I remember the first time I saw the pilot of the original version of The Wonder Years. It was early in 1988. I was working at TV Guide Canada at the time, and without sounding too much like a narrator on the series, it was one of the best pilots I had ever seen. It
Sitcoms usually take a while to hit their stride; sometimes weeks, sometimes months. This was especially true if you go all the way back to the days of Cheers and Mary Tyler Moore. Both were such slow starters they’d likely be canceled today before they had a chance to jell. Even The Office was too
Seth Rogan kind of nailed it Sunday night at the 73rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. “There are way too many of us in this room,” he said early in the three-hour and 15 minute (and seemed longer) broadcast. As he pointed out, it was supposed to be an outdoor event. Why was there a roof
In some ways, Ken Burns takes on his toughest opponent with “Muhammad Ali.” His four-part, eight-hour documentary series about the late, great heavyweight champion and civil rights icon premieres Sunday and airs over four nights through September 22 on PBS. It is, in Burns’ words, a documentary that is “soup to nuts comprehensive in terms
Steve Martin and Martin Short have a nice little side venture as a modern day comedy team. Their live shows are sensational. Together or apart, they are at the top of every late night talk show guest list. Add Selina Gomez and… whaa? Selina Gomez? A Boomer and Millennial three-fer? Abbott & Costello meet one
I’ve been starring at a lot of screens lately trying to keep up with this summer’s virtual Television Critics Association press tour sessions. Many of the bigger names, in terms of talent, available in these zoom calls, have been showcased by a streaming service that’s been around a while but doesn’t cross the border directly
Warning: stay off Fantasy Island. No, there’s not COVID outbreak, or any other hint of reality. This latest re-boot of an old series, which premiered Tuesday night on Fox and Global, is simply dull. The only fantasy is that today, in 2021, some network executives thought that another go at this escapist nonsense from the
What, exactly, is “Schmigadoon”? Well, it is a parody of iconic Broadway musicals from the ’40s and ’50s — big shows such as “Brigadoon” and “Oklahoma” — updated and diversified for 21st century audiences. Think of it as more of a deconstruct than a parody suggests Keegan-Michael Key, who is paired with Saturday Night Live‘s