Oprah Winfrey (shown here) is entering the national discussion of racial issues, just when she’s needed the most.
Winfrey’s special – “Where Do We Go From Here?” – will sprawl over two nights and 19 cable networks. It will be 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday (June 9-10) on her own Oprah Winfrey Network and others (including Discovery, HGTV, TLC, ID and Food) in the Discovery system. Read more…
The “Sesame Street” gang will be back on CNN on Saturday – this time, talking about racism, not COVID-19.
“Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism” will be at 10 a.m. ET. It will also by on www.cnn.com, plus the CNN apps and CNN en Espanol. Read more…
PBS – already known for its coverage of racial issues – has set a fresh emphasis for this month.
On Wednesday (June 3), it announced a flurry of new shows and reruns, including a play (“Twilight Los Angeles: 1992, shown here) and many documentaries. That requires cooperation, because some will be on days (Thursdays through Saturdays) when stations have their own line-ups. The plan includes:
– Thursday (June 4): “The Talk – Race in America,” 9 p.m. It’s a 2017 documentary about black families telling their children how to react if stopped by police. Read more…
ABC has set a primetime news special for today (Tuesday, June 2).
At 9 p.m., it will air “America in Pain: What Comes Next?” Combining to anchor it will be three of its anchors – Robin Roberts (shown here, “Good Morning America”), David Muir (evening news) and Byron Pitts (“Nightline”). Read more…
It was a glimpse of American life, TV-style.
People raged over the death of an unarmed black man in police custody. They chanted, marched, threw rocks and bottles.
Also, Kelly Osborne worried about her hair color. And Rebecca Romijn fretted about her roots. And Lindsay Lohan (shown here), happy with her reddish hair-coloring, wanted to get just the right wave.
Both things were happening simultaneously Friday on our TV sets. Switch back and forth and you might decide that television is pretty strange. Or life is pretty strange. Or, at least, that social critics are correct when they say there are two Americas Read more…
Note: When passions erupt, thoughtful discussions can vanish. The story below was about a contemplative special that CNN scheduled for tonight, May 31. The problem: Protests continued loudly; CNN kept its cameras there, putting the special on hold. Here’s the original story, now in limbo.)
CNN is reacting quickly to racial issues that have now hit close to home.
“I Can’t Breathe: Black Men Living and Dying in America” will be 8-10 p.m. ET Sunday, with Don Lemon hosting. Read more…
CBS is preparing another special stuffed with social-distance music.
This one is led by Harry Connick Jr. and his daughter, Georgia (shown here), a filmmaker. “United We Sing: A Grammy Salute to the Unsung Heroes” (8-10 p.m. June 21), a road trip to New Orleans, will include the greats of jazz (Herbie Hancock, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Jon Baptiste, Irma Thomas, Trombone Shorty) and pop.
Connick grew up in New Orleans, where Ellis Marsalis (the father of Wynton and Branford) was one of his music teachers. Marsalis died April 1 at 85, of pneumonia brought on by COVID-19. Read more…
The art of social-distance television has advanced quickly.
It’s been like watching evolution at hyper-speed. In just two months, the lowly water slug has transformed into a mighty cheetah.
OK, maybe just into a less-lowly land slug. But it’s been impressive, anyway.
The latest example – and the best so far – is an episode of “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet,” arriving today (May 22) on Apple TV+.With some great moments for Charlotte Nicdao (shown here in an earlier episode) and Rob McElhenny (who wrote it), it’s witty, warm (briefly) and ends with a dandy visual stunt. Read more…
Fans of the ABC line-up can quit worrying:
With few replacements available, most of their shows will be back this fall.
The network has canceled a few comedies – “Single Parents,” “Schooled” and “Bless This Mess” – and one drama, “Emergence.” But other shows with borderline ratings — “Stumptown” (shown here), “A Million Little Things,” “Black-ish,” “American Housewife” — will be back. Read more…
The Daytime Emmy Awards – once the land of Oprah triumphs and Susan Lucci disappointments – are returning to primetime, broadcast TV.
CBS has set the show for 8-10 p.m. June 26, with the nominees and others at their homes. Key nominees will be announced Thursday (May 21) on its “The Talk,” at 2 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. CT and PT; then all the nominees will be on Etonline.com.
The awards began in 1974 and moved to primetime in 1991, when the daytime was filled with well-known stars. Lucci was on her 19th nomination before being named (shown here) best soap actress in 1999; Bob Barker won 14 times as ga,me-show show host. In one stretch, Phil Donahue was named best talk host nine times in 11 years; Oprah Winfrey later won five straight times, before withdrawing. Read more…
