Question: Did anyone out there in TV land watch the Spike TV miniseries The Kill Point? I loved it and was hoping there would be talk about it but can't find anything. I guess I'm the only one who saw it!
Answer: Blame the busiest summer in TV history for this enjoyable thriller getting lost in the shuffle. If it helps ease your mind, it didn't go entirely unnoticed: I gave it a short rave review upon its premiere and included it in a recent Dispatch roundup of summer finales. If it's released on DVD, which I imagine it will be, I highly recommend it, despite a little sagging in the middle. John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg were terrific as the lead hostage-taker and lead negotiator in this bank-robbery standoff, which almost make up for what happened to The Nine ...
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Question: I enjoyed TNT's The Company and am currently catching up on ESPN's The Bronx Is Burning. My question is, why did TNT have to inundate its presentation of this otherwise serious program with crawling advertisements for other shows? I'm aware that I can also catch Saving Grace on TNT — the network takes every opportunity during the commercial breaks to let me know. Why do I need to see a miniature Holly Hunter walking around at the bottom of the screen during The Company? By comparison, ESPN, a network that arguably doesn't need to take itself as seriously, presents The Bronx Is Burning with only a small network logo in the corner of the screen. TNT had every reason to treat The Company with respect — the show was well executed on many levels. But even the failure to let the ending credits play uninterrupted for a few seconds got on my nerves. Decisions like these indicate that TNT was far more interested in using every imaginable opportunity to shove obnoxious ads down ...
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Sundays are seldom as busy during the regular TV season as was the case this weekend, with season and series finales all over cable. So much for summer being the sleepy season. If you'd been watching any of these shows this summer, you wouldn't have wanted to miss the payoffs.Big Love: So much drama and trauma on HBO's increasingly addictive domestic melodrama about a family man and the three wives who alternately adore and tolerate his whims, schemes and transgressions. One reason I love the show is that it has lines of dialogue you could never hear anywhere else. Here’s Nicky: “Our husband’s dating life is none of our business.” Bill to Barb: “There are two other people in this marriage.” Bill to Margene: “You are not having the neighbor’s baby!” Barb to Bill: “I don’t want a fourth [wife].” Margene: “Boss lady outed us to the neighbors!”So twisted, and yet presented in such a way that it almost seems normal. Th...
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Question: I am so pleased with the programming offered this summer. In fact, I think a lot of this summer's shows are better than the regular fall lineup (with a few exceptions). Wouldn't it be interesting if next year's Emmy nominations were filled with more summer candidates than fall ones? I can't believe the acting from the likes of Damages, The Kill Point, Mad Men, Big Love, Californication, etc would be overlooked. In the past, they've thrown a bone to a few summer favorites, recognizing Monk, The Closer and Weeds. But there are only so many spots available. I think the writers and producers of this fall's programming had better step it up a notch. What do you think the chances are that next year's Emmy nominations will be filled with a lot of these summer hits instead of fall shows?
Answer: It would be gratifying, but don't hold your breath beyond some of the no-brainers (like, say, Glenn Close). I'm thinking newfangled miniseries like Kil
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Question: I've been watching TV for so long, I remember when test patterns were "must-watch TV." Critics fondly reminisce about the golden years, and there were some truly great years. But am I wrong to think that we are now in the platinum age of television? As this past winter season wound down, this DVR viewer was bummed by the thought of a long summer season of reality shows, relieved only by Rescue Me. To my surprise (and here's a plug for TV Guide), I learned about some of the new series that would be flung all over the cable globe: Mad Men, The Bronx Is Burning, Damages, Kill Point (episodes piling up as I try to catch up with other shows) and now I hear buzz about The Company. Add to that So You Think You Can Dance (far superior to American Idol), Top Chef and Hell's Kitchen, and my personal addiction The Daily Show, and I just can't find enough hours to watch. So my question is: Why don't the networks just give up the full season philosophy (usually thrown in with repeats or as ...
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