DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
2016
Nov
10
 
 
Sundance’s showcase of classic sitcoms continues, with today’s daytime launch of a mini-marathon of one of the shows that changed the face of television: 1970’s The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the first series from the taste-establishing, groundbreaking MTM Productions. The first half of Season 1 is shown in a big burst starting at 6 a.m. ET, with more episodes to follow. It takes attitude, and a little bravery, for Sundance to clear so much time on its schedule for such a quality,
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
10
 
 
Sheldon as a ladies’ man? Well, when that lady is Amy, and Sheldon is motivated to change the nature of their intimate relationship, it’s worth trying… which, in tonight’s episode, gives Jim Parsons, as Sheldon, a chance to play some very different character notes than usual.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
10
 
 
There’s a small burst of time-travel shows on TV this year, so I guess it’s inevitable that their respective time streams, or subjects, would occasionally intersect, or pull from today’s headlines as well. Tonight on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the heroes take a timely – or timeless – trip to the White House. But it’s the 1980s White House, with Ronald Reagan as the presidential resident.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
10
 
 
On many of the time-travel series and alternate-reality dramas, Nazis remains fascinating to the writers of those shows, from Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle to NBC’s Timeless and, tonight, CW’s Supernatural. The plot tonight involves a 1930s pocket watch that is said to contain the spirit of a world leader from the 1940s: Adolf Hitler.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
10
 
 
Don’t expect the Spanish Inquisition, but tonight’s installment of Conan is scheduled two include two members of Monty Python: Eric Idle and John Cleese, together again for the… what time is it by now? I’ve lost count. But together, alone? They're saying it's the first.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
10
 
 

Friday, Nov. 11, I return to NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross as a guest host. But today, the day before, I’m scheduled to show up as a guest guest – with Terry interviewing me about my new Platinum Age of Television book…

 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
9
 
 
Part 2. This is the conclusion of this two-part Nature documentary, in which it tells, in an hour called Into the Americas, the story of how cats came to the United States. Easy answer: From London to Broadway, with help from Grizabella and the Rum Tum Tugger. Check local listings.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
9
 
 
When the season began, this ABC series presented a fictional narrative, set in Washington, D.C., that seemed to depict the most unexpected political disaster imaginable. Today, nearly half the country now is likely to push Designated Survivor to second place – while the other half, plus a few more, has reason to be jubilant. And so it goes, this thing called democracy. Kiefer Sutherland stars.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
9
 
 
South Park has spent all season on a continuing narrative about “member berries,” a mind-altering talking fruit that, when ingested, turns nostalgia into xenophobia, sexism and racism. And the story continues tonight, perhaps with more resonance than ever.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2016
Nov
9
 
 
One of the most interesting things about this latest edition of American Horror Story is its story structure, which presents its haunted-house tale via the structure of a reality-show recreation program. So, for example, you have a character named Shelby, played by Lily Rabe, and the actress “playing” Shelby in a reality-show recreation, played by Sarah Paulson. It’s a very clever framing device, and has become even more interesting as the series has evolved, hinting that the s