1) “NCIS: Sydney,” 8 p.m., CBS. A week later than first scheduled, here’s the season-opener. It’s intense, starting moments after the first season ended: The people who kidnapped JD’s son had a phone link to Col. Rankin. With one flaw (a stiff and stereotyped higher-up from NCIS), it’s a strong hour, with action (shown here) and intensity. Read more…
For a frantic stretch, Sunday is becoming TV’s must-see night.
That sprawls across four weeks and three networks. It was conference-championship football (Jan. 26, CBS) and the Grammys (Feb. 2, CBS); now come the Super Bowl (Feb. 9, Fox, with the Eagles, shown here, and Chiefs) and the “Saturday Night Live” 50-year reunion (Feb. 16, NBC).
All of that is splendid for people who want big-deal events. It’s way less cheerful for ABC … or fans of “Tracker” and “Equalizer” … or for shows – from “The Simpsons” to “Masterpiece” — that compete with the giants. Read more…
1) “NFL Honors,” 9-11 p.m., Fox. Snoop Dogg hosts from New Orleans, where the Chiefs and Eagles collide Sunday in the Super Bowl. Neither team has a most-valuable-player nominee; those are Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow (shown here), Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson. But other categories include the Chiefs coach and three Eagles on defense. Read more…
People used to talk about “Grammy moments” – the bits that made Grammy-night special.
But this time? The entire night — concluding with album-of-the-year for Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” (shown here) felt like one mega-moment. Each song seemed like the curtain-closer for a Broadway show or an epic party.
It helped, of course, that the new generation of performers can do much more than sing. There was Benson Boone, doing two back-flips; there was Sabrina Carpenter somehow channeling Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball and a pop diva. Read more…
1) “Wild Cards” season-opener, 8 p.m, CW. Last season was filled with clever scams, ending with the best: Max helped Ellis nab the crooks, but stole the $33 million Faberge egg. Now, oddly, the show sheds its glam-scam touch. There are laborious scenes reuniting the duo, followed by a so-so case that has Ellis undercover (shown here) amid street-racers. Stick around; it will get better. Read more…
(This is the third chapter in a book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the previous chapters, scroll down in “Stories.”)
When it comes to naming the first TV star, choices vary.
Some people might choose the American president (Franklin Roosevelt) or the British postmaster general. Some could say Elma Farnsworth or Betty White or Adele Dixon or Gertrude Lawrence or (shown here) folks at the 1939 World’s Fair. They could also say David Sarnoff; he would.
But for now, we’ll say Felix the Cat.
Back in 1928, General Electric engineers were scrambling to develop a TV system. For two years, Marc Robinson wrote, “a small Felix the Cat figurine was used as the subject. The lighting was too hot for a human to tolerate.” Read more…
1) “St. Denis Medical,” 8 p.m., NBC. Dr. Ron suggests (gently) that weight-loss would ease a patient’s knee problem. He’s accused of fat-shaming; soon, the nurses (shown here) have dizzying journey through online reviews. A second story – Bruce pondering a high school bully – is mostly sad, but the main one reminds us that this is one of the year’s best new shows. Read more…
(This slightly updates a previous story)
Black History Month arrives today (Feb. 1) and TV is ready.
Well … some of TV, anyway. PBS will have lots of documentaries and a Wynton Marsalis (shown here) concert. CBS has a special that celebrates Blacks on TV (mostly, on CBS). Streamers load up.
In the four-and-a-half years since the death of George Floyd, separate Black departments have been created at ABC, Hulu, Hallmark and more. Still, it’s uneven. Some focus on Black History Month, some don’t. Here’s a sampling: Read more…
In the makeshift world of the CW network, there’s some good news:
Scripted shows are making a modest comeback. They include:
— An OK one at 8 p.m. Mondays. The seventh season of “All American” is almost a reboot – a workable mix of old and new characters.
— A good one at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. “Wild Cards” is a fun blend of a quiet cop and a zestful con woman.
— And an even better one, added to Wednesdays on Feb. 19. “Good Cop/Bad Cop” (shown here) has clever ways of plugging mismatched siblings into mysteries. Read more…
1) “9-1-1: Lone Star” series-finale, 8 p.m., Fox. The most-watched shows on Fox were also the most expensive. So “9-1-1” moved to ABC and this spin-off is ending after five seasons. At least, it ends big(shown here) — with an asteroid hitting Texas. Rob Lowe, the star, won’t be jobless: He hosts “The Floor,” which has its season-opener Sunday, after the Super Bowl. Read more…
