Day: April 22, 2022

News and Quick Comments

CNN+: quick end to a bad idea

CNN+ now goes down as one of life’s really bad ideas.
It lasted three weeks longer than the Titanic, 13 months less than the Hindenburg. No one was killed, but lots of talent (including Chris Wallace, shown here) was wasted.
Officially, the streaming service will shut down on April 30, 32 days after it began. The cause-of-death is listed as corporate confusion: Officials went ahead with the plan, fully aware that the incoming owners (Discovery) might dislike the idea; they did and shut it down instantly.
But unofficially? This was just never a good idea. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 22, 2022
News and Quick Comments

Welcome to Earth Day

This is Earth Day (Friday, April 22) and the streaming networks and PBS are busy. A separate piece (see Stories) looks at three new Disney+ shows; meanwhile, here’s a round-up:
ARRIVING TODAY (April 22)
— Three films on Disney+. “Polar Bear” (shown here) is from the DisneyNature people, whose lush films are usually in theaters the week of Earth Day. The others are from National Geographic: “Explorer: The Last Tepui” follows Alex Honnold (the climber of “Free Solo” fame), as he leads a climb up a 1,000-foot cliff, so a botanist can study an “island in the sky.” Also, “The Biggest Little Farm: The Return” revisits John and Molly Chester, city people creating an eco-friendly farm in California.
— A two-day marathon of BBC America reruns. “Planet Earth” is 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, followed by the marine-world “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II” from 5-11 p.m. They then rerun – “Planet Earth” from 11 p.m. to Saturday at 9 a.m., “Blue Planet II from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, then “Africa” from 3-8 p.m. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 22, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 24: One season ends, several begin

1) ”Masterpiece: Sanditon” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. The sisters are heading home with their love lives crumbling. Charlotte (shown here in a previous episode) is sorting out two angry guys; Alison was devastated by a lying soldier. Then there’s Miss Lambe” (seduced by an artist) and Esther (drugged by her step-brother); also, the soldiers are leaving without paying their bills. Some of this gets resolved, in a well-made hour that is slick and emotional, with a closing jolt. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 22, 2022