Freddie Highmore
Psychos are enjoying a TV renaissance, with The Following's poisonously seductive Joe Carroll setting the tone for the creepy comebacks of two of the most infamous fiends in all of pop culture. In a few weeks, NBC will reintroduce audiences to the ravenously deranged Hannibal (as in Lecter), and in case that makes you think about taking a shower, you might want to reconsider, because ...
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Kristen Bell
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Question: I'm thrilled that Veronica Mars fans will be getting a long-awaited movie. I have a few questions related to the Kickstarter campaign that made it possible: 1) Were you surprised that the goal of $2 million was reached in only 24 hours given the ratings challenges the show always faced as a TV series? 2) There was some controversy about whether asking fans to fund the project instead of having the studio fund it was ...
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Antony Starr
Things get awfully bloody on Friday with the explosive first-season finale of Cinemax's violent noir Banshee (10/9c), in which shootouts and long-simmering feuds leave such a gory trail that it almost puts to shame a new episode of Starz' reliably visceral Spartacus: War of the Damned (9/8c).
"I must admit, you have an admirable knack for survival," understates the lethal ...
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Amy Poehler, Jason Schwartzman
First, comedy tonight (since that's what was made available for review): NBC's current best sitcom, Parks and Recreation, ended its February sweeps run with some incredibly sweet moments: the impromptu nuptials of Leslie and Ben ("I love you and I like you"), Ann Perkins' awkwardly heartfelt invitation to Chris to be her would-be baby's daddy, the way everyone rallied to lift Andy's spirits after he's rejected by the police academy.
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The Neighbors
ABC has been running a series of ads lately for The Neighbors quoting TV critics who trashed the show when it premiered in September but have since changed their mind or at least lightened up about this harmless time-waster. I was not among those quoted, for good reason. I'm hardly a fan, but even back in the fall, I knew there were far worse sitcoms to get riled up about — including elsewhere on Wednesday (NBC's DOA Animal Practice and the presumably soon-to-vanish mediocrity Guys With Kids) — and my main objection, then as now, is its occupation of prime real estate between two infinitely better comedies, The Middle and Modern Family.
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Jim Beaver
The title of this week's pivotal episode of FX's Justified (Tuesday, 10/9c), "Get Drew," may evoke memories of an Elmore Leonard classic (Get Shorty), but Justified is a modern classic in its own right, honoring Leonard's spirit with wit and suspenseful grit and twisty plotting that just won't let up. That's especially true after last week's revelation of the identity of the long-missing and much-sought-after Drew Thompson, who sets off a multi-faceted manhunt.
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Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn
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Question: Along with Parenthood, The Good Wife is in my opinion still one of the best dramas on network TV. And the mock trial episode was, as you recently noted, the best so far of the season. However, I have recently been feeling that this show has been lacking, not necessarily in quality (with the exception of the whole Kalinda's husband debacle), but in freshness. For me the show has been very stagnant. A case here, a little Will/Alicia flirtation there, mixed in with Peter's campaign and/or Eli's troubles. Every week is pretty much the same thing with a different guest star. Nothing seems to be new or fresh. What's most frustrating about the lack of freshness is how easily they could remedy that. I would be extremely interested in watching what Cary proposed unfold, for he and Alicia to form their own firm. Watching Cary and Alicia go head to head with Will and Diane would be a welcome change to the same old same old.
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Skip Bolen
Break out the bourbon and branch. On Dallas, they've come to bury J.R. Ewing, not necessarily to praise "the most infuriating, charming scoundrel I think I've ever known," as his most famous and long-suffering ex-spouse, Sue Ellen, describes the iconic oilman. "It's enough to drive a girl to drink," she jokes. Though it may not be entirely a joke.
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Lili Simmons, Antony Starr
Let's start, as all weekends must, with Friday. The latest news: CBS has changed its mind about moving the new Golden Boy to Fridays after its two-week Tuesday tryout. To confuse matters, a new episode of Golden Boy airs this Friday (9/8c), with rising-star Detective Clark once again facing threats from his nemesis Arroyo. But next week, the Boy is back on Tuesdays (10/9c), displacing Vegas, which remains on ice for the rest of the month. When it returns, Vegas will move to Fridays (9/8c), starting April 5. Place your cancellation bets now.
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Zoanette Johnson
Will Nicki Minaj's "wife" Kree make the cut? How about Devin, the (quoting Nicki again) "Spanish Ken doll?" And could this be the end of the road for such curiosities as Zoanette "What's Tone Got To Do With It" Johnson and the appropriately named Charlie Askew? All will be revealed as Fox's American Idol moves back to Hollywood for a 90-minute live results show (8/7c), where America decides this year's Top 10 — but I wouldn't be surprised if the judges get a "wild card" pick should one or more of their faves fail to capture the voters' attention.
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