You know, I don’t even blame Richard Heene any more. He’s just a terrible human being, and sometimes you have throw up your hands and accept that a man’s shortcomings are so comprehensive that he just can’t help himself. Heene, of course, is the guy who lied about his son taking flight in a […]
A very "Seinfeld" reunion
In the annals of crappy television, nothing is crappier than the reunion show. And in the annals of crappy reunion shows, there can be no competition for “A Very Brady Christmas,” wherein the kids come home for the holidays and Mike Brady ends up getting trapped in one of his buildings. (Nice job on […]
The age of Camels and Cadillacs
I’ve been slow to embrace Mad Men, AMC’s drama about ad executives in the early 60s, but I think I’m ready now. I loved the scene in last night’s episode where anti-protagonist Don Draper drains his beer and casually hurls the non-recyclable can across the park. And seconds later, when his wife Betty cleans […]
Same old content, new higher price
As much as I liked The Man From U.N.C.L.E as a kid, I don’t recall ever lusting to see any particular episode more than once. In fact, we’d usually scorn the summer reruns as being beneath our dignity. Same with Bonanza, or Mannix, or Petticoat Junction. You’d fight for a place in front of […]
"The Wire" revisited: It does grow on you
I was underwhelmed by the first couple of episodes of “The Wire,” but after renting a few more via Netflix, I’m beginning to see why this show has attracted a loyal following. While I still think Dominic West looks a little too much like a J.C. Penney model to be fully convincing (and his […]
This jury’s still out on "The Wire"
We don’t watch a lot of TV here at the ancestral manse, and now that “The Sopranos” is history, we watch even less. My current viewing schedule is about the same as it was a decade ago: Reruns of “Seinfeld,” mostly, and the odd episode of “American Justice.” But whenever the wife and I […]
Speaking of crime writing …
… I’m still not sure if I like David Chase’s jerk-out-the-plug ending of The Sopranos. Yes, I was one of the thousands who thought my cable had cut out at the worst possible moment. But before I was able to start cursing the hardware, the credits began to roll. Huh? Was that it? Guess […]