Maybe we're being a bit finicky, but we have a problem with critics around the interwebs hailing 2009 as one of the strongest years for television in recent memory. Quite the contrary: from where we sit, this year felt decidedly weak. Perennial favorites, like Lost and How I Met Your Mother, were saddled by disappointing Read More
That groan you heard coming out of your computer yesterday morning probably arose from the army of snarky bloggers who don’t have Ben Silverman to kick around anymore. When Mr. Silverman steps down as NBC Entertainment co-chairman in September to join Barry Diller at IAC, one of the blogosphere’s favorite whipping boys Read More
The Emmy nominations: Same as they ever were. Despite rule changes that, in theory, allowed for the more “popular” series’ to hopefully gain nominations, it was once again the underdogs and cable that ruled the roost. Tina Fey’s 30 Rock led the field with 22 nominations, including the Comedy Trifecta of Series, Actress Read More
A word of advice: If you’re one of the few who has yet to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (and judging from the $200 million–plus grosses, you probably aren’t), we suggest rushing out immediately to see Michael Bay’s latest in its full IMAX glory. Quality aside—the over-long extravaganza isn’t nearly as bad as Read More
Millenials, those coveted 14-to-24-year-olds consumers of culture, don’t like losers. But they don’t like winners, either. They like heroes—perhaps an underdog—who might “win” a small battle ... and when he or she does, it’s for the benefit of society. In the Millenials' ideal world, there are no “losers” unless they’re explicitly evil. That’s probably why Read More
Last week, in Birmingham, England, Zachary Levi, the endearingly dorky comedian who plays the titular hero of NBC’s tech-heavy spy dramedy Chuck, took a group of about 200 people to Subway for some sandwiches.
“This is the revolution, people,” he said to the crowd, which was assembled for a television convention. “Inundate the Internet,” he Read More
While NBC still has another two weeks to finalize their fall schedule—fans of Medium, Law & Order and Chuck will have to continue to hold their respective vigils until May 19th, when a decision on those series’ fates is expected to be rendered—it’s never too early to start handicapping! In addition to the post-apocalyptic Day Read More
We’ve been called “nice” by enough members of the opposite sex to know that it isn't necessarily a compliment. However, slowly but surely, it appears that the adjective is making a comeback (and for our social life, not a moment too soon). While the news this year has been dominated by increasingly bleak stories—economic strife, Read More
Monday: Chuck We’re not exactly sure when it happened, but sometime during the last four months, Chuck became our favorite show on television. Maybe it’s because of the brilliant cast, which seems to have chemistry on top of their chemistry; or perhaps it’s the fact that we find it impossible to watch Chuck without feeling Read More
It’s normally not until May when network executives get their knives out to slash the hopes and dreams of many a showrunner, but this year it looks like things are starting a little early. Late Monday night, ABC predictably canceled the lowly rated Life on Mars, though the series will be allowed to finish Read More
A quick note before we dig into our ten favorite television shows of the year. You'll most likely notice the absence of How I Met Your Mother. This has nothing to do with its quality (or lack there of), as our omission of The Office does. We just don't watch it. That being said, we'd Read More
Monday: Chuck With so many television shows getting toe tagged or suffering on life support, it's probably time to remind everyone that Chuck is one of the most charming, romantic, smart and consistently fun hours of television we watch every week. NBC has already ordered a full second season, but if the ratings Read More
Monday: ChuckGossip Girl is a rerun tonight, so you really have no excuse to let Chuck slip by your DVR. This episode should be especially good, as the intimidating Melinda Clarke (better known as The O.C.'s Julie Cooper), stops into the Buy More. Ms. Clarke plays a nefarious spy known as The Black Widow whom Read More
After watching the pilot last year, we didn't figure Chuck would become one of our favorite shows: it looked like a cheap episode of 24, filled with cringe-worthy humor, and it featured one of the most annoying supporting performances in the history of television (Joshua Gomez as Chuck's irritating sidekick Morgan.)
But by the end of Read More
