Critics

Love It! Hate It! 04.30.07


Lake Placid 2 (SCI FI)
"Shoddy on almost every level."
Brian Lowry, Variety

Lake Placid 2 (SCI FI)
"An edgy, stylish trip."
Marilyn Moss, Hollywood Reporter

Nature: Dogs that Changed the World (PBS)
"A thrilling program, one of the most enjoyable this season."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

Nature: Dogs that Changed the World (PBS)
"Absurdly adorable."
Rick Kushman, Mcclatchy Newspapers

Raines (NBC)
"Intriguing and involving, if sometimes odd for oddness' sake alone, 'Raines' is a novel twist on one of TV's
oldest formats: the single, super-intuitive detective."
Robert Bianco, USA Today

Love It! Hate It! 04.27.07


The Trials of Darryl Hunt (HBO)
"A well-built, persuasive documentary."
Robert Lloyd, LA Times

The Trials of Darryl Hunt (HBO)
"The documentary, which plays like a dramatic feature, is nicely accomplished, a gripper, full of classic elements that will excite your emotions."
Irv Letofsky, Hollywood Reporter

The Trials of Darryl Hunt (HBO)
"Engrossing yet disturbing."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Hannah Montana (DISNEY)
"It's a sweet treat."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

October Road (ABC)
"With this finale's pacing problems, clunky plot twists, and misallocated screen time…we're left feeling underwhelmed."
Alynda Wheat, Entertainment Weekly

Love It! Hate It! 04.26.07


Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War (PBS)
"Provocative, high-IQ TV."
Brian Lowry, Variety

Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War (PBS)
"One of the most gripping and important pieces of broadcast journalism so far this year, but it's as disheartening as it is compelling."
Tom Shales, Washington Post

Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War (PBS)
"This is the kind of work television can do brilliantly when given time and resources and the talents of a questioner like Bill Moyers."
Joanne Ostrow, Denver Post

Notes from the Underbelly (ABC)
"There's precious little to laugh about in the erratic prenatal humor of this expectant parent sitcom."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Hustle (AMC)
"Smart twists and elaborate ruses result in capers that are impeccably done and always leave you grinning."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Love It! Hate It! 04.25.07


The Big Gay Sketch Show (LOGO)
"Ultimately, it's another minor addition to the 'Every demographic will have its own cheap sketch show' trend."
Brian Lowry, Variety

The Big Gay Sketch Show (LOGO)
"Nothing you'll see here hasn't been done before — or better — on 'Madtv' or 'SNL'."
Nicholas Fonseca, Entertainment Weekly

The Green: Waste=Food (SUNDANCE)
"Especially bracing."
Robert Lloyd, LA Times

Nova: Saved by the Sun (PBS)
"The tone is so chirpy that the program feels not like an inquiry, but like one of those gee-whiz newsreels
promoting the 'amazing new wonders' of perma-pressed trousers."
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

Frontline: Hot Politics (PBS)
"When the history of our time is written, these 'Frontline' pieces on the behavior of the Bush administration will offer an invaluable resource."
Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate

Love It! Hate It! 04.24.07


The Real Wedding Crashers (NBC)
"A boring horror."
Tom Shales, Washington Post


The Real Wedding Crashers (NBC)
"Disastrous and disappointing."
MatthewGilbert,Boston Globe

The Real Wedding Crashers (NBC)
"Watching the show brings to mind attending the wedding of someone you barely know or don't really like:
Sure, it would be better if everything went well, but after awhile, all you really want is for it to be over so you can get out of there."
Brian Lowry, Variety

American Experience: Summer of Love (PBS)
"Entertaining, educational and, best of all, even-handed."
Tom Jicha, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

A Life Interrupted (LIFETIME)
"So heavily armed with cliches and familiar dramatic conceits that it's hard to watch without figuring out in a few minutes what the outcome will be."
Marilyn Moss, Hollywood Reporter

Love It! Hate It! 04.23.07


Wife, Mom, Bounty Hunter (WE)
"She's one of the most likable 'reality' stars in recent years."
Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald

Wife, Mom, Bounty Hunter (WE)
"Not a bad idea for a show aimed at working moms, but the conflicts between work and home that are presented in the show come across as contrived."
Adam Buckman, New York Post

Wife, Mom, Bounty Hunter (WE)
"An appealing show with surprising detours."
Mike Hughes, Detroit Free Press

Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness (CBS)
"Don't be surprised if this thoughtful movie sticks with you."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

Entourage (HBO)
"Ridiculously entertaining."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Love It! Hate It! 04.20.07


America at a Crossroads: Struggle for the Soul of Islam: Inside Indonesia (PBS)
"Fascinating."
Troy Patterson, Slate

America at a Crossroads: Struggle for the Soul of Islam: Inside Indonesia (PBS)
"A compelling hour of television — an informed examination of a complex problem and a complex culture, and one that delves deep into a world that most Americans know little about."
Mark Bowden, New York Times

October Road (ABC)
"An uneven and often pretentious drama."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

October Road (ABC)
"A sort of perfect storm of bad writing."
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

Mom at Sixteen (LIFETIME)
"A solid and well-played drama."
Mike Hughes, Detroit Free Press

Love It! Hate It! 04.19.07


The Bronx Bunny (STARZ)
"Unwatchable."
Joanne Weintraub, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Head Case (STARZ)
"Filled with sly wit."
Mike Hughes, Detroit Free Press

America at a Crossroads: The Muslim Americans (PBS)
"Rather dull and not especially enlightening."
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times

Hustle (AMC)
"If you want to kick back with an hour of light yet intelligent escapism, you can't do much better than 'Hustle'."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Notes from the Underbelly (ABC)
"It's different, it's droll, it's quirky, it's funny."
Glenn Garvin, Miami Herald

Love It! Hate It! 04.18.07


Gilmore Girls (CW)
"This show long ago passed its sell-by date."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Gilmore Girls (CW)
"While 'Girls' is mostly still solid, the dialogue feels like leftovers from better days."
Tim Stack, Entertainment Weekly

American Idol (FOX)
"This is, without a doubt, the worst bunch of contestants that have ever been allowed to get this far."
Linda Stasi, New York Post

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (SUNDANCE)
"A compelling and well-crafted history of the oil industry."
Mike Hughes, Detroit Free Press

America at a Crossroads: The Case for War (PBS)
"A fascinating study in rationalization, a lighter, less repentant version of 'The Fog of War'."
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times

Love It! Hate It! 04.17.07


A Man Among Wolves (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
"Shocking."
Adam Buckman, New York Post

A Man Among Wolves (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
"Deadly earnest and oddly fascinating."
Kevin McDonough, Times Herald-Record

A Man Among Wolves (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
"A strange and compelling documentary."
Jacqueline Cutler, Newark Star Ledger


America at a Crossroads: Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (PBS)
"More embarrassing than enlightening."
Sandi Dolbee, San Diego Union-Tribune

America at a Crossroads: Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (PBS)
"The most affecting approach I've seen to documenting the hellish lives of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Aaron Barnhart, Kansas City Star

Thank God You're Here (NBC)
"Cheerfully Cheesy."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Love It! Hate It! 04.16.07


Drive (FOX)
"On your mark. Get set. Change channels."
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

Drive (FOX)
"Overheated and half-baked."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Drive (FOX)
"Caution flags are waving all around."
Brian Lowry, Variety

Painkiller Jane (SCI FI)
"A textbook example of action-adventure escapism done with clumsy superficiality."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Painkiller Jane (SCI FI)
"The show is long on concept and short on execution which would actually be OK if the writing and acting were not so simply terrible."
Mary McNamara, LA Times

The Staircase Murders (LIFETIME)
"It's not a whodunit so much as a 'hedunit,' but it's executed with docudramatic flair."
Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter

Love It! Hate It! 04.13.07


Notes From the Underbelly (ABC)
"Forget the epidural, you'll need laughing gas, stat."
Melanie McFarland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Notes From the Underbelly (ABC)
"All this obvious plot about baby showers, maternity peeing and big-belly clothing is unbearable."
Doug Elfman, Chicago Sun-Times

Notes From the Underbelly (ABC)
"Underbelly eschews cliché and makes pregnancy surprisingly laughable."
Gillian Flynn, Entertainment Weekly

This American Life (SHOWTIME)
"Its power radiates from the screen as forcefully as it does from the radio."
David Zurawik, Baltimore Sun

This American Life (SHOWTIME)
"…features the same rich, rambling storytelling that makes the radio show so hypnotic, but it's enhanced by cinematography that's lovely and artful without distracting from the story lines or the tone of the show."
Heather Havrilesky, Salon

Love It! Hate It! 04.12.07


Friday Night Lights (NBC)
"Few series have ever laid better claims on your emotions or manipulated them so efficiently that you may find yourself laughing and crying at the same time."
Robert Bianco, USA Today

Friday Night Lights (NBC)
"How many synonyms are there for 'extraordinary'?"
Adam Buckman, New York Post

Friday Night Lights (NBC)
"Even if you're not a football fan, you'll love these characters, lose yourself in this story."
Alynda Wheat, Entertainment Weekly

Fat: What No One Is Telling You (PBS)
"Offers a more compassionate take on this thorny issue…"
Jeannine Stein, LA Times

Halfway Home (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"This one tries too hard to be goofy."
Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter

Love It! Hate It! 04.11.07


Dog the Bounty Hunter (A&E)
"'Dog' is back and better than ever."
Kelly Woo, America Online

Dog the Bounty Hunter (A&E)
"As entertaining as ever."
Rick Ellis, All Your TV

The Shield (FX)
"The richest, most realistic cop drama ever presented on TV."
Mark McGuire, Albany Times-Union

The Shield (FX)
"'The Shield' amazingly keeps topping its already stratospheric stakes-raising standard."
Diane Werts, Newsday

The Riches (FX)
"A fascinating mess."
Andrew Lyons, Media Lifea>

Love It! Hate It! 04.10.07


Thank God You're Here (NBC)
"It's a very hit-or-miss improvisational exercise, with miles of miss for every inch of hit."
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe

Thank God You're Here (NBC)
"Gently entertaining in a way reminiscent of variety shows of old."
Rob Owen, Pittsburg Post-Gazette

American Experience: Jonestown: The Life and Death of People's Temple (PBS)
"Brilliant and horrifying."
Glenn Garvin, Miami Herald

American Experience: Jonestown: The Life and Death of People's Temple (PBS)
"Harrowing, interesting, not to be missed."
Linda Stasi, New York Post

The King of Queens (CBS)
"The most underappreciated comedy on television."
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly

Love It! Hate It! 04.09.07


The Sopranos (HBO)
"A depth and brilliance unequaled on TV."
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe

The Sopranos (HBO)
"As always, humor, violence and sheer genius abound here…"
Robert Bianco, USA Today

The Sopranos (HBO)
"This is loose, contemplative 'Sopranos' storytelling at its best."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Entourage (HBO)
"'Entourage' is one sweet treat."
Robert Bianco, USA Today

Entourage (HBO)
"As humorous and sharply observed as ever."
Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News

Masterpiece Theatre: The Wind in the Willows (PBS)
"An utterly charming update of Kenneth Grahame's classic children's tale."
Marilyn Moss, Hollywood Reporter

Love It! Hate It! 04.06.07


Nick Cannon Presents: Short Circuitz (MTV)
"Uproarious."
Adam Buckman, New York Post

Adventuress in HollyHood (MTV)
"Amusing but not completely credible."
Roger Catlin, Hartford Courant

Human Giants (MTV)
"It pains me to say it's not great."
Doug Elfman, Chicago Sun-Times

October Road (ABC)
"Comically pretentious."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Andy Barker: P.I. (NBC)
"It's hard to convey all the ways that this tightly directed show goes right: quietly observant character detail, solid sleuthing, play-it-straight absurdity and sneaky 'Airplane!'-style parody riffs."
Diane Werts, Newsday

Love It! Hate It! 04.05.07


American Masters: Novel Reflections on the American Dream (PBS)
"If you force your secondary school-age kids to see one program all year, make it this one."
Barry Garron, Hollywood Reporter

American Masters: Novel Reflections on the American Dream (PBS)
"A revealing, provocative contemplation of the American Dream."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Dress My Nest (STYLE)
"The makeover show featuring the former 'Queer Eye' consultant is nothing special, and that's OK."
Robert Lloyd, LA Times

In Case of Emergency (ABC)
"Somewhere trapped inside this shrill, irritating comedy is a better show that emerges only in fleeting glimpses, amid the manic tone and Catskills-comic humor."
Brian Lowry, Variety

Love It! Hate It! 04.04.07


The Shield (FX)
"'The Shield' has never been darker, grittier or scarier."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

The Shield (FX)
"…back with a rip-roaring vengeance."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

The Shield (FX)
"'The Shield' jabs with superb acting and punches with raw, adult storytelling."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

Deadliest Catch (TRAVEL)
"Absolutely riveting television."
Mike Hale, New York Times

Independent Lens: China Blue (PBS)
"While its relaxed-fit end product is nothing sexy, it gets the job done."
Janice Page, Boston Globe

Love It! Hate It! 04.03.07


The Bachelor (ABC)
"It's time for ABC to dump this tired reality show."
Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald

The Bachelor (ABC)
"The show…has run out of steam."
David Bianculli, New York Daily News

American Experience: Sister Aimee (PBS)
"Fascinating."
Ted Mahar, The Oregonian

American Experience: Sister Aimee (PBS)
"Being too timid to take on the evangelist, and sitting on the fence about her achievements or possible deceptions, robs the story of its power."
Karen Hunter, Hartford Courant

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (TRAVEL)
"Smarter than its lame title implies, thanks to the charm and intelligence of its host."
Susan Stewart, New York Times

Love It! Hate It! 04.02.07


The Tudors (SHOWTIME)
"It's difficult to put into words how brain-numbing this series is."
Melanie McFarland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Tudors (SHOWTIME)
"The script is so thin and obvious that it borders on self-parody at times."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

The Tudors (SHOWTIME)
"The best series since 'The Sopranos.'"
Linda Stasi, New York Post

Sons of Hollywood (A&E)
"Seems to lack even the courage of its superficial convictions, staffing story editors but coming up with nothing to make its slacker stars even moderately interesting."
Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter

Sons of Hollywood (A&E)
"An almost comically vacuous exercise that doesn't muster a semblance of plot or story arc…"
Brian Lowry, Variety

Reno 911! (COMEDY CENTRAL)
"The comedy bloom is definitely off this once very funny rose."
Rob Owen, Pittsburg Post-Gazette


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