August 1, 2025 • 11 mins
Veteran TV commentator and columnist Bill Brioux joined Todd Walker to recommend some choices on the small screen.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What to watch on TV. I mean, it used to
be so easy. Now we have so many choices, and frankly,
watching TV and going to the movies has sort of
been conflated. It's all kind of the same thing. But
veteran TV columnist Bill Brio is here to help us
sort of work through all this, and you can check
(00:21):
out Brio dot tv the podcast as well.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Bill.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Thanks for checking in with us, my pleasure. Todd, Well,
you know, your job over the year has changed from
back when it was you know, the Big three or whatever.
And now we've got streaming services and still cable TV
and broadcast TV and YouTube and boy, it's just an
ever expanding universe, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh, it's crazy now, Todd. It's like playing chess on
twelve boards at once. You know, people just assume I
know everything on TV. Forget it. There's so many, you know,
digital services and streamers to subscribe to. Nobody can keep up.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yeah. And the other thing that's a little different, though,
is original programming or scripted programming is maybe a little
harder to find a little more rare, Bill, because of
the costs of the the reality stuff and game shows
is a lot easier to crank out a lot cheaper.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, especially in the summertime. If you're just watching broadcast networks,
you're seeing an awful lot of you know, the price
is right at night and you know, all kinds of
who wants to be a millionaires? Back with Jimmy Kimmel
and on and on. The scripted fair for the most part,
you have to subscribe to HBO or Apple TV or
(01:47):
you know, Paramount Plus. It's you got to chase that
one down. But that's where all the scripted stuff is
now for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
H Well, the new TV season is approaching, and maybe
we'll talk about that in the coming week's bill. Right now,
it's still summer still, you know, the dog days of August,
so to speak. So people are looking for things. And
I've heard a lot about this show called land Man.
I've seen an episode of it. I've seen a lot
of bits and pieces of it on reels or TikTok feeds.
(02:17):
It looks outstanding. Billy Bob Thornton, I think looks like
he's great in that role. Land Man. Where do I
find it? And do you like it?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah? I like Landman a lot. It's basically Billy Bob Thornton.
He should have you know, they announced the Emmy Awards recently,
he should have been nominated. He's fantastic. He's an oil
man who you know, he looks after the wells. And
it's a real tough drama. You know. John langra or
(02:50):
Debbie Moore is also in it as his wife Andy Garcia.
And so it's a great cast, very exciting, and it's
also in Texas. It's a it's a really recommend that
one for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
And which services does that air on?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Ah? Yeah, I think that's Apple TV. It's a it's
one of the streaming services. The good news is season
two is going to be coming in November. So right
now there's ten episodes up. You can watch season one.
I watched all of them. I really recommend it.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yes, I thought that was a CBS A who owned
CBS Paramount? Is that CBS.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Paramount plus paramount plus? Excuse me? I stand corrected, you
are You're absolutely right? I got that mixed up. See
even I don't know. But if you like Landman, there's
another great show that is on Apple TV called Slow
Horses Okay, and it's a it's a spy drama. It's
set in London. Uh. And Gary Oldman is a great actor.
(03:53):
He's the main guy. He's sort of this rumpled, broken
down ahead of a spy agency and he looks after
all them this fit spies. But boys, it well written
and exciting. It's a really good show as well.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Bill Brio is with US veteran TV columnist Landman. I've
heard I think is the same guy that did Yellowstone, right,
Taylor Sheridan, And some people say it's like Yellowstone in
the oil patch. Does are there similarities there?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oh yeah, no, no no. And Taylor Sheridan, he's got like
eight shows on the air. This guy is It's Tulsa
King and on and on. But yeah, you can see
his thumb prints all over this. It's very much, you know,
set in Texas and Oklahoma, I think, very much about
the oil industry. And it's just it's a it's a
(04:46):
soap opera, but a really exciting modern one, you know,
a very adult one and a lot of fun. And
Billy Bob Thornton is fantastic in it, really really good.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Well, let's talk Bill about some doc documentaries. This is
another thing that really in the digital age has taken off.
I think it's been a boon for documentaries, and I
know one a lot of folks were after here recently
that just came out was the Billy Joel documentary. Did
you get a chance to see that? What did you think?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah? I sure did. It's fantastic too. If you're a
fan of Billy Joel, you don't want to miss this.
It's two parts and it's his whole life. You know,
it's stunning to watch this. You forget just how many
hit songs he's had since like about nineteen eighty. You know,
for about thirty years he was just cranking them out
(05:40):
left and right. You also learn about his four wives.
Christy Brinkley is the most famous. I guess they're all
part of the doc They take part and you also
hear others talking about him, Sting and other people he's
worked with. One person you don't hear his Elton John,
which is funny because he and Billy Joel used to
(06:03):
team up on concerts. But it's you know, it's an
astounding story. He has sold out Madison Square Gardens one
hundred times. Yeah, so still quite a force of music
and surviving right now. A serious sort of brain not
an injury, but a diagnosis, but he is looking pretty
(06:24):
good and so, but I really recommend it. It's just
a fun one to watch.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah, I think you have some brain problem that affects
his balance and such, which of course is not good
if you're on stage. So that's why he had to
cancel his latest touring dates. But there is another recent
documentary one about Ed Sullivan, Is that right?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah? No, this is very good too. It's on Netflix
and it's called Sunday Best The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan,
and it's produced by his granddaughter and also one of
the son of Barry Gordy, you know, and it sort
of tells the story, you know, Sullivan. If people remember
(07:07):
Ed Sullivan, this show hasn't been on for over fifty years.
But when I was a kid, you know, the thing is,
you got to go to bed. When I was a
kid once Ed said good night to Topo Gigio the
Little Mouse, if people remember that. But he had everybody
on Elvis Presley, the Beatles, you know, and all the
hot music acts, all the comedians, and but what he
(07:29):
did that was different. Starting way back in the nineteen
forty eight, he featured black entertainers like no one else did.
On TV at that time. So you know, this special
really shows how he had everyone from Diana Ross and
the Supremes to Sammy Davis, Junior, Ray, Charles James Brown,
Pearl Bailey, the Jackson Five, you know, like he and
(07:53):
that was different, especially in the fifties and sixties. So
it's an interesting story. And it's a short It's only
about an hour and twenty minutes. It's not long. It's
one of the first few times Todd where I wish
the documentary was longer. Yeah, but it's still pretty good.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
It's called Sunday Best that's on Netflix. A new sitcom
is out Bill that you had mentioned to me that
I think as a comedy, Leanne Morgan. She is a comedian,
I believe, right.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah, Yes, she's from the South. She's very funny. People
know her. You know, she's almost fifty, I think, and
she just brings another perspective to stand up. And she's
teamed here with Chuck Lourie who does the Big Bank Theory,
and Young Sheldon and two and a half men. He
(08:42):
saw her do her stand up and he contacted her
and said, I want to do your sitcom. So pretty
good guy to have behind you. And it's sort of
based on her life and stand up Ryan styles. People
might remember him from Whose line is it any way?
And you know he played her ex husband on here.
Kristin Johnson from Third Rock from the Sun is her
(09:06):
best friend. So a couple of real TV veterans in
support of her, and it's a very typical of Chuck.
Lori's show is just very ratatat comedy and well written
and she is very funny. So that one starts tomorrow
and it's coming up real fast. I believe that is
(09:26):
on Netflix as well.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yes, and we're talking with veteran TV columnist Bill Brio.
Bill final thing again, we think of TV nowadays, but
now a lot of times we see feature length films
that come to our TV through the various services. And
the latest high profile one is Happy Gilmore two. That
was a Netflix exclusive and it's been out for a
(09:51):
week or two. Have you had a chance to check
it out?
Speaker 2 (09:56):
You know what, Todd, I have not. I want to,
and I have watched the trailer for it. You know,
it's it's got sort of like a cast reunion. People
remember Happy Gilmore. The sad thing is that the most
important guy from the original Bob Barker most of the prices, right,
people remember the two of them having a flug fest
(10:17):
on the golf course. He has passed away and so
he's obviously not part of it. But when you watch,
you know, all of the films now with Happy Gilmore,
it's sort of a reunion of a lot of different comedians.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Adam Sandler of course is the main guy, but you'll
see a lot of familiar faces, at least the ones
I saw in the trailer. And if you play golf,
you pretty will have to watch this movie.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, I have had a chance to see it. And
if you loved the first one, you'll like this one.
If you didn't like the first one, or you don't
know anything about the first one, this one may not
really be good for you. But again, it just shows
how the world of tea and movies have merged together
in many ways. Bill Brio has been our guest. He
is a veteran TV columnist. You can check out Brio
(11:07):
dot tv the podcast as well.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Bill.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
We appreciate your time. We'll check in again soon, all right, Todd,
good talking to you.
What to watch on TV. I mean, it used to
be so easy. Now we have so many choices, and frankly,
watching TV and going to the movies has sort of
been conflated. It's all kind of the same thing. But
veteran TV columnist Bill Brio is here to help us
sort of work through all this, and you can check
(00:21):
out Brio dot tv the podcast as well.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Bill.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Thanks for checking in with us, my pleasure. Todd, Well,
you know, your job over the year has changed from
back when it was you know, the Big three or whatever.
And now we've got streaming services and still cable TV
and broadcast TV and YouTube and boy, it's just an
ever expanding universe, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh, it's crazy now, Todd. It's like playing chess on
twelve boards at once. You know, people just assume I
know everything on TV. Forget it. There's so many, you know,
digital services and streamers to subscribe to. Nobody can keep up.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yeah. And the other thing that's a little different, though,
is original programming or scripted programming is maybe a little
harder to find a little more rare, Bill, because of
the costs of the the reality stuff and game shows
is a lot easier to crank out a lot cheaper.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, especially in the summertime. If you're just watching broadcast networks,
you're seeing an awful lot of you know, the price
is right at night and you know, all kinds of
who wants to be a millionaires? Back with Jimmy Kimmel
and on and on. The scripted fair for the most part,
you have to subscribe to HBO or Apple TV or
(01:47):
you know, Paramount Plus. It's you got to chase that
one down. But that's where all the scripted stuff is
now for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
H Well, the new TV season is approaching, and maybe
we'll talk about that in the coming week's bill. Right now,
it's still summer still, you know, the dog days of August,
so to speak. So people are looking for things. And
I've heard a lot about this show called land Man.
I've seen an episode of it. I've seen a lot
of bits and pieces of it on reels or TikTok feeds.
(02:17):
It looks outstanding. Billy Bob Thornton, I think looks like
he's great in that role. Land Man. Where do I
find it? And do you like it?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah? I like Landman a lot. It's basically Billy Bob Thornton.
He should have you know, they announced the Emmy Awards recently,
he should have been nominated. He's fantastic. He's an oil
man who you know, he looks after the wells. And
it's a real tough drama. You know. John langra or
(02:50):
Debbie Moore is also in it as his wife Andy Garcia.
And so it's a great cast, very exciting, and it's
also in Texas. It's a it's a really recommend that
one for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
And which services does that air on?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Ah? Yeah, I think that's Apple TV. It's a it's
one of the streaming services. The good news is season
two is going to be coming in November. So right
now there's ten episodes up. You can watch season one.
I watched all of them. I really recommend it.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yes, I thought that was a CBS A who owned
CBS Paramount? Is that CBS.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Paramount plus paramount plus? Excuse me? I stand corrected, you
are You're absolutely right? I got that mixed up. See
even I don't know. But if you like Landman, there's
another great show that is on Apple TV called Slow
Horses Okay, and it's a it's a spy drama. It's
set in London. Uh. And Gary Oldman is a great actor.
(03:53):
He's the main guy. He's sort of this rumpled, broken
down ahead of a spy agency and he looks after
all them this fit spies. But boys, it well written
and exciting. It's a really good show as well.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Bill Brio is with US veteran TV columnist Landman. I've
heard I think is the same guy that did Yellowstone, right,
Taylor Sheridan, And some people say it's like Yellowstone in
the oil patch. Does are there similarities there?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oh yeah, no, no no. And Taylor Sheridan, he's got like
eight shows on the air. This guy is It's Tulsa
King and on and on. But yeah, you can see
his thumb prints all over this. It's very much, you know,
set in Texas and Oklahoma, I think, very much about
the oil industry. And it's just it's a it's a
(04:46):
soap opera, but a really exciting modern one, you know,
a very adult one and a lot of fun. And
Billy Bob Thornton is fantastic in it, really really good.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Well, let's talk Bill about some doc documentaries. This is
another thing that really in the digital age has taken off.
I think it's been a boon for documentaries, and I
know one a lot of folks were after here recently
that just came out was the Billy Joel documentary. Did
you get a chance to see that? What did you think?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah? I sure did. It's fantastic too. If you're a
fan of Billy Joel, you don't want to miss this.
It's two parts and it's his whole life. You know,
it's stunning to watch this. You forget just how many
hit songs he's had since like about nineteen eighty. You know,
for about thirty years he was just cranking them out
(05:40):
left and right. You also learn about his four wives.
Christy Brinkley is the most famous. I guess they're all
part of the doc They take part and you also
hear others talking about him, Sting and other people he's
worked with. One person you don't hear his Elton John,
which is funny because he and Billy Joel used to
(06:03):
team up on concerts. But it's you know, it's an
astounding story. He has sold out Madison Square Gardens one
hundred times. Yeah, so still quite a force of music
and surviving right now. A serious sort of brain not
an injury, but a diagnosis, but he is looking pretty
(06:24):
good and so, but I really recommend it. It's just
a fun one to watch.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah, I think you have some brain problem that affects
his balance and such, which of course is not good
if you're on stage. So that's why he had to
cancel his latest touring dates. But there is another recent
documentary one about Ed Sullivan, Is that right?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah? No, this is very good too. It's on Netflix
and it's called Sunday Best The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan,
and it's produced by his granddaughter and also one of
the son of Barry Gordy, you know, and it sort
of tells the story, you know, Sullivan. If people remember
(07:07):
Ed Sullivan, this show hasn't been on for over fifty years.
But when I was a kid, you know, the thing is,
you got to go to bed. When I was a
kid once Ed said good night to Topo Gigio the
Little Mouse, if people remember that. But he had everybody
on Elvis Presley, the Beatles, you know, and all the
hot music acts, all the comedians, and but what he
(07:29):
did that was different. Starting way back in the nineteen
forty eight, he featured black entertainers like no one else did.
On TV at that time. So you know, this special
really shows how he had everyone from Diana Ross and
the Supremes to Sammy Davis, Junior, Ray, Charles James Brown,
Pearl Bailey, the Jackson Five, you know, like he and
(07:53):
that was different, especially in the fifties and sixties. So
it's an interesting story. And it's a short It's only
about an hour and twenty minutes. It's not long. It's
one of the first few times Todd where I wish
the documentary was longer. Yeah, but it's still pretty good.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
It's called Sunday Best that's on Netflix. A new sitcom
is out Bill that you had mentioned to me that
I think as a comedy, Leanne Morgan. She is a comedian,
I believe, right.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah, Yes, she's from the South. She's very funny. People
know her. You know, she's almost fifty, I think, and
she just brings another perspective to stand up. And she's
teamed here with Chuck Lourie who does the Big Bank Theory,
and Young Sheldon and two and a half men. He
(08:42):
saw her do her stand up and he contacted her
and said, I want to do your sitcom. So pretty
good guy to have behind you. And it's sort of
based on her life and stand up Ryan styles. People
might remember him from Whose line is it any way?
And you know he played her ex husband on here.
Kristin Johnson from Third Rock from the Sun is her
(09:06):
best friend. So a couple of real TV veterans in
support of her, and it's a very typical of Chuck.
Lori's show is just very ratatat comedy and well written
and she is very funny. So that one starts tomorrow
and it's coming up real fast. I believe that is
(09:26):
on Netflix as well.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yes, and we're talking with veteran TV columnist Bill Brio.
Bill final thing again, we think of TV nowadays, but
now a lot of times we see feature length films
that come to our TV through the various services. And
the latest high profile one is Happy Gilmore two. That
was a Netflix exclusive and it's been out for a
(09:51):
week or two. Have you had a chance to check
it out?
Speaker 2 (09:56):
You know what, Todd, I have not. I want to,
and I have watched the trailer for it. You know,
it's it's got sort of like a cast reunion. People
remember Happy Gilmore. The sad thing is that the most
important guy from the original Bob Barker most of the prices, right,
people remember the two of them having a flug fest
(10:17):
on the golf course. He has passed away and so
he's obviously not part of it. But when you watch,
you know, all of the films now with Happy Gilmore,
it's sort of a reunion of a lot of different comedians.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Adam Sandler of course is the main guy, but you'll
see a lot of familiar faces, at least the ones
I saw in the trailer. And if you play golf,
you pretty will have to watch this movie.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, I have had a chance to see it. And
if you loved the first one, you'll like this one.
If you didn't like the first one, or you don't
know anything about the first one, this one may not
really be good for you. But again, it just shows
how the world of tea and movies have merged together
in many ways. Bill Brio has been our guest. He
is a veteran TV columnist. You can check out Brio
(11:07):
dot tv the podcast as well.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Bill.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
We appreciate your time. We'll check in again soon, all right, Todd,
good talking to you.
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