Even when I come to new series with apprehension, I'm prepared, and often hoping, to be pleasantly surprised. And I must admit that NBC's "Celebrity Circus," which premiered last night and was unavailable for preview because it was performed live, wasn't as bad as I expected. It was worse...

2008

Jun

NBC'S "CELEBRITY CIRCUS": ANOTHER SUCKER-BORN-EVERY-MINUTE MOVE By David Bianculli

Tonight at 9:30 ET, NBC proudly presents its latest reality-TV competition show, "Celebrity Circus." I say "proudly," because here it is, occupying valuable prime time at a time when network TV desperately needs to attract viewers, not repel them...

2008

Jun

"SOAP" NAVIGATES SLIPPERY SLOPE OF OVERPOPULATED DVD BOXED SETS By David Bianculli

At the start of the 21st century, releasing TV series on DVD seemed like a gold mine so rich, so deep, the vein would never run dry. Less than a decade later, there still are plenty of old television series to be repackaged and sold -- but already, there's a serious problem. So many shows -- so little shelf space...

2008

Jun

ONE GOOD SIDE EFFECT OF THE WRITERS' STRIKE: SUMMER TV DOCUMENTARIES By David Bianculli

There aren't many good side effects to the 2007-08 writers' strike, but one is just starting to become evident. A wealth of quality documentaries has been scheduled for summer -- some as ongoing recurring series, others scheduled to help fill the holes caused by a lack of scripted programming...

2008

Jun

NEW CBS DRAMA TAKES "SYBIL" LIBERTIES By David Bianculli

In 1976, Sally Field -- who, at the time, was all but dismissed as the cutie from TV's "Gidget" -- grabbed the brass ring by playing a series of distinctly different characters in the psychological miniseries "Sybil," based on an actual case of what then was called multiple personality disorder. This weekend, 32 years later, CBS presents a new version... very, very quietly...

2008

Jun

"SWINGTOWN" LANGUISHES ON CBS, "FEAR ITSELF" SURPRISES ON NBC By David Bianculli

Tonight marks the arrival of two new series on the broadcast networks, and they couldn't be more different. One is "Swingtown," a CBS drama that tries to mine the free-love 1970s for nostalgia and shock value; the other is "Fear Itself," an NBC attempt to revive the near-dead anthology drama series...

2008

May

SEASON FINALE WAS SO GOOD, I'M LOST WITHOUT "LOST" By David Bianculli

All I can say is, "Wow." The fourth-season finale of ABC's "Lost" not only was every bit as dramatic, revealing and surprising as I'd hoped -- it was the year's Exhibit A for Reasons Not to Give Up on Network Television. I only hope network executives across the board were watching, and learning their lesson...

2008

May

TV WORTH WATCHING'S FIRST READER QUIZ: HOW MUCH IS "SEX" WORTH? By David Bianculli

My next column for "Broadcasting & Cable" magazine, to be published Monday, is all about what I call "made-from-TV movies," pegged to this weekend's release of the big-screen "Sex and the City" film and, three weeks later, the "Get Smart" remake...

2008

May

"SOPRANOS" EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE SPARKS UNEXPECTED C*NTROVERSY By David Bianculli

Over Memorial Day weekend, New York's Fordham University and West London's Brunel University banded together in New York to present a memorial to "The Sopranos." The invigorating international conference, called "The Sopranos: A Wake," gathered academics from as far away as Australia to dissect and debate the groundbreaking HBO series. The participants presented papers, offered observations, and, in at least one case, generated controversy...

2008

May

HBO'S "RECOUNT": ENJOY IT, BUT DON'T MISTAKE IT FOR A DOCUMENTARY By David Bianculli

Since HBO is repeating yesterday's "Recount" telemovie tonight at 9 p.m. ET, I decided to give myself a holiday and repeat yesterday's blog as well -- and run my review of "Recount" all over again. Which makes it, I guess, a re-Recount...

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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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