5 buzzworthy season finales (TV commentary)
It’s that time of year when summer movies start to steal the headlines from TV, but boob-tube fans have one last gasp, at least: The May season finales. Due to the evolving TV calendar, it’s […]
NBC
R.I.P. Dick Clark. And I miss ‘American Dreams’ (TV commentary)
I was shocked — pleasantly so — to find the first reference to “American Dreams” only five paragraphs into the Associated Press’ feature obituary on Dick Clark, who died on Wednesday at age 82.
Who’s that girl? It’s Jess; and ‘New Girl’ is getting better (TV commentary)
The idea of getting a weekly dose of the girl from “(500) Days of Summer” was irresistible when “New Girl” (8 p.m. Central Tuesdays on Fox) debuted last fall, but the public seemed to think a regular […]
(Hopefully not) a fond farewell to ‘Parenthood’ (TV review)
I don’t spend too much time anymore worrying about whether a show will be canceled; I take the “enjoy it while it lasts” approach to everything. So Season 3’s penultimate episode of “Parenthood” took me off […]
First episode impressions: ‘Smash’ (TV review)
I have to confess that I generally don’t enjoy musicals. With the notable exception of the “Buffy” musical episode, the genre doesn’t work for me. Most musicals are repetitive, using songs to emphasize what we […]
Midseason TV preview: The momentum continues? (Commentary)
Fall 2011 served up so many good shows, and so few of them have been canceled, that it’s easy to overlook the midseason premieres. Yet the networks have found a few open slots. I have […]
I should like ‘Community.’ But I don’t quite get it. Sorry (TV commentary)
I made it only a few seconds into the first episode of “2 Broke Girls,” one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the fall. It wasn’t the immature, sex-obsessed guys or the snarky, intent-on-those-guys-not-having-sex-with-her girl that […]
First episode impressions: ‘Grimm’ (TV review)
Just like a musician doesn’t have to pay for the rights to record a song written before 1922, I assume a similar law holds true for “Grimm” (8 p.m. Central Fridays on NBC) and its use of […]
The new fall shows — not too shabby so far (TV commentary)
I’ve done “first episode impressions” of the noteworthy new shows this season, and many TV critics have done the same. We do this because it’s fun and quick-hitting more so than because it’s an accurate […]
First episode impressions: ‘Parks and Recreation’ Season 4 (TV review)
“Parks and Recreation” (7:30 p.m. Central Thursdays on NBC) is my pick for best network comedy. It still ranks fourth on my overall list because while cable shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “It’s Always Sunny in […]