With its final burst of Emmy glory being delayed, “Succession” (shown here) has a solid concession prize:
It has won the top Television Critics Association award, as program of the year. It has also been named the best drama.
The awards were announced today (Monday, Aug. 7), with no accompanying ceremony, due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes. By comparison, the Emmys have been delayed indefinitely. Read more…
1) “The Wonder Years,” 9 p.m., ABC. Life gets sticky when your wife (shown here) fires your best friend … especially when your son and his are Soapbox Derby partners. Unlike some recent episodes of this comedy-drama, this one remembers the comedy part, creating an enjoyable half-hour. Read more…
1) “Only Murders in the Building” season-opener, Hulu. The first two seasons have been terrific; each has drawn a ton of Emmy nominations, including ones for best comedy series and for Steve Martin and Martin Short as best actor. Along with Selena Gomez, they (shown here) play podcast buffs who find murders. This time, the victim was a theater star and Oliver (Short) dreams of reviving his own career. There are two episodes this week, with Meryl Streep in support. Read more…
Hip hop has something that most music can’t claim – a specific birthdate.
Classical? Jazz? Polka? Country or rock or pop? They might point to a century and a continent.
But hip hop has a date – Aug. 11, 1973. And a location – 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in West Bronx. And a performer – DJ Kool Herc (shown here0, then 18 years old. And an organizer – his little sister Cindy Campbell, trying to make money for back-to-school clothes.
And now its 50th anniversary is Friday.
Television started the party early – a “Fight the Power” documentary series January on PBS … an epic Grammys medley February on CBS … a three-year project on Showtime … and more. On the birthday, Showtime has a marathon, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the next day, A&E starts a three-Saturday artifact hunt, “Hip Hop Treasures.” Read more…
1) “The Bachelorette,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. It’s “fantasy suite” night, when Charity Lawson (shown here) invites the final three guys to separately each spend a night with her. (Historically, guys tend to accept these invitations.) Last week, she visited four home towns, then ousted Aaron Bryant. That leaves Joey Graziadel, a tennis pro from Hawaii; Xavier Bonner, a biomedical scientist from Ohio; and Dutan Olubeko, a medical specialist from Fresno. Read more…
There are two good ways to watch a Wes Anderson movie. You could:
1) Just let it wash over you. Don’t worry about details and distractions, such as … well, a plot. That’s especially helpful for “Asteroid City” (shown here), the odd gem that reaches Peacock on Friday (Aug. 11).
2) OK, I lied about that. It turns out there’s only one way. Read more…
1) “Grantchester” season-finale, 9-11 p.m., PBS. The eighth season has been the best one yet, solving smart mysteries while dealing with deep personal problems. Will has wallowed in guilt, since killing a man who ran in front of his motorcycle. Geordie has an arrogant new boss; also, Bonnie (Will’s pregnant wife) and Leonard (his former assistant, shown here with Will, center, and Will’s housekeeper) despair. Now some of that is resolved, while two more mysteries are solved. Read more…
CBS viewers now have some certainty about the upcoming season.
Yes, it will be a makeshift line-up, cobbled together because of the writers’ and actors’ strikes. But now, at least, there are definite dates for the shows.
The season will start Sept. 2 for college football (shown here) … and Sept. 14 for reality-show Thursdays … and Sept. 17 for Sundays anchored by “Yellowstone” reruns … and Sept. 27 for more, starting with the supersized “Survivor” and “Amazing Race.”
Even if the strikes do get settled, scripted shows won’t be ready for their usual fall starts. In its patched-up line-up, CBS has: Read more…
1) “The Challenge: USA” opener, 10 p.m., Thursday and 9 p.m. Sunday, CBS. Here’s the final piece in CBS’ August surge. “Big Brother” leads into this show on Thursdays and for three Sundays, and into “Superfan” on Wednesdays; also, “Secret Celebrity Renovations” is 8 p.m. Fridays. “Challenge” (shown here in a previous season) takes 24 reality-show alumni to Croatia. Nine started on “Big Brother” and seven on “Survivor,” including winners Michele Fitzgerald and Chris Underwood. Read more…
1) “Ms. Marvel” opener, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Here’s a surprise bonus – a Disney+ mini-series, jumping to ABC. Iman Vellani, a Pakistan native who grew up in Canada, plays Kamala Khan, who plays videogames and writes fan fiction, especially about Captain Marvel. Then she gets a bangle from her grandmother and (shown here) her life transforms. This six-part tale concludes next Saturday, setting up a movie (“The Marvels”), tentatively set for Nov. 10. Read more…
