupt businessman. The mysteries are so-so. but this is a deep portrait of a good man, torn by his flaws. Read more…
1) “CBS Evening News,” 6:30 p.m. today, CBS. Norah O’Donnell (shown here) takes over as anchor and managing editor, stepping into a tradition of news giants – Murrow, Cronkite, Rather, Couric, more. And she does it during a busy week. Tonight, she interviews Jeff Bezos and Caroline Kennedy about the future in space. On Tuesday, she moves the broadcast to the Kennedy Space Center, for coverage of Saturday’s 50th anniversary of the moon landing – then anchors a “Man on the Moon” special, at 10 p.m. Tuesday. Read more…
1) Disney movies, TBS and Freeform. On a slow night for other shows, Disney films come to the rescue. The one TBS film — the gorgeous “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) at 6 p.m. – isn’t a cartoon, but Freeform counters with an animation spree. It has “Finding Nemo” (2003) at 2:10 p.m., “Ratatouille” (2007) a 4:40 and then two gems — “Moana” (2016, shown here) at 7:20 and “The Lion King” (1994) ar 9:50. Read more…
Before pondering “Love Island,” we should remember that CBS is semi-sacred ground.
This is the land of Lucy and Letterman, the home of Murrow and Cronkite and “60 Minutes.” It’s the “Tiffany Network,” where Ed Sullivan gave us Broadway and the Beatles and where Norman Lear and MTM transformed comedy. It’s still the home of the Tonys and Grammys and Kennedy Center Honors.
And now it’s where Caro Viehwig, 21, explained that “my hair is my best quality.”
And where Alana Morrison, also 21, announced: “I got a nice butt. I really do.” Read more…
1) “Gone With the Wind” (1939), 10 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Last week, a TCM film called 1939 Hollywood’s greatest year; instant proof was provided with “Wizard of Oz” and “Ninotchka.” Both were Academy Award nominees for best picture, but that Oscar (and seven others) went to “Gone With the Wind” (its poster is shown here). Today, it’s preceded by a day of black-and-white, 1939 films; that peaks at 8 p.m. ET with “Dark Victory,” an Oscar nominee for best picture, actress (Bette Davis) and music. Read more…
1) “Hollywood Game Night” season-opener, 9 p.m., NBC. This reminds us of a sad fact: Thursdays – usually the best night for situation comedies – have suddenly become sitcom-free. Summertime reality shows have bumped comedy from CBS (“Big Bang,” “Mom,” etc.) and NBC. As a slight consolation, this opener has people from NBC’s “Superstore” (Nico Santos) and “The Good Place” (D’Arcy Carden, Marc Evan Jackson and Jameela Jamil, shown here), plus the “Ninja Warrior” hosts. Read more…
Best-bets for July 23: stars of “SNL,” WNBA 
Best-bets for July 24: moon, movies and murder 
Best-bets for July 23: adventures on Earth and beyond 
