1) “American Masters,” 9 p.m., PBS. Hazel Scott (shown here) was a piano prodigy at 4, a Juilliard student at 8, a nightclub performer in her teens, then a movie co-star. At 22, she led a three-day strike on a movie set; at 29, she had a DuMont Network TV show … until McCarthyism intervened. Here is a passionate profile, spiced by clips of a great singer and pianist. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. A slick consultant (Matthew Broderick, shown here) assures people he can get their kids into an Ivy League college. That leads to trouble and (as usual) murder; soon, Elsbeth is fencing with him – verbally and literally, It’s a good episode, with Broderick’s son, James, playing Carl. Read more…
1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. At 98, David Attenborough (shown here) keeps trying new ideas; here’s one of his best hours ever: He pretends to visit London’s Natural History Museum overnight; then special effects bring extinct creatures back to life. The result is honest — he tells which parts are definite and which are speculation – and immensely entertaining. Read more…
Amid a sea of clever Canadians and tidy budgets, here’s a slight detour:
The CW network is adding a show that’s smart, fun and (surprisingly) American. “Good Cop/Bad Cop” (shown here) debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 19), the perfect companion to the 8 p.m. “Wild Cards.”
For CW, this is part of a quick makeover. The network had been best known for slick superhero shows. It lost money, but its co-owners (Paramount and Warner Brothers) did well be then selling the same shows overseas.
Then CW was sold to people who had no interest in loss-leaders. They dumped all of the scripted shows (except “All American”), kept some unscripted ones and mostly started over. Read more…
For a moment there, the 50-year celebration of “Saturday Night Live” seemed to be veering off-course. Then it kept getting better, funnier, more entertaining.
The night (Feb. 16) started with a great monolog by Steve Martin (shown here), but followed with several sketches that were long on commotion and short on wit. Such sketches are a part of the “SNL” tradition, but why front-load them?
Just in time, however, the special rebounded with a bit involving questions from the audience. Interestingly, a football guy (Peyton Manning) had some of the best lines. Read more…
As she molded the glittery world of “Beyond the Gates” (shown here) Michele Val Jean suspected it might be an empty exercise.
After all, there hadn’t been a new daytime soap opera since 1999. Soaps were being canceled, not created.
“There were 13 on the air,” she said. “Now there are four – and one is streaming.”
But now it’s happening: At 2 p.m. Feb. 24, “Beyond the Gates” debuts on CBS. We’ll meet the Duprees, who are rich, Black, ambitious and – this is a soap, after all – troubled. Read more…
1) “Doc,” 9 p.m., Fox. Struggling to remain a doctor, despite losing eight years of memories, Amy has been opposed by Richard (now her boss) and Sonja (shown here). Now we see the human side of both. Richard (Scott Wolf) faces a rough problem at home; Sonja encounters a man from her past. This hour (the seventh of 10) packs potent emotion. Read more…
1) “Thomas Jefferson” opener, 8-10 p.m., History. Jefferson (shown here, in a painting) was filled with contrasts: He was shy (his inaugural address was barely audible), but his writing roared … He sold all his books (creating the Library of Congress) to avoid bankruptcy – then bought more … And he wrote of freedom, but failed to free his slaves. It’s an intriguing story, told over three nights. Read more…
Imagine scriptwriters losing all of their favorite moves.
No car chases, no foot races. No bursts, blasts, infernos or explosions; hardly any zombies, vampires or space ships.
With such deprivation, writers would have to resort to wit and character and nuance and such. That’s how the first golden age of TV drama began.
Shows were done in small spaces with large cameras. They were done live; there was no room for error … or for second-guessing.
“We had technical freedom, creative freedom, financial freedom,” director Fielder Cook told journalist Gordon Sander, adding: “Nobody could come and take it away from us, because nobody knew how to do it but us.” Read more…
1) “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” 8-11 p.m. ET, NBC. This live event (with red-carpet at 7) will be busy. It includes four of the first-year stars plus many that followed – Eddie Murphy (shown here), Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Kristen Wiig, Chris Rock and more. Also, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and other hosts. Read more…
