Stories

Ali: sweet and brutal, vilified and beloved

Ken Burns keeps immersing himself in large lives, filled with contrasts.
There was Thomas Jefferson, the champion of freedom, who owned slaves. And Ernest Hemingway, the macho man with a fragile ego. And now Muhammad Ali is profiled in a four-night film, Sunday through Wednesday (Sept. 19-22) on PBS.
With the hyper speed of his boxing and his tongue, Ali could be brutal. At other times?
“He was so sweet and cuddly,” Rasheda Ali, one of his nine children, told the Television Critics Association. “Daddy was very affectionate. I think all of us are now, because of him.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 16, 2021

Stories

Here’s a look at the new — well, new-ish — TV season

Summer is sagging, the pandemic is persisting and we need a fresh diversion.
We need the new TV season – new shows, new …. Well, maybe we can settle for “new-ish.”
The season officially starts Monday (Sept. 20), when all of the reruns and most of the summer reality shows vanish. But with some splendid exceptions — including “Ghosts,” shown here — this won’t seem terribly new. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 14, 2021

Stories

Daniels: a rust-raised actor at his peak

Sure, there are roles that Jeff Daniels has had to stretch for.
In real life, he’s never been painted blue; he’s never been a gay man mourning lost love. He hasn’t been a president, good (George Washington) or bad (Warren Harding); he hasn’t been dumb or dumber.
He handled those roles easily. Still, he’s at his best playing rock-solid guys with a Midwestern vibe. That peaks as Del Harris in “American Rust” (shown hee), debuting at 10 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 12) on Showtime. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 9, 2021

Stories

Disney’s Dr. Doogie juggles worlds

The title character in Disney+’s new “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” (shown hee) keeps juggling worlds.
She’s a teen-ager, feeling her first romantic crush; she’s also a doctor. Her roots are Hawaiian/Asian on her father’s side, Irish or Scottish on her mom’s. She’s surfing one moment, saving lives the next.
There’s a crowd inhabiting her psyche … but that seems to fit Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who plays her. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 6, 2021

Stories

The Brits (and their colonies) give us good mysteries

For more than a century, the British have mastered the art of murder mysteries.
Lately, some of their younger colonies – Canada, Australia , New Zealand – have joined in. And Americans … well, we get to watch them, at a time when they’re really needed.
Bertie Carvel, starring in a new batch of Adam Dalgliesh tales (arriving in November), points to Dalgliesh’s creator: “I think P.D. James said she thought people like murder mysteries because they bring order out of chaos …. That’s something we need right now.”
Lucy Lawless – producing and starring in the current “My Life is Murder” series (which is shown here, with Lawless and Ebony Vagulans – agreed. “It’s giving people a sense of justice. The world’s been so unjust for the last six years and people are hungry for it.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 6, 2021

Stories

It’s “Trek” and beyond, for expanding Paramount+

Somewhere under the Starfleet’s shadow, Paramount+ stretches for an image … and for an audience.
It has the pieces: In virtual press conferences with the Television Critics Association, it introduced a cartoon series for grown-ups, a “Star Trek” for kids (shown here), a drama from the “Yellowstone” creator and two comedy-dramas – one of which seems eternal.
\“What is it – three different networks now?!?” Devvon Gregory said. He’s the new head “The Game,” a pro-football series that had three seasons on CW … took a year off … had six more on BET … then was dormant for six more. Now it starts a new season Nov. 11 on Paramount+. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2021

Stories

Actresses elevate a compelling “Impeachment”

There are some near-miracles that only great talent can achieve.
Now “Impeachment” – the compelling mini-series that opens at 10 p.m. Sept. 7 on FX – has accomplished two of them: It makes us like Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones. A lot.
You can credit the sharp script by playwright Sarah Burgess, adapting the story of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky (shown here in real life). And credit two gifted actress.
Playing Lewinsky is Beanie Feldstein, who drew paise in “Booksmart” and “What We Do in the Shadows.” Playing Jones is Annaleigh Ashford, a Tony-winner who is perfect in “B Positive.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 31, 2021

Stories

Condo crime comedy for these amigos

Let’s think of this as “Three Amigos Go Manhattan.” Only with a murder mystery. And a new amigo.
“Three Amigos,” in 1986, was the first pairing of Steve Martin and Martin Short; the third star was Chevy Chase. Now comes “Only Murders in the Building,” a droll, 10-part series that starts Tuesday (Aug. 31) on Hulu; the third star (shown here) is Selena Gomez.
Yes, one of these is not like the others. Martin is 76, Short is 71 … Gomez is 29. “I had no idea who they were,” she joked, at a Television Critics Association virtual press conference. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 29, 2021

Stories

20 years ago, their dads died on 9/11

The teen-agers featured on PBS would seem to have little in common.
Ronald Milam was an athlete; Nick Gorki was a cheerleader. Luke Taylor is an ROTC cadet, planning to be a soldier; Megan Fehling plays the guitar and re-reads “Catcher in the Rye.” Dina Retik promotes togetherness; Claudia Szurkowski (shown here) says she “loves to argue.”
But “Generation 9/11” (9-11 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, rerunning on Sept. 10) points to a much bigger link: Each is 19; each was born after his or her father died on Sept. 11, 2001. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 29, 2021

Stories

It’s a wicked welcome-back for Broadway

Someday soon, Broadway’s endless intermission will … well, end.
Musicals — from “Hamilton” and “Hadestown” to “Chicago” and “Wicked” (shown here) – will return in September. But first, PBS will remind us what we’ve been missing.
A concert special will have Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel introduce “Wicked” tunes and sing the closing song. That’s 9 p.m. Aug. 29, 16 days before “Wicked” and three other musicals re-open.
“It’s a great way to welcome back audiences,” conductor Luke Frazier said. And to let performers finally emerge from their apartments. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2021