1) “Comics Unleashed” anniversary special, 9-11 p.m., CBS. At 18, Byron Allen was the youngest comedian to be on Johnny Carson’s show; at 65, Allen (shown here at one of his shows) has a company that owns stations, The Weather Channel, BuzzFeed and more. At the core are micro-budget shows like “Unleashed,” which was obscure until it took over Stephen Colbert’s spot; it marks its 20th year. Read more…
Half of a conversation — just one word, actually — helped nudge a new drama series.
Well, that word was repeated often and with increasing glee. For writer George Kay, it was a spark for “War,” which starts at 9 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 1) on HBO and HBO Max, with Dominic West and Sienna Miller (shown here) as divorce combatants.
Kay had already envisioned the basics — a show about two high-end London law firms, one old and one new. Each season would involve one case, viewed from both sides. But what would the first case be? Read more…
1) “All American” series finale, 8 p.m., CW. This began eight years ago, with Daniel Ezra (shown here) playing Spencer, a football star transferring to Beverly Hills. Ezra left two years ago, but returns to direct and star in the final episode. Spencer has one of his most important days … Olivia leans on her mom for a key decision … and others face transitions. Read more…
1) “The Simpsons” season-opener, 8 p.m., Fox. The only thing that can save the school is getting a British author (Emma Thompson) to Springfield. And the only one who can do it, alas, is Homer (shown here with her). This, of course, requires car theft, jail break and freeway chaos There are plenty of funny moments, plus a clever shift into styles of children’s-book artwork. Read more…
Remember when Halloween was exactly one day long?
Or maybe — if you added some mischief and/or Day of the Dead — two or three days, tops?
Not lately. In 1998, TV people decided it should run for 13 days; 20 years later, that was expanded to a month.
That’s where we are now: Beginning Oct. 1, the Freeform channel has “31 Nights of Halloween,” with lots of old movies and — starting on opening night — a new series (shown here) about teen witches. Read more…
CBS seems determined to spotlight all of the female music icons.
Its Video Music Awards show (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 27) will now be a Madonna-Taylor-Dolly event. And two months later, CBS will have a Thanksgiving-night event, with Jennifer Lopez (shown here) backed by a swarm of singers, dancers and musicians.
Details include: Read more…
1) “Farm Aid,” 7-11 p.m., CNN. Ever since 1985, this mega-concert has raised money for hard-pressed farmers. The co-founders — Willie Nelson, 93, shown here; Neil Young, 80; and John Mellencamp, 74 — are expected back, plus new generations (including Nelson’s son Lukas). Also: Dave Matthews, Margo Price, Lily Meola, Chris Pierce and many more. Read more…
1) “Marshals” season-opener, 8:30 p.m. (but 8 p.m. PT) Sunday, CBS. This is when the new fall season is really here, CBS has held out, waiting to start its scripted shows Oct. 4-9. That begins with a high-stakes story: Kayce is starting to like Dolly Weaver (they’re shown here), but despises her dad, who wants to buy his ranch. That leads to a strong hour, high-octane and lethal. Read more…
1) “R.J. Decker” (ABC) or “Line of Fire” (NBC), both 8 p.m. Most scripted shows haven’t started their seasons yet, but these two began early and have reruns here. For “Decker” (10 p.m. Tuesdays), it’s the second episode, with a missing man and a dangerous stranger. For “Fire” (10 p.m. Mondays), it’s the pilot film, ending with a stark game-changer; shown here is the second generation in a family of federal agents. Read more…
(This story ran in May, when “Devil in Silver” debuted on Shudder and AMC+. Now the show gets a broader impact on AMC. Here’s the original story, slightly updated.)
We know that actors can stretch far beyond themselves. They can… well, act.
But they don’t usually stretch this far.
Judith Light (shown here) is one of the most involved and articulate people in show business. In the six-part “The Terror: Devil in Silver” — its second episode is 9 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 27) on AMC, rerunning at 10:03 — she’s Dorry, her life crumbling inside a mental hospital.
“She’s fragile and she’s heartbreaking,” Light told the Television Critics Association. Read more…
Best-bets for Sept. 29: celebrating comics and racers 
Best-bets for Sept. 28: One drama’s final hour, another one’s second 
Best-bets for Sept. 27: Homer & Madonna & more 
