Year: 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
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 28: mega-monster, mega-truck, little Sheldon

1) “Top Gear,” 10 p.m., BBC America. The British have their own truck-driver shortage now, so the hosts switch gears. Accustomed to zippy little sports cars, they try behemoths. Paddy McGuinness (shown here), a truck-driver’s son, gets a 770- horsepower Scania, with high-tech details. He expects to visit greasy-spoon diners; instead, the truck-stop has sofas and a smiling barista. Despite trouble with accents and phrases, Americans will find this sort of fun Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 26, 2022
Weekly Previews

Looking ahead: Music leads top-10 for Aug. 1-7

1) “CMA Fest,” 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. For four June days, country fans had this Nashville fest, the first in three years; now we see highlights. One host (Dierks Bentley) performs with Billy Ray Cyrus; they’re shown here. The other (Elle King) with Ashley McBryde. Other links: Wynonna Judd and Carly Pearce, Lady A and Breland, Zac Brown Band and Darius Rucker. Also performing: Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 25, 2022