Articles

THE SKED @ CABLE REVIEW: “Falling Skies”

Posted June 20, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> FALLING SKIES – Sundays 10PM on TNT – If Nothing Else Is On… Or:  how is FALLING SKIES not Terra Nova?  I’ve raved about FOX’s Fall dinosaur spectacle, and here’s another Steven Spielberg special-effects extravaganza, centered around a family trying to hold onto its identity and its life in a hair-raising environment–so what’s the […]

Full Story »

Reviews

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Finale Review: “The Good Place”

Posted February 2, 2018 by Mitch Salem

  It would have been impossible for the Season 2 finale of THE GOOD PLACE to match the gut-punch of Season 1’s climactic twist, partly because until it happened, we hadn’t even known to look for one.  The Good Place was a broadcast network sitcom, albeit a whimsical one, and its creator Michael Schur, while […]

Full Story »

Articles

THE SKED REVIEW: “Hatfields & McCoys” Episode 1

Posted May 29, 2012 by Mitch Salem

    Even as the scripted drama business on the broadcast networks subsides into increasing irrelevance, new players arise who want to take part.  Dramas may not be cost-effective in the way that they once were, but they’re still an unmatched vehicle for branding–just ask AMC–and Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are among the entities who […]

Full Story »

Articles

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “Prime Suspect”

Posted September 30, 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 […]

Full Story »

Pilot Reports

PREMIERING TONIGHT – THE SKED’S FALL PILOT REPORT: CW’s “Emily Owens, MD”

Posted October 16, 2012 by Mitch Salem

  EMILY OWENS, MD: Tuesday 9PM on CW – If Nothing Else Is On… Say this for EMILY OWENS, MD:  it really makes you appreciate Shonda Rhimes.  The seeming ease with which Grey’s Anatomy mixes medical drama, soap opera, humor, sex and romance every week is tempting to take for granted, but really it’s a […]

Full Story »

Pilot Reports

SHOWBUZZDAILY Series Premiere Review: “Snowfall”

Posted July 6, 2017 by Mitch Salem

  SNOWFALL:  Wednesday 10PM on FX – In the Queue It used to make sense to judge a new TV series based on its pilot, because the pilot was a template of all the episodes that would follow.  In the serialized, bingeable TV era, though, an opening hour is often just an introduction to the […]

Full Story »

Reviews

SHOWBUZZDAILY Review: “Saturday Night Live” With Cameron Diaz

Posted November 23, 2014 by Mitch Salem

  Cameron Diaz has had an extremely busy year, already starring in the hit The Other Woman and the flop Sex Tape, and with a featured role in the rebooted Annie (as Miss Hannigan) still to come.  Her promotional duties on the latter brought her to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE tonight, where like most hosts she […]

Full Story »

Reviews

SHOWBUZZDAILY Season Finale Review: “Halt and Catch Fire”

Posted August 3, 2015 by Mitch Salem

  HALT AND CATCH FIRE is in part a show about the cold realities of business, and business logic suggests that a third season for the series is unlikely.  The ratings, cool in Season 1, were icy this year; the show neither occupied the zeitgeist nor found any love from Emmy voters; AMC’s recent renewal […]

Full Story »