One thing HBO needs is another "Sopranos," a show that can drive the national conversation and define the network as first among quality-TV equals. "True Blood," which premieres Sunday, isn't that show. Not quite, or at least not yet...

2008

Sep

REPUBLICANS GET MESSAGE ACROSS UNFILTERED By David Bianculli

Last night the Republicans made history, and not just by nominating the first woman to be part of their presidential ticket. They made history by being the first party at either of the 2008 conventions -- and, if my memory serves, the first party at any presidential convention ever -- to get across its prime-time message totally unfiltered on commercial broadcast TV...

2008

Sep

PALIN TAKES STAGE, "DAILY SHOW" TAKES AIM, "90210" TAKES OFF (BARELY) By David Bianculli

There's a lot to cover today: How the networks covered last night's convention, and what to expect tonight. How good "The Daily Show" is doing at these conventions. And how the two-hour premiere of CW's "90210," not available for preview, measured up last night. So let's get right to it, in order...

2008

Sep

GUSTAV STORMS GULF COAST, TV NEWS NETWORKS STORM STORM By David Bianculli

Brian Williams, returning to the site of his impressive Katrina reporting from three years ago, climbed atop one of the precarious levees separating New Orleans from another devastating flood. Determined and defiant, he was like Jack Nicholson at the end of "A Few Good Men." You want him on that wall. You NEED him on that wall...

2008

Sep

REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, HURRICANE SEASON, FALL SEASON -- SPLIT-SCREEN SCRAMBLES EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK By David Bianculli

Last Wednesday night, while most network anchors and analysts were focusing on the evening's Democratic National Convention speeches...NBC's Brian Williams looked ahead to the Republican event, and to the threat of Hurricane Gustav bearing down on New Orleans -- Very prescient. Very smart. And for the Republicans, potentially disastrous...

2008

Aug

OBAMA GETS HIGH MARKS FROM MOST ANALYSTS, BUT CBS DESERVES LOW ONES By David Bianculli

Barack Obama ended the Democratic National Convention, and made history, with a speech that got high marks from most (but not all) analysts -- but what many called his finest hour was marred, at the start, by an arrogant editorial decision by CBS News...

2008

Aug

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION DAY 3: BROADCAST TV MISSED THE BEST PARTS By David Bianculli

By giving an hour, and only an hour, of prime-time coverage to political conventions in 2008, the commercial broadcast networks are condensing themselves into relative irrelevance...

2008

Aug

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION DAY 2: MORE UNITY, BUT ALSO MORE PUMAS By David Bianculli

On Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton went a few minutes overtime, spilling out of prime time past the 11 p.m. ET hour and giving the poor broadcast networks even less time to assess her speech. But there and on cable, most reviews ranged from positive to raves...

2008

Aug

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION TV COVERAGE: HERE'S WHAT YOU'RE MISSING By David Bianculli

Every network made choices about what to show, and ignore, while covering the Democratic National Convention Monday night. Here are those choices, culled after watching coverage on 12 TV sets simultaneously...

2008

Aug

GOODBYE, OLYMPICS -- HELLO, POLITICS AND OTHER "DANGEROUS JOBS" By David Bianculli

The XXIX Summer Olympics are over, and should be considered a major success, in several categories: As TV entertainment, inspirational content, successful propaganda. Tonight, the Olympics are replaced by day one of the Democratic National Convention from Denver...

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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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