Real news invades August idyll
August is supposed to be a slow news month. It’s easy to forget that the just-completed “Sharknado” movie-spoof franchise was inspired by summertime cable news’ focus on shark attacks and approaching tropical storms.
“Real” news, like wars, scandals, crises and financial meltdowns, are supposed to wait till the fall when everybody (including newscasters) is back from the beach.
Last week’s fast-breaking news regarding the guilty plea of the president’s former lawyer and the multiple fraud convictions of his former campaign chairman did not respect anybody’s leisure plans. CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin had to be reached at his country home in a series of impromptu, vacation-ending interviews. As he told The New York Times, “The big challenge was keeping my dog out of the shot.”
With so much bubbling to the surface, it’s not surprising to note that the two most-watched cable shows last Wednesday were MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” with just under 3.6 million viewers and Fox News’ “Hannity” with 3.1 million. To put this in some perspective, 2.4 million showed up to watch the finale of the epic Western “Yellowstone” on Paramount, starring Kevin Costner. I guess viewers know a real melodrama when they see it.
ORIGAMI SCIENCE
As Kenny Rogers taught us, “You’ve got to know when to fold ‘em.” “Nova” repeats the 2017 documentary “The Origami Revolution” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-G). While the word conjures up a very specific Japanese paper art form, scientists and mathematicians have studied the principles of origami to understand the nature of flowers and plants and their magnificent unfolding and to develop new devices as different as articles of clothing, drugs, robots and foldable spacecraft.
Information about this and other “Nova” episodes as well as hundreds of streaming segments can be found at pbs.org/ wgbh/nova/.
Paula Apsell, senior executive producer of “Nova,” will receive a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award on Oct. 1, honoring her 33 years with the superb documentary series and her dedication to the public’s understanding of science. Series like “Nova” remind us that smart television matters. And endures.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› In the eighth episode of “Castle Rock,” streaming today on Hulu, new homebuyers have no problems with their house’s dark reputation. In fact, that’s exactly what they desired. Look for two more episodes of this Stephen King thriller to drop Sept. 5 and 12.
› Ambrose’s night at the compound gets under Heather’s skin on “The Sinner” (10 p.m., USA, TV-MA).
› The remaining chefs get scrappy on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› The new series “Ancient Invisible Cities” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG) kicks off with the unseen wonders of Athens.
› Donna’s agreement has consequences on “Suits” (9 p.m., USA, TV-14).
› Sparks fly on “BattleBots” (9 p.m., Science).
› The top three from each division move forward on “World of Dance” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› The art of gift-giving gets a once-over on “Shark Tank” (10 p.m., ABC, repeat, TV-PG).
› “Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda” (10 p.m., ID, TV-14) enters its eighth season.
› Julie Chen hosts “Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin. tvguy@gmail.com.