GROWING UP FISHER:  Tuesday 9:30PM on NBC – If Nothing Else Is On… We reviewed GROWING UP FISHER last summer based on the pilot that was originally shot, but after the series was ordered, one of the lead performers, Parker Posey, was replaced by Jenna Elfman, which required some reshooting.  But not, as it […]

  Read All Our Fall Pilot Reports here and Midseason Pilot Reports here. THE MILLERS:  Thursday 8:30PM on CBS – If Nothing Else Is On… When Bad Shows Happen To Talented People, Chapter 2456:  you wouldn’t think a network comedy would need more to succeed than Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl, Raising Hope) as […]

  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY: HIM & HER is an extraordinary feature debut for its writer/director Ned Benson.  Indeed, it’s so remarkable that it comes close to not needing the modifier “debut” to express how good it is–if Benson hadn’t bitten off a bit more than he could chew, this would have been one (or […]

  THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW:  Thursday 9:30PM on NBC Note:  NBC aired two episodes of THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW on its opening night, the pilot at 9PM followed by the first regular episode in the show’s usual 9:30PM timeslot.  Our thoughts on the pilot are here. Previously… on THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW:  […]

  MASTERS OF SEX:  Sunday 10PM on Showtime Previously… on MASTERS OF SEX:  In 1956, brilliant but arrogant and socially awkward fertility expert William Masters (Michael Sheen) prepares to start his trailblazing research into the physicality of human sexuality.  His own personal life is hardly beyond reproach–he’s allowed his wife Libby (Caitlin Fitzgerald) to believe […]

  ENDER’S GAME:  Watch It At Home – Breaks The Rules, But Doesn’t Win the Game You don’t often see a $110M (plus marketing) YA adventure, intended to kick off a new movie franchise, as resolutely off-putting as ENDER’S GAME, and that’s worthy of some respect.  Its protagonist, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), isn’t cool like a […]

  FROZEN:  Buy A Ticket – Your Grin Won’t Melt Until It’s Time to Leave A curious shift has been occurring at Disney over the past few years.  Glamor child Pixar has been churning out second-hand blockbusters like Cars 2, Brave and Monsters University, while the comparatively overlooked Disney Animation unit (both are overseen by […]

  JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT:  Watch It At Home – Tom Clancy’s Hero Is Plugged Into A Routine Action Movie The fourth movie incarnation of Tom Clancy’s emblematic hero Jack Ryan (in 5 films) finds him much diminished.  Ryan was introduced in Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt For Red October, in 1984, which was filmed […]