Category: Test Pilot
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Test Pilot: File #28, The Comeback
Test Pilot #28: The Comeback Debut date: June 5, 2005 Series’ legacy: A flawed, lukewarmly received mockumentary that was perhaps a bit before its time For nearly a decade-and-a-half, HBO has been the biggest power player in the television industry. More than any other individual network or entity, HBO has shaped our perceptions of quality…
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Test Pilot: Announcing the Test Pilot schedule through May 2012
Tuesday update: I’ve now filled each of these entries with a co-writer. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and shared this. Hiya folks! Just as I did with #TVFail on Friday, I’ve decided to take this short burst of free time I have currently to plan the schedule for the Test Pilot feature. Constructing the schedule…
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Test Pilot: File #27, Carnivàle
Test Pilot #27: Carnivàle Debut date: September 7, 2003 Series legacy: A rabidly-beloved series that was deemed too dense and too slow for even the refined pallets of HBO’s audience For nearly a decade-and-a-half, HBO has been the biggest power player in the television industry. More than any other individual network or entity, HBO has…
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Test Pilot: File #26, K Street
Test Pilot #26: K Street Debut date: September 14, 2003 Series legacy: An odd, too inside-baseball-like look inside the Beltway’s power players Hello again, loyal Test Pilot fans! It is nice to see the six of you. It is time for a new theme! The last time we explored a network in Test Pilot we…
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Test Pilot: File #25, L.A. Law
Test Pilot #25: L.A. Law Debut date: September 15, 1986 Series legacy: One of the most popular and well-respected legal dramas of all-time It’s time for a new theme in the site’s most popular ongoing feature, Test Pilot. The primary reason I started this feature almost a year ago was so that I could have…
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Test Pilot: File #24, Quantum Leap
Test Pilot #24: Quantum Leap Debut date: March 26, 1989 Series legacy: Well-respected science fiction series with a (surprising to me) rabid fan base It’s time for a new theme in the site’s most popular ongoing feature, Test Pilot. The primary reason I started this feature almost a year ago was so that I could…
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Test Pilot: File #23, China Beach
Test Pilot #23: China Beach Debut date: April 27, 1988 Series legacy: A well-respected, but sort of forgotten series It’s time for a new theme in the site’s most popular ongoing feature, Test Pilot. The primary reason I started this feature almost a year ago was so that I could have a solid excuse to…
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Test Pilot: File #22, Northern Exposure
Test Pilot #22: Northern Exposure Debut date: July 12, 1990 Series legacy: One of the most critically acclaimed and beloved dramedies of all-time It’s time for a new theme in the site’s most popular ongoing feature, Test Pilot. The primary reason I started this feature almost a year ago was so that I could have…
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Test Pilot: File #21, thirtysomething
Test Pilot #21: thirtysomething Debut date: September 29, 1987 Series legacy: One of the most-respected family dramas of all-time, a precursor to the likes of Friday Night Lights and Parenthood It’s time for a new theme in the site’s most popular ongoing feature, Test Pilot. The primary reason I started this feature almost a year ago…
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Test Pilot: File #20, Remington Steele
Test Pilot #20: Remington Steele Debut date: October 1, 1982 Series legacy: A well-made production and a somewhat forgotten forerunner to series like Moonlighting; Probably known best for launching Pierce Brosnon’s career and little more Authorship is a really tricky thing and perhaps no more so than in the world of television. Numerous scholars have…
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Test Pilot: Announcing the Test Pilot schedule through the end of 2011
Just as I did for #TVFail, I have decided to bash out the Test Pilot schedule through the end of this calendar year. I tend to let these things get ahead of me even though I have it all planned it out in my head. Test Pilot is particularly tricky because I need a guest…
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Test Pilot: File #19, St. Elsewhere
Test Pilot #19: St. Elsewhere Debut date: October 26, 2982 Series’ legacy: Another jewel in the MTM crown, one of — if not the — most-heralded medical drama of all-time Authorship is a really tricky thing and perhaps no more so than in the world of television. Numerous scholars have discussed the problems with analyzing television…
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Test Pilot: File #18, Rhoda and Lou Grant
Test Pilot #18: Rhoda and Lou Grant Debut date: September 9, 1974 and September 20, 1977 Series’ legacy: Somewhat worthy successors to the Mary Tyler Moore throne Authorship is a really tricky thing and perhaps no more so than in the world of television. Numerous scholars have discussed the problems with analyzing television with an…
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Test Pilot: File #17, The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Test Pilot #17: The Mary Tyler Moore Show Debut date: September 17, 1970 Series legacy: One of the most well-regarded comedies of all-time. I have to apologize, sort of. I took a few extra weeks to figure out where I wanted to go with the next set of Test Pilot files. I thought about doing…
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Test Pilot: File #16, Friday Night Lights
Test Pilot #16: Friday Night Lights Debut date: October 3, 2006 Series legacy: One of the best dramas of the 21st century After a short hiatus, Test Pilot is back! Time for more historical pilot analysis – I know, contain your excitement. In case you have forgotten or are new to the site, here’s the…
CB, PhD 