“It’s a crack house… so it’s quiet”. Comedy Central is really on a roll this year. After using the return of the popular (and hilarious) Key and Peele as a catalyst, the network has been steadily rolling out their new spring programs, with two new shows premiering back to back at the end of February. […]
History Channel’s new mini-series Vikings is a lot tamer than one would expect, considering the subject matter. The first episode set up a lot, and consequently the premiere felt like it was on the edge of something substantial happening. Instead of bringing a lot of blood and gore (there was still some), it focused on […]
We’re in a comedy boom right now. Louis CK has helped to bring standup to a level of prominence not seen since the late 80’s, podcasts and websites like FunnyOrDie and Collegehumor have given huge levels of exposure to many comedians, and sketch comedy has seen a revival both online and in television. Comedy Central […]
This show is a great idea but- judging just by the pilot- it doesn’t really work. The first family is a great focus. There have been lots of movies and TV shows that featured a similar fictionalized clan to great success. Even the actual first family is plenty engaging to watch with two teenage daughters, […]
If you’re not watching the BBC’s The Hour, you’re missing an exquisite drama featuring a very talented, very British cast. Romola Garai and Ben Whishaw star as best friends and should be lovers Bel Rowley and Freddie Lyon. (Full disclosure: Garai and Whishaw are two of my favorite young actors, so I was predisposed to […]
ABC’s Nashville purports to be about an aging classic country star unhappily joining forces with a rising pop-country star. I put off watching the first episode because I kind of hate watching pilots whose only function is to set up whatever wacky situation on which the show rests. Luckily, I underestimated Nashville: four episodes in, […]
At first glance, ABC’s bizarre new alien sitcom The Neighbors is abismal. So, as I try to do with shows I hate on contact, I gave it an extra week to grow on me. And, for the first time since I implemented that policy, it actually did grow on me. I wouldn’t go all the way […]
Fox’s extra Tuesday comedy is fine. It’s cute, it’s good for the occasional chuckle and sympathetic quirk. But that’s about it. The reason I call Ben & Kate Fox’s “extra” Tuesday comedy is that it’s programmed alongside New Girl, The Mindy Project and Raising Hope in what I think is the strongest comedy block on […]