This week’s Channel Surfing TV picks all feature triumphant returns. Broadcasting from a bubble in Orlando, the NBA resumes the season looking to find who will win it all. The adventures of the Hargreeves siblings continue with new episodes of The Umbrella Academy. Then the Muppets give it another go on TV with their latest project, Muppets Now.
Can a Champion Be Crowned?
The pandemic caused sports to shut down, and though some leagues in the United States have returned, professional basketball would be the only one that’s finishing up the season and heading into the playoffs. In order to carry it out, the NBA developed an ambitious plan to form a bubble in Orlando and resume all games in a single location.
Usually, the season and playoffs are a long grueling process with the best team coming out on top. However, with such an unconventional process in place now, will it bring more drama and a randomness to who will win? Also, with Florida being such a hotspot globally, can the NBA finish without experiencing any more delays? We’ll find out when the first new games resume Thursday, July 30, on TNT.
The Umbrella Academy II: Hargreeves in Time
In the winter of 2019, Netflix brought the Dark Horse comic from Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy, to television screens. The superhero team of estranged Hargreeves siblings try to unite in order to save the world from a global apocalypse.
When we last saw the team, they failed in their mission and decide to travel back in time to prevent catastrophe again. Season two picks up in the ‘60s where all the siblings are dropped in Dallas between the years of 1960 – 1963 and they’re all separated creating their own lives. Can they come together successfully this time for the better good? Watch when the entire season becomes available Friday, July 31, on Netflix.
It’s Time to Play the Music…
Jim Henson’s Muppets tried to make a comeback several years back with a pair of films that were popular enough that they spawned a TV show in the mockumentary format a la The Office. The Muppets started off strong but ratings declined as time progressed resulting in its cancellation after a single season.
Disney+ is taking another shot at a Muppets series with Muppets Now. It will run six episodes and is The Muppets Studios first unscripted show. The premise has Scooter rushing in order to make his delivery deadlines and upload new content for streaming. Hopefully this latest run can capture the magic of the original while exposing a new generation to all the silliness and chaotic fun. Watch when the first episode is released on Friday, July 31.
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