UPDATED Oct. 17: With a Canadian among the headliners (Jim Carrey, who played Joe Biden in the opening presidential debate sketch), Canadians were ready and eager for the return of Saturday Night Live. Ten days ago, the 46th season preiere roared back with close to two million viewers. That boosted the late night series to
Some quick notes on this weekend’s 46th season premiere of Saturday Night Live. First, bravo. Not easy to duck out of a mask and straight into a sketch. Now, lets continue with the positives. Chloe Fineman’s precise take down of The Drew Barrymore Show was hilarious. Still, somehow, just a featured player rather than a
Saturday Night Live will have no shortage of topical targets when the series returns this weekend for a 46th consecutive season (NBC and Global). The late night comedy fest will be hosted by Chris Rock, fresh off his dramatic acting debut on the fourth season of Fargo. The musical guest is Meagan Thee Stallion, so
In the past, broadcasters have hyped new seasons with slogans such as, “A Fall Like No Other!” This year it’s true. Soundstages being shut down due to COVID-19 have delayed the start of production for many scripted series. As a result, broadcasters are slapping together fall schedules and relying heavily on banked reality fare and
The Canadian drama Transplant comes to America Tuesday night with one of the strongest endorsements ever from a major US television critic: “The series will make its debut as the best medical show on American television, which is something given the competition,” writes John Anderson in The Wall Street Journal. “And while it’s a bit
On Monday, the new Comcast-owned streaming service known as Peacock landed on the virtual TCA CTAM press tour schedule. The brand new service is not offered in Canada yet, but Corus made a deal to offer some of its programming on Global, W, Showcase and other Corus-owned platforms. Two new shows Corus should find room
In paying tribute last week to Hugh Downs, the long-time announcer, host and newsman who passed away last week at 99, I forgot to single out another one of his accomplishments: sitcom scene stealer. Fortunately, retro-savvy reader Kevin Vahey weighed in with a link to a classic: Downs getting pulled over in an episode of
As it is with everything else, this is an unusual year for TV networks. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing, the major US broadcasters had to cancel their pricey upfront launches in New York in May. Instead of talent and producers doing the annual ad market meet and greet — and in