When the writers' strike ended and production resumed on TV shows that had been stalled by the work stoppage, the rollout of new episodes was expected to occur in several stages: fully staffed talk shows and "Saturday Night Live" first, then sitcoms, then the dramas. Tonight, with the return of the full CBS comedy lineup, we finally enter phase two...

2008

Mar

HBO'S "JOHN ADAMS" MAKES IT THREE FOR THREE FOR TOM HANKS By David Bianculli

Tom Hanks is a movie star now, and has starred in some great ones. But he started in TV and, as an executive producer, understands it better than most. He knows, for example, that the miniseries is one of the medium's most important genres - and knows what to do with it...

2008

Mar

ABC'S "LOST" IS GREAT, BUT ITS "ENHANCED LOST" IS GRATING By David Bianculli

The writers' strike may explain it, but doesn't excuse it. The "enhanced" hour of "Lost" that precedes tonight's new hour of "Lost" is even worse than a week-old rerun...

2008

Mar

LEWIS BLACK DOESN'T TRIUMPH OVER "EVIL" By David Bianculli

Lewis Black is a very funny fellow. His caustic comic approach wears well, and his outrage normally is aimed at precisely the right targets. As a Daily Show correspondent, and the star of his own standup comedy specials, Black has been reliably entertaining. But Lewis Black's "Root of All Evil," which premieres tonight isn't nearly as funny as it should be. It's not Black enough...

2008

Mar

DIGGING DEEPLY INTO HBO'S "IN TREATMENT" By David Bianculli

The HBO series "In Treatment," which launched in January, will conclude its first season at the end of the month - and once again, TV has found a novel way to tell a story. Novel, as in more like a novel than anything else...

2008

Mar

WHEN IS IT FAIR, AND UNFAIR, TO REVEAL TV SECRETS?: TWO CASE STUDIES By David Bianculli

I've written plenty about the final episode of The Wire,the excellent David Simon drama that concluded last night - but was careful not to reveal any secrets or discuss the ending. Now that it's been televised, is it fair game? Or is there still a "I've recorded it, but haven't seen it" faction in play?...

2008

Mar

SAYING GOODBYE TO "THE WIRE" By David Bianculli

David Simon's tantalizingly multilayered HBO drama series ends Sunday night at 9 with an expanded final episode - one that starts with the major learning of the duplicity of his own police force, and ends with one of the series' end-of-season trademark musical montages...

2008

Mar

WHEN GOOD ADS HAPPEN TO BAD TV SHOWS By David Bianculli

What do you do when an ad for a TV show is clever enough to applaud, but the show it's promoting isn't worth watching? In the case of Comedy Central's "Lil' Bush," the only thing to do is be a Lil' Creative: Dismiss the series, but support the ad...

2008

Mar

REPUBLICANS SOLIDIFY, DEMOCRATS LIQUEFY By David Bianculli

The news for Republicans last night came clearly and quickly: John McCain gathered enough delegates to make him his party's presumptive nominee, and his remaining competitor, Mike Huckabee, appeared in the midst of prime time to deliver a gracious and supportive concession speech...

2008

Mar

FOR TV, IT'S SUPER-SUPER-DUPER TUESDAY By David Bianculli

No matter what happens this evening - whether Hillary Clinton sweeps Texas and Ohio, whether Barack Obama denies her that bragging right and momentum shift, and whether simple victory has anything to do with the number of delegates won - it's a night to watch politics on TV. I've outlined tomorrow's evening entertainment options in BEST BETS, but Super-Super-Duper Tuesday is a night to check in all over the dial... and to hop around, time-shift or multitask like a fiercely fickle viewer. Try t

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

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