Month: October 2020

News and Quick Comments

For Blacks, the car brings freedom and fear

For four centuries, mobility has been crucial to Blacks in America.
At first, a PBS documentary points out, it was banned. Many slaves never traveled more than a mile.
Much later, travel was joyous (shown here) … or perilous. The film takes us through the “Green Book” era of discrimination … and on to the fears that go with a modern traffic stop.
That leads to its title: “Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America” airs from 9-11 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 13) on PBS. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 12, 2020
News and Quick Comments

TV gets bonus football games and more

The sports world has been giving some big breaks to TV networks … and to viewers.
Breaks are needed, at a time when COVID has slowed the fall TV line-ups. During that time, any sports event brings a spurt of interest; lately, the breaks have gone to:
– CBS. For the second straight week, it gets a primetime, pro-football game. Both games were postponed because of COVID, then re-scheduled as a weekday bonus. This one could be a dilly: At 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (Oct. 13), two undefeated teams collide, with Josh Allen (shown here) and Buffalo (4-0) at Tennessee (3-0). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 11, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 13: Romance and football collide

1) “The Bachelorette” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC; or football, 7 p.m. ET, CBS. Here’s a perfect night for some two-TV households; it offers two opposite shows – one romantic and one combative. ABC has a long-anticipated one – a “Bachelorette” (with Clare Crawley, shown here) that was set for summer, then delayed by COVID. CBS has an unanticipated one; a game making up for a COVID-postponement. It should be a good one, with two undefeated teams – Buffalo (4-0) at Tennessee (3-0). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 11, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 12: A double day for Justina

1) “One Day at a Time” season-opener, 9 and 9:30 p.m., CBS. For nine years this was a typical CBS comedy– smart, funny and produced by Norman Lear. Rebooted with a Latina cast and with Lear (now 98) still producing, it ran three seasons on Netflix and six episodes (before a COVID shutdown) on Pop. Now the Pop six spend three Mondays on CBS. Tonight’s first episode (shown here), with Ray Romano as a census-taker, is clever; the second is OK, but suffers from broad jokes and brash supporting characters. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 10, 2020
Stories

A pandemic-pink force Zooms ahead

Any reasonable soul might want to be in a Hollywood epic, one with big scenes, fancy costumes and, maybe, Tom Cruise or Meryl Streep.
“I wanted to be on a big set, doing these huge stories,” Otmara Marrero recalled.
Then came NBC’s “Connecting” (8 p.m. Thursdays), the exact opposite. It’s a comedy-drama about friends communicating via Zoom during the pandemic; each actor works alone, at home.
Marrero agreed to audition, secure in the belief that she would never get the job. “My hair was pink (shown here); I’d dyed it on a whim, because I needed some excitement in my life.” Surprises followed: She liked the scripts … the producers liked her … and they even liked the pink. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 9, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Good news: Satire survives and thrives

This is the golden month for political satire: The final weeks of an election ripple with possibilities.
And now some of that potential has been realized: “Saturday Night Live” is off to a strong start … and Seth Meyers (shown here) had a hilarious “Closer Look” special in prime time.
This should be the time when satire thrives, but you can’t be sure. In August of 2016 — amid snowboalling interest in the election — Comedy Central suddenly canceled Larry Wilmore’s late-night show. Four years later, it looked like COVID might mute all laughter. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 9, 2020
News and Quick Comments

A soul-crushing loss for movie theaters

This is another leap forward for the streaming world … and a nasty fall backward for movie theaters:
“Soul” (shown here), the new Pixar movie, won’t be in theaters after all, at least in the U.S. On Christmas Day, it will debut on Disney+; it will only reach theaters in parts of the world that don’t have the streaming service.
This is the third film to make that jump for Disney. It was “Hamilton” on the 4th of July, “Mulan” last month and now “Soul” for Christmas. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 9, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 11: It’s zombie Sunday

1) “Fear the Walking Dead” season-opener, 9 p.m., AMC. The fifth season ended 14 months ago, with Morgan wounded and alone. That’s the perfect set-up for a pandemic production, when smaller casts are ewelcome. Tonight, just two people are key to Morgan’s life – a skilled hitman, sent by Virginia, and a stranger (shown here) with an unstated mission. The result is fierce and gory, but thoroughly involving. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 9, 2020
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Oct. 12: Music stars, reality debuts and bad Bart

1) Billboard Music Awards,” 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, NBC. After a half-year delay, the awards finally arrive, with lots of top performers. They include Kelly Clarkson (shown here), the host; Garth Brooks, getting the Icon Award; and Post Malone, leading with 16 nominations. Songs will range from a premiere by Demi Lovato to En Vogue’s 30-year-old “Free Your Mind.” Also performing are BTS, Sia, Alicia Keys and Luke Combs, plus links – Deja Cat with Tyga; Khalid with Swae Lee and country’s Kane Brown. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 8, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Oct. 10: The big games — football and politics

1) Football and “Saturday Night Live,” 7 p.m. ET and 11:29 p.m., NBC. This is the Saturday that NBC dreamed of when the shutdown began: Fifth-ranked Notre Dame hosts Florida State; then is the second of five straight new “SNL” episodes. When the show returned last week, viewers weren’t sure what to expect: Would it be muted because of President Trump’s illness? All worries were quickly doused by host Chris Rock and by the opening bit — a Trump-Biden “debate” (shown here) with Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey. Now Bill Burr hosts, with Morgan Wallen as the music guest. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 8, 2020