Daily Best Bets
Best-bets for Nov. 9: “SNL” will try to laugh Best-bets for Nov. 9: “SNL” will try to laugh Best-bets for Nov.8: a semi-happy place; a musical salute Best-bets for Nov.8: a semi-happy place; a musical salute Best-bets for Nov. 7: ABC is back; CBS is fun Best-bets for Nov. 7: ABC is back; CBS is fun
Stories

It’s a wild world — even in our cities

By Mike Hughes / November 1, 2024
Stories

Preston’s husband becomes her “Elsbeth” foe

By Mike Hughes / October 28, 2024
Stories

“Lincoln Lawyer” juggles sleek and serious drama

By Mike Hughes / October 25, 2024
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Stories

“Prince of Egypt” musical: songs from the summit

Maybe this is where all songs should be created – atop Mount Sinai, viewing miles of expanse and centuries of human history.
That’s where “When You Believe” began. It would become a global hit (having Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey helped); so would the movie it was written for, “The Prince of Egypt.”
Now, 25 years later, the story and songs are back in a new form: “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical”(shown here) was filmed live in London; it’s available Dec. 5, via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
This was “written a long time ago, from a story thousands of years ago,” songwriter Stephen Schwartz said. It’s also disturbingly current – clashes in the Holy Land, pitting neighbors against each other. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 27, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 28: FX crafts potent dramas

1) “Fargo,” 10 p.m., FX; repeats at 11:01, 12:02, 1:03. Last week, we met a quiet Minnesota mom (Juno Temple) named Dot … her gentle husband … his rich and fearsome mom … and the North Dakota sheriff (Jon Hamm, shown here) who said Dot is his runaway wife. Now both sides prepare for a Halloween showdown that airs next week. As always, tonight has great dialog, beautifully played. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 26, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Bet-bets for Nov. 27: Rudolph, Mickey, Wonka, more

1) “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” 8 p.m., CBS. Rudolph (shown here) comes to the rescue: CBS dumped “Loteria Loca” (after just four episodes), leaving a gap on Mondays. Now “Rudolph,” originally set for last Friday, has been moved here. Afterward, it jumps to the Freeform cable channel, where it will run on Dec. 3, 4, 21, 24 and 25. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 25, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 26: Christmas lights and music

1) “Magical Holiday Celebration,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Derek Hough and his sister Julianne host and sing, in cheery Disney World and Aulani Resort settings. Mickey Guyton sings alone and with Michael Bolton; Adam Blackstone pairs with Andra Day. Others include Chris Janson, Tori Kelly (shown here), Chrissy Metz, Robin Thicke, Ian Tongi and the Smashing Pumpkins. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 25, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best bets for Nov. 25: one big game, many little movies

1) College football, noon ET, Fox. This is what sports fans and accountants dream of: Arch-rivals, undefeated and ranked No. 2 and 3 in the nation, collide in a stadium that has held 115,000. Ohio State visits Michigan (shown here); the winner faces Iowa in the Big Ten championship game. Also, top-ranked Georgia visits Georgia Tech at 7:30 p.m. on ABC and Iowa State is at Kansas State at 8 on Fox. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 23, 2023
Stories

Here’s the TV Christmas mega-list

For 57 years, people have been singing the Broadway song, “We Need a Little Christmas.”
Now it seems especially true. TV networks and viewers need A LOT of Christmas.
Scrambling to fill voids created by strikes, networks have strained their supply of reruns, reality shows, game shows and other nonsense. They need a break – and a six-week Christmas cruise. Here’s a mega-list, by category and date, of what’s coming. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 23, 2023
Stories

When does your show return? Here’s the list

Now that the big-four networks have set their post-strike schedules, viewers can ask the key question: “Hey, when does my show return?”
Maybe you only care about “La Brea” (we won’t judge) or “Celebrity Name That Tune” (well, maybe we’ll judge a little). You can find them in this alphabetical list, which includes shows that are new (including “Elsbeth,” shown here) or returning from last season or simply back from a mid-season break.
Not included here are shows that never left (“60 Minutes,” for instance) or still haven’t been scheduled. Everything is subject to change, via network whim. This follows the usual rules for alphabetizing – ignore any “The”; numbers are presented as if they were spelled out. Here we go: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 23, 2023
Stories

For NBC and Fox, the season starts (partly) in January

The long-delayed TV season will begin right after the holidays.
Or, at least, parts of it will. For some parts, viewers must wait until March.
This week, NBC and Fox set plans that are relatively speedy. Both will have several non-reruns arriving in early and mid-January, getting a one-month jump on CBS and ABC; NBC will even have two advance episodes — “Night Court” (shown here) and Jon Cryer’s new “Extended Family” — on Dec. 23. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 22, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Nov. 27: Grinch and Rudolph lead the way

1) “Rudolph” and “The Grinch,” 8 p.m. today, CBS, and 8 p.m. Thursday, NBC. Two classic cartoons, opposites in style, return. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” debuted in 1964, with stop-motion animation and a casual pace, stretched to an hour; viewers considered it charming. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (shown here) came two years later, with a half-hour of Chuck Jones’ vigorous, movie-style animation. Next month, they’ll be on Freeform and TBS/TNT. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 22, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for Nov. 11: doctors, soldiers and the Grinch

By Mike Hughes / November 7, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 9: “SNL” will try to laugh

By Mike Hughes / November 7, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov.8: a semi-happy place; a musical salute

By Mike Hughes / November 6, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 7: ABC is back; CBS is fun

By Mike Hughes / November 5, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 6: San Diego goes wild; Fox has fun, fun, fun

By Mike Hughes / November 4, 2024