Worth Watching: Daytime Emmys, Christine Lahti as ‘Gloria,’ a ‘Pose-a-Thon’
A selective critical checklist of notable weekend TV:
The 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (8/7c, CBS): Not shown on a broadcast network since 2001, the celebration of all things daytime returns to prime time on CBS, the most nominated network with 57. (Unlike the primetime Emmys in September, where the broadcast networks are largely invisible.) The hosts of CBS’s nominated The Talk — Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Eve, Carrie Ann Inaba and Marie Osmond — will lead the way through a virtual ceremony in which winners, presenters and special guests will appear from home locations. Which won’t stop fans from rooting on new favorites (The Kelly Clarkson Show) and old (Jeopardy!) as the best of daytime talk, game shows, children’s TV and soaps are rewarded.
Gloria: A Life (9/8c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): Having recently been uncannily mimicked by Rose Byrne in FX’s terrific Mrs. America, feminist icon Gloria Steinem now gets a Great Performances stage treatment, with Christine Lahti (Evil) channeling Steinem’s activist spirit in Emily Mann’s biographical play. While the show sometimes feels more didactic than dramatic, it’s worth it for the final half-hour, when the real Steinem (in matching outfit) shows up to engage the audience in an illuminating and emotional talking circle.
Pose-a-Thon (10/9c, FX, Freeform, FX on Hulu): The summer has felt significantly less fabulous without a third season of Pose to enjoy, one of many series currently sidelined by the pandemic. In one of the higher-profile events of Pride month, the show’s cast and producers gather remotely to celebrate in a “Pose-a-Thon,” and if this joyous group performance of star Billy Porter‘s “Love Yourself” is an indication of what to expect, you won’t want to miss it. Porter and co-star Mj Rodriguez serve as MCs in an event raising awareness for GLSEN, Hetrick-Martin Institute and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, organizations promoting education, social change and equality for LGBTQ communities.
Inside Friday TV: Emmy winner Darren Criss (American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace) is a guest songwriter for an episode of the delightful Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy Central Park, in which Birdie (Josh Gad) is unsettled by the arrival of a rival busker… You think making a sequel to a beloved animated film is easy? The six-episode Disney+ docuseries Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 begs to differ, going behind the scenes as the producers, animators, songwriters and performers race the clock to finish the movie in hopes of living up to fans’ expectations… Also animated, though not so beloved by critics, the feature-length Scoob! makes its accelerated debut onto streaming on HBO Max, providing a backstory for the Scooby-Doo gang… Continuing a media tour to promote his controversial new memoir, former National Security Advisor John Bolton goes one-on-one remotely with TV’s most iconoclastic host on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher (10/9c).
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