“Friday Night Lights” Season 1 (2006-07, NBC), episodes 1-5 – This present-day adaptation of H.G. Bissinger’s late-’80s expose on Texas high school football is more about the team than individuals. That’s why episode one could […]
“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” Season 1 (2006-07, NBC), episodes 1-6 – It’s unlike anything else on TV, taking us behind the scenes of a fictional “Saturday Night Live”-style show. NBS is a thinly […]
“Medium” Season 2 (2005-06, NBC), episodes 1-6 – CBS was no doubt quick to get “Ghost Whisperer” on the air after “Medium” (9 p.m. Mondays on NBC) became an out-of-nowhere hit last winter. Although the […]
John’s “Miss Match” flashback review, johnvhansen.com, July 27, 2017 “Miss Match” (2003, NBC), episodes 1-5 – Darren Star’s “Miss Match,” starring Alicia Silverstone as divorce attorney-cum-matchmaker Kate Fox, tries to solve the mysteries of the human […]
“American Dreams” Season 1 (2002-03, NBC) – OK, I’m not going so far as to say this series is actually good, but the “American Bandstand” segments and pre-Vietnam innocence are charming enough that I’ll continue […]
“The Office” Season 4 (2007-08, NBC) – Jim and Pam are still cute, but “The Office” went wrong by giving too much screen time to Worst Boss Ever Michael and henchman Dwight. The dinner party, where we […]
“Law & Order” Season 18 (2007-08, NBC) – As long as crime exists, there’s no reason for Dick Wolf’s masterpiece to end. This season, three newcomers slid into the lineup as if they had always been […]
“Surface” (2005-06, NBC), episode 1 – “Surface” (7 p.m. Mondays on NBC) is about the Outsiders. The premiere played like one of those Peter Benchley miniseries about sea monsters rising from the deep, complete with shallow characterizations. […]
“Law & Order” Season 13 (2002-03, NBC), episodes 1-3 — In its 13th year, “Law & Order” (9 p.m. Wednesdays, NBC) still surprises me every time I tune in. How can such a mainstream, plot-based show […]
John’s “The Practice” Season 6/ “Law & Order” Season 12 review, , NDSU Spectrum, Feb. 8, 2002