Year: 2022

Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Nov. 14: zombies and holiday joy

1) Thanksgiving episodes, Wednesday, ABC. Comedies are at their best during Thanksgiving dinner; now three shows have their turns. On “The Conners” (8 p.m.), Jackie frets about her mother’s health and Darlene scrambles to find a job. On “The Goldbergs” (8:30), Beverly (shown here) prepares for her first holiday as a widow … and an unexpected relative arrives. “Home Economics” (9:30) also has an unexpected guest — Tom’s lone superfan, who is also his half-sister. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 10, 2022
News and Quick Comments

CBS plans a Carey Christmas

CBS has re-discovered Christmas – and has Mariah Carey (shown here) to prove it.
The network announced today (Nov. 10) that it will have a two-hour Carey concert, at 8 p.m. Dec. 20. She’ll sing in Madison Square Garden, including her perennial hit, “All I Want For Christmas is You.”
The show will also spread across the rest of the Paramount universe – on Paramount+ and rerunning at times (not yet announced) on MTV. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 10, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 11: potent Veterans Day choices

1) “Band of Brothers,” 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., History. As Veterans Day begins, History reruns HBO’s compelling portrait (shown here with Damian Lewis) of one World War II unit. It follows with a “Salute to Service” special at 8 and 11 p.m., with “Hacksaw Ridge” (2016) at 9. The true story of a pacifist who won a Medal of Honor as a medic, “Ridge” drew Oscar nominations for best picture, star Andrew Garfield and director Mel Gibson. Also at 9 p.m., PBS profiles the USO. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 9, 2022
Stories

Mid-season brings a flood of debuts and season-openers

So now we know what we might be doing during a long, cold winter.
We can stare at our TV sets, catching lots of shows that are new or semi-new or, at least, re-arranged.
This week, ABC, NBC and Fox announced their mid-season plans. Combined, in January and February they’ll have five new drama series (two of them about missing-persons units), three new comedies (including “Not Dead Yet,” shown here with Gina Rodriguez), three new reality shows and about a dozen season-openers, plus some shows changing nights. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 8, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov.10: Farewell to a weird gem

1) “Atlanta” series-finale, 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 10:47 and 11:34. One of TV’s best (if weirdest) shows ends its four-season run. It has already won six Emmys and been nominated for 19 more, including two for best comedy series. Donald Glover (shown here, right, in a previous episode) has been nominated three times as best actor and twice as director (winning once in each category), plus twice for his scripts. The finale’s title – not serious, we hope – is, “It Was Only a Dream.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 8, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 9: country, “Crown,” classics

1) CMA Awards, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Generations and genres merge. This opens with a tribute to the late Loretta Lynn and later has a career award for Alan Jackson. It has music fron Reba McEntire and Patty Loveless, plus crossover artists (Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Pillbox Patti, the Black Keys) and current country elite — Miranda Lambert (shown here), Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Carly Pearce, Lainey Wilson, Jimmy Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 7, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 8: elections, plus a few alternatives

1) Election coverage. The stakes are huge today — 36 governors, 34 senators and all 435 congressmen, plus control of the House and Senate. So the networks are going all-out: ABC, CBS (shown here with Norah O’Donnell), NBC and PBS start coverage at 8 p.m. ET, when many polls close. Pausing briefly (including 11 p.m.) for local coverage, they’ll be ready to go all night. So will the news networks. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 6, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 7: After a brief break, dramas return

1) “The Cleaning Lady,” 9:02 p.m., Fox. After a one-week baseball break, the show booms back with a tough and involving hour (shown here) — a strong one for Oliver Hudson (right). Once a comedy actor like his mom (Goldie Hawn) and sister (Kate Hudson), he’s excellent as Garrett, an FBI guy facing tragedy (shown here) while trying to bring down the evil Kamdar, despite distractions: He’s hiding the fact that he killed Cortez; Thony’s hiding the fact that it was her nephew who pushed her husband to his death. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 5, 2022