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DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

Bianculli's Blog

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

The Cold Light Reader

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Dateline Donovan
Contributors

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All Along the Watchtower

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Uncle Barky's Bytes

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TV That Matters

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Open Mike

ED MARTIN

Ed Martin's TV Mix

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Aerial View

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MNtv

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TV Feeds My Family

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TV Eye

GARY EDGERTON

Must-Click TV

TOM BRINKMOELLER

Raised On MTM

GERALD JORDAN

Crossing Jordan

NOEL HOLSTON

The Grassy Noel

TVWW ARCHIVE

Contributors Archive
 
 
2014
Oct
30
PARENTHOOD By David Bianculli
 
 
Things are moving kind of slowly on this show as it plays out its final season. First Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) is barely getting around after his “episode,” and now his son Crosby (Dax Shepard) is fretting about slow times at the Luncheonette. Too little music coming out, too few musicians coming in…
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
30
'ROOM ON THE BROOM' BRINGS A SMILE TO YOUR CHILD By Monique Nazareth
 
 

“The witch had a cat and a very tall hat, and long ginger hair which she wore in a plait.” So begins Room on the Broom, one of the loveliest Halloween cartoons airing this week on the Sprout channel. Except that it’s not a Halloween story...

 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
29
2014 WORLD SERIES By David Bianculli
 
 
Last night, the Kansas City Royals exploded with a second-inning outburst of run-scoring small ball that led to an ultimate 10-0 thrashing of the San Francisco Giants. And that, in turn, evened the series at 3-3, which leads to tonight’s winner-take-all Game 7, one of the most exciting contests in all of sports. The Giants have recent history on their side, in the form of several recent World Series crowns – but the Royals have home-field advantage, and momentum, and a fairy tale sto
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
29
PSYCHO By David Bianculli
 
 
You want a classic Halloween movie on tap? Then record this 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller. Filmed by the TV unit for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, this was, and remains, one of the best horror movies ever made. Janet Leigh stars -- but not for long.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
29
MODERN FAMILY By David Bianculli
 
 
This sitcom has established a tradition of fantastic Halloween episodes, usually led by Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) and her over-the-top costumes and decorations. But tonight, other characters get to express themselves in costume – including Jay (Ed O’Neill), whose Prince Charming costume, and its accompanying full head of hair, really goes to his head.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
29
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW By David Bianculli
 
 
Part 2 of 2. This show’s creepy two-part Halloween episode continues, with Wes Bentley continuing his guest role as the menacing Edward Mordrake. He’s come to claim some bodies for Halloween, even if they aren’t dead yet. And chances are, given this show’s track record, he’ll succeed in his quest.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
29
WEB THERAPY By David Bianculli
 
 
Gwyneth Paltrow continues her guest role as Maya Ganesh, in a Skype-centric argument that has two famous blondes (series star Lisa Kudrow, as web therapist Fiona Wallace, is the other) sharing screen time. Literally.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
29
A PORTRAIT OF THE POET AS A DOOMED MAN By Eric Gould
 
 
So, granted, the upcoming biopic of Dylan Thomas won’t be a family night of TV, with all manner of self-sabotage...  it’s hard to think of a reason to watch Thomas’s last destructive days – except for his incomparable poems...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
28
2014 WORLD SERIES By David Bianculli
 
 
Madison Bumgarner (pictured, or pitchered, here) pitched a dominant complete-game shutout to win Game 5 of this year’s World Series, handing the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 edge in games as the Kansas City Royals, for tonight’s Game 6, return to home turf. A loss by Kansas City, and the Giants win yet another Series crown. A win, though, forces a Game 7 – but to get there, the Royals have to win tonight.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2014
Oct
28
THE FLASH By David Bianculli
 
 
Once the one-week-later viewing numbers were tabulated for the premiere of this series, it emerged as the most-watched program in CW history. Talk about a fast start – which, I guess, seems only appropriate. Tonight, the guest villain is Captain Cold, played by Wentworth Miller of Prison Break.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
New From TVWW

PBS' 'Frontline’ Examines Pension Promises and — Spoiler Alert — Finds the Math Doesn’t Add Up
By Alex Strachan
 
 
 
 
The Decadence of ‘Versailles’ Comes to Ovation
By David Hinckley
 
 
 
 
Prescribing Mamie Gummer in 'Emily Owens, M.D.'
By Ed Bark
 
 
 
 
Looking for a Free Ride? HBO Can Deliver
By Christy Slewinski
 
 
 
 
'Pass the Biscuits' Part of the Hatfield-McCoy Pop-Culture Legacy
By Noel Holston
 
 
 
 

Dispatches From TVWW

'Extinction: The Facts' is a Sobering Call to Action
By David Hinckley
 
 
 
 
How 'Mayans' Has Been Influenced by the Show's Creator Elgin James
By Mike Hughes
 
 
 
 
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Take on Ernest Hemingway, the Man and the Myth
By Alex Strachan
 
 
 
 
In the Final Season, Sutton Foster's Liza is Now the Genuine Version of Her 'Younger' Self
By Monique Nazareth
 
 
 
 
Season 2 of 'City on a Hill' Returns with Kevin Bacon, Aldis Hodge, and Boston Corruption
By David Hinckley