[Bianculli here: The best TV comedy and drama series benefit from synergy, when their casts feature actors who are strong individually and superb collectively. Contributing critic Tom Brinkmoeller wonders why some of those actors never get lightning to strike twice...]

2009

Aug

GUEST BLOG #40: TOM BRINKMOELLER ON "JULIE & JULIA" -- AND THE REAL JULIA CHILD By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: Contributing TV critic Tom Brinkmoeller is a long-time Julia Child fan, so he approached the new Julie & Julia movie with a grain of salt (and pepper). Turns out he enjoyed it a lot -- but savors the real Julia Child, and her TV legacy, even more...]

2009

Jul

GUEST BLOG #31: TOM BRINKMOELLER ON 'SUNDAY MORNING' DELIGHTS By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: One of the best things about TV WORTH WATCHING, if I do say so myself (and I do), is that its writers are encouraged to follow their passions. Today, contributing columnist Tom Brinkmoeller's passion takes him to an old TV friend: a show that's been around since the Carter administration, but remains one of broadcast TV's most watchable, least hyper nonfiction newsmagazines...]

2009

Jun

GUEST BLOG #28: TOM BRINKMOELLER POKES 'JON & KATE' IN THE EYE By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: Celebrity culture has never been more obvious or inescapable than right now, as TV covers -- blankets, smothers -- the death of Michael Jackson, with Farrah Fawcett's death in second place...So what does the celebrity of Jon and Kate have to do with all this? According to contributing columnist Tom Brinkmoeller, a lot...]

2009

Jun

GUEST BLOG #26: TOM BRINKMOELLER HAS MUSIC ON THE BRAIN By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: I'm still working under manic deadlines for another week or so (don't ask), so contributing columnist Tom Brinkmoeller bails me out by reviewing a new PBS music and science special, Wednesday's "The Music Instinct: Science and Song." It answers lots of your musical questions -- not necessarily "Who put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong?," but plenty of others. Here's Tom's review...]

2009

Jun

GUEST BLOG #24: TOM BRINKMOELLER REVEALS 'ANTIQUES ROADSHOW' SECRETS By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: TV critics are like treasure hunters, sifting through mounds of worthless junk in search of the occasional sparkling treasure. No wonder contributing writer Tom Brinkmoeller finds lots to like about the long-running PBS series Antiques Roadshow...]

2009

Jun

GUEST BLOG #21: TOM BRINKMOELLER FALLS HARD FOR APPLE TV By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: Guest contributor Tom Brinkmoeller proudly considers himself and his values old-fashioned, but today he takes on something decidedly NEW-fashioned: an Apple TV. Read on, to get to the core of his analysis...]

2009

May

GUEST BLOG #19: TOM BRINKMOELLER ENDS TVWW CONTEST, TAKES A POWDER By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: Memorial Day weekend is over, and so is Tom Brinkmoeller's TV WORTH WATCHING contest. He'll take over from here, to explain and award the winner...]

2009

May

GUEST BLOG #18: TOM BRINKMOELLER LAUNCHES A TV WORTH WATCHING CONTEST OF HIS OWN By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: Contributing writer Tom Brinkmoeller does two things in his latest column. One, he starts out by referring to my Extras, the in-jokes I collect that are hidden in TV shows -- which I mention only because, next week, I'm devoting a column to my favorite Extra in years (one which, so far, seems to have gone unnoticed).]

2009

May

GUEST BLOG #15: TOM BRINKMOELLER ON A FIRST-CLASS TV TRAVEL SERIES By Tom Brinkmoeller

[Bianculli here: Today's guest column, the latest from Tom Brinkmoeller, finds its inspiration from a travel series -- one that inspired Tom to interview the producer about why public television's "Rick Steves' Europe" seemed so different from most other TV travel shows.]

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Tom Brinkmoeller

I wrote about television for a daily newspaper (The Cincinnati Enquirer) in the '80s, but what drew me to covering it was how good this young medium so often was. So much of what was good then came from MTM Enterprises and its alumni. When I left the beat, MTM was still setting high standards with drama series like St. Elsewhere and comedies like Newhart. Because general TV standards have dropped a great distance since then, it's no reason to capitulate. My role here is to find and spotlight programming that still honors high standards.

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