« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Justice (FOX)
“All sizzle and no steak…”
Brian Lowry, Variety
Justice (FOX)
“‘Justice’ is just a reasonably well-made, meat-and-potatoes lawyer show.”
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune
Justice (FOX)
“ ‘Justice,’ to put it in culinary terms, is a banquet of gourmet fast food, all of it delicious and addictive -- even if it could probably never pass for actual nourishment.”
Tom Shales, Washington Post
Justice (FOX)
“Trust those Bruckheimer folks to teach an old format yet another new trick.”
Robert Bianco, USA Today
30 Days (FX)
“…‘30 Days’ once again scores as a lively, intelligent and provocative human behavior laboratory.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press
Bones (FOX)
“…an entertaining crime procedural with a nice sense of humor…”
Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News
20/20: Last Days on Earth (ABC)
“… a rather sensationalized title for what turns out to be a scientifically valid two-hour program.”
Joanne Ostrow, Denver Post
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Rescue Me (FX)
"If there were only a 12-step program to help a TV series."
Mark A. Perigard,
Boston Herald
Rescue Me (FX)
"…a four-alarm cliffhanger that dishes out some poetic justice…"
Alan Pergament, The Buffalo News
Rescue Me (FX)
"'Rescue' has set the seasonal bar high."
Robert Bianco, USA Today
Celebrity Duets (FOX)
"There is a whiff of mothballs surrounding this 'Duets,' but like the similarly challenged 'Dancing With the Stars,' the sweet smell of success could cover that up in no time."
Karla Peterson, San Diego Union-Tribune
P.O.V.: Waging a Living (PBS)
"This isn't 'warts-and-all' TV, but 'soul-and-all' TV; gradually, irrevocably, the camera pans up and these hard lives assume a certain dignity and even nobility."
Verne Gay, Newsday
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Prison Break (FOX)
"…taut, high-energy and, at times, just flat-out gripping…"
Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News
Prison Break (FOX)
"It would be bad enough if 'Prison Break' were merely ludicrous, but the writers have become incredibly lazy…"
Robert Bianco, USA Today
Vanished (FOX)
"This is what you'd get if 'Without a Trace' somehow turned into a cartoonish conspiracy chase thriller."
Matt Roush, TV Guide
Katrina: The Long Road Back (NBC)
"Of the three network anchors, none more than Williams has reported as well or as consistently on the Katrina story."
Geoff Bennett, America Online
Triple Cross: Bin Laden's Spy in America (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
"'Triple Cross' amply reveals just how obvious Mr. Mohamed's deadly trajectory should have been, for anyone who knew what to look for."
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
The Cheetah Girls 2 (DISNEY)
"There's no other word for this movie but cute."
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times
The Cheetah Girls 2 (DISNEY)
"'The Cheetah Girls 2' takes the energy and spirit of the first telepic and adds a whole lot of spice and then some."
Marilyn Moss, The Hollywood Reporter
The Cheetah Girls 2 (DISNEY)
"While 'The Cheetah Girls 2' may seem a bit slickly delivered for grown-up sensibilities (adults should be two steps ahead of the plot at all times), it's also wildly entertaining."
Diane Werts, Newsday
Lucky Louie (HBO)
"…this is barely a burlap sack of a sitcom."
Ed Bark, Dallas Morning News
Lucky Louie (HBO)
"'Lucky Louie' is like an exercise in anti-humor."
David Bianculli, New York Daily News
Lucky Louie (HBO)
"HBO on Sunday has…what we can only hope is the last ever episode of Lucky Louie."
Robert Bianco, USA Today
Deadwood (HBO)
"With every passing week, it has become clearer that 'Deadwood' more than deserves another full season."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune
Deadwood (HBO)
"…imminent cancellation seems to have spurred its scribes' creative juices, making this season finale one of its best installments to date."
Mekeisa Madden Toby, The Detroit News
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Primetime: Out of Control: AIDS in Black America (ABC)
"Peter Jennings would have been proud of this report."
Erik Pedersen,
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003020915
The Hollywood Reporter
Primetime: Out of Control: AIDS in Black America (ABC)
"'Out of Control' delivers an hour of provocative, high quality TV journalism."
Mike Duffy,
Detroit Free Press
High School Musical (DISNEY)
"It's the perfect blend of music, love story and comedy, and there are even some important life lessons thrown into the mix."
Megan Walsh-Boyle, TV Guide
Windfall (NBC)
"Perhaps you can make up a drinking game for every time Luke Perry smolders toward the camera."
Courtney Potter, Zap2it
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
The Hill (SUNDANCE)
“In its solidly straightforward way, the show plays something like ‘The Real World’ meets C-SPAN.”
Paul Farhi, Washington Post
The Hill (SUNDANCE)
“…a slickly produced and irresistibly engrossing docu series that offers a multilayered look at various forms of politics…”
Joe Leydon, Variety
The Hill (SUNDANCE)
“Perhaps unintentionally, ‘The Hill’ underscores why the Democrats have foundered in recent elections.”
David Kronke, Los Angeles Daily News
CNN Presents: In the Footsteps of bin Laden (CNN)
“A fascinating documentary.”
Marilyn Moss, The Hollywood Reporter
CNN Presents: In the Footsteps of bin Laden (CNN)
“With the heavy rotation of soulful portraits of the soft-voiced prophet of jihad with Super 8-style movies of the warrior on horseback, parts of ‘In the Footsteps of bin Laden’ could almost double as a recruiting video for Al Qaeda.”
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times
Two-a-Days (MTV)
“…this is a taut, engrossing and smartly produced hour that provides a navel-eye view of a unique part of American life and culture.”
Verne Gay, Newsday
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty (OXYGEN)
“Regrettably, what we get is a kinder, gentler, Oprahesque Doherty, and what could have been an amusing debacle winds up being an annoying muddle.”
John Maynard, Washington Post
Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty (OXYGEN)
“Where’s the bitch?”
Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald
Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty (OXYGEN)
“It's contrived and superficial and all-around lame.”
Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter
When the Levees Broke (HBO)
“Charged with profound sorrow, galvanizing outrage and defiant resolve…”
Joe Leydon, Variety
When the Levees Broke (HBO)
“In an era where documentary filmmaking has never been more prolific or more valuable as a tool for political change, ‘Levees’ makes statements that are likely to resonate long after New Orleans is rebuilt and its people have returned home.”
David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
P.O.V. : Lomax The Songhunter (PBS)
“Mr. Kappers doesn’t do a particularly good job of summarizing this work in his disjointed documentary…”
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
When the Levees Broke (HBO)
“Those who believed they had seen the most revealing events that occurred in the wake of Katrina will learn from this film that they were wrong.”
Howard Reich, ChicagoTribune
When the Levees Broke (HBO)
“This eloquent, angry film is one of Lee's best and certainly ranks among his most important.”
Matt Rouch, TV Guide
When the Levees Broke (HBO)
“Lee — who wisely keeps the film free of his stylistic quirks — reminds us all too well what it means to miss New Orleans.”
Gilbert Cruz, Entertainment Weekly
Vanished (FOX)
“In public ‘Vanished’ does its best to impersonate coldblooded film noir, but privately it locks the bedroom door, puts on a Donna Summer CD and dresses up as Krystle Carrington of ‘Dynasty.’”
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times
Vanished (FOX)
“For all its cribbing from plots gone by, ‘Vanished’ still makes for good, escapist fun.”
Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post
Prison Break (FOX)
“…‘Break’ seems well positioned as a kind of poor man's ‘24’ -- a series whose fun factor hinges on a willingness to suspend disbelief and not question the more preposterous moments…”
Brian Lowry, Variety
On Native Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission Report (COURT TV)
“There are no great surprises here, which is fine because the truth is shocking enough.”
Barry Garron, The Hollywood Reporter
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale (LIFETIME)
“Even Paula Abdul would have a hard time finding something nice to say about this badly made biopic.”
Erin White, San Jose Mercury News
The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale (LIFETIME)
“Forget ‘From Justin to Kelly’; you have to go back to Liberace in ‘Sincerely Yours’ to find a less propitious acting debut by a singing star.”
Robert Bianco, USA Today
The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale (LIFETIME)
“Superficially sketched and played at an overwrought level, ‘The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale’ never penetrates the psyche or personality of the ‘American Idol’ winner…”
Phil Gallo, Variety
Vietnam Nurses with Dana Delany (WE TV)
“The special only hints at some of the deeper, darker stuff that went on — but we're not about to find too much fault with anything honoring these kick-ass chicks.”
Jennifer Armstrong, Entertainment Weekly
Vietnam Nurses with Dana Delany (WE TV)
“Skillfully assembled and edited photos, film and anecdotes add up to the show’s perpetually affecting message: Being in Vietnam was like living a horror movie.”
Anita Gates, NewYork Times
Stargate SG-1(SCI FI)
“…one of the funniest TV outings of the summer…”
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club (CINEMAX)
“The only criticism one can make is to wish the film were longer…”
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune
The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club (CINEMAX)
“It's a compelling but basically grim half-hour piece.”
Irv Letofsky, The Hollywood Reporter
The Ultimate Fighter 4 (SPIKE TV)
“These men know how to fight, and the two five-minute rounds are pay-per-view quality.”
Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald
Ace of Cakes (FOOD NETWORK)
“ ‘Ace of Cakes’ is a welcome, upbeat, fun to watch show about how art happens, from the characters of the bakers, to the demands of the customers.”
Juliette Rossant, Super Chef Blog
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Laguna Beach (MTV)
“This is high school's brutal rivalry juiced on money and sex and pumped full of cut-downs on steroids.”
Erin White, Arizona Daily Star
Laguna Beach (MTV)
“‘Laguna Beach’ will keep its fans, but it might not earn new ones this season: Tessa simply introduces too much reality to the otherworldly fantasy of perpetual sunshine that has driven the show so far.”
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times
Laguna Beach (MTV)
“It doesn't take long to find some layabout girls who stress about boys and have daggers out for rival girls (for reasons they seem to forget) and boys who are more clueless than ever, whose maintenance of abdominal muscles seems their main goal.”
Karen Hunter, Hartford Courant
30 Days (FX)
“Yoga, acupuncture, tips on tantric sex, it's all part of a witty, cleverly told self-improvement odyssey.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press
So You Think You Can Dance? (FOX)
“Aside from being a fun, frothy show, ‘Dance’ is a sly celebration of hard work — by proxy.”
Gillian Flynn, Entertainment Weekly
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (OXYGEN)
“Her moods swing back-and-forth faster than a monkey on crack, and it's almost impossible to tell if her imperious behavior is designed to play to the cameras, or if it's just so instilled in her DNA that she can't turn it off.”
Rick Ellis, All Your TV
Eureka (SCI FI)
“ ‘Eureka’ is a cute show, but it can't survive on quirks and conspiracies alone.”
Robert Bianco, USA Today
The P.A. (FUSE)
“…this should be a character worth pulling for, and the almost-show-biz circumstances alone make for plenty of story possibilities.”
Ward Triplett, Kansas City Star
Biography: Ron Popeil (BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL)
“Along with bittersweet revelations about Popeil's lousy childhood and checkered career as a father and husband, this lively, entertaining portrait is filled with blast-from-the-past memories of all those crazy, cool Ronco TV commercials.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press
Biography: Ron Popeil (BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL)
“Yes, ‘Biography’ has stooped to profiling an infomercial king.”
Michael Endelman, Entertainment Weekly
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Weeds (SHOWTIME)
"‘Weeds’ is colossally great in itself -- a series far better than its premise and utterly essential for devotees of smart, entertaining television.”
Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle
Weeds (SHOWTIME)
“What started as an amusing but sometimes smug pot-com returns for its second season as a deeper, sharper, funnier suburban satire.”
Robert Bianco, USA Today
Weeds (SHOWTIME)
“Showtime's deliciously politically incorrect comedy returns for a second season in wickedly wonderful style.”
Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter
Weeds (SHOWTIME)
“The sly, wacky tabacky twist on ‘Desperate Housewives’…has already led Showtime a few steps closer to the high-quality series territory long occupied by HBO.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press
The Miracle of Stairway B (THE HISTORY CHANNEL)
“This stirring tale of 14 people who survived the collapse of the North Tower of the World Trade Center is sure to bring emotions flooding back, especially for those viewers who are only now ready to see 9/11 footage again.”
Abby West, Entertainment Weekly
The Miracle of Stairway B (THE HISTORY CHANNEL)
“Sept. 11 is still an emotional solar eclipse; those who look at it do so through a pinhole projector that at least partly shields the mind and the heart.”
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale (Lifetime)
“The film is so full of up-from-adversity clichés that if Simon Cowell were judging, he'd probably call it karaoke.”
Matt Roush, TV Guide
The Kumars at No. 42 (BBC AMERICA)
“This quirky crossbreed blends a script, improvisation and interviews into an oddly likable show.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press
The Ron Clark Story (TNT)
“…the film is entertaining and much less saccharine than it could have been, thanks to a script that zigzags realistically between success and failure, and a likable performance by Matthew Perry.”
Anita Gates, New York Times
The Ron Clark Story (TNT)
“It's cute, it's funny, it's very sad and ultimately it's poignant.”
Victor Balta, The Daily Herald
The Ron Clark Story (TNT)
“Despite the film's tendency to candy-coat life, ‘Clark’ does deliver a touching message.”
Robert Bianco, USA Today
Countdown to Ground Zero (HISTORY CHANNEL)
“ ‘Countdown’ is upsetting, but sometimes in the wrong way; you feel like a voyeur.”
Paul Brownfield, LA Times
ShakespeaRe-Told (BBC AMERICA)
“…a witty, wacky and gloriously modernized piece of business…”
Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Windfall (NBC)
“No one would mistake ‘Windfall’ for a very good series, but it does get some credit for hanging in there in a summer where so many other new shows have faltered.”
Robert Bianco, USA Today
Windfall (NBC)
“Money changes everything -- except, perhaps, the familiar whiff of stale ensemble drama.”
Brian Lowry, Variety
God Sleeps in Rwanda (CINEMAX) “The half-hour film evokes wide-ranging emotions.”
Eric Pedersen, The Hollywood Reporter
House of Boateng (SUNDANCE)
“First rule of getting your own reality TV show: don’t sign on if you aren’t ready to see your ego slowly dissected, held up under a blinding spotlight and slyly ridiculed by millions.”
Adario Strange, New York Press
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Project Runway (BRAVO)
“…this season is proving to be every bit as addictive as the previous outings.”
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune
Project Runway (BRAVO)
“In fashion, you're either in, or you're out...or you make good TV.”
Alynda Wheat, Entertainment Weekly
30 Days (FX)
“…‘30 Days’ takes a dubious notion -- that even the most intractable conflicts can be resolved if people only take the time to get to know one another -- and invests it with enough warmth and wide-eyed curiosity to make it work.”
Peter Ames Carlin, The Oregonian
So You Think You Can Dance? (FOX)
“…proving that unfamiliar music and obscure dance steps aren't necessarily a television turn-off.”
David A. Keeps, LA Times
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
The Real World: Key West (MTV)
“‘The Real World’ went from exploring how to get your adulthood started…to a recurring drama of sloth, ill tempers, wasted days and wasted nights.”
Hank Stuever, Washington Post
The Real World: Key West (MTV)
“These roomies don't like each other, or themselves, making it hard for us to care about their nonsense.”
Sandy Deane, America Online
Secret Lives of Women (WE)
“One can't help feeling that these women should be sharing their secrets with a therapist and not with a camera crew.”
Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate
Secret Lives of Women (WE)
“These women’s choices may seem silly or repellent, but the WE series gives its subjects an opportunity to speak for themselves…”
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times
Starface (GSN)
“Strange stuff, and featherweight to be sure, but it mostly works because of a Bonaduce style that is at once brusque, flippant and charismatic.”
Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E)
“Gene Simmons' latest reality vehicle not only suffers from poor punctuation, but it's a flat-out bore…”
Brian Lowry, Variety
Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E)
“Gene Simmons is no Ozzy Osbourne.”
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times
One Ocean View (ABC)
“In short, 1OV is a primer on an exciting and offensive new social type: the Gen-Y Yuppie.”
Troy Patterson, Slate
One Ocean View (ABC)
“It's hard to know how to categorize this hapless, unhappy hybrid: unreal realism?”
Tom Shales, Washington Post
Fight Girls (OXYGEN)
"...is a lively look into a rarely seen world that makes significant note of female outer and inner strength.”
Randee Dawn, The Hollywood Reporter
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Shock to the System (HERE!)
“We love Chad as a gay detective—but could we punch up the mystery?”
Lawrence Ferber, The Advocate
Shock to the System (HERE!)
“…there aren't enough novelty, wit or sufficient shocks to the system to make this film memorable.”
Michael Ordona, LA Times
The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman / The Business (IFC)
“These mostly unfunny programs are almost relentlessly unpleasant -- approximating the wannabe life's look and desperation while trafficking in tired showbiz cliches, spiced with the F-word in pursuit of edginess. “
Brian Lowry, Variety
The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman (IFC)
“ ‘Jackie Woodman’ is a deadpan hoot.”
Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter
ShakespeaRe-Told (BBC AMERICA)
“…contemporary tales that are deliciously far-fetched, yet faithful to the plays.”
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times
ShakespeaRe-Told (BBC AMERICA)
“BBC America's ‘ShakespearRe-Told’ updates the Bard's classics by thrusting them into wildly contemporary settings with spirit and wit.”
Matt Roush, TV Guide
Three Moons Over Milford (ABC FAMILY)
“Laughs don't come easily in this odd setup.”
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel
Three Moons Over Milford (ABC FAMILY)
“ ‘Three Moons’ is three kinds of loopy, which is at least two too many.”
Diane Werts, Newsday
The Business (IFC)
“ ‘The Business’ lampoons the world of indie-film production with a sharp and jaundiced eye.”
Carly Darling, The Star-Telegram
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (SCI FI)
“The fact that Stan Lee's ‘Who Wants To Be A Superhero?’ is completely ridiculous and the epitome of reality show excess doesn't necessarily make for unwatchable entertainment.”
Mitchell Warren, Miami Poetry Review
Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (SCI FI)
“It’s the most charming reality lark since ‘Beauty and the Geek’.”
Matt Roush, TV Guide
The Mushroom Club (CINEMAX)
“…simply breaks your heart -- driving home with powerful clarity the sheer randomness and ugliness of war.”
Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter
Extreme Makeover (ABC)
“Whip out the hankies, Makeover's back.”
Paul Katz, Entertainment Weekly
When Surgical Tools Get Left Behind 2 (TLC)
“I don't know what's better about this show -- its title, or the fact that it's the second one.”
Courtney Potter, Zap2it
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
30 Days (FX)
"...a very sneaky series, much smarter, more earnest, and in a strange way, more respectable, than it first seems.”
Matt Zoller Seitz, The Star-Ledger
30 Days (FX)
“Producer-narrator Morgan Spurlock scores again with a revealing hour of smart, substantive reality TV, putting a human face on a provocative social issue.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press
Project Runway (BRAVO)
“It's the best soap opera of the summer…”
Karen Heller, Philadelphia Inquirer
Project Runway (BRAVO)
“While this show is not without contrived tension and brittle drama, its reliance on spontaneous creativity and a ticking clock keeps it interesting.”
Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate (Albany Times Union)
Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (TNT)
“The series is an excellent reminder that what makes Mr. King’s visions so fascinating is not their uniqueness or their artistry, but exactly how much they’re like ordinary nightmares.”
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
Love Soup (BBC AMERICA)
“Leave it to the British to find a lovely new twist on romantic comedy.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press
Love Soup (BBC AMERICA)
“…a well-made and very likable example of a genre that has gone out of style on this side of the pond.”
Joanne Weintraub, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Al Otro Lado (PBS)
“‘Al Otro Lado’ is an important contribution to the understanding of the immigrant experience.”
Belinda Acosta, Austin Chronicle
Al Otro Lado (PBS)
“…an often affecting if sometimes meandering look at a topic that has so dominated the news of late.”
Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post
Private Screenings: Angela Lansbury (TCM)
“An informative and very entertaining hour.”
Marilyn Moss, The Hollywood Reporter
« 07.01.06
09.01.06 »
One Ocean View (ABC)
“…a prime-time reality soap that tries to capture the appeal of MTV’s ‘Laguna Beach’ for an older crowd but merely comes off as ‘The Dumb and the Restless.’”
Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald
One Ocean View (ABC)
“…may set a new record for the fewest plot developments in a single hour of prime-time television.”
David Blum, New York Sun
One Ocean View (ABC)
“It is…unlikely to do much to galvanize its intended audience unless things become very tawdry very fast.”
Brian Lowry, Variety
Tabloid Wars (BRAVO)
“Tabloid Wars' built-in meta-narratives…are as addicting as detective novels.”
Troy Patterson, Slate
Life on Mars (BBC AMERICA)
“Luckily, Life on Mars isn't just a great concept, it's brilliantly executed as well.”
Brian Tallerico, Underground Online
Life on Mars (BBC AMERICA)
“‘Life on Mars' will have you hooked.”
Melanie McFarland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
