Year: 2023

“Crown” and “Snow White” set streaming dates

Two classics are coming to streaming networks soon.
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937, shown here) reaches Disney+ on Monday (Oct. 16), which is the 100th anniversary of the Disney studio. And the final season of the “The Crown” arrives on Netflix in two bursts – Nov. 16, focusing strongly on Diana, and Dec. 14, focusing on her sons.
Details came in separate announcements today: Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 11: hot times for Archer; cold centuries for Earth

1) “Archer” series finale, 10 p.m., FXX, rerunning at 10:32 and 11:04. At its best, this show (a cartoon for grown-ups) has been big, brash and high-octane. Now the finale tries to top that, with killer drones, killer bikers, two beheadings and a behanding … plus Lana (shown here) trying to make her shaky operation work. We prefer shows where the body parts remain intact, but this is done with enough humor and zest to keep us watching. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 10: Banks’ game is ready for prime time

1) “Press Your Luck” season-opener, 10 p.m., ABC. Elizabeth Banks (shown here) has become an all-around talent. She was a comedy actress, from “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” to regular roles in “30 Rock” and “Modern Family.” Then she was a movie director — “Pitch Perfect 2,” the gorgeous “Charlie’s Angels” reboot, the surprise hit “Cocaine Bear” — and a game-show host. Her “Press Your Luck” ran for four summers on ABC, before it was nudged into the fall schedule. Read more…

From London confinement to coastal splendor

Louisa Binder’s life did an instant, 180-degree flip.
This was pandemic time, when London was finishing its third lockdown. “I had been stuck in my flat, by myself,” she recalled.
Then came the news: She had a lead role as Constance (shown here) in “Hotel Portofino,” the lush period-piece drama. Soon, she was going from urban confinement to splendor on the Croatian coast.
“It was breathtaking,” Binder said. “I get off the plane and it’s sunny and the sea is turquoise.” This was the proper way to start a professional acting career.
Now the actors have filmed three six-episode seasons. The second one starts at 8 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 15) on PBS, juggling moments that are brash soap opera and serious historical drama. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 9: tragedies, fictional and real

1) “Irrational,” 10 p.m., NBC. As one of this fall’s few new, scripted shows, this had big expectations. . The first episode was terrific; the second had a wildly unlikely finish. Now this third one bounces back neatly: A skilled pilot crashes, raising suspicion. (In truth, this episode says, there hasn’t been a fatal crash of a major airline in 14 years.) Our hero, a psychology professor, visits the crash site (shown here) and discusses some fascinating human quirks. Read more…

An old master brings “Frasier” back

Life has a special place for the masters of the old arts.
There are the blacksmiths, the locksmiths, the whatever-smiths. There are the keepers of native tongues and the cousins who memorized grandma’s recipes. And there’s James Burrows.
At 82, he retains a special skill – directing situation comedies that are filmed before a studio audience. We’ll see that when the first two episodes of the “Frasier” revival (shown here) debut Thursday (Oct. 12) on Paramount+, then rerun at 9:15 p.m. Oct. 17 on CBS. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 8: Mysteries end; Cruella returns

1) “Professor T” season-finale, 8 p.m., PBS. This is basically a case-of-the-week series, with clever crimes solved by a criminology professor. Along the way, however, it has planted secrets among the police: Lisa (Emma Naomi, shown here) had a secret romance with Dan; their boss has a secret one with an undercover cop. Dan raged about Lisa’s secret shot at promotion … while he was secretly moonlighting with thugs. It all explodes tonight, in a terrific finish. Read more…

Week’s top-10 for Oct. 9: New dramas; not-new Disney

1) “Transplant” season-opener, 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC. Once confined to summertime, this Canadian drama deserves attention. Dr. Bashir Hamed and his sister fled from Syria to Canada. After rescuing the emergency-department chief, he got a hospital job, some friendships and a possible romance with the intense Mags. But now there’s a new chief, Mags has a new job and a friend (Theo, shown here with Bash) has survived a crash. It’s a crowded hour, but has strong moments Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 7: Steve Martin Short and a baking champion

1) “Great Chocolate Showdown” finale, 8 p.m., CW. This amiable Canadian show has become more American since adding the CW mini-network. This year, seven of the 10 contestants were from the U.S., including the final four. Last week, Tim Eford, an Atlanta cop, was eliminated. That leaves Mike Casner, 38, a Chicago doctor; Ashlee, 33, a Baltimore medical assistant; and Kristen Washington (shown here in a previous episode), 23, who drives food delivery in Jackson, Miss. Read more…