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...

2008

May

FRANK RICH WORKING WITH HBO? THIS COULD BE RICH INDEED... By David Bianculli

I've never met Frank Rich, never even talked to him. Yet yesterday's announcement that he has signed on as a creative consultant for HBO, to initiate and help develop projects, sounds like the best move HBO has made since green-lighting "Deadwood." And Rich, because of his decades of experience as both an Op-Ed columnist and drama critic for The New York Times, should be anything but dead wood...

2008

May

FROM "AMERICAN IDOL" TO "AMERICAN GLADIATORS" -- GOODBYE, TV SEASON By David Bianculli

As I write this Wednesday morning, the victor in this year's "American Idol" is unknown. Depending upon when you read this, the outcome may be a sure thing. But here's one sure thing regardless: TV's about to get duller, again, for a few months. After tonight, the May ratings sweeps, and the 2007-08 TV season, are over...

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