0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 10/27/2015
The central conceit of The Grinder (Tuesdays, 8:30, Fox) is a TV show where Rob Lowe’s character is a hard-charging lawyer who makes inspiring speeches and brilliant deductions, has a nervous foil who tries to play things by the book, hits on his workplace love interest, and always comes through in the case of the […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 9/28/2015
Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s third-season premiere Sunday brought some significant changes for the show, following on from the cliffhangers in May’s second-season finale, but it also suggested that the core of this comedy is still very much intact. The show has largely been character-driven rather than plot-driven over its first two seasons, with much of the humor arising from bouncing […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 9/18/2015
A successful TV comedy series doesn’t necessarily need to have a particularly unconventional setting or a particularly complicated concept (Friends and Seinfeld, for example, can largely be summarized as “a group of people hanging out,” as can plenty of other hit comedies), but skillfully utilizing a non-traditional theme or environment can pay big dividends. An unusual […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 7/23/2015
Much of the history of Rush is about the famed Canadian progressive rock trio hearing marketing advice to boost their mainstream popularity and doing exactly the opposite, which is a theme that’s continued on their current 40th anniversary tour. The band has talked at times about this likely being its final large-scale tour, but while many […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 6/12/2015
Longevity and proclivity in Hollywood are impressive on their own, but embodying an incredible variety of iconic characters along the way is perhaps even more special. Regardless of whether you score by length of career, number of credits, work done in any particular role or overall versatility, though, Sir Christopher Lee comes out very well. […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 5/28/2015
It’s a pity that CBS’ Battle Creek was cancelled after just one season, as the Vince Gilligan/David Shore-created show had created some refreshing and fascinating twists on the typical police procedural and had the potential to be great for years. Sadly, the May 8 news of its cancellation wasn’t all that unexpected, given the show’s less-than-stellar ratings (especially in the coveted key […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 4/28/2015
There have been a wide variety of police- and detective-focused shows over the years, and a ton that don’t fit the typical mold lately. Consider the likes of Awake, Elementary, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, shows that have almost nothing in common besides the idea of investigating crimes. CBS’ Battle Creek doesn’t have the unconventional premise of those other shows, as it’s […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 4/23/2015
References can be great, but it’s hard for them to carry a show alone. Fortunately, The Goldbergs doesn’t do that, instead using its endless stream of 1980s pop culture, technology, history and fashion references in service of its central thematic character-based stories. Sometimes, the show goes particularly deep into a certain reference, such as the recreation of […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 4/7/2015
Heading into last Wednesday’s series finale of Cougar Town, the stage seemed set for something that would wrap up plenty of arcs for most members of the Cul-de-sac Crew. The tendency for series finales in recent years has been to go big and make something that not only stands out from an average episode, but also […]
0 comments by Andrew Bucholtz on 3/18/2015
One problem with looking at Fox’s new comedy The Last Man On Earth after four episodes is that we still don’t really have a sense of what this series will be like week to week, or of the people who make up its world. The show’s already changed remarkably from the initial situation; only the first episode had […]
