Month: September 2024

News and Quick Comments

ABC’s movie mix: classics, reboots and Halloween

ABC has finally answered a lingering question about its fall schedule:
What, exactly, will it show Sundays, on the Disney movie night?
The answer is a mix of new-ish films — the reboots of “Little Mermaid” (shown here) and “Haunted Mansion” and the latest Indiana Jones tale — and classics (“Coco,” “Moana” “Mrs. Doubtfire”). There will be a Halloween emphasis in October, before broadening the range.
All of that will start a week later than originally announced – on Oct. 6, instead of Sept. 29. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 25, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 26: “Grey’s” leads ABC surge

1) “Grey’s Anatomy” (shown here) season-opener, 10 p.m., ABC. It’s the 21st season, passing “Gunsmoke” on the all-time list. Among scripted, primetime shows, that’s topped only by “The Simpsons” and two “Law & Order” shows, heading into No. 36, 26 and 24. “Station 19” is gone now, so Ben (Jason George) returns to “Grey’s.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 24, 2024
News and Quick Comments

A funny guy takes an angry look at Hispanic history

The world has long known that John Leguizamo can be a funny guy,
His starred in a Mario Brothers movie in 1993, had his own sketch-comedy show on Fox in ‘96. He’s been the voice of Sid the Sloth in “Ice Age” movies and specials. He’s also been the voice of Jack Sprat, Sir Butterscotch and folks named Dizzy, Fluffy, Ziggy and Zip.
But there’s another side “I am a history nerd …. I’m like the Rain Man of Latin facts,” Leguizamo (shown here) told the Television Critics Association. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 23, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 25: Chicago shows (good and bad) and “Masked Singer”

www(Here are the five TV best-bets for Wednesday, Sept. 25; feel free to use in any form – all or some, print and/or web)

1) “Chicago P.D.” season-opener, 10 p.m., NBC. Easily the best of the three Chicago shows, this is also the most intense. Now Voight (shown here) is angrier than ever. He barely survived a kidnapping last season; now his favorite colleague (Hailey) is gone. Voight throws himself into a lethal drug case. The result packs a powerful punch, including a final jolt. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 23, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Sept. 23: NBC, Fox have debuts, season-openers

1) “The Voice,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The 26th season begins, with Reba McEntire as the only judge returning from the 25th. Gwen Stefani will have her eighth turn, but skipped last spring; Michael Buble and Snoop Dogg will have their first. Tonight, that leads into the debut of “Brilliant Minds” (shown here), Next week, the auditions will also include Tuesdays; this week, that’s the night for the “America’s Got Talent” finale. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 21, 2024
Stories

“Matlock” transforms into an essential pleasure

Strange things happened in our living rooms during the pandemic.
“Everyone was back on the couch, watching television and film,” Skye Marshall told the Television Critics Association. “And for the very first time as an actor, I felt like an essential worker.”
And strange things happened in TV offices, as people scrambled for new ideas … or, preferably, new old ideas. That’s sort of what sparked “Matlock” (shown here with Jason Ritter, Kathy Bates and Marshall) which is — like its title character — deceptively brilliant. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 20, 2024
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Sept. 23: Debuts, country and a vital “Choice”

1) “The Choice,” 9-11 p.m. Tuesday, PBS. Each presidential year, the “Frontline” people create a profile of the candidates. The result – in the PBS tradition – tends to be deep, detailed and even-handed. Now comes the third “Choice” portrait of Donald Trump and the first of Kamala Harris. Even in a week stuffed with debuts (including “Murder in a Small Town,” shown here), this is the most important telecast. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 19, 2024