Month: March 2024

News and Quick Comments

Yes, PBS is fun: dramas, concerts, more

OK, we all know that PBS likes to educate. It’s the place to learn about French chefs, Russian czars and Roman aquaducts.
But it’s also a fun place.We’re reminded of that with a new batch of Sunday dramas (starting March 17) that includes Helena Bonham Carter (shown here) … a four-Friday slice of Broadway (starting May 10) … and music, from Willie Nelson to Elton John.
“Art has been at the heart of our work for more than 50 years,” Paula Kerger, the PBS president, told the Television Critics Associatiion. She means 50 years literally: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 9, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 11: “Queens” concludes, “Bachelor” gets intimate

1) “Queens” conclusion, 8, 9 and 10:03 p.m., National Geographic. This splendid series views the females that dominate animal society. At 8 p.m. is a moving portrait of an elephant herd (shown here) as it trudges toward elusive water, while protecting a baby. from fierce predators. That’s followed by hours in Ethiopia (wolves and simians) and along the coast, with bears and orcas. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 9, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 10: Oscar time, at last

1) Academy Awards, 7 p.m. ET, ABC. This one should actually be fun. There’s a clever host — Jimmy Kimmel (shown here), for the second straight year and fourth overall. There are movies – led by “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” – people have actually seen. And there’s music: Billie Eilish, Becky G, Jon Btatiste, Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson, Scott George and the Osage Singers. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 8, 2024
News and Quick Comments

Travel time? Settle for kinda-good

When you’re traveling, ii seems, you might settle for sorta-good.
Things are rarely perfect. In his second season of “The Reluctant Traveler” (which starts March 8 on Apple TV+), Eugene Levy found:
— An island hotel at the northern edge of Germany. The setting was “absolutely gorgeous,”he told the Television Critics Association, but there was a wellness theme. “You couldn’t get a cup of coffee there. You couldn’t get a glass of wine. You have to fast for three days.”
— A Swedish town (shown here), filled with cute buildings, sweet people and “mosquitoes – like a lot of mosquitoes. Like, it was a very thick season for mosquitoes.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 7, 2024
Weekly Previews

Week’s top 10 for March 11: triple drama for ABC, PBS

1) “Grey’s Anatomy” season-opener, 9 p.m. Thursday, ABC. One of the last shows to return post-strike, this is one that people miss. It’s the 20th “Grey’s Anatomy” season, tying it with “Gunsmoke” for No. 3 among dramas (trailing two “Law & Order” shows). It opens with a doctor (Teddy) and patient (Sam) in peril. Meredith is re-thinking her research and interns (shown here is Harry Shum Jr.) are immersed in a tough case. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 7, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 9: Last night to prep for Oscars

1) Oscar prep. On Academy Awards eve, here are two best-piicture nominees. “Past Lives” (7:15 p.m., Showtime) is also up for best original script; it’s extremely slow and subtle, sort of the opposite of a soap opera. “American Fiction” (8 p.m. and midnght, MGM+) is up for adapted scriipt, music, actor (Jeffrey Wright, shown here) and supporting actor (Sterling K. Brown). It has a wonderfully clever plot Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 7, 2024
Stories

Oscar night: This one could be fun

As Oscar night approaches, things seem promising. On a night with Barbie (shown here) and Oppenheimer and Kimmel, this could be fun.
The Academy Awards used to be great fun – clever monologs, big music numbers, sly presenters and (remember these?) movies people had seen in theaters.
Then things deteriorated. There were three dreary years, 2019-21, with no host (and, in one case, no primetime songs). There was little to watch except tedious speeches.
The result was harsh: In 1998 (Billy Crystal hosted, “Titanic” won), 55.3 mllion people watched in the U.S.; in 2021 (no host, “Nomadland” won), that was 10.4 millon. But now the fun returns. Here’s an overview of this Sunday, March 10: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 6, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 8: cops and a damsel in distress

1) “SWAT,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. For the second time in four weeks, this ambitious show (shown here in a previous episode) has a two-parter. This time, the parts air together: A Chilean arms dealer kidnaps a woman and her daughter in Los Angeles. Then bikers steal a cache of armor-piercing bullets; the team tries to catch them before they can pull off a heist. Also, there are personal crises for Tan, Nichelle and others. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 6, 2024
News and Quick Comments

Good news: Sheldon’s brother gets a spin-off

CBS has found another way to feast off its past hits.
Next season, it will have a comedy with Montana Jordan and Emily Osment (shown here) continuing their “Young Sheldon” roles as Georgie and Mandy.
That comes one day after the network cast a prequel, looking at the earlier years of Leroy Gibbs, whom Mark Harmon played in “CSI.”
This new one, however, is unusual. It’s a spin-off to a spin-off and a sequel to a prequel. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 5, 2024
News and Quick Comments

Fox finally has a fresh flurry of shows

After a sluggish stretch, post-strike, the Fox network is now a-swirl with new projects.
This week (March 4-6), the network is launching three new nights. That includes some scripted shows, after months when Fox (cartoons excluded) had none.
Now Fox has set its summer reality-show plans, including the return of Jamie Foxx and his daughter Corinne (shown here) and the addition of Lisa Vanderpump. It has also set other projects, including a sort of male strip special. Details include: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 5, 2024