1) “The Americas” and “Suits LA,” 7 and 9 p.m. Sunday, NBC. After lots of football and specials, NBC remakes Sundays. First, a gorgeous wildlife documentary series, starting with the Atlantic Coast (shown here) the first hour and Mexico the second. Then comes a new show from the creator of “Suits.” This one focuses on entertainment lawyers and stars Stephen Amell (“Arrow”). Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m., NBC. On the eve of its 50-year celebration, “SNL” reruns it first episode. It’s not like the current version, with a huge cast doing sketches; instead, it’s a ragtag variety show, blending sketches from a small with music from Billy Preston and Janice Ian, comedy from Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson and mini-monologs from George Carlin. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live” concert, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), Peacock. As “SNL” launches its 50-year celebration, it has this live mega-concert. It includes Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Bonnie Raitt (shown here), Eddie Vedder, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Brittany Howard, Jelly Roll, Chris Martin, Brenda Carlile The Roots, the Backstreet Boys, Arcade Fire and more. Read more…
There is something to be said for benign obscurity.
Just ask Mike White, whose “The White Lotus” (shown here) starts its third season at 9 p.m. ET Sunday (Feb. 16) on HBO and Max. “I’ve never worked with this kind of scrutiny,” he said.
In the old days, life was simple. He wrote and acted in indie films that were often loved by movie buffs and ignored by others.
Then came “White Lotus,” about strangers in a resort. It won 10 Emmys, including three for White – best writer, director and limited series.
HBO promptly decided it wasn’t limited, after all. It could keep coming back – each time with new people in a new resort in a new country. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. Ever since “Rear Window,” mysteries have offered the idea of a silent, distant witness. Now the distance is thousands of miles: Through an art installation, a Scottish singer (Ioann Gruffudd, who’s played Lancelot and Horatio Hornblower) sees a crime that Elsbeth (shown here) sees in Manhattan. It’s a fun story that has twists appropriate for Valentine eve. Read more…
When “Saturday Night Live” has its 50-year celebration, most of its major stars – from Eddie Murphy to Will Ferrell to Kate McKinnon (shown here) – will be there.
That will be at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) Sunday, Feb. 16, on NBC, with a red-carpet show at 7. It wraps up a three-day weekend of “SNL” events.
The show had already said many of its hosts and music guests – Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Sabrina Carpenter, etc. — will be there. It also announced that its first episode (from Oct. 11, 1975) will rerun at 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
Now it says most of the stars from that long-ago opener will be at Sunday’s show — Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris and Laraine Newman. Read more…
As “Saturday Night Live” enters its golden years, it keeps reloading.
Consider the current cast: When Sarah Sherman was born, the show was already in its 18th season; Marcello Hernandez was born in the 22nd season, Jane Wickline in the 24th.
None of the regulars has lived in a world without “SNL,” but Kenan Thompson (shown here) came close. He’s 46 and has spent almost half his life as an “SNL” star.
And even before that, he was on a show that was a lot like it. “We would say, like, ‘We’re in the “Saturday Night Live” for kids,’” Thompson recalled in 2007. Read more…
1) “Wild Cards,” 8 p.m., CW. We’re far from the glittery settings where Max (shown here) works her best scams. This is a ranch, engulfed family feuds. It’s a so-so story, but does allow for some horseback scenes. Read more…
So if you saw the game, you might have sensed that the Kansas City Chiefs had a shot at being the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.
You would have realized it because various Fox people said it approximately 2.9 million times. Or maybe 3 million.
That was a fine storyline; I may have said it myself, once or twice. But some perspective would have helped. Like the fact that the previous wins were by 3 points … and the win to get here this year was by 3 points … and that the Philadelphia Eagles (shown here) had won their previous game by 32.
Anyway, I’ll quit grumbling about that; all the three-peat talk soon vanished. And overall, I liked the telecast (and the commercials) a lot. A few random thoughts:
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1) “Great Migrations” finale, 9 p.m., PBS. The first two hours saw millions of Blacks moving north (shown here) for jobs and freedom. Now that flips: Amid disputes about police, real estate bias and more, there were 150 urban uprisings in 1967. As the South mellowed; Ebony Magazine proclaimed: “You Can Go Home Again.” A strong hour shows a reverse migration. Read more…
