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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Best-bets for Oct. 1: Halloween-month(?) begins 
Best-bets for Sept. 30: openers for “Scrubs,” “Race” 
Best-bets for Sept. 29: celebrating comics and racers 
