Day: May 16, 2022

News and Quick Comments

NBC’s new season: “Leap,” Lee, Lopez, Larroquette

NBC will play it safe this fall, then get only a tad friskier as the season goes on.
Its line-up, announced today (Monday), has only two new shows, both with familiar names. One is a reboot of “Quantum Leap,” with Raymond Lee (shown here) as the new star; the other has George Lopez, now paired with his daughter in the comedy, “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Another reboot arrives at mid-season: “Night Court” has John Larroquette returning to his Emmy-winning role, now with Melissa Rauch (“Big Bang Theory”) as the judge. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 16, 2022
News and Quick Comments

Update: Fox sets fall line-up … with “9-1-1”

Update: A half-day after leaving it in doubt, the Fox network has made something clear:
Yes, it will have “9-1-1” and “The Resident” (shown here) next season.
When executives talked to reporters early Monday morning, that was still in doubt. Charlie Collier, the network CEO, would only say that negotiations were going well; he even took the unusual step of announcing the other shows for the fall season – but not a day-to-day schedule.
A spin-off, “9-1-1: Lone Star,” was definitely coming back, but “9-1-1” – Fox’s top show in the Nielsen ratings – was indefinite. Heading into its sixth season (as is “The Resident”), it needed a new contract.
Now the earlier story:
Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 16, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 18: Dancers start, masks depart

1) “So You Think You Can Dance” opener, 9 p.m., Fox. From its debut in 2005, “Dance” (shown here in a previous season) has been one of TV’s best reality competitions. It had great dancers and (after the auditions) gifted choreographers; it also had a producer and head judge (Nigel Lythgoe) who took this seriously. Now the show is back (for the first time in three years), but its leader isn’t. Lythgoe, 72, is out; JoJo Siwa, who turns 19 on Thursday, is one of the judges, alongside Matthew Morrison (“Glee”) and Stephen “tWitch” Boss. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 16, 2022
Stories

Forget reruns: Here’s a round-up of new summer shows

In TV’s olden days, summer brought a slow slog through reruns. People had to settle for alternatives – friends and family, parks and playgrounds and such.
Not any more; summers have become fairly busy with new shows.
This is the season that spawned “Survivor,” “American Idol” and more; it’s still the time of “America’s Got Talent,” “The Bachelorette” and — returning after a two-year absence — “So You Think You Can Dance” (shown here). And now it also has a fairly good collection of new, scripted shows.
Here’s a sampling, with more announcements still coming. We’ll stick to the channels (broadcast or basic-cable) that most homes get. If you have premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz) and streamers (Netflix, Disney+, etc.), the list explodes. You might never reach the beach.
Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 16, 2022