Reviews

SHOWBUZZDAILY Series Finale Review: “Fosse/Verdon”

Posted May 29, 2019 by Mitch Salem

  FX’s FOSSE/VERDON was a triumph of narrowcasting, a showbiz hall of mirrors about a showbiz hall of mirrors.  That was never more so than in its final installment, where it met its meta-destiny by depicting Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) depicting a just-slightly fantasized version of his own life and death in All That Jazz.  […]

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Pilot + 1

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “Bunheads”

Posted June 19, 2012 by Mitch Salem

A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and the production of episodes for the regular season: a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may have had their own turnover) give plenty of notes, helpful and otherwise, and critics begin to rear […]

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Articles

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Suburgatory”

Posted May 17, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  It would have been nice if ABC Marketing hadn’t so broadly teased the surprise ending of tonight’s Suburgatory season finale in their promos that they more or less gave it away.  (This is why powerful producers are on the phone with network marketing departments more than they are with their own families.) Still, the […]

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Articles

THE SKED: WHAT TO WATCH THIS FALL ON WEDNESDAYS (1st Draft)

Posted May 25, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> The networks have proclaimed their Fall schedules, the new series have been (partially) unveiled, so… what now?  What will actually be worth watching when network TV comes back to life in a few months?  SHOWBUZZDAILY is here to help you out.  The good news is that since virtually all TV series are available these […]

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Articles

THE SKED’S BUSTED PILOT THEATRE: “Hail Mary”

Posted July 22, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> See A Word About Busted Pilots If it’s a procedural, this must be CBS.  HAIL MARY was one of the pilots that had initial buzz around town, and it boasted a casting coup with Minnie Driver in the lead (her first network show after doing The Riches for FX), but it’s not hard to […]

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Articles

THE SKED PILOT REPORT: CBS’s “A Gifted Man” – PREMIERING TONIGHT

Posted September 23, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> Disclaimer:  Network pilots now in circulation are not necessarily in the form that will air in the Fall.  Pilots are often reedited and rescored, and in some cases even recast or reshot.  So these critiques shouldn’t be taken as full reviews, but rather as a guide to the general style and content of the […]

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Articles

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “Boss”

Posted October 31, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and production of episodes for the regular season:  a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may have had their own turnover in the off-season) give plenty of notes, both helpful and otherwise, and […]

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Articles

STATUETTE STAKES: The Globes – TV

Posted January 16, 2012 by Mitch Salem

> Possibly because the Golden Globes take place in much less proximity to the Emmys than they do to the Oscars, and thus aren’t the crucial part of network gamesplaying that they are for the movie studios, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s TV awards have always tended to be more adventurous and genuine than the […]

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