TV Show Reviews

"V" Stands For ReViVal on ABC
Well, here's a solution to the health care problem we didn't foresee. Space aliens will set up clinics around the world and treat everybody for free. I have to admit, it's simple. But the aliens no doubt have some ulterior motive ... [More]

The Discovery Channel discovers camels in Ramona
There's a guy in Ramona who claims you can cure dysentery by eating camel turds. Really. Gil Riegler swears it's true. "We know all sorts of stories about camels," Riegler says. He should. He and his wife, Nancy, ... [More]

'White Collar' on USA
Yes, “White Collar” is implausible to the point of being ridiculous. But the writers and actors know it and, good sports that they are, they’re ... [More]

Soldiers Who Return to Iraq -- by choice
Also: 'Monty Python' - not quite completely different
It's not giving anything away to say that "Occupation" ends pretty much as it begins, with violence, blood, fear and death. How could it be otherwise?<br /... [More]

Ken Burns Tours the National Parks
Also: three new ABC series
About three years ago, my wife and I toured a few of California's national parks. We had driven from San Diego through Baker to Death Valley, and to <a ... [More]

TV's fall season kicks off: "Accidentally on Purpose"
Also: "The Good Wife" and "Mercy"
What you really want in beer, the commercials tell us (would they lie?), is "drinkability." What that means, nobody explains. TV sitcoms, however, do need likability. That, we understand. If the audience likes the primary ... [More]

"The Jay Leno Show" -- Much Ado About Very Little
Also: "Community" and "The Beautiful Life"
That's it? That's what all the fuss was about? If ever a television show fell short of expectations, NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" is it. But I'm not sure why. ... [More]

CW Takes a Bite of "Vampire Diaries"
Also: "Melrose Place" Remodeled
So, this is my question: Once a teenage vampire, always a teenage vampire? Consider the case at hand. Stefan Salvatore is a vampire, centuries old, yet he never ages. He's <a href="http://www.ultramyth.com/vampires_ages.php" ... [More]

Fox has a gamer in 'Glee'
I haven’t seen them all yet, but I’ll be very surprised if the fall collection of new prime-time series offers anything more enjoyable than “Glee.” Deceptively ... [More]

TV's unhealthy effects on the health care debate
"Glenn Martin, DDS": funny as a root canal
Whatever happens to President Obama’s attempt to reform health care in America, it won’t be said that television played a positive role in the debate. Television news coverage has, as always, given us heat when we ... [More]