Month: May 2023

News and Quick Comments

CW loads its summer with new (to Americans) shows

Maybe the CW network didn’t get the worry-about-the-strike memo.
Showing no signs of caution, the mini-network has announced a summer line-up that will be filled with new episodes … or ones that are new to American audiences.
That includes lots of scripted shows – American, British, Australian (shown here) and (especially) Canadian – plus some non-fiction.
With the prospect of a long Writers Guild strike, networks might have been expected to cache away prospects. CBS has announced a fall schedule with only two new shows. During the pandemic, CW used Canadian shows to prop up its fall line-up; that year, Fox delayed two summer shows until fall.
But the new summer plan indicates CW is holding nothing back. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 11, 2023
Stories

CBS’ new (new-ish) line-up this fall adds just two shows

Facing the possibility of a long strike, CBS has a novel solution: It will start the fall season with virtually no new shows.
The line-up, announced today (Wednesday), has only two newcomers – a spin-off (shown here) of “The Good Fight” and a reboot of “Matlock,” this time with Kathy Bates in the Andy Griffith role.
Two other shows will arrive later: “Tracker,” starring Justin Hartley, will debut after the Super Bowl on Feb. 11; “Poppa’s House” is a comedy with Damon Wayans, Damon Wayan Jr. and Essence Atkins. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 10, 2023
Stories

“City on Fire” blazes with New York’s newcomers

Blazing through the “City on Fire” mini-series (ahown here) is an eternal notion: Move to New York City; transform your career, your life, your self.
That’s what Mercer, a key characters, tried. He’s from Texas; so is Xavier Clyde, who plays him.
He’s “the dreamer,” Clyde told the Television Critics Association. “He wants to be the next great American novelist and go to New York and make a difference. And I just wanted to live my dream of just doing this (acting) for a living. And to do that in one of the greatest cities in the world.”
Except dreams can evaporate. “City on Fire” opens (Friday, May 12, on Apple TV+) with a shooting; it later peaks with a citywide black-out. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 10, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 12: 50 years of Broadway joy

1) “Great Performances,” 9 p.m., PBS. Celebrating its first 50 years, the show has new performances of songs from a half-century of Broadway musicals. Sutton Foster hosts and sings beautifully. There’s zesty dancing to music from “Dancin'” (shown here), “Sophisticated Ladies,” “Jelly’s Last Jam” and more. There are great voices, old (Norm Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Raul Esparza) and new (Ledisi, Solea Pfeiffer, Mamie Parris, more), plus a dandy blitz from Rob McClure. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 10, 2023
News and Quick Comments

Strike quickly jolts broadcast TV

Life, you may have noticed, is rarely fair.
That’s become clear now, as the Writers Guild strike settles in, leaving an uneven impact:
— At one extreme are the movie studios, which pile up scripts and projects far in advance. For now, everything seems unchanged – same superheroes, supervillains, super collisions.
— In the middle are the streamers and a few cable networks. They try for the movie-studio approach.
— At the other end are the commercial broadcast networks. For them, the effects are instant and jolting; Pete Davidson (shown here) was one of the first to be smited. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 9, 2023
News and Quick Comments

CBS uncancels “SWAT” and adds games

Staring into a foggy future, CBS has made some quick shifts.
Today (May 8) it did something rare – uncanceling a show: “SWAT” (shown here) will be back next season, after all; however, another police drama, “East New York,” will not.
That came after recent moves to add two primetime game shows. Both will be produced and hosted by leading-man types – Josh Duhamel and Jaime Camil.
The games seem to be well-timed: The writers strike is expected to be long-term, leaving networks in need of unscripted shows. The cop-show switch, however, was unusual. The details: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 9, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 11: three finales and lots of country

1) “Ghosts” season-finale, 8:30 p.m., CBS. When Sam inherited a mansion last year, she decided to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. What could go wrong? A lot so far, despite help from the ghosts that only Sam can see. Now comes another problem: Someone arrives (shown here, right), claiming to be the rightful heir. There’s a surprise, CBS says, that could sharply change things. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 9, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 10: It’s Vanna’s moment, on a game-filled night

1) “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” 9 p.m., ABC. After four decades of spinning the letters for “Wheel,” Vanna White (shown here) might have picked up some skill at guessing the puzzles. We’ll see tonight, when she competes with Ken Jennings (whose “Jeopardy Masters” tournament continues at 8 p.m.) and another “Jeopardy” genius, Mayim Bialik. “The Game Show Show” follows at 10 p.m. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 8, 2023
Stories

It’s a great celebration, Broadway-style

If you call yourself “great” every week, what do you do for a special occasion?
Well, it had better be something good or maybe almost great. Fortunately, it is. “Great Performances” is wrapping its 50th season with a Broadway blitz. At 9 p.m. on PBS, it has:
— May 12: An anniversary celebration filled with potent voices and frisky dancers. Sutton Foster hosts a romp through musicals, from Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber to Carole King and Sara Bareilles.
— May 19: “Richard III,” filmed in Central Park, with Danai Gurira portraying Shakespeare’s villainous hero. “Is there anybody else like this in contemporary drama?” Stephen Segaller, who supervises the show via the WNET station, asked the Television Critics Association. “Maybe Tony Soprano.”
— May 26: The opposite of Richard’s ferocity. It’s a rerun of Foster singing and tapping in “Anything Goes” (shown here), with a flimsy story connecting vibrant Cole Porter songs. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 7, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 9: fun, games and a tough finale

1) “Accused” season-finale, 9 p.m., Fox. This has been one of the year’s most engaging new shows – and, at times, one of its most painful. For the fourth time in 16 episodes, a story involves a troubled son. This one is back from his latest drug-rehab and working with his father. The dad (Keith Carradine, shown here) is a music star, overwhelmed by this dilemma. Like every “Accused,” this is written and acted with subtle skill; like many, it’s tough to watch. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / May 7, 2023