‘Everything Sucks!’ mostly gets 1996 right, definitely gets the pain of first love right (TV review)
“Everything Sucks!” (Netflix), the first season of which includes 10 half-hour episodes, starts off like a second-rate “Freaks and Geeks” but eventually strikes painfully accurate notes about first love and high school crushes. By the time the strains of Spacehog’s “In the Meantime” play over the closing credits of episode 10, the show has learned
‘Miss Guided’ review
“Miss Guided” (2008, ABC), episodes 1-3 – If you’re like me, the writers’ strike – combined with the fact that it was an uninspiring season to begin with – changed your TV habits. As in: You’re not watching as much of it.
‘quarterlife’ review
“quarterlife” (2007-08, quarterlife.com, NBC) – Yet another Marshall Herskovitz/Edward Zwick TV series has been canceled by a network, but this time, it’s not bothering me or other fans one bit. In fact, many fans of “quarterlife” probably didn’t even tune in to NBC’s one-and-done airing of the show on Feb. 26 because they had already
‘Invasion’ reviews
John’s “Invasion” flashback review, Dec. 9, 2021 “Invasion” (2005-06, ABC) – Granted, it rained every episode, the sheriff and park ranger were always chasing after some monster and Larkin’s pregnancy advanced as slowly as the hybrids’ did quickly. Still, the last few episodes were great, and when it came down to the cliffhanger – “Will
‘The Bedford Diaries’ reviews
John’s “The Bedford Diaries” flashback review, johnvhansen.com, Sept. 26, 2016 “The Bedford Diaries” (2006, WB) – It was about a college course on human sexuality, but with Tom Fontana producing, it wasn’t as one-note as the premise sounded. It had likable characters (you gotta dig snappy Milo Ventimiglia as the newspaper editor) and a way
‘Love Monkey’ review
“Love Monkey” (2006, CBS) – Sorry, “Ed” fans, but this was the role Tom Cavanagh was born to play: a youthful-looking yet experienced record company executive who trolls New York looking for talent (he finds Teddy Geiger – I mean “Wayne” – in the first episode) and trades quips with his friends. It’s a perplexing
‘Jack & Bobby’ review
“Jack & Bobby” Season 1 (2004-05, WB), episodes 1-7 – “Jack & Bobby’s” mother (Christine Lahti) is a living, breathing stereotype of a liberal college professor who feels out of sorts in Small Town, Missouri. In the show’s second episode, she invites students to smoke marijuana and open their minds in her living room, which
‘Vanished’ review
“Vanished” (2006, Fox), episodes 1-7 – Who kidnapped the senator’s wife, Sara Collins, and why? Who exactly is Sara Collins? And, for that matter, what is the senator not telling us about his past? “Vanished” piles questions upon questions, but because we like the characters – particularly Gale Harold as the case’s gritty lead agent
‘Six Degrees’ reviews
John’s “Six Degrees” flashback review, johnvhansen.com, Sept. 18, 2016 “Six Degrees” (2006-07, ABC), episodes 1-5 – This is a compelling piece about six big-city folks who are connected to each other – some as friends, some as friends of friends, and so forth. Standouts are Erika Christensen as a nanny on the run and Campbell
‘The Nine’ review
“The Nine” (2006-07, ABC), episodes 1-5 – This appropriately unconventional follow-up to “Lost” has fun with its structure. In the opening hour, we see the before and after of a two-day bank heist gone bad, and as the series progresses, we’ll learn the full story of what happened to the hostages. Mystery No. 1: Is