Frontline

1983-2026
45 seasons
PBS Distribution
Documentary, News
TV-MA

FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world and American television's top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983.

1983-2026
45 seasons
PBS Distribution
Documentary, News
TV-MA

FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world and American television's top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983.

Tuesday TV: A Henson Challenge, Brooklyn Finale, NCIS's Big Easy Spinoff

If you like Syfy's Face Off (as I do), then you're already predisposed to enjoy the channel's new reality competition series Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge (Tuesday, 10/9c), which often feels like a shot-by-shot copy, complete with fetching female host (Farscape's Gigi Edgley), insane time pressures in producing elaborately fanciful Henson-esque creatures, and a three-member judging panel including the likable Brian Henson (Jim's son and chairman of the Henson Company with its fabled Creature Shop). What Creature Shop may lack in originality it makes up for in creative energy, with the contestants further challenged in mentoring sessions by being made to focus on having the full-body costumes be fully functional for the skilled Henson puppeteers within. The climactic "Screen Test" reveals are fun to watch, and the critiques (as in Face Off) are smartly constructive.

Tue, Mar 25, 2014

Tuesday TV: A Henson Challenge, Brooklyn Finale, NCIS's Big Easy Spinoff

Tuesday TV Review: Mind Games, Frontline at the Vatican, Glee's New Night

Even in a season distinguished by insta-duds like Lucky 7 and Betrayal, ABC hits a new low with Mind Games (Tuesday, 10/9c), an inexplicably and ridiculously convoluted drama which achieves the rare trick of making Christian Slater look like a master of understated acting. He plays an ex-con who teams with his frenetic, bipolar brother (Steve Zahn in an eye-poppingly cartoonish performance), an expert in all human behaviors but his own, to start a firm that specializes in elaborate psychological manipulations to achieve their clients' aims.

Tue, Feb 25, 2014

Tuesday TV Review: Mind Games, Frontline at the Vatican, Glee's New Night

The Tuesday Playlist: Ladies' Night on POI, Frontline Tackles NFL Concussion Crisis

Last Thursday, I was honored to moderate a panel at the "Made in NY" PaleyFest at New York's Paley Center, celebrating the third season of CBS's terrific cyber-thriller Person of Interest. Before the discussion with many of the show's cast and executive producer Jonathan Nolan, there was a screening of this week's episode (Tuesday, 10/9c) — the best of the season to date, and a fairly pivotal one — that is especially enjoyable in how it showcases the series' fabulous femmes fatales. With the target du jour a chameleon Casanova, the women must act as nightclub and social-media bait: an off-duty and glammed-up Carter (Taraji P. Henson), the ferociously trigger-happy Shaw (Sarah Shahi, hilariously playing against her natural beauty) and Reese's favorite fixer, the alluring Zoe Morgan (recurring co-star Paige Turco). A CBS contact refers to them as "Finch's Angels," and if they want to spin themselves off, that would be fine by me. A scene where the three ladies of the evening compare their weaponry is a riot. So's a later scene in which Shaw reflects on her disdain for relationships. (When I asked Shahi if Shaw has a soft side, she wasted no time in barking a "No.")

Tue, Oct 8, 2013

The Tuesday Playlist: Ladies' Night on POI, Frontline Tackles NFL Concussion Crisis

The Tuesday Playlist: NBC Falls Out Of Love

Way to squander a Voice lead-in, NBC. Turns out America wasn't ready to waste another night of the broadcast week on a ridiculously padded dating show, so after this week, Ready for Love (Tuesday, 9:01/8:01c) goes into reality limbo — and honestly, if scripted duds can get yanked without notice, why should lousy competition-reality shows be exempt when shunned like this one was? On the plus side, with The Voice about to end its enjoyable "battle" rounds and move next week into the "knockout" phase, the expanded Tuesday edition will be joined April 30 by the clever supernatural thriller Grimm, given a well-deserved reprieve from the Friday trenches for the rest of the season. (Part of me wishes NBC would invest more heavily in Hannibal and give it a shot in this wide-open Tuesday time period, but Grimm is probably a better fit.) Want more TV news and reviews? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Tue, Apr 23, 2013

The Tuesday Playlist: NBC Falls Out Of Love

The Tuesday Playlist: State of the Union, Justified Goes Footloose

Most of television does its civic duty and turns to Washington, D.C. for State of the Union coverage (9/8c), as President Obama presents his first address of his second term. (As a curtain raiser, PBS' Frontline — check tvguide.com listings — relives those fun times when the White House sparred with the opposition over the deficit, taking the nation to the brink of the "fiscal cliff" in an installment appropriately titled "Cliffhanger.") A different sort of dog-and-pony show — emphasis on dogs as show ponies — unfolds on USA Network...

Tue, Feb 12, 2013

The Tuesday Playlist: State of the Union, Justified Goes Footloose

Tuesday On TV: Cougar Town Returns! Plus: Southland, Justified

Now here's about the nicest Valentine's Day present anyone could hope for: the long-awaited return of Cougar Town, a show that's so much fun to love, you can't help but wonder if ABC kept it off the air so long just to make our hearts grow fonder.

Tue, Feb 14, 2012

Tuesday On TV: Cougar Town Returns! Plus: Southland, Justified

Matt's Guide to the Week in TV, Sept. 6-8: Sons of Anarchy, Rescue Me Finale

Fasten your recliner belts. With Labor Day behind us, it's time for some heavy TV lifting as new seasons begin and summer seasons continue to wrap things up. TV Guide Magazine's Fall Preview issue is out this week, which means the "regular" TV season is just around the corner. But there's still plenty to watch right now. Here's a quick look at the highlights for the rest of the week in TV.

Tue, Sep 6, 2011

Matt's Guide to the Week in TV, Sept. 6-8: Sons of Anarchy, Rescue Me Finale

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

Lights Out10/9c FX The Learys live in a New Jersey mansion that the Sopranos wouldn't find unfamiliar, and paterfamilias Patrick (Holt McCallany) made his money violently. But that's where the similarities end (some of them, anyway): Patrick (aka "Lights") is an ex-heavyweight boxing champ. Alas, retirement hasn't been good to Lights, and his money's running out (so, yes, he'll get mixed up with the mob). But Lights' story isn't all boxing-movie clichés. For starters, he's married to a med student (Catherine McCormack) and he's a responsible father. And when he's diagnosed with "pugilistic dementia" in the series opener, it's only the beginning of the story. — Paul DroeschRead on for previews of Frontline, Millionaire Matchmaker, NCIS, The Haney Project, Teen Mom and Onion SportsDome.

Tue, Jan 11, 2011

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

NCIS8/7c CBS Robert Wagner reprises his role as Tony's father. The last visit was an uneasy surprise for Tony. This visit catches the entire team off guard, because he's there at the request of Gibbs, who asked for his help on a sensitive case. — Bill Ecklund Read on for previews of No Ordinary Family, Dancing with the Stars, Frontline, The Good Wife, The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection and World Series of Poker.

Tue, Nov 9, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010

No Ordinary Family8/7c ABC For the last few weeks, JJ's super brain has been a secret to his parents, and mostly used for academic pursuits (or learning Hebrew to impress a girl). But can it help him succeed at sports? Tonight he goes out for the football team by using the X's and O's as variables in math equations, but the undersized JJ finds out the hard way that the game is more than just physics: It's physical. Meanwhile, a case of mistaken identity makes Jim look like the culprit of a crime he's trying to prevent. — Joe FriedrichRead on for previews of Millionaire Matchmaker, Parenthood, 30 for 30, Scream 2010, Frontline and Mad Mel: The Rise and Fall of a Hollywood Icon.

Tue, Oct 19, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Lost9/8c ABC Sadly, we must scratch Sayid, Sun and Jin from the list of candidates to succeed Jacob. That leaves Jack, Sawyer and Hurley, who, along with Kate, are back on the beach and awaiting the final battle with the Locke Monster, whose motives become clear (or at least as clear as things get on Lost) in this episode. Speaking of battles, expect background on the epochal Jacob-Man in Black tilt. And Allison Janney becomes part of the Lost universe, playing a character listed as "Woman."Read on for previews of The Good Wife, Biggest Loser, Justified, Dancing with the Stars, 30 for 30 and Frontline/World.

Tue, May 11, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, March 30, 2010

V10:02/9:02c ABC Whenever a drama takes a brief siesta, the show's shepherds typically use the last episode to drop cliff-hanger bombshells to hook viewers for the series' return, like putting Erica's son in harm's way,  Chad's grave prognosis and that creepy cross-species pregnancy. The re-imagined sci-fi series awakens from its winter slumber to address those suspenseful scenarios, with genre babes Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica) and Lexa Doig (Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda) along for the ride.Read on for previews of Dancing with the Stars, Melrose Place, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Frontline.

Tue, Mar 30, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010

Winter Olympics8/7c NBC Newly crowned national women's champ Rachael Flatt and 2008 winner Mirai Nagasu are the U.S. contingent as women's figure skating starts with the short program. Flatt, a high-school senior, hopes to study biomechanical engineering in college. "I don't like all the attention," she says. "I just like to skate." She won't be able to avoid the attention here, especially if she is able to out-skate favorites Kim Yu-Na and Mao Asada. Ski cross continues with the women's qualification, featuring France's Ophelie David, and the women's bobsled event begins, with American driver Shauna Rohbock back to try to improve on her silver-medal performance in Torino in 2006. Skiing features Bode Miller and Ted Ligety in the rescheduled men's giant slalom, as well as Nordic combined's team event, combining cross-country and ski-jumping. "You need two different hats," says Bill Demong, part of a strong U.S. foursome. "The ski jump is reflex, the cross country is far more cerebral and you have to dig deep." Johnny Spillane won the first-ever U.S. medal in the sport last Sunday.Read

Tue, Feb 23, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

Lost9/8c, ABC Juliet certainly took one for the team last May and is definitely dead, but she's slated to return (in one way or another) this season. Claire and Boone are back, too. Tonight, in fact. But in the flesh or as ghosts? And last we saw Locke, he was alive in Jacob's bunker inside the Taweret statue and dead in that crate on the beach. What gives?  All we really know about the final-season opener is what the producers have told us: "The aftermath from Juliet's detonation of the hydrogen bomb is revealed...

Tue, Feb 2, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

NCIS8/7c CBS The death of a marine on foreign soil has the team in the middle of an investigation that also forces Ziva to confront her past. The tenuous connection between who Ziva was and who Ziva is now — and where her loyalties lie — has been simmering below the surface since the season started. It not only affects cases, but her relationships with both Gibbs (a relative father figure) and Tony (a potential romantic partner). Read on for previews of Dancing with the Stars, Hell's Kitchen, 2009 Hip Hop Honors and Frontline.

Tue, Oct 13, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, June 16, 2009

HawthoRNe9 pm/ET TNT Hello, nurse. This new character-fueled, med-centric drama should be good medicine for fans of both hospital dramas and Jada Pinkett Smith. A solid Pinkett Smith essays the titular character, Christina Hawthorne, a headstrong yet empathetic chief nursing officer at a Richmond-based hospital. The series opens with our widowed heroine coping with the first anniversary of her husband's death, but that doesn't stop her from racing to prevent a cancer patient's suicide attempt. Meanwhile, she also deals with her rebellious daughter (Hannah Hodson) and her former mother-in-law (Joanna Cassidy). Read on for previews of CMT Music Awards, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Frontline and Saving Grace.

Tue, Jun 16, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Biggest Loser: Couples8 pm/ET NBC Season 7 comes to a close in tonight's three-hour live finale. Last week, Tara and Helen secured their spots as finalists, while Mike and Ron's fate in the competition fell into the hands of viewers voting at home. All is revealed tonight as the third contestant is announced, the at-home players return for one last weigh-in and, of course, the Biggest Loser is named. Also, a new element is added to the finale as two potential contestants for next season are presented for viewer voting. Read on for previews of Dancing with the Stars, Fringe, Frontline and The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Tue, May 12, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List for Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Dancing with the Stars9 pm/ET ABC It's double trouble as two contestants get booted in tonight's double elimination, based on their performances with last night's Argentine tango or Lindy Hop. Could Holly Madison's number be up? Or has Steve-O's back injury gotten the best of him? Then there's Steve Wozniak, who got a 10 from the judges last week — not a perfect 10, but a combined total of 10. As for music guests, Boyz II Men stop by to perform a medley of Motown tunes, and Kevin Rudolf sings "Let It Rock."Read on for previews of Cupid, American Idol, Frontline and Osbournes: Reloaded.

Tue, Mar 31, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List for Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List for Tuesday, February 17

Leverage10 pm/ET TNTThe catchy caper show's inaugural season begins winding down with the first of a two-part finale. (Part 2 airs next week.) Tonight's mission impossible turns intensely personal for team leader Nate Ford. Our modern-day Robin Hoods close in on one Ian Blackpoole (Kevin Tighe), the big-business miscreant who denied medical treatment for Nate's son, leaving the boy to die. The crack crew schemes to steal the greedy CEO's Michelangelo maquette, but their plan is jeopardized when Nate's ex-coworker (Mark A. Sheppard) makes an unforeseen appearance. The episode was directed by Dean Devlin, producer of the films Independence Day and Godzilla.Read on for previews of Real Housewives of New York City, Frontline, The Mentalist and Dogg After Dark.

Tue, Feb 17, 2009

Tonight's TV Hot List for Tuesday, February 17

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008

The Shield10 pm/ET FX Well, Vic is officially an ex-cop now. Let's see whether his badge-free status will help or hinder his hunt for the Vendrells. Read on for previews of Dancing With the Stars, Biggest Loser: Families, House and Frontline.

Tue, Oct 28, 2008

Tonight's TV Hot List: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008

Parents' Guide: Teen TV's Picks and Pans

Michael Davis and Mark Nollinger, two dads who write and edit the family page for TV Guide, got to talking recently about the state of teen TV, the importation of Canadian angst, bikini shows and snow parkas.  Michael Davis: What do you think is the best show for teens on TV? My favorite, Everwood, got killed when WB merged with UPN to form CW. So CW is dead to me, even though it hasn't signed on yet. Mark Nollinger: Yeah, it's too bad about Everwood. I think Smallville and Veronica Mars are pretty cool, too. But speaking as a parent, my favorite show — for older teens, anyway — isn't aimed at teens at all:

Thu, Aug 17, 2006

Parents' Guide: Teen TV's Picks and Pans

Elvis and a President's Murder: What's the Connection?

What does Elvis Presley's 1956 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show have in common with the 1901 assassination of William McKinley? And the onset of the Pequot War of 1637, for that matter? They are three of the 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America, as revisited in a History Channel series airing for five consecutive days starting Sunday at 9 pm/ET. (A detailed schedule appears at the bottom of this page.) To gain insight into this trip down memory lane, TVGuide.com spoke to acclaimed director Joe Berlinger (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills), a coexecutive producer on the project who also helmed one of its installments.

Fri, Apr 7, 2006

Elvis and a President's Murder: What's the Connection?