TNT’s long-awaited adaptation of Caleb Carr’s The Alienist captures some of the book’s allure. It also illustrates why the TV version took so many years to develop...

2018

Jan

WRITER AND SHOWRUNNER ED SOLOMON ON THE STORYTELLING APPROACH OF 'MOSAIC' By David Hinckley

HBO’s new Sharon Stone crime drama Mosaic poses a disturbing notion about a broader issue of life: that when we try to reassure or comfort someone by saying “I understand,” we’re almost certainly lying...

2018

Jan

MOSAIC By David Bianculli

MINISERIES PREMIERE: This six-part drama, presented each weeknight this week on HBO (with two episodes Friday), is the latest storytelling exercise and experiment from director Steven Soderbergh. This one, Mosaic, is the story of a dead woman (a children’s book author, played by Sharon Stone) whose death is examined in flashback, with clues provided not only by other viewpoints and investigators, but by complementary information dispensed by apps, short videos and other ancillary factors.

2018

Jan

THE BLACK STALLION By David Bianculli

There are so many people to credit with contributing significantly to this poetic, gorgeous 1979 movie. There’s Melissa Mathison, who crafted the screenplay adaptation, her first, before moving on to a little film called E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. imagined the original novel about this story of a boy and a horse. Carroll Ballard, who directed The Black Stallion beautifully, and Francis Ford Coppola, its executive producer, who brought the movie to the marketplace with its allegories and l

2018

Jan

WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW: 25TH ANNIVERSARY By David Bianculli

LIVE SPECIAL: For the 25th anniversary of Monday Night RAW, USA is presenting a live retrospective special, emanating from New York and the site of the very first RAW match. How much history, and how many former and current wrestlers, will be part of this party is yet to be determined. What I do know, to my surprise and dismay, is that several of my college students are big wrestling fans, and are looking forward to this special like it’s a new Star Wars movie. Personally, I mention it onl

2018

Jan

THE RESIDENT By David Bianculli

Fox is calling this a two-night premiere, but The Resident actually premiered last night, after the NFC Championship Game. It established the level of scriptwriting, which is somewhere beneath House, M.D. but ahead of the current iteration of Grey’s Anatomy – but also established the lead characters, played by such undeniably charismatic actors as Matt Czuchry. Those who watched it last night are likely to return today – and against lesser Monday-night competition, even more vi

2018

Jan

THE ALIENIST By David Bianculli

LIMITED SERIES PREMIERE: This new 10-part TNT drama, simulcast tonight on TNT and TBS, is a period police and medical mystery story, set in 1890s New York, the same basic time and place as a few other dark-leaning TV dramas presented in recent years. Daniel Bruhl stars as a doctor who’s an “alienist” (a vintage term for a psychologist of sorts, who tried to understand human behavior, however aberrant), Luke Evans plays a sketch artist who documents some mysterious murders

2018

Jan

TCA'S WINTER PRESS TOUR -- THE CABLE NETWORKS By Roger Catlin

Cable is the cornucopia of the TV Critics Association press tours, showcasing some of the most serious dramatic offerings alongside some of the most preposterous reality shows. And more often than you would think, there are puppies...

2018

Jan

TNT'S 'THE ALIENIST' IS JUST THE LATEST DRAMA TO ACCENTUATE SERIAL KILLING By Ed Bark

The serial killings are gruesome, the cops are corrupt and the gumshoes are dedicated but always up against it...

2018

Jan

BREAKING BAD MARATHON By David Bianculli

I lose many hours from my life by being sucked into watching shows and movies I recommend in Bianculli’s Best Bets, even though I’ve seen them before. Just yesterday, I procrastinated, avoiding other duties, by watching a few hours of AMC’s Breaking Bad marathon, including the killer, legendary “Face Off” episode that ended the day’s mini-marathon. Was it as excellent as I remembered it? Yes. Absolutely. And today, the weekend retrospective, honoring the 10th

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