Mike Hughes on TV

Stories

He’s the consummate New Yorker … via Los Angeles

As the latest “NCIS” spin-off begins, Sam Hanna is finally coming home. So is LL Cool J, who plays him.
Hanna has done 342 episodes in Los Angeles and Hawaii. Now — starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 6) on CBS — “NCIS: New York” (shown here) begins.
It will visit “every kind of nook and cranny of New York, in the five boroughs,” said showrunner Byron Balasco.
That makes this different from other shows, LL Cool J promised. “It’s definitely more gritty …. It gives you so many different people from all over the world, so many different types of energies.”
And it pairs him with a guy who feels like the consummate New Yorker. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 1, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 3: Dakota, Tom and lotsa football

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. It’s a busy time for Dakota Johnson. She stars in Taylor Swift’s new video and (with Anne Hathaway) in “Verity” (shown here), which reached theaters Friday. And now is her third time as “SNL” host. Turnstile — which won Grammys for best metal performance (“Birds”) and rock album — has its first turn as music guest Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 30, 2026

Stories

“Marshals”: beauty, gunfire and domineering dads

As “Marshals” launches its first full season, it has an ongoing theme.
Yes, this is still an action show. The season-opener — 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 (but 8 p.m. on the West Coast), launching what CBS calls Premiere Week — has guns blazing from horsemen, helicopter and Jeep.
But beyond that are questions about following a strong father. That’s “definitely a theme throughout the season,” said showrunner Spencer Hudnut.
We see that in the opener, with Dolly Weaver and her domineering dad; Kayce Dutton likes one, hates the other. And we see it with Kayce’s struggles with his son (shown here). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 30, 2026

News and Quick Comments

PBS brings Hispanic music, movies and mischief

Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month draws shrugs from most networks and glee from PBS.
This year, things seem more gleeful than ever. In an 11-day stretch, there will be three documentaries — looking at jazz, movies (including “La Bamba,” shown here) and guerrilla-style disruption — plus an award show and more.
Officially, National Hispanic Heritage Month starts on Sept. 15 — a key date for the drive toward independence for Mexico and five Central American countries — and continues through Oct. 15. PBS, however, is bunching most of its events into early October. They include: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 30, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 2: guerilla art; gorilla homeland

1) “Asco: Without Permission,” 10 p.m., PBS. In 1970, four Chicano teens (shown here a few years later) began guerrilla art in Los Angeles. They did parades, performances, graffiti, more. They called their group Asco, expanded it, then folded it in ’87, for separate careers. Now their early work is in the art galleries they mocked. It’s a great story, told with a few unneeded detours. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 30, 2026

Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Oct. 5: It’s CBS’ big week

1) “Cupertino” (shown here), 10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. He’s a veteran lawyer, big, confident and imposing; she’s a newcomer, a tad timid, from a deeply religious family. They have only one thing in common: Unfairly fired, they’re ready to clash with evil firms. The result is the season’s best new broadcast show. It’s from the “Elsbeth” producers, juggling humor and rage. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 29, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 1: Halloween-month(?) begins

1) “Coven Academy” debut, 8-10 p.m., Freeform. Ready or not, “31 Nights of Halloween” is starting. There are movies — “Edward Scissorhands” at 11:30 a.m., “Addams Family” films at 1:55 and 3:55, “Hocus Pocus” at 5:55. Then “Coven” begins, with teen witches (shown here). You can catch it over three Thursdays, or all 10 episodes Friday on Disney+ and Hulu. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 29, 2026

News and Quick Comments

VMA’s dazzle; Madonna seizes attention (again)

At first, music videos seemed like minor miracles.
With a shortage of money and an excess of whimsy, people were turning songs into visual experiences. We were amazed; we still are, sometimes.
But what we saw at Video Music Awards on Sunday (Sept. 27) went far beyond that. Numbers done live, onstage numbers felt like video epics.
That went from the first number (Madonna, shown here in a recent performance, linking with Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and a swarm of props and dancers) to the last one (Gener8ion and Yung Lean re-creating their video), this popped with amazing visuals. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 28, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 30: openers for “Scrubs,” “Race”

1) “Scrubs” season-openers, 8 and 8:30 p.m., ABC. Half-hour comedies are scarce now. This is the first broadcast-network one (cartoons excluded) with new episodes this fall. It juggles the serious — Dr. Cox has an incurable autoimmune condition — and the fun: Elliot (second from right) finds fresh confidence; J.D. (second from left) schemes an insurance workaround. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 27, 2026

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 29: celebrating comics and racers

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…

By Mike Hughes / September 27, 2026