Last summer, this CBS series, based on Stephen King’s story, was the surprise hit of the season. And not just the summer season, either – it ended up drawing more viewers than any scripted series by the broadcast networks all season long. It returns next week for Season 2, with a season opener written by King himself. And as prelude, CBS offers this special, which summarizes Season 1 and gives a sneak peek at things to come.

2014

Jun

FX’S ‘TYRANT’ HAS 'GODFATHER' GOING MIDDLE EAST By Eric Gould

The ratings success of last year’s CBS supernatural thriller series Under the Dome proved that airing in summer is no longer a TV demotion, and FX's new Tyrant might turn out to be a worthy summer potboiler...

2014

Jun

2014 WORLD CUP By David Bianculli

ABC and ESPN divide today’s World Cup games, with the last and biggest of them (for stateside viewers, anyway) earmarked for cable. Meanwhile, on ABC, all four Group H teams are in play, and playing one another. At noon ET, it’s Belgium (shown here, the only Group H team with a win) vs. Russia, followed at 3 p.m. ET by Korea Republic vs. Algeria. Algeria is at the very bottom of this group, and Russia and Korea Republic occupying the middle – and hoping to climb out with a vict

2014

Jun

2014 WORLD CUP By David Bianculli

This, though, is the big one today: Group G’s United States vs. Portugal. The U.S. surprised just about everyone, maybe even themselves, by beating Ghana in its first game, and now shares the Group G lead with Germany, which has much more secure footing at the top because, in its initial game, it trounced Portugal and emerged with a plus-four goal differential, a key factor in tiebreakers. (The U.S., after its first game, has a goal differential of plus-one.) So Portugal, which didn’

2014

Jun

GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS By David Bianculli

This is the 1956 American version of the 1954 Japanese monster movie Gojira – released by the same Japanese studio for the American market, with many of its best scenes cut, and with many scenes added featuring an American actor, Raymond Burr, as a reporter, whose inserted scenes made it an “acceptable” story line for U.S. moviegoers. It’s interesting to watch, but only in the context of realizing how much better the original movie is – a movie that, by the way, is

2014

Jun

TRUE BLOOD By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: This is the final season for True Blood, and it begins with an instant bloodbath that redefines the rules, and the various allegiances, for the remaining episodes. The early hours are mostly setup for what’s to come – but they do serve as reminders of how enjoyable many of these characters, and performers, are. Anna Paquin stars.

2014

Jun

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER By David Bianculli

John Oliver showed up this week for a sparkling, smart, very funny interview on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. She likes his show for the same reasons I do – its extended single-subject focus on its lead feature, and Oliver’s defiant outsider way of looking at… almost everything. See his newest installment tonight, and see if you agree.

2014

Jun

SWORDPLAY CERTIFICATE PAYS OFF FOR STAR OF BBC'S 'MUSKETEERS' By Donna J. Plesh

Writer Adrian Hodges says the 10-episode BBC America series The Musketeers, which already has been renewed for a second season, is not an adaptation of the book. “This is a series of new adventures," he explains...

2014

Jun

2014 WORLD CUP By David Bianculli

Today’s three games include all four teams in Group F, and half of Group G. The first Group F game, beginning at noon ET on ESPN, is between Argentina (shown here) and Iran. To this point, Argentina is the only Group F team with a win, and Iran is one of two teams to have emerged with a draw. The second Group F game, at 6 p.m. ET, is Nigeria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nigeria, too, earned a draw, while the remaining team has shown up only in the loss column, and needs a win desperately to

2014

Jun

THE WOLVERINE By David Bianculli

This 2013 movie continued to expand the Marvel Comics movie franchise, giving Hugh Jackman’s title character a chance to go off on his own again, after already successfully anchoring his own origin-story film in 2009. Here, he travels to Japan and gets caught up dealing with a whole new roster of villains, including one named Viper (pictured here, with Jackman’s Logan), played by Svetlana Khodchenkova. That last name wasn’t easy to spell – but I can’t tell you how h

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