Critics

Love It! Hate It! 03.30.07


Fired! (SHOWTIME)
"Funny and revealing."
Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate

Fired! (SHOWTIME)
"There are only so many funny or interesting stories people can tell about getting fired before it all starts to sound monotonous."
Kevin Thompson, Palm Beach Post

Fired! (SHOWTIME)
"Like a newly minted college graduate entering the job market, 'Fired!' is missing the one thing it could have used most: a career objective."
Lael Loewenstein, Los Angeles Times

1,000 Places to See Before You Die (TRAVEL)
"Trapped in the delightful but limiting role of globe-trotting gogglers, they make you wonder if this show shouldn't have been called '1,000 Places to See Before You Become Interesting'."
Susan Stewart, New York Times

This American Life (SHOWTIME)
"'Life' makes the ordinary extraordinary and along the way makes the world seem wider, bigger and an eternally more interesting place to be."
Randee Dawn. Hollywood Reporter

Love It! Hate It! 03.29.07


The Boomer Century (PBS)
"It's disorienting and insidious, this second-rate suasion."
Virginia Heffernan,New York Times

The Boomer Century (PBS)
"Alternately informative and irritating."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

The Boomer Century (PBS)
"Unpredictable, multi-layered, inspiring and often overwhelming."
Linell Smith, Baltimore Sun

The Great American Dream Vote (ABC)
"One of the dorkiest competition concepts to come along in ages."
Brian Lowry,>Variety

Halfway Home (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"It's all a little obvious and too on-the-nose."
Rob Owen,> Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

Dirt (FX)
"Like Ms. Cox, Ms. Aniston seems to be sleepwalking through her part, not so much enjoying it as enduring it."
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times

The Great American Dream Vote (ABC)
"Sounds like a festival of cheerfully innocuous, sentimental nonsense."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

The Great American Dream Vote (ABC)
"My dream vote would be for the broadcast networks to stop making these second-season tossaway reality shows."
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"The most vapid show in existence."
Marlowesbeef, Blog Critics

Love It! Hate It! 03.26.07


The Party Never Stops (LIFETIME)
"Does the cheesy genre proud."
Jessica Shaw, Entertainment Weekly

The Party Never Stops (LIFETIME)
"You'd think Lifetime movies would have moved beyond the alarmist 'Reefer Madness' clichés by now. But they haven't."
Karen Hunter, Hartford Courant

The Party Never Stops (LIFETIME)
"A must-see for parents and their teenage and young adult children."
Jane Clifford, San Diego Union-Tribune

The UCLA Dynasty (HBO)
"An impressive account of an impressive team."
Barry Garron, Hollywood Reporter

The Riches (FX)
"Has the makings of a bracing, provocative series."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

Love It! Hate It! 03.24.07



Planet Earth (DISCOVERY HD)
"As compelling as it gets."
Andrew Lyons, Media Life

Planet Earth (DISCOVERY HD)
"A mystical viewing experience."
Verne Gay, Newsday


Planet Earth (DISCOVERY HD)
"Awesome."
Aaron Barnhart, Kansas City Star

Acceptable.TV (VH1)
"Pleasantly twisted."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Acceptable.TV (VH1)

"The framework is cleverer than the execution, with the debut yielding an assemblage of shorts reminding us how long three minutes can feel."

Brian Lowry,


http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117933166.html?categoryid=32&cs=1
Variety

Six Degrees (ABC)

"A good show that has finally been freed from an unsuitable time slot."

Karla Peterson,


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/peterson/20070323-9999-1c23karla.html
San Diego Union-Tribune

Love It! Hate It! 03.23.07


This American Life (SHOWTIME)
"'This American Life' has convinced me: Showtime is the new HBO."
Linda Stasi, New York Post

This American Life (SHOWTIME)
"Public radio's weekend audio fave comes to TV…with its affectionate wit and eccentricity not only intact but amplified."
Diane Werts,Newsday

This American Life (SHOWTIME)
"A welcome addition to nonfiction television and a loyal friend to the radio show."
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe

Andy Barker, P.I. (NBC)
"A joyous, ridiculous, warm, affecting and silly comedy."
Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle

October Road (ABC)
"An appalling combination of precious and pretentious."
Robert Bianco, USA Today

Love It! Hate It! 03.22.07


War Zone Diary (MSNBC)
"…frightening, enlightening and powerful."
Robert Bianco, USA Today

War Zone Diary (MSNBC)
"A powerful and personal documentary."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

War Zone Diary (MSNBC)
"…a bit like a blog but not enough to be truly intimate or deeply revealing."
Paul Brownfield, LA Times

Halfway Home (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"A mildly amusing way to spend a half an hour."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Criminal Minds (CBS)
"Persistently preposterous."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Love It! Hate It! 03.21.07


The Whitest Kids U'Know (FUSE)
"'Whitest Kids' hits the Monty Python-Kids in the Hall bull's-eye."
Rob Owen, Pittsburg Post-Gazette

The Whitest Kids U'Know (FUSE)
"Hugely inconsistent -- but it's likewise easy to see the potential of this outrageously original bunch."
Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter

Tori & Dean: Inn Love (OXYGEN)
"A slice of pleasant, dull piffle."
Karla Peterson, San Diego Union-Tribune

Tori & Dean: Inn Love (OXYGEN)
"The problem with Tori's newest reality show…is that, by now, we're all suffering from been-there-done-that disease."
Linda Stasi, New York Post

Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"The ratio of guilt to pleasure this reality cheese fest causes is way out of whack."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Love It! Hate It! 03.20.07


'Til Death Do Us Part (COURT TV)
"Good sickly fun."
Ginia Bellafante, New York Times

'Til Death Do Us Part (COURT TV)
"…doesn't trigger laughter so much as yawns."
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe

'Til Death Do Us Part (COURT TV)
"Merely the latest toboggan ride down the slippery slope of murder cases as entertainment."
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

The Riches (FX)
"You will think you are too smart to get suckered in by it, but give it a few minutes and you will be proved wrong."
James Poniewozik, Time

The Riches (FX)
"Vacillates between riveting and middling."
Melanie McFarland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Rules of Engagement (CBS)
"A show that's mediocre at its rare best."
Robert Bianco, USA Today

Love It! Hate It! 03.17.07


Galapagos (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
"This is the kind of visually stunning program your 3,000-inch high-definition television was made for."
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

Galapagos (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
"Every frame is startling and beautiful."
Linda Stasi, New York Post

Galapagos (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
"Fascinating."
Brian Lowry, Variety

Intervention (A&E)
"To say 'Intervention' is addictive would be in poor taste, so we'll go with riveting."
Shirley Halperin, Entertainment Weekly

Addiction (HBO)
"The insight of 'Addiction' is astounding."
Devin Gordon, Newsweek

The Wedding Bells (FOX)
"An anemic, unfunny romantic comedy."
Doug Elfman, Chicago Sun-Times

Love It! Hate It! 03.16.07


Andy Barker, P.I. (NBC)
"Nerdy sweetness and deep silliness flow effortlessly from Andy Richter."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Andy Barker, P.I. (NBC)
"The show could be almost too funny to be appreciated on normal television, in the same way 'Arrested [Development]' was."
Melanie McFarland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

October Road (ABC)
"This wretched show not only features a lead character who is an unredeemable nitwit but dialogue that manages to be leaden, preposterous and pretentious all at once."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

October Road (ABC)
"Unwatchable."
Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle

Raines (NBC)
"An average, unoriginal series."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

Raines (NBC)
"Working together, Goldblum and Craven create some of the most honest scenes in the genre."
Barry Garron, Hollywood Reporter

Addiction (HBO)
"A relentlessly grim and deeply depressing viewing experience."
Verne Gay, Newsday

Addiction (HBO)
"An example of the pay cable channel at its finest."
Aaron Barnhart, Kansas City Star

Love It! Hate It! 03.15.07


Halfway Home (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"Juvenile, amateurish, vulgar -- and pretty funny."
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe>

Halfway Home (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"Someone should remind the players in 'Halfway House' that the key to improvisational comedy is to come up with something actually funny, not just do the first stoopid thing that pops into your head."
Ted Cox, Chicago Daily Herald

Halfway Home (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"Tries too hard to be provocative and just ends up looking ugly and stereotypical."
Mark Schultz, Michigan Daily

Saints & Sinners (MY NEWTORK TV)
"Sumptuously silly."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Bones (FOX)
"Reliably entertaining."
Rob Brunner, Entertainment Weekly

Love It! Hate It! 03.14.07


Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"A painful bore."
John Maynard, Washington Post

Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"This show, obviously done on the cheap, cribs the template of so many better series (even the mediocre ones are better)."
David Kronke, LA Daily News

Bullrun (SPIKE TV)
"Sometimes watching 'Bullrun' is as tedious as being on a road trip with your own family."
Susan Stewart, New York Times

American Heiress (MY NETWORK TV)
"A cavalcade of cursing drivers, roaring engines and high-octane reality-TV hissy fits."
Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate

Love It! Hate It! 03.13.07


The Riches (FX)
"Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver put on a tour de force of acting."
Tim Goodman, San Fransisco Chronicle

The Riches (FX)
"An invigorating blend of dark drama and lighthearted irony, of puckish amusement and intense jeopardy."
Verne Gay, Newsday

The Riches (FX)
"Intriguing but not exactly compelling."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Kings of South Beach (A&E)
"Riveting."
Linda Stasi, New York Post

Kings of South Beach (A&E)
"It's just a flat collection of cop-show cliches."
Glenn Garvin, Miami Herald

Kings of South Beach (A&E)
"'Kings' is no day at the beach, but it does provide a good demonstration of how easily a TV movie can go south."
Brian Lowry, Variety

The Black Donnellys (NBC)
"It's a dark, risky yet mostly successful experiment in HBO-style drama."
Andrew Lyons. Media Life

Love It! Hate It! 03.10.07


The Winner (FOX) “It’s a hoot.”
Aaron Barnhart, Kansas City Star

The Winner (FOX)
“It never rises even to the level of worthlessness, occupying a territory beneath rock bottom, a sub-sub-subterranean realm where puerile bad taste is passed off as, of course, edginess.”
Tom Shales, Washington Post


Clatterford (BBC AMERICA)
“Sweetly amusing, with just a touch of tartness.”
Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News


Halfway Home (COMEDY CENTRAL)
“Crude, loud and painfully unfunny.”
Brian Lowry, Variety

Dice Undisputed (VH1)
“There's more pathos than humor in ‘Dice Undisputed,’ and very little ‘reality’ that seems real rather than self-consciously staged.”
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

Robin Hood (BBC AMERICA)
“A zippy, fun update.”
Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Love It! Hate It! 03.09.07


Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX)
“Something that's endearing for awhile but, ultimately, isn't destined to age well.”
Brian Lowry, Variety

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX)
“Lighthearted educational fun.”
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

The Morning Show With Mike And Juliet (FOX)
“Who knew WASPs could be so funny?”
Linda Stasi, New York Post

30 Rock (NBC)
“There's no sharper comedy writing or comedy directing on TV right now.”
Doug Elfman, Chicago Sun-Times

Soundies: A Musical History Hosted by Michael Feinstein (PBS)
“Wonderful.”
David Hinckley, New York Daily News


Love It! Hate It! 03.08.07


The Wedding Bells (FOX)
"Dangerously flawed and seriously underwhelming."
Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle

The Wedding Bells (FOX)
"It is awful in ways that make the word 'awful' seem inadequate."
Verne Gay, Newsday

The Wedding Bells (FOX)
"A painfully lightweight collection of stock comic wedding situations."
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe

The Wedding Bells (FOX)
"Even with an attractive cast and tart moments, the whole remains less than the sum of its parts."
Brian Lowry, Variety

The Sarah Silverman Program (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"Haphazard, amoral, ridiculous, wildly offensive...and, you know, totally hilarious."
Daniel Fierman, Entertainment Weekly

The Knights of Prosperity (ABC)
"It bursts with humor thanks to a solid cast, smart writing and a quick pace."
Barry Garron, Hollywood Reporter

Love It! Hate It! 03.07.07


Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"The search for TV's low point has ended."
Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate

Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"May have you throwing up hair balls."
Karen Hunter, Hartford Courant

Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"Don't cha wish your networks made better television shows?"
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll (CW)
"The women on this show are about as interesting as life-size Bratz dolls."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Watch Over Me (MY NETWORK TV)
"Another slab of slick schlock."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

House (FOX)
"As intriguing as ever."
Mike Hughes, Gannett News Service

Love It! Hate It! 03.06.07


The Black Donnellys (NBC)
"What we have here is accomplished and absorbing television."
John Leonard, New York Magazine

The Black Donnellys (NBC)
"Gives off little echoes of everything from GoodFellas to The Departed.
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

The Black Donnellys (NBC)
"Ultimately 'The Black Donnellys' pales in the light of its lofty influences."
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe

Rules of Engagement (ABC)
"Depressingly familiar and unfunny."
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

Rules of Engagement (ABC) "At no point will you feel like scratching your own eyes out rather than sitting through an episode. So there's that."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Dance Life (MTV)
"Addictive."
Kelly Woo, America Online

Love It! Hate It! 03.05.07


The Winner (FOX)
"Deeply silly, endearingly sweet, a little creepy and undeniably weird."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

The Winner (FOX)
"If this is 'The Winner,' it's easy to guess the loser -- the viewer at home."
Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald

The Winner (FOX)
"Insipid, poorly written and saddled with an onerous laugh track, 'The Winner' is lame even by Fox's standards."
Tim Goodman, San Fransisco Chronicle

The Robber Bride (OXYGEN)
"Lest there be any remaining question that Mary-Louise Parker can act, that's settled with her mesmerizing performance in 'The Robber Bride'."
Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter

The Robber Bride (OXYGEN)
"A solid mystery that delivers its thrills at a swift pace…"
Laura Fries, Variety

Paradise City (E!)
"Truly horrible."
Linda Stasi, New York Post

Love It! Hate It! 03.02.07


30 Rock (NBC)
"Comedy gold."
Kelly Woo, America Online

30 Rock (NBC)
"Every season churns out a few pleasant surprises, and none has been more pleasant or surprising this year than '30 Rock'."
Robert Bianco, USA Today

American Idol (FOX)
"When does this thing go from three times to twice a week again?"
Alynda Wheat, Entertainment Weekly

Nashville Star (USA)
"Like 'Idol,' only with talent."
Aaron Barnhart, Kansas City Star

The Sarah Silverman Program (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"Cringe-Worthy TV."
Courtney Potter, Zap 2 It

Love It! Hate It! 03.01.07


America's Next Top Model (CW)
"Tyra Banks and company have once again rounded up a bunch of women deluded enough to believe they're there to interview for a job that actually exists."
Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News

America's Next Top Model (CW)
"'America's Next Top Model' should take a page from reality rival 'American Idol' and realize that absence truly makes the heart grow fonder."
Hanh Nguyen, Zap 2 It

Friday Night Lights (NBC)
"The most underappreciated show of the season."
Terry Morrow, Scripps News

Friday Night Lights (NBC)
"An honest, heartfelt family drama."
Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News

Knights of Prosperity (ABC)
"Coasts on chuckles and charm without ever being truly sharp or funny."
Andrew Lyons, Media Life

Lost (ABC)
"'Lost' is still one of TV's most ambitious and spectacular productions."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Love It! Hate It! Archive


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