Stories

Apted made fine movies, led by “Up” films

In the mainstream, show-business world – scripted movies and TV shows and such – Michael Apted’s legacy is impressive.
Apted – who died Thursday at 79 – directed a wide range of movies, from James Bond to Loretta Lynn, from a John Belushi comedy to a William Hurt mystery. He directed cable dramas, including “Masters of Sex” (which he also helped produce) and “Rome.”
But for many people, he did something far more important: He gave us “7 Up” and all its sequels, pulling us into the lives of Tony Walker (shown here) and others..
Roger Ebert called this “the noblest project in cinema history.” The New Yok Times called it “the most profound documentary series in the history of cinema.” I call it masterful. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 11, 2021

Stories

Splendid Sundays resume on PBS

For a decade, TV viewers knew what to expect from PBS.
A lush “Masterpiece” series would settle into Sundays each January and beyond. There were six seasons of “Downton Abbey,” three of “Victoria,” one of “Sanditon”
And now? “All Creatures Great and Small” (shown here, 9 p.m., starting Jan. 10, check local listings) has much in common with “Downton,” including the same director. But it has a crucial difference:
“We have made a lot of excellent British television stories about people who are rich,” said Samuel West, who co-stars as Dr. Siegfried Farnon. This show, by comparison, “is ground-level stuff.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 7, 2021

Stories

Bialik detoured into stardom (again)

In the new comedy “Call Me Kat,” life has taken a detour.
Kat didn’t expect to be the owner of a cat cafe. No one does.
But Mayim Bialik, who stars, understands the neat randomness of life. She is, after all, a neuroscientist who returned to acting, almost by accident.
“I was running out of health insurance,” Bialik (shown here with co-star Cheyenne Jackson) told the Television Critics Association. “I went back to acting so I could literally just get enough for insurance to cover my toddler and my infant.” Then she overachieved: She did nine seasons on “The Big Bang Theory,” which became TV’s most-watched comedy. Now she stars in “Kat,” produced by her “Big Bang” husband, Jim Parsons. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 31, 2020

Stories

It was a hard-rocking (yet peaceful) presidency

For Jimmy Carter – the sweet-faced, soft-voiced peanut farmer – many images come to mind.
Few of them involve long-haired rockers with wailing guitars – until now.
“It was the Allman Brothers who put us in the White House,” Carter, 96, says in “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” (shown here) a fascinating documentary movie that airs Sunday (Jan. 3) on CNN. The Allmans, he says, “were raising money when I didn’t have any.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 29, 2020

Stories

A stay-at-home New Year’s Eve? TV is ready

Each year, your better angels might make the same suggestion:
Skip any New Year’s Eve gathering. Your body, brain and bankbook would appreciate it.
And this year, that idea is also being pushed by Dr. Anthony Fauci and other wise souls.Even New York’s mega-event in Times Square (shown here) will be crowd-free. You might actually end up spending Eve in front of the TV set; fortunately, there are plenty of choices: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 28, 2020

Stories

Laura Ingalls Wilder led three fascinating lives

The three lives of Laura Ingalls Wilder continue to fascinate us.
There was young-Laura, growing up in little houses on prairies. Many girls — familiar with the slightly fictional version in ovels and on TV (shown here) — try to replicate that life.
“They are dressed in their little gingham outfits,” Mary McDonagh Murphy, producer of a new “American Master” portrait at 8 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 29) on PBS, told the Television Critics Association. “They come on these pilgrimages, because they feel they know her.”
And there was old-Laura, who was 65 when her first novel was published. Seven more followed and she had 25 years of fame. “Wilder transformed her frontier childhood into the best-selling ‘Little House’ series and helped shape American ideas,” said “Masters” producer Michael Kantor.
But what about middle-Laura? What about the first 47 years after she married Almanzo Wilder? Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 24, 2020

Stories

“Masked Dancer” has Abdul judging anew

Eighteen years ago, Paula Abdul had a front-row seat for the TV revolution.

It was the very front row, as an “American Idol” judge alongside Simon Cowell (shown here, after they settled their differences). The show spurred endless variations – including “The Masked Dancer,” where she’s now a judge.
That starts Sunday (Dec. 27), then jumps to Wednesdays on Fox … which is where this all started.
In the summer of 2002, Fox tried a variation on the British “Idol,” with Abdul judging alongside Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell … whose acerbic comments startled her. Twice, Cowell wrote in “I Don’t Mean to Be Rude But …” (Broadway Books, 2003), she walked out of auditions. “The tension was so tremendous, the bad feeling so strong, that I didn’t know how we could continue together.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 23, 2020

Stories

“The Prom”: Ryan Murphy and stars, at their best

I’m starting to be OK with Ryan Murphy’s Netflix deal.
It took me a while. When he signed it (two-plus years ago), I grumbled that a streamer had stolen one of TV’s best producers, the guy behind everything from “Glee” to the O.J. Simpson mini-series.
But now comes “The Prom” (shown here), the zestful musical that has just arrived on Netflix (and in a few movie theaters). Chances are, few people except Murphy could have pulled it off. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 12, 2020

Stories

An epic mini-series finds love and lust in 1951 India

Sprawling across the emotional landscape, “A Suitable Boy” seems to be many things.
It’s mostly Jane Austen-esque, with a late dose of lurid soap opera. It’s indie cinema, expanded to near-epic proportions. It’s the work of two masters, trying something new at ages 63 and 84.
The former is Mira Nair, an indie-movie favorite for decades; the latter is Andrew Davies, who has written many of the best British mini-series. They linked for a tale that reaches the Acorn streaming service (www.acorn.tv) Dec. 7.; starting with two hours, it then has hours on four more Mondays.
Set in 1951 India, this centers on Lata (shown here), a college student whose widowed mother wants to find her a husband instantly; Austen would approve. But beyond that, it takes a few detours, some bad – oaf-ish villains throughout and some soap-style moments in the fifth episode – and some good. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 5, 2020

Stories

Carrie and great Christmas: an update

(Here’s a quick update on my commentary on Carrie Underwood and the very best of Christmas TV. The Carrie part remains the same, but there are a few additions to the list at the bottom – an extra night for the classic “Grinch” … two cable showings of “Wonderful Life” … and a changed night for the Patrick Stewart “Christmas Carol.” Here’s the update.)
Carrie Underwood’s new Christmas special is the ultimate in sleek simplicity.
It has no gimmicks, no guests (except briefly). It has no distractions and – this is streaming – no commercials. It simply has a great voice, warmly caressing each song.
It also reminds us of something else: Even in this crowded, cluttered season, there are some TV moments that are really worth watching – or re-watching.

+ Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 2, 2020