Mike Hughes

News and Quick Comments

CBS sets a staggered start this fall

After rushing into a post-strike season this spring, CBS is taking a pause.
Its new season will officially start Oct. 14, three weeks later than usual. And its ratings-leaders – “Tracker” and “The Equalizer” –will wait until Oct. 27.
Those dramas usually dominate Sundays. This fall, however, the Sunday slot will be used for various things – advance previews of “Matlock” (shown here) and “The Summit,” a music special and “Big Brother,” a summer show that extends to Oct. 13. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 13, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 15: sharks, politicians and romance

1) Republican convention (shown here in a previous year). As the campaign grind speeds up, networks have varied approaches. PBS will be there from 8-11 p.m. ET … CBS and ABC will jolin at 10 … cable nnews channels will obsess. And in a late change, NBC will have two parts – at 9 p.m., Lester Holt’s interview of Joe Biden; from 9:40 to 11, convention coverage.
Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 13, 2024
News and Quick Comments

“Shogun” and “Hacks” lead TCA awards

“Shogun” and “Hacks” dominate this year’s Television Critics Association awards.
The top overall awards – program of the year and best new program– .go to “Shogun.” So do the two drama awards, for best show and best individual (Anna Sawai, shown here). The comedy ones go to “Hacks” and its star (Jean Smart).
There are also awards for the “Baby Reindeer” mini-series, some non-fiction shows and two Disney+ family shows, “Bluey” and “Doctor Who.”
Overall, the awards are a sign that traditional television – or semi-traditional – can still do well, if given some modern touches. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 13, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 14: Tough “Tulsa” leads a dramatic night

1) “Tulsa King” opener, 8 p.m., CBS. In the wobbly world of CBS and its owners (Paramount), Taylor Sheridan has been vital For Paramount Network, he made “Yellowstone”; for Paramount+, he made its prequels, plus “Mayor of Kingstown” and this show, with Sylvester Stallone (shown here) as a newly arrived mobster. Before its second season starts, the first reruns on CBS. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 12, 2024
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for July 15: baseball, “Big Brother” & lots of politics

1) “Big Brother” opener, 9 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. This began in 2000 with a high-tech, futuristic notion: Strangers shared a house filled with cameras; the world could peek in at any time. Now life is even higher-tech and this edition is being dubbed “BB:AI.” Julie Chen Moonves (shown here) hosts, as always, with new hours also at 9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 11, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 13: mammals, sharks and a sponge

1) Kids Choice Awards,” 8-9:30 p.m., Nickelodeon, CMT and TV. Land. The previous shows have had famous hosts, but none were cartoons – until now. SpongeBob Squarepants (shown here) and Patrick Star host; nominated for favorite movie: “Barbie,” “Wonka,” :”The Marvels,” “Little Mermaid” and sequels of “Aquaman,” “Ghostbusters,” “Transformers” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 11, 2024
News and Quick Comments

Really? A cheery musical fits the election year?

It’s probably by accident, but the new Disney+ movie fits this campaign year.
“The Descendants: The Rise of Red” (shown here), arriving Friday, June 12, has two opposite forces. The Blue one wants kindness, warmth and inclusiveness; the Red wants power and revenge.
The Red leader underlines that with a song that savors the fact that “red” rhymes with “you’re dead” and “off with your head.”
The Blue is currently in charge, but then the Red thugs start to break in. “What?” their leader asks. “You’ve never heard of a coup?” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 11, 2024
Stories

No retreat: FX plans a one-of-each fall

With some basic-cable channels in full retreat, FX remains fairly ambitious.
The network has set a plan for this fall with one of everything, It has an edgy comedy, a one-shot documentary, a documentary mini-series, a scripted mini-series and the return of the fierce drama, “The Old Man” (shown hre in its first season).
As streaming grows and cable declines, many key channels – TNT, TBS, USA, etc. — have been dropping scripted shows. Even FX Productions makes some shows — “The Bear,” “Reservation Dogs,” “Clipped,” etc. — that are only for Hulu, not for the FX network.
But there are still some key shows that will air first on FX, reaching Hulu the next day. Chronologically, they include: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 10, 2024
News and Quick Comments

A surprise: Older crimesolvers are welcome again

Right now, TV is going back to its future.
That’s almost 30 years back. That span connects “Murder, She Wrote” to “Elsbeth,” “Matlock” to … well, “Matlock.”
At the core is a key change: Broadcast networks were once ignoring older viewers; now they need them. Let’s go back to 1995, when:
— “Matlock” was canceled – again. NBC had dumped it after seven seasons; ABC took three more, then dropped it.
— “Murder She Wrote” was still thriving. In its 11th season, it was No. 8 in the Nielsen ratings; it reached the top-10 in seven other seasons, peaking at No. 4. But CBS moved it to an impossible timeslot, then cancelled it a year later. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 9, 2024