Month: March 2024

Stories

An auto passion propelled him to “Parish”

As Giancarlo Esposito talks, rich passions come pouring out.
There’s his love of acting … and people … and cars, which makes “Parish” (show here) seem ideal.
This is a bracing, six-part mini-series that starts at 10:15 p.m. Sunday (March 31) on AMC, right after the conclusion of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.” He plays a former getaway driver, nudged back into hiis old life to save a friend.
“I’ve lived wiith it for so very long, through many incarnations and developments,” he told the Television Critics Association. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 25, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 26: strong dramas, departing comedies

1) “Alert: Missing Persons Unit,” 9 p.m., ABC. After some fairly good episodes, “MPU” has a terrific one, mixing intense urgency and quiet warmth. The story gives depth to a teen runaway and the cops seeking her. Scott Caan is again excellent as Jason, but the bonus is Adeola Role (shown here, right) as Kemi. Once just a past-lives oddity, she now brings deep passion. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 24, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 25: “Bachelor” ends, “Bob” returns

1) “The Bachelor” finale, 8 p.m.,, ABC,with follow-up at 10. Joey Graziadei, 28, is down to two choices, both 25: Kelsey Anderson (shown here wth hm) is from Louisiana; Daisy Kent grew up in Minnesota, but went to college in San Diego and works there. She wrote a children’s book; based loosely on her experience as a hearing-impaired kid who received a cochlear implant. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 23, 2024
Stories

Here’s TV’s Easter surge, March 29-31

TV networks seem to be like many of us – suddenly remembering religion twice a year.
Now the Easter rush begins. In a three-day surge, TV ranges from Easter lite (bunnies and bonnets and such) to the intensity of “The Ten Commandments” and “The Passion of the Christ.”
Here’s a round-up, from Good Friday through Easter, March 29-31. Some of the channels (ABC, History, Hallmark, Turner Classic Movies) are easy to find; others have scattered availability, via cable, digital, satellite and online.
This skips some of the regular church services, but includes the rest. All times are ET; many of the channels – TCM, UpTV, INSP and more – only send one signal, so an 8 p.m. show listed here is 5 p.m. PT. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 24: “Tracker” leads a drama surge

1) “Tracker,” 8 p.m., CBS. In a one-time switch, CBS moves this up an hour., for an episode that teams Colter (Jason Hartley) with his nemesis, a fellow tracker. She’s played by Hartley’s wife, Sofia Pernas (shown heere). A Morrocan natiive, she was Marisa on “The Young and the Restless” (where they met), Cataliina in “Jane the Virgin” and starred in CBS’ summer action show, “Blood & Treasure.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2024
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for March 25: from “Bachelor” to a busy Easter

1) “The Bachelor” finale, 8 p.m. today, ABC, follow-up at 10. Joey Graziadei makes his choice. He’s 28 and teaches tennis in Hawaii; now two women remain, both 25. Kelsey Anderson (right) is from Louisiana. Daisy Kent (center) grew up in Minnesota and went to school and works in San Diego; after longtime hearing troubles (apparently from Lyme disease), she received a cochlear implant. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 21, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 23: Ilia, Ayo and Freddie

1) Figure Skating, 3 p.m., USA Network, and 8 p.m., NBC. It’s the last competition day for the world championship. That has the pairs in the afternoon, men at night … and a clear change. NBC has always highlighted the women, but this time the top American contender is a guy, Ilia Malinin (shown here). The women’s finals were Friday, on cable. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 21, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 22: skaters, chefs and dunkers

1) Figure Skating, 8 p.m., USA Network. Approximately forever, women have been top-billed in American coverage of figure-skating. (Shown here is an Olympics skater.) Not this time. The best spot in the World Figure Skating Championships — Saturday night on NBC — goes to the men; women are relegated to tonight on cable. Peacock will start coverage of the women at 6 p.m.; earlier, it has rhythm dance at 11:20 a.m. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 20, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 21: Basketball begins, skaters spin

1) Basketball. The college tournament begin with perhaps the day’s best match-up – MSU vs. MSU. Michigan State (shown here) annd Mississippi State, seeded No. 9 and 8 in a 16-team quadrant, collide at 12:15 p.m. on CBS– which also has games at 2:45, 7:10 and 9:40. Other games are on TruTV (12:40, 3:10, 7:25 and 9:55); TNT (1:30, 4, 6:50 and 9:20); and TBS (2, 4:30, 7:25 and 9:55). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 19, 2024