Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, July 15th, 2024
It's day one of PBS at the TCAs
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, July 15th, 2024:
GREETINGS FROM PASADENA
The upside of this summer TCA tour is that I am meeting a lot of people and have learned a lot. The downside is that I have strained my voice and basically can't talk right now. That forced me to cancel a bunch of PBS interviews today and both Tuesday and Wednesday (the tour's last day) are suspect. It's not quite what I had planned. But it could be worse.
DAY ONE OF PBS
Monday was day one of the two-day TCA stint by PBS and they had a diverse line-up of shows. And while I wasn't able to dive into them in-depth with interviews, there is a lot to highlight:
Masterpiece: Moonflower Murders
Here is the official logline: "Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville, The Crown) has left publishing and is living in Crete with her long-time boyfriend, Andreas. But her idyll is disturbed by the shadow of a murder committed at a British country hotel eight years ago. Alan Conway visited the hotel and wrote a novel based on what happened there. Cecily Treherne, the young woman who helps run the hotel, read the book and believed the wrong man had been arrested. Now she has disappeared. Can Susan uncover the secret hidden in the book and find Cecily before it is too late? “Moonflower Murders” is based on the bestselling novel by Anthony Horowitz."
American Masters: Blake Edwards
This special turns out to be less a film-by-film examination of Blake Edward's career than a look at his life framed by his long-time marriage to Julie Andrews. She is a near-constant presence in the documentary, along with family as well as some well-known modern directors such as Paul Feig and Rian Johnson. It doesn't dig deep into the controversies of his life, but it's not an authorized whitewash either.
Carl The Collector
I've seen one episode of the show, which is delightful. According to the network, it is the "first series centering on an Autistic main character. Carl is a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who enjoys collecting things and loves his friends and family in Fuzzytown." As someone who has a now-teenage son with autism, I appreciated the creative decision to lean into the collection approach to autism instead of making him another autistic math wizard.
It comes from veteran kids show producers Spiffy Pictures, which has also produced Nature Cat, Donkey Hodie, Bunnytown and one of the best kids shows ever, Jack's Big Music Show. I am such a big fan of their work that I bought a Spiffy Pictures t-shirt from their web site a few year's back. So, yes, I am looking forward to this one and to arranging an interview.
Deadlock
I missed the panel for the special because I was out getting steroids for my throat, but here's the official logline: "Moderated by Aaron Tang, professor at UC Davis School of Law, the series will feature a diverse panel of influential figures from legal, political, and cultural spheres delving into complex, ethical dilemmas based on real-life scenarios. A host will begin the hour, setting the tone and topic." This reminds me of a live panel program about journalism and ethics that used to run on PBS stations back in the day of Dan Rather and Ted Koppel. For the life of me, I can't recall the name, but I glad to see the format is making a combat, albeit this time as a one-off special.
Independent Lens: One Person, One Vote (Monday, September 30th)
If you find the entire electoral college issue complicated and obtuse, this episode does a nice job of framing all of the biggest issues. As you might expect, it's very well done and it manages to untangle the complexities of the Electoral College while following four presidential electors in the 2020 election.
Nature: San Diego-America's Wildest City (Wednesday, November 6th)
Animals. Lots of animals. Here is the official logline: "This is a story of dazzling biological diversity thriving incongruously in a transformed landscape of manmade wilderness. Despite its 3.3 million human residents and utterly transformed landscape, San Diego County is the most biologically diverse county in America. Follow three animal families through the ups and downs of life in San Diego: western grebes, California ground squirrels, and harbor seals. Woven through these three main stories are cameos by a colorful cast of supporting characters, whose lives have been equally transformed by our re-shaping of San Diego’s ecosystems: gray whales, coyotes, skunks, hummingbirds, leopard sharks, and mountain lions."
Voces: Latino Vote 2024 (Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024)
Here is the official logline: "This is a one-hour documentary and six digital shorts that examine a range of election related issues that matter most to the politically diverse Latino community in battleground states (Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin and Arizona) and states with large Latino populations (California and Florida). The program will also examine the role that Latino evangelical pastors are playing in shaping community perspectives and the role that Spanish-language media will play in the 2024 election."
Nova: What Are UFOs?
Given the astoundingly complicated expanse of the episode's name, I don't think I'm giving anything anyway when I say that there is still no definitive answer at the end of the hour. But the middle portion - which focuses on efforts by scientists and enthusiasts to debunk or at least perhaps explain some famous sightings - is very well-done and it provides some real insight into how and why UFO sightings might be happening.
ODDS AND SODS
* Lifetime announced the biopic Miss Cleo: Her Rise And Fall starring Robin “The Lady of Rage” Allen. It premieres Saturday, August 10th.
* Great American Media has announced the film The Engagement Plan, starring Mia Pollini, Jack Schumacher, Judd Nelson, Eva LaRue, Ted McGinley, and Faith Ford. It premieres Thursday, August 29th on Great American Pure Flix.
* Netflix has renewed Somebody Feed Phil for an eighth season.
* Syfy has canceled Reginald The Vampire after two seasons.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
MONDAY, JULY 15TH:
* Contraband: Seized At Sea Series Premiere (Discovery)
* Hit-Monkey (Hulu)
* PBS News Special: Republican National Convention (PBS)
* The Black Widower: The Six Wives Of Thomas Randolph (Investigation Discovery)
* Wonderoos Series Premiere (Netflix)
TUESDAY, JULY 16TH:
* Chad Daniels: Empty Nester (Netflix)
* Dark Side Of The 90s Season Premiere (Vice)
* Homicide Los Angeles Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Judge Steve Harvey Season Premiere (ABC)
* Mafia Spies (Paramount+)
* PBS News Special: Republican National Convention (PBS)
* The Fortress Series Premiere (Viaplay)
* The Yara Gambirasio Case: Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Netflix)
* Welcome To Plathville Season Premiere (TLC)
SEE YOU ON TUESDAY