Stories

Charlie is back … and as sharp and quirky as ever

Like most good things in life, good TV shows make us wait.
They have shorter seasons, further apart. And they’re worth it.
Which is to say that “Poker Face,” one of TV’s best shows, is finally back.
The first, brilliant season ended in March of 2023. The second returns to Peacock with three terrific episodes on May 8, then has one a week for seven more Thursdays. It again ripples with sharp wit and quick twists, reflecting the two people in charge: Read more…

Once sorta-logical, cable’s world got jumbled

(This is the latest chapter in the book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the full book (so far) in order, click “The Book” under “categories.”)

For a brief, pleasant time, the cable universe seemed logical.
A few networks tried to do everything. Those were the early arrivals — TBS in 1976, USA in ’77 — plus TNT in 1988.
The others settled for handy niches. Cable was like a magazine rack or a radio dial, filled with specialized choices.
You could find channels for rock music (shown here) and country music and classical arts; for young kids and old movies; for religion and Playboy; for news and weather and sports; for food and travel and learning and more.
And then? Well, everything got jumbled. Read more…

Acorn stuffs May with new, old mysteries

May will now be “Murder Mystery Month,” the Acorn streamer has proclaimed.
Then again, every month is murder-mystery time at Acorn. May provides handy alliteration (March would have also worked) and good timing:
Some mystery shows are wrapping up their seasons now. On CBS, “Matlock” has already finished and “Elsbeth” will do so on May 8.
So Acorn takes that time to load up. Some of its shows have weekly episodes on Mondays — “Murdoch Mysteries” (yes, more alliteration), “The Brokenwood Mysteries” and the new “The One That Got Away” have already started their seasons; “Harry Wild” (shown here) joins them on May 5. Read more…

Want some culture shock? Try Utqiavik, Alaska

A little culture shock can be disconcerting … but how about a 114-degree temperature change?
That’s what Liliana Penuelas experienced. A Cuban native living in Puerto Rico, she decided to join a friend in Alaska’s northern-most city.
When she left, she tells Pati Jinich in a PBS film Tuesday (April 29), it was 90 degrees. When she arrived, it was minus-24. “I thought, ‘What are you doing?!?’”
But she stayed. Now, 34 years later, she’s married to a Mexican native. They have what Jinich (shown here, left) assures us is the only sit-down Mexican restaurant in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
Many such surprises emerge in “Pati Jinich Explores Panamericana,” at 10 p.m. Tuesdays. Read more…

Big money, big risks: Turner networks soared

(This is the newest chapter of a book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the full book (so far) in order, click “The Book” under “categories.”)

Ted Turner’s business philosophy – and maybe his life – can be summed up in one word: “more.”
That’s an approach that took him through big gambles, big movies (including “Gone With the Wind,” shown here) and big changes in the cable-TV world.
Turner had one cable channel (TBS) and wanted many more. “It’s all about shelf space,” he told the Television Critics Association.
More channels mean more places to sell ads and (eventually) more money in per-subscriber fees. The catch is that you have to fill those shelves with things people want. You need programs and a purpose. Read more…

Like the old days: Sunday titans collide

When TV was in its glory days, powerhouse dramas would collide – especially on Sundays.
Now we get a reminder: At 9 p.m. April 27, two shows have superb finales.
It’s the season-finale for AMC’s “Dark Winds,” which will be back, and the series-finale for PBS’ “Wolf Hall” (shown here), which won’t. Both are worth catching: Read more…

In tiny towns and big cities, libraries thrive

This is one of those small miracles of democracy,
“In the library,” Crosby Kemper said, “everyone is equal.”
The concept is wondrously simple: You find books and take them home. “Riches that were not ordinarily available to the common man” are there for anyone, Abby Van Slyck said.
Kemper (a librarian) and Van Slyck (a historian) are among the people in a compelling documentary. “Free For All: The Public Library” airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday (April 29) on PBS, under the “Independent Lens” banner Read more…

After shaky starts, MTV and ESPN soared

(This is the latest chapter of the book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the full thing, so far, click the category, “The Book.”)

In the halls of history, Michael Nesmith actually gets three spots.
He was a Monkee … he was a white-out heir … and he was a music-video pioneer. That last one is important here, but let’s admire the others first.
The world knew Nesmith as a star of “The Monkees” (shown here, with Nesmith at left), a bright, Beatle-ish show that had two fun seasons (1966-68) on NBC. It was about a make-believe pop band … which, in real life, then had three No. 1 hits.
Before that? As Nesmith told it, his parents divorced and he grew up with his mom, who was a good artist and a not-so-good secretary. To cover her typing mistakes, she used her art skills to create a white-out. She called it “Liquid Paper,” built up her company … and sold it to Gillette for $47.5 million.
This was the ideal combination for a music-video pioneer: Nesmith was a musical guy who had inventive roots and the financial freedom to dabble Read more…

Earth Day TV? There are plenty of choices

After 55 years, Earth Day is still going strong.
And after 4.5 billion years (give or take a couple), the Earth itself is going semi-strong.
As the day arrives (April 22), people still plant trees, clean rivers, visit parks … and watch TV. There are plenty of choices there.
The streaming services store Earth-ly films from the past, especially on Disney+, Apple TV+ (shown here is “Jane”) and Netflix. In addition, new ones keep arriving. Read more…

Penguins waddle wisely through hot/cold worlds

Not all animals are telegenic, you know.
We rarely see a good film about anteaters, moles or wild boars. But penguins (shown here) are always ready for their close-ups.
“They’re so much like people … very relatable,” said filmmaker Bertie Gregory, whose charming “Secrets of the Penguins” debuts from 8-11 p.m. Sunday (April 20) on the National Geographic Channel, then repeats on Earth Day (April 22).
In a way, penguins have the qualities of an ideal date: They’re cute and available.
“Most filmmakers are hidden behind bushes, shooting with a Zoom lens,” Gregory, 31, said. But penguins don’t mind company; at times, they’ll visit the human and stare with curiosity. Read more…