US TV

An archive of articles about US television programmes and production.

Question of the week: what’s your favourite part of TV Christmas?

30 November 2011 Rob Buckley 4 Comments

Christmas on TV is a decidedly different affair from normal. The Christmas/Holiday special is the most obvious example.

However, there are differences on either side of the Atlantic as to how TV celebrates Christmas. Largely, around now, the regular US TV shows start winding down, to be replaced by movies, light entertainment shows and Christmas specials, usually ones that have been show every year since the dawn of TV time.

Meanwhile, in the UK, as well as a whole bunch of movies that have been shown since the dawn of TV film time…

…the tradition for most shows to continue up until nearly Christmas and for other shows to return with all-new, one-off, sometimes feature-length episodes.

So this week’s question is a two-parter:

Which approach do you think is better? And what’s your favourite Christmas show ever?

Answers below or on your own blog, please.

Wednesday’s “call off Christmas” news

30 November 2011 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

Doctor Who

Film

British TV

US TV

Tuesday’s “movie Conchords?” news

29 November 2011 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

Film

Theatre

  • Zach Braff to star in All New People at the Duke of York

French TV

US TV

What did you watch last week (w/e November 27)?

28 November 2011 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

Time for "What did you watch last week?", my chance to tell you what I watched last week that I haven’t already reviewed and your chance to recommend things to everyone else (and me) in case we’ve missed them.

The A-Team: Misfits, Modern Family, Happy Endings, Homeland, Suburgatory and Community.

The B-Team: Dexter, House, Rev and Ringer.

So, if you read the comments section of last week’s "What did you watch last week?", you’ll know I gave up on Hell on Wheels. I’ve managed to maintain the strength to avoid Burn Notice, but that’s probably because it was Thanksgiving in the States last week so it wasn’t on. That basically leaves the above

So a few thoughts on what was on last week:

  • Dexter: Possibly the most boring season of Dexter ever.
  • Happy Endings: Starting to feel not so much like the new Friends as a younger Cougar Town. Funny, but needs to get its edge back.
  • Homeland: Ooh, twisty twisty. Again, its 24 roots were showing, but I liked what happened otherwise I would have felt suckered by the previous weeks we’ve been watching. Excellent TV.
  • Rev: Not so good last week. Tried to do horror and be scary. Failed.

This week, again, nothing in the movies or books section, since I’m still reading Mark Kermode’s book. I have missed an awful lot in the cinema though, including The Rum Diary, Contagion and Immortals. Anyone seen them?

"What did you watch last week?" is your chance to recommend to friends and fellow blog readers the TV and films that they might be missing or should avoid – and for me to do mini-reviews of everything I’ve watched. Since we live in the fabulous world of Internet catch-up services like the iPlayer and Hulu, why not tell your fellow readers what you’ve seen so they can see the good stuff they might have missed?