Year: 2023

News and Quick Comments

“Emily” offers warmth and humor, amid a deep funk

An excellent movie arrives Friday (Sept. 8) on cable. The less you know about it in advance, the better.
I’ll tell you a few generalities for now, then have a spoiler alert before going any further:
“Guiding Emily” (shown here) is 9 p.m. Friday on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, rerunning at 7 p.m. Sunday. It has an Emmy-worthy performance by Sarah Drew (who played April for nine years on “Grey’s Anatomy”) and solid work from the others.
It also has things you don’t expect in a serious story – subtlety, vibrant visuals and a dab of humor.
OK, that’s all I can say without spoilers. Go ahead and watch it or read on: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 2, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 4: football, comedies and Penthouse

1) “Secrets of Penthouse,” 9-11 p.m., A&E; rerunning 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, with the second half 9-11. Bob Guccione (shown here) was an American artist, living in London with his wife and four kids, when he launched the explicit Penthouse magazine. It reportedly made him worth $300 million … which he promptly blew on bad investments. This intriguing (if repetitive) film has some people who praise his charm and others who discuss a bad dad and runaway ego. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 2, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 3: a great night for mysteries

1) “Unforgotten” (shown here) season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Last season ended with the death of Cassie Stuart, the intense leader of this cold-case unit. Now Jessica James takes over – but gets a sharp jolt in her own life, less than an hour before work begins. She’s in a funk and a fog as Sunny Kahn, the No,. 2 detective, tries to forge ahead. Both are needed, in a compelling, six-week story with vivid characters. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Sept. 4: Football (pro and college) takes over

1) Pro football season-opener, 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday and Sunday, NBC. At a time when strikes have halted many shows, football is likely to dominate. Each year’s opener includes the Super Bowl champ; that’s Patrick Mahomes (shown here) and the Kansas City Chiefs, hosting the Detroit Lions, who were 9-8 last season. The pre-game fuss starts at 7. On Sunday, it will be the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants at night … and a flood of CBS and Fox games in the afternoon. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2023
Stories

This time, the actor and role merge neatly

Sure, we know that actors do make-believe.
Chances are, Tom Hanks has never piloted a space ship, Anthony Perkins hasn’t stabbed anyone, Anthony Hopkins hasn’t eaten anyone.
But in the rare times when an actor and a role merge neatly, the resultscan be fascinating. Meet Professor Jasper Tempest. “This character really, really fascinates me,” said Ben Miller (shown here), who plays him.
When “Professor T” begins its season (8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, on PBS), it could be considered the start of the TV season. Two shows follow – “Unforgotten” at 9 p.m., “Van der Velk” at 10. Each has smart mysteries, at a time when strikes have silenced most scripted shows; “T” also has an intriguing blend of the main character and the actor who plays him. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 31, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 2: Lots (and lots) of football

1) College football. The first full Saturday of the season is stuffed with games, none of them pitting two nationally ranked teams. That starts at noon ET and continues into primetime, with 7:30 p.m. games on NBC (West Virginia at Penn State, which is ranked No. 7) … ABC (North Carolina, shown here, No. 21, at South Carolina) … and CBS (Texas Tech at Wyoming). There’s much more, plus baseball on Fox. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 31, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 1: “Law” season ends, “1887” repeats

1) “Family Law” season-finale, 8 and 9 p.m., CW. For two seasons, this Canadian drama has offered a pleasantly adequate blend of court cases (some of them lightweight) and lawyers’ personal dramas (some quite serious). Tonight’s first hour finds a Britney Spears-type star fighting a conservatorship. The second has Abby (Jewel Staite, foreground) trying to help her half-sister (right) get legal status as a baby’s parent; and as her probation ends, Abby ponders leaving the firm her dad (left) runs. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 30, 2023
Stories

Fresh chances to savor a near-eternal TV host

TV viewers will have several chances to see Bob Barker, the game-show host who died Saturday at 99. That includes:
— Thursday (Aug. 31): CBS airs “The Price is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barker,” at 8 p.m. Drew Carey – who took over “Price” when Barker retired –will host the hour, with clips that will include Barker’s first and last episodes (in 1972 and 2007) and a return visit on his 90th birthday.
— Saturday (Sept. 2): The Game Show Network will have an eight-hour marathon of “Match Game” episodes with Barker as a panelist, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
— Monday (Sept. 4): The CBS special will rerun in the daytime slot of “Price”; for most stations, that’s 11 a.m. ET, but on the West Coast it’s 10 a.m.
That special will trace a life that seemed eternal. Barker attributed his longevity partly to food habits. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 30, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Aug. 31: Football starts, “Shadows” ends its season

1) Football, 8 p.m. ET, Fox. Tonight starts the first full weekend of the college season … which makes it sort of the start of the fall TV season. With most of the new, scripted shows blocked strikes, networks depend on sports. This weekend has primetime college games Saturday on ABC, CBS and NBC … and even Sunday on ABC. Today’s game has Nebraska (shown here, 4-8 last season) at Minnesota, which went 9-4, including a Pinstripe Bowl win. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 29, 2023
Stories

His new life takes him … well, everywhere

For his first 45 years, Baratunde Thurston (shown here) has managed a sort of mobile semi-fame.
He’s alternated between coasts, alternated between comedy and politics. He’s written books, done podcasts, been the digital guy for both The Onion and “The Daily Show.”
But now, in a strike-strewn time, he gets a new focus. Think of him as one of the first broadcast-network stars of the new season.
The big-time dramas and comedies are on the shelf for now, but PBS has its full line-up. Mysteries start Sept. 3; soon (8 p.m. Sept. 6), “America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston” opens its second season.
The show takes him to some less-visited spots. “We have oyster farmers, we have ranchers, we have wild-land firefighters, we have fire-restoration experts,” he said.”All that’s very important.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 28, 2023