DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
2011
Feb
28
 
 
Even if you were hoping for the timeliness of The Social Network to upset the staidness of The King's Speech at Sunday's 83d Annual Academy Awards, the ABC telecast provided drama until the end -- and lots of nice moments, and story angles, and even some welcome changes to carry over for next year...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
25
 
 
With the Oscars arriving Sunday night, and several parts of the world in upheaval from revolutions or earthquakes, there's no better time to look for a different perspective than now, and no better place than England -- with BBC News for the latter, and Ricky Gervais for the former...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
25
 
 
I have nothing to say about this Sunday's CBS hour of The Amazing Race(8 p.m. ET). I just want to run this photo. Thanks, CBS!
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
24
 
 
Beatles night on Fox's American Idol didn't please please me -- the judges were much more impressed than I. But at the end, as the trio of judges began whittling the ranks down to the final 24 (a process that continues Thursday night at 8 ET), Jennifer Lopez became the new heart of Idol by being a very stern judge -- of herself...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
23
 
 
When a good pitcher relies too often on his best pitch and telegraphs its delivery, that fast ball, curve or slider loses much of its effectiveness. The same loss can happen on TV comedies when the people in power -- writers, producers, network executives -- play too often to a popular character's quirkiness...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
21
 
 
Except for sports, most broadcast TV genres just aren't as dominant, or even as good, as they used to be. But though cable has grabbed most of the ground and momentum, there are still islands of excellence where broadcast television proves, week in and week out, it still can present the best. Ladies and gentlemen, as Exhibits A through C, I give you: 60 Minutes for news, Modern Family for comedy, and The Good Wife for Drama...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
20
 
 
The appeal of writing for TV Worth Watching has always been the chance to steer readers to good shows -- and there are quite a few out there that are extraordinary. It feels like a noble calling. This is not the easiest task in the wonderful world of TV criticism, mind you. Spinning out a snarky pan is a hundred times easier than trying to craft a cogent explanation of what makes a TV show worth watching...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
18
 
 
Showtime hasn't yet committed to a second season of its charming and clever Episodes series, which presents its first-season finale Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. ET -- but should, and fast. When a show comes out of the box this impressively, and wraps up its first batch of installments with such compelling brilliance, viewers deserve more...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
17
 
 
Ken Jennings, until now the best contestant ever to play Jeopardy!, was trounced by IBM's Watson supercomputer in this week's two-game, three-day duel -- but in the final "Final Jeopardy," accepted defeat in a way that was lovably, laughably human. Beneath his correct answer of "Bram Stoker," Jennings added, "I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords"...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2011
Feb
17
 
 
The biggest surprise of this somewhat lifeless midseason is the creative resurgence of Fox's American Idol. One might assert that the renewed appeal of this show should come as no surprise at all, given the major changes made by its many executive producers following the multitude of bad choices that crippled Idol during its last two seasons...