News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

‘SNL’ tried (at times) to be funny

At least we can be sure of one thing: The “Saturday Night Live” writers abided by the strike; they weren’t writing clever things in their spare time.
“SNL” returned Saturday after a 23-week gap, filling a key void in our humor landscape. A few moments were brilliant, but the rest were oddly ordinary.
We’ll have to see what happens next: “The Daily Show” finally returns this week (11 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 16-19) on Comedy Central; “SNL” has its second new episode, at 11:29 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 21).
That one has Bad Bunny as host and music guest, which is OK but not promising. It was the host portion by Pete Davidson (shown here) that stood out this time. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 15, 2023
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Ready for Christmas? It sort of starts Saturday

The Christmas-movie season will start even earlier than expected.
The first new film is now set for 8 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 14), on Great American Family. It’s a sequel, “Destined 2: Christmas Once More,” with Shay Robbins and Casey Elliott (the original is shown here) and it arrives 72 days before the holiday.
GAF had originally said it would have its first new movie on Oct. 21. Hallmark one-upped that, putting its start on Oct. 20 … and then GAF moved earlier. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 12, 2023
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“Crown” and “Snow White” set streaming dates

Two classics are coming to streaming networks soon.
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937, shown here) reaches Disney+ on Monday (Oct. 16), which is the 100th anniversary of the Disney studio. And the final season of the “The Crown” arrives on Netflix in two bursts – Nov. 16, focusing strongly on Diana, and Dec. 14, focusing on her sons.
Details came in separate announcements today: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 9, 2023
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TV’s favorite twist: Start with a life crumbling

There’s a plot twist that ripples through many scripts:
Sure, it’s fun for someone to plunge into a new life. But first, why not show her old life crumbling?
That happens in “Sullivan’s Crossing” (shown here), which debuts at 8 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 4) on CW; Dr. Maggie Sullivan soon retreats home. And it happens in “The Spencer Sisters,” which debuts at 9 p.m. that night; Darby Spencer soon retreats home.
Both shows have redheads who flee to cozier Canadian settings. Darby goes to a small college town, where her showy mom lives; Maggie goes to a Nova Scotia campground, where her grumpy dad lives. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 1, 2023
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Disney saves its best for Sundays

For four months, TV’s biggest night had a giant question-mark.
Sundays are when ratings peak. But in its makeshift, strike-time schedule, ABC simply listed “Wonderful World of Disney” movies at 8 p.m., without saying which ones.
Disney movies, after all, can be as magical as “Mary Poppins,” as blah as this year’s “Haunted Mansion,” as forgettable as several I’ve forgotten. So which ones would be shown?
Now we finally know. This starts with “Jungle Cruise,” Oct. 1; “Cruella,” Oct. 8; and “Encanto” (shown here), Oct. 15. That covers a broad range — ordinary adventure, salvaged by likable stars … extraordinary adventure with awesome visuals … and an animated musical with some “Poppins-style” splendor. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 1, 2023
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Latenight shows return Monday (Oct. 2)

The latenight shows are finally returning, with new episodes.
Most of them — ABC’s Jimmy Kimnmel, CBS’ Stephen Colbert, NBC’s Jimmy Fallon (shown here) and Seth Meyers – plan to start Monday (Oct. 2). Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” arrives two weeks later, leaving only “Saturday Night Live” undecided.
Those changes follow the return of HBO’s weekly shows, with Bill Maher on Friday (Sept. 29) and John Oliver on Sunday (Oct. 1). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 28, 2023
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When does Christmas start? Maybe on Oct. 21

Let’s quit worrying about when the TV season will really begin.
Instead, we’ll jump to a bigger question: When does Christmas begin?
Now we have an answer: It starts Oct. 21, when the Great American Family channel has the first of its new Christmas movies. It has 20 of them, including one (shown here) with Candace Cameron Bure and Gabriel Hogan.
Yes, October –the month before the month before Christmas. It’s 10 days before Halloween and 33 days before Thanksgiving; it’s 65 days before Christmas Day, giving us time for last-minute shopping. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 18, 2023
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“Theater Camp”: indie filmmaking at its best

I’ve never been to theater camp and never really done theater.
(That’s assuming you don’t count two nights in a small-town Wisconsin high school. You shouldn’t.)
Still, I love “Theater Camp” (shown here), the movie that just reached Hulu. It reminds us just how good an independent film can be.
Indie movies are often made with a shortage of money and an excess of wit and skill. They’re where Greta Gerwig started (with “Lady Bird” and such) before “Little Women” and “Barbie”; where Jennifer Lawrence showed her talent (with the wonderful “Winter’s Bone”) before becoming a superstar; where Wes Anderson remains, through “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Asteroid City” and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 17, 2023