Year: 2022

News and Quick Comments

It will be the final season for “Sanditon” romance

“Sanditon” – the show that took two centuries to launch – will end this spring.
PBS has announced that the third sepason, starting March 19, will be the last. In that season, several newcomers will arrive to complicate the fractured love life of Charlotte (Rose Williams, shown here).
Jane Austen had barely started her “Sanditon” novel when she died in 1817, at 41. Afterward, some authors tried to complete the story, with little success. Then came the PBS/British co-production. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 13, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 15: ghosts, Grinch and beastly beauty

1) “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” was a gem. The first animated film to be nominated for a best-picture Oscar, it also had three of the five song nominations – for “Belle,” “Be Our Guest” and the Oscar-winning title song. Now we get a hybrid – scenes from the film, along with live performances by H.E.R. (shown here), Josh Groban, Shania Twain, David Alan Grier, Rizwan Manji and Jon Jon Briones. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 13, 2022
Stories

A non-flop propelled her career of music and more

Fresh from a classy British drama school, Karen David jumped into her first professional job.
It seemed like an odd one at the time – a musical that simply patched together pop hits.
“I remember all my classmates just saying, ‘You’re going to ruin your whole career before it even starts …. This is going to be the biggest flop and you’ve just done Chekhov and Ibsen and Shakespeare at the Globe,’” David recalled in a press conference for her new movie (shown here), “When Christmas Was Young.”
The show, “Mamma Mia,” didn’t flop. It’s still in London, 23 years later; it did 14 years on Broadway, has been seen by 65 million people worldwide and been spurred two movies. And David’s career didn’t flop, either; she stars in “When Christmas Was Young,” at 8:30 p.m. Sunday (but 8 p.m. on the West Coast) on CBS. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 12, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 14: finals for survivors and Lego folks

1) “Survivor” finale, 8-10 p.m., CBS, with reunion at 10. There’s one sorta-old guy, surrounded by youth. That’s Mike Gabler, 52, (shown here, left, in last week’s episode) who works with surgeons who insert heart-valve catheters. He faces Cassidy Clark, 26, a designer; Karla Cruz Godoy, 28, an educational project manager; Owen Knight, 30, a college admissions director; and Jesse Lopez, 30, who has a doctorate in political science. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 12, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 13: “Voice” leads a musical night

1) “The Voice” finale, 8-11 p.m., NBC. It’s time for the 22nd champion … eventually. At 8 p.m. is a recap of previous performances; from 9-11 p.m. is a surge of music — Blake Shelton with his three finalists (Brayden Lape, Bryce Leatherwood, Bodie) and with Kane Brown. Camila Cabello and John Legend sing with their finalists, Morgan Myles and Omar Cardona. Also: Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and more, including the previous winners (shown here), the sibling trio Girl Named Tom. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 11, 2022
News and Quick Comments

Little “Reservation Dogs” adds big-time honors

“Reservation Dogs” – a quiet show in a noisy TV world – has received one of the top honors … again.
For the second straight time, it’s on the American Film Insiitute’s list of 10 TV “programs of the year.” Also repeating were “White Lotus” (which ends its season at 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11) and “Hacks.”
Those two are on HBO and HBO Max, which are known for big stars, big budgets and top honors. “Reservation Dogs” (shown here) is something else. A modest show with relatively unknown American Indian actors playing teens in small-town Oklahoma, it slides between comedy and drama, with occasional trips to the surreal. That’s produced by FX for Hulu; also on the list are: Read more…

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

Harry & Meghan: Amiable souls emerge (eventually)

For the first few minutes of “Harry & Meghan,” it’s kind of hard to like these people.
And then, surprisingly, we do. The documentary overcomes its start and offers two amiable souls.
The second half of the six-hour mini-series will arrive next Thursday (Dec. 15) on Netflix and may reverse things agaiu. For now, however, it’s an interesting ride.
The series makes the mistake of starting with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (shown here) grumbling about the forces that caused them to retreat from royal life. They’re sort of right, but what viewers see are enviable lives – beautiful places where beautiful people have lots of free time. We know they’ve been wronged, but they don’t feel like tragic figures. Then “Harry & Meghan” begins the actual chronology, which is where it should have started. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 9, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Dec. 11: CBS folks must love Christmas

1) “National Christmas Tree Lighting,” 8 p.m., CBS. It was on Christmas Eve in 1923 that the first national tree was lit. It’s been an annual event (shown here) ever since; here’s the 100th; LL Cool J hosts the telecast, with music by Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, Andy Grammer, Joss Stone and the Army band. For another Washington visit, catch HGTV at 6 p.m.; it looks at the White House Christmas decorations. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 9, 2022
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Dec. 12: winners for “Voice,” “Survivor,” “Lego” and bowls

1) “The Voice” finale, 8-10 p.m. today, NBC, then 9-11 p.m. Tuesday, with a recap at 8. The final five get one more chance tonight; then Tuesday has music and fun. Blake Shelton performs with his three finalists — Brayden Lape (shown here), Bryce Leatherwood, Bodie) and with Kane Brown. Camila Cabello and John Legend sing with their finalists, Morgan Myles and Omar Cardona. Also performing: Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Girl Named Tom, Maluma, Breland, more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 8, 2022