tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79254364779696290982012-01-29T22:20:48.660-05:00TV Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470009732090501985noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7925436477969629098.post-15497958303819608612012-01-29T22:20:00.000-05:002012-01-29T22:20:48.670-05:002012-01-29T22:20:48.670-05:00

I've written briefly about HBO's new drama "Luck" in this space a couple of times -- once in December, when HBO aired a sneak preview of the show after the "Boardwalk Empire" finale and once last week, in advance of the pilot's re-airing in its original time slot. But, as I really enjoy the show, I'm hoping to write a weekly recap. This is the first of those. Normally, I'd tell you there are

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Does Kiefer Sutherland have a lot of anger issues? I only ask because the former "Young Gun" rocketed back to stardom playing rage-spewing terrorist fighter Jack Bauer on "24" and, in the first few scenes of his new Fox drama "Touch," he also yells, says "Dammit" and generally act pissed. But, ultimately, the new series, which has a sneak preview Wednesday at 9 p.m. (it will start its regular

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OK, so, I've fallen behind again. But no fears -- I'm back with some thoughts on the new season of "Justified," and the first season of "Hell on Wheels" and the new show "House of Lies" (yes, it debuted two weeks ago, but stick with me). And away we go! 'Justified' returns: FX's "Justified" returns tonight at 10 for its third season and, if the first three episodes I've seen so far aren't as

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Yeah, yeah, I know -- 2011 is over. You don't want to read about the 10 best shows of the old year. You're ready for the New Year. You're amped about the return of "Justified," "30 Rock," and the prospect of seeing Sucre from "Prison Break" in a dress on ABC. I hear you. But can you please bear with me for a wee bit? 2011 really did offer some mighty fine TV and I'd like to celebrate some of its

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This week in I Screen land, I offer my thoughts on the finales of "Boardwalk Empire" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," the sneak preview of "Luck" and the always amusing Golden Globe nominations. Read on if you dare. "Boardwalk" goes where "Sons" fears to tread Now that, friends, is how you do a season finale. This week, "Boardwalk Empire" wrapped up what turned out to be a devastatingly

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As you might have noticed I have, once again, become massively negligent in my blogging. Fear not -- it's not that I love you any less or that my opinions on the TV landscape have become less fiery or strong. It's just that, well, I have a house now. And houses are kind of like kids -- they demand a lot of attention, and a lot of time, and, apparently, cleaning them is more important than

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When FX's "The League" started a few years ago, it seemed like nothing more than the TV version of the zillions of raunchy bro comedies that have invaded movie screens. It was about a fantasy football league in Chicago and, though fitfully amusing, it was hardly must-watch TV. It wasn't quite sharp enough to be a satire of our sports-obsessed (and status-obsessed) culture. And it wasn't funny

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Is there a more enjoyable guide through the modern jungle of suburbia than the snarky teenage girl? I present that there is not, which is probably why I found myself oddly fond of ABC's new sitcom "Suburgatory," premiering 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. In the tradition of such TV shows as "Wonderfalls," "My So-Called Life," and "Veronica Mars," "Suburgatory" features a smart and acerbic leading lady

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On the surface, HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," which starts its second season tonight at 9, has all the earmarks of being a great HBO drama, in the vein of "The Sopranos," "The Wire," or "Deadwood." It's meticulously well-made, with great pains obviously taken to re-create Atlantic City in the 1920s. It has a capable cast of actors, playing complicated characters. There's also the typical premium

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Is there really any point to reviewing the new Fox sitcom "New Girl," which premieres tonight at 9 on Fox? It stars Zooey Deschanel and your opinion on the show depends almost entirely on how you feel about her. Do you find her sassy, funny and adorable (or, in the parlance of the show's tiresome ad campaign 'adorkable')? Does the idea of her dancing around, crying, cracking wise and singing to

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Like most people who haven't watched the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men" in a while, I tuned into Monday night's premiere mainly out of morbid curiosity. Yes, I wanted to see if it really started with a funeral for Charlie Harper (formerly played by the not-so-dearly-departed Charlie Sheen). And, of course, I wanted to see how they introduced new star Ashton Kutcher, who plays a broken-hearted

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So, the Primetime Emmy Awards air tonight at 8 on Fox. Yes, I realize that's just a few hours from now, but it's still not too late to make some last minute, sure to be wrong predictions. So here I go: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife Christine Baranski, The Good Wife Margo Martindale, Justified Michelle Forbes, The Killing

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 Actors are constantly gaining weight for dramatic roles.DeNiro in "Raging Bull." Charlize Theron in "Monster." The list goes on and on. As for those who gained weight to play comedic roles, there's Renee Zelleweger in "Bridget Jones's Diary" and .... well, that's about all I can think of. That's why it was somewhat shocking to hear that "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" showrunner and co-star

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OK, so, after a long hiatus, I think I'm ready to start blogging again. It's going to start slow (I'm hoping to have up a preview of the new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia tonight, then I'll try to move on to some of the new shows), but we're now moved in, and I'd like to get back on the horse. Yee-haw!

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Spoilers for the season premiere of "Breaking Bad" below. Don't click through if you don't want to know. See now, that right there is what makes "Breaking Bad" an amazing show. Intellectually, it seemed somewhat inevitable that Gus would cut Victor's throat. After all, he has to punish SOMEONE for what happen to Gale. So who? Walt? Pragmatically, you have to eliminate him pretty quickly. Walt is

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Rejoice, fans of dark, disturbing television: the amazing "Breaking Bad" final returns at 10 Sunday night for a fourth season after a seemingly interminable hiatus. That's the good news. The bad news is, I can't really tell you much about the three new episodes I've seen for fair of spoiling anything. Part of the pleasure of watching this twisted series about meth dealers in the southwest is

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Was hoping to post this earlier, but I had to run out right after the Emmy nominations were announced this morning. But I did want to comment on them because, as you might imagine, I had some thoughts. Overall, I was fairly pleased with this year's crop of nominees (particularly the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences wise decision to recognize the excellent work being done by actors on FX

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I can think of few shows with higher highs and lower lows than FX's drama "Rescue Me." When it focuses on firefighter Tommy Gavin's (Denis Leary) relationship with the other guys in his house and the still-raw emotional wounds left behind by 9/11, it's great. When it focuses on Tommy's relationship with the women in his life, it's shrill and often unbearably so. The seventh and final season

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Spoilers for the second season finale of "Treme" below. Don't click through if you don't  want to know. I continue to be amazed at how David Simon's New Orleans-centered drama "Treme" has evolved from the promising-but-messy drama it seemed when it premiered over a year ago to one of the most consistently intelligent and absorbing series on cable. Yes, it's still messy at times, with whole

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As a fan of both the HBO series "True Blood" and the Charlaine Harris novels the show is based on, it pained me admit that -- following a fun and crazy second season -- the show's third season was a bit of a mess. Yes, there were occasional bright spots, such as Dennis O'Hare's marvelously hambone performance as Russell, the vampire king of Mississippi. But, mostly, the season was a fairly drippy

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Spoilers for the "Game of Thrones" finale below. Don't click through if you don't want to know. Sorry this recap is so late -- and that I've hardly written on "Game of Thrones" at all in its first season, despite the fact that I've enjoyed it immensely. Because of my lateness, and time constraints, this is going to be brief-ish, but I did want to talk about the finale, mainly because it was a

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Spoilers for "The Killing" first season finale below. Don't click through if you don't want to know. Oh, COME ON! What the hell, "The Killing"? You drag us through an entire season of twists and turns and red herrings, and this is how you leave us? With a last minute twist that basically negates everything the past few episodes have been telling us? Are you out of your Goddamned mind?????? Sigh

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Though I admired many bits and pieces of TNT's "Falling Skies," premiering tonight at 9, while watching the pilot episode, one thought kept recurring in my head: it's sort of like "The Walking Dead," but with aliens. Not only does it have the same basic concept -- a ragtag band of survivors unite against a seemingly unstoppable force that's destroying the world -- it has the same earnestness and

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"Men of a Certain Age," that fine celebration of American male middle age, returns for the second half of its second season tonight at 10 on TNT, and it finds our three heroes -- played with rumpled charm by Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher -- facing some important crossroads. Owen (Braugher), is coming into his own running his dad's Chevrolet dealership, but still finds himself

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The chemistry between Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer on the new TNT dramedy "Franklin & Bash," which debuts 9 p.m. Wednesday, is hardly on a par with the best buddy duos of pop culture. To put it simply, they're no Redford and Newman. Nor are they Lemmon and Matthau. Heck, they aren't even Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. No, if the bond between the actors resembles anything, it's the

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