At times, it seemed like Hollywood had made its last musical.
The genre felt wobbly and weary. And then …
Well, then we got bursts like this, with two big-deal musicals side-by-side in theaters. They are opposites: “Wonka” starts in a place of joy, “The Color Purple” (shown here) in a place of despair. Yet they both stir us, musically and emotionally. Read more…
1) “Greatest @Home Videos,” 8 p.m., CBS. Born amid the pandemic’s burst of online originality, this has its 10th special. It’s the second with an award-show theme. Cedric the Entertainer picks the best videos from around the world, settles on a top two and lets viewers choose. Max Greenfield, who stars with him in “The Neighborhood” (shown here) shows up as “verifier of the results of stuff.” Read more…
1) “The Conners,” 8:30 and 9 p.m.,, CW. This is a first: A show that still has new episodes on one broadcast network will have reruns on another. “The Conners” (shown here) starts its sixth season Feb. 7 on ABC, but now it reruns its first season here. That starts with some terrific episodes – the first with the family impacted by Roseanne’s death, the second with David (Johnny Galecki) visiting. Read more…
1) “Magnum P.I.” finale, 9 and 10 p.m., NBC. This often juggles opposites — a sleek crime tale and a clumsy drama. That’s true in the first hour, with a clever crime scheme sharing time with a flat phone-hotline story. But the second hour (shown here) handles personal stories briskly and focuses on the crime. With one flaw – this guy was foolish to hire Magnum – it’s a winner, a good way to end the series. Read more…
