Love It! Hate It! 05.31.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Hidden Palms (CW)
“Hidden Palms” is high soap opera, a kind of “Masterpiece Theater” of unjustifiable television, which means that there won’t be anything quite so much fun to watch all summer. It takes its suspense seriously.
Ginia Bellafante, The New York Times

Cash Cab (Discovery)
There's nothing I love more than a trivia quiz -- except, perhaps, a trivia quiz in a taxi!
Kelly Woo, AOL

Traveler (ABC)
Think "The Fugitive" times two, with a side dish of "Lost"-style mysteries to unravel.
The Staff at Zap2it.com

Love It! Hate It! 05.30.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

House (Fox)
"Even after three years, watching TV's most misanthropic M.D. perform medical miracles every week is still just what the doctor ordered."
Benjamin Svetkey, EW

Independent Lens (PBS)
"It's not a sappy tale by any means, but expect your heart to melt a bit."
The Staff of the Philadelphia Daily News

The Universe (The History Channel)
"Spaced out, state-of-the-art computer graphics illustrate what life might be like on other planets."
Mike Duffy, The Detroit Free Press

Love It! Hate It! 05.26.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Pandemic (Hallmark)
"OK, Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California but this TV movie really leaps into Fantasyland."
Marshall Fine, Star

Ex-Wives Club (ABC)
"Been abused by your ex? Cheated on? Belittled and marginalized? Then pull up a chair because "Ex-Wives Club" is for you, you and you."
Barry Garron, The Hollywood Reporter

The Academy (Fox)
"...the producers chose to take a simple idea and ramrod it into the ground."
David Kronke, LA Daily News

The Corner (BET)
"The unflinching ensemble drama explores drug-ravaged lives...with remarkable honesty"
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Love It! Hate It! 05.25.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

So You Think You Can Dance? (FOX)
The good news for this round? Bubbly blond Brit hostess Cat Deeley returns! The bad news? My fave from season 2, faux-hawked Travis, does not.
Tim Stack, EW

Jackpot Diaries (A&E)
The hard cold truth, which the show carefully sidesteps, is that people spend $45 billion a year to play the lottery, and the vast majority end up with nothing to show for it. But, of course, there's no fun in watching that.
Laura Fries, Variety.com

Innocent (BBC America)
To watch “Innocent” is to feel as if your whole living room has been spritzed with a rather pleasant air freshener.
Ginia Bellafante, The New York Times

Love It! Hate It! 05.24.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Wide Awake (HBO)
(Director) Berliner can sleep soundly, or not, knowing that he's created a wonderful midnight movie.
Troy Patterson, Slate.com

American Idol (FOX)
All we know for certain about the finale is the top 12 will reunite, thus unearthing a past we thought long buried: Hello, Sanjaya!
Alynda Wheat, Entertainment Weekly

Lost (ABC)
The preview says "everything will change." Here's to hoping the show will pull a post-Super-Bowl, 'Alias'-style switcheroo on us.
Sandy Deane, AOL

South Park (Comedy Central)
You don't need to have seen the movie "300" to appreciate this episode, but it couldn't hurt.
The Staff at Zap2it.com

Love It! Hate It! 05.23.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Jesse Stone: Sea Change (CBS)
Tom Selleck is back for another understated murder mystery movie as rugged, tormented New England small town police chief Jesse Stone. Solid.
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

On the Lot (FOX)
Reality TV guru Mark Burnett ("Survivor") teams with Steven Spielberg for "On the Lot," the filmmaking equivalent of "American Idol" with viewers picking their favorites.
Mary McNamara, The Los Angeles Times

Love It! Hate It! 05.22.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Heroes (NBC)
Danger, danger! Would you expect any less from this show's season finale?
The Staff at Zap2it.com

The Slanted Screen (PBS)
A no-nonsense, humorless trek through much footage, without much context and without a large idea.
Marilyn Moss, The Hollywood Reporter

The Bachelor (ABC)
Pick carefully, Andy. This is ABC, not CBS. You can't recast the chick next season.
Alynda Wheat, Entertainment Weekly

Love It! Hate It! 05.19.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

National Bingo Night (ABC)
National Bingo Night" achieves the near-unprecedented feat of jumping the shark during its opening minute ...
Ray Richmond, The Hollywood Reporter

Law & Order (NBC)
Gee, who knew "L&O" had a nutty sense of humor. How else to explain wacko "Arrested Development" star Jeffrey Tambor as one hilariously odd murder trial judge?
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Gabon: The Last Eden (National Geographic)
The helicopter shots of the surreally beautiful landscape and the close-up scenes of frolicking forest elephants and lowland gorillas are the real draw here.
Mike Hale, The New York Times

Love It! Hate It! 05.18.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

The Office (NBC)
Dunder Mifflin must have a corporate death wish. How could anyone in the executive suite think Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) ever deserved a promotion to corporate? But therein lies the show's loopy comic brilliance.
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Flock of Dodos (Showtime)
In "Flock of Dodos," an appealing and informative look at evolution vs. the notion of intelligent design, you can pretty well guess which side is the dodos.
Barry Garron, The Hollywood Reporter

Love It! Hate It! 05.17.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Bienvenue a Cannes (TCM)
All in all, the way the past bumps up against the present in this lively and spirited docu makes it clear why all film avenues lead to Cannes.
Marilyn Moss, The Hollywood Reporter

24 (FOX)
"Jack is back, but this Jack is wack."
Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

America's Next Top Model (The CW)
Easy, breezy, beautiful? Try nerve-racking.
The Staff at Zap2it.com

Love It! Hate It! 05.16.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Gilmore Girls (The CW)
"Amy Sherman-Palladino, is a San Fernando Valley Jewish girl who created a Connecticut WASP fantasy world so real, no one noticed William F. Buckley Jr. was missing from it."
Ken Tucker, EW.com

Gilmore Girls (The CW)
"The hardest TV shows to write about are the ones you've invested in on a personal level."
Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News

Alexander Hamilton (PBS)
In addition to the historical observers and usual re-enactors, our righteous, deadly honorable star is played grit-jawed by the gifted Irish actor Brian F. O'Byrne.
Irv Letofsky, Hollywood Reporter

Boston Legal (ABC)
"It's not a sitcom, but this show is close enough for the wacky wedding and childbirth hijinks treatment."
The Staff at zap2it.com

Love It! Hate It! 05.15.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Entourage (HBO)
"Entourage is back to form."
Paul Katz, Entertainment Weekly

What If God Were the Sun? (Lifetime)
If Lifetime hopes to continue its ratings climb and refresh its image to match its new front office, this original film isn't going to help matters much.
Laura Fries, Variety

What If God Were the Sun? (Lifetime)
"A rather klunky story looking for some grace..."
Marilyn Moss, Hollywood Reporter

King of Queens (CBS)
You always knew "The King of Queens" wasn't prime-time royalty.
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Love It! Hate It! 05.07.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation (NBC)
"Two hours of pure bonkers bliss."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation (NBC)
"Smart and funny."
Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News

Beau Brummell: This Charming Man (BBC AMERICA)
"A rare misfire for a network that usually gets it right."
Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter

A Stranger's Heart (HALLMARK)
"A heartfelt story with plenty of emotion."
Francine Brokaw, Movie Web

Koppel on Discovery: Living With Cancer (DISCOVERY)
"It's another triumph of journalistic understatement for Koppel -- one that showers his new digs at Discovery with distinction."
Brian Lowry, Variety

Love It! Hate It! 05.04.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
"Irresistible."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
"'Grey's' bed-hopping, back-from-brain-dead cast is burning through believability like there's no tomorrow."
Andrew Wineke, Colorado Springs Gazette

Shark (CBS)
"A fairly run-of-the-mill, sometimes slightly-above-average legal drama."
Robert Philpot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

My Name is Earl (NBC)
"Viewers should be in store for quite a snoot-full."
Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate

Love It! Hate It! 05.03.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

American Masters: Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built (PBS)
"Compelling television."
Virginia Heffernan, New York Times

American Masters: Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built (PBS)
"The retrospective hits most of the expected points, but its lack of depth and fresh insight is ultimately frustrating."
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

American Masters: Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built (PBS)
"Exuberant."
Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News

Perfect Housewives (BBC AMERICA)
"A reality TV competition that's blessed with a refreshingly cheerful wit."
Mike Duffy, Detroit Free Press

Brando (TCM)
"The greatest film actor deserved a weirder documentary."
Troy Patterson, Seattle Times

Love It! Hate It! 05.02.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Brando (TCM)
"Moving and hilarious."
Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

Brando (TCM)
"Spellbinding."
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun

Brando (TCM)
"Superb."
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel

Veronica Mars (CW)
"Smart, but wickedly funny; warm-hearted, but tartly cynical; morally upright, but fizzy and fun."
Karla Peterson, San Diego Union-Tribune

American Experience and Frontline: The Mormons (PBS)
"A winning, insightful film."
Florangela Davila, Seattle Times

Love It! Hate It! 05.01.07

« 04.01.07 06.01.07 »

Helmut by June (CINEMAX)
"An intimate, fascinating portrait."
Florangela Davila, Seattle Times

American Experience and Frontline: The Mormons (PBS)
"A brilliant work on a engaging topic."
Bay Garron, Hollywood Reporter

24 (Fox)
"'24' ticks ever onward, but with diminishing results."
Matt Roush, TV Guide

The Real Wedding Crashers (NBC)
"A show that's more boring than funny, an investment of entertainment time that's not worth making."
Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette