Stories

NBC, ABC join plans for a scrambled fall

Right about now, TV viewers should be getting antsy. Hey, this is September. When will the new network TV seasons start?
Soon, but in trimmed form. The two most reluctant networks finally now have plans:
– NBC will bring back some of its top shows in a four-week stretch between Oct.19 (“The Voice”) and Nov. 13 (“The Blacklist”). That November week also includes “This Is Us” (shown here) “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and all three Chicago shows. Many others, however, will wait until January or beyond.
– ABC will prop up four of its nights with games or reality shows – Mondays, starting Sept. 14; Thursdays, Sept. 24; Tuesdays, Oct. 13; and Sundays, Oct. 18. Its scripted shows remain in limbo. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 5, 2020

Stories

Swank’s century: Seething in jail, soaring in space

If you flash through Hilary Swank’s career, you might decide that society is improving, after all.
There she was in “Iron Jawed Angels” (2004), as real-life militant Alice Paul, surviving arrests and hunger strikes while fighting for women’s right to vote.
And here she is in “Away,” which Netflix debuts Friday – 100 years and nine days after that voting-right became official. She plays the captain of a Mars mission.
“We’ve definitely come far in the last hundred years,” Swank told the Television Critics Association recently. “And we still have so much more to accomplish in equality for women. But … the show is such a beautiful reflection of where we’re headed.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2020

Stories

“Wolves” leads a pack of fresh streaming shows

As September arrives, the streaming networks are determined to keep their grip on us.
Yes, several networks have plans for makeshift fall seasons; PBS and cable have more. By Sept. 21, the TV world will feel sort of busy; by Sept. 27 – the launch of two engrossing cable series, “Fargo” and “Comey Rules” – it will seem packed.
But the streamers are loading up first. On Thursday – one day before Netflix’s ambitious “Away” debuts and Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” returns – four series or mini-series arrive, including Ridley Scott’s “Raised by Wolves” (shown here): Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 1, 2020

Stories

Conventions are over; take a breath … then rush

For a moment, TV people can pause for breath. It’s post-conventions rehab time.
The two parties have had their virtual gatherings. (The Republican finale is shown here.) People can worry about something else now … briefly. Coming soon are:
– Town halls, with candidates talking to undecided voters. ABC has set Donald Trump for Sept. 15; it has invited Joe Biden for a separate night.
– Debates. They’re set for Sept. 29, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22; the vice-presidential debate is Oct. 7. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 29, 2020

Stories

CBS sets makeship September schedule: “Trek,” “Race,” more

CBS will join the push to wipe away reruns this fall.
Following a trend started by two smaller networks, it will launch a makeshift line-up next month, giving its main shows more time to ease back from the COVID shutdown.
The difference is in timing: Fox and CW — see previous report under “stories” — have both delayed their regular line-up until January; CBS programming chief Kelly Kahl is slightly more confident: “We hope to start rolling out our previously announced fall series as they become available in November,” he said in a statement.
Until then, he has a reality-heavy line-up that includes extending summer shows and transplanting a few scripted ones – including the first season of “Star Trek: Discovery” (shown here in the second season) and the truncated fourth season of the “One Day At a Time” reboot – that have aired elsewhere. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 26, 2020

Stories

The Queen: A sprawling life in three phases

Boiling any life story down to an hour can be tricky. Now try the story of Queen Elizabeth II (ashown here).
“Her life is so vast in so many ways,” Tom Jennings said by phone.
His richly detailed film, “Being the Queen,” debuts at 9 p.m. Monday (Aug. 31) on the National Geographic Channel. That follows a 7 p.m. rerun of his previous “Diana: In Her Own Words.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 26, 2020

Stories

It’s time to celebrate … well, the planet

We don’t seem to see the word “celebration” much these days.
What could we possibly celebrate? Well … how about the entire planet?
“Planet Earth: A Celebration” arrives at 8 p.m. Aug. 31 on four cable channels, as a sort of end-of-summer bonus. It’s downright joyous, with flamingos (shown here) strutting on parade in the Andes; it’s also nightmarish, as racer snakes pursue baby iguanas. Mostly, it’s a reminder that the British are good – REALLY good – at nature filmmaking. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 24, 2020

Stories

VENN hopes to harness videogame energy

This is what being cool was like in the1980s: You’re the first kid on the block – well, one of the first anywhere – to play Mario and Duck Hunt; kids from around the neighborhood watch you.
And this is what it’s like in 2020: You have you own channel; kids from around the world watch you.
Ben Kusin has been that first one. “I became really cool – as cool as a 1st-grader can be,” he joked.
Now he’s working with people from that second one. This month, he and Ariel Horn launched VENN (shown here with Chrissy Costanza). That stands for Videogame Entertainment News Network; it’s online (www.venn.tv) and beyond. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 22, 2020

Stories

Conventions: One party begins; the other has its afterglow

Now we’re at the mid-point of the political-convention season.
That’s when one party starts its event and the other celebrates what it considers a triumph. That’s always the case, Rick Santorum (shown here) said.
“You always come out of the convention thinking it was great,” he said. “You always leave on a high” … especially if you were one of the speakers. “Everyone loves to hear their voice.”
He’s seen that from several sides, as a two-term senator from Pennsylvania, as runner-up (to Mitt Romney) for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 and now as a CNN commentator. At a press session, several CNN people pondered what had happened in the Democratic convention and what’s ahead (Aug. 24-27) for the Republicans. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 21, 2020

Stories

TV this fall? Fox, CW, cable, PBS set line-ups

For TV viewers swamped by reruns, there are a few signs of hope.
Two networks have set specifics for this fall: Fox will launch a makeshift line-up on Sept. 21 with “Filthy Rich” (shown here) and “L.A.’s Finest”; the CW begins its own makeshift line-up two weeks later.
That still leaves the big ones in limbo. When the coronavirus struck, ABC, CBS and NBC simply renewed most of their shows for this fall; so far, they haven’t set start dates.
But the pay-extra networks – from Netflix to HBO – remain busy. So does PBS and some of the basic-cable networks. “Fargo,” one of TV’s most-praised series, starts its season Sept. 27 on FX; a week later, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” has an abrupt season-finale and launches a spin-off. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 17, 2020