In this publicity image released by Disney Channel, from left, Maia Mitchell as McKenzie, Ross Lynch as Brady, Grace Phipps as Lela and Garrett Clayton as Tanner appear in a scene from the film "Teen Beach Movie." The film, a modern take on classic beach party movies, airs Friday, July 19 at 8 p.m. EST on the Disney Channel. (AP Photo/Disney Channel, Bob D'Amico) ORG XMIT: NYET384 (Photo: Bob D'Amico, Disney Channel)
Teen Beach Movie | Disney, Friday, 8 ET/PT
Having watched as Glee and (for awhile, anyway) Smash stole its TV musical thunder, Disney returns to the genre with a tween-aimed spoof that sends two modern kids into an old beach-partyish movie, Wet Side Story. If you're a parent and you haven't heard about Teen Beach, remember this: Many an adult was unaware High School Musical existed until the children in their lives started playing it, singing to it, and dancing with it over and over and over. So brace yourself, just in case history repeats.
CRITIC'S CORNER CHAT ON TWITTER: Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove | Hallmark, Saturday, 8 ET/PT Ray Donovan | Showtime, Sunday, 10 ET/PT Submit your questions to @BiancoRobert using #askbianco
Hallmark gets into the series business with this summer show based on Macomber's books. Andie MacDowell stars as a local judge who must choose between a federal post and a new, hometown romance with a mysterious newspaper editor (Dylan Neal). Anyone looking for financial security would go with the feds over the editor, but odds are that's not the kind of choice people make in Cedar Cove.
Ray and his family go for a school visit in an episode that showcases both the strengths of this show's performances and the weaknesses of some of its storytelling shortcuts. Too much of the dialogue rings false: It's too clearly designed to move the plot or make a point, regardless of whether any human being would actually talk that way in real life. And yet as strained as the lines may become, the stars generally find a way to make the dialogue work -- as the writers find a way to make the plots pay off.
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