2016
Jul
8
 
 
(From NPR) The eight-part drama series centers on a college student who is suspected of murder after an adventurous night out. Critic David Bianculli says "everything about The Night Of is quite impressive..."
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Dec
23
 
 
(From NPR) When it came to new programming, broadcast TV didn't impress critic David Bianculli much this year. But if you add in cable and streaming services, then the story changes...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Apr
13
 
 
(From NPR) "Girls" has been compared to Sex and the City. The characters, played by Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Lena Dunham and Zosia Mamet, navigate the ups and downs of life in New York City...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
30
 
 
(From NPR) AMC's "The Killing" started strong, with raves from critics and an impressively loyal core of viewers. But in the final episode of the year, when it left its season-long murder mystery intentionally unresolved, most fans felt angry, even betrayed. HBO's "Game of Thrones," on the other hand, took a bit longer to get established, and to get as much attention...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
23
 
 
(From NPR) Yes, it was worth the wait. Absolutely. "Mad Men" returns Sunday with a two-hour season premiere — and by the time it's over, if you react the way I did, you'll be satisfied and even comforted to have spent two wonderful hours with the folks at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
16
 
 
(From NPR) I don't want to complain about "Frozen Planet," however, until I dish out a little praise. "Frozen Planet," which premieres this Sunday on the Discovery Channel, is the kind of program that television was made for — and, even more certainly, the kind that modern TV was made for...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
8
 
 
(From NPR) There are times when TV dramas about national politics and politicians deserve criticism, even ridicule, for their fast-and-loose narratives and characterizations. But "Game Change" — HBO's new take on the John McCain-Sarah Palin campaign — is entertaining and commendable precisely because it stays so close to the facts, not because it strays from them...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
6
 
 
(From NPR) William Shatner has played an attorney, a starship captain, an alien and a Roman tax collector, among many other roles. Over the past half-century, the Canadian actor has performed on television, in commercials, in movies and on Broadway. He recently returned to Broadway for the first time in over 40 years with a new solo show...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Mar
1
 
 
(From NPR) The premise of NBC's new detective series, Awake, is about as high-concept as it gets. Jason Isaacs, one of the leads of Showtime's "Brotherhood," stars as Michael Britten, who survives a horrible car crash intact. Well, his body is intact — but his mind, or at least his subconscious, is split...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
Feb
24
 
 
(From NPR) The Singing Detective is the story of a writer of pulp-fiction novels, hospitalized for a horrible skin condition that has his entire body flaking and raw, and his mind slipping in and out of fever dreams.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.