Showbiz is getting ready to pop the cork at midnight on Jan. 1. But first allow me to burst their bubble. Like the schlub who pledges to go to the gym more, the entertainment industry could always use some improvement. Here are my New Year’s resolutions for movies, Broadway and TV. “Stranger Things” returned for … Read more
Hot off the presses. The headline news about “The Office” spinoff “The Paper” is that it’s not bad. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s surprisingly entertaining and amusing. Premiering on Peacock on Sept. 4, “The Paper” is a mockumentary in the same style as “The Office,” set in the same world. The former show (which … Read more
The Targayens are back, with fire and blood. The hit “Game of Thrones” prequel series, “House of the Dragon” returns for Season 2 after a long wait (Season 1 aired in 2022 and did gangbusters, with around 29 million viewers tuning in weekly). Premiering Sunday, June 16 on HBO (9 p.m.) and streaming on Max, … Read more
In “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” the comedian and talk show host puts his own irreverent spin on the well-worn travel show format. Premiering Thursday, April 18 on Max, the four-episode series is based on the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.” The show follows O’Brien, 60, as he visits “friends” that he’s made (aka, fans … Read more
Michael Douglas fits the bill as Ben Franklin in “Franklin,” an eight-part series premiering April 12 on Apple TV+. “Franklin” tells the story of 70-year-old Ben Franklin’s secret diplomatic mission to France in 1776 to gain French support (money, arms) for America’s fight against the British in the Revolutionary War. There are a lot of moving … Read more
I’m going to guess that Peacock held off on its premiere of “Hapless” until “Curb Your Enthusiasm” ended its storied run on HBO. That’s because “Hapless,” premiering April 10 on Peacock, is extremely similar in tone and context to “Curb,” with a few exceptions — and is even described as a “cringe comedy” a la … Read more
“The Chevy Chase Show” and “The Magic Hour” hit the airwaves with big expectations — then crashed-and-burned as the two most infamous late-night horror shows in TV history. Both talk shows flamed out in a matter of weeks in very public meltdowns — scaring away viewers in droves. “The Chevy Chase Show” premiered Sept. 7, … Read more
Creator Mike Flannagan’s latest spooky Netflix series, “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a darkly atmospheric treat for this Halloween season. Premiering Thursday, Oct. 12, it’s loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name (as well as his other works) – but it also takes several more modern … Read more
Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier Crane is finally back with his pretentious quips and drinking sherry wine in Boston. The Paramount+ revival of “Frasier” premiered Thursday — with one original character noticeably absent. The late John Mahoney — who portrayed Frasier’s retired police office father Martin Crane in the 1993 series — wasn’t sitting in his iconic … Read more
“Raid the Cage” host Damon Wayans Jr. would have a tough time answering the trivia questions that drive the CBS game show. “Let me tell you something, coming from a dyslexic guy myself, I would not be great at that trivia because I pronounce ‘quiet’ [as] ‘quite’ and I mix all these letters up,” Wayans, … Read more
The late William Friedkin hits a home run with “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” a modern-day adaptation of the 1951 novel “The Caine Mutiny,” which spawned the 1954 big-screen classic starring Humphrey Bogart as Lieutenant Commander Philip Queeg, he of the nervously-twirled metal balls and questionable sanity. The movie premieres Oct. 6 on Paramount+ with Showtime … Read more
“Gen V” is a hit-or-miss affair. It continues in the tradition of “The Boys” sometimes for better and to the point where it’s derivative of its predecessor. Source link #Boys #spinoff #Gen #balances #strength #weakness
HBO Max has just released a reimagined spinoff of the popular, long-running kids show “Scooby-Doo.” Despite the association with the Hanna-Barbera original, it’s being marketed as “adult” and features limbs being severed, one of the main characters going to a strip club with her dad, and two teenage boys making out at their high school. … Read more