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Tuned in: HBO spins dark, dull ‘Vinyl’; ‘Better Call Saul’ gets better

Tuned in: HBO spins dark, dull ‘Vinyl’; ‘Better Call Saul’ gets better

One’s appreciation for HBO’s “Vinyl” (9-11 p.m. Sunday) may correlate with one’s tolerance of abusive, coke-snorting creative types.

Set in the 1970s New York music scene, this humorless drama from the producers of “Boardwalk Empire” (plus Mick Jagger) delivers some rocking musical moments amid the dark drama story of American Century Records executive Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), who falls off the wagon in Sunday’s two-hour pilot and lands in a mess of trouble.

Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Terence Winter and George Mastras (“Breaking Bad”), “Vinyl” begins well enough with “Goodfellas”-reminiscent voice-over narration before introducing its sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll world.

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American Century no longer seems hip (“it’s where artists go to die”) and Richie is about to sell out to a German record label until he has a wild and crazy night that involves terrorizing his wife, Devon (Olivia Wilde); snorting cocaine and getting dragged into other illegal activities (murder, of course, since this is Scorsese) capped off by a scene that plays as if it could be real or perhaps a drug trip fantasy (turns out, it’s real).

Along the way there are some potentially intriguing detours that introduce other characters, including Ray Romano as an American Century exec with financial obligations to his entitled wife and daughter and an ambitious office assistant (Juno Temple) who discovers a promising new punk rocker (James Jagger, Mick’s son).

In flashbacks, viewers see Richie and Devon out on the town in the 1960s with Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol (John Cameron Mitchell).

“Vinyl” drags in its occasionally predictable, too infrequently surprising premiere and invites viewers down a rough road. It feels authentic; it looks and sounds believable. But the situations and characters in “Vinyl” are overly familiar in this post-antihero, peak TV era.

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‘Saul’ season two

The first two episodes of season two of AMC’s “Better Call Saul” (10 p.m. Monday) find ethically dubious lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) ready to drop out of the law profession in favor of a con man’s life. He even drags budding romantic interest Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) along on a con in Monday’s debut.

But by episode two, Jimmy is back to lawyering albeit with one foot in a legitimate practice and the other in more legally questionable waters as he aids Mike (Jonathan Banks) on a case. This struggle between going straight or crooked — viewers know from “Breaking Bad” Jimmy will ultimately forsake the straight and narrow as he becomes Saul Goodman — will define the character this season.

Jimmy’s brother, Chuck (Michael McKean), continues to doubt Jimmy’s willingness to do right (is Chuck also a little jealous of Jimmy’s clever streak, perhaps?). And Jimmy continues to be hurt by Chuck’s lack of faith.

If season one dragged a bit as it got toward the inevitable spot where Jimmy declared he’d never let whatever kept him from stealing $1.6 million in embezzled money stop him again, season two reminds viewers of how smart, engaging and original the writing and plotting can be in the hands of “Saul” creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and their writing staff. In its first two episodes, season two of “Saul” offers a welcome return to form.

Goodbye, ‘Good Wife’

While some viewers may have been surprised by Sunday’s “The Good Wife” promo during the Super Bowl that declared this the show’s final season, series creators/writers Michelle King and Robert King always planned a seven-year run.

In January, CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller suggested CBS considered continuing the show without the Kings but in the current era where cable networks give showrunners a lot of creative license, continuing without the Kings would have been seen as poor form.

Robert King said the show’s final nine episodes will explore where Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Peter (Chris Noth) end up marriage-wise, the impact of an empty nest on Alicia and Alicia's connections with the other characters.

The husband of Diane (Christine Baranski), played by Gary Cole, will be back and Robert King said he's trying to get MIA investigator Robyn (Jess Weixler) back before the end.

The Kings did not rule out a spinoff series focusing on some of the recurring characters.

Kept/canceled

Here’s what got renewed this week: Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle” (for a third season), Syfy’s “The Magicians” (for a second season), NBC’s “Shades of Blue” (for a second season), Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” (for an additional three seasons, keeping the show in production through its seventh season), USA’s “Colony” (for a second season).

And here’s what got canceled: CBS’s “Angel from Hell” and syndicated game show “Monopoly Millionaires’ Club,” hosted by Swissvale native Billy Gardell, which will end with the April 30 episode, according to Broadcasting & Cable.

Channel surfing

“Pushing Daisies” and “Hannibal” showrunner Bryan Fuller, who started his TV writing career on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” will be co-creator of the new “Star Trek” TV series launching in early 2017 on streaming site CBS All Access. … ABC announced a new, animated “Frozen” special will air around Christmas in 2017. … Amazon ordered a four-season reboot of “Thunderbirds Are Go” featuring a mix of CGI animation and live-action model sets. … Starz ordered “The White Princess,” a sequel to 2013’s “The White Queen.” … The third season of Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart” debuts at 9 p.m. Feb. 21. … “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” begins its third season at 11 p.m. Sunday on HBO. … Hazelwood native and Olympic long jump bronze medalist Herbert Douglas, who competed in the 1948 games in London, will be featured in the NBC Sports Films documentary “More than Gold: Jesse Owens and the 1936 Berlin Olympics” (12:30 p.m. Sunday, WPXI). … Jason Patric will star in season two of Fox’s “Wayward Pines” this summer. … Fox’s “Bordertown” moves to 7 p.m. Sunday when “The Last Man on Earth” returns at 9:30 p.m. March 6. … “CBS This Morning: Saturday” co-host Vinita Nair will be keynote speaker at the “Larry Richert Honors Hometown Heroes” fundraiser at the Lexus Club at PNC Park March 3. Tickets are $125 per person benefiting the It’s About the Warrior Foundation. Details at KDKA.com/heroes.

Tuned In online

Today's TV Q&A column responds to questions about “Suits,” “Madam Secretary” and “Doc Martin.” This week's Tuned In Journal includes posts on “The Good Wife,” “Outsiders,” Super Bowl ads and the return of H.R. Pufnstuf on “Mutt & Stuff.” Read online-only TV content at http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in.

This week's podcast includes conversation about Super Bowl ads, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and “The Artful Detective.” Subscribe or listen to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette podcasts at iTunes or at https://soundcloud.com/pittsburghpg.

TV writer Rob Owen: rowen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2582. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook for breaking TV news.

First Published: February 12, 2016, 5:00 a.m.

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Bobby Cannavale stars in "Vinyl" on HBO.
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