39. Game of Thrones (2011-2018)
by David Schleicher “A Soapy Game” Can we all just finally admit that the mass appeal of HBO’s on-going (and seemingly never-ending) Game of Thrones (itself an adaptation of massive tomes still...
View Article38. Civilisation (1969)
by Allan Fish the next in the series of small screen classics (UK 1969 670m) DVD1/2 Man – the measure of all things p Michael Gill, Peter Montagnon d Michael Gill, Peter Montagnon, Ann Turner w...
View ArticleJerry Lewis and Greatest Television Countdown on Monday Morning Diary (August...
by Sam Juliano The 2017-2018 school year is just two weeks from commencement, and those of us in the profession are wondering where all the time has gone. It only seemed like yesterday when we were...
View Article#37. The West Wing (1999-2006)
by Adam Ferenz Few shows have ever shown us the White House-here occupied by Josiah Bartlett, Democrat from New Hampshire-in quite these colors. Many of the technical innovations, such as walking and...
View Article36. Your Show of Shows (1950-54)
by John Greco Your Show of Shows premiered on Saturday, February 25th 1950. It was a live 90 minute variety show consisting, for most seasons, of 39 episodes. It was the equivalent of putting on a new...
View Article35. Boris Karloff’s Thriller (1960-62)
by Sam Juliano The sixty-seven episodes of Boris Karloff’s Thriller, a one-hour horror anthology that ran on network television for two seasons from 1960-62, were later syndicated and for a number of...
View Article34. Blackadder (1983-89)
by Allan Fish (UK 1983-1989 815m) DVD1/2 I have a cunning plan p John Lloyd d Martin Sharlow, Mandie Fletcher w Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson, Ben Elton m Howard Goodall Rowan Atkinson...
View Article33. SCTV (1976-1984) Also known as: Second City Television, SCTV Television...
The satirical comedy sketch program SCTV inhabited a universe unto itself, a small-town TV station that broadcasted mostly second-rate programming. A contemporary of Saturday Night Live, the program...
View Article32. Frasier (1993-2004)
By Patricia Perry As Cliff Clavin, the know-it-all mailman from Cheers might say: “Here’s a little-known fact:” Kelsey’s Grammer’s Frasier Crane enjoyed the longest unbroken run of any comedic...
View ArticleIl Sorpasso and The Passionate Thief on Monday Morning Diary (August 28)
Dino Risi’s 1962 “Il Sorpasso” by Sam Juliano R.I.P horror film legend Tobe Hooper who passed away on Saturday at age 74. His terrifying Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the most influential films...
View Article31. The Outer Limits (1963-5)
by Sam Juliano There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If...
View Article30. Jeopardy! (1964-75; 1978; 1984-present)
by Sam Juliano Host: “Odds & Ends” for $2,00. Debuting in 1972, it is the longest run game show in history.” Contestant #1: (Buzzer sounds). “What is Jeopardy?” Host: “I’m sorry, that is an...
View Article29. Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993)
by Robert Hornak “It’s a late night world…” To acknowledge the importance of NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman is to counter the propulsively simple engine of the show. Nobody wants to declare...
View Article28. The Simpsons (1989-present)
The Simpsons (Fox) TV Series1989-Shown from left: Lisa, Marge, Maggie, Homer, Bart by Brandie Ashe From its humble beginnings as a series of intermittent shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, through...
View Article27. Cheers (1982-1993)
by Adam Ferenz Cheers, named after the bar where everybody knows your name, is one of those legendary works that crop up from time to time. In terms of reputation and legacy it is, in the annals of US...
View Article26. Deadwood (2004-6)
by Maurizio Roca How can one assess a show that was never properly completed during it’s initial run on cable TV. Only three seasons aired before Deadwood was hastily cancelled by HBO. Unlike other...
View Article25. The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978)
by Brandie Ashe Starlet O’Hara: “What brings you to Terra?” Rat Butler: “You, you vixen, you. Starlet, I love you. That–that–that gown is gorgeous!” Starlet O’Hara: “Thank you. I saw it in the window...
View Article24. Mad Men (2007-2015)
by Patricia Perry Where do I even begin with Mad Men: very likely the most written about, most talked about, most analyzed (possibly over-analyzed) television series of the 21st century so far? The...
View ArticleDetroit; Ingrid Goes West; Good Time; Beach Rats; The Big Sick and Wind River...
by Sam Juliano Labor Day 2017. The annual lamentations always seem to focus in on how quickly we reach certain dates or times of the year. The whole matter of time as a fleeting proposition would...
View ArticleNicolas Refn’s THE NEON DEMON “I think you can probably do a lot of things…”
© 2017 by James Clark Filmmaker, Nicolas Refn (b. 1970), has, in his works, always resorted to sensational violence as apparently appropriate for his motives. He could be described as an expert...
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