Rich Heldenfels, Pop Culture Wanderer

Here is what happens after months of varied degrees of isolation: there's never enough digital content. My streaming music library has expanded, now including Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify (the free version), Amazon Music (whatever comes with my Prime subscription) and the international channels I can reach with my Como Musica. My video streaming options include Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, CBS All Access and, most recently, Apple TV+. Getting that last service finally gave me a way to watch "The Morning Show," the drama with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. It is at times marvelous and other times just a drag, but it caught me up especially short when an episode found the morning-show team setting up in the Safari Inn, pictured above. "I stayed there," I said to my wife, and the memories came rolling back.  It was 1999. The Cleveland-set "Drew Carey Show" was making its 100th episode, and I had gone to L.A. to cover the event, appear as a back...

The official word, starting with the fall nightly recap: MONDAY :  Returning Coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani and Host Carson Daly Reunite for Perennial Juggernaut  “The Voice,”  Followed by the Fall Return of Hit Mystery Drama “ Manifest”  at 10 P.M. TUESDAY : Dynamic Tuesday Lineup Stays Strong With “ The Voice ” Setting the Stage for the Fifth Season of TV’s #1 Drama “ This Is Us, ”   Leading Into Timeslot Winner “ New Amsterdam ” at 10 P.M. WEDNESDAY : Following Another Total Viewers Win, the Windy City Block Returns to Conquer Wednesday Nights Starting With “ Chicago Med ” at 8 P.M., Followed by Wednesday’s Most-Watched Series “ Chicago Fire ” and Concluding with “ Chicago P.D. ” THURSDAY : Fan Favorite Comedies “ Superstore ” and  “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”  Anchor Thursday Nights;   Drama Starts at 9 P.M. as  “Law & Order: SVU ” Marks its Record 22 nd  Season, Leading into the Much-Anticipa...

Update: Although ABC announced programs for the new season before (and that announcement is below), it had not included a night-by-night lineup for the fall. It has since offered the one listed here, as well as confirming the renewal of "For Life" and cancellation of "The Baker and the Beauty." Fans of "black-ish" and "mixed-ish" will also note their absence from the fall schedule; they have been picked up for midseason. MONDAY 8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” 10:00 p.m. “The Good Doctor” TUESDAY 8:00 p.m. “The Bachelorette” 10:00 p.m. “Big Sky” (NEW SERIES) WEDNESDAY 8:00 p.m. “The Goldbergs” 8:30 p.m. “American Housewife” 9:00 p.m. “The Conners” (NEW DATE/TIME) 9:30 p.m. “Call Your Mother” (NEW SERIES) 10:00 p.m. “Stumptown” THURSDAY 8:00 p.m. “Station 19” 9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy” 10:00 p.m. “A Million Little Things” FRIDAY 8:00 p.m. “Shark Tank” 9:00 p.m. “20/20” (TWO HOURS) SATURDAY 8:00 p.m. “...

I had missed the announcement below when it appeared last week. And things have gotten interesting since the release, with Ruby Rose announcing that she is leaving "Batwoman " (where, in case you didn't know, she played Batwoman), forcing a recasting, Anyway, here are the network plans (and the odd spacing was in the release): The CW Network will officially launch its new season in January 2021 with its regularly scheduled series line-up, while loading up Fall 2020 with fresh original and acquired scripted series and alternative programming, it was announced today by Mark Pedowitz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The CW Network. “ This year, The CW has made the proactive strategic decision to launch its new season in January 2021, rolling out a line-up of our signature returning series which will be joined next year by our four new series, including the return of the DC’s most iconic superhero in  SUPERMAN & LOIS , the return of the Texas Rangers in  WAL...