WORTH WATCHING's column space to review a Broadway show presented on HBO makes perfect sense, as with last month's Pee Wee Herman Show on Broadway special and this weekend's Colin Quinn: Long Story Short. But why also review the current, four-performance New York Philharmonic presentation of the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical Company?

2011

Apr

FLASHBACK: 'AN AMERICAN FAMILY' (RE)SURFACES By Diane Werts

I'm not sure if "reality" TV starts here, or ends here. But "here" is TV's original docusoap miniseries, from 1973 -- PBS's "An American Family". HBO revisits that landmark societal moment in its fact-based April 23 movie drama "Cinema Verite" -- and the next day, PBS's WORLD channel encores the original source material, all 12 aired hours of it, for the first time in 20 years...

2011

Apr

TALKING WITH DICK CAVETT: REMEMBERING WHEN TV TALK SHOWS WEREN'T INFORMERCIALS By Tom Brinkmoeller

During a phone interview with Dick Cavett, when he mentions being at the home of Groucho Marx and one of the other dinner guests was Carly Simon, name-dropping just isn't suspected. On his television shows, and off the air too, he has talked with some of the more interesting people in the world...

2011

Apr

GLENN BECK AND 'UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS': DIFFERENT (KEY)STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS By David Bianculli

If you're wondering why things are a bit sluggish at TV WORTH WATCHING at the moment, it's because our managing editor, Diane Werts, has been traveling, and I've been busier than usual, which is busy enough. I've written stories on Glenn Beck for CNN.com, and on the new Upstairs, Downstairs PBS miniseries for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Keep reading here, and I'll steer you in the right directions...

2011

Apr

CURRENT TV SUCCEEDS (AND FAILS) BY PURSUING INTERACTIVITY, BAR (KARMA) NONE By Eric Gould

Last week, Bill Maher said that finding the Reelz channel, new home of the orphaned Kennedy miniseries, was harder than finding Al Jazeera. With a thousand channels, narrowcasting, or niche broadcasting, has something for everyone. That includes Current TV, which is something Al Gore actually DID invent...

2011

Apr

'MAD MEN,' 'FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS': WATCH ONE WHILE WAITING FOR NEW EPISODES, WATCH THE OTHER INSTEAD OF WAITING By David Bianculli

Season five of AMC's Mad Men won't arrive until 2012, but season four has just been released on home video. And while NBC is waiting until April 15 to begin broadcasting the fifth and final season of Friday Night Lights (already shown on DirecTV), it, too, has just been released on home video. Thank the TV gods for DVD boxed sets...

2011

Apr

HBO DOCUMENTARY 'HIS WAY' SALUTES REAL-LIFE BROADWAY DANNY ROSE By David Bianculli

The first minute of His Way, HBO's new documentary about veteran show-biz producer Jerry Weintraub, hooks you with the people lining up to tell stories about him: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and lots more. And from then on, Weintraub himself shows up to hook you for the duration...

2011

Apr

GREAT GUESTS: MEL BROOKS, OZZY OSBOURNE AND MORE By Diane Werts

You never know where you'll spot TV's coolest guest star lineup. But maybe your 3-year-old does. This week of new episodes on Disney Junior's "Special Agent Oso" (weekdays at 1 p.m. ET/PT) features Mel Brooks, Freddy Rodriguez, Doris Roberts, Sarah Chalke and other great performers. Okay, it's just their voices, but still...

2011

Apr

'THE KILLING': AMC'S LATEST DARK, DARING TV TRIUMPH By David Bianculli

Of all the special TV events vying for attention Sunday -- including the launch of Showtime's The Borgias and the opening installment of the orphaned, adopted miniseries The Kennedys -- the most compelling and impressive is also the darkest. It's The Killing, the newest bold programming move by AMC...

2011

Apr

IT'S SUCH A SPECIAL DAY, ONE SET OF BEST BETS ISN'T ENOUGH By David Bianculli

Some days are so special, and so packed with TV options, that one set of BEST BETS hardly seems enough to contain everything fairly. So today, which certainly qualifies as special, we offer a bit more...If you're not particularly impressed by today's "official" April 1 BIANCULLI'S BEST BETS offerings, here are some alternatives -- which, I dare say, you might find even MORE entertaining...

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