I’ll once again reiterate that I’m not as big a fan of the the mockumentary genre as I probably should be. I made that point when I mused just about a year ago about THE PAPER. When I’m in a mood for comedy, I prefer clever and quick, not patient and pondering. So when I … Read more
If I’m to believe the ramblings of some of the more frequent sh-tposters who inexplicably bubble to the top of my social media feeds–especially the “safe havens” of Threads and Bluesky–tonight is the beginning of yet another dagger in the rapidly flailing body of CBS NEWS’ Tiffany history. 60 MINUTES begins its 59th season tonight, … Read more
It’s not all that often when a post-Labor Day theatrical release carries as much potential impact as does PRACTICAL MAGIC 2, which makes its debut today to take advantage of those still sweltering from near-record heat (hand raised, limply) as well as to try and offset the expected Sunday decline that the first NFL weekend … Read more
How desperate are media reporters who believe they “know how their audience thinks” for clicks and engagement these days? The return from scheduled summer vacations for two late night TV hosts both warranted breaking news coverage. For Jimmy Kimmel, who has turned his annual summer respite into an homage to the days where Johnny Carson … Read more
40 years ago today my life changed forever. And, ultimately, so did a lot of yours, too. I had just taken the reins of the research department of 20th Century FOX Television, and I was beginning to devote my days (and nights) to copiously tracking our syndicated sitcoms, including the reboot of 9 TO 5 … Read more
The thermometer says otherwise, and Starbucks and Home Depot declared Halloween season open during August, but Labor Day weekend is to me still the actual end of the summer season. For creatives–especially moviemakers–it’s the beginning of the long and arduous road to more significant seasons than fall–the next summer box office, to be sure, but … Read more
If I had a nickel for every outreach I’ve gotten from a one-time “feudal media” journalist now aligned with a digital platform asking for my “mere pennies a day” to support their continuing endeavors I might actually be able to afford more than a handful of them. Between consolidation, AI and downright cheapness there are … Read more
My FX career was in hindsight shorter than a lot of others’ but it could have been way shorter than that had the kind of human resources policies that seem to be in vogue today been in place then. Shortly into my tenure, I was hauled into a daunting conference room where a prissy outside … Read more
Regular readers would be correct to observe that I’ve dedicated a disproportinate amount of musings to the foibles of S.W.A.T. Guilty as charged. It was a priority project when I was settling into my gig at Sony and getting it successfully renewed and sold was an ongoing battle pretty much through the end–and beyond. It’s … Read more
The 90s were a great time for television. Thanks to the outsized success of THE COSBY SHOW at a point when NBC and situation comedies were both in dire straits, the genre was resurrected and became prolific both in prime time and in rerun syndication. There was an explosion of newly signed on and maturing … Read more