Reviews

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Finale Review: “Covert Affairs”

Posted December 19, 2014 by Mitch Salem

  In a way, COVERT AFFAIRS typifies the uncertain place where USA Network finds itself these days.  The series began in 2010 as one of USA’s mostly light-hearted “blue-sky” procedurals.  It centered around young, naive language expert Annie Walker (Piper Perabo), who was literally seduced into joining the CIA on a beach vacation, and who […]

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Midseason Premiere

SHOWBUZZDAILY Series Premiere Review: “Vinyl”

Posted February 15, 2016 by Mitch Salem

  VINYL:  Sunday 9PM on HBO – DVR Alert Even with an ever-increasing amount of new and emerging competition, for now at least there’s still nothing in television quite like an all-in, no-expense-spared HBO event, and the network’s rock & roll spectacle VINYL certainly qualifies.  It reunites Martin Scorsese with writer/executive producer Terence Winter, with […]

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Pilot + 1

THE SKED Pilot + 1 Review: “Betrayal”

Posted October 6, 2013 by Mitch Salem

  BETRAYAL:  Sunday 10PM on ABC Previously… on BETRAYAL:  Sara Hanley (Hannah Ware), a Chicago photographer married to ambitious prosecutor Drew (Chris Johnson), has just launched a torrid affair with Jack McAllister (Stuart Townsend), himself the husband of Elaine (Wendy Moniz).  Meanwhile, Drew’s landed the biggest case of his career, a murder that may have […]

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Reviews

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “Boss”

Posted August 19, 2012 by Mitch Salem

    BOSS:  Friday 10PM on Starz WHERE WE WERE:  In a state of depression.  By the end of last season, Chicago Mayor Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer) had systematically murdered, driven away, destroyed and/or humiliated anyone who even looked like they might get in his way.  Among the victims:   (now-deceased) closest aide Ezra Stone […]

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Pilot + 1

THE SKED Pilot + 1 Review: “Reign”

Posted October 25, 2013 by Mitch Salem

  REIGN:  Thursday 9PM on CW Previously… on REIGN:  Before there were vampire teens or telekinetic teens or alien or witch or werewolf teens, there were royal teens.  In 1557, 15-year old Mary Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane), hunted by her English cousins and in need of a military alliance, travels to France, where she […]

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Reviews

THE SKED Season Finale Review: “Bates Motel”

Posted May 5, 2014 by Mitch Salem

  The second season of BATES MOTEL has been two largely separate series, and one of them is well worth watching.  That’s the one about teenaged Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore), the sensitive and high-strung taxidermy enthusiast who is in the process of becoming a serial killer of women, and his relationship with his intemperate, unstable, […]

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Reviews

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “American Horror Story – Asylum”

Posted October 18, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  AMERICAN HORROR STORY – ASYLUM:  Wednesday 10PM on FX WHERE WE WERE:  Doesn’t matter.  It wasn’t clear until late in Season 1, but the gimmick of AMERICAN HORROR STORY is that each season will offer a completely new setting, storyline, and group of (mostly doomed) characters, although some of the actors return in new […]

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Pilot Reports

PREMIERING TONIGHT–THE SKED’S FALL PILOT REPORT: FOX’s “Ben & Kate”

Posted September 25, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  BEN & KATE:  Tuesday 8:30PM on FOX – Worth A Look   However it may fare in the ratings, this fall’s FOX Tuesday schedule is a model lesson in what a smoothly engineered line-up looks like.  At 9:30PM, The Mindy Project is a perfect match with its lead-in New Girl, and at 8:30PM, the new BEN […]

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