John’s top 10 TV shows of 2014

These were my 10 favorite shows of 2014: 1. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (Season 6, Netflix) – “The Clone Wars” saves the best for last with arcs delving into the Order 66 brainwashing, Palpatine’s manipulations to take over the galactic banking system, and Yoda’s surprising encounter with a dark avatar and his first communication with a

John’s 10 favorite TV characters at the moment (Commentary)

The recent return of “24” further solidifies that this is an age of shock-value TV, where the body count of main characters is more valued than good character building. But TV’s reputation as a character medium isn’t dead yet. Here are 10 reasons why:

Kristina Braverman ‘Won’t Back Down’ as ‘Parenthood’ bravely tackles school choice (TV commentary)

Mainstream TV dramas, most of which are produced in statist Hollywood, are still far from libertarian-leaning. But “Parenthood,” which as recently as last fall had Jasmine talking about how good she felt voting for Obama in 2008 (without any follow-up about her thoughts on his performance as president), is bucking the trend with a storyline that launched

John’s top 10 TV shows of 2013

These were my 10 favorite shows of 2013: 1. “Bunheads” (Season 1, ABC Family) — I know “Bunheads” was the best show on TV in 2013 because it appealed to both the heart and the mind. And also because — with its dance numbers that attempted to illustrate the mood of the story — it was a

John’s top 10 TV shows of 2012

Here are my top 10 TV shows of 2012: 1. “Parenthood” (Season 3-4, NBC) — I hate to have the same No. 1 two years in a row, but “Parenthood” — the only current series where having a Kleenex box nearby is a must — gives me no choice. During the run of “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” was “Jason Katims’

Fall TV 2012: New shows a huge letdown, but returning faves still deliver appointment television (Commentary)

Two years ago, I labeled Fall 2010 as the worst batch of new shows ever. The highlights were “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” which was hardly a new concept; “No Ordinary Family,” which was throwaway fun; and “The Walking Dead,” which wasn’t the show then that it is now. 2011 saw a respectable improvement: “Ringer” was heady fun; “The Secret Circle” and “Revenge” were stupid but fun; “American