Stories

“Dogs”: impressive young actors from random places

This is clearly not the way Hollywood works.
“Reservation Dogs” (shown here) was filmed in small-town Oklahoma, using lots of locals. It starred four young indigenous actors, two making their professional debuts. Its style was casual and natural and …
And then it all worked. The show has its series finale Wednesday on Hulu, where people can watch all three seasons. It has won a Peabody Award, two American Film Institute Awards and nominations from the Golden Globes, the Television Critics Association and more.
Much of the credit goes to its creators (Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi) and its other writers and directors. But some goes to that surprising cast. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 25, 2023

Stories

Less hype, less hope, but lots of shows: The season starts today (Sept. 25)

New TV seasons used to arrive on wave of hope and hype. This one, however, just sort of arrived.
The official season starts today, Sept. 25, without much fuss. The writers’ (which reached a tentative agreement on Sept. 24) and actors’ strike (ongoing) have blocked most new, scripted shows.
Still, there are things to catch – a few good shows (including “The Spencer Sisters,” shown here) and a lot of adequate ones. Here’s an updated look in three main categories – dramas, comedies and reality shows – followed by a sampling of shows from streaming networks. We’ll start with the most promising genre, dramas. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 25, 2023

Stories

Hallmark’s deluge has 40 new Christmas films

Until now, we feared there will be few new, scripted shows on TV this year.
Not so. There will be plenty … but most of them will be Christmas movies.
Shortly after one cable channel (Great American Family) announced 20 new Christmas films for this year, the Hallmark people doubled that. They’ll have 40 new ones (one is shown here) – 31 on the Hallmark Channel, plus nine on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
That’s 60 so far – with other networks – especially Lifetime and UpTV – expected to add more.
All of this comes despite writers’ and actors’ strikes, which started May 2 and July 14. Christmas movies tend to be done far in advance. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 20, 2023

Stories

A tattered season coming? Not on PBS

The face on the screen was familiar and re-assuring.
Yes, this may be the TV season people dread, with two strikes and an overload of reality shows. But there was Ken Burns, via Zoom, reminding us that PBS is as strong as ever.
Burns has been making prize-winning documentaries for four decades.. All of them, he said, came with “no marketing decisions, no focus panels, … just whatever lands in our hearts or our guts.”
Coming next (Oct. 16-17) is a portrait of the Amrican buffalo (shown here). The first half, he admits, is “incredibly difficult to watch.” Still, both halves are richly crafted and deeply moving.
That provides a neat consolation: As awful as this TV season may be, PBS seems to be in fine shape. Here’s an updated look at what’s coming, with details through October and a few glimpses ahead: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 18, 2023

Stories

Want scripted shows? Acorn has a bundle of them

Surrounded by reality shows, some viewers might start scrambling to find scripted TV.
That makes this a good time for the Acorn streaming service. On Monday (Sept. 18), one British mystery (“The Chelsea Detective”) ends its season and another (“Mrs. Sidhu Investigates,” shown here) begins. Three weeks later, a third one (“Harry Wild”) arrives.
All of those then go to the Acorn library, which is substantial. As the writers’ and actors’ strikes continue, this could be a good place to retreat.
This mini-streamer (at www.acorn.tv) lacks the bulk of Netflix or Disney+. For a modest price (one week free, then $7 a month) it has a modest selection of new shows from other countries, plus that library. A few shows have been awful – “Cannes Confidential” seemed to be performed by runway models, unfamiliar with the English language – but most have been solid and entertaining. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 16, 2023

Stories

Talk shows return Sept. 18 — but not latenight ones

In the wounded world of broadcast TV, Monday (Sept. 18) is now important. The talk shows return.
Not the big ones, however. All of those – Fallon, Kimmel, Colbert, Meyers, Oliver and “The Daily Show” – remain in eternal reruns, due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes.
Still, several other shows will start their seasons Monday. The Drew Barrymore (shown here), Sherri Shepherd and Jennifer Hudson shows are all syndicated on a station-by-station basis; “The Talk” is on CBS.
They join several shows that had already returned – “The View” on ABC, “Live with Kelly & Mark” and the Tamron Hall show in syndication. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 13, 2023

Stories

“Weird” kid became nature’s storyteller

For a few folks, childhood obsessions and adulthood careers merge neatly.
Most of us don’t get to be superheroes or rock stars. Bertie Gregory (shown here), however, still obsesses on nature the same way he did when, he says, “everyone thought I was a bit weird.”
And sometimes, the old dreams and new ones blend.
As a kid, he marveled at how Charles Darwin used the Galapagos Islands to figure evolution. Now one of his six episodes of “Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory” – which arrives Wednesday (Sept. 13) on Disney+ — brought his first trip to the islands. “You can see everything in action,” he said. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 11, 2023

Stories

Season preview: Against the odds, dramas debut

.(This has been updated.)
Each new TV season seems to stir optimism.
It’s sort of like each first date or job interview, only without the breath-freshener.
We expect the best; each season could bring the next “Seinfeld or “ER” or “West Wing.” Even when we get the next “Dweebs” or “Hello, Larry” or “My Mother the Car,” we’re hopeful.
But what about the season that starts this month, amid writers’ and actors’ strikes? The streaming and premium-cable networks, working far in advance, are still OK, but what does regular TV have to offer?
A little. There are shows (including “The Irrational,” shown here) that started filming before the strikes …. And ones that have already aired overseas …. And reality and game shows – lots of them.
Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 6, 2023

Stories

Season preview: comedies survive, via cartoons and Canada

(This has been updated.)
Long before the strikes began, situation comedies were already wobbling.
Ratings were down; networks were doubtful. At times, NBC – former home of all those “must-see” sitcoms – had zero comedies in prime time.
Still, there will be some laughs this fall, for two reasons: Animated shows (including Fox’s new “Krapopolis,” shown here) are written and voiced far in advance; also, other countries – Canada and England, mostly – had shows available.
Here’s a round-up of sitcoms this fall on the broadcast networks and on some basic-cable channels. It’s chronological and “new” means new to most U.S. viewers: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 5, 2023

Stories

This time, the actor and role merge neatly

Sure, we know that actors do make-believe.
Chances are, Tom Hanks has never piloted a space ship, Anthony Perkins hasn’t stabbed anyone, Anthony Hopkins hasn’t eaten anyone.
But in the rare times when an actor and a role merge neatly, the resultscan be fascinating. Meet Professor Jasper Tempest. “This character really, really fascinates me,” said Ben Miller (shown here), who plays him.
When “Professor T” begins its season (8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, on PBS), it could be considered the start of the TV season. Two shows follow – “Unforgotten” at 9 p.m., “Van der Velk” at 10. Each has smart mysteries, at a time when strikes have silenced most scripted shows; “T” also has an intriguing blend of the main character and the actor who plays him. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 31, 2023