Category: Featured
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The value of work: On the success and appeal of labor-centric reality programs
Over the holidays, I spent a substantial amount of time watching television with my parents (as you do). My parents don’t have the most refined television tastes (and they’ll be the first to admit it), but I was surprised to see that some of the obnoxious reruns of CSI: Miami they used to watch all…
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Review: Justified, “Cut Ties”
I’m short on time again today, but I wanted to put down a few short thoughts on last night’s Justified. If you were to say that Justified had one weakness in its first two seasons (primarily in its first, though), it would be how the series handled the supporting characters who work with Raylan in…
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Character depth welcome: On why White Collar is far and away USA Network’s best series
You may or may not know this, but I am in the midst of completing my MA thesis on USA Network and the “Characters Welcome” brand campaign (among other things). I say this to point out that I have spent a good deal of time with USA Network’s slate of programming over the past year…
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Test Pilot: File #34, Freaks and Geeks and #35, Undeclared
Test Pilot #34 and #35: Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared Debut date: September 25, 1999 and September 25, 2011 Series legacy(ies): Two of the most beloved and respected short series of all-time Welcome back to Test Pilot guys and gals! With that extra-special Joss Whedon Theme Week behind us, it’s time to fall back into…
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Season Premiere Review: Justified, “The Gunfighter”
I’m a bit short on time today, but I wanted to jot down a few thoughts on the very-good season premiere of Justified. When series take the kind of leap in quality that Justified did in its second season (although I maintain that somehow, we’ve retroactively decided the first season isn’t that great and that’s…
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Showrunner Series: Ryan Murphy = Matthew Weiner (Except, you know, awful)
I received the book Prime Time, Prime Movers for Christmas and have been plowing through it over the last week or so. As these things go, reading a book about the big individual creative forces in television history has me thinking about contemporary writer/producers. Therefore, today, I debut a new occasional feature where I will discuss…
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Series Premiere Review: Alcatraz
Edit: A few folks reminded me that Abrams’ name is also on Person of Interest, which I totally forgot about. My points apply there as well, I think. J.J. Abrams has learned to put his name above television projects that fit a very specific kind of mold. He understands that his name, the mention of…
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“We’ve had a really bad fall” (and decade): On the fatal flaw of NBC’s development strategy and defeatist thinking
Note: This post is a longer (but barely) and hopefully more coherent version of my tweet explosion from Friday night. With the annual winter Television Critics Association Press Tour coming to an end and many of the season’s mid-season premieres here or right around the corner, I wanted to take a little time and talk…
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Review: Fringe, “Back To Where You’ve Never Been”
I spent a good deal of time at the end of 2011 being frustrated and disappointed with Fringe. I wrote a review or two and did two podcasts about the first part of the series’ fourth season and if you recall those products, you’ll remember that I felt like Fringe’s approach to this second pair…
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#TVFail Entry 16: Arrested Development, “For British Eyes Only”
The accused: Arrested Development, “For British Eyes Only” (Season 3, Episode 2) The crime: Losing control of the series’ successful and innovative frameworks Television’s failures are supposed to be obvious. From the overhyped non-starters that flop from the very beginning (hello, FlashForward, Lone Star) to the much-discussed clumsy conclusions of series we were convinced had it all…
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Love to hate, hate to love: On contemporary comedy’s reliance on bickering
Yesterday during the ABC Wednesday comedy showrunners panel at the Television Critics Association gathering, Modern Family honcho Steve Levitan made a comment about how he would like to see the “far right” to not like his series’ two gay characters, Mitchell and Cameron. The implication from Levitan’s statement being that everyone has to love Mitchell…
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Test Pilot: File #33, Dollhouse
Test Pilot #33: Dollhouse Debut date: February 13, 2009 Series legacy: Bursting with potential, much of it untapped Welcome to 2012, friends, readers and fellow humans. Test Pilot grew into a popular (relatively speaking, of course) and personal favorite feature in 2011 and I think we have a bunch of really intriguing stuff coming up…
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Test Pilot: File #32, Firefly
Test Pilot #32: Firefly Debut date: September 20, 2002 Series legacy: The defining cult series in contemporary television Welcome to 2012, friends, readers and fellow humans. Test Pilot grew into a popular (relatively speaking, of course) and personal favorite feature in 2011 and I think we have a bunch of really intriguing stuff coming up…
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Test Pilot: File #31, Angel
Test Pilot #31: Angel Debut date: October 5, 1999 Series legacy: A mostly worthy spin-off of one of television’s most well-regarded series Welcome to 2012, friends, readers and fellow humans. Test Pilot grew into a popular (relatively speaking, of course) and personal favorite feature in 2011 and I think we have a bunch of really…
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Test Pilot: File #30, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Test Pilot #30: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Debut date: March 10, 1997 Series legacy: One of the most respected and beloved series of all-time; the beginning of a great career for Joss Whedon Welcome to 2012, friends, readers and fellow humans. Test Pilot grew into a popular (relatively speaking, of course) and personal favorite feature…
CB, PhD 