We’re three weeks into the 2015-16 television season and so far the only single episode of any series that seems to have generated any talk at all is the sophomore season premiere of ABC’s superb family comedy black-ish...

2015

Sep

HOW THINGS HAVEN’T CHANGED: 40 YEARS AGO 'ADAM-12' ADDRESSED GUN VIOLENCE By Ed Martin

The passing of Martin Milner earlier this month (Sept 6) brings to mind thoughts about his best known work in the role of Officer Pete Malloy on the crime-drama classic Adam-12, which ran on NBC from 1968-1975...

2015

Jun

A FOND FAREWELL TO DICK VAN PATTEN By Ed Martin

If space permitted, I would have titled this column A Fond Farewell to Dick Van Patten (And a Great Big Thank You for the Memories), because thinking about the man has brought back so much of the joy that I had watching broadcast TV in the late Seventies...

2015

Jun

'THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW' IS STILL MAKING IT AFTER ALL By Ed Martin

I can’t think of a better way for a new retro network to grab my attention with a marathon of The Mary Tyler Moore Show...

2015

Apr

'BROADCHURCH' CONTINUES TO BE COMPELLING TELEVISION By Ed Martin

The usual “big” shows – AMC’s Mad Men, CBS’s The Good Wife, Netflix’s House of Cards, FX’s Justified, to name a deserving few -- have lately been getting most of the attention. But I’d like to throw some renewed support here to BBC America’s Broadchurch...

2015

Apr

WILL #TWITTER HELP BRING #VIEWERS BACK TO #AMERICANIDOL? By Ed Martin

Fox’s American Idol last Wednesday night (April 1) tried something that NBC’s The Voice did in November 2013 with similarly exciting results. For the first time ever it integrated Twitter users into its competition on an in-show, real-time basis...

2015

Mar

ABC'S 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' STILL DANCES WITH EMOTION By Ed Martin

Anyone who thinks ABC’s Dancing with the Stars has worn out its welcome – that there isn’t a compelling reason to continue watching this veteran competition program – must be prompted to reevaluate his or her assertion after last week’s show...

2015

Mar

THOROUGHLY 'MODERN FAMILY' By Ed Martin

Last week’s breathtakingly original episode of ABC’s Modern Family, a television milestone shot in its entirety on iPhones, iPads and such, explored the impact of digital communication and social media on American life. It was the best half-hour of comedy I have seen all season...

2014

Dec

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN By Ed Martin

It will make many readers of this column feel quite old when I refer to Murphy Brown, one of the most “contemporary” comedies in television history, as a “classic.” I remember enthusiastically writing about this show whenever I was able...

2014

Oct

UNLIKE MOST TV DRAMAS, 'THE WALTONS' PUT DEATH IN THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE By Ed Martin

“The Gift,” a recently repeated episode from the second season of The Waltons (seen in four-hour blocks Monday-Friday on Hallmark Channel) got me to thinking about the depiction of death in scripted television...

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Ed Martin

Ed Martin is the Editorial Director and Chief Content Critic at MediaVillage, where his responsibilities include oversight of its TV/Video Download platform. He is also TV Branch President of the Critics Choice Association. The first five shows on Ed's all-time top-ten list are, in order, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family and two from the BBC, Skins and Coupling. The remaining five shows are in constant flux, but they usually include Green Acres, The Twilight Zone and The Sopranos.

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