Waiting for the pandemic to end, Robert and Michelle King re-discovered a key fact: People like stories that end.
“Every night, we wanted to watch an episode of ‘Columbo,’” Robert said, “instead of the eight-hour movies that were thrown our way.”
So they created “Elsbeth” (shown here), the fun murder-mystery that debuts at 10 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 29) on CBS. It fits a pattern that works for CBS. Read more…
There are different kinds of actors out there – some verbal, some physical. You could call them Streepians and Stallonians.
Then there’s Danai Gurira, now returning to the zombie world. She masters it all.
Nine months ago, TV viewers saw her in the title role of Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” An English king was played by a Black American woman, catching fresh nuance.
And now she’s back to her alternate life. When “Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” debuts (9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, on AMC), Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his wife Michonne (Gurira, they’re shown here) are desperate to re-unite, despite the hordes of zombies. Read more…
Science and fiction have always had a cozy relationship. Magnify the facts a tad and you have wild whimsy.
That’s clear in “Constellation,” an Apple TV+ eight-parter that has its first three episodes Wednesday (Feb. 21).
This is a blend, producer-director Michelle MacLaren told the Television Critics Association, with parts “drama, thriller, horror.” Still, she said, “we The story clearly sounds like fantasy/horror. Having barely survived in space, an astronaut returns to what doesn’t feel like her world. “Her gut feeling,” said Noomi Rapace, who plays her, “is saying. ‘This is not my baby, (shown here), but she looks like my baby.’”wanted it to be based in reality.” Read more…
Some roles require little acting – a subtle smile, a sly smirk, maybe a pregnant pause.
Then there’s Max, on “Wild Cards,” who does … well, everythinng. “It’s kind of like a dream role,” said Vanessa Morgan (shown here), who plays her.
The show (8 p.m. Wednesdays on CW) has a cop (Giacomo Gianniotto) reluctantly paired with Max. A lifelong con artist, she has a bag of tricks (literally) from which she has produced wigs, pistachios and a grappling hook. Read more…
In the wobbly world of media, this might have seemed like a long shot.
“The 19th” – a journalism source with a female perspective—was launching in the midst of the pandemic. “Are you insane?” one amiable investor asked with a laugh.
That’s shown in the early moments of “Breaking the News” (shown here), a documentary that airs at 10 p.m. Monday (Feb. 19) on PBS’ “Independent Lens.” As it turns out, the idea proved to be quite sane. In its first two years, The 19th – named after the amendment that gave women the vote — raised a reported $12 million and broke national stories. Read more…
It was a maybe-typical day for Gina Rodriguez.
She laughed, she cried, she hugged Charlie; she seems to do all of that a lot. But ths was different because:
— It happened to be 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday (Feb. 7). While she was at work, her show, “Not Dead Yet” (shown here with Rodriguez, right, and Hannah Simone) was airing its season-premiere on ABC.
— The Television Critics Association was there to visit the show’s set.
Reporters viewed the bedroom of her character Nell (messy, lived-in) and her landlord Edward (obsessively tidy). They also saw a newspaper box (you do remember newspaper boxes?) for the paper where Nell writes obituaries. Then they met the actors plus Charlie (almost 1), who cuddled her and ignored them. “He doesn’t like to perform,” she said. “He’s not his mother’s son.” Read more…
For Justin Hartley, this is a new world – strong and silent … subtle sub-text … muted emotions …
That’s in “Tracker” (shown here), which debuts Feb. 11 after the Super Bowl, then stays in CBS’ Sunday line-up. It definitely was not the vibe of “This Is Us,” his previous show.
“After six years of babies and dogs, we wanted to do something (different),” Ken Olin, a producer-director on both shows, said in a virtual press conference. He added, tongue-in-cheek, that Hartley “wanted to carry a gun and get in fights.” Read more…
Every Super Bowl is a new adventure, but this year’s might seem a tad less new.
It will be the third time in the last four years for Patrick Mahomes (shown here) and the Kansas City Chiefs … and Tony Romo’s third time as analyst … Jim Nantz’s sixth doing play-by-play … James Brown’s 11th anchoring the pre-game show.
The half-time star, Usher, has been there before, albeit briefly, And “Tracker,” the post-game show? It stars Justin Hartley, who was in a post-game “This Is Us,” in 2018.
Well, familiar is good sometimes. Here’s a look at the Super Bowl marathon. Read more…
Humor keeps rippling through Lenny Henry’s life.
He’s been a stand-up comic, a comedy actor, co-founder of Comic Relief.
But now he’s created and co-stars in “Three Little Bird” (shown here). The six-part mini-series (which starts streaming Thursday, Feb. 1, on Britbox) includes a compelling look at the tough times faced by past generations of immigrants.
Both extremes fit together, Henry said in a virtual interview. “How do you overcome trials and tribulations without a sense of humor?” Read more…
At the core of New York society, an unusual bond formed.
There were the social divas – mostly tall, slender and well-bred. They were related by marriage to a president, a prime minister, movie stars and the head of CBS. They “were like the original influencers,” said producer Ryan Murphy.
And there was Truman Capote – 5-foot-3, eccentric, partly molded by his early years in a tiny town in Alabama.
They begame warm friends and then fierce enemies. That’s depicted in “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” (shown here), an eight-parter with opening episodes at 10 and 11:30 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 31) on FX and then on Hulu. Read more…
