The world of Grant Imahara – filled with robots and imagination – will be featured in the next two days.
Imahara (shown here) – a “MythBusters” regular for a decade – died Monday of a brain aneurism at 49. There are marathons this morning (Friday, July 17) on Discovery and Saturday afternoon on Science. Read more…
1) “Masterpiece: Grantchester” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. Set in the late 1950s, this show has been rough on Will (the good-hearted, crimesolving vicar) and friends. His assistant remains in the closet … his housekeeper is appalled by her new husband’s past … his friend the cop (shown hyere with Will in the seas0n-opener) sent his mother-in-law to a mental institution. Will is despondent (his youth boxing program brought trouble) and is voluntarily celibate. Now much of that brightens, amid a smart case that involves murder and missing women. Read more…
Other kids might pester Santa with trivial requests for ponies and unicorns and such.
Kori Garza, however, was more original. At 3, she plunked on his lap and asked for a great white shark.
She didn’t get it, which was probably for the best. It would be odd, she now grants, “to have a great white swimming in the bathtub.”
But it was a fine start for her current life: Garza (shown here) is a shark expert and the central figure in “World’s Biggest Tiger Shark?” That’s at 8 p.m. Sunday (July 19), launching National Geographic’s “Sharkfest.” (See overview under “stories” and schedule under “quick news and comments.) Read more…
1) Baseball, Thursday and beyond, Fox and cable. In other years, we might grumble that baseball is too old and slow for TV; this year, we need the diversion – which comes in big bunches. ESPN starts things on Thursday (Yankees, shown here, and Nationals at 7 p.m. ET, Giants-Dodgers at 10) and Friday (Braves-Mets at 4, Brewers-Cubs at 7, Angels-A’s at 10). Then Fox takes over on Saturday – Brewers-Cubs at 1:05 p.m. ET, Giants-Dodgers at 4:10 p.m., Yankees-Nationals at 7:15. There’s much more coming up. Read more…
1) “Harriet” (2019), 8 p.m., HBO. In this Black Lives Matter summer, it’s a perfect time to catch a great life. Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who kept risking her freedom to go back and rescue others. Cynthia Erivo (shown here) received Academy Award nominations for best actress and for best song, for co-writing “Stand Up.” It’s part of a busy stretch for the British actress/singer. She’ll be Arehta Franklin in the “Genius” mini-series, which was scheduled for this summer, then delayed by the virus shutdown. Read more…
This is a busy time for TV changes, ranging from Tyra Banks to Daniel Tiger (shown here). That includes:
– TYRA TAKES OVER: Tyra Banks will be the new “Dancing With the Stars” host.
Tom Bergeron is leaving after hosting all 28 seasons. Also leaving is Erin Andrews, who was a contestant (finishing third) and then co-hosted for six years. Read more…
1) “Great Performances at the Met: Porgy and Bess,” 9 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Back in 1935, the Metropolitan Opera wanted to premiere this show; George Gershwin preferred a Broadway theater. Ever since, “Porgy” (shown here) has teetered between opera and musical theater. Its story – murder and romance in 1920s Charleston, S.C. – draws mixed reactions, but its music soars. Now we hear it from operatic talent, led by Eric Owens and Angel Blue … whose high-octaves voice might jolt mainstream viewers. Read more…
1) “Killer Camp”(Shown here) debut, 8 p.m., CW. Reality shows like surprises, but this goes to an extreme: One camper simply blows up; the camp leader (Bobby Mair) then says one more will be killed each night. Mair is an actor; the others seem to be acting, but the show insists they’re real reality contestants. Chances are, they’ve figured out they won’t really die; they play along, trying to figure which camper is helping the killer. This British transplant is both goofy and gory, but it’s an OK summer distraction. Read more…
In his childhood, Bobby Mair (shown here) was blessed with intervals of benign neglect.
“A lot of people talk about over-protective parents,” he said. “But mine were busy doing their own thing …. No one seemed to mind that a 5-year-old was watching a horror film.”
That may have been the perfect training ground for his career as a comedian … and as the host of the first reality/horror/sometimes-comedy show to reach the U.S.
“Killer Camp” debuts Thursday (July 16), as the CW network plugs schedule holes with shows that have aired elsewhere. Viewers will get to to see some odd concoctions. Read more…
For TV viewers, this is now the clash of the titans.
On Wednesday (July 15), the Peacock streaming service debuts, harnessing the power of NBC, Universal and beyond. It starts with eight new series (including “Brave New World,” shown here) and a pile of old ones, plus movies and more.
That makes it the fourth mega-streamer, alongside Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max … with plenty of near-megas – CBS All Access, Hulu, Apple TV+. Amazon, Acorn – nearby.
There are differences, including a big one: This new streamer (www.peacocktv.com) starts by being free, hoping people will upgrade to Peacock Premium, adding shows and eliminating commercials. Read more…
