1) “The Front Page” (1974), 9:45 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. A great, three-day stretch begins for TCM. Natalie Wood and Cary Grant marathons are Friday and Saturday, but first is Jack Lemmon. He links with Walter Matthau (shown here, left) for two terrific comedies, thi one and “The Fortune Cookie”) at 3:30. The tender “The Apartment” is 5:45, with “Some Like It Hot” at 11:45. Read more…
If you visit NBC these days, you may catch a sweet whiff of nostalgia.
At least, it was there when the network (and its Peacock streamer) held a daylong press session Monday (Aug. 10). There was talk of old concepts, old heroes, old shows (including the “Rockford Files” reboot, shown here) and the good old days.
“We’re bringing back must-see TV,” insisted Gail Lerner, the “Newlyweds” producer.
Others talked about the resilience of some concepts, including shows with struggling private investigators. Read more…
1) “The Americas,” 8 and 9 p.m., NBC. The first rerun (with “fun facts” added) visits the Caribbean, with its 7,000 island; there are compelling views of red crabs marching to sea, across a busy (and lethal) road. The second tells how this series got its great footage, including this view of flamingos in the Andes. Read more…
1) “Nation’s Dumbest,” 9 p.m., Fox. The rest of this season is a search for the second-dumbest. Carmen Electra (shown here) has already proved herself as the bottom of the class. She failed frequently, was late for one test, skipped another and last week was “expelled.” She said she was brave to try the show, “not knowing so much stuff.” Jon Heder, who knows lots of stuff, won the round. Read more…
Like many 25-year-olds, the Hallmark Channel (shown here) has grand goals and ideals.
The details, however, remain a work in progress.
The ideals? “We’re here to put more care, positivity and goodness into the world,” said Darren Abbott, the Hallmark Media president.
A few years ago, that felt old-fashioned. Now it may be refreshingly retro.
“In a world where snark and darkness (are) the order of the day,” said Michelle Vicary, the head of programming, Hallmark finds “a different part of the human experience.” Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The callbacks began last week, with Simon Cowell and Mel B each re-seeing six acts. He sent five (three singing, one dancing, one comedy) to the live shows that will start Aug. 18; she sent three (two singing, plus a mentalist duo). Now Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara (shown here, left and with arms raised, in a previous season) have their turns. Read more…
Some actors may grow up dreaming of Broadway or Hollywood or film-festival fame.
Not as many, perhaps, dream of Hallmark Channel movies. “I had no idea that Hallmark was more than a greeting-card store,” Andrew Walker (shown here with Rachel Boston) said.
But when they do start landing Hallmark roles, it can transform their careers. Just ask Niall Matter.
“It was at a time in my life when I had actually lost everything,” Matter told the Television Critics Association. “I was driving for Lyft because I couldn’t drive for Uber, because of my driving record.” Read more…
1) “All American,” 8 p.m., CW. It’s a sudden, stark turn for this story about friends and rivals at opposite high schools. At Crenshaw (shown here), an ICE raid affects Amina, Preach and Khalil deeply; at Beverly Hills, KJ and his football teammates try to help, soon facing consequences. And a press-conference moment threatens the friendship of the two coaches. Read more…
1) “House of the Dragon” season-finale, 9 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 10:15. The epic series (shown here) wraps its third season; if you haven’t been keeping up, there’s still time: The previous seven episodes start rerunning at 1:32 p.m., with last week’s episode at 7:50. Read more…
1) “The Americas,” 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC. The first rerun (with “fun facts” added) visits the Caribbean (shown here), with 7,000 islands sprawling over a million square miles; the second tells how the series was filmed. Both are superb; both include two compelling glimpses: Whales sleep vertically, then plunge to hunt; red crabs march to the sea, across a lethal road. Read more…
Best-bets for Aug. 14: Lemmon, “Lord,” great movies 
Best-bets for Aug. 13: sweeping views of the Americas 
Best-bets for Aug. 12: a search for second-dumbest? 
