1) Academy Awards, 7 p.m. ET Sunday, ABC, rerunning at about 11. The no-host, no-fun years are gone. Jimmy Kimmel has his second straight turn (and fourth overall) as host, with music that includes Billie Eilish, Becky G, Ryan Gosling (shown here in “Barbie”), Jon Batiste and the Osage Singers. And this year has nominees people have actually seen, led by the buoyant “Barbie” and front-runner “Oppenheimer.” Read more…
Miss Scarlet will be back, but now she’ll be Dukeless.
PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre” announced today (Feb. 29) that there will be a fifth season of “Miss Scarlet and the Duke.” But it will be renamed “Miss Scarlet,” with Kate Phillips starring alone. Stuart Martin (they’re shown here) will no longer be there as police Inspector William Wellington, nicknamed “The Duke” because of his surname.
Martin, 38, said the departure is his idea and gave no explanation. He has finished his most-recent filming project, the two-part “Rebel Moon.” He’s married to Lisa McGrillis, who has regular roles on multiple British shows; they have two children. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. At 26, Sydney Sweeney (shown here) already seems to be everywhere. Lately, she’s done movies, successful (“Anyone But You”) and not (“Madame Web”). Earlier, she had simultaneous Emmy nominations for “Euphoria” and “White Lotus.” Now she gets her first turn as “SNL” host; country singer Kacey Musgraves is the music guest. Read more…
There seems to be a two-way street now, linking CBS and its corporate partner, Paramount+. Separate announcements said:
— A fresh spin-off of CBS’ “NCIS” is coming, bringing back Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo (shown here) as Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. But this one, confined to a 10-episode season, will be on Paramount+.
— “Tulsa King,” the Paramount+ series starring Sylvester Stallone, will rerun its first season this summer on CBS. Read more…
When it comes to comedy, Americans have mastered the middle ground.
We’re the land of Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Simon and Carol Burnett, of “Friends” and “Big Bang” and all the late-night comics. Our huor is quick, slick and consistent.
And what about our former overlords? “In England, there is definitely a distinct sense of humor,” Noel Fielding (shown here) said. “And it’s quite eccentric.”
The latest example is his “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin,” which debuts Friday (March 1) on Apple TV+. Most people will agree that it’s eccentric; some will feel it’s also funny, in a bizarre, British kind of way. Read more…
1) “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin” opener, Apple TV+. The real Turpin grew up as a butcher, then became a poacher, horse thief and highway robber; later, he was elevated by fiction and myth. Now we get a fresh take, rippling with odd fun in the Monty Python/Rowan Atkiinson style. This wonderfully self-centered Turpin (left, in disguise) stirs lots of laughs, some of them just silly. Read more…
Adan Canto had a richly mobile life.
As a boy, he walked from Mexico to the United States – daily. As a young man, he lived in Mexico City, San Antonio, Manhattan and Los Angeles; he starred in Spanish roles and then in English, including – until his recent death – the male lead (shown here) in “The Cleaning Lady,” which starts its season at 8 p.m. Tuesday (March 5) on Fox.
Canto’s life was so mobile that even this seems logical: His death, Jan. 8, was at his home in … Clear Lake, Iowa. His memorial service was in the same Clear Lake ballroom where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper had their final concert. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. During the 12 seasons of “Good Wife” and “Good Life,” Elsbeth Tascioni was merely a bonus. A lawyer with a sharp mind and a quirky soul, she did 19 episodes, bringing an Emmy for Carrie Preston and fun for viewers. Now she moves to New York for a weekly mystery. The opener is great fun, centering on Stephen Moyer (shown here with Preston) of “True Blood” as a theater director. Read more…
Waiting for the pandemic to end, Robert and Michelle King re-discovered a key fact: People like stories that end.
“Every night, we wanted to watch an episode of ‘Columbo,’” Robert said, “instead of the eight-hour movies that were thrown our way.”
So they created “Elsbeth” (shown here), the fun murder-mystery that debuts at 10 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 29) on CBS. It fits a pattern that works for CBS. Read more…
1) “Survivor” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., CBS. This diverse batch of contestants ranges from a slot-machine salesman, 22, to a parenting coach, 48. It includes natives of India, Guyana and Hong Kong. There’s an actor, an artist and a musician; also, a science teacher, an aerospace technician and a software engineer. Now they get muddy (ahown here) in a hurry; after a couple weeks of two-hour episodes, this will recede to 90 minutes. Read more…
Best-bets for Nov. 7: ABC is back; CBS is fun 
Best-bets for Nov. 6: San Diego goes wild; Fox has fun, fun, fun 
Best-bets for Nov. 5: The election … and alternatives 
