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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

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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
 
 
2012
Sep
26
'LAST RESORT' PACKS A PUNCH By Gerald Jordan
 
 
Last Resort is a delicious serving of 21st century righteous indignation, with Andre Braugher as an outraged sub commander with nukes at his disposal...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
DON'T BOTHER MEETING 'THE NEIGHBORS' By Ed Bark
 
 
TV's latest aliens-meet-earthlings sitcom, ABC's The Neighbors, is just too dopily executed for any long-term stay on this planet...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
1997: NBC'S 'ER' SCORES WITH A LIVE EPISODE By Christy Slewinski
 
 
On this day in 1997, ER opened its fourth season with a special episode, with the cast of the NBC medical drama performing two live broadcasts...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
NEW GIRL By David Bianculli
 
 
SEASON PREMIERE: On the second night of the new fall TV season, there’s nothing new to get truly excited about, and even the good returning shows, by and large, are more acceptable than thrilling. That’s certainly the case here, as Zooey Deschanel’s sitcom, now starting its sophomore year, already feels more like an Old Girl. Another new episode is shown at 9 p.m. ET.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
BEN AND KATE By David Bianculli
 
 
SERIES PREMIERE: Sandwiched between fresh installments of New Girl, this new sitcom, from that show’s producers, starts out by introducing an unusual (for TV, that is) central dynamic: a grown sister and brother (played by Dakota Johnson and Nat Faxon), who actually get along. For our collective critical gang’s reaction, see our TVWW Fall TV Preview page. And for a full review, see Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky’s Bytes.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
VEGAS By David Bianculli
 
 
SERIES PREMIERE: Another new series premiere. This one’s a drama, with a good lineage, strong stars (Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis), and an intriguing premise: the building of Las Vegas in the 1960s. The premiere episode isn’t that captivating, but the leads maintain momentum, at least for now. For our collective critical gang’s reaction, see our TVWW Fall TV Preview page. And for a full review, see Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky’s Bytes.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
PARENTHOOD By David Bianculli
 
 
Ray Romano, as Hank, has been an instantly valuable asset to this already strong dramatic series – I hope the writers find a way to keep him around, with an increasingly central role. But if not, make sure to enjoy him while we have him. Between this series and Men of a Certain Age, he’s proven he can play drama just as well as comedy, and with just as much empathy and likability.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
SONS OF ANARCHY By David Bianculli
 
 
So who’s the most dangerous faction running around in town right now? The Sons of Anarchy, just dispatched for a short prison stay? The other inmates out to kill them? The CIA informants and agents who may or may not have the Sons’ interests at heart? The ruthless new mob boss, played by Harold Parrineau? Or the wounded but not dead Clay (Ron Perlman), who’s down but by no means out? With this crew, and those options, no wonder this FX series is more popular than ever. And, so
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
25
PBS' MONEY & MEDICINE EXAMINES SOME VOLATILE ASPECTS OF HEALTH CARE By Tom Brinkmoeller
 
 
PBS' Money & Medicine raises questions and presents information, ideally giving viewers facts upon which they can base future decisions...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Sep
24
SESAME STREET By David Bianculli
 
 
SEASON PREMIERE: Season 43 of Sesame Street begins with the introduction of a new recurring segment: Elmo the Musical, the replacement for Elmo’s World that has Elmo imagining how to make math seem musical. And Elmo’s not the only one displaying an imagination: Other sketches on Sesame Street this season include – ready? – Birdwalk Empire and Upside Downton Abbey. Gotta love it.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
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