Category Archives: Television

Jul 26 2024
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DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

July 26 – Aug. 1

A Bugs Bunny celebration, Michael Keaton fights dementia & Batman’s back…again!

FRIDAY, JULY 26
Antiques Roadshow Recut
Season three features themed half-hour highlight episodes of standout moments of the popular every-object-has-a-story series (10 p.m., PBS).

Knox Goes Away
Michael Keaton directs and stars in this film as a hit man with dementia (below), racing to save his son from a vengeance-fueled mistake before his mind deteriorates (Max).

SATURDAY, JULY 27
Family Movie Marathon
Sit back with the fam and get ready to laugh all through the p.m. hours with this mega movie marathon featuring Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The Addams Family and two Despicable Me’s (begins 12 noon, TBS).

Hare’s to Bugs! A Bugs Bunny Marathon
Celebrate the 84th birthday of cartoondom’s most famous wascally wabbit with an all-day slate of Bugs’ greatest ‘toon hits, plus commentary from voice actors, animation historians and more (begins 10 a.m., MeTV Toons). 

SUNDAY, JULY 28
Hotel Portofino
Bella (Natasha McElhone) prepares for the arrival of her brother (Lucian Ainsworth) and sister (Constance March) but is thrown off when Cecil (Mark Umbers) shows up requesting a divorce. Season three of the made-in-Croatia period drama, set during the era of the crash of Wall Street in the 1920s, begins tonight (PBS, Masterpiece and Prime Video).

Hustlers Take All
When an underground casino run by women recruits a brilliant young business grad, their biggest rival hatches a murderous plot to stay on top. Carole Davis—you might have seen her in small roles on Hacks, Madam Secretary or Two Broke Girls—stars as Talia (Tubi).  

MONDAY, JULY 29
Futurama
Season 12 begins tonight of the far-out animated sci-fi comedy series, created by The Simpson’s Matt Groening (Hulu).

Signora Volpe
More adventures of the British spy (Emilia Fox, below) with a new quiet life in the Italian countryside…until murder and blackmail pull her back into the world of crime (BBC America).

TUESDAY, JULY 30
Betrayal: A Father’s Secret
New series based on the hit podcast follows a Utah wife and mother of three who makes a horrifying discovery about her husband, causing her to safeguard her family from the man she thought she knew (Hulu).

Under the Radar: Secrets of a Swedish Serial Killer
In this new docuseries, a journalist traces additional crimes though clues he finds in songs by a convicted serial killer (Viaplay).

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31
Women in Blue
Brush up on your Spanish for this crime drama (above) with an entirely Hispanic cast, about four women who defy cultural notions of the time and join Mexico’s first female police force (Apple TV+).

Mountain Queen
Doc about Lhaka Sherpa, a Nepali-born woman who’s climbed Mount Everest ten times, more than any other woman the world. High (very high) five, sista! (Netflix).

THURSDAY, AUG. 1
Batman: Caped Crusader
Yes, yet another adaptation of the tale of the Dark Knight. This new high-pedgree animated version, which drops all 10 episodes in the wee a.m. hours, features voices by Hamish Linklater, Christina Ricci, Minnie Driver and McKenna Grace (Prime).

Influenced
Social media personalities host this new series about content creators with varying spheres of influence in lifestyle, food, home décor, travel, beauty and entertainment (Prime).

BRING IT HOME

The award-winning and fan-favorite hit series Ted Lasso comes to Blu-ray and DVD for the first time, with all episodes from three acclaimed seasons available in a specially packaged box set. Relive all the magic, merriment and comedic mayhem led by the cast of Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

I grew up with G.I. Joe, “America’s movable fighting man,” which ultimately became a multimedia franchise with countless action-figure spinoffs, a TV series and movies.  The G.I. Joe Roster (McFarland), by Teresa Bane, gives the ultimate rundown on all the iterations and “characters” in the G.I. Joe-verse, with details on their names, nicknames, missions, weaponry, areas of combat expertise, dates of service and more. It’s the field book for all those Joes who “served” the gung-ho military fantasies of gazillions of kids since the 1960s.

Jul 05 2024
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DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Steve Harvey celebrates, Zendaya’s love triangle & John Cena goes deep…with sharks!

July 5 – July 11

Steve Harvey celebrates a ‘Family Feud’ milestone this week.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, July 5
The Real Bros of Simi Valley: High School Reunion
A continuation of the comedy mockmentary series The Real Bros of Simi Valley, this one finds the castmates preparing for the milestone of their 10th high school reunion. Tony Hawk, Zoey Deutch and Rob Riggle are among the new stars (Roku).

Down in the Valley
Buckle up for this wild ride as P-Valley star Nicco Allman goes deep into the deep South in this new docuseries (below) exploring sex workshops, strip clubs and other edgy elements of life below the Mason Dixon—and often, below the waist! (9 p.m., Starz).

SATURDAY, July 6
Amish Affair
An Amish woman (Mackenzie McCall) sets out to prove her innocence after she’s accused of murder (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, July 7
Shark Week
It’s summer, and that means one thing: Another fin-tastic week of shark-related programming hosted by John Cena (Discovery).

Shark Attack 360: Urban Jaws
Follow a shark-bite investigation team as they investigate a shark attack Down Under, fishing for clues across the world that connect the incident in Australia to something even wider…and wilder (9 p.m., National Geographic, Hulu and Disney+).

MONDAY, July 8
BBQ Brawl
Chef Bobby Flay oversees pitmasters from around the country vying for the title “Master of ‘Cue.” Saucy! (9 p.m., Food Network).

The Bachelorette
Join 25 men on their jet-setting journey to find love with Vietnamese beauty Jenn Tran (below) as the 21st season of the hit reality dating show begins tonight (8 p.m., ABC) .

TUESDAY, July 9
Family Feud: Four Decades of Laughs
The primetime star-studded showdown celebrates its milestone 100th episode and its 10th anniversary tonight, with Steve Harvey continuing his reign as host (8 p.m., ABC).

Sasha Reid and the Midnight Order
New series about a group of brilliant young women uniting for the common goal of protecting those law enforcement has ignored (10 p.m., Freeform).

WEDNESDAY, July 10
Sunny
Ten-episode dark-comedy mystery thriller stars Rashida Jones as an American woman in Japan who gets a robot (named Sunny) to fill the void in her life, embarking together on adventure to solve the mystery of the plane crash in which her husband vanished (Apple TV+).

In the Arena: Serena Williams
Eight-part documentary series spotlights the life and legendary career of the tennis superstar (ESPN+).

WEDNESDAY, July 11
The 2024 ESPYS Presented by Capitol One
Ah, remember the good ‘ol days, when advertising sponsors didn’t demand that their brand name be part of the show title? Anyway, tennis legend Serena Williams hosts this annual awards ceremony honoring sports achievements and memorable moments (8 p.m., ABC).

Sausage Party: Foodtopia
New animated series (below) continues the, ahem, adventures of a bunch of randy, raunchy R-rated supermarket items as they build their own society. Voice by Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Will Forte and others. Hold on to your bratwurst, it’s a crazy ride! (Prime Video).

BRING IT HOME

Put your heebie-jeebies on ice with the latest season of the Max crime-solving series True Detective, this time around starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as a pair of cops trying to solve a really cold cold-case mystery in the prolonged darkness of an Alaska winter. The DVD comes with bonus features, including a cast Q&A and a discussion of this season’s densely woven indigenous themes (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment).

And Zendaya stars as a former tennis prodigy with romantic troubles in Challengers (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), a sexy love-triangle drama about past and present colliding, and the costs of coming out on top. With The Crown’s Josh O’Connor and Mike Faust.

Jun 21 2024
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DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 21 – June 27

The Bear roars back, Jessica Alba fights back & Tom Petty comes back (sorta) for a Florida homecoming

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, June 21
The Speedway Murders
True-crime series about the unsolved 1978 mystery of four teens who vanished while working the graveyard shift at a local Burger Chef in Speedway, Ind., and the later discovery of their bodies in the nearby woods (Apple TV and Prime Video).

Trigger Warning
Jessica Alba stars as a Special Forces commando who finds herself at violent odds with a hometown gang and a powerful senator (Anthony Michael Hall) in this tense drama (below), which has been knocking around in various stages for almost a decade. Now you can see if it was worth the wait! (Netflix).

SATURDAY, June 22
Tom Petty: Live from Gatorville
Concert special captures the late Florida-native rocker’s 2006 performance in his hometown with his Heartbreakers band, his first “homecoming” show in more than a decade (1 p.m., AXS).

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple
Bruce Springsteen’s longtime guitarist gets the spotlight in this doc featuring interviews from Paul McCartney, Eddie Veder, Bono, Joan Jett, Peter Gabriel and more…including his boss, The Boss! (8 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, June 23
Orphan Black: Echoes
Take a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence in this new sci-fi series following a group of women as they unravel the mystery of their identity. With Krysten Ritter, Keeley Hawes, Amanda Fix and Avan Jogia (10 p.m., AMC, plus AMC+ and BBC America).

MONDAY, June 24
Out of Darkness
A desperate band of Stone Age humans is hunted by a malevolent, mysterious being in this 2022 horror-thriller parable (below) about our enduring existential urge to destroy what we don’t understand (Paramount+).  

TUESDAY, June 25
I Am: Celine Dion
Documentary about the Canadian superstar singer, her music and how she deals with a rare neurological condition known as stiff person syndrome (Prime). 

Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge
Learn all about the iconic designer and her 50-year career as a female pioneer in a male-dominated fashion field (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, June 26
Land of Women
Six-episode drama (above) stars Eva Longoria (who also produced) as a New York empty nester whose life is turned upside down when her husband implicates the family in financial improprieties, and she’s forced to flee the city with her aging mother and teenage daughter (AppleTV+).

Fear Thy Neighbor
New season offers more real-life cases of conflicts between neighbors that escalate into all-out warfare and end in shocking violence. As Commodus asked the crowd in Gladiator: Are you not entertained? (9 p.m., ID).

THURSDAY, June 27
The Bear
Roll up your sleeves and get back in the kitchen for season three of The Bear, the hit workplace drama about frazzled workers at a Chicago restaurant starring Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bacharach (Hulu).

Presidential Debate
President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump face off in their first of two planned debates ahead of the 2025 election. Are you ready to rumble? (9 p.m., CNN).

BRING IT HOME

The new Collector’s Edition 4K restoration of director Joe Dante’s gleefully gizmo-ed 1990s classic Matinee—about a master movie showman (John Goodman) who truly believes in giving audiences of his schlocky ‘60s sci-fi flicks their money’s worth—arrives with a bunch of fun bonus features, including commentary, interviews with the cast, and behind-the-scenes docs.

Director George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat is a feel-good true story about how in the 1930s an underdog team from the University of Washington went on row, row, row their boat at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. Starring Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner and James Wolk.

I once wrote a magazine’s cover story on film noir, what it is, how it began and why it’s still a thing. Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema (Kino Lorber) is an excellent tour of the dark alleys, lonely streets and troubled souls that populated the genre in post-WWII America, with three newly restored classics: Dark City (featuring the movie debut of Charlton Heston!), No Man of Her Own (with Barbara Stanwyck), and Beware, My Lovely (starring Ida Lupino). The collection also features trailers and commentary.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its theatrical, the new Blu-ray release of Purple Rain (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) reminds us of Prince’s smashing acting debut, and it includes commentary and music videos for the flick’s hit songs, including “Jungle Love,” “The Bird,” “Sex Shooter,” “When Doves Cry,” “Take Me with U,” “I Would Die for You” and, of course, “Purple Rain.”

The new Blu-ray edition of director Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro and a young Jodie Foster, gets spiffed with hi-def remastering and bonus features including commentary from Scorsese, a Q&A with the cast and more new featurettes. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Groove like it was yesteryear with Revival 69: The Concert That Rocked the World (Kino Lorber), a rock doc about the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival. The all-star concert featured Alice Cooper, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Geddy Lee…and John Lennon with wife Yoko Ono, making his first public appearance with the Plastic Ono Band, and sealing his decision to leave the Beatles. 

Is it getting cold in here, or is that just Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)? Now on DVD, the latest in the franchise features a threat that could turn the Big Apple into a giant icebox. Can Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Patton Oswalt and the original GB OGs (Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd) warm up this chilly ghost fest?

Jun 14 2024
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The Entertainment Forecast

June 14 – June 20

Get to know Poison’s Bret Michaels, go house-hunting with Reese Witherspoon, & hold on to your car when you visit Las Vegas!

Find all about Bret Michaels of the band Poison in this week’s episode of ‘Biography.’

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, June 14
The Boys
The “boys” are back for season four of the satirical superhero series, dishing out more wallops of vigilante justice to so-called do-gooders doing bad things (Prime Video).

Mama June: Family Crisis
Who would have thought Honey Boo Boo would have such a lasting cultural impact? New episodes of the spinoff, about Boo Boo’s mother, spin around issues of declining health, college and legal woes, below (9 p.m., WE tv).

SATURDAY, June 15
Find My Country House
Leave the city life behind in this new series from Reese Witherspoon’s production company, in which couples search for their dreams of rural paradise, from high-tech farmhouses to seclued ranches and cute hideaway cottages (12 p.m., A&E).

Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story
A love triangle turns deadly and leads to a manhunt in this real-life drama starring Caity Lotz, Kyle Schmid and Larissa Dias (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, June 16
Biography
Get a backstage pass into the lives and music of some of rock’s biggest superstars in this new series of specials kicked off tonight by Bret Michaels, and followed in coming weeks by Dee Snider, Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar and more (9 p.m., A&E).

House of the Dragon
Season two begins of the Game of Thrones spinoff series (below), a prequel taking place 200 years earlier, starring Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy and Rhys Ifans (9 p.m., HBO).

Sin City Tow
If you park your car while you party in Las Vegas but lose track of time, Sin City Tow may take it away. This new reality series looks at the often hot-tempered towing scene in a city where people go to win big, but usually end up losing their shirts…or their cars! (9 p.m., Discovery).

MONDAY, June 17
My Life is Murder
Lucy Lawless returns for season four as the fearless Aussie investigator Alexa Crowe as she digs into eight new mysteries and a fresh batch of diabolical killers (Acorn TV).

The Great American Recipe
Home cooks from across the country showcase their culinary talents as they compete in this taste-tempting celebration of multiculturism (9 p.m., PBS).

Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown
How did the idealistic religious organization led by the infamous Jim Jones go horribly wrong, leaving almost a thousand followers dead in Guyana? This new doc looks at the story behind some of the most horrendous headlines of the 1970s (Hulu).

TUESDAY, June 18
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution
Three-part docuseries puts the spotlight on disco music, its groovy beginnings and its top artists and icons—like Donna Summer, below— and how it became a major musical liberation movement in the 1970s representing female empowerment and LGBTQ+ identity (9 p.m., PBS).

Here to Climb
Follow pro climber Sasha DiGiulian (below) on her rise from child prodigy to champion sport climber, scaling the biggest, scariest walls on the planet—charting her own vertical course where pathways don’t exist (9 p.m., HBO).

Hope in the Water
Travel the globe in this documentary featuring Shailene Woodley and Martha Stewart as they explore creative solutions and breakthroughs that might be our future of sustainable “blue food” from the oceans (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, June 19
Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics
Two-hour documentary showcases Owens’ historic triumph over Nazi Germany during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. LeBron James is one of the producers (8 p.m., History).

Dynamic Planet
Four-part series filmed over three years explores the effects of climate change on all seven continents and their inhabitants, and how science, nature, and Indigenous knowledge can prepare us for the future (8 p.m., PBS)

THURSDAY, June 20
Rear Window
Director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic—about an apartment resident with a broken leg who helplessly witnesses what he thinks is a murder out his window—stars Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly…and Raymond Burr as a very bad guy (9 p.m., TCM).

Slave Play. Not a Movie
Provocative documentary takes viewers inside the buzzy Broadway play about race, sex and interracial relationships (9 p.m., HBO).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

When I was a kid, I was fascinated with volcanos—mountains that spewed rocks and fire. My interest was generated primarily by seeing them in the background of illustrations of dinosaurs. Adventures in Volcanoland (Hanover Square Press) is a deeper, far much more fascinating and fact-filled look at these monstrously magnificent mountains, with acclaimed geochemist Dr. Tasmin Mather as your guide to volcanos in history, the science of eruptions, and how volcanos drive our planet’s “constant cycles of ebb and flow, destruction and renewal.”

So you think you know Paris? Not the international Euro destination city, but the Hilton Hotel heiress who became a pop-culture marquee name? Find out all about the life and times of Paris Hilton in Paris: The Memoir (William Morrow), her autobio now in paperback. From rebellious teen to wilderness camps and sexual abuse, and becoming a queen of celebrity culture, I’m betting there’s a lot you didn’t know about Paris.

Sci-fi lovers will love The First Geeks (McFarland) and its spotlight on the lives and careers of writer Ray Bradbury, monster-mag man Forrest J. Ackerman and effects genius Ray Harryhausen, back from when they were comic-book nerds and buddies in the 1930s…and long before they were household names in filmdom. Ackerman became the editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland; Bradbury was an author highly sought by Hollywood for his novels and screenplays; and Harryhausen went on to become a pioneer of stop-motion animation.

BRING IT HOME

Jeffrey Wright was nominated for multiple awards, including an Oscar, for his starring role in American Fiction as an erudite Black man who confronts racist stereotypes head-on, with a pen instead of a sword. With Tracee Ellis Ross, Leslie Uggams, Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown. Highly recommended!

Up your nose with a rubber hose! Relive all the heartwarming humor and hijinks of the beloved 1970s sitcom series Welcome Back, Kotter, starring Gabe Kaplan as a grownup graduate of a tough Brooklyn high school now returning to teach there and tame an unruly class of troublemakers, including a young John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino. The handsome boxed set of DVDs includes all 95 episodes.

Jun 07 2024
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The Entertainment Forecast

June 7 – June 13

Kelly Clarkson’s a contender, Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Presumed Innocent,’ & the Brat Pack is back!

Will Kelly Clarkson reign for daytime show queen at this year’s Daytime Emmys?

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, June 7
Queenie
Dionne Brown stars in this new drama series as a young Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and not feeling like she belongs in either. Based on a best-selling novel by Candice Carty-Williams (Hulu).

The Daytime Emmy Awards
It’ll be more than soap suds at tonight’s 51st annual awarding of honors to all kinds of programming—daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary and legal/courtroom programs—that air during daylight hours. But the show’s at night. Go figure (8 p.m., CBS). 

Hit Man
Confusion and comedy ensue when a straight-laced professor pretends to be a professional assassin (above). Starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, and directed by Richard Linklater (Netflix).

SATURDAY, June 8
Snowpiercer
The final season of the post-apocalyptic thriller series begins tonight, with Jennifer Connelly, Sean Bean and others returning to the remnants of humanity on a perpetually moving train across a frozen wasteland (9 p.m., AMC).  

SUNDAY, June 9
Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story
Based on a true story, this lurid tale stars Jana Kramer and Austin Nichols as former childhood sweethearts whose marriage goes on the rocks when his circumstances take a suspicious turn (9 p.m., Lifetime).

MONDAY, June 10
Six Schizophrenic Brothers
An all-American family in Colorado is torn apart in this new docuseries when six of 12 siblings develop schizophrenia. It’s a heart-wrenching true story that made medical history (8 p.m., Discovery).

TUESDAY, June 11
How Music Got Free
Remember how you used to have to buy music? This docuseries shows how tech-driven disruption and file sharing created the means and the motive for a new generation of young people to participate in outright theft…and be celebrated for it (Paramount+).

Love Island
TV personality Ariana Madix from Vanderpump Rules hosts the new season of this hedonistic competition with sexy singles giving off pheromones on a tropical island oasis (Peacock).

Deadliest Catch
It ain’t exactly Spongebob stuff as the new season of the docuseries about risk-taking crab fisherman on the Bering Sea begins tonight (8 p.m., Discovery).

WEDNESDAY, June 12
Presumed Innocent
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this eight-episode sexy thriller (above), a remake of the 1990 movie starring Harrison Ford about a legal-eagle attorney accused of killing his mistress. Remember, he’s presumed innocent… With Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard and Elizabeth Marvel (Apple TV+).

Can’t Cancel Pride
Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Melissa Etheridge and others join forces to recognize the impact of music and the contributions of LGBTQ+ organizations and artists in the entertainment community (Hulu).

THURSDAY, June 13
Alone
In tonight’s beginning of its new season, this high-stakes competition puts ten seasoned survivalists in the freezing northlands of Canada, equipped with only basic tools to face bone-chilling cold, ice all around and an assortment of predators, including bears, wolves and moose. At the end: A half a million dollars to the last person standing (9:30 p.m., History).

Brats
New documentary feature about the iconic, generation-defining “brat pack” movies of the 1980s was directed by Andrew McCarthy, who should know—he starred in many of them, including St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero and Weekend at Bernies (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How does Darth Vader keep his Death Star warm? With a space heater! Why do Wookies have so much hair? Fur protection! These and many, many more galactically funny ha-has can be found in Stars Wars Dad Jokes (Chronicle Books), a perfect Father’s Day gift for the pop who has everything…except a ready arsenal of so-bad-they’re good Stars Wars jokes! 

BRING IT HOME

Its a classic combo in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) as the two former foes unite against a formidable threat to monsters as well as men. Starring Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Dan Stevens.

May 31 2024
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The Entertainment Forecast

May 31 – June 6

The woman behind the girls who just wanna have fun, what really happened to OJ’s wife & Disney reclaims Sunday nights

New documentary spotlights the life, career and cultural impact of Cyndi Lauper.

All times Eastern

FRIDAY, May 31
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary
Concert event honors the duo who wrote some of Broadway and Hollywood’s most memorable showtunes, such as “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and “June is Bustin’ Out All Over,” from iconic musicals including Oklahoma!, State Fair, The King and I, Carousel and The Sound of Music (9 p.m., PBS).

Couples Therapy
The award-winning docuseries returns for another season of Dr. Orna Guralnik guiding couples through conflicts (streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime).

SATURDAY, June 1
The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson
The courtroom drama of O.J. Simpson murder charge became the crime of the century in 1995. This new doc pulls back the curtain on the victim, O.J.’s wife, and features interviews with more than 50 participants, including those who were closet to her. And it’s done in partnership with the Domestic Abuse Hotline (8 p.m., Lifetime) 

The Price is Right
In honor of Game Show Day (in case you didn’t know that was a thing!), you can watch the late, great Bob Barker hosting old episodes (1984-1985) of the classic daytime come-on-down competition (3 p.m., Buzzr).

SUNDAY, June 2

The Mayor of Kingston
In season three of the gritty crime thriller (above), Kingston “mayor” Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner, returning after his debilitating snowblowing accident) faces an infiltrating Russian mob, a drug war and his own past as an inmate in the local prison (Paramount+)

Billy the Kid
Want shootouts and wild horse chases? Well, saddle up with the notorious young-looking outlaw (Tom Blythe) as he gets into more Old West trouble in season two (9 p.m., MGM+).

The Wonderful World of Disney
The show that was one a staple of Sunday night returns with Inside Out (above), the animated 2015 flick about childhood emotions voiced by Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling and Lewis Black (8 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, June 3
Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color
Idris Elba narrates this four-part series about soldiers of color, shedding new light on the contributions of some 8 million individuals who fought valiantly for the Allied forces (8 p.m, NatGeo).

Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup
New docuseries picks up on the post-prison life of the woman convicted of murder in Missouri for hiring a hitman to kill her mother, who had falsely claimed her daughter was suffering from a variety of illnesses—some of which the mom had induced (9 p.m., Lifetime).

TUESDAY, June 4
Clipped
Laurence Fishburn and Ed O’Neill star in this new series based on a true story—a notorious NBA owner’s racist remarks captured on a tape heard around the world…and the fallout that followed (Hulu).

Let the Canary Sing
Documentary explores the cultural impact of Cyndi Lauper and the long-lasting legacy of the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” ‘80s singer (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, June 5
An Audience with Kylie
Global superstar Kylie Minouge performs her hits and invites special guests to join her onstage in this musical extravaganza at London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall (Hulu).

THURSDAY, June 6
Criminal Minds: Evolution
The hit franchise returns for a new season with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook and Kirsten Vangsness leading the cast as the FBI profiles investigate a conspiracy with an unexpected complication (Paramount+)

Queer Planet
Actor Andrew Rannells narrates this playfully insightful documentary about nature’s hidden LGBTQ community and its spectrum of “unconventional” behaviors. It’s a Gay Pride parade marching across the animal kingdom! (Hulu).

BRING IT HOME

The story of the first Black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War gets a new shine in the 4K Ultra HD new “steelbook” release of Glory (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment). Released theatrically in 1989, it stars Denzel Washington (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick and Cary Elwes, and comes with commentary, behind-the-scenes documentaries and featurettes.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

If you think Washington is a mess now, wait until you read The Hidden History of the White House (Willliam Morrow). Author Cory Mead deep dives into the populist mob than ransacked the place (sound familiar?) after Andrew Jackson’s disastrous 1829 inauguration; how Woodrow Wilson’s wife became a “shadow” president; when Sir Winston Churchill came on a covert mission to huddle with FDR about how the Allies could win WWII…and many more dramatic events, power struggles, world-altering decisions and shocking scandals that all happened inside the walls of America’s most famous residence.

The 1977 WWII film A Bridge Too Far featured an all-star cast, some of the most intense battle scenes ever filmed and a level of gritty combat “authenticity” that has stood the test of time. In Making a Bridge Too Far (GoodKnight Books), author/filmmaker Simon Lewis transports readers back to the production of the film, shot on location in the Netherlands (where its events took place), with insights from many of the cast (which included Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford, Elliot Gould, Michael Caine and Lawrence Oliver) and immersive details and insights about making a war movie believable in an era decades before Saving Private Ryan and today’s slam-bang special effects.

If your eyes were glued to the coverage of the recent Met Gala, you’ll really dig Fashion Faux Parr (Phaidon), a collection of British fashion photographer Martin Parr’s eye-popping coverage of fashion for high-end magazines and behind the scenes at major fashion events. With some 250 color images, it’s a swirling look inside a world where looks reign supreme.

May 24 2024
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The Entertainment Forecast

May 24 – May 30

Lainey Wilson’s ‘Bell Bottom Country,’ JoLo hunts a robot & cowboy stars saddle up

All times Eastern.

ABC’s Robin Roberts spotlights Lainey Wilson in a new documentary special.

FRIDAY, May 24
Atlas
Jennifer Lopez goes on the hunt for a renegade robot in this futuristic sci-fi thriller with a timely theme about artificial intelligence (Netflix). 

Off Script with the Hollywood Reporter
Series features ensembles of actors from TV shows and films (including Abbott Elementary, Fargo, Saturday Night Live, Frasier) delving into issues affecting the entertainment industry and their livelihoods, filmed on location in Hollywood’s Georgian Hotel (AMC+).

SATURDAY, May 25
Gaga Chromatica Ball
Concert special features the 13-time Grammy nominated singer/songwriter and Oscar winner Lady Gaga performing at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium during her 2022 tour (8 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, May 26
The Dirty Dozen
Your afternoon matinee movie can be this 1967 all-star combat classic, with Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, former NFL great Jim Brown, Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas as a motley crew of military misfits trained as commandos for a suicide mission ahead of the Allied landing at Normandy (2:15 p.m., TCM).

MONDAY, May 27
Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter
On the heels of Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV comes this new docuseries diving into the accusations of rape and sexual assault, and other controversies swirling around the ill-fated brothers after falling from the spotlight as pop stars (9 p.m., ID).

The Truth
Israeli courtroom drama opens the day after a controversial murder case is about to reach its final verdict…and an identical murder takes place (Acorn TV).

Memorial Day Western Marathon
Saddle up for a full day of Wild Western action with Hollywood honchos including John Wayne (Stagecoach), Burt Lancaster (The Rainmaker), Willie Nelson (Red Headed Stranger), Robert Mitchum (El Dorado), Kenny Rogers (The Gambler) and Gary Cooper (High Noon). Begins 8 a.m., HDNet). 

John Wayne and Robert Mitchum share the stage(coach) in ‘El Dorado.’

TUESDAY, May 28
Fiennes Return to the Wild
Dubbed the world’s greatest living explorer, Sir Randolph Fiennes and his cousin (actor Joseph Fiennes) embark on a colorful journey through Canada’s British Columbia, sharing adventure and strengthening their family bond (10 p.m. National Geographic).

WEDNESDAY, May 29
Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country
How did a young woman from a rural farming town become one of the hottest singers in country music, a three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and a Grammy winner? Find out in this primetime special produced by GMA’s Robin Roberts (Hulu).

THURSDAY, May 30
We Are Lady Parts
The season two adventures (above) of a Muslim female punk band in the UK, created, written and directed by Nida Manzoor and inspired by her own musical childhood (Peacock).

Die Hart II
Comedian Kevin Hart returns in this sequel, playing a fictional version of himself as he tries to firm up his legacy as the greatest action star of all time with a revolutionary new movie (Prime Video).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In Life’s Too Short (Harper Collins), singer/songwriter Darius Rucker tells his life story through more than 20 songs (by artists as varied as Frank Sinatra and KISS) that made him and shaped his as he became the front man of Hootie the Blowfish and later, a hitmaking country music performer—and the first Black country artist to crack into the business in decades.

Get high with The Art of Climbing (WWNorton), a dazzling photographic collection of photographs by Simon Carter of the world’s greatest rock- and mountain-climbing spots, and the world-class climbers who risk life and limb to conquer them. You can see what’s it like to be a fearless daredevil from the comfort (and relative safety) of your armchair!

BRING IT HOME

Johnny Depp leads the cast of director John Waters’ Cry Baby (Kino Lorber), the 1990 cult classic now getting its first release as a newly restored 4K version. It’s a rockin’ tale about a rich beautiful “square (Amy Locane) who falls for an irresistible juvenile delinquent (Depp) in the 1950s. With new bonus features, like commentary and behind the scenes featurettes—including Traci Lords, who was then making her transition from porn to mainstream cinema.

May 17 2024
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

May 17 – May 23

Black Panthers, a big ‘Big Bang’ marathon & a bunch of bloomin’ British flowers

Watch “Big Bang Theory” episodes curated by one of the cast members!

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, May 17
Thelma the Unicorn
A pony who dreams of becoming a glamorous music star in magically transformed into a unicorn, where she finds that fame comes at a cost. From the directors of Napoleon Dynamite, with a cast voiced by Jon Heder, Zach Galifianakis, Will Forte and Brittany Howard (Netflix).

The Big Cigar
André Holland stars as Huey P. Newton in this new limited series (below) about the Black Panther leader’s escape from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of a famed movie producer and a crazily elaborate plan that goes wrong in every possible way. And it’s all true…mostly! (Apple TV+)

SATURDAY, May 18
Big Bang Theory Marathon
Watch a slate of favorite episodes of the hit sitcom, selected by Kunal Nayyar, who plays Raj (8 p.m., TBS).

SUNDAY, May 19
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show
All you lovers of buds, stems and blossoms—check out the most prestigious flower show in the world with this 13-episode series featuring England’s top show gardens, horticultural experts and celebrity interviews (Britbox).

Ciao House
Chefs Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabe Bertaccini welcome a dozen up-and-coming culinary stars to southern Italy to prove their mastery of Mediterranean cuisine, divided into teams living in a 16th century villa (8 p.m., Food Network).

MONDAY, May 20
The Tuba Thieves
What does it mean to listen? This acclaimed documentary uses the theft of tubas from Los Angeles schools (which really happened) to explore a larger issue of “hearing” (10 p.m., PBS). 

Race to Survive: New Zealand
Contestant navigate 150 challenging miles of New Zealand’s harshest terrain by endurance racing, survival skills and sheer intuition…and the hopes of winning half a million dollars (11 p.m., USA).

TUESDAY, May 21
Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza
What started three decades ago as a farewell tour for the band Jane’s Addiction rose from the underground to become one of the largest festivals in the world. Find out how and why in this rockin’ documentary (Paramount+).

The Riot Report
Documentary explores 1967’s turbulent summer of racial unrest, and the commission created by then-President Lyndon Johnson to address it—and how a shockingly unvarnished report became a pivotal moment in history (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, May 22
Decoding the Universe
Documentary reveals how the decades have brought new discoveries about the cosmos—planets beyond our solar system, supermassive black holes, dark matter and thousands of previously unknown galaxies—and how the information is reshaping our views of what’s “out there”…and if it might all end as it began, with a “Big Bang” (9 p.m., PBS).

Trying
Season four of the critically acclaimed comedy series finds Nikki and Jason (Esther Smith and Rafe Spall) putting their parenting skills to the test when their teenage daughter (Scarlett Rayner) expresses her longing for a connection with her birth mother (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, May 23
Evil
In its final season of the supernatural drama series, the trio of investigators encounter possessed pigs, demonic infestation, and evil relic, an embryonic antichrist and other nastiness—including the disbandment of their team (Paramount+).

Don’t Forget the Lyrics
So you think you remember how a song goes. Put your musical memory to the test with tonight’s kickoff for a new season of the generation-spanning competition hosted by Niecy Nash, above (9 p.m., Fox).

The 1% Club
Actor/comedian Patton Oswald hosts this new game show (below), based on a super-successful U.K. series, testing the intelligence of studio contestants playing for the night’s cash prize, as well as viewers watching at home (Prime Video).

BRING IT HOME

One of the most acclaimed films of 2013 sparkles anew in the new 4K restoration of American Hustle (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), a rollicking con saga about a pair of scam artists (Amy Adams and Christian Bale), an ambitious FBI agent (Bradley Cooper), a sting operation involving a politician (Jeremy Renner) and a microwave-loving housewife (Jennifer Lawrence). Until, that is, it all comes crashing down on everyone. With deleted scenes and a making-of doc.

READ ALL ABOUT

The “voice” of many Doobie Brothers megahits, Michael McDonald, is profiled in What a Fool Believes (Dey Street), written with his good buddy and musical friend, actor Paul Reiser. It’s a compelling pull-back of the curtain to the skilled keyboardist, soulful singer and lifelong music man behind such songs as “It Keeps You Runnin’,” “You Belong to Me,” “Takin’ It to the Streets” and (of course) “What a Fool Believes.”

How has America changed since the events of 9-11? In Look at the USA: A Diary of War and Home (Thames & Hudson), photographer Peter van Agtmael chronicles the war in Iraq, its aftershocks that reached deep into the life “back home,” and the ways society changed politically and socially as it drifted toward nationalism and the election of Donald Trump.

How do you turn classic tales into a comic book? In the new third edition of Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History (McFarland), author William Bryan Jones shows how one pen led to another in the comic-book series that, from 1941 to 1969, made “illustrated editions” of Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, Rip Van Winkle, Jesus and Moses and thousands of others. With reproductions of covers as well as inside “panels,” it’s an encyclopedia of pulpy entertainment!

May 10 2024
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Books, DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

May 10 – May 16

A ‘Partridge Family’ marathon, worlds collide for ‘Young Sheldon’ & Peyton Manning spotlights female hoopsters

Watch a marathon of ‘The Partridge Family’…and one of TV’s coolest moms!

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, May 10
The Chi
The sixth season’s second half of the hit series begins tonight unfolds tonight, with the continuing saga about life in a dangerous neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side (Paramount+ with Showtime).

The Iron Claw
Acclaimed feature film about pro wrestling’s famous (and famously ill-fated) Von Erich family stars a beefed-up Zach Efron (below), plus Jeremy Allen White (from The Bear), Maura Tierney and Lily James, who swaps her British accent for a Texas twang (Max).

SATURDAY, May 11
The Partridge Family Mother’s Day Marathon
C’mon, get happy! And celebrate TV’s greatest pop-star mom (Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge) with 16 classic episodes of the iconic musical sitcom of yesteryear, with guest appearances by Johnny Cash, Farrah Fawcett, Dick Clark, Mark Hamill and Jacyln Smith! (1 p.m., AXS).

Full Court Press
College-bound basketball queen Caitlin Clark (below) is among the hot hoopsters featured in this series produced by Peyton Manning and profiling women’s b-ball superstars (1 p.m., ABC).

Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die
The comedian/actress fearlessly digs into a wide range of topics in this special recorded in Seattle, Wash., including why she doesn’t want kids, the realities of getting older and her plans for her death (10 p.m., HBO). 

SUNDAY, May 12
Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire
It doesn’t have Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks (who starred in the 1994 movie version), but season two of the fan-favorite hit streaming series (about an ancient vampire recounting his life story to a journalist) begins tonight, with Jacob Anderson and Delainey Hayles (AMC+).

Time100: The World’s Most Interesting People
Coverage of last month’s live gala honoring Dua Lipa, Taraji P. Henson, NFL QB Patrick Mahomes, Kylie Minougue, Michael J. Fox and more industry-spanning individuals honored by the venerable weekly publication (10 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, May 13
Summer Baking Championship
Jesse Palmer hosts as bakers from around the world heat up the kitchen to prove their talents in summer-travel themed challenges, from tropical fruit to beach vacations (8 p.m., Food).

After the Flood
British thriller series set in a small town hit by a devastating deluge, exposing secrets and putting fortunes and reputations at stake. Starring Peaky Blinders’ Sophie Russell (below, on BritBox).

TUESDAY, May 13
Pillowcase Murders
Three-night series sheds new light on the serial killer who preyed upon one of America’s most vulnerable populations—senior citizens in retirement communities (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, May 15
In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin
Joined by his trained-chef niece Renee Guilbault, the actor welcomes celebrity guests (Ted Danson! Mary Steenburgen! Bobby Miynihan! Ed Begley Jr.!) to share favorite recipes, offer kitchen tips and set the table for some elegant Hollywood-worthy dinners (11 p.m., AMC+ and IFC).

Secrets in Your Data
Are you worried about how much info about you—name, address, phone number, workplace, family—is available online? This eye-opening doc reveals how easily our privacy is compromised and how we can better maintain it (9 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, May 16
Bridgerton
Season three of the hit Shondaland period drama dresses up new plotlines for Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and other characters with complicated lives in London’s high society (Netflix).

Young Sheldon
Worlds collide! Jim Parsons and Mayam Bialik reprise their roles from The Big Bang Theory on tonight’s finale about the young(er) life of brainiac Sheldon Cooper (above, 8 p.m., CBS).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Ol’ Scratch has been around for centuries, but now journalist Randall Sullivan takes a new look at the figure of the Devil, and how humankind has “used” the satanic figure to help embody crime, violence and otherwise inexplicable unpleasantries. Engrossing, fascinating and full of detail, The Devil’s Best Trick (Grove Atlantic) is an eye-opening descent in the historical, religious and cultural concepts that have been funneled into our dark fascination with the Big D.

Tom Selleck tells all in You Never Know (Dey Street), in which the iconic TV and movie star relates his entertaining, engaging story of growing up, coming to Hollywood, finding superstar success and making friends with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Carol Burnett. How did he put his career on the line for Magnum P.I.? Or walk away from a show that could have easily continued for years to come? It’s all here, and more!

The movie industry has often portrayed motherhood as scary, and sometimes crazy, from Mommy Dearest and Carrie to Rosemary’s Baby and Hereditary, and beyond. In Hollywood’s Monstrous Moms (McFarland), author Kassia Krone turns a keen academic eye to a wide range of real-world mental illness, their depiction in the movies across time, how serious psychological disorders and disabilities often became horrifying film stereotypes.

BRING IT HOME


The gigantic sandworms are back in Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), director Denis Villeneuve’s spectacular looking follow-up to his epic sci-fi 2021 film, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Rebecca Ferguson. And it’s loaded with bonus features, including how the cast learned to ride those massive sandworms!

Apr 12 2024
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Books, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

April 12 – April 18

Michael Douglas flies a kite, a new Dora explores, Billy Joel marks a milestone and Conan O’Brien’s gotta go

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, April 12
Franklin
Michael Douglas stars as the founding father (above) who famously flew a kite in a thunderstorm, signed the Constitution and became America’s first postmaster general, among many other achievements, in this new limited series about the guy on our $100 bill (Apple+). 

Dora
You probably know her as Dora the Explorer, but now she’s just plain Dora in this new 26-episode animated series about the bilingual adventurer and her monkey friend, Boots (Paramount+).

The Greatest Hits
The transportative power of music is the theme to this fantasy flick in which a young woman (Lucy Boynton) discovers that songs can allow her to time-travel back to a former romantic relationship (Hulu).

SUNDAY, April 14
The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden—The Greatest Arena Run of All Time”
The title says it all: The “Piano Man” makes his record-breaking 100th consecutive performance at New York City’s iconic venue, part of his record-breaking string of sold-out appearances there (9 p.m., CBS).

The Sympathizer
Hoa Xuande, Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. (who plays multiple roles) star in this limited series about a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam war, and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles—where he learns that his dangerous spying days are not over (9 p.m., HBO).

MONDAY, April 15
Music Mayhem
New original series cuts through the stardust to get to the bitter feuds, tragic endings, weird collaborations, musical romances and more dishy side trips into the land of rock and roll, with spotlights on the Beatles, David Bowie, Ozzy Osborne, the Rolling Stones and many other performers (8 p.m., AXS).

TUESDAY, April 16
Control + Alt Desire
Docuseries follows the year-long investigation of shocking killings that rocked a quiet Florida town, and a 29-year-old man accused of murdering his family execution-style for the love of a cam girl (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, April 17
Under the Bridge
New series based on true-crime tale about the abduction about a 14-year-old girl who went to join friends at a party and never came home. Starring Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone and Vritka Gupta (Hulu).

THURSDAY, April 18
Conan O’Brien Must Go
The Emmy-winning former late-night talk show host spent several years sitting behind a desk. Now he’s up and moving around as the host of this new travel series (above), in which he treks the world to connect with listeners to his popular podcast (Max).

Orlando Bloom: To the Edge
Three-part limited adventure series follows the actor on his journey of self-discovery as he pushes his limits physically and mentally through fear-defying extreme sports, including wingsuiting, free diving and rock climbing (Peacock).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In Music and Mind (Viking), renowned opera superstar Renee Fleming curates a collection of essays by other famous music makers and thinkers (Ann Patchett, Yo-Yo Ma, Ben Folds) to present a thorough—and thoroughly entertaining—treatise on the power of music manifest in ways both mental and physical. Bravo!


Star Trek’s George Takei’s My Lost Freedom (Random House) brings his childhood story—of incarceration with his family, along with thousands of other U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry, in California internment camps during World War II—to vivid life for young readers. It’s a pointed, timely reminder of hysteria masquerading as “national security,” and the fragility of democracy in our “land of the free.”

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