War — what is it good for? A few good plots, at least (TV commentary)
We’re in a curious situation right now where 94 percent of the country supports pro-war presidential candidates yet other polls show that the majority of people are against war (although most of Congress is pro-war). Of course, war is a complicated issue, and I don’t pretend to understand all of it (although I certainly respect
First episode impressions: ‘Parenthood’ Season 4 (TV review)
“Parenthood” (9 p.m. Central Tuesdays, NBC) starts Season 4 with a combination of a pitch-perfect life threshold yarn (Haddie goes off to college), a funny family-dynamic oddity (Crosby finds his son praying) and a believable issue that you don’t see explored too often on TV (Julia is finding it hard to love her adopted son).
Fall TV 2012: 5 new shows and 5 returning shows to watch (Commentary)
Ah, fall TV. And, in a nice old-school twist, the Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview issue highlighted a single show on its cover rather than using a collage (the featured show: “Homeland,” which seems worthy, although I’ve never seen it). The fall lineup isn’t particularly deep this year, but it’s pretty respectable at the top.
John’s 10 favorite TV characters at the moment (Commentary)
The 2011-12 TV season has almost faded to snow and the dust has settled from the cancellation carnage. Looking back, I’d say it was a very good season for characters. That’s why I’m resurrecting my formerly annual top 10 favorite TV characters list.
(Hopefully not) a fond farewell to ‘Parenthood’ (TV review)
I don’t spend too much time anymore worrying about whether a show will be canceled; I take the “enjoy it while it lasts” approach to everything. So Season 3’s penultimate episode of “Parenthood” took me off guard, first with the sad-tears moment of Julia not getting to adopt the baby, then with the happy-tears moment of
John’s top 10 TV shows of 2011
For me, this was the year of “What’s going to happen next?” Who killed Rosie Larsen? Will Emily get revenge? How long can Bridget fool people into thinking she’s Siobhan? What would you do in a zombie apocalypse? And … how is Amber going to pay the rent? While many of the best plots of
First episode impressions: ‘Parenthood’ Season 3 (TV review)
I detest the phrase “something for everyone” because 95 percent of the time when an event claims to offer “something for everyone,” it doesn’t interest me in the least bit. “Parenthood” (9 p.m. Central Tuesdays on NBC) is very much a “something for everyone” show, and indeed it doesn’t have a singular, definable hook (other than what’s
Fall TV 2011: 6 new shows and 6 returning shows to watch (Commentary)
Believe it or not, the fall TV season is less than a week away. Fittingly, one of the best-looking new shows and one of the best returning shows will throw out the first pitches of the season when they premiere on Tuesday. Here’s a closer look at those shows and more — my top six
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.
‘Parenthood’s’ Sarah Braverman is no Lorelai Gilmore, and that’s a good thing (TV commentary)
Could it be that Sarah Braverman is a better TV character than Lorelai Gilmore? To even type that question seems sacrilegious, but I will say this: When I watch Lauren Graham as Sarah on “Parenthood” (9 p.m. Central Tuesdays on NBC), I don’t think of Lorelai. That might be because I don’t get a weekly reminder of