Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 638 days ago

The Morning After: The Muses Dance and Sing

By James Poniewozik

Don’t quite have time for a full-on review of “Brown Betty,” last night’s episode of Fringe. But I’m not sure in any case that I could objectively review an episode that incorporates a musical detective story and begins with an elderly scientist listening to Yes’ awesome “Roundabout” while smoking a bong under the watchful gaze [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 638 days ago

Is It Time for Steve Carell to Leave The Office?

By James Poniewozik

I mentioned this in my review-blurb of last night’s The Office episode, “Body Language,” but it probably deserves its own post. According to deadline.com, Steve Carell has said that he will likely leave the sitcom after its next season. Now, that isn’t actually cast in cement. Carell has an active movie career and he may [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 638 days ago

Conan Gets It Off His Chest: "I Wouldn't Have Done" What Jay Did

By James Poniewozik

CBS’ 60 Minutes has teased some bits of Steve Kroft’s interview with Conan O’Brien, which airs Sunday. It turns out that Coco was pretty forthcoming with what he thought about the events of the Jaypocalypse—specifically Jay Leno’s taking back The Tonight Show after handing him the keys in 2009 (and saying in 2004 that he’s [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 638 days ago

Thursday Comedies Watch: I Got 94 Problems

By James Poniewozik
Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 639 days ago

Daze of Their Lives

By James Poniewozik

When you think about it, it’s surprising that there aren’t more reality shows about hedonistic, wild senior citizens. There’s an undercurrent of sadness, after all, to seeing young people drink their lives away and make questionable romantic choices on Jersey Shore or The Hills. They have entire long lives ahead of them to screw up. [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 639 days ago

The Morning After: Slap Happy

By James Poniewozik

To all those of you who watched Happy Town on ABC last night and hated it, I apologize for not having warned you away. I watched the screeners ABC made available and thought it was almost unwatchable: a clumsy, exposition-heavy compilation of horror and mystery-show clichés overlaid with a few Lynch-for-Dummies sinister-small-town notes. It also [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 639 days ago

The Time 100, TV Edition

By James Poniewozik

TIME magazine unveiled its “TIME 100″ list of influential people today, and because it’s hard to be influential without the use of TV, television folk are all over it. The more-or-less TV-related personalities on the list include Conan O’Brien, Oprah Winfrey, Ashton Kutcher, Neil Patrick Harris (written about by Joss Whedon), Carlton Cuse and Damon [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 639 days ago

Modern Family Watch: Give the Drummer Some!

By James Poniewozik

“My dad’s not like your dad. There’s nothing deep and dark inside. His hard candy shell is only hiding more candy.” Because Jay is a central character on Modern Family, we’ve seen a lot of what makes Claire and Mitchell Claire and Mitchell. We haven’t had the same opportunity with Phil, so it was good [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 639 days ago

Idol Watch: And Then There Were Five

By James Poniewozik

Quick spoilers for last night’s American Idol elimination, after the jump:

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 640 days ago

Conan Speaks—On 60 Minutes

By James Poniewozik

Conan O’Brien‘s contractual TV-interview-muzzle agreement with NBC reportedly expires on Saturday, May 1, and the next night O’Brien will be giving his first on-air interview since the Jaypocalypse to Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes. The gag order’s expiration is timed fortuitously, promotion-wise, since it comes after Conan’s deal with TBS, in the midst of his [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 640 days ago

Glee Watch: Bringing It Back Home

By James Poniewozik

After last week’s Madonna-opera, last night’s Glee, “Home,” was a welcome return to the show’s roots—insofar as any show that’s been on the air for less than a season can be said to have roots. It wasn’t an episode on par with the series’ best, like “Preggers” and “Wheels” from Glee’s fall run, but it [...]

+Uncategorized | 640 days ago

American Idol: A Little Bit Country

By Krista Mahr

American Idol introduced megaselling mentor Shania Twain as the woman who “made country pop”; and since Idol is the TV show that makes pretty much every genre into pop, it’s a perfect match. Who among the remaining half-dozen rode the Twain to stardom? Click the pix for my take: Read Last Week’s Review of the [...]

+Television | 641 days ago

Top 10 Controversial Cartoons

By TIME Staff
Top 10 Controversial Cartoons

In light of the dust-up over South Park’s portrayals of Muhammad, TIME looks back at other cartoons that have caused a ruckus

Tuned In
Tuned In+News Media | 641 days ago

Joe Klein on Me on CNN

By James Poniewozik

If you simply can’t get enough kibitzing on the broadcasting choices of shrinking cable channels, my colleague over at Swampland, Joe Klein, picks up on my recent column of suggestions for CNN and adds some of his own. For instance: if I were the high sheriffs over there, I’d be looking closely at the way [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 641 days ago

Lost Discussion Group: Who Lives? Who Dies?

By James Poniewozik

There’s no new Lost tonight; ABC is rerunning “Ab Aeterno” before resuming the series’ run to the finale, so tonight you have extra time to ponder the significance of Richard’s history on the Island, or simply to vote extra times for American Idol. On the Twitter suggestion of regular commenter Chaddogg, then, I’m reviving Lost [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 641 days ago

The Morning After: Nonstrangers on a Train

By James Poniewozik

So on last night’s Chuck, the first of six bonus episodes resulting from an additional episode order by NBC, we meet Chuck and Sarah after they have consummated their relationship. Repeatedly. And, for those of you needing the additional assistance of Freudian symbolism, it takes place… on a train.

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 642 days ago

TNT Gives Southland a Third Season. (Also, There Was a Second Season.)

By James Poniewozik

If you were a fan of Southland—originally debuted in midseason by NBC a year ago, cancelled, then bought by TNT—you will be delighted to know that TNT has picked up the oft-praised but ratings-challenged (compared with TNT’s biggest hits) cop drama for a third season. You may also, like at least one follower of my [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 642 days ago

TV Tonight: This War Was Hell, Too

By James Poniewozik

Though its events took place thousands of miles away and over two decades later, you could see tonight’s PBS American Experience documentary, “My Lai,” as a kind of nonfiction companion piece to HBO’s The Pacific, especially the recent episodes (like last night’s) about the battle at Peleliu. The Pacific gets into the heads of American [...]