1) “The Untold Story of Mary Poppins,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. The movie and its stars seems eternal. Julie Andrews (shown here), now 89, and Dick Van Dyke, turning 99 on Dec. 13, still perform; co-composer Richard Sherman died in May, at 95. Here’s a view of the film, which ABC airs Thursday. It won five Oscars, including one for Andrews and two for the Sherman brothers. Read more…
Interesting things can be found in odd, unvisited corners of the TV world,
One of those corners is any Tuesday on Fox. That’s where you’ll find:
— On Nov. 26, the season-finale of “Murder in a Small Town.” Flaws and all, it’s an excellent hour; if need be, it could be considered a good series-finale.
— On Dec. 3, back-to-back episodes of “Accused” (shown here). The two hours are wildly different in tone; they remind us why people hate and/or love anthologies. Read more…
At the core of “Interior Chinatown” (shown here), which arrived recently on Hulu, is a waiter named Willis.
He’s someone we know, maybe someone we are. He goes through life being semi-noticed. A fan of cop shows, he feels he’s like a background player, the guy whose only function is to find a body or witness a crime.
Soon, that changes; this series – all 10 parts arrived at once — is filled with wondrous flights of fantasy. But before that, Willis symbolizes many people:
— Maybe undernoticed Asian-Americans. “I grew up watching TV in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and I just never saw Asians,” Charles Yu, who wrote the series (and the book it’s based on), told the Television Critics Association. Read more…
1) Dancing With the Stars” finale, 8-10 p.m., ABC. No one was ousted last week, pushing all five “stars” to the finals. Olympians Ilona Maher (rugby) and Stephen Nedoroscik (gymnastics; he’s shown here with Rylee Arnold) face football’s Danny Amendola, actress Chandler Kinney and Joey Graziadei of “The Bachelor.” Last week’s scores carry over, with a new free-style dance to add in. Read more…
1) “Brilliant Minds,” 10 p.m., NBC. For a gifted painter, this is a fierce blow: Suddenly, he can’t see color. Dr. Wolf (shown here) grasps for an answer, while flashing back (yet again), to his years as a gay teen with a disapproving mother. The story seems excessive at times, but is also intelligent and involving. Read more…
Scripted shows will still be a part of the CW network this winter.
Well, a small part. “All American” will be on Mondays and two light crime shows – the returning “Wild Cards” (shown here) and the new “Good Cop/Bad Cop” – will pair on Wednesdays.
The mini-network has been scrambling for an identity, ever since new owners decided to go with lower-cost series.
Right now, its only new, scripted shows are “Superman & Lois” (which ends its four-year run on Dec. 2) and two Canadian series. “Children Ruin Everything” returns Nov. 29; “Sullivan’s Crossing” ends its season Dec. 11. But now comes the mid-season recharge: Read more…
1) “The Simpsons” (shown here), 8 p.m., Fox .In the style of Ray Bradbury’s “Illustrated Man,” Lisa meets a guy whose tattoos pull her into separate stories. The first two are pretty good; the third is truly remarkable: It offers a world where people obsess on “quality TV,” with dark theme and long, tangled stories. Read more…
1) Thanksgiving Day parade (shown here in a previous year), 8:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, NBC and Peacock. The holiday season begins. There are 22 floats, 11 bands,17 balloons and 10 performance groups. NBC adds Rockettes, more dancers, soloists (Jennifer Hudson, Billy Porter, Kylie Minogue) and the Broadway casts of “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Outsiders” and “Death Becomes Her.” Read more…
1) Football, 7 p.m. ET, CW; pre-game at 6:30. Let’s call this the PAC-12 Conference championship game. That was a big deal in the days with UCLA, USC and Oregon. Alas, those teams and others departed, leaving a sort of PAC-2. (Six new ones will join in 2026.) Now those two collide, with Washington State (shown here, with a 8-2 record) at Oregon State (4-6). Read more…
1) “Great Performances,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Here is pure, passionate music. Backed by great Nashville musicians, 18 women and two groups perform the songs of Patsy Cline. Most are very good and a some are great, especially Wynonna (shown here in a previous performance), capturing the emotional power of “Sweet Dreams” and “Crazy.” Read more…
