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

 
 
2008
Apr
30
 
 
Simon Cowell's assessment, as usual, was right on the money. This time, though, at the end of last night's "American Idol," he was judging the program itself: "This is officially," he said with a smile, "the strangest show we've ever done"...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
29
 
 
Robin Williams is tonight's special guest star on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10 p.m. ET), playing a tightly wound guy who manipulates people into doing sinister things. Eventually, he gets pulled into the court, defends himself -- and the story doesn't end there...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
28
 
 
With "House" returning to TV tonight, the prime-time schedule as we know it is back, with original episodes for all its big shows, for the first time since the writers' strike. The May ratings sweeps period gives us almost nothing special, figuring fresh episodes of our favorite shows is good enough...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
25
 
 
Tonight on the PBS series "Bill Moyers' Journal," the veteran journalist conducts the first TV interview with Jeremiah Wright since the recently retired reverend became embroiled in a controversy over some of his incendiary sermons, with Barack Obama caught in the crossfire. The questions posed by Moyers are certain to be one thing: substantive...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
24
 
 
ABC's lineup returns with all-new episodes tonight, the first post-strike installments of "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Lost." The other broadcast networks present all-new episodes, too, continuing their post-strike rollouts...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
23
 
 
Every week on "American Idol," judges say the same thing to the remaining contestants: You have to bring your "A" game. At this level, you can't afford to make a mistake. Against the remaining competition, you have to do something to stand out. Before and after every set of political primaries, TV's pundits say pretty much the same thing...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
22
 
 
Today is the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, the culmination of six weeks of media coverage and political moves, countermoves, gaffes and damage control. Tonight's coverage, especially on cable news, will dissect to the death the point spread, the implications, and what happens next...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
21
 
 
A few weeks ago, I recorded an interview for NPR's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" with "Friday Night Lights" star Kyle Chandler, in which he revealed that the NBC show had struck a deal to return for a third season -- news I broke on this very website. Last week, I moderated an NAB panel with another actor, Tim Robbins, in which he made news of his own by delivering a provocative speech he had been advised not to give. Today, more on both.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
17
 
 
Paddy Chayefsky wrote a movie. Edward R. Murrow, Newton Minow and Tim Robbins made speeches. Aaron Sorkin and David E. Kelley wrote TV shows. All six of them have looked at TV and said, in essence, the same thing: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more!"
 
 
 
  
 
 
2008
Apr
17
 
 
Last night's ABC debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the first such verbal duel in almost two months, left them with lots of ground to make up -- seven weeks of "he said, she said" reiterations. But after all the shots were fired, by the candidates and by moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous, no one fell. And maybe that's okay...