Worth Watching: Drafting ‘Kids’ to Vietnam, Ray Romano Stand-Up on Netflix, ‘American Soul’
A selective critical checklist of notable Tuesday TV:
The Kids Are Alright (8:30/7:30c, ABC): An exceptional episode of my favorite freshman TV comedy perfectly blends humor and serious sentiment as two of the eight Cleary boys — budding activist eldest son Lawrence (Sam Straley) and insecure second-in-line Eddie (Caleb Foote) — learn their number is up in the Vietnam draft of 1972. (This Is Us used the “ceremonial and darkly absurd” ritual of announcing the draft on TV for more serious effect earlier this season.) Gung-ho dad Mike (Michael Cudlitz) and quietly rattled mom Peggy (Mary McCormack) can’t openly share their concerns — as Peggy quips, “At the very least, they should let me pick which two we send. That would keep these kids in line.” It’s a poignant look at parents suddenly seeing their kids as adults, and sons facing responsibility and what they see as their obligation to family and country.
Ray Romano: Right Here, Around the Corner (streaming on Netflix): The Everybody Loves Raymond star, who has expanded his range in diverse cable series (most notably Get Shorty on Epix), returns to the stand-up stage with his first special in 23 years. Reflecting on age, friendship and marriage, he performs two sets on the same night: at New York’s Comedy Cellar, and literally around the corner at the Village Underground.
American Soul (9/8c, BET): This nostalgic new drama series warmly remembers an iconic TV hit, going behind the scenes of the dance-music classic Soul Train as it’s launched into national syndication in the early 1970s. Train is the passion project of visionary Don Cornelius (Sinqua Walls), who puts it all on the line to achieve his dream, wooing major talent onto his show to make it legit — Kelly Rowland plays Gladys Knight in the premiere — and convincing Southern stations to carry the program.
State of the State of the Union: Most broadcast and all news networks will carry the rescheduled State of the Union address to Congress live (9/8c, 6 PT), followed by the Democratic response from Stacey Abrams of Georgia. Stay up for live commentary from several of the late-night shows, including Comedy Central’s State of the Union 2019: Uncancelled (11/10c), CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (11:35/10:35c) and NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers (12:35/11:35c), while NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (11:35/10:35) will feature a monologue taped after the speech, with Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie joining Fallon for analysis.
Inside Tuesday TV: ABC’s American Housewife (8/7c) moves to a new night and time, with Katie (Katy Mixon) stepping up when husband Greg (Diedrich Bader) insists on doing the family’s taxes… Freeform’s Good Trouble (8/7c) exposes its spinoff roots when the moms from The Fosters, Stef (Teri Polo) and Lena (Sherri Saum), pay a visit to Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez)… The lights went out in The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico (9/8c) when Max (Nathan Dean Powers) had another angst fit, and now he must save the town and yet somehow protect his alien identity when the blackout endangers patients at the local hospital… Engaging in the lowest form of royal gossip, TLC poses the question Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War? (10/9c), a no-doubt-rhetorical title that will likely only deepen their contempt for tabloid media.
Conversation13 Comments
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R
After always ignoring that "Find & Remind" thingy (at the top Right)...TODAY I clicked on "Movies"...
It listed 9 movies...and clicking on a movie gave me a synopsis, channel(s) and times(s)…
Pretty handy...for me...
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C
Just The Kids, The Flash, and Roswell for me tonight!
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G
The Passage was outstanding last night! This has quickly become my favorite new show, with FBI right behind.
Only 2 episodes left for Manifest, hope we get more answers and less red herrings. I still want to know what happened to the pilot! Was he shot down? Or did he travel to the future/past to clear his name. I don't like how that very intriguing episode was left on the back burner while new plots have replaced it.
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C
They haven't even mentioned the pilot since he disappeared, have they? You'd think there would be at least some slight mention of him now and then even if someone just says that he's still missing.
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G
Stuff like that frustrates me. Leaving plot threads hanging while introducing new plots every week. And I hate the new church and the so called pastor. I noticed this week everyone is called The Returned. Previous weeks they were passengers. Also the Major so far bores me .
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G
Don't get me wrong , I still enjoy watching Manifest. But I have to admit The Passage so far is better executed.
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C
Yes, for all the hype and buildup to the "Who is the mysterious Major?" plot point, we ended up with a "Who cares!" situation. They gave us a character who isn't the least bit interesting.
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R
Luckily my TV viewing won't be affected by the political (hot-air) winds blowing in Washington. I'll watch Finding Your Roots and then Scientology. I'm quite sure I won't miss anything important by not watching the SoTU or following response.
BTW, about last night's episode of Arrow.... (very tiny SPOILER ALERT).... is it just me, or was there a decided lack of Kelsey Grammer? Yes, I heard a little bit of his narrating very early on, but it was only that one time, and very briefly. I wouldn't even have noticed or cared who it was unless his name had been touted for being involved with this episode.
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P
I hadn't noticed about the narration going AWOL until reading your comment but you're absolutely right. What surprised me during the episode was how much and how frequently it broke away from the faux documentary -- while I understand that it's a hard approach to sustain while also moving forward the overall season's plot, I guess I was expecting more of a stand-alone commitment to the conceit. I am glad that Grammer's name wasn't dropped in the episode, as I feared that it might be and would rub up against the fiction of the show in a distracting way.
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R
You're right, keeping up the documentary style can be difficult. Although Supernatural did it, except maybe the very first and very last scenes. But yeah, it was kind of often (and sudden, and random) that it broke out of mock-doc and into 'real life.'
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P
Heck, Supernatural did an entire episode from the POV of the car, Baby, and that awesome meta high-school musical too, so they're in a class by themselves.
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P
I will give Arrow points for (another very tiny SPOILER ALERT) making the documentary a relevant plot point in the final scene.
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O
They totally wasted Kelsey Grammer imo. The excitement of hearing Kelsey do narration was the main reason I was excited to watch it but he was barely used.
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