This is a TV comedy series about high school, putting it in the same continuum as The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Gidget, Square Pegs, My So-Called Life and The Wonder Years. It lasted only one season, but it’s a very important part of that continuum...

2015

Dec

HAPPY NEW YEAR! USPS CELEBRATES WITH A 'STAR TREK' STAMP By David Bianculli

The U.S. Postal Service waited until the end of 2015 to announce its stamp roster for 2016, but one set of stamps deserves immediate special attention on TVWW. It’s a stylishly designed quartet of stamps devoted to the golden anniversary of Star Trek…

2015

Dec

THAT TIME OF YEAR: MY TV TOP 10, BOTTOM 5, AND A 'FRESH AIR' CHAT WITH TERRY GROSS By David Bianculli

It’s that time of the year: holiday visits and visitors, annual Top 10 TV lists, and, tonight on NPR’s Fresh Air, my end-of-2015 debriefing with Terry Gross. Lists, links and holiday greetings follow…

2015

Dec

ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR TV: DAVID BIANCULLI ON THE BEST (AND WORST) OF 2015 By David Bianculli

(From NPR) When it came to new programming, broadcast TV didn't impress critic David Bianculli much this year. But if you add in cable and streaming services, then the story changes...

2015

Dec

A LONG TIME AGO, FROM A TALK SHOW FAR, FAR AWAY By David Bianculli

With the new Star Wars hitting theaters (perhaps you’ve heard?), there’s no better time to revisit what I consider the funniest Star Wars lampoon of all time, hands down. Or paws down, since it involves Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the acerbic canine puppet alter ego of comedian and writer Robert Smigel. In May 2002, upon the release of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones...

2015

Dec

2015 VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW By David Bianculli

This year’s scheduled musical performers include Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding, and the Victoria’s Secret models this year include first-timer Gigi Hadid. She’s pictured here, for identification purposes – but personally, I only watch these Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show specials for the articles.

2015

Dec

NETFLIX WISHES YOU 'A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS' By David Bianculli

You might expect a Christmas special by Bill Murray to be an entertaining mixture of songs, comedy and special guests – and his new Netflix special is precisely that. But his A Very Murray Christmas is unexpected in at least one respect: It’s irony-free…

2015

Nov

OUR ANNUAL HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS READY - AND THERE'S A (FREE) WAY YOU CAN GIVE TO US, TOO By David Bianculli

This time of year, what do The Great American Dream Machine, Better Call Saul and dozens of other great DVD boxed sets have in common? They’re all gift suggestions from myself, here or on NPR’s Fresh Air, or from other TVWW editors and writers…

2015

Nov

TWO NEW SERIES STREAM FRIDAY, AND BOTH ARE WELL WORTH WATCHING - 'MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE' ESPECIALLY By David Bianculli

The best new series of the year is about to drop on Amazon Friday, with every episode of Season 1 available at once: The Man in the High Castle, based on the Philip K. Dick novel…

2015

Nov

THE GREAT AMERICAN DREAM MACHINE By David Bianculli

I’ve been waiting for a collection of this groundbreaking 1971-72 PBS series to be released on home video for decades – ever since I bought my first Sony Betamax in 1977. Well, it took a while, but here it is...

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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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