And so it ends, with a surprisingly elegiac, old-school sendoff for Walter Hartwell White.
Category Archives: Television
Comedy Roundup: Week of 9/24
A review of The Michael J. Fox Show pilot, Pawnee goes to London, and more in a new weekly feature where I rank sitcom episodes based on my arbitrary whims.
Review: BROADCHURCH, Season 1
A great long-form murder mystery is hard to pull off in the 21st century, because audiences have gotten more cynical and are quicker at putting the pieces together. With entire message boards devoted to theories and speculation as a series like Broadchurch progresses, the “big reveal” at the end will always run the risk of underwhelming (if there even IS a reveal, as The Killing learned to its peril) — but Broadchurch skirts that issue, and does so brilliantly.
Pilot Review: AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
There’s an awful lot riding on this one. With the full weight of the Marvel/Disney publicity machine behind it, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t be anything less than an out-of-the-box smash. Good news? It’s probably the best drama pilot of the year. Bad news? All it has to be to clear that bar is “okay.”
BREAKING BAD: “Granite State”
Last week, creator Vince Gilligan said that “Ozymandias” was “the best episode we ever had or will ever have.” While that might be a red flag to some about next week’s grand finale, it absolutely signaled the piece-moving, comedown episode we had last night. I didn’t love it, but it was necessary.
David’s Favorite TV Series, #24: FRINGE
A brainy science-fiction show with romantic’s heart, a procedural with fully-formed characters, a crazy action series with a brilliant cast — FRINGE was many things, and always great.
EMMYS 2013: Who Will (and Should) Win?
This Sunday, Neil Patrick Harris hosts the Emmys, which purports to honor the finest television of last year, but is mostly an opportunity for the voters to repeatedly honor the same people over and over again. If the Golden Globes are awful because of their nomination process, at least they usually get the winners right. The Emmys, meanwhile, are constantly behind the curve. Will anything change this year? Let’s dive into the nominations…
Pilot Review: BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Pilots are hard. Writers have to quickly build a world and introduce believable and memorable characters, with enough of a story hook to make viewers come back for another round. Comedy pilots are even harder — they also have to tell some jokes, and do it all in just 22 minutes.
Pilot Review: SLEEPY HOLLOW
There’s been no shortage of bugnuts*, high-concept shows in recent years, most of which take themselves too seriously and turn into dreary slogs that beg to be put out of their misery. Under the Dome is one of those shows. Sleepy Hollow, at least judging by the pilot, is not.
