Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on PBS, Nature presents a new installment, called Raccoon Nation, that includes night footage of the prowlers sneaking around city streets and back yards, like the masked bandits they resemble. But as I watch, I can't help but think about my personal battles with raccoons...

2012

Feb

'DOWNTON ABBEY' SEASON 2 -- SEE IT END ON DVD BEFORE IT ENDS ON PBS! By David Bianculli

Here's a strange, aggressive bit of salesmanship: PBS Video is releasing Season 2 of Downton Abbey today (Tuesday, Feb. 7) on both DVD and Blu-Ray. But on television, here in the U.S., the series doesn't complete Season 2 for two more Sundays. So if you don't want to wait to see how this year's Downton Abbey adventures end, you don't have to...

2012

Feb

NBC'S 'SMASH': A MUSICAL TREAT, A DRAMATIC TRIUMPH... AND A GIFT By David Bianculli

There are lots of professional reasons I can give you to watch Monday's premiere of Smash, NBC's new drama series about the making of a Broadway musical -- starting with its creators, its cast, its premise, its clever twists, and its equally clever music and lyrics. But there's also a personal reason, which I'll save for last...

2012

Feb

SUPER BOWL MUSICAL MANIA: MADONNA AT HALFTIME, 'THE VOICE' AFTERWARD, 'SMASH' THE NEXT DAY By David Bianculli

Each network has a different approach to programming the post-Super Bowl slot, with varying results. Two years ago, CBS used its post-Super Bowl slot to launch a new reality series, Undercover Boss. It was renewed, and still continues, so that game plan worked. Last year, Fox used its ultra-valuable time slot after Super Bowl XLV to expose new viewers to an existing hit: its high-school comedy-drama-musical mashup, Glee...

2012

Feb

TODAY ON NPR'S 'FRESH AIR,' I'LL BE A 'SMASH' -- INTERVIEWING PRODUCERS BEHIND THAT NEW NBC SERIES By David Bianculli

I'm really, really impressed by NBC's Smash, the new making-of-a-musical drama series -- NOT a reality show -- that premieres Monday. I'll have a full review of that series then -- but for now, please check out Thursday's Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR, on which I interview two of the show's executive producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron...

2012

Feb

ONCE ON 'X FACTOR,' PAULA ABDUL IS NOW AN EX-'FACTOR' By David Bianculli

In reality-TV terms, it would be like Donald Trump turning to his own son on NBC's The Apprentice and dismissing him with a curt "You're fired": Simon Cowell has delivered several pink slips regarding his Fox series The X Factor, effectively X-ing out not only stiff-as-a-surfboard host Steve Jones and wishy-washy judge Nicole Scherzinger, but his American Idol crony Paula Adbul as well. Which proves at least two things... One, Cowell is an astute enough businessman to make and steal headline

2012

Jan

I'M BRAYING FOR ASSISTANCE: HELP ME RENAME THIS TV DONKEY By David Bianculli

Hanging art in a museum is nothing unusual, but the way New York's Guggenheim Museum hung the collected works of Maurizio Cattelan for a recent exhibit certainly qualified as odd. All of his pieces, in a display appropriately titled All, were hung from the ceiling of the museum's seven-story rotunda-- one of them spoke to me the most...

2012

Jan

GOOD 'LUCK': HBO BRINGS DAVID MILCH, AND OTHER THOROUGHBREDS, TO A NEW TV SERIES By David Bianculli

David Milch. Michael Mann. Dustin Hoffman. Nick Nolte. HBO's Luck, which premieres Sunday night at 9 ET, claims all of those defiantly individual artists and more, working towards a common goal: to produce an involved, multi-layered, intriguing show about the world of horse racing. At that goal, they cross the finish line impressively -- but not in record time. It takes a while to define, understand and warm up to the characters and conflicts in Luck -- but it's worth the effort, and the comm

2012

Jan

IT'S WORTH EAVESDROPPING ON DAVID STEINBERG'S 'INSIDE COMEDY' CONVERSATIONS By David Bianculli

Showtime series Inside Comedy, David Steinberg doesn't get much respect from Don Rickles in the opening show -- and that's funny. But he does get lots of respect, with equally amusing results, from Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Steve Carell, Jane Lynch, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Brad Garrett and Larry David. And that's just in the first five installments of this very welcome, very entertaining, arguably important 10-part TV show...

2012

Jan

REACH OUT AND 'TOUCH' KIEFER SUTHERLAND'S NEW FOX TV SERIES By David Bianculli

When Kiefer Sutherland ended his run on Fox's 24 -- and much of the time, as CTU loner Jack Bauer, he was indeed running -- he wasn't expected to return to TV very quickly. Yet here he is, starring in a new series called Touch, which is unveiled with a sneak preview Wednesday night at 9 ET on Fox...

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