CNN has finally set the details of its new daytime line-up.
That begins in April, with more Jake Tapper (shown here), less Wolf Blitzer and no Brooke Baldwin, plus a later Alyson Camerota and an earlier Brianna Keller. There will also a weekday hour for Ana Cabrera, key weekend slots for Jim Acosta and more. Read more…
There are many words we’d associate with the lead character (shown here) in “Murdoch Mysteries.”
They include “steady,” “sturdy,” “solid,” “stoic” and such. They do NOT include “slapstick.”
But here is the season-opener, at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) Saturday (Feb. 20) on Ovation, directed by the show’s star, Yannick Bisson. It has versions of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Stan Laurel, plus a big sight gag, complete with a collapsing building. Read more…
1) Denzel Washington films, cable. Some viewers can jump between Washington’s Oscar-winning performances. His first (supporting actor) was for “Glory” (1989), a brilliant film (shown here with Washington and Morgan Freeman) about a Black unit in the Union army; that’s 8 p.m. on Starz. His second (actor) was for “Training Day” (2001), as a corrupt and street-smart cop; it’s 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Vice. For more, catch “The Equalizer” (2014), at 10:30 p.m. on TNT. In a variation on the TV series, he plays a former federal agent, helping the little guy. Read more…
1) “Mom,” 9 p.m., CBS. For the seventh time, Rainn Wilson plays Trevor, the floundering therapist for Bonnie (they’re shown here in a previous episode). The previous six have been hilarious, so give this one a try. Bonnie’s deciding what to do with her spare bedroom … which soon leads to bigger issues. Read more…
When the COVID shutdown began, it was important to be nice to grocery-store workers.
They were essential, after all. And one of them was waiting patiently to be a movie star … or, at least, to play one on TV.
That’s Bradley Constant (shown here), one of three people playing early versions of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on “Young Rock,” at 8 p.m. Tuesdays (starting Feb. 16) on NBC. Landing the role was a big break … followed by a long COVID delay.
His reaction? “I went back to working at the grocery store,” he said. Read more…
1) “The Masked Dancer,” 8-10 p.m., Fox. This first season has seen surprises under those masks. That’s ranged from a science guy (Bill Nye) to a boxer (Oscar De La Hoya), from former kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart to Vinny from “Jersey Shore.” It’s also included three music people – Brian McKnight, Jordin Sparks and Ice-T. All that remain are Sloth, Tulip (shown here) and Cotton Candy. Tonight – after a recap of the season so far – we’ll have the final dance-off. Then “The Masked Singer” returns March 10. Read more…
Being Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson should be easy, it seems.
He’s bigger, stronger and (we’re told) better-looking than other people. He’s open and amiable. Also, his movies have made more than $12 billion.
But getting there was complicated. When “Young Rock” debuts (8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, on NBC), it will bounce between three phases, catching small slices of a large life.
“I lived in 13 different states by the time I was 13 years old,” Johnson (shown here) told the Television Critcs Association. “I also lived in New Zealand.” Read more…
The Hallmark Channel people say their shows are a lot better now … without quite acknowledging that they were a lot worse before.
The new-look Hallmark has more diversity, Wonya Lucas, CEO of the channel and its spin-off networks, told the Television Critics Association. It reflects “the complexity of what it means to love and be a family in a more authentic, varied and inclusive way.”
That includes racial and LGBT issues. “What I’m really excited about is our first gay lead,” said Michelle Vicary, the channel’s executive vice-president of programming.
She was talking about “Mix Up in the Mediterranean” (9 p.m. Saturday, rerunning at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20-21), with Jeremy Jordan, a Broadway star and a “Smash” and “Supergirl” co-star. “He plays twins …. One is gay, one is straight and, through a comedy of errors, they have to switch places.” Read more…
1) “The Black Church” (shown here), 9-11 p.m., PBS. One of the season’s best shows begins its joyous, two-night run. Henry Louis Gates does point out flaws in some Black churches – biases against women and gays and more. Mostly, though, he looks at immense progress. He ranges from tiny shacks to a 14,000-seat arena with video screens and a band. He tells of slaves who brought religions – Christian, Muslim, more – from Africa and transformed them, making into pillars of survival, change and great music. Read more…
1) “American Experience: Voice of Freedom,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. This starts a great PBS week, including the superb “The Black Church” on Tuesday and Wednesday, plus an emotional season-finale of “All Creatures Great and Small” on Sunday. First is this compelling portrait of Marian Anderson. The world’s highest-paid singer, heralded by Arturo Toscanini for a “once in 100 years” voice, she was banned by a Whites-only concert hall; instead her free Lincoln Memorial concert (shown here) drew 75,000 people. Read more…
