Month: May 2022

Stories

Time-travel can be tough on romance

Time-travel is always kind of complicated. As humans, we like to know where we are and when we are.
But it’s infinitely tougher when you can’t control it. And you’re in love. And you’re naked.
That happens in “The Time Traveler’s Wife” (shown here) now in its third incarnation. It’s been a 2003 novel that sold 2.5 million copies in its first six year. … a 2009 movie that did fairly well, drawing $101 million worldwide …and now a six-part series on HBO — starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 15 — and HBO Max.
The longer format gave writer Steven Moffat room to play with the story, but he says he used restraint. “Everybody loves the book,” he told the Television Critics Association, “so there’s no messing around with the stuff that matters.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 11, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 12: Georgie faces church’s wrath

1) “Young Sheldon,” 8 p.m., CBS. After pausing last week for reruns, the show is back to its best storyline: Georgie, 17, lied about his age; now his ex-girlfriend, 29, is pregnant. (They’re shown here with his grandmother.) His mom (who was pregnant with Georgie when she married) was stunned when friends avoided her Bible club. Now it’s time to face the congregation. Sheldon is perplexed, but his twin sister speaks up for Georgie. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 10, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Beat-bets for May 11: Let’s visit dinosaurs or Chicago

1) “Nova: Dinosaur Apocalypse,” 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. Long ago, a meteor struck Mexico, sending clouds that killed the dinosaurs and more. Now – some 2,000 miles (and 66 million years) away – paleontologists in North Dakota have apparently found remnants of the meteor and some of its victims. “Nova” spent three years filming the work, adding special effects and David Attenborough (shown here). The result is fascinating – top-drawer science, related in a thoroughly entertaining way. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 9, 2022
Stories

TV celebrates (often) Broadway’s comeback

Standing before a jubilant crowd in Central Park, actress Susan Kelechi Watson noted the occasion. This marked “the return of live theater to New York City,” she said
It was clearly overdue, a colleague added. “It’s been a long year-and-a-half, you-all.”
That was last August, at the start of “Merry Wives.” Now the show is one of several reaching TV, as part of theater’s post-pandemic comeback. There’s:
— A jubilant “Anything Goes,” at 9 p.m. Friday (May 13) on PBS. It opened in London last July 23 (two months before Broadway returned), with its official opening Aug. 4. Sutton Foster (shown here) and director Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 9, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 10: He was a swimmer/surfer/hero

1) “American Masters,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. To some, Duke Kahanamoku (shown here) was one of the all-time great athletes. He won swimming medals in three Olympics, spread over a dozen years … then popularized the sport of surfing. Statues of him are in Australia, New Zealand, California and his native Hawaii. Most amazing, however, was the day he individually saved eight people from drowning. This fascinating film even has the moment they thanked him, decades later. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 8, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 9: Its time for a champion song

1) “American Song Contest” finale, 8-10 p.m., NBC. This started with 56 acts (one per state or territory), each with an original song; now it has its top 10. Michael Bolton (shown here) is here, representing Connecticut. Two others were reality-show finalists in 2015: Jordan Smith (Kentucky) was the “Voice” winner; Riker Lynch (Colorado) was the “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up.  Others are from Alabama, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Samoa. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 7, 2022
Stories

Cable’s summer borrows from HBO Max

The wall between pay-TV and cable will lower slightly this summer.
Two shows that have already streamed will have weekly runs on basic cable. “Titans” (shown here) starts July 5 on TNT, with “Love Life” July 31 on TBS; both promise “limited commercial interruptions.”
For “Titans” – based on the “Teen Titans” comics — it’s the third stop in a journey through the Warner Brothers world. The first two seasons were on DC Universe, a streaming service that produced six scripted series before folding … its third was on HBO Max, where the fourth is also expected … and now its second slides to TNT.“Love Life” has had a simpler route – two seasons, with different characters in each, on HBO Max. The first season reran on TBS last August; now the second is part of the summer “tNets” plan: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 6, 2022
News and Quick Comments

Freeform plans a scripted summer

As the broadcast networks launch their summer line-ups – even before summer starts – scripted shows are scarce.
Not to worry; cable and others are filling the gap. Freeform has set June or July starts for four of them – one new, two starting its season, one returning for the season’s second half ..,. and “Motherland: Fort Salem” starting its final season.
Some networks have been in a hurry to get their summer shows in place. ABC installed a games-and-reality night on Tuesday, May 3; Fox returns “So You Think You Can Dance” – for the first time in three years – on Wednesday, May 18.
But scripted shows are another matter. The Freeform summer has: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 5, 2022
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for May 9: a busy time for music

1) “American Song Contest” finale, 8-10 p.m. today, NBC. This began with 56 acts — one from each state and territory; now it has its top 10. That includes two Michael Bolton (Connecticut) and two people who were reality-show finalists back in 2015: Jordan Smith (Kentucky) was the “Voice” winner; Riker Lynch (shown here, Colorado) was the “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up. Others are from Alabama, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Samoa.
Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 5, 2022