Tag Archives: ABC
April 12, 2013 

Bet on Your Baby: TV Review

MELISSA PETERMAN, CONTESTANTS

ABC’s new competition series is supposed to spotlight the kids, but it’s the parents who, unfortunately, get most of the focus.

Neil Gaiman wrote, “I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.” The same is true for babies, and the unpredictability of young children is something that TV has been trading in for a long time, particularly the long-running CBS series Kids Say the Darndest Things. Now ABC has gotten in the game with Bet on Your Baby, a game show where one parent guesses how their toddler (placed in “The Babydome”) might react to a challenge (stacking cookies, spinning in place, knocking down certain color blocks) coaxed by the other parent. … READ MORE

March 19, 2013 

Splash: TV Review

GREG LOUGANIS, KATHERINE WEBB, LOUIE ANDERSON, DRAKE BELL, CHUY BRAVO, NICOLE EGGERT, KENDRA WILKINSON

The Dutch-imported competition series features Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis teaching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kendra Wilkinson and others how to flop gracefully.

In ABC’s new competition series Splash, 10 celebrities train to master high dives with the help of Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis. But first, the promos have promised us, they will belly flop and smack the water like concrete. The progress of the competitors from week to week will be judged by London Olympic U.S. Gold medalist David Boudia and Australian Olympic athlete and USA Dive Team directorSteve Foley, and the eventual winner (chosen in part by the audience) will donate their prize to charity … READ MORE

February 21, 2013 

ZERO HOUR Episode Review: “Face”

zero-hour-slice

Last week Zero Hour gave viewers plenty to chew on — Nazi devil babies, clones, secret societies, “new” Apostles — and while it was still completely ludicrous, it seemed worth checking out just for the fun.  The pilot went, in professional lingo, “balls out.”  It essentially jumped into the fifth season of Lost, and most everyone seemed fine with it.  This week, “Face” revealed all of Zero Hour’s many, many problems without fun things like devil babies (although we did hear them crying).  Mostly, it’s just really, truly terrible writing.  I don’t know how you can ruin a premise so swollen with potential as one focusing on Nazi conspiracies, but somehow Zero Hour has managed it.  For more on my evisceration of this hour of television, hit the jump … READ MORE

February 14, 2013 

ZERO HOUR Pilot Recap: “Strike”

zero-hour-slice

There’s only thing people love more than conspiracy theories, and that is hating Nazis.  Luckily, Zero Hour has both, plus the long-buried secrets of the Christian church, ancient languages, clockmaker secrets and international terrorist organizations.  Yes parts of the episode were clunky and broad, but it’s a broadcast network pilot, what do you want?  Did you not hear?  Conspiracies!  Nazis!  Anthony Edwards!  Zero Hour comes from the mind of Paul Scheuring, who created Prison Break, and is clearly no stranger to drawing things out.  But if ABC is smart the show will not fall prey to what happened to both Lost and Prison Break, and instead deliver a tight and coherent series.  We can only hope.  I’m getting ahead of myself — hit the jump to talk about the first episode and  what we learned from it.  Put on your tinfoil hat, comrades! … READ MORE

February 8, 2013 

The Job: TV Review

the_job

Confusing rules cloud the CBS reality competition, where contestants battle for real-life jobs.

CBS’s new competition series The Job pits five individuals full of hopes and dreams and clichés against one another to vie for a highly coveted position with a famous company. The series starts each episode off with host Lisa Ling (The View) discussing the abysmal job market, like we didn’t already know. “The companies wield all of the power,” she tells us somberly, which leaves potential employees scrambling for any opening instead of being discerning about where they take their talents.  But when it comes to The Job, the companies still have the power — they put the competitors through rigorous tests that are much more intensive than for their regularly hired employees, and in the end there is still only one winner, and four profoundly disappointed individuals … READ MORE

January 22, 2013 

The Taste: TV Review

LUDO LEFEBVRE, NIGELLA LAWSON, BRIAN MALARKEY, ANTHONY BOURDAIN

Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson are among the judges on ABC’s cooking competition, which features professional and nonprofessional competitors.

ABC’s new cooking show The Taste – a conceptual hybrid of Top Chef and The Voice – is anchored by some formidable talent behind the judges’ table. Since viewers cannot, regrettably (or in some cases, thankfully) taste the food, the engaging nature of the judges and their overall likability means a lot. While some names certainly are familiar (including the most popular judge Anthony Bourdain, as well as British food writer and TV personality Nigella Lawson), not everyone might be as familiar with French chef Ludo Lefebvre, who the show introduces as having trained at “the West Point of French cuisine,” or the happy-go-lucky successful chef and restaurateur Brian Malarkey. But overall, it’s a good mix … READ MORE

October 15, 2012 

Dave Navarro Guest Stars on SONS OF ANARCHY; Jason Mantzoukas Joins Cast of MODERN FAMILY

FX’s intense biker drama Sons of Anarchy has had a number of guest stars already this season (including former Disney star Ashley Tisdale, Community‘s Joel McHale, and a surprise appearance byJustified‘s Walton Goggins), but here’s another one you might not have expected: Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction will be making an appearance in the final two episodes this year … READ MORE

August 12, 2012 

Pan Am – Season 1, 3 Episode Assessment

 

“Pilot” 

“We’ll Always Have Paris” 

“Ich Bin Ein Berliner”