The Forsytes

For one night, at least, there will be A LOT on TV

Television can seem like an all-or-nothing, feast-or-famine world.
One moment, there’s little worth watching. The next, there’s an overload.
Fortunately, we’re heading into overload land. One night — Sunday, March 22 — has three debuts and two season-openers, plus the regular shows. There would be even more if ABC hadn’t made the late decision to pull “Bachelorette.”
It opens the 15th season of “Call the Midwife.” It has the third “Forsytes” series (shown here), the 40th-or-more “Count of Monte Cristo” and the zillionth (approximately) Biblical epic.
The shows vary drastically, from the glittery “Forsytes” to the dark “Monte Cristo.” But all are ambitious. Alongside the regular dramas — “Tracker,” “Marshals,” “Dark Winds” — they’re in an overstuffed night. They are: Read more…

PBS this spring: musicals, mini-series, more

As the Olympics fade from our TV screens, viewers might re-discover PBS.
They’ll find a lot, from music (Broadway, opera, chamber) and mini-series (“Forsytes” is shown here) to documentaries pointing to Earth Day and the 250th birthday of the U.S.
On the night the Olympics end, PBS will have both the AARP’s “Movies for Grownups Awards” (7 p.m., Feb. 22) and the feel-good season-finale of “All Creatures Great and Small” (9 p.m.).
It will follow with with a compelling portrait of pioneering Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (10 p.m., Feb. 23) and an interesting trip to Turkey, site of the oldest temple on Earth (9 p.m., Feb. 25). Then, after a pause, things will be busy beginning in mid-March. Highlights, subject to change, include: Read more…

In elegant worlds, subtlety (sometimes) exists

If you encase a story with elegance — beautiful people wearing gorgeous things in stately places — you can get away with a lot.
That pops up now, with two lush productions:
— “Bridgerton” (shown here) has just aired the first half of its eight-episode season on Netflix. The second half arrives Feb. 26.
— “Forsytes” debuts March 22 on PBS’ “Masterpiece,” for a six-week run. Read more…