News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

For fall, FX sets horror, mystery and “Fargo”

This fall, the FX people will deliver something that is becoming scarce – new, scripted TV shows.
That will include a double shot of horror – in time for Halloween – plus a crime-solving mini-series and a “Fargo” mini-series (shown here with Dave Foley).
Even if the strikes are settled, TV will mostly lack new, scripted shows this fall. The exceptions will be premium cable (HBO, Showtime, Starz) and streamers, which work far in advance
FX occupies both worlds. Some of the shows it produces air only on the Hulu streaming service; others debut at 10 p.m. on basic-cable (FX or FXX), then reach Hulu the next day. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 17, 2023
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Good news: The CW/Canada link is sometimes fun

OK, my faith and optimism have been semi-restored.
That’s my faith in the shaky upcoming TV season. And in the wobbly CW network. And in Canada.
In short, the opening episode of “The Spencer Sisters” is surprisingly good.
The show arrives Oct. 4 on CW, which is one of the few networks to realize that Canada: 1) Is quite close to us, geographically; 2) Speaks a language very similar to our own; and 3) Makes TV shows like the ones we do … or, at least, like we did in decades past. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 13, 2023
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Emmys get a new date — on Martin Luther King Day

The Emmy Awards now have a new date – Jan. 15, four months later than the original plan.
That will be 8-11 p.m. ET (5-8 p.m. PT) on Fox, with Jesse Collins Entertaiment — producer of recent Super Bowl halftimes (shown here) and more — in charge. The announcement today (Aug. 10):
— Shows confidence that the actors’ and writers’ strikes will eventually be settled. Actors have been instructed to avoid functions until then.
— Comes just eight days after the Golden Globes telecast. The Emmys honor TV; the Globes do movies and TV.
— And is being planned partly as a Martin Luther King Day celebration. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 10, 2023
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CBS has a clever August/autumn plan, but …

So now CBS’ late-summer surge has begun.
It’s a clever strategy, an attempt to make do as the writers’ and actors’ strikes crush any hopes for a normal fall season. The network delayed four reality shows until August; that lets them sprawl into the fall, to be joined by … well, more reality.
It can work … IF those shows are well-liked. For one of them (the awful “Superfan,” shown here), that’s a big if.
First, let’s look at the overall plan: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 2, 2023
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“Dogs” drifts through quietly compelling tales

There’s a type of show that ripples through the history of the FX network.
It goes from “Louie” to “Better Things” to “Atlanta” and now to “Reservation Dogs” (shown here), which starts its final season Wednesday (Aug. 2).
Yes, this show is different in some key ways: The others were on FX; “Reservation Dogs” is produced by the FX people, but is strictly on Hulu. The others each focused on one star – Louis C.K., Pamela Adlon, Donald Glover; “Dogs” centers of four teens, drifting through life.
But the spirit is the same. These are shows that feel no compulsion to extract consistent laughs or huge plot twists; it is enough to see interesting people go through life’s odd twists. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 31, 2023
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Oppenheimer and Barbie are kindred spirits?

So it turns out that Barbie (the doll) and Oppenheimer (the physicist) have something in common.
Neither one liked math. Nor did Einstein.
Barbie was famous for once saying “Math class is tough.” That drew controversy and was soon eliminated from the talking doll’s repertoire.
But now the terrific “Oppenheimer” movie (shown here) – which arrived on the same day as the “Barbie” one – offers a key scene: J. Robert Oppenheimer has been given fresh computations, saying an atomic bomb would be far more destructive than first imagined. He shows them to Albert Einstein, who has no opinion; both men are theoretical physicists, not math men. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 26, 2023
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Tony Bennnett: a long and musical life

Tony Bennett learned early that life is short and time should be savored.
His paternal grandfather had died before his father was born. Eleven years later, his dad (disguised as a girl, so he could travel with his own mom) had survived a three-week trip from Italy.
Bennett (shown here) heard that story often from his dad, he wrote in “The Good Life” (Simon & Schuster, 1998), always being reminded that he wouldn’t be here if the ship had capsized. “He made light of it, but the joke only caused me, at a very young age, to contemplate the delicate balance of my own mortality.”
Except, of course, early mortality didn’t turn out to be a problem for him. He died today (Friday, July 21), two weeks shy of his 97th birthday. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 21, 2023
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CBS patches fall line-up with “Yellowstone,” more

Battered by two strikes, CBS is turning to its corporate allies.
It will borrow “Yellowstone” (shown here) from the Paramount Network and two shows — “SEALS” and “FBI True” — from Paramount+. And, like other networks, it will load up on reality shows.
Several networks – ABC, Fox and CW – have already announced full schedules designed to circumvent the writers’ and actors strikes. CBS hasn’t finalized one yet, but it announced key pieces: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 17, 2023
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As others scramble, PBS plans a busy fall

As the upcoming TV season crumbles, PBS becomes more important.
The network has just released its plans for the fall. It has lots of Sunday dramas, a string of Friday profiles, a speck of music and, as usual, loads of non-fiction.
That includes a strong Latino emphasis, plus subjects ranging from buffalo (shown here) to Elon Musk, from nature to reflections on integration, busing and women’s sports. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 17, 2023