TV Reviews

The New Normal: Series Premiere

Written by Becky Kifer Thursday, September 13, 2012, 8:28 AM

I’m here to talk about NBC’s The New Normal, but let’s backtrack a few months ago to when I was tricked into attending a Husbands web series panel at San Diego’s Comic Con. (Tricked isn’t the right word, but the program description was misleading. Instead of a general look at writer Jane Espenson’s career, she was actually there as the co-creator of Husbands, alongside director Jeff Greenstein and the cast.)

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The Thick of It (UK): Season 4 Premiere

Written by Andrew Watson Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 3:10 PM

There is a stunning moment of realisation for Peter Mannion (Roger Allam) as he is driven away from the wreckage of another policy in tatters. He turns to his Coalition partner, Fergus (Geoffrey Streatfeild) and wearily states “Maybe it would be better if we tried to get along instead of just pretending to.” Right there, both men in that car know the absolute folly of their relationship, and the mistakes that way will be doomed to repeat. Politics are vitally important in the organising and running of a society, and yet it is also a poison. That poison permeates every inch of the political machine, causing chaos. Good policies are sunk to the bottom while bad policies fester at the top and people with noble intentions either turn into hideous jackals or are crushed by them. The Thick of It has used this as a theme over the years, aiming its barbs at the Labour government and the force of nature known as the spin doctor. With Labour’s election defeat in 2010, they are in the doldrums. The Thick of It needs a new target for its abuse, and in the way that art imitates life, life has handed them a doozy.

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True Blood: Season 5 Finale

Written by Meredith Alloway Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 6:20 AM

I think it’s appropriate that we all take a moment, and mourn the loss of our dear series True Blood. Its time has come.

When you watch a season finale with your brows constantly furrowed and your jaw dropped in awe of its hilarity as opposed to its excitement, you know it’s over. And it’s no surprise, either. Most plot and shock based TV shows can’t keep up their initial momentum. There are only so many outlandish and eccentric punches a storyline can pack and in this case, supernatural characters it can manage.

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Bunheads: Season 1 Finale

Written by Katherine Larrabee Thursday, August 23, 2012, 2:07 PM

Bunheads is a television version of “Where’s Waldo” but rather than trying to find a guy in a red and white striped shirt, dark rimmed glasses, and a beanie, viewers are trying to spot actors who were also featured in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s previous hit Gilmore Girls.

And they aren’t difficult to find.

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Grimm: Season 2 Premiere

Written by Sarah Heiman Thursday, August 16, 2012, 7:54 AM

NBC made a smart move premiering Grimm’s second season right after the Olympics ended, in a temporary Monday timeslot and weeks ahead of most other fall premieres. Looks like the ad campaign capitalizing on all those Olympics eyeballs paid off: Grimm’s season two premiere garnered the dark fairy tale show’s second highest ratings since the series premiere.

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