Image Credit: Chris Haston
The season premiere of The Office has a lot more snap and vigor than most of last season’s episodes. The half-hour felt as though, with the end of the series in sight, it now has a renewed sense of purpose — to go out strongly, and perhaps paying off on a number of long-running subplots. READ FULL STORY »
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The timing for the premiere of Revolution could not be more perfect. For anyone in the throes of indecision over whether to upgrade to the new iPhone, how better to unwind than by grokking a new fantasy in which electricity is kaput, and one’s only truly pressing decision is whether to upgrade one’s crossbow? Set 15 years in the future (or to put it in perspective, that’s one Romney term as President [electricity thus resigns in protest], followed by two Hillary Clinton Presidencies and then the shocking election of a 79 year-old Bob Dylan), Revolution is neatly high-concept for NBC: How do people adapt and survive, especially when they’re trying to storm ABC’s Castle? READ FULL STORY »
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If, as now seems the common wisdom, music competition shows are more about the judges than the contestants, The X Factor could hardly have done better in enlisting Britney Spears as a new arbiter of who can cram the most notes into a musical phrase. Spears embodies as much of that indefinable quality that lifts a singer into super-duper-stardom, plus… well, she’s Britney, which means she brings to any professional endeavor that mixture of sweetness, shrewdness, nervous energy, unpretentiousness, and, occasionally, defiance that only finds its full flower when she’s trying most earnestly to be a surrogate for the masses. Which is what she managed to do on her X Factor debut, even while she was being treated like pop royalty. READ FULL STORY »
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Although the year isn’t over, I think we can agree that the Most Original Character Introduction Award of 2012 will have to go to Jimmy Smits in the Tuesday night season premiere of Sons of Anarchy.
That would now serve as your SPOILER ALERT. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Chris Haston/NBC Parenthood,
The episode, titled “Family Portrait,” introduced Ray Romano as a grumpy, frumpy photographer who hires Lauren Graham’s Sarah and made a few marvelously snide comments about her fiance, Jason Ritter’s Mark (“Is he a Make-A-Wish Kid?” Romano’s Hank asked of their relationship — oh, this photo-snapper knows how to snap!). READ FULL STORY »
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The third season of The Voice began on Monday night, the first of three nights in a row, the last one added on Wednesday to make Simon Cowell and Britney Spears cry during the first hour of The X Factor‘s premiere. The Voice’s opening two hours consisted of a slightly smaller amount of the mock-sniping between the four coaches — Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton — that has become tiresome, with occasional flutters of talent on the stage. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: (left) Darren Michaels (right) Karen Neal The Closer
Image Credit: Chris Haston/NBC Animal Practice,
