What’s On: Remembering Jerry Lewis on Labor Day, ‘Biography’ of Notorious B.I.G., ‘Preacher’ and Ed Sullivan highlights
The Nutty Professor (8/7, TCM): How appropriate for Turner Classic Movies to devote the prime-time lineup on Labor Day to some of the best films from and/or starring the late Jerry Lewis. For four decades, the comedian/director dominated this holiday weekend with his epic Muscular Dystrophy telethons, a tradition that echoed the glory days of variety TV with its old/new Hollywood talent lineups. TCM’s homage features several of Lewis’s most notable films, starting with 1963’s iconic The Nutty Professor, followed by his seriocomic turn in Martin Scorsese’s 1983 The King of Comedy (10/9c) opposite Robert De Niro, and in the overnight hours, such comedy classics as 1952’s The Stooge with this then-partner Dean Martin and 1960’s solo turn as The Bellboy.
Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. (8/7c, A&E): Once a signature series for A&E, the Biography franchise returns with an ambitious three-hour profile of the influential rapper, authorized by the estate of the late Christopher Wallace and using exclusive audio recordings providing narration to his own life story. Interviews include his widow, Faith Evans, and such contemporaries as Sean “Diddy” Combs and Shawn “Jay Z” Carter.
Preacher (9/8c, AMC): You might want to say a prayer for the preacher, Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), now that the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish), a sort of supernatural Wild West Terminator, is on the loose again. Their wild encounter is the centerpiece of another pivotal episode, which also revisits poor Eugene (Ian Colletti) in his attempts to escape from Hell, with an assist from Hitler (Noah Taylor). Given that “the fate of the entire universe” at stake, according to the sinister Herr Starr (Pip Torrens), it’s not much of a surprise that even the Pope weighs in before it’s all over.
Inside Monday TV: The digital nostalgia network Decades takes us back to the heyday of variety TV with The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, 30-minute episodes of 20th-century pop-culture nirvana airing weekdays at noon/11c, 5 pm/4c and 11 pm/10c. … In advance of the fourth-season premiere on Sept. 13, Comedy Central’s fabulously anarchic Broad City replays all 30 episodes of its first three seasons in a Labor Day marathon, starting at 9 am/8c. … History’s six-hour The Road to 9/11 (9/8c), airing nightly through Wednesday, painstakingly examines the roots of the 2001 terrorist attack. The series starts in the 1990s with the discovery of a Brooklyn-based terrorist cell that was involved in the earlier 1993 bombing in the World Trade Center, a harbinger of a worse disaster to come. … Breeda Wool, so impressive as a sympathetic co-worker to the twisted villain on Mr. Mercedes this summer, guests on NBC’s Midnight, Texas (10/9c) as a bounty hunter set on punishing Joe (Jason Lewis) for leaving his fellow angels. … TNT’s Will (11/10c) concludes with young Mr. Shakespeare (Laurie Davidson) and his theatrical company in a struggle for survival. Sadly, this evocative historical drama isn’t likely to return for a second season.
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Not sure what I'll watch, but I'm sure it'll be reruns of something. I recently discovered (or maybe my getting them is new) that I get Decades channel, as well as Sundance. MASH has been on Sundance all weekend, I believe.
About last night's episode of The Last Ship....(CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD)
Last night's episode was good,interesting to see Slattery's hallucinations. Including Chandler without his beard! But I wonder two things: 1) going back to last week, why didn't Slattery have his earpiece in? Plot device, perhaps? And also, 2) why did that woman drug poor Mike? Was it for medicinal purposes (i.e., no harmful intent on her part)? He might have enjoyed the experience if he hadn't been being chased.-
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I'm not sure if I get Decades or not. Comcast took away our online listings, and they keep changing the channels around without telling us. I do get several channels that show nothing but older shows including Me TV which is affiliated with Decades.
Re Last Ship: His earpiece stopped working last week. It was all static and cutting in and out. Looked like something was possibly interfering with the signal at first. Then, it cut out completely. I believe the woman was really trying to help him. What she gave him was considered a folk medicine that just happens to have a narcotic effect on the patient.
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Yeah,Decades channel is new for me--no announcement or anything, it simply appeared over the weekend. Not sure how long I've had Sundance and IFC, they're on channels I don't normally scroll through. One channel I wish I got was Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. (Yes, I'm a fuddy-duddy,lol.)
Re The Last Ship, I mentioned Slattery's earpiece last week. It was really stupid & irresponsible to send him alone (with both the seeds AND a prisoner) when he didn't have a way to communicate. He should have been given an earpiece, or better yet, he should have been partnered with someone.
And yeah, I too think that old woman was trying to help him,but they could have have Chandler say, "It's nostos, it helps you rest and heal," or something like that. But it made for an exciting episode. RIP to the poor old woman, and to Slattery's wife & kids, too.
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I've always had Hallmark Movies in my lineup, but I've never watched it. See, I was right when I accused you of being one of those little old ladies who think Murder, She Wrote was the greatest show ever. That's on Hallmark Movies all day and night. LOL
Sundance still says it's a subscription only channel and IFC just says it's not authorized.
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For all I know, I got Sundance and/or IFC only over the weekend as a temporary promotion. We'll see... if I still get it tomorrow, then I guess it's safe to enjoy it. :-D
As for Murder She Wrote, obviously it's not the "best show ever." But it's sort of like MASH or Golden Girls-- the TV equivalent of elevator music. You don't watch it so much as just have it on as something comfortable to listen to.
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I'm surprised there's so much new on a major holiday. Although, I'll probably stick with my usual Monday fare: Preacher, Midnight, Texas, and People of Earth.
I've had the PBS Downton Abbey marathon on most of the weekend and watch it between other activities. I'm amazed at how interesting it still is even knowing what's going to happen next.
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