Hulu, 3:00 a.m. ET
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: For those who saw last year’s reunion performances of the improv hip-hop group Freestyle Love Supreme, and are expecting this new Hulu special to be a TV account of that limited-run celebration at the Greenwich House Theatre, We Are Freestyle Love Supreme is that, but less – and also more. It contains snippets from that reunion show, but it’s not a complete account. It does, however, take you backstage as well, showing the buildup to the 2019 performances. But Andrew Fried’s special takes you not only backstage, but way, way back – to the formation of Freestyle Love Supreme more than 15 years ago. Back then, he was there to witness, and film, the group as it rose from local New York notoriety to a performance at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival. By taking such a patient approach to chronicling the ins and outs, and ups and downs, of Freestyle, Fried manages to create a documentary that is as much about enduring friendship, and the sheer joy of creativity, as it is about a small group of young men with a shared passion to make music, think on their feet, and sing to entertain and surprise one another. And what makes We Are Freestyle Love Supreme a treasure is that these young men, in particular, contain some astounding talents. Chief among them, and the reason this documentary exists, is Lin-Manuel Miranda, who took what he learned from his early Freestyle days to write In the Heights and Hamilton. Also part of this troupe: Christopher Jackson, who is shown hanging out and improv-rapping with Miranda long before Jackson reteamed with him on stage in those two musicals, and Thomas Kail, who ended up directing both the stage and film versions of Hamilton. Watch this documentary, and you’ll see how he not only got those jobs, but earned Miranda’s trust. And for Hamilton fans, this is a must.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
For fans of Broadway musicals, and of opera, this is a must, too. From earlier this year, just before the lights went out on Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera staged a version of a classic jazz opera it called Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, emphasizing its fidelity to the original musical score George and Ira Gershwin first presented in 1935, and to its large-scale vision and staging. Based on the novel by DuBose Heyward, and the play by Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, this Porgy and Bess – the first Met staging in almost 30 years – stars Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles. This particular performance was presented as a live simulcast in movie theaters across the world on February 1. Audiences were warned beforehand that Owens was quite ill, but would do his best to complete the performance. He ended up being so wonderful that the ovation for him afterward at the Met was exuberant… and it was just as boisterous at the movie theater where I saw it in Cherry Hill, NJ, even though the performers, of course, had no idea of the standing ovation we were giving them. Now, you can see it for free, at home. You get to hear “Summertime” – and the viewin’ is easy… Check local listings.
Various Networks, 9:00 p.m. ET
Actually, it’s not a one-time special, because it premiered last night, and here it is again. Last night, though many, many NBC affiliates boycotted the program, the network presented the premiere of a one-shot 30 Rock special, to which the offended affiliates objected because it included several promotional segments about NBC Universal’s new streaming service, Peacock. Broadcast TV stations see streaming as the enemy, just as they used to perceive cable. But the 30 Rock special was built around a particularly self-promotional conceit: Because the pandemic had caused the cancellation of the in-person Radio City Music Hall gathering of the NBC Universal upfronts, in which new fall TV fare is pitched to potential advertisers, NBC would hold the upfronts via Zoom instead, with the 30 Rock gang taking part, in character. There actually were spots where NBC’s scheduled fall fare was promoted (Ted Danson as Mr. Mayor!), as well as nods to the wider NBC Universal family (Pro wrestling! Reality shows!) – and it was hard to tell the parodies from the actual promos. Except there were no parodies, which was this special’s downfall. Everything written and performed by Tina Fey and company, that was entertaining and clever. Everything shoehorned in as an actual promo, whether for NBC, Syfy, or Peacock? Not so much. But if you missed it last night, or weren’t shown it by your local NBC station, tonight NBC Universal ups the internal squabble by repeating the same 30 Rock special tonight, at the same time, on USA Network, Syfy, Bravo and E!... among other corporate cable networks it owns and operates. Take that, affiliates!
