ABC was good enough to send me all eight episodes of The River before I reviewed it. So while I was able to give a sense of how insane the show became–enjoyably, to me, but your nautical mileage may have varied–spoiler …
The New York Times Celebrates Paywall’s Birthday, By Fortifying It
Right about a year ago, journalists and people who obsess about journalism were talking about the New York Times‘ online paywall, its rules, its porousness, its ethics and its chances for success. We’re almost a year into the wall’s existence and it’s still there. The New York Times is still there. It has, it says, almost half a million …
21 Jump Street, and How to Turn a TV Show into a Movie
I did not expect much from the movie adaptation of 21 Jump Street that opened last weekend, and not because I loved the original so much that I was worried for its legacy. I watched the late-’80s Johnny Depp original …
Rosie Gets Cancelled, Oprah Not Doing So Hot Either
Word broke late on Friday that after less than a year, The Rosie Show—meant to be Rosie O’Donnell’s flagship talk show on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network—was cancelled. If you’re reading that news with any interest, the numbers …
The Morning After: My Secret Burger Addiction
Every TV critic, however prolific, has a list of secret-favorite TV shows: series that they watch, enjoy, but whether for reasons of schedule or workload or just not having much to say, rarely or never write about.
Bob’s …
This American Life‘s Apple Retraction: The Danger of Truthiness
It turned out to be a big day for Apple in more ways than one. This morning, its stores began sales of its new iPad models to enthusiastic crowds. And earlier today, Public Radio International’s This American Life issued a …
TV Weekend: Last March of the Penguins?
Why do people love penguins so much? This weekend, Discovery’s Frozen Planet begins counting the ways.
The Morning After: Ashley Judd’s European Vacation
I felt that I couldn’t fairly review Missing, ABC’s new Ashley Judd spy-mom-searches-for-her-son drama, because I didn’t watch all the episodes sent out for review. Fairness also requires, though, that I say I didn’t watch them …
Office Watch: Kill! The! Balloon!
The Office is not a great show anymore, but last night’s cold open was a kind of sweet, sidelong way of looking at what a long history we have with it by now.
Dead Tree Alert: Mad Men Is (Almost) Back!
Remember Mad Men?
If you’re reading a TV blog, I’m sure you do. But it’s been so long, I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t remember much. In my essay in the newest print TIME magazine (subscription required to read), I look at …
TV Tonight: Community-mentum?
I’m not going to tell you to watch Community tonight. Don’t take that to mean I don’t love the show. There have been plenty of encomiums, tributes and pleas written on the show’s behalf over the last three years, some of them by …
A Third Horse Dies, and HBO Cancels Luck
On Tuesday, HBO shut down production on Luck, after the third horse died in the set of the racetrack drama. Yesterday, with the controversy rising and under protest from PETA, HBO abruptly canceled the show, which it had already …
The Lagging Economic Indicator of TV Shows
Is the U.S. economy in a recovery? I am not the guy to ask. I’m not an economics or a business expert. I read the same jobs-report news that you do and I know we’ve had a couple good ones lately. But I don’t know if the jobs being created are very good, if anyone’s standard of living is increasing, or if it’s sustainable. I don’t know if …