Stars on Screen

Voyeuristic viewing: There’s good news for all the TV watchers with a voyeuristic bent out there: “Big Brother” is back for another season, with another group of contestants lined up and ready to enter the Big Brother house.

The 20th season of the summer reality TV staple premieres Wednesday, June 27, on CBS, with Julie Chen (“The Talk”) back as host in a role that she’s defined since the very first season back in 2000.As in seasons past, three episodes will air every week, on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

In each season of “Big Brother,” a number of contestants — called “houseguests” — are put in a home together where they live under constant surveillance. While inside, all communication with the outside world is totally cut off, and every week the houseguests must evict one of their fellows from the house — and from the competition for the prize money.

Of course, there are also weekly competitions that can make or break a houseguest’s chances.The winner of the Head of Household contest gets to nominate the two houseguests who are up for elimination that week, while food and luxury competitions can make a contestant’s time in the house a little more comfortable — or a lot more miserable.

For “Big Brother’s” most hardcore fans, the fun doesn’t stop just because an episode isn’t currently on TV.The “Big Brother” house is decked out with dozens of cameras, and subscribers can tune in to their feeds any time at the show’s official website, where they can watch the houseguests eating, sleeping and doing all of the notso-exciting things that everyone does daily. (Don’t worry. The cameras don’t cover EVERY inch of the house!)

Although the current focus is obviously on the new season, there is more good news about the series.This past winter saw the first ever celebrity edition of the series, and the off-season offering proved to be a big enough hit that a second celebrity-focused season has been ordered.There’s no word on when that will see the light of day, but even after 18 years, “Big Brother” is still going strong.The new season premieres Wednesday, June 27, on CBS.

Good ‘Hair’ day: NBC has selected its next musical — again.The peacock network has found a surprising hit in its productions and live airings of legendary musicals, including the recent “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” starring John Legend, and it’s announced that preliminary production has begun on a live interpretation of “Hair,” tentatively scheduled for a spring 2019 premiere.

“Hair” first made waves on Broadway in 1968 following an off-Broadway debut the previous year, and it almost immediately attracted controversy for a scene that includes nudity, as well as its allusions to homosexuality and drug use. Despite that, the musical about a hippie struggling with a lifechanging decision survived the controversy and has gone on to stand the test of time.

The “Hair” announcement comes just a few months after production on a live interpretation of “Bye Bye Birdie” was delayed for a second time. That musical was originally intended to be 2017’s holiday event, but due to producer and star Jennifer Lopez’s (“World of Dance”) busy schedule, it was postponed until 2018, but now even that later date has been pushed back until 2019 at the earliest.

It’s still too early for any names to be attached to “Hair,” but the pedigree of NBC’s live productions has consistently attracted top talent. In addition to Lopez and Legend, Carrie Underwood (“The Sound of Music Live!”), Jennifer Hudson (“Hairspray Live!”) and Christopher Walken (“Peter Pan Live!”) have also starred in NBC’s musicals.

“Big Brother” host Julie Chen