It has come to my attention that I have yet to link to a work that I spent the last year working on, my MA thesis. Thankfully, I busted my butt last summer and didn't have much to re-write or tinker with over this school year, but all sorts of other responsibilities kept me from … Continue reading Genre Welcome?: Formula, Genre and Branding in USA Network’s Programming and Promotional Content (A thesis)
Tag: Psych
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 … Continue reading Character depth welcome: On why White Collar is far and away USA Network’s best series
TV Surveillance’s Best of 2011: Nice Words about Series That Didn’t Make My Top 30 of the Year
It is that time again folks! The end of the year is upon us and that means it is time to look back on the highs, lows and WTFs in television from the past 12 months. There is a lot to reflect on in regard to television 2011. Charlie Sheen went crazy. Well, crazier. Comedy … Continue reading TV Surveillance’s Best of 2011: Nice Words about Series That Didn’t Make My Top 30 of the Year
Friday List: Television’s most undervalued series
If you’re a regular reader of TV Surveillance, you know I love a good list. Or a mediocre list. Or even a horrible list. The point is I have a lust for lists. This fall, I’d like to provide you folks with more lists than ever and hopefully that will result in a weekly or … Continue reading Friday List: Television’s most undervalued series
Post-hiatus musings: USA Network edition (Burn Notice and Suits)
After nearly a month, my fairly substantial hiatus here at TVS is over. I am happy to be back providing content for you folks on a regular basis. In my time off, I’ve missed all sorts of television, both viewing- and writing-wise. To combat that, I’ll be whipping up a number of random posts with … Continue reading Post-hiatus musings: USA Network edition (Burn Notice and Suits)
2011 Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
It’s that time again, folks. The Emmy nominations will be announced on July 14, which means I have almost an entire month to flood this space with hopes, dreams and predictions about what could happen come nomination time. To kick things off, I’ll be bringing back the Dream Emmy Ballot. It’s something I did last … Continue reading 2011 Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Brand transition? — On what’s at stake for USA Network this summer
I am entirely enthralled by television network/channel branding. You might know this about me. You might also know that I'm writing my MA thesis on the topic, specifically USA Network's branding. USA is such an interesting case because they are just so damn successful, even though up until now, their programming has been generally formulaic. … Continue reading Brand transition? — On what’s at stake for USA Network this summer
2011 Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
It’s that time again, folks. The Emmy nominations will be announced on July 14, which means I have almost an entire month to flood this space with hopes, dreams and predictions about what could happen come nomination time. To kick things off, I’ll be bringing back the Dream Emmy Ballot. It’s something I did last … Continue reading 2011 Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Season Premiere — Covert Affairs, “Begin the Begin”
Although they are known for their lightweight, summery nature, I like basically all of USA's series. I guess I'd have to like them a lot to write my entire MA thesis about them. But even though I'll watch almost anything USA Network puts on the air, there is certainly a clear distinction between what I … Continue reading Season Premiere — Covert Affairs, “Begin the Begin”
TV Surveillance’s Best of 2010: The Best (and Worst) of the Rest
2010 has been a fantastic year for television. This year brought us a slew of great new programs and if we include the second halves of all the series that debuted in the fall of 2009 (which I am for these features), we have probably just experienced the best run of newbies since 2004. While … Continue reading TV Surveillance’s Best of 2010: The Best (and Worst) of the Rest
Psych, “The Polarizing Express” and “Dead Bear Walking”
Anytime there are two new episodes of Psych in one night, that is a good night. And even though last night's double-shot, "The Polarizing Express" and "Dead Bear Walking" were not particularly great episodes of the series, there is definitely something interesting going on with Psych that I figured would be worth talking about a … Continue reading Psych, “The Polarizing Express” and “Dead Bear Walking”
Psych, “Dual Spires”
I haven't checked in with Psych since it returned from the hiatus, which is unfortunate because I adore Psych and the first two episodes back have been pretty fun. I especially like that the series finally pulled the trigger on Shawn and Jules and has pretty much integrated their relationship into the series with little … Continue reading Psych, “Dual Spires”
Summer Finale — Psych, “One, Maybe Two, Ways Out”
The Psych summer finale was completely entertaining and totally satisfying. In fact, it was probably the strongest episode of the season's first half. However, it's also the episode that has me the most frustrated after watching it. As I've discussed in past Psych posts, I really enjoy when the series gets serious. It has proved … Continue reading Summer Finale — Psych, “One, Maybe Two, Ways Out”
Psych, “Shawn 2.0”
I haven't written about Psych over the last few weeks both because of my schedule issues and because the last couple episodes haven't been anything to write home about. Of course they were enjoyable hours of comedic television, but I didn't much to discuss. "Shawn 2.0," however presents a few things that are worth talking … Continue reading Psych, “Shawn 2.0”
False stakes welcome — The pointlessness of ongoing arcs in USA series
With Burn Notice's mid-season finale coming up this week, I've been thinking about the series' approach to serialization and really how the whole batch of series across USA network approach ongoing arcs. And as evidenced by the title of this post, you can guess how I feel about it. This isn't a new complaint. Critics across … Continue reading False stakes welcome — The pointlessness of ongoing arcs in USA series
