1) “Claim to Fame” season-opener, 9 p.m., ABC. This fun show has players guessing about family links. In the first two seasons, we’ve met the daughter of Eddie Murphy and (shown here) the son of Donny Osmond; we’ve seen grandchildren of Jimmy Carter and Whoopi Goldbrg and the identical twin of Laverne Cox. Kevin Jonas hosts with his less-famous brother, Franklin. Read more…
So I’m in California now, ready for a spurt.
TV coverage has been fairly sparse in the first half of summer, but that will change when the Television Critics Association sessions begin Wednesday.
The 2,000-mile flight used to be draining, but not this time. I spent my time trying to decide if the flight attendant was Michael Cohen or merely a guy who looks exactly like Michael Cohen. (Anything’s possible when your original profession — altrnately listed as “fixer” or “thug” — dries up.) I also caught a double-feature of “Madame Web” (shown here) and “Lisa Frankenstein.” Read more…
1) “Family Feud: Decades of Laughs,” 8 p.m., ABC. It’s been five decades, almost. “Feud” did daytime for eight years on ABC and five on CBS, was gone for a while, then did syndication and prime time. From Richard Dawson to Steve Harvey (shown here), it’s had sharp hosts and a clever concept. This hour offers some of its funnier moments. Read more…
1) “The Bachelorette” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. A big week for ABC — with four season-openers and two specials –starts with Jenn Tran (shown here), the first Asian-American star of a “Bachelor” show. She’s 26 and near a Master’s Degree in clinical medical studies. She’ll meet 25 men, ranging from a med student to guys who focus on wine and pet portraits.
Read more…
No one seems to agree on when summer starts.
Many people say June, but the TV networks disagree. Two (NBC and Fox) started their summers in May; the others aited until July.
So now we get a mid-summer surge on ABC and CBS. It includes new seasons of– five game shows, plus “Big Brother” (shown here from last season), “The Bachelorette,” a light-hearted judge show and even a few specials. Read more…
1) Sharks (shown here), Discovery. The 37th annual “Shark Week” begins, with reruns during the day and new hours (21 of them) at night, hosted by John Cena. . The first two are in New Zealand — a 29-foot fake whale stirs a feeding frenzy (8 p.m.), a 60-foot real one battles a shark (9).Others, in California and Australia, are at 10 and 11. Read more…
1) “Celebrity Family Feud,” 8-11 p.m., ABC. This fun show is scooting in to save ABC’s summer. A special, viewing some of the funnier moments from 48 years of “Feud,” will be 8 p.m. Tuesday, with the season-opener at 9. First, here are three reruns; contestants include the casts of “Yellowjackets” (shown here) and “Drag Me to Dinner.” Read more…
1) “Snowpiercer” marathon, noon to 9:15 p.m. AMC. A train keeps circling the frozen Earth. Inside (shown here) are survivors – the only ones, perhaps – of the eco-disaster; also inside are class-struggles and a murder probe. That’s the set-up for a richly crafted series that TNT ran for three seasons, then abandoned. AMC which starts the fourth and final one July 21, shows us the start. Read more…
1) “The Bachelorette” opener, 8-10 p.m. today, ABC. A big, busy week for ABC starts with the first Asian-American as a “Bachelor” show’s star. Jenn Tran (shown here) is the daughter of Vietnam immigrants, she’s 26 and near her Master’s Degree in clinical medical studies. She’ll meet 25 men, ranging from a med student to guys who focus on wine and pet portraits. Read more…
1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m., PBS; repeats, 9:30-11. Each year, this offers a zesty blend of music, followed by fireworks (shown here). This time, the music is from Motown great Smokey Robinson and Broadway’s Fantasi aand, Darren Criss, p;lus Loren Allred, Chloe Flower, Sheila E, Sister Sledge and Fitz & Noelle fom Fitz and the Tantrums. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 4: vampires, cops and elections 
Best-bets for Nov. 3: monsters & zombies, funny & not 
Best-bets for Nov. 2: Mulaney on “SNL”; country stars at fundraiser 
