The pandemic twisted a lot of show-business careers, for bad (mostly) and good.
For Scotty Hasting, it was good. He went from a struggling war veteran to an emerging country-music star. And now he’ll perform for the masses at PBS’ Memorial Day eve concert.
“When it gets quiet, the demons come out,” Hasting said. “Covid was way too quiet.”
He needed a distraction. Fortunately, an old guitar was nearby. Read more…
1) “Survivor” finale, 8-11 p.m., CBS. Five people still have a shot at the million-dollar prize. There’s Eva Erickson, Ph.D. candidate and hockey player; Kyle Fraser (shown here in last week’s episode), 31, a lawyer; Kamilla Karthigesu, 31, a software engineer; Mitch Guerra, 34, a gym coach; and Joe Hunter, 45, a fire captain. Two will be trimmed; then the final three plead their case. Read more…
There was a time when TV networks seemed to take long summer snoozes.
Viewers could just watch reruns. After all, there weren’t many alternatives.
Not any more. With streamers and pay-cable channels pouring out new shows year-around, the broadcast networks struggle to remain relevant. This summer, they’ll have scripted dramas (a few), sports (A LOT), specials and the usual collection of reality and game shows, including “Bachelor in Paradise” (shown here in a previous year). Read more…
1) “The Voice” finale, 8-11 p.m., NBC. This starts with a recap of Monday’s songs by the final five (shown here, from left, Jadyn Cree, Renzo, Lucia Flores-Wiseman, Jaelen Johnston and Adam David). At 9, there are guest performances: the coaches (with their finalists); former coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys and Chance the Rapper; plus Joe Jonas, James Bay and more.
Read more…
1) “The Voice,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The final five get one more chance to gather votes. Michael Buble has two finalists — Jadyn Cree and Adam David; others have one each: John Legend has Renzo (shown here); others are Jaelen Johnston (Kelsea Ballerini) and Lucia Flores-Wiseman (Adam Levine). The performances will be recapped Tuesday, leading into a star-stuffed finale. Read more…
(This is a re-written version of the latest chapter of a book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the full book, so far, click “The Book,” under “categories.)
People thought television would kill the movies. It didn’t.
They thought cable would kill television. It didn’t.
Then streaming came along and killed (or seriously wounded) all of them.
That started in 2013, when Netflix suddenly had “House of Cards” and a Marvel surge. It broadened two years later, with “The Crown” (shown here) and more. Read more…
1) “American Idol” finale, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Now the show has its final three – Jamal Roberts (shown here), John Foster and Breanna Nix. Tonight, after lots of guest performances, one will become the 23rd champion. Then “The Voice” has its turn, with finals Monday and Tuesday on NBC. Read more…
1) “The Voice” finale, 8-10 p.m. today, 8-11 p.m. Tuesday. NBC. Tonight, finalists have a last chance to grab votes. On Tuesday, those songs are recapped at 8 p.m., with guest performances at 9. That includes the coaches; former coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys and Chance the Rapper; plus Joe Jonas, James Bay, Foreigner and previous winner (shown here) Bryce Leatherwood. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live” season-finale, 11:29 p.m., NBC. The 50th season ends with a big night for Colin Jost. His wife, Scarlett Johansson (shown here) has her seventh time as host, this time with Bad Bunny as the music guest. And there’s a season-finale tradition: On “Weekend Update,” Jost and Michael Che each write jokes the other must read. Read more…
1) “SWAT” series-finale, 9-11 p.m., CBS. An eight-year, 163-episode run is ending. First an auto-carrier is hijacked, sparking a frantic chase and a search for a mysterious, $60-million car. Also, Hondo (shown here in a previous episode) confronts a violent thief he thought was dead. Then he finds that Russian mercenaries have planted bombs throughout Los Angeles. Read more…
Best-bets for May 27: “Alert” ends, “Talent” begins 
Best-bets for May 26: Sir Rod, Idris, many more 
Best-bets for May 25: music soars, warlords scheme 
