Community, Season 3, Episode 3: “Competitive Ecology″ Airs Thursdays, 8pm ET on NBC A common theme in sitcom television is that the characters within the world of the television show only interact with each other and never make any friends outside of their group. If they do, they are only pushed away by other members …
Over the years, serialized television has become increasingly more prominent. Condensed-time and arc-based series are the dramatic norm, on cable at least, with the most culturally significant and critically acclaimed series falling into this category. With television viewership dwindling, niche shows are increasingly sustainable, making cult, new-viewer-unfriendly programming less of a risk for struggling networks. …
TV is full of shows set in their own universes, worlds different from our own (sometimes slightly, sometimes drastically) that open up new avenues for storytellers to explore. It can be a lot of fun to ponder what it would be like to live in a particular universe, to explore that different world, but would …
I’m a nerd. I like data. Spreadsheets are fun and I have a nearly Marshall Eriksen-level affinity for charts. When I decided to look into high school-based television series for my next article, my first stop was Wikipedia and its page on high school television series (This is why I’m not an actual researcher). Initially, …
Cop shows have been around almost as long as television itself and have run the gamut, from procedurals to sitcoms to serialized dramas. They’ve given us some of TV’s most memorable and enduring characters, not to mention some of the medium’s best performances. Yet, upon examination, disproportionately few of the detectives who grace our screens …
There is a long tradition in storytelling of remakes, retellings, or in other ways copying someone else’s idea. Television is no exception. This fall season, two new British imports are on the way, Prime Suspect and The X Factor, and several of the most popular returning series originated across the pond as well. America has …
Television, more than any other medium, allows its audience to experience a story over time. Characters grow and develop over the years and the audience shares in this. The big, life-changing moments happen, but so do the small ones, the day to day and week to week choices that shape who a person really is. …
With the return of Doctor Who little more than a week away the BBC has released two short clips from the upcoming “Let’s Kill Hitler” written by Steven “The Grand Moff” Moffat himself. Check out the previews below, but don’t spoil it for me, I saving myself for the big day (there are rumours of …
The right music can make all the difference in a TV show. It can elevate a scene, imbue it with nuance and meaning, or destroy it, either under- or over-playing the emotion and rendering it lifeless or trite. Many have opinions on the best or most memorable TV theme songs, but far fewer have anything to say …
The showrunner of a television program is the person in charge of day-to-day operations. He or she is an executive producer who has final say over every element of the series, from writing and directing staff to cast to costumes to music. Some choose to delegate, handing over responsibility for particular aspects of the show …
A “bromance” is a relationship between two heterosexual men that shares many of the elements or indicators of a romantic relationship. Originally coined in the ‘90s, the term caught on in mainstream pop culture a few years ago and has since saturated the market. Clearly the topic is of interest to many, but upon investigation, …
Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 4: “Escape to L.A.” Written by Jim Gray & John Shiban Directed by Billy Gierhart Airs Fridays at 10pm (ET) on Starz This week, on Torchwood: Esther has a crazy sister, the Torchwood crew each individually become the Worst Agent Ever (Esther by visiting her sister, Rex by calling Vera and …
It’s hard to believe, but starting in 1947 (Howdy Doody), with very few exceptions, there has been at least one Western on TV every season. In 1984, the genre took the year off (probably due to Little House fatigue), and there was some downtime after Deadwood ended and before Justified premiered (2007-2009), but other …
True Blood is by no means a perfect show, and it does have a history of starting strong and fizzling out at the end of a given season, but it’s still one I enjoy and think doesn’t get enough respect. To that end, here are 10 reasons I’ve stuck with the show and think you …
Confession: I enjoy things that are so bad they’re good so much that when it comes to television I honestly can’t differentiate between the bad and the good. With the success of shows like Rock of Love (now on it’s third season) it would appear that the worst you make a show the better television …