1) Magnum P.I.” 9 p.m., CBS. After reruns last Friday, CBS is back to new hours. That includes “S.W.A.T.” – staying here, after CBS scuttled a plan to move it to Sundays — at 8 p.m. and “Blue Bloods” at 10. And it includes this episode, with a tricky twist: People usually hire a private eye when a marriage goes bad; now a guy wants his bride-to-be (shown here, right, with Higgins) investigated before the wedding. Read more…
1) “Queen Family Singalong,” 8 p.m., ABC. Back in 1971, the band Queen formed. With Freddie Mercury as lead singer, it would blast epic anthems, from “We Are The Champions” to “We Will Rock You.” Now its 50th anniversary is being celebrated this week – Monday on “Dancing With the Stars” and again here. Adam Lambert (who often takes the late Mercury’s spot) will perform; he’s shown here. Also performing: Darren Criss, Derek Hough, Fall Out Boy, Pentatonix, JoJo Siva, JimmieAllen and two Broadway casts. Read more…
1) “Dopesick,” any time, Hulu. As the sixth (of eight) episode begins, coal country has been shattered by OxyContin. An earnest doctor (Michael Keaton) has lost his license and is in rehab; his young patient (Kaitlyn Dever) is deeply addicted. Some federal officials in Virginia face resistance from the Purdue Pharma drug company and indifference from Department of Justice leaders. It’s s stunning episode, including great work from Keaton, Dever and (as an intense drug official, shown here) Rosario Dawson. Read more…
Dexter Morgan has never been your standard serial killer. For one thing, he tries to only kill bad people; he considers himself a hero … albeit a pained one.
For another, he’s been doing that in the blue-sky beauty of Miami. All of that changes, however, with “Dexter: New Blood,” the 10 week mini-series that debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 7) on Showtime.
The new setting (Shelburne Falls, Mass., posing as upstate New York) is “undeniably beautiful,” said producer Clyde Phillips. It also has lots of trees and space … the standard serial-killer turf. Read more…
TV has had its Golden Ages and Clunker Ages and everything in between.
But let’s tighten the focus: Right now – November, 2021 – is the Golden Age of mini-series based on important news events. That encompasses:
– “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on FX, concluding Nov. 9; and
– “Dopesick” (shown here with Rosario awson), streaming Wednesdays on Hulu, concluding Nov. 17. Read more…
1) “Queens,” 10 p.m., ABC. The first two episodes brought extremes: A four-woman rap group (shown here) re-united after 20 years, soared during a TV-show song… then crashed in its first concert. Now it must repair the damage or quit again. Several scenes are brilliantly done, but wildly unbelievable – a rap battle (involving real-life music stars Eve and Brandy), a parent-teacher conference, a conservatory audition. Beautifully directed by Shiri Appleby, it’s excessive at times … then ends with a major jolt. Read more…
1) “The Big Leap,” 9 p.m., Fox. This show tries to do it all – comedy, drama and, at times, zesty dance moves. The previous episode was all-out drama; we learned that Gabby’s high school teacher fathered her son, then ignored them. Tonight, surprisingly, goes the other way. Gabby seethes, seeking revenge on the dancer who spilled her secret; Nick (Scott Foley), the producer, savors the notion; also, his choreographer has gone hallucinogenic. There are serious moments, too, but this one is mostly for fun. Read more…
1) “The Simpsons,” 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., FXX. This is a rarity – a Sunday with no “Simpsons” on Fox. (Barring a four-game sweep, Fox has the World Series at 8:15 p.m. ET, with preview at 8.) Fortunately, there’s something better: FXX reruns the first 30 years of “Treehouse of Horror” episode (shown here), in order, from 9 a.m. to midnight. That’s followed by two other episodes – “Halloween of Horror” and “Thanksgiving of Horror” — at midnight and 12:30 a.m. Read more…
1) “CSI: Vegas,” 10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. This “CSI” reboot has been tackling an enigma: Someone framed former lab tech Hodges; that could invalidate thousands of convictions. Now Grissom and Sidle have a suspect, in an intriguing story that will reach a turning point next week. This episode also offers a quicker and flashier case: All of the people on a flight have been brutally killed … yet someone managed to escape with a fortune. Folsom (Matt Laurea, shown here with Mandeep Dhillon) solves it, and even has a few warm moments. Read more…
1) “In the Heights” (2021), 8 p.m., HBO, repeating at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Before triumphing with “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda composed and starred in this splendid musical about life in a Latinx musical. Wisely, he let others take over the movie. Anthony Ramos (shown here) stars (with Miranda getting one song) and John M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) directed. The result is one of the best movies in years. Warm moments mingle with vibrant numbers that suggest the great movie-musicals of old. Read more…
