‘Century City’ (2004) gives a sneak preview of 2030
TV shows lost to history (Review): “Century City” stands out from other law procedurals by imagining how things will be in the near future.
Television
One-season wonders: ‘Swingtown’ (2008) (TV review)
I like “Swingtown” (2008, CBS, available on DVD and Amazon streaming) almost entirely for the way it recreates the Summer of 1976, yet it’s totally defensible as a legitimate one-season wonder on its overall merits, thanks to […]
‘Designated Survivor’s’ President Kirkman is a nice guy – and an awful president (TV commentary)
ABC’s “Designated Survivor” strained throughout its first season to show that President Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) is a good, decent and refreshingly different type of president. But because the show operates on a superficial level, it’s easy […]
John’s 10 favorite TV characters at the moment (Commentary)
Here are my 10 favorite TV characters at the moment, as the traditional season winds down and the summer season begins:
Noxon’s ‘Point Pleasant’ (2005) an interesting failure
One-season wonders (TV review): Marti Noxon breaks free from the Whedonverse to take a crack at a horror drama.
Rewatching and reviewing the classics: ’24’ Season 3 (2003-04) (TV review)
After establishing itself as TV’s elite adrenaline rush in the epic Season 2, “24” Season 3 (2003-04, Fox; now streaming on Amazon Prime) gets introspective and examines how family and romantic relationships can suffer under the weight […]
First episode impressions: ‘Fargo’ Season 3 (TV review)
After eight long episodes of Noah Hawley’s literally brain-teasing “Legion,” it’s a comparative relief to get back to the familiar footing of his first hit show, “Fargo” (10 p.m. Eastern Wednesdays on FX), which launched its third […]
Rewatching and reviewing the classics: ‘24’ Season 2 (2002-03) (TV review)
Now would be a good time to rewatch “24” Season 2 (2002-03, Fox; now streaming on Amazon Prime). Centered on a terrorist nuclear bomb in Los Angeles and the buildup to war in the aftermath of its […]
As ‘Bates Motel’ moves into ‘Psycho’ territory, it does its own thing – which is cool (TV review)
The “Bates Motel” (10 p.m. Eastern Mondays, A&E) narrative has steamrolled its way into the plot of the 1960 movie “Psycho,” its source material, the past couple weeks. I was looking forward to seeing those classic scenes […]
‘This Is Us’: The best show on TV, or one big manipulative trick? (Commentary)
Having already been renewed through its third season, “This Is Us” is a show we’ll be talking about for a while. After last Tuesday’s Season 1 finale, I Facebooked that it successfully made me cry in 18 […]