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A pensive poet and crimesolver is back

There are crimesolvers whose stories keep being retold.
They include Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and – of current interest –Adam Dalgliesh. And yes, there’s a trend there.
All are from British authors; all (except Holmes) are from women, combining clever mysteries with a rich sense of character detail.
Now it’s time for Dalgliesh (shown here in a previous season). On three Mondays, the Acorn streamer (www.acorn.tv) has one of his stories. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 27, 2024

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Unnoticed on Tuesdays, Fox has interesting shows

Interesting things can be found in odd, unvisited corners of the TV world,
One of those corners is any Tuesday on Fox. That’s where you’ll find:
— On Nov. 26, the season-finale of “Murder in a Small Town.” Flaws and all, it’s an excellent hour; if need be, it could be considered a good series-finale.
— On Dec. 3, back-to-back episodes of “Accused” (shown here). The two hours are wildly different in tone; they remind us why people hate and/or love anthologies. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 24, 2024

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Scripted shows on CW? Yes, a few

Scripted shows will still be a part of the CW network this winter.
Well, a small part. “All American” will be on Mondays and two light crime shows – the returning “Wild Cards” (shown here) and the new “Good Cop/Bad Cop” – will pair on Wednesdays.
The mini-network has been scrambling for an identity, ever since new owners decided to go with lower-cost series.
Right now, its only new, scripted shows are “Superman & Lois” (which ends its four-year run on Dec. 2) and two Canadian series. “Children Ruin Everything” returns Nov. 29; “Sullivan’s Crossing” ends its season Dec. 11. But now comes the mid-season recharge: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 22, 2024

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Patience, please: There’s a good comedy-drama here

At times, a show might demand extra patience.
A prime example is “Nugget is Dead: A Christmas Story” (shown here) from 8-10 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 21) on CBS.
At first, viewers might just be annoyed, because this bumps CBS’ best night. (“Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” slides to 10 p.m.; it repeats its delightful opener, followed by a “Ghosts” rerun.)
Adding to the problem is the fact that the movie gets off to a weak start. Some of the humor comes from overlapping dialog; that’s problematic because it involves Australian accents and characters we don’t yet know. But stick around. “Nugget” turns out to be a rare blend of sharp comedy and sturdy drama, with a bit of holiday warmth around the edges. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 18, 2024

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CBS shuffle: “Sydney,” “Squares,” “Watson,” more

During a long winter break, CBS will mess with success.
The network tends to dominate the Nielsen ratings. Still, it will shuffle some of its best nights, temporarily (Thursdays, Wednesdays) or longer (Sundays, Fridays).
In the process, it will return one drama (“NCIS: Sydney,” shown here) and debut another (“Watson,” with Morris Chestnut as Dr. Watson, setting up a medical clinic in Pittsburgh after Sherlock Holmes’ death). It will also add lots of game shows
The key changes are: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 13, 2024

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ABC patches some holes in mid-season shift

ABC’s line-up – a patchwork creation this fall – will get some much-needed repairs for mid-season. That includes:
— “Abbott Elementary” will no longer be the network’s only comedy. It will be paired with a show starring Tim Allen, with Kat Dennings as his daughter.
— “Scamanda” will finally surface. Announced for the fall schedule and then pulled, it will be paired with another true-crime tale.
— There will eventually be two drama nights, instead of one. “Will Trent” (shown here) and “The Rookie” have season-openers in January, sandwiching “High Potential” on Tuesdays. The Thursday line-up (“9-1-1,” “Doctor Odyssey,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) returns in March. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 12, 2024

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It’s a TV rarity: solid laughs and real warmth

TV’s best comedy – that’s “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” – is about to pass two milestones. At 8 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 14), it has:
— Its first Thanksgiving episode (shown here); and
— A story that’s as much about warmth and character drama as about comedy.
That first part is good news, Situation comedies often peak at Thanksgiving, when characters are thrown together in new ways.
But the second is remarkable. Most sitcoms need years to establish characters that can invoke true emotion; “Georgie” does it in its fifth episode. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 11, 2024

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ABC austerity: a wobbly, makeshift line-up

Maybe we should start worrying about ABC.
At first, its apparent austerity program seemed logical. Faced with giant jolts – the pandemic and two strikes – ABC scrambled. It added unscripted shows; it also borrowed shows from cable and streaming networks.
But now that’s gone overboard. After the season had already started, ABC decided to pillage all of “Monday Night Football,” pushing two game shows and “Scamanda” until 2025.
They won’t be missed; the world certainly has no shortage of games or true-crime stories. ABC does have some good shows — including “High Potential,” shown here, at 10 p.m. Tuesdays — but it continues its austerity trend; consider: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 21, 2024

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Good news: Murder still thrives in British towns

After a slow stretch, the Acorn streamer is back on track. Coming up are:
— The third season of “Whitstable Pearl” (shown here), There’s a new hour each Monday, from Oct. 21 to Nov. 25.
— The first season of “Detective Ellis.” It has movie-length (close to two- hour) tales on Nov. 4, 11 and 18,
At first glance, those might seem identical – a pair of six-hour seasons, with women solving murders in small-town England.
But they’re also opposites, reflecting Acorn’s range. One has gentle tales, pausing briefly for humor or warmth. The other is intense. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 19, 2024

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All the ABC comedies (and more) set for Halloween

For decades, ABC had an October tradition:
Each of its situation comedies had a Halloween episode. “Roseanne” (later re-titled “The Conners”) was the best; “Modern Family” was close.
And now? Once again, every sitcom is involved … but, ABC only has one. That’s “Abbott Elementary,” a comedy island stranded between unscripted shows on Wednesdays. “The Conners” has been renewed for a final season, but that will be later; it’s on the shelf during its favorite holiday.
So ABC is making do with Halloween themes for other shows. Its first samplingias Oct. 13; it starts a three-Sunday string of light scare movies with “Haunted Mansion,” surrounded by spooky themes to an “America’s Funniest Home Videos” rerun and a new “Celebrity Family Feud.” The others — including “Hocus Pocus,” shown here — will be Oct. 20-31. They are: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 13, 2024