Hey all. It’s been too long. I’ve been really busy this fall and writing elsewhere (hopefully you’re following me over at This Was Television and TV.com). But frequent contributor Wesley Ambrecht decided to exchange some emails about the state of the broadcast networks with sweeps upon us. We tackled Fox last week, and up now … Continue reading Fall check-in: NBC
Tag: NBC
Test Pilot: File #53, Parks and Recreation
Test Pilot #53: Parks and Recreation Debut date: April 9, 2009 Series legacy: On the shortlist of great contemporary sitcoms First impressions mean a lot in television, and that’s why writers, producers, studios, networks, etc. put more time, effort and money into pilots than they do just about any other episode that could possibly be … Continue reading Test Pilot: File #53, Parks and Recreation
Test Pilot: File #51, Seinfeld
Test Pilot #51: Seinfeld Debut date: July 5, 1989 Series legacy: One of the biggest and greatest sitcoms of all-time First impressions mean a lot in television, and that’s why writers, producers, studios, networks, etc. put more time, effort and money into pilots than they do just about any other episode that could possibly be … Continue reading Test Pilot: File #51, Seinfeld
2011-2012 season wrap: Top 10 episodes of the season
The 2011-2012 television season has been over for almost a couple of weeks now, which means a sufficient amount of time has passed and we are primed to reflect. Over the next handful of days, I will be producing some pieces and lists looking back on the season that was. I missed out on a … Continue reading 2011-2012 season wrap: Top 10 episodes of the season
2011-2012 season wrap: Top 10 series of the season
The 2011-2012 television season has been over for almost a couple of weeks now, which means a sufficient amount of time has passed and we are primed to reflect. Over the next handful of days, I will be producing some pieces and lists looking back on the season that was. I missed out on a … Continue reading 2011-2012 season wrap: Top 10 series of the season
Test Pilot: File #45, Batman (1966)
Test Pilot #45: Batman (1966) Debut date: January 12, 1966 Series legacy: One of the more famous superhero adaptations on television; a bit of a joke Welcome friends, to the second Test Pilot Special Theme Week. We had such great success with the week devoted to Joss Whedon-produced series back at the first of the … Continue reading Test Pilot: File #45, Batman (1966)
TV Surveillance Podcast Episode 26 — Upfronts 2012
Happy Monday, y'all! Although Upfronts came to a close last week, we're not done talking about it. Hopefully you saw my posts on NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS (sorry, I just couldn't get to the C-Dub), but today we offer you an extended look at all five networks' big scheduling-related decisions. My buddies Les Chappell … Continue reading TV Surveillance Podcast Episode 26 — Upfronts 2012
Upfront Week 2012: NBC’s Fall Schedule and Analysis
This week is basically like Christmas for television nerds like myself. Frankly, it is better. Of course, I am talking about Upfronts, the time of the year where the networks bring new fall schedules (and sometimes winter/spring schedules that do not end up sticking) to advertisers. Thanks to the glorious nature of the internet and … Continue reading Upfront Week 2012: NBC’s Fall Schedule and Analysis
Test Pilot: File #43, Boomtown
Test Pilot #43: Boomtown Debut date: September 29, 2002 Series legacy: A well-respected but barely-watched entry into the police procedural genre Good afternoon! Hey there, party people. Welcome back to the internet’s most popular discussion of television pilots, Test Pilot. We’re still chugging our way through an exploration of the contemporary police procedural. Before you … Continue reading Test Pilot: File #43, Boomtown
Test Pilot: File #41, Homicide: Life on the Street
Test Pilot #41: Homicide: Life on the Street Debut date: January 31, 1993 Series legacy: One of the most well-respected series of all-time, but still, somehow, undervalued Hey there, party people. Welcome back to the internet’s most popular discussion* of television pilots, Test Pilot. We’re still early into our contemporary police drama theme. Before you … Continue reading Test Pilot: File #41, Homicide: Life on the Street
Test Pilot: File #40, NYPD Blue
Test Pilot #40: NYPD Blue Debut date: September 21, 1993 Series legacy: Descendant of Hill Street Blues, one of the catalysts for an era of grittier police dramas Hiya, folks! Welcome back to Test Pilot. This is our 40th entry and that’s simply crazy to me. Thanks to everyone who has read or written with … Continue reading Test Pilot: File #40, NYPD Blue
Review: Community, “Contemporary Impressionists”
Not to cherry-pick from my own Twitter feed (not that I haven’t done it before), but “Contemporary Impressionists” is just a weird episode of Community. Weird doesn’t mean “bad” or “awful,” just as it also doesn’t mean “great.” This one featured some really intriguing character development, but was undercut by tonal and balance issues throughout. … Continue reading Review: Community, “Contemporary Impressionists”
Test Pilot: File #39, Kings
Test Pilot #39: Kings Debut date: March 15, 2009 Series legacy: Yet another one of NBC’s failed late-aughts drama series 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 the typical, but still lovely rhythms of the feature. Today, we continue … Continue reading Test Pilot: File #39, Kings
Does a series’ ultimate failure negate a great pilot?
I hope everyone enjoyed the Awake pilot last night (or over the past few weeks, thanks to NBC releasing it online fairly early). If you haven’t read my review, please consider doing that. But amid all the beaming reviews and superlatives for Awake, big questions remain: Is it a series? Can the story be maintained … Continue reading Does a series’ ultimate failure negate a great pilot?
Chitchat: Does Parks and Recreation have a Leslie Knope problem?
I talk television with a lot of people. Friends, family, other critics on Twitter, vagrants on the street. I just love talking about TV. Because I don’t have the time and resources to do a podcast like I used to in college, I’m going to sort of replicate that experience in textual form in a … Continue reading Chitchat: Does Parks and Recreation have a Leslie Knope problem?
