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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

DAVID HINCKLEY

All Along the Watchtower

ED BARK

Uncle Barky's Bytes

ALEX STRACHAN

TV That Matters

MIKE HUGHES

Open Mike

ED MARTIN

Ed Martin's TV Mix

KIM AKASS

Aerial View

MONIQUE NAZARETH

MNtv

BILL BRIOUX

TV Feeds My Family

ROGER CATLIN

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
 
 
2019
May
11
MY DAD WROTE A PORNO By David Bianculli
 
 
SPECIAL PREMIERE: This comedy special, taped before an audience at a London theater, stars Jamie Morton, James Cooper and Alice Levine, who preside over what amounts to a sort of book reading with lots and lots of humorous asides. It’s based on a podcast that’s already compiled four seasons of material, and generated a successful international tour. Here’s the gist: Morton’s father once wrote a series of bad porno books (that particular phrase, by the way, comes courtesy
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
11
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE By David Bianculli
 
 
This week, the guest host is Emma Thompson, who brings more versatility and talent, as well as more of a sense of humor, than most actors who step on the SNL center stage. Musical guests: the Jonas Brothers.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
10
TEENS TAKE OVER ON 'THE SOCIETY' By David Hinckley
 
 
Imagine a cross between Home Alone and Lord of the Flies, and you’re on the right track for The Society, an ominous drama that drops Friday on Netflix...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
10
SNEAKY PETE By David Bianculli
 
 
SEASON PREMIERE: In Season 3 of this series, which boasts Bryan Cranston as one of its executive producers, Giovanni Ribisi continues his starring role as Marius – and also continues his long con, pretending to be his former cellmate Pete, even to Pete’s family members and former friends and acquaintances.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
10
WINE COUNTRY By David Bianculli
 
 
MOVIE PREMIERE: This movie marks Amy Poehler’s directorial debut. She also stars, in a comedy film about a ladies’ road trip to Napa Valley. Like the distaff version of an Adam Sandler comedy, it’s filled with familiar faces from the annals of Saturday Night Live: in this case, such faces as Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, and Ana Gasteyer. Today, the same day you can see it on Netflix, you also can pay to see it in selected theaters. Why you’d want to, I can&rsquo
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
10
MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. By David Bianculli
 
 
SEASON PREMIERE: Season 5 ended with Coulson (Clark Gregg) going off to Tahiti to die, with May (Ming-Na Wen) by his side. Coulson, like a proper Marvel character, already had died and come back to life before, long before the events of the current Avengers movie. For Season 6, Gregg will continue to be involved: He directs tonight’s Season 6 premiere, and is slated to show up on camera this season, but playing a different, darker character. Other things we know about this season of Agents
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
10
WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN By David Bianculli
 
 
MINISERIES PREMIERE: This four-part look at the Wu-Tang Clan traces the history, influences and legacy one of hip-hop’s most defining artistic collectives. If you don’t know your RZA from your GZA, or even how to pronounce those particular performers and Clan members (and especially if you do), give this series a try. Other members, of course, include Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
10
REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER By David Bianculli
 
 
This week’s scheduled guests include journalist Michael Lewis, columnist Matt Lewis, and political commentator Van Jones.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
10
STATE OF THE UNION By David Bianculli
 
 
In Part 5 of this abbreviated 10-part series (each episode is about a dozen minutes long), it becomes clear that all the therapy sessions we haven’t been watching between Tom (Chris O’Dowd) and Louise (Rosamund Pike) – in State of the Union, we see only the period before each session – haven’t helped them resolve their conflicts and issues. In fact, as we start tonight’s installment, Tom has moved out.  
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
May
9
THE BIG BANG THEORY By David Bianculli
 
 
Well, it’s taken a very long time, but the impressive reign of The Big Bang Theory is about to end. This is the penultimate episode, “The Maternal Conclusion,” which is smart enough to make room for one of the show’s most entertaining recurring guest stars: Christine Baranski as Leonard’s mom, Beverly.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
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