When an Aaron Sorkin TV show reaches the end of its first season, an episode titled “What Kind of Day Has it Been” signals the end, for now. Shots rang out over the President’s rope line in Rosslyn, Virginia, Isaac Jaffe rejoined his Sports Night team after recovering from a stroke, and whatever happened at […]
It’s a shame that the perceived fast pace of life means so many new things get boiled down to X Meets Y. There’s certainly an argument to be made for having a quick answer to the frequently asked “So, what’s this new comic all about?” but the more new series I read, the more frustrated […]
The straightforward documentary Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show isn’t great because of its execution (the structure is too formulaic and some of the main shows discussed just aren’t that good) but it’s really great because of its subjects. Showrunners (meaning the Executive Producers in charge of “running” a TV show; usually the […]
Potted Potter (Starvox Entertainment/Potted Productions) In the second international tour of this two-man 70-minute reverential romp, creator/performers Dan & Jeff (Clarkson & Turner) are replaced by Ben & James (Stratton & Percy), who are essentially playing Dan & Jeff but are wisely called Ben & James. The new guys are plenty loveable and plenty enthusiastic […]
A cast of some of TV’s most wonderful people populates About Alex, the debut feature from Parenthood writer Jesse Zwick. A dramedy about college friends reunited by tragic, awkward circumstances, this ensemble dramedy dives into everything- listlessness, love (requited, unrequited, unspoken, overwrought), depression, anxiety, jealousy, pretension, ambition- only rarely losing its honesty and light touch. […]
At one point during the pilot episode of Netflix’s newest series, Marco Polo, Marco’s father shares a nugget of wisdom. Niccolò Polo, a seasoned merchant and traveler, tells Marco the key to surviving long journeys is knowing where home is, and knowing that you can always go back. Marco Polo should take a bit of […]
The Imitation Game is well acted, well directed and interesting. It tells the fascinating story of Alan Turing, brilliant code breaker autistic, as he cracks the Nazis unbreakable code and ends (SPOILER ALERT) with his suicide. It’s also kind of boring. When I watched J.Edgar a few years and noticed how by the numbers and […]
How great has The Mindy Project been this season? Seriously. It’s settled down into the actuality of the Mindy + Danny relationship with aplomb. They’ve even managed to eke out a bit of a workplace comedy vibe – using the considerable talents of Adam Pally (as Peter) to amp up everyone else from dragging supporting […]