Late Monday afternoon, NBC released its midseason schedule, which did not include a place for Community. Twitter—which feels as if it has a 10-to-1 greater ratio of Community fans than the actual TV viewership—briefly …
NBC News Hires Chelsea Clinton: Is There a Case for Nepotism?
Across America, families are wracked with doubts about whether the next generation will ever be able to enjoy the opportunities afforded to their parents. But as it turns out, there’s still hope for you, Young America! You can …
The Morning After: Homeland on the Road
Spoilers for last night’s Homeland follow:
In a drama about terrorism, you would expect an explosion, but not of the sort that finished last night’s Homeland. In this stunner of an episode, Homeland blew up its status quo.
Boardwalk Empire Watch: Generation Gap
SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, finish playing that fortuitously instructive board game with your ersatz family and watch last night’s Boardwalk Empire.
As I’ve mentioned in these reviews before, Boardwalk Empire is …
TV Weekend: Islam, for Real, on All-American Muslim
In last week’s TIME, I took an early look at TLC’s new reality series, All-American Muslim, debuting Sunday night; I also blogged about it earlier here at Tuned In. Here’s one more reminder to catch this deeply intriguing, …
Charlie Rose and Gayle King, Together At Last on CBS’s Early Show
One of the very first articles I wrote for TIME magazine was about CBS trying to relaunch its low-rated morning show, The Early Show, with a new anchor team. It hired Bryant Gumbel (remember him?) and Jane Clayson (remember her?) and plopped them in a voguish glass-walled studio (remember those?). And then—not much. The Early Show has …
Get Ready for a Medley! Oscars Bring Billy Crystal Back
Earlier this week, Eddie Murphy bailed as host of the Oscars after his Tower Heist producer, Brett Ratner, was booted from producing the awards for using an anti-gay slur in a press conference. The Academy moved quickly to hire a new producer, Brian Grazer, and now for Murphy’s replacement, it’s decided to go straight for its comfort …
The Office After Michael: Who’s In Charge Here?
Over at HitFix, critic Alan Sepinwall has a disappointed assessment of The Office in its first season post-Steve Carell, in which, he says, the show has foundered in trying to find its center:
Michael not only generated most of
…
Three… Uh… Uh… Maybe Two Things About Rick Perry’s Debate Gaffe
So CNBC threw another debate for Mitt Romney and his traveling comedy troupe last night, this one focused, befitting the channel, on the economy. I could write about how the questions at the debate were as sharp and pointed as any since the excellent Fox News debate in August. I could note how the crowd booed Maria Bartiromo for asking …
Glee Watch: The Birds and the Beiste
Spoilers for last night’s Glee below:
Right up front, let me say that “The First Time” was the best episode, overall, of Glee season three. Before we get to the good stuff, though, we had to get through about fifteen minutes …
The Morning After: Sons of Anarchy Chooses Sides
Brief spoilers for last night’s Sons of Anarchy below:
Sons of Anarchy has always been a show built around two compelling, successful, but in the long term incompatible, stories. There’s one about Jax and Clay and Gemma and …
Reality TV: Bringing Families Closer Together
Being a TV critic means that I have a job that, as far as my kids are concerned, is essentially like being paid to eat candy. But I get to share few of my goodies with them. Daddy is not likely to bond with the Tuned In Jrs (7 …
Enlightened: The Best New Show No One But You, If You Are Bothering to Read This Post, Is Watching
The end of last week’s mail brought a new batch of screeners for HBO’s Enlightened, the Laura Dern–Mike White half-hour about a California woman trying to get her life back together after a nervous breakdown and spiritual …