Reviews

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “Girls”

Posted January 14, 2013 by Mitch Salem

  GIRLS:  Sunday 9PM on HBO The newly Golden Globe-winning GIRLS has returned, despite all its intervening success and attention, with its messiness intact.  “Messy” is a relative term in the world of Girls, of course, because although the lives of its characters are in complete disarray, auteur Lena Dunham’s vision (carried out with writing partners […]

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Pilot Reports

SHOWBUZZDAILY Series Premiere Review: “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders”

Posted September 27, 2017 by Mitch Salem

  LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME:  THE MENENDEZ MURDERS – Tuesday 10PM on NBC – Change the Channel Dick Wolf is one of the most successful producers in the history of television, but the one thing he’s never been is cool.  His Law & Order and Chicago franchises have kept NBC on the map for […]

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Current Release

SHOWBUZZDAILY VOD REVIEW: “The Magic of Belle Isle”

Posted July 8, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  THE MAGIC OF BELLE ISLE:  In Limited Theatrical Release and on VOD – If Nothing Else Is On   Few recent Hollywood career trajectories have been as puzzling as Rob Reiner’s.  From 1984-1992, Reiner directed This Is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Mercy and […]

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Fall Pilots

PREMIERING TONIGHT: SHOWBUZZDAILY Pilot Review: “The McCarthys”

Posted October 30, 2014 by Mitch Salem

  THE MCCARTHYS:  Thursday 9:30PM on CBS  – Change the Channel! PLAYERS:  Series creator Brian Gallivan, and because up till now he’s been a junior-level TV writer (on Happy Endings and Are You There, Chelsea?), showrunner Mike Sikowitz, a much more seasoned sitcom vet whose recent credits include Rules of Engagement and Welcome To the […]

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Pilot Reports

THE SKED SERIES PREMIERE REVIEW: “Hit & Miss”

Posted July 12, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  HIT & MISS:  WEDNESDAY 10pm on DirecTV Audience Network – Worth A Look   HIT & MISS is considerably less sensationalistic than its premise and first five minutes might lead you to expect.  By the end of the first episode’s opening credits, we’ve watched Mia (Chloe Sevigny) calmly shoot a man for money, then […]

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Articles

THE SKED PILOT REPORT: The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” – PREMIERING TONIGHT

Posted September 26, 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 TV pilot reviews, but rather as a guide to the general style and content […]

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Pilot Reports

PREMIERING TONIGHT: “How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)” PILOT REVIEW

Posted April 3, 2013 by Mitch Salem

    HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS (FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE):  Wednesday 9:30PM on ABC –  Change the Channel There isn’t much to be said for the exhaustively titled midseason comedy HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS (FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE), but within the subgenre of sitcoms about adults living […]

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Reviews

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Finale Review: “The Vampire Diaries”

Posted May 15, 2015 by Mitch Salem

  At the close of its 6th season, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES finds itself at a crossroads.  The ratings are way down, and for the first time since it premiered, the series isn’t one of CW’s biggest hits, but just a mid-range performer.  Viewers didn’t seem to respond to the witch-centric narrative of the season, or […]

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