Year: 2023

Stories

An ’80s epic starts a compelling (and final) season

Eight years ago, an unknown English actor met a well-known American producer-director-writer.
Damson Idris had done a few plays, a few TV episodes, one movie; he knew nothing about the chaotic 1980s era in South Central Los Angeles. John Singleton knew everything about it.
They ate Jamaican food in South Central and talked. And then? “He waited for me to get home,” Idris told the Television Critics Association, “before calling me and telling me, ‘Hey, you got the part.’”
That’s the lead role in “Snowfall” (shown here with Idris), the fierce and compelling drama starting its sixth and final season. Its first two episodes – 10 and 11:11 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 22) on FX, then going to Hulu – conclude with a sensational scene pitting Idris (as Franklin) against Amin Joseph (as Jerome, his uncle). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 21, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 23: big night for two eternal dramas

1) “Grey’s Anatomy” return, 9 p.m., ABC. Ellen Pompeo already has her place in TV history, playing the same character (Meredith Grey) for 19 seasons. Only a few people have topped that in primetime, including Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Kelsey Grammer (“Cheers and “Frasier”) and James Artness (“Gunsmoke”). Aas the show returns from a 15-week break, it’s her last day at the hospital (shown here) and the doctors plan a surprise. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 21, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 22: tough finale, tougher P.D.

1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. Unlike the other two “Chicago” shows, this consistently has strong action plus sharp dialog from deeply etched characters who keep surviving ordeals. The extreme is Kim Burgess: In one season, she was assaulted and suffered a miscarriage; in the next, she was shot and left for dead. Now, in the show’s 200th episode (shown here with Marina Squerciati, who plays Kim), she and ex-fiance Adan Ruzek have an adventure, including subway tunnels and an underwater rescue. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 20, 2023
News and Quick Comments

Black Broadway: deep passion, occasional joy

By now, Black actors have become deeply embedded in the history of Broadway musicals.
It’s been 88 years since “Porgy and Bess” debuted, 56 since Pearl Bailey took over “Hello, Dolly.” A PBS special – “Black Broadway,” 8 p.m. Feb. 28 – ripples with young singers (including Corbin Bleu, show here) doing potent anthems first sung by Blacks.
Even with that, said conductor Brittany Chanell Johnson, there’s room for more and for different.
Many of the shows “are traumatic stories,” she said. There should also be room “for stories of joy.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 19, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 21: soaring rap, messy wedding

1) “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World” finale, 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. This starts with the “gangsta rap” era and its roots: When police were acquitted for the 1991 beating of Rodney King, Los Angeles exploded. Politicians raged at anti-cop songs; they overlooked, at first, the rampant misogyny. The first hour ends with the rise of Queen Latifah (shown here in a more-recent concert) and others in response. The second sees rap soar, fighting new power, from Clinton to Trump. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 19, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 20: Who can monopolize Monopoly?

1) “American Experience: The Ruthless History of Monopoly,” 9 p.m., PBS. When Ralph Anspach created Anti-Monopoly in the 1970s, the Parker Brothers company tried to smite it. Clearly, the company said, this violated a patent it had held since Monopoly (shown here in its current form) was invented in the 1930s. Anspach didn’t budge. He traced the game to a Lizzie Maggie patent in 1904 and then to Atlantic City women in the 1920s. Here’s a fun portrait of an intense, six-year battle. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 18, 2023
Stories

She left a comfy career … and found TV stardom

In the wobbly world of acting, Liza Lapira had found a balance.
She had a day job she liked (as a store manager) and a boss who let her leave for auditions. She did theater and had some TV roles, all while living in her home town of New York, near family and friends.
“I had a really great life,” she recalled by phone. “It felt a little safe and comfortable.” So she left.
These days, that move seems wise – especially if you watch CBS on Sundays. In December, she starred in “Must Love Christmas,” the best of the year’s holiday movies; now “The Equalizer” (shown here) – a ratings hit – is finally back in its 8 p.m. slot. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 17, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 19: “Idol” leads a packed night

1) “American Idol” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. The bad news is that this gets monotonous, as judges pour out cascades of praise; we almost wish for a Simon Cowell interlude. And the good news? The praise is well-deserved; the talent is amazing. Watch one little teen (shown here) sit at the piano and give a whole new vibe to a Billy Joel tune … and another give a warm vibe to her own creation. There are even guys who look like a young Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. It’s a strong start. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 17, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Feb. 20: Farewell to Meredith and “Mayfair”

1) “Grey’s Anatomy” return, 9 p.m. Thursday, ABC. Ellen Pompeo, shown here, is already a piece of TV history, playing the same character (Meredith Grey) for 19 seasons. Few people (Mariska Hargitay, Kelsey Grammer, James Arness) have topped that in prime time. Now – as the show returns from a 15-week break – it’s Meredith’s last day at the hospital. The doctors plan a surprise, Nick asks about the future and interns compete to be involved in key surgery. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 16, 2023
News and Quick Comments

Beautiful liars are splendid company

As a sleek drama debuts on ABC, it offers a concept that has spanned decades and continents.
“I was compelled at first by the idea of two professional liars who see one another’s truths,” said Julia Cohen, a producer of ABC’s “The Company You Keep.” These two (shown here) are smart, sexy and – they don’t realize – on opposite sides of the law.
That’s the notion that propelled the Korean series this is based on. It also was behind an American tale that writer Elmore Leonard created decades ago.
Now the “Company” opener gets a big push — 10 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 19), after the “American Idol” opener, then rerunning at 10 p.m. the following Thursday, after the return of “Grey’s Anatomy.” It also offers some starpower, with former “This Is Us” star Milo Ventimiglia. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 16, 2023