Where have all the epic season finales gone? (TV commentary)

For as long as I can remember, TV has served up an epic season finale or two every May. In recent years, up until 2010, there were the season-enders of “24” and “Lost.” Before that, we had “Buffy” and “The X-Files,” just to scratch the surface.

The inevitable ‘Glee’ backlash: Is it here already? (TV commentary)

A friend of mine recently said he hates “Glee” (the first-season finale will air at 7:59 p.m. Central Tuesday on Fox). He shared his opinion after the episode that featured two KISS songs, and he’s a big KISS fan, and I think it might have been the first episode he watched, but still, he makes a valid

The cult of ‘Glee’s’ Brittany (TV commentary)

My favorite character on “Glee” (8 p.m. Central Tuesdays on Fox) is Brittany. Normally, liking an extreme background character on a show puts you in a class of your own, but when you mention you like Brittany, you’re likely to hear “I know, right? She’s stealing the show.”

5 random observations about current TV shows (Commentary)

1. “10 Things I Hate About You” recently returned, and it hasn’t missed a beat from its run last summer. Although it more openly admits to being aimed at all ages, “10 Things” is treading the path paved before it by “Lizzie McGuire” and “Zoey 101” — two other shows about teenagers with humor for adults. For

John’s top 10 TV shows of 2009

Although two shows on this list are much missed and a third (“Dollhouse”) is on its way out, 2009 was generally a year when TV networks got smarter about marketing.

John’s favorite pop songs of the Aughts (Music commentary)

Putting together my top 20 songs of the decade list is more personal, more a matter of taste, than compiling the TV and movie lists. There will be a few songs on this list that you love, too, but mostly it’s stuff you have no interest in sampling, let alone purchasing.