
Clever people have long claimed that analyzing comedy kills people’s enjoyment of it. I disagree, and so, apparently, do the many admirers and few detractors of the late Harold Ramis. The recent passing of this prominent comic actor, writer, and
by S.T. Karnick11 Mar 2014, 3:46 PM PST0

TV producer David Simon has just produced a very long and passionate essay for The Guardian in which he argues that economic inequality in the United States has increased to the point that there are two Americas today, in socioeconomic terms, and that Karl
by S.T. Karnick10 Dec 2013, 11:05 AM PST0

Two prominent authors of crime fiction left us this month, but only one’s passing received much public attention. Both, however, deserve consideration, and their deaths mark another milestone in the passing of American values we find ourselves increasingly disposed to
by S.T. Karnick23 Aug 2013, 12:14 PM PST0

It’s Thursday, and that means USA Network’s two best currently running series have new episodes: “Burn Notice” and “Suits.” Here are some thoughts on the shows, which you can watch beginning at 9 p.m. EST tonight. Halfway through its sixth season, “Burn
by S.T. Karnick26 Jul 2012, 4:33 PM PST0

It’s good to see the A&E cable network getting back into the TV drama business. Justly praised in the early 2000s for offerings such as its excellent “Nero Wolfe” mystery series, A&E went all-in for reality programming around mid-decade, ceding
by S.T. Karnick9 Jun 2012, 7:17 AM PST0
**Spoilers ahead** Monday night’s episode of the ABC crime series “Castle,” the second of its fourth season, signified a return to the show’s winning, quirky formula after the near-stumble of its season premiere. I’ve praised “Castle” in the past, and
by S.T. Karnick3 Oct 2011, 4:19 PM PST0
Cowboys & Aliens is a highly enjoyable film with a good heart. It’s a great way to while away a couple of hours, and audiences will be the better for having been exposed to its themes. It could have been
by S.T. Karnick4 Aug 2011, 11:33 AM PST0
I suppose that I am somewhat unusual in never having liked the lead characters of the crime drama Law and Order: Criminal Intent, nor thought the performances of lead performers Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe particularly appealing or praiseworthy. D’Onofrio,
by S.T. Karnick12 Jul 2011, 4:55 AM PST0
A friend and colleague has informed me that there appears to be a groundswell of outrage among conservatives regarding last night’s episode of the ABC TV mystery series Castle. The complaint is that the episode is anti-Christian, pro-Muslim, politically correct
by S.T. Karnick2 Mar 2011, 4:14 PM PST0
After a long hiatus, ABC’s sci-fi drama series V returns to the network’s regular lineup tonight at 8 EST. It’s a show well worth watching. Based rather loosely on a 1980s limited-run series from NBC, the new show tells the
by S.T. Karnick4 Jan 2011, 1:38 PM PST0
Having achieved success with medical dramas on Thursdays and situation comedies on Wednesdays, along with some popular reality shows, ABC has set its sights on another TV staple in the past couple of years: crime dramas. It has a winner
by S.T. Karnick28 Oct 2010, 10:35 AM PST0
Both NBC and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions have hit some hard times in recent years. Bruckheimer’s signature programs–notably the CSI franchise–are past their prime, and recent series such as The Forgotten and The Whole Truth have failed to generate the hoped-for
by S.T. Karnick18 Oct 2010, 3:47 PM PST0
The first thing the viewer will notice about the new CBS series Blue Bloods (Fridays, 10 EDT) is its impressive cast: Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and Len Cariou lead a very talented group of performers. But what makes
by S.T. Karnick8 Oct 2010, 1:37 PM PST0
If you’re interested in watching The Whole Truth, the new ABC legal drama (Wednesdays, 10 p.m. EDT), you might want to tune in tonight. It may not last long. The show is on life-support after debuting to an anemic total
by S.T. Karnick6 Oct 2010, 2:27 PM PST0
As the fourth-rated broadcast TV network, NBC has made plenty of mistakes during the past few years, under now-ousted CEO Jeff Zucker. These failures actually arose from NBC’s longtime corporate culture and mission, which have been in place since the
by S.T. Karnick4 Oct 2010, 8:51 AM PST0
Sure, the new CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says is based on a very thin gimmick: a snarky but funny and very popular Twitter feed by Justin Halpern. And sure, William Shatner plays a parody of his recent TV persona,
by S.T. Karnick30 Sep 2010, 4:40 PM PST0
As ABC attempts to solidify its popular block of Wednesday sitcoms, the new show Better with You premiered last night, nestled comfortably between returning ratings successes The Middle and Modern Family. Thematically, Better with You makes sense as a transition
by S.T. Karnick28 Sep 2010, 8:51 AM PST0
Although CBS’-TVs new cop show Hawaii Five-0 is a reboot of a highly popular 1970s CBS series that entered the poplar lexicon (with police departments across the nation being popularly referred to as Five-O), there’s nothing old-fashioned about the current
by S.T. Karnick27 Sep 2010, 2:30 PM PST0
NBC’s The Event has probably been one of the most widely anticipated new series of the current season. The network ran countless promotional spots intended to entice viewers to wonder precisely what the title occurrence might be, and what it
by S.T. Karnick22 Sep 2010, 9:10 AM PST0
The FOX-TV comedy-drama series The Good Guys continues in reruns tonight at 9 EDT. It’s well worth it to catch an episode or two–and you might find yourself tuning in regularly or even downloading a few episodes (at a very
by S.T. Karnick17 Sep 2010, 6:47 AM PST0
USA Network has established itself as the master of smartly entertaining TV drama, not just on cable but on all of TV. Starting with Monk at the beginning of the decade and steadily adding a solid lineup of hit shows
by S.T. Karnick13 Sep 2010, 6:43 AM PST0
I have long argued that contemporary U.S. entertainment offers a much greater variety of ideas and points of view than conservatives usually seem to realize, pointing out that many TV shows, movies, and music releases convey very sound values and
by S.T. Karnick2 Aug 2010, 6:50 AM PST0
Law and Order: Criminal Intent, the long-running spinoff of the recently canceled TV crime drama mainstay Law and Order, has on fairly regular occasions manifested the overt progressivist and anti-Christian bias of its forebear This week’s episode is one of
by S.T. Karnick2 Jul 2010, 6:41 AM PST0
Fox’s FX channel has a history of pushing the boundaries of “free cable” programming, with shows such as Nip/Tuck, The Shield, Rescue Me, Dirt, Damages, Sons of Anarchy, The League, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But although “edgy” material
by S.T. Karnick19 May 2010, 6:47 AM PST0
Producers of popular culture tend to evince the belief that the public strongly desires titillation, vulgarity, obscenity, violence, sexual references, and depictions, and other such lurid matter. It is true, of course, that a little spice makes for a tastier
by S.T. Karnick22 Apr 2010, 1:20 PM PST0