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
First episode impressions: ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 3 (TV review)
“The Walking Dead’s” (8 p.m. Central Sundays on AMC) third season starts with a rarity: Good news. The gang finds a prison that could serve as an excellent home base. They even enjoy a picnic and a sing-along.
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.
Best approach in zombie apocalypse: Democracy or Ricktatorship? (TV commentary)
“The Walking Dead” wrapped up its mostly great second season on Sunday with the epic farmstead battle we expected, plus a couple new elements — a hooded figure hauling two tamed zombies on chains (!) and a prison that looks like it would be nicely fortified against walkers. The most impressive part of this show is
Did Shane want to die on ‘The Walking Dead?’ (TV commentary)
Maybe it’s because I’m in the midst of some serious “Angel” geekery with my “Rewatching the classics” project, but the Shane-Rick showdown in last night’s “The Walking Dead” (8 p.m. Central Sundays on AMC) reminded me of Faith begging Angel to kill her in Season 1’s “Five by Five.”
Should the group trust Randall on ‘The Walking Dead?’
TV commentary: “The Walking Dead” gang deals with trust issues when confronted by an outsider named Randall in the latest episode.
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
What happened to ‘The Walking Dead’s’ Sophia? (and 6 other burning TV questions) (Commentary)
Part of why it’s been a great TV season is that there are so many compelling questions that keep us watching from week to week. And these aren’t just a matter of “Oh well, I’ve followed it this far so I might as well keep going” like I sometimes felt with “Lost.” A lot of
Oh my god, they killed Otis! (and thoughts on falls to the dark side) (TV and movie commentary)
Kind of a jerk move by Shane to kill Otis on Sunday’s episode of “The Walking Dead” (8 p.m. Central Sundays on AMC), huh? But also a shocking and fascinating one, and something that could set up TV’s next great “fall to the dark side” plot.