‘Marlon’ debuts; no requiem for ‘The King’
Tonight, NBC launches “Marlon” (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., TV-PG) into the indifference of an August evening. Will it survive its inauspicious debut date? Should it?
The series stars Marlon Wayans as Marlon, an immature divorced dad who can’t seem to stay out of his ex-wife’s (Essence Atkins) hair, or her house. Where else is he going to build a play fort out of her expensive sheets?
Marlon’s just a big kid who wants to be there for his two children while still maintaining the dating life of a single man. The pilot’s tiny moment of tension arrives when Marlon discovers that his ex wants to date as well.
In many ways, “Marlon” reprises the character of the adult as a man-child at the center of last summer’s “Uncle Buck” revival on ABC.
“Marlon” is not so much a chance for Marlon to develop a character, but for Marlon Wayans to venture into manic standup-worthy bits, often involving him raising his voice and getting
more “ghetto” in order to make a point. Stranger still, he seems to affect the attributes of a female character when overcome by these outbursts.
Help yourself.
FAMOUS OFFSPRING
Celebrity children want to walk the catwalk in the new series “Growing Up Supermodel” (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14). I guess the title “Project Nepotism” was taken.
ELVIS CULTURE CLASH
TCM spends a full day with the movies of Elvis Presley, who died 40 years ago today. Highlights include “Elvis: That’s the Way It Is” (8 p.m.), a 1970 documentary about his preparations for his first Las Vegas tour.
While there have been numerous news specials about the anniversaries of Son of
Sam’s capture and Princess Diana’s death, no other Elvis retrospectives are scheduled tonight.
This omission is both regrettable and terribly apt. Elvis’ sudden death revealed a yawning chasm between news-media culture and the rural and working-class people who identified with Elvis and saw his death as an epic moment.
The “CBS Evening News” broadcast of Aug. 16, 1977, did not consider Presley’s sudden death to be a lead story. Roger Mudd, filling in for Walter Cronkite, covered the Panama Canal instead. In the network’s defense, celebrity news was not usually considered a “front page” story at the time.
But the thousands of people who descended upon Memphis for Presley’s funeral convinced many journalists that something important was going on and that perhaps there was much about the American psyche that they did not understand.
While celebrity news is now covered, even overcovered, the gulf between news and entertainment media and the working class has not really changed.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Live results on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› A 50th anniversary celebration of Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace breaks out on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› “CMA Fest 2017” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) captures highlights of the four-day music festival in Nashville.
› Two teams vie for the $100,000 prize on “The F Word With Gordon Ramsay” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› On two helpings of “Salvation” (CBS, TV-14), mission to Moscow (9 p.m.), framed for murder (10 p.m.).
› A road trip changes everything on “Snowfall” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA). “Snowfall” will return for a second season.
› Ambrose sees Cora, and the investigation, in a new light on “The Sinner” (10 p.m., USA, TV-14).
› The truth emerges on the series finale of “Broadchurch” (10 p.m., BBC America, TV-14).
› Stuck inside on “Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› Oliver needs Bratva’s help on “Arrow” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-14).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.