‘Annie Live!’ Is a Spirited, Likable Reprieve From Hard Times: TV Review

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticHBO is currently airing a superlative show about the serendipity and possibility of life, and the unexpected discoveries that can emerge through conversation and openness.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticMuch like the character at its center, “MacGruber” has a surprising ability to withstand bombs.In the late-aughts series of sketches on “Saturday Night Live,” Will Forte’s character, a riff on MacGyver, would inevitably get caught up in his own neuroses while attempting to dismantle an explosive, resulting in detonation before he came back, unscathed, for the next installment.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticYears into the COVID-19 pandemic, “Station Eleven” suggests we got off easy.Both the 2014 novel by Emily St. John Mandel and its limited-series adaptation on HBO Max tell the story of a viral plague that decimates the world’s population too quickly for any response.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticAna Gasteyer — a shrewd, funny comedian adept at puncturing her characters’ pretensions — has long deserved a showcase.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThis article contains spoilers for the first four episodes of “And Just Like That.”The most striking homage to the legacy of “Sex and the City” in the new series “And Just Like That” lands like a bit of bitter irony, or a joke too caustic by half.“Sex and the City” ended, in 2004, with a montage of its characters having found fulfillment through romance and, crucially, self-acceptance, all set to the 1980s single “You Got the Love.” Two movies complicated but

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThe omnipresence of Olivia Colman has been a truly happy development in recent years.Since her shock Oscar win for “The Favourite” in early 2019, Colman has appeared in films including “The Father” and “The Lost Daughter” and, among several other TV projects, one season of “Fleabag” and two of “The Crown.” And while at times in that latter series she seemed to be withholding her broad-ranging abilities towards the absurd, her willingness to go anywhere for a

Thursday evening was a busy one as primetime offerings ranged from the usual sitcoms on CBS and dramas on CW to live musical performances on NBC, football on Fox and a dramatic tell-all on ABC. Of  the varied primetime offerings, however, Fox’s coverage of Thursday Night Football’s Dallas Cowboys-New Orleans Saints game took the spotlight.

Celina Smith nailed her performance as Annie during NBC’s “Annie Live!” on Thursday.

who took over the role from Jane Krakowski after she contracted a breakthrough COVID case) as Lily St. Regis.“Annie Live!” is executive produced by Bob Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Alex Rudzinsky, with Lear deBessonet and Rudzinski sharing directing duties.

The soundtrack for Annie Live! has just been released!

Harry Connick Jr. is wearing a bald cap while playing Daddy Warbucks in the NBC production of Annie Live! and fans on Twitter are roasting the look.

aired Thursday, and fans took to social media to share their love for the hotly anticipated TV production.While live TV productions of Broadway musicals have something of a shaky reputation — with the oft-maligned and getting a lot of criticism at the time — it seems has managed to truly delight viewers.Starring newcomer Celina Smith in the title role, the production featured the theatrical talents of Taraji P.

Annie Live! is NBC’s 10th annual telecast of a Broadway musical (following The Wiz!, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Rent Live!). The show has gone through a variety of adaptations. First, the 2014 Annie film starring Quvenzhané Wallis and now Annie Live! starring Celina Smith in the titular role. So how does it stack up among the rest? Well, it’s somewhere in the middle with several positive elements and equally negative ones. 

Annie Live! is set to premiere tonight on NBC, and we have the full list of stars and performers you’ll see taking the stage!

Gordon Cox Theater EditorFor audience members checking in at the final dress rehearsal of NBC’s “Annie Live!” on Dec. 1, there was an additional stop along the usual security gauntlet.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticChristmas is big business for TV; the content mill of light romantic comedies set around the holidays and celebrity-driven specials has come to make December feel, at moments, like a forced march of glee.

Annie Live! is set to air on NBC tomorrow night!

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticIn April, Colton Underwood, a former professional athlete who’d been the lead of the reality franchise “The Bachelor” just two years prior, came out of the closet on “Good Morning America.” When considered in the most forgiving of lights, it seemed in the moment like a positive, potentially helpful thing.