Worth Watching: Spongebob’s Birthday Blowout, ‘Point Blank’ on Netflix, Showtime’s ‘Shangri-La’
A selective critical checklist of notable Friday TV:
SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout (7/6c, Nickelodeon): It’s a Bikini Bottom birthday celebration as SpongeBob SquarePants marks its 20th anniversary — already?? — by showing its beloved characters in a new light: above ground! In a mix of live action and animation, SpongeBob’s voice cast (including star Tom Kenny) are seen as human doppelgangers of their cartoon selves, with guest stars including David Hasselhoff (in an homage to his cameo in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie), Kel Mitchell, Jack Griffo and Daniella Perkins. This special kicks off a “Best Year Ever” celebration that culminates in the release of another feature film in 2020: The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a Wonderful Sponge. He certainly is.
Point Blank (streaming on Netflix): Why go out of the house for a mindless summer action movie when you can get one at home? Such seems to be the programming logic for this improbable thriller. Anthony Mackie stars as an ER nurse whose pregnant wife is kidnapped, used as collateral to force him to spring a murder suspect (Frank Grillo) from the hospital and deliver the wounded crook to a cabal of corrupt cops. The rest is pretty much mayhem as usual.
Also streaming: the extreme reality competition Blown Away, where things get hot when 10 master glass-blowers try to keep from cracking up as they take on grueling challenges. (Being told your creation belongs in a gift shop is not a compliment.)
Shangri-La (9/8c, Showtime): Not to be confused with the mystical mountain retreat of Lost Horizon, this Shangri-La is the name of the fabled recording studio in Malibu where revered music producer Rick Rubin does his magic. The co-founder of Def Jam Records, who’s worked with everyone from Kanye West and Black Sabbath to Lady Gaga and Adele, Rubin welcomes cameras into his enclave for a four-part docuseries promising “creative conversation” and a look at the emotional side of music-making.
Inside Friday TV: Turner Classic Movies continues its celebration of the movies of 1939 with Bette Davis’s luminous portrayal of a dying socialite in Dark Victory (8/7c). She and every other actress that year were upstaged by Vivian Leigh’s immortal performance in the highly coveted role of Scarlett O’Hara in the truly epic Gone With the Wind (10/9c)… In the conclusion of a two-part adventure on ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (8/7c), the team has little time to catch up, because there’s a planet to save… Vivica A. Fox and Tracy Nelson are among the stars of LMN’s The Wrong Boy Next Door (8/7c), in which teenage Katie (Calli Taylor) begins to think getting involved with her handsome neighbor (Travis Burns) wasn’t such a good idea. One problem with breaking it off and getting some distance: She’s under house arrest… Auto theft is the next assignment for Jett (Carla Gugino) in Cinemax’s stylish noir drama Jett (10/9c), when her Russian gangster boss Bestic (Greg Bryk) tasks her to steal a classic car. But the episode is titled “Bennie,” after the likable henchman (Christopher Backus), who’s forced to clean up another gruesome mess.
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C
I've never seen a summer with so little new programming! Unless you're a big fan of SpongeBob (I sort of am), into A of S, or want to watch that JFK Jr. bio again, there's absolutely nothing on tonight!
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G
The broadcast networks have some solid summer scripted shows.
Some are even regular season worthy.
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C
Most evenings, in 3 hours of prime time on 5 broadcast networks, there's one new scripted show...if that's not a rerun like most were last week! And unlike you, I don't think most of them are worth watching!
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G
I would say the most impressive summer shows so far are Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Grand Hotel and Blood & Treasure. Each of them look like high budget productions and I would watch all of them if they aired during the much more competitive regular season.
The remaining 5 that I watch are perfect for summer.
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R
Yeah, nothing new again this week.
I see Lifetime (which once billed itself as "Television for Women") is going low once again, with yet another shlocky 'woman in jeopardy' film. Bleah!! I thought Television for Women would try to be uplifting, rather than dragging women into the gutter.
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G
Your having a quiet summer. While I have 8 scripted shows and soon to be 9 when CW's Pandora begins later this month.
Did you watch The Outpost last night? I only watched the initial scene and then got busy. Looked very good. Reef Break is turning out to be a lot better than I expected.
Tonight I have Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I'll hopefully catch up with The Outpost sometime this weekend.
Check out my busy summer TV schedule:
Sunday
CW- Burden of Truth
CBS- The Good Fight
Monday
ABC- Grand Hotel
Tuesday
CBS- Blood & Treasure
Wednesday
NBC- The InBetween
Thursday
CW-The Outpost
CW- Reef Break
Friday
ABC- Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
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R
Yes, I watched The Outpost. **No spoilers!!** I sort of had forgotten what had happened in the finale, so this episode was sort of a jolt to see what was happening.
My "regular", that is scripted, summer viewing:
Sundays... Burden of Truth and Instinct.
Monday... nothing new
Tuesday... Blood & Treasure
Wednesday... reruns of The Librarians
Thursday... The Outpost and Elementary
Friday and Saturday... nothing new
THis doesn't include some cable channels that air repeats of shows I like. And of course networks like NatGeo or Smithsonian have good stuff on sometimes. The only other show that I'm expecting this summer is Carter. Not sure when that starts, I can't find any info on it.
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G
You could use a couple of more good shows. The previews for CW's Pandora look good.
Carter was vey enjoyable last summer. Hope I can get to watch it later this summer.
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O
To my surprise, I am also enjoying Reef Break and Blood & Treasure. That is all for me from the major networks.
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O
I liked Carter too, it was charming and funny.
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G
I enjoyed The Outpost very much. Very impressed with the production values.
So far not as much humor as last season, but there was more than enough action.
A bit lost about the storyline (forgot much of last season and the recap was not that detailed).
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