Month: July 2022

Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 2: a vampiric sort of farce

1) “What We Do in the Shadows,” 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 10:34 and 11:08. The plot is familiar: An important visitor is coming; an odd family tries to seem normal. But this family has three vampires, a wise aide (shown here) and a lad who emerged from the chest cavity of a late colleague and keeps growing rapidly. Now a private-school official visits. “Shadows” ditches its usual droll style and offers a vampire version of a wild (and funny) drawing-room farce. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 31, 2022
News and Quick Comments

“Dogs” is back, with lives scrambled

For most of its first season (a good one), “Reservation Dogs” (shown here) was an us-vs.-the-world tale.
Then the “us” imploded. That sets up the two intriguing episodes that arrive Wednesday (Aug. 3) on Hulu, to open the second season.
This is a modest show that has drawn a surge of praise. It already has Peabody and American Film Institute awards; in the upcoming Television Critics Association awards, it’s nominated for best comedy and best new show. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 30, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 1: lots of Elvis films, some of them OK

1) “Viva Las Vegas” (1964), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. A 24-hour Elvis Presley marathon starts at 6 a.m., It offers a couple zestful concert films – “Elvis on Tour” (1972), 2 p.m.; “Elvis: That’s the Way It Is” (1970), 10 p.m. — and lots of scripted ones. Some are awful, but “Viva” (shown here) has glitter, Ann-Margret and lots of vibrant music, led by the title song. There’s even a rare nod to Presley’s R&B roots, when he sings “What’d I Say?” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 30, 2022
Stories

He’s no MD, but he’s doing fine

In a tiny town in West Virginia, Pauline Gates was clear about this: Her two sons would be doctors.
One, Dr. Paul Gates, is, indeed, an oral surgeon. But the other descended into academia and fame.
That’s Henry Louis Gates Jr. (shown here), who is now one of PBS’ biggest stars. “It was a fantasy of mine,” Gates said. “I didn’t even realize that it was; I didn’t tell anybody.”
But here he is, filling our TV sets. PBS has been re-running his “Finding Your Roots” at 8 p.m. Tuesdays; it will have a fresh batch in January. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 30, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 31: Archie, Rev. Will and raging Jackie Rohr

1) “City on a Hill” season-opener, 10 p.m., Showtime. Jackie Rohr is one of TV’s great characters, an FBI agent rippling with intelligence and rage. As last season ended (14 months ago), corruption probes grew and he turned in his badge. Now he’s near-bottom — to the delight of an honest prosecutor. Perfectly played by Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge (shown here), these two are great opposites. This opener also has strong moments for Corben Bernsen and Ernie Hudson. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 29, 2022
Stories

PBS: It’s not young and wild, but sorta trying

As reporters waited for PBS’ virtual press conferences to begin, a pop song boomed out. Over and over (18 times in all) the Strumbellas declared: “I’m young and wild.”
An interesting song choice. “Young” and “wild” are things we keep assuming that PBS people are not.
By image, at least, PBS viewers are old and tame and secretly English. They watch “Antique Roadshow,” conduct antique lives and grumble about Sundays without “Downton Abbey.” Their hero (David Attenborough, 96) would even be considered elderly on CBS.
That image, however, collides with the PBS shows and goals. The network is often diverse — from Chuck D (shown here) to a Mexican-American cartoon heroine —  and occasionally youthful. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 29, 2022
News and Quick Comments

PBS sprawls from rap to Flack to Tiger and beyond

It’s not easy to be in the something-for-everyone business.
Other networks might specialize in food or weather or creepy crimes or such. But Paula Kerger describes PBS as “a variety network.” That means ranging from rap to Flack (Roberta Flack, shown here, that is), from “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” to Ukraine’s war-torn neighborhoods.
In a virtual press conference with the Television Critics Association, Kerger occasionally talked about shows that are on the air right now. She praised: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 28, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best bets for July 30: NBC has fast cars, sharp satire

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. We don’t expect big laughs from Benedict Cumberbatch. But his second hosting turn (with Arcade Fire as music guest) begins with a brilliant sketch (shown here): The draft of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade cited 13th-century English law. Here, he’s in 1235, pushing a law against abortion, sort of like the one banning pointy shoes. Exceptions for incest or rape? No way, someone says; “those are the only kinds of sex we have.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 28, 2022
Stories

“Frontline” stays in its wartime mode

When the war in Ukraine (shown here) began, “Frontline” did a quick pivot.
“We knew right away” that this had to be a new focus, Raney Aronson-Rath, the series producer, told the Television Critics Association.
One result – “Ukraine: Life Under Russia’s Attack — airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 2). Two others have already aired, with two more on the way. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 28, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 29: nice Billy, nasty Jaws

1) “Secret Celebrity Renovation” season-opener, 8 p.m., CBS. Here’s the opener that was scheduled for last week, then nudged back. It offers two familiar star: Billy Gardell of “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” does a project for a friend’s mother(shown here). Rob Mariano (Boston Rob of “Survivor” fame) did a project for his parents last season; now he joins the show as a contractor. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 27, 2022