Old master revives young monster?

A very old comedian will be producing “Very Young Frankenstein.”
Mel Brooks –who turns 100 on June 28 — is one of the producers of the comedy. It will be on FX and Hulu, with no date set.
The show is from the people behind the much-praised vampire comedy, “What We Do in the Shadows” (shown here). Taika Waititi, co-creator of “Shadows,” directed the pilot film, which stars Zach Galifanakis, Dolly Wells and Spencer House. It’s based on Brooks’ 1974 gem “Young Frankenstein,” so he’s also one of the producers of the series. Read more…

Best-bets for May 21: A great late-night era ends

1) Stephen Colbert farewell, 11:35 p.m., CBS. A great CBS tradition — late-night wit, with 22 years of David Letterman and 11 of Colbert (shown here) — skids to an end. CBS says the show was losing money; others say the change was made to appease Donald Trump. Either way, a once-great network is diminished … but not until it has a big-deal farewell. Read more…

Summer TV: sports, games, a few dramas and more

The summer TV season looms, bringing a little of this, a little of that and a lot of sports.
A lot. Basketball has staked out June 3-19 on ABC; baseball has Saturdays on Fox and Sundays on NBC. And this year, Fox obsesses on soccer’s World Cup, from June 11 to July 19.
Around that, however, there’s room for a modest number of non-reruns, including (shown here” NBC’s “Surviving Earth.”
The streamers will keep pouring out new shows, year-round. (Netflix, for instance, has its promising “Little House on the Prairie” reboot July 9.) But for this overview, we’ll look at the five major broadcast networks.
Most of the big summer shows are back (“America’s Got Talent,” “Big Brother,” “Family Feud,” etc.), except for the troubled “Bachelorette.” Fox started two of the best shows — “The 1% Club” and “MasterChef” — early. Also, PBS has its Sunday dramas, plus lots of documentaries, new and old.
Added to that are three new series. We’ll start there: Read more…

Week’s top-10 for May 17: Farewell to Colbert & shows

1) Stephen Colbert farewell, 11:35 p.m. Thursday, CBS. After floundering in late-night for decades, CBS scored big — 22 years of David Letterman and 11 of Colbert. The show often drew big ratings, always had smart comedy. Now it’s been canceled; CBS says that’s to save money, others say it was to appease Donald Trump. Either way, Letterman will be on the finale. Read more…

Best-bets for May 17: cartoons and country

1) “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers” season-finales, 8 and 9:30 p.m., Fox. For “Guy,” it’s a comic version of epic events — the French Revolution (shown here), Civil War and World War II. And for “Burgers” (which also has an 8:30 episode), the crisis is closer to home: Dead fish are washing ashore, just as the town prepares for a festival. Bob must save the day. Read more…

250th celebration adds music, fireworks, more

For public-TV, America’s 250th-birthday celebration has added a key step.
Now it will be a “weekend celebration.”
Previously scheduled on PBS was the tentatively titled “America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together,” on Saturday, July 4. Now the night before has “A Capitol Fourth” (shown here in a previous year) including a new song (“American Made”) from Trace Adkins and fireworks above George Washington’s Mount Vernon home.
Yes, that means this “Fourth” event will actually be on the third, but that’s nothing new: Through its 37 years, “The National Memorial Day Concert” has been on the eve of the holiday; now “Capitol Fourth,” from the same producers, will do the same.
Those two events help bookend the public-TV celebration: Read more…

Best-bets for May 16: “SNL” wraps with Will & Paul

1) “Saturday Night Live” season-finale, 11:29 p.m.,, NBC. The 51st season ends big, with two familiar guys. Will Ferrell was a regular for seven seasons, many of them as the show’s main star (shown here). Here’s his sixth turn as host, with Paul McCartney’s sixth as music guest. Both men have also popped into “SNL” specials, including the 50th-anniversary one. Read more…