1) “Monsieur Spade” opener, 9 p.m., AMC. In “Maltese Falcon,” Sam Spade became the classic private eye, tough, terse and unblinking. Now he’s played by Clive Owen and (shown here) and written by Tom Fontana, the brilliant “Homicide” and “Oz” writer. Surprisingly, he’s living quietly in France; unsurprisingly, trouble finds him. The six-week story is oddly convoluted, but it ripples with quick, sharp dialog. Read more…
1) Emmy awards, 8 p.m. ET today, Fox. Delayed by strikes, the Emmys air seven months after the eligibility period ended. Anthony Anderson hosts, on a night led by streamers. For dramas, “Succession” (shown here) faces “The Crown,” a long-ago “Better Call Saul” and more. Comedies range from the first seasons of “The Bear” and “Wednesday” to the final ones of “Ted Lasso” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Read more…
Now for some good news: Two of my favorite TV elements – “Resident Alien” and Annaleigh Ashford – will be returning.
Not together (which would be interesting), but giving us a couple things to look forward to. “Resident Alien” starts its season Feb. 14; Ashford’s “Happy Face” arrives sometime next year. Details include: Read more…
1) “The Simpsons Movie” (2007), 6 p.m. and midnight, FX. On TV in 2007, Bart Simpson scrawled: “I will not wait 20 years to make another movie.” But maybe he will. This first one (shown here) came 17 years after the series began. Critics approved and it topped a half-billion dollars worldwide. Still, we’ve waited 16-plus years – so far – for the next one. Read more…
James Caverly’s acting career was zipping along neatly.
He’d done shows everywhere – Boston and Baltimore and Berkeley, Ithaca, NY, and Washington, D.C. and more. Now it was time to live in the center of the theater world.
And then? “I moved to New York City, believe it or not, two weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic hit …. All of a sudden, the entire industry just collapsed.”
He was deaf and unemployed … and somehow, it worked out. A key episode of “Only Murders in the Building” (shown here) – rerunning at 9 p.m. Jan. 16 on ABC – brought new life. Read more…
1) “SWAT.” return, 8 p.m., CBS. After months of alternatives, CBS has re-assembled the line-up that gets strong ratings on Fridays. They’ll have reruns for now, with their new seasons starting Feb. 16. In “SWAT” (shown here in a previous episode), it’s Patrol Day, when the elite team must work the streets. Trouble soon follows. Read more…
1) “SEAL Team.” 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. After a long stretch of comedies (the original, British “Ghosts”) on Thursdays, CBS shifts to military action. Over two weeks, it reruns a four-parter that wrapped up a season on Paramount+. Jason (David Boreanaz, left, in a scene from another episode) takes the team to Venezuela, for a tough mission involving Iran’s nuclear program. Read more…
OK, I know I keep lobbying for all award show to have hosts. The hostless years of the Oscars were borderline dreadful.
But after the Golden Globes (shown here), I realize I should have been more specifics. Shows should:
1) Choose a funny host; and
2) Give him or her time to think of something humorous. Read more…
1) “Nature: Big Little Journeys” opener, 8 p.m., PBS. This three-week series shows small creatures with big migrations. Only one per cent of baby turtles reach adulthood, we’re told; in Canada, we see one try to cross a highway and reach a lake, to avoid freezing. And in South Africa, a bushbaby (shown here, not in a scene from the film) looks for a home. Both encounter creatures – a moose, an elephant, etc. — much larger. Read more…
1) “La Brea” season-opener (shown here), 9 p.m., NBC. In a classic understatement, someone says: “Things look pretty bleak now.” Oh, it was bleak long ago, when people fell through a sinkhole and emerged in 10,000 BC, with mammoths romping. It got worse when a time portal went awry (don’t they always?); Eve was swept away and dinosaurs arrived. Now we’re just six weeks from the Feb. 13 finale. Read more…
