March Madness begins
CBS continues a tradition more than 35 years old. It will pre-empt its prime time to broadcast games from the 2017 NCAA Basketball Tournament (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.). To put that in some perspective, CBS was probably interrupting the viewing habits of “Magnum, P.I.” and “Knots Landing” fans when it first started airing college basketball in prime time back in the spring of 1982. Starting last year, CBS has been sharing the NCAA Finals with TBS and its affiliate stations. Along the way, the prime-time exposure has gone a long way toward branding the March Madness and bracket-betting phenomenon.
CBS has some long-running series. “Survivor” has been on since 2000 and aired 34 seasons. “NCIS” is now in its 14th season, having aired since 2003, when it was spun off from “JAG,” then in its eighth season. But of its current prime-time series, only “60 Minutes,” which debuted in 1968, has a longer history on CBS than NCAA basketball.
› The latest documentary series to take place in a restaurant, “Hustle & Soul” (10 p.m., WE, TV-14) stars Lawrence Page, head chef and owner of Brooklyn-based soul-food restaurant The Pink Tea Cup as he strives to obtain a coveted Michelin Star status.
The Pink Tea Cup had been an institution in New York’s West Village for decades before closing in 2009. Page’s decision to buy it, move it to Brooklyn and seek celebrity-chef status reflects the city’s changing restaurant scene and shifting centers of cultural gravity.
Like most series of this nature, “Soul” is concerned with much more than food and follows rivalries of Page’s employees, including one who hopes to become his romantic interest.
› Crackle, the free ad-supported streaming service from Sony, best known for Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” branches into new territory with “Snatch.” Based on the 2000 movie directed by Guy Ritchie, this stylish 10-episode British import follows young London-based petty criminals as they awkwardly move into areas with higher stakes and greater danger. “Snatch” leans more on art direction and cinematography than character development. Like many imports, it reinforces the notion that America and Britain are united by a common language, but divided by accents and incomprehensible slang. A game cast includes Rupert Grint (“Harry Potter”), Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”), Luke Pasqualino (“The Borgias”) and Dougray Scott (“Fear the Walking Dead”).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.