Month: March 2023

Stories

“Great Expectations” returns … yet again

For more than a century, people have been making “Great Expectations” movies and miniseries.
The first was in 1917, starring Jack Pickford (Mary’s little brother). There have been at least 16 more, including one that had Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow AND Robert De Niro.
Now a new six-parter (shown here) starts with two episodes March 26 on Hulu, then continues for four more Sundays. It gives us a fresh version of a story everyone has read.
Well … not everyone. Olivia Colman – who plays the cold-hearted Miss Havisham – hasn’t read the book and doesn’t try to pass herself off as a scholar. “I don’t really think about things terribly deeply,” she told the Television Critics Association. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 24, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 26: “Succession” leads a surge of great drama

1) “Succession,” 9 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 10:05. One of the most honored dramas in years starts its final season. In each of its three previous ones, Jesse Armstrong has won an Emmy for his scripts; there have been 10 other wins, including – for the second and third seasons – best drama series. During that time, people have vied to be the successor to Logan Roy (Brian Cox,shown here, center), atop a media empire. Now, however, he plans to sell it all to a tech visionary. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 24, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 25: Skaters and dunkers share the night

1) Basketball and figure-skating. The 7-footers and the 5-footers each have their moments tonight. The big guys are in the college basketball tournament, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. ET on TBS, setting half of next Saturday’s final four. And the petite folks (shown here) are in the finals of the World Figure Skating Championships; that’s tape-delayed from 8-10 p.m. on NBC. For more sports, catch XFL football (7 p.m., FX) or pro hockey (Capitals-Penguins, 8 p.m. ET, ABC). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 23, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for March 27: Joni, country and a drama surge

1) “CMT Music Awards,” 8-11 p.m. Sunday, CBS. Once confined to cable, this is now a big-network event, stuffed with stars. Performers include the hosts – Kelsea Ballerini (shown here) and Kane Brown – plus Lainey Wilson (who leads with four nominations), Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Carly Pierce, Cody Johnson, Katelyn Brown (Kane’s wife) and many more. The CMT network, which created the awards, will have a red-carpet at 7. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 23, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 24: music — country, opera and up there

1) “Up Here” debut, Hulu. Robert Lopez has already triumphed as a composer for Broadway (“Avenue Q,” “Book of Mormon”) and — with his wife, lyricist Kristen Anderson Lopez — for movies (“Frozen,” “Coco”). Now they link with director Tommy Kail (“Hamilton”) for a gem. We see young lovers (Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdez, shown here) and hear the lingering voices in their heads. It’s a delightful musical in eight parts, all available at once. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2023
Stories

Up here in their heads, a musical gem emerges

Early in the pandemic, a phone call linked three strong forces in musical storytelling.
“Tommy (Kail) gave us a call,” recalled Kristen Anderson-Lopez, “and said, ‘Hey, we’re not sure when we’re going to get back into the theater. Do you guys have anything you want to do for TV?’”
They did; her husband, Robert Lopez, started nurturing the idea 17 years ago. Now “Up Here”(shown here) arrives Friday (March 24) on Hulu, with all eight half-hours available at once
”Imagine this as eight mini-musicals that would add up to one season-long musical,” said Steven Levenson, who co-wrote the scripts and previously did “Tick, Tick … Boom” and “Fosse/Verdon.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 21, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 23: Basketball’s back, but so are soaps

1) Basketball. The second weekend of the college tournament begins, with only one game that fulfills predictions. That’s at 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS, when Gonzaga and UCLA (shown here), seeded No. 2 and 3 in their region; collide; at 7:15 on CBS, that region has Connecticut (No. 4) and Arkansas (No. 8). Elsewhere, TBS has Kansas State (No. 3) and Michigan State (No. 7) at 6:30 and Tennessee (No. 4) and Florida Atlantic (No. 9) at 9. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 21, 2023
Stories

Soaps have transformed; just ask Francis

Soap operas keep transforming. There are no more tinkling teacups, no prolonged parlor chats, fewer empty moments.
But to look at the bigger changes, ponder Laura of “General Hospital,” as the show nears its 60th anniversary (April 1) and launches a multi-day celebration (April 3) — a week after “The Young and the Restless: (see separate story) has its 50th anniversary.
As a teen-ager, she was a date-rape victim … who then fell in love with her rapist. They married – drawing record ratings – and became the top couple in the soap world.
And now? “I love who she is,” Genie Francis (shown here in a previous anniversary), who plays her, told the Television Critics Association. “She was such a victim as a young woman. To see it flip around and have her be … this powerful woman who is the mayor. She doesn’t take crap from anyone.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 20, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 22: Cops, crooks and the departed

1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. Here is “P.D.” at its best – with an intense, time-factor story that skirts the edge of ethics. Voight (shown here) guesses a juror has been intimidated. Can his team find a solution, without disrupting the trial and risking someone’s life? Two late scenes defy credibility: Why is Voight going in alone? How did he (a trial witness) meet the juror in a restroom? Still, it’s tautly constructed and Sara Bues is subtly perfect as the prosecutor. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 20, 2023
Stories

Surviving soaps turn 50 … and 60

In the TV world, nothing lasts forever – not even soap operas.
A half-century ago, there were 15 of them; now there are three on the networks and one on Peacock. Still, two of those survivors have key milestones:
— CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” (shown here) turns 50 on March 26. That’s a Sunday (a no-soap day), so the multi-day celebration starts Thursday, March 23; there’s also a special at 8 p.m. March 27.
— ABC’s “General Hospital” (see separate story) turns 60 on April 1, a Saturday. It starts celebrating two days later.
Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 19, 2023