This Super Bowl will forever be remembered as The Night of a Kajillion (or so) Stars.
Not on the field (although there were some there, too), but in the commercials — including John Travolta, shown here.
In the past, many of the best Super Bowl commercials have been star-free. They had real horses or fake frogs or whatever. But this year, no one wanted to risk that. Read more…
1) “The Masked Singer” opener, 8 p.m., Fox. In its first eight seasons, this show has unmasked some terrific talents – Jewel, Jennifer Holliday, Wayne Brady, Chris Daughtry, etc. — and some others, from Rudy Giuliani to Dog the Bounty Hunter and Larry the Cable Guy. Now the opener (shown heree), Fox says, will introduce three more; two will be unmasked and one will be nudged ahead.
Read more…
1) “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,” 9 p.m., PBS. After a strong start Jan. 31, this three-parter skipped a week because of the State of the Union address. Now the mid-section starts in 1980s New York, with cocaine and AIDS, but also a strong rap scene — peaking in 1990 with Spike Lee’s epic video (shown here) of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” Then the film leaps to Los Angeles, where fierce police action spurred the “gangsta rap” era. Read more…
Twice a year – at Christmas and Valentine time – TV has a romantic-comedy immersion.
Some elements persist in most films. “There’s nothing better than a meet-cute in a rom-com,” said Jonah Feingold, writer-director of “At Midnight,” which has just arrived on Paramount+.
Tben there’s the meet-angry. As Monica Barbaro (shown here with “At Midnight” star Diego Boneta) put it: “We love rom-coms where two characters do not like each other at first …. It’s almost like they are fighting their feelings.” Read more…
1) “The Bachelor,” 8-10 p.m. , ABC. On the eve of Valentine’s Day, this is the logical place to see romance. Zach Shallcross (shown here) is on the Bahama beaches with 14 women (out of the original 30), including four nurses, a therapist, a medical sales rep and a rodeo racer, They try all-terrain vehicles, deep-sea diving and other things we rarely get to do with our Valentine. Read more…
1) Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox. At first, the Kansas City Chiefs seemed like Super Bowl regulars. They were in the first one (in 1967) and lost, then in the fourth and won. And then came a half-century drought. The Chiefs finally returned in 2019, winning behind 24-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They lost with him in 2021 and now return — facing the Philadelphia Eagles, who have a 24-year-old quarterback (Jalen Hurts, shown here) of their own. Read more…
Los Angeles is used to the arrival of new superstars, ready to dazzle.
That happens in sports, mostly – Kareem, Magic, LeBron, Gretzky, Beckham, etc. But it also happened in the classical-music world: In 2007, Gustavo Dudamel (shown here), 26, was designated as the incoming music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Jason Schwartzman, the actor-director-producer, once recalled that debut concert. “It was so exciting and exilarating,” he said. “The second he began, there was such a contagious feeling in the room.”
Now that excitement will cross the continent. It was announced this week that Dudamel will move to the New York Philharmonic, beginning in 2026. Read more…
1) “The Masked Singer” opener, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. Fresh from the Super Bowl, Fox has its best shot at ratings success. At 8 p.m. Thursday is Gordon Ramsay’s “Next Level Chef,” which had its season-opener after the game. And on Wednesday is this show, which has unmasked great singers (Jewel, Jennifer Holliday) and others, from Dog the Bounty Hunter to Larry the Cable Guy. The opener (shown here) will introduce three singers and unmask two. Read more…
1) “The Perfect 10,” 8-9:30 p.m., Fox. On Super Bowl eve, this documentary (narrated by Andre Braugher) profiles the 10 players who won the top awards for college (Heisman Trophy) and pros (Hall of Fame). There are six running backs (including O.J. Simpson), a quarterback (Roger Staubach) and Paul Hornung, who was both; plus receiver Tim Brown (shown here) and defensive back Charles Woodson. That’s followed at 9:30 by a transplanted “First Things First.” Read more…
1) “Lopez vs. Lopez,” 8 p.m., NBC. This gets a much-needed boost from Neil Flynn (shown here) and Eden Sher, as the new neighbors. They play father and daughter – just as they did in “The Middle,” a much better comedy; as it happens, he’s George’s old friend-turned-foe. Flynn and Sher have a solid approach – as does Mayan Lopez, who is George’s daughter, on the show and in real life. They’re a welcome relief from the other characters, all overwrought. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 20: country stars, nature’s star 
Best-bets for Nov. 19: Yes, TV still has comedies 
Best-bets for Nov. 18: surfers, vampires and da Vinci 
