Best-bets for Nov. 11: a night for military or mysteries
1) “The American Soldier,” 8-10:05 p.m. today, History; also, 12:03 a.m. On Veterans Day, here’s Read more…
Mike Hughes
Best-bets for Nov. 10: “Yellowstone” finally returns
1) “Yellowstone” (shown here), 8 p.m., Paramount Network; 10 p.m., CBS. It’s been quite a ride for this modern western. With sharp dialog and expansive settings, it leaped to No. 1 in the ratings. Then came strikes and Kevin Costner’s movie schedule. After a 22-month gap, this starts its final six episodes. Paramount reruns the season’s previous ones, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Read more…
Grier took a funny route to the hospital
David Alan Grier has finally entered his family legacy, working in a hospital.
Alas, it took him 68 years to get there. Also, it’s fictional.
Grier (shown here) stars in “St. Denis,” a hospital comedy from the “Superstore” and “American Auto” people. It debuts at 8 and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on NBC, with Grier as a doctor he describes as “an old curmudgeon,” surrounded by people who are younger and more frantic.
That medical setting should sort of fit. Grier’s father was a psychiatrist; most of the offspring followed suit. “My brothers and sisters – psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, mental health,” he told the Television Critics Association. “That was all part of my upbringing …. I grew up around Black doctors.” Read more…
Week’s top-10 for Nov. 11: doctors, soldiers and the Grinch
1) “St. Denis Medical” debut, 8 and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. The “Superstore” people have another quick, slick workplace comedy. Allison Tolman (shown here), from the “Fargo” mini-series, plays an overstressed chief nurse, with Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Goldbergs”) as an underskilled administrator. David Alan Grier (shown here), 68, offers the droll counterpoint of an older doctor. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 9: “SNL” will try to laugh
1) Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Back in 2020, “SNL” was trying to bounce back after a Covid-hampered season. Chris Rock hosted the season-opener, but Bill Burr – who’d never done it before – had the second episode (shown here). Now Burr has his second turn – a difficult, post-election task. The music guest is Mk.gee. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov.8: a semi-happy place; a musical salute
1) “Happy’s Place,” 8 p.m., NBC. One story puts the show’s best characters — Bobbie (Reba McEntire, right) and the bar’s cook (Rex Linn) in a fishing cabin. The other pairs the worst characters, Bobbie’s half-sister (left) and the bartender. The resulting episode – no surprise here – is half-good. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 7: ABC is back; CBS is fun
1) “Grey’s Anatomy,” 10 p.m., ABC. After pausing last week for Halloween-night reruns, ABC has new episodes. Here, Mika overloads, after taking time off to be with her sister. (They’re shown here in a previous episode.) Also, Levi faces a huge decision. At 8 p.m., “9-1-1” tries to rescue a toddler stuck in a pipe; at 9,“Doctor “Odyssey” has a wedding cruise financed by a rich family. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 6: San Diego goes wild; Fox has fun, fun, fun
1) “San Diego: America’s Wildest City,” 8 p.m., PBS. Surrounded by mountains, a desert and an ocean, San Diego has rich variety. This lush hour sees whales attack dolphins, a roadrunner stalk hummingbirds. Humans also have an impact: Their garbage attracts coyotes and bobcats; their reservoirs draw grebes (shown here), which seem to walk (or dance) on water. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 5: The election … and alternatives
1) Election. TV people are quite serious about this one – what with the future of the free world and such. So they’ll start early and stay late. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on PBS; 7 on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox; and 8 on CW. The cable news channels started approximately in July. And yes, we’ll list alternatives, including “Mary Poppins” (shown here). Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 4: vampires, cops and elections
1) “What We Do in the Shadows,” 10 p,m., FX. Three weeks from its finale, this terrific show pushes its stories into overdrive. Nandor (shown here, left, in a previous episode) realizes that for a while – well, for centuries – he’s drifted from his role as a great commander. Now he’s organized an army that seems suspiciously invisible. Stick with this episode, because the final minutes pack surprises Read more…