As the AIDS crisis grew, some people pointed their rage at Dr. Anthony Fauci (shown here).
He wasa “Dr. Doom.” His infectious-disease team was filled with “incompetent idiocy,” said a leader of the ACT UP protest group, adding: ”I call you a murderer.”
Then the doctor came to an ACT UP meeting. In “Fauci” – the compelling Disney+ documentary – Peter Staley recalls thinking: “We’re dealing with Brooklyn here.” Read more…
CBS’ notion seems logical: Want a new hit? Just freshen up an old one.
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” debuted back in 2000. A sometimes-chaotic world met some calm, science-based crimefighters.
And now? “The world, weirdly enough, is even more topsy-turvy than it was in 2000,” said Jorja Fox, who starred in the original and returns in “CSI: Vegas,” debuting at 10 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 6).
The new show brings back William Petersen and Fox (they’re shown here), as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, who married and retired from the “CSI” world … until an emergency brings them back. Other originals (Paul Guilfoyle and Wallace Langham as Brass and Hodges) also show up. Read more…
1) “CSI: Vegas” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. Six years after “CSI” ended – and 21 years after it began – it’s back. There’s a new name, a new lab and a new set of regulars. Still, the others are also there: We see Brass in the first scenes, Grissom in the final seconds. Sidle (shown here, second from left) is busy; Hodges will be key in the weeks ahead. The newcomers are fairly interesting, with the always-great Mel Rodriguez as the chief medical examiner. They solve a case-of-the-week way too easily, leaving more time for a tangled, ongoing case. Read more…
1) “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It,” 9 p.m., PBS. At 5, Moreno moved with her mother from Puerto Rico to Long Island. She took dance lessons, was on Broadway at 13, signed a movie deal as a teen … and endured stereotype roles. The exception was “West Side Story”; she won an Oscar, vowed to wait for good roles … and didn’t do another movie for seven years. She survived that (and a toxic romance with Marlon Brando) and is still working at 89 (shown here). It’s a great story. Read more…
When “Diana The Musical” debuted on Netflix, Broadway’s trickle-down tradition wobbled.
The system has been in place for generations: Shows are seen by a few people who have the right location (New York) and bank account (flush). The rest of us must wait for a tour … or a local production … or, occasionally, a movie.
But “Diana” (shown here) goes in reverse. It reached Netflix on Oct.1, seven weeks before its Broadway opening. Read more…
1) “9-1-1,” 8 p.m. , Fox. Los Angeles life has been rough lately. The season’s first episode had a ransomware attack; the second had a citywide blackout. Now the blackout continues; the rapist who attacked Athena (Angela Bassett,shown hee in a previous episode) has escaped; Athena races to protect her family. And Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), struggling with postpartum depression, makes a big decision. Read more…
Rita Moreno’s movie career has lasted approximately forever.
She was 18 when her first film, the soon-forgotten “So Young, So Bad,” opened. And her newest one?
That’s Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” on Dec. 10. “On Dec. 11, I’ll be 90 …. The planets are aligned,” she told the Television Critics Association.
That’s a 72-year span, highlighted in a documentary at 9 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 5) on PBS. It’s a story in which her role in the original, 1961 “West Side Story” movie (shown here) takes a key spot. Read more…
1) “Grantchester” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. On one level, this is an uncommonly bright hour: The crimesolving vicar vacations at a summer resort with his housekeeper (plus her husband), his curate (plus his secret lover) and his Geordie (they’re shown here) the cop (plus wife and kids). A solid murder mystery ensues – while planting the seeds for wrenching moments in the weeks ahead. There’s a lot of that sometimes; the “Call the Midwife” season-opener, at 8 p.m., is exceptionally grim. Read more…
1) “Ghosts” debut (shown here), 9 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, CBS. Ever since “Big Bang,” CBS has stuck to a comedy formula. It has sharp, verbal shows; most are produced by Chuck Lorre, most have a studio audience. Now it detours – no Lorre, no audience, lots of sight gags. The result works wonderfully. In “iZombie,” Rose McIver showed she’s perfect at sci-fi humor. Now she plays a young wife who has a near-death experience; after surviving, she’s the only living person who can see the ghosts in her historic house. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live” season-opener, 11:29 p.m., NBC. As rumors swirled, fans feared the worst. Maybe Kate McKinnon was leaving … or Cecily Strong … or Kenan Thompson. But all three are back for this 47th season; only Beck Bennett and Lauen Holt are leaving. Bowen Young and Chloe Fineman move up to the main company, with three newcomers added. Owen Wilson (shown here) hosts the opener, with Kacey Musgraves as music guest. Read more…
