Year: 2019

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 4: Chefs go global

1) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m., Fox. Two weeks from its finale, this is down to the final six home chefs. There are four men, ranging from Nick DiGiovanni, 22, to Subha Ramiah (shown here), 54, and two women – a stay-at-home mom (Shari Mukherjee, 34) and a former Army interrogator (Sarah Faherty, 31). Now — in the show’s first global episode – they’re flown to Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant in London, where they serve 36 guests, including his family. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 2, 2019
News and Quick Comments

What to know before Conan buys Greenland

As Conan O’Brien prepares to help Donald Trump buy Greenland, let’s admire the symmetry.
Greenland was discovered (or re-discovered) by Eric the Red. He has:
— A little in common with O’Brien, whose special airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 3) on TBS. Mostly, it’s just the red hair.
— A lot in common with Trump. Eric, it seems, was a felon, a colonialist, a control freak, a slaveholder, a multiple killer and a guy who exaggerated the value of real estate.
.That last one, incidentally, is the part that directly relates to Trump. (I just thought the others provided extra information.) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2019
Stories

Wu-Tang: Urban sound, built on Carolina dreams

By the time he was a teenager, Rza would be immersed in New York’s hip-hop scene.
He would eventually be linked with Method Man and Ghostface Killah and Ol’ Dirty Bastard and more. He would create Wu-Tang Clan (shown here), the powerhouse group depicted in a new Hulu series
.But some of the first poetry he heard wasn’t rap … and he wasn’t in New York … and he wasn’t Rza. He was Bobby Diggs, living in North Carolina and listening to his uncle.“
He spoke in song, nursery rhymes all day,” Rza said. “Or old folk tales.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2019
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 3: Mayans return; Conan buys Greenland

1) “Mayans M.C.” season-opener, 10 p.m. FX. Three weeks before the big networks start their season, one of the most popular cable shows is back. It’s tough, taut and often brutal (especially tonight); it also has complex characters with sparse words and deep layers of emotion. At the core is EZ Reyes (JD Pardo), a probationary member of the motorcycle club; his brother hates him and his father (Edward Olmos, shown here with Pardo) has dark secrets. Meanwhile, the feds try to wipe out the rebel leader … unaware she has a deal with the cartel. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2019
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 2: “Big Bang” nears its end (again)

1) “The Big Bang Theory,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. Next week, “Big Bang” starts rerunning its terrific, one-hour finale over two Mondays. To set that up, here’s an excellent rerun that highlights supporting characters: Leonard ‘s mom (Christine Baranski) visits, seeming suspiciously warm and nice. Also, Stuart (shown here with Denise) has finally overstayed his welcome at the home of Howard and Bernadette. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 31, 2019
News and Quick Comments

Country concert: A great night on PBS

Before the new season starts, there’s already encouraging news
.Yes, TV – the regular kind that you don’t pay extra for – is occasionally capable of greatness. Fresh proof arrives Sunday (Sept. 8), wih a country concert on PBS
.I’ve already babbled that “Country Music,” the eight-night documentary that starts Sept. 15, is one of the best shows ever. But that shouldn’t surprise us: It’s directed by Ken Burns, written by Dayton Duncan, with compelling stories to tell; that’s a quick route to greatness.
But the concert is a bonus, packing some of country’s best moments into two hours. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 30, 2019
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 1: Poor Mrs. Wilson is back

1) “Mrs. Wilson,” 8-11 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Ruth Wilson (shown here) has been terrific in lots of fictional tales, including “Luther” and “The Affair.” But she also found this true story in her own family: Alexander Wilson, her grandfather, wrote 24 spy novels and more. He was a professor, a porter and an officer in the MI6 spy service. But when he died, his widow found multiple wives, children, identities and lies. It’s a fascinating story, rerunning here, with Wilson subtly perfect as her stunned grandmother. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 30, 2019
Weekly Previews

Week’s best-bets for Sept. 2: A country triumph

1) “Country Music: Live at the Ryman,” 8-10 p.m. Sunday, PBS. Some of country’s best songs are done superbly. Many are high-octane, with great instrumentalists – Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, an awesome band that includes Vince Gill. But there are also ballads, sung with heartbreaking passion – a Johnny Cash one by his daughter Roseanne, a Hank Williams one by his granddaughter Holly (shown here at left, with Ketch Secor, Larry Gatlin, Kathy Mattea and Riders in the Sky). The night’s (and year’s) highlight has Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” sung by Rhiannon Giddens in the style of Patsy Cline. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 30, 2019
Stories

“Mayans” lures all outsiders … even non-violent ones

Few of us have ever been in a Latino motorcycle club, it seems.
Fewer have shot a person, much less dismembered one. Even fewer have killed with our bare hands.
Then why is it that we easily relate to “Mayans M.C.,” which starts its second season Tuesday?
It’s all about “the things we didn’t get,” said Kurt Sutter, the show’s co-creator, “whether it’s love, camaraderie or brotherhood or justice.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 30, 2019
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 31: College football takes over

1) Football, ABC and beyond. It’s the first full day of the college season, so let’s get used to it. From now on, Saturdays will be stuffed with football. ABC has a tripleheader — Mississippi at Memphis at noon ET, second-ranked Alabama hosting Duke at 3:30 p.m. and then perhaps the day’s best match-up, with Oregon (ranked No. 11, shown here with quarterback Justin Herbert) at Auburn (No. 16) at 7:30. Fox has Ohio State (No. 5) hosting Florida Atlantic at noon ET and Stanford (No. 25) hosting Northwestern at 4; cable has much more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 29, 2019