John’s 10 favorite TV characters at the moment (Commentary)
As we wind down the traditional season and gear up for some summer shows, here’s a look at 10 TV characters who have my attention:
The golden age of TV prequels: ‘Bates Motel,’ ‘Gotham’ and ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ (Commentary)
At first blush, prequels should be a boring form of storytelling, because we already know the end point. Of course, there are many examples that prove out-of-sequence storytelling can work – the “Star Wars” prequels and “Smallville” have plenty of fans, for example. But three current series – A&E’s “Bates Motel,” Fox’s “Gotham” and AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead” — have
Batman, Superman fight rather than talk in ‘BvS: Dawn of Justice’
Movie review: Batman and Superman could’ve avoided fighting if they had just talked it out.
John’s top 10 TV shows of 2015
These were my 10 favorite TV shows of 2015: 1. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (Season 1, The CW) – In blending musical numbers, broad comedy and genuine character drama about a troubled 20-something, Rachel Bloom’s brainchild is the most ambitious show of the year. By doing all three of those things well (particularly the musical numbers, which are consistently
Why is Katniss Everdeen so reluctant to be a hero? (And why ‘Gotham’ features the rarest of heroes)
Movie and TV commentary: John Hansen examines the odd trend of fictional cinematic heroes who are initially unwilling to fight for what’s right.
‘Gotham’ Season 2 starts to show some respect for ‘Batman’ lore
First episode impressions (TV review): The Fox “Batman” prequel is starting to show more respect for the established lore.
Fall TV 2015: 6 returning favorites worth checking out (Commentary)
The ax fell fairly lightly on TV shows at the end of last season, and as a result we have a nice selection of returning shows to choose from. Here are the six I’m most looking forward to, ranked in order of my anticipation for them:
John’s 10 favorite TV characters at the moment (Commentary)
Here are my 10 favorite characters of the moment on shows that recently concluded their season, are ongoing or will soon return for the summer season:
Ranking ‘Gotham’s’ iconic rogues after Season 1
TV commentary: We reflect on how the Fox “Batman” prequel has handled its villains in Season 1.
For current popular shows, what’s the end game? (TV commentary)
By their very nature, some shows have end games and some don’t. A show about families and relationships, like “Parenthood,” simply looks for a grace note (and it found a good one in its series finale in January); it’s not as if it can end with everyone’s life in a state of perpetual perfection. At