GUEST BLOG #69: Diane Holloway Wishes For a Very Terry New Year... As in Terry Kinney

December 31, 2009 10:36 AM

[Bianculli here: One of my New Year's resolutions is not to let columns by my TV WORTH WATCHING contributors sit in waiting until I get organized enough to post them. So, with apologies, here is Diane Holloway's latest, a still-timely salute to a wonderful supporting actor who, as she argues, more than deserves a leading role...]

TV Needs More Terry Kinney

By Diane Holloway

You may not know the name, and depending on the role he's playing, you may not even recognize him right away. But Terry Kinney is a pervasive player, and brings purpose and gravitas to every supporting role he graces on TV.

Who is Terry Kinney? He made his first impression on me years ago, back when he had hair in the late 1980s and played Ellyn's romantic interest on thirtysomething. His character was named Woodman, which I always assumed was a sex-tinged joke from the writers.

But Kinney is probably best-known to hard-core drama lovers for his role as unit manager Tim McManus on HBO's rough-and-tumble prison series Oz. It's hard to forget some of those characters, no matter how hard you try, but Kinney played a good guy.

More recently, Kinney wrapped up a six-episode run on CBS's lightweight crime series The Mentalist, starring impish Simon Baker. As Sam Bosco, Kinney locked horns with Baker's character over how to pursue serial killer Red John. Apparently the main guy won, because Bosco was "killed off."

Kinney is one of those rare actors who can tackle just about anything and bring extra credibility to an entire cast. One of three founding members of Chicago's prestigious Steppenwolf Theater (along with Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry), he's got the chops. He always supports, never stars, but he shines no matter how minimal or short-lived the show.

Three seasons in a row, he had smallish roles in three network dramas. Producers and casting directors seem to want him as tough guys - like cops and prosecutors. In 2006 he had a small part in NBC's Kidnapped, starring Timothy Hutton, Jeremy Sisto and Dana Delany. The next year he played a deputy attorney general in Fox's Canterbury's Law, starring Julianna Margulies (above). And last spring he was in ABC's comedy-drama The Unusuals, with Amber Tamblyn.

Kinney handles dark and serious well, hence all the cop roles. But he can also give characters a sly comedic twist. I'm not sure Bosco was supposed to by funny on The Mentalist, but sometimes he was. A show that silly (a psychic turned cop?) shouldn't be taken seriously anyway, so Kinney was a terrific addition. And his departure is a major loss.

But we probably won't have to be without Kinney for long. As midseason approaches, there will be new shows to cast, guest and recurring roles to fill. I'll be looking for him in all the old familiar places. Yet it sure would be nice to see him play a main character, wouldn't it?

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #64: Diane Holloway thinks 'Good Wife' makes great TV

November 17, 2009 10:00 AM

[Bianculli here: Contributing critic Diane Holloway gives The Good Wife a good review -- so good that she calls the CBS drama series "the good news of the fall season"...]

'The Good Wife' is good news for viewers

By Diane Holloway

As far as I'm concerned, The Good Wife is the good news of the fall TV season -- a quality drama that started with a strong pilot and lived up to its promise.

There is nothing more disappointing than a good pilot that turns into a lousy series. It happens. But it didn't happen this time.

In large part, the success of The Good Wife (Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, CBS) comes from the powerful yet subtle performance of Julianna Margulies as attorney Alicia Florrick, a woman painfully and publicly humiliated by her politician husband Peter (Chris Noth).

But the strength of the CBS drama also stems from exceptional writing (by married writers Robert King and Michelle King) that gives us compelling legal cases each week, along with an ongoing mystery about the sex scandal that sent Alicia's husband to prison. It will be interesting to see how long the mystery can be maintained. Either Peter was set up by political enemies, or he wasn't. If he was, who did it?

But as David Letterman said after revelations of his hanky panky emerged, Peter has a lot of work to do in his marriage. Alicia has resumed her career and seems to have moved on emotionally, although watching old family movies can pluck at her heartstrings. Betrayal is a bitter pill to swallow.

When CBS was promoting The Good Wife before its debut, the concept looked like a ripped-from-the-headlines effort. Wronged political wives and tainted politicians were popping up all over the news. Gov. Mark Sanford, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and former Sen. John Edwards triggered salacious coverage. The real-life wives soldiered on, grim-faced with resolve on the outside, but undoubtedly shattered on the inside.

The fictional version portrayed by Margulies comes across as painfully accurate. But as the series has continued, she has gone from shell-shocked to steely -- with a dose of vulnerability tossed in.

After slapping her husband's face in the pilot following his excruciating press conference (I cheered when she did that, didn't you?), Alicia stomped off in her tasteful suit and high heels to revive her career as a high-powered attorney. Peter went to prison for abuse of power. We did not know then and we do not know now (for sure) if they will reconcile. She is a proud woman, and she has been scorned. She won't come back easily, if she comes back at all.

The political and marital corruption are subplots, however. The Good Wife is primarily a legal drama, which means the episodes focus on each week's case. So far, the courtroom stories have been unusual and riveting. In a recent episode, Alicia was paired with a young storefront lawyer who impressed her with his skill and idealism. The typical story arc would have found the young legal eagle returning as a potential love interest. But at the end of the hour, we were surprised, along with Alicia, to find out the man was an imposter. He never went to law school or passed the bar. He was a fake. And Alicia was duped again.

The writers have much to explore in the law office characters. We know very little about the haughty but slightly insecure law partner Diane Lockhart, played by Christine Baranski. There would be no point in casting someone of Baranski's considerable skills without giving her some meaty stuff, so we've got that to look forward to.

In fact, everything about The Good Wife is bursting with promise. It's my new appointment TV. And I can't wait to see what happens next.

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GUEST BLOG #63: Diane Holloway Loves "60 Minutes" -- Give Or Take a Few

November 12, 2009 2:06 PM

[Bianculli here: Contributing critic Diane Holloway, a "seasoned veteran" herself, takes a look at one of TV's most tenured institutions, and finds it still relevant and excellent. Well, almost all of it, anyway...]

"60 Minutes" Is Still Ticking... And Not Only Surviving, But Thriving

By Diane Holloway

In its 42nd season, 60 Minutes, which airs Sunday nights at 7 ET on CBS, is old (ancient by prime-time standards), and the more famous correspondents are, politely put, "seasoned veterans."

But this granddaddy-of-all-newsmagazines remains not only relevant but, against all odds, strong. According to A.C. Nielsen, 60 Minutes is still an unqualified hit, finishing last season ranked 13th among all programs, first among news programs, and the proud owner of a 10 percent growth in an era of audience shrinkage.

Depending on the lineup on any given week, even young people watch what my now-23-year-old son used to call "the tick-tick show." I'm amazed that after all these years, I'm still watching it.

What's the deal? Is this CBS phenomenon nothing more than a post-football habit on Sundays at 7? I don't think so. Nor do I think people watch just to see what the star correspondents are doing. That may have been true when Mike Wallace, Morley Safer and Harry Reasoner ruled the broadcast -- especially when Wallace was leaping out from behind potted palms and grilling corrupt corporate and government executives.

People tune in for the content, for the big "get" interview or the news-breaking investigation. It's not smarmy fake news; it's real news. Excerpts from the broadcast often make their way into newspapers and other TV news broadcasts.

The genius of 60 Minutes is its dedication to investigative journalism (thanks to Don Hewitt, the late-great creator) and its clever ability, perhaps grudgingly at first, to sprinkle in celebrity features in a way that makes them seem both entertaining and newsworthy.

Hewitt set the serious, sophisticated tone, and it continues under Hewitt's successor, Jeff Fager. Even in interviews with noted dog abuser (and football star) Michael Vick and child-star-turned-movie-mogul Drew Barrymore, the tone is revelatory and tasteful.

Among its fellow newsmagazines, 60 Minutes alone has steered clear of the murder-mayhem-freak-show bent prevalent on ABC's 20/20 and CBS's Dateline.

During the presidential campaign last year, reporter Steve Kroft spent quality time with unknown candidate Barack Obama. Recognizing a big story before it becomes one is an important quality in a journalist, and Kroft was all over Obama. It was no surprise that he had unprecedented access to Obama at the nominating convention, after the election and after the inauguration.

More recently, General Stanley McChrystal, in a lengthy feature on 60 Minutes, made headlines when he practically demanded that President Obama fork over 40,000 troops for the war in Afghanistan.

And Lesley Stahl's sit-down with Senator Ted Kennedy before publication of his memoirs turned out to be one of the best and most-repeated pieces to air after Kennedy died.

Major investigations over the years include the horrors at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, the Wall Street scandals, global warming and the Mexican drug wars. The pieces reported the news and they made news.

Entertainment segments -- featuring interviews that range from Bob Dylan to Larry the Cable Guy, from Vogue's Anna Wintour to actor/producer Tyler Pitts -- always focus on people who matter and who have intriguing stories to tell. No Octomom or Balloon Boy on 60 Minutes, thank heavens.

I will conclude my love letter to 60 Minutes with one thought, one that just might get me in trouble with the show's viewers: I think it's time for Andy Rooney to quit. Sometimes his commentaries are still sharp and funny, but too often they ramble and have no impact. Why not give someone like Jon Stewart a shot at that spot? Or David Letterman? I appreciate Rooney's years of service, but enough is enough.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #62: Diane Holloway Says Yikes to Sykes

November 9, 2009 3:02 PM

[Bianculli here: Contributing Critic Diane Holloway was, to quote from Rocky Horror, restless with antici...pation about the premiere of Fox's The Wanda Sykes Show. Now that she's seen it, Diane is singing a slightly different tune...]

Hey, I Wanda Who's Liking Her Now

By Diane Holloway

Loyal readers, and maybe even a few bored TV enthusiasts surfing the web, may recall that a couple of weeks ago I wrote an over-the-moon anticipation blog about Wanda Sykes' upcoming Saturday night show.

I went on and on about how hilarious Sykes is, and how much I was looking forward to her new Fox adventure. I also promised to return to the subject after the show's debut, to see if my excitement had been warranted.

Well, the answer is an unequivocal... yes and no. Maybe. The Wanda Sykes Show arrived Saturday night with decidedly mixed results. Anyone who ever voted Republican or who finds salty language and sex jokes offensive should stay away. But the problems ran deeper.

Her opening-night monologue, sticking up for President Obama and bashing his right-wing critics, went on too long and had all the rhythm of a child's first violin recital.

Bragging that she was the first person on Fox "not to pick on President Obama," Sykes set herself up as the comic defender of all things Obama -- a shtick destined to get real old real quick, even for ardent Democrats. Plus, she's hardly the first person on Fox to stick up for the president. Even Homer Simpson has done that. Double-plus, Sykes ignores the fact that Fox News is a whole different animal than the entertainment network. Bill O'Reilly rants on Fox News, not on the broadcast home of House and Glee.

Anyone who thought Sykes might temper her typically bawdy humor for network TV should have known better. And actually, some of the bawdy stuff was the funniest, although I'll grant that more tasteful viewers probably didn't laugh as hard at the bit on environmentally-friendly sex toys as I did. I'm sorry, but a solar-powered vibrator struck me as hilarious. No apologies.

A panel of not-very-funny guests in the Wanda Bar segment (yes, they really were drinking adult beverages but it didn't help) proved to be a groaner. The only person remotely funny was Daryl "Chill" Mitchell. Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) and Phil Keoghan (Amazing Race) were painfully dull, as were the topics (private space travel, modern parenting) the group discussed.

Sadly the show ended its hour with an excruciating segment, dubbed "Inappropriate Games: Know Your Asians," that required panelists to name the country of origin of several Asian celebrities. Tasteless and racist...and definitely not amusing. The late Richard Pryor could get away with racially-themed humor; apparently Sykes cannot.

Sykes is much smarter and funnier than her show, which was greeted with tepid applause, even by her tiny studio audience. She needs good guest stars -- Julia Louis-Dreyfus' 15-second appearance was a breath of fresh air, but we needed more. And the awful panel has got to go.

My fervent hope is that the first show was wobbly because it's still finding its legs. My fear is that it's as good as it will get. I have enough respect for Sykes as a performer and as a human being to think it will get better. If not, well, I'm sorry I brought it up. And never mind.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #60: DIANE HOLLOWAY Ponders the Future of "Southland"

October 29, 2009 10:54 AM

[UPDATE: TNT announced Monday morning that it has picked up Southland, to air all six episodes shot for this season (and the seven that aired on NBC last season), starting Jan. 12. Contributor Diane Holloway has already explained why it's worth watching...]

[Bianculli here: Contributing critic Diane Holloway returns to a topic she first addressed in April. She regrets that circumstances have forced her to do so -- but I'm just happy she's been writing for TV WORTH WATCHING for that long...]

NBC Lets "Southland" Go -- But I Can't

By Diane Holloway

You might logically think that writing weekly columns for this site for a mere seven months isn't nearly long enough to indulge in the critic's version of a rerun. But you would be wrong. My passion for a certain show has gotten the better of me, so I'm touting it again.

Way back in April, in one of my first TVWW blogs, I praised NBC's gritty new cop drama, Southland. In fact, I compared it to Hill Street Blues, perhaps the original gritty cop drama, which I had just watched on DVD.

You may recall that NBC unceremoniously dropped the ax on Southland -- two weeks before its October second-season premiere. After weeks of rumors, it now appears all but signed-on-the-dotted line that Southland will return, moving from NBC to TNT.

Why this solution isn't reached for other shows deemed not quite popular enough for broadcast but perfectly acceptable in the cable universe is beyond me. The late-great Arrested Development would have been perfect for FX... or even HBO. It definitely deserved a longer life than it had on Fox.

The details have yet to emerge regarding Southland. Will TNT air only the six new episodes already filmed for NBC? Will TNT rev up production and shoot at least six or seven more for the second season? And will TNT launch its new acquisition with a repeat of the first season's mini-run that began in April?

All of the above questions are still to be answered -- but thanks to TNT for doing the right thing here and breathing new life into a prematurely canceled series.

For those who missed it, Southland was created by John Wells and premiered Thursday nights on NBC, in the time slot of Wells' long-running masterpiece, ER.

The ensemble cast included Austin actor Ben McKenzie (Junebug, The O.C.) as a rookie Los Angeles cop partnered with a tough veteran, played by Michael Cudlitz. Regina King and Tom Everett Scott played another cop duo, with a half-dozen other lesser-known but stellar actors rounding out the cast.

The series was noteworthy for its filmic quality and an abundance of bleeped-out four-letter-words. None of the language was gratuitous, mind you, but it was unusual for a broadcast network program to use such dialogue.

TNT, which boasts considerably milder police originals such as The Closer and Saving Grace, likely will not alter the tone of Wells's drama. That's good.

But Southland would have been more at home on FX, where at least some of the bleeps could be replaced by words. The Shield, Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck push the envelope for content and language, and Southland could have nestled among those series more comfortably than the good but relatively tame TNT shows.

Assuming this Warner Bros. deal between NBC and TNT goes through, Southland at least will live on in some capacity. Serious dramas on NBC were doomed by the network's shortsighted decision to air The Jay Leno Show every weeknight in prime time.

If Leno tanks (who among us doesn't think it will?), NBC may regret letting Southland go. Too bad... that's the price to be paid for ignoring quality.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #58: Diane Holloway is waiting for Wanda

October 22, 2009 12:03 PM

[Bianculli here: Contributing critic Diane Holloway hasn't seen The Wanda Sykes Show yet, but that won't stop her from writing about it... with qualified enthusiasm...]

Wanda Sykes will be wild (a fearless prediction)

By Diane Holloway

TV critics frequently get asked if they've actually seen a program they reviewed. I always found that an odd question, especially coming from editors who should have expected credible work from an employee. How could I review a show if I hadn't seen it? Wouldn't that be dishonest?

Let me state for the record that I never once reviewed a show without seeing it. Now let me explain that this blog is not a review but an anticipation, based on a long-standing guffaw affair with the upcoming show's star.

I cannot wait for The Wanda Sykes Show to arrive on Fox. I'm a little bit giddy about it. The Saturday night talk/comedy/variety show debuts Nov. 7 (at 11 p.m. ET), taking on late local news and the first half-hour of Saturday Night Live.

It may turn out to be awful, in which case I will follow-up this love letter with a heartfelt mea culpa. But I'm optimistic that this late-night show on Fox is going to be the perfect venue for the caustic comedian, giving her freedom beyond the mundane limits of The New Adventures of Old Christine if not quite the raunchy open pastures of HBO.

Not that I don't love Sykes' standup routines. Unapologetically, I do. Her 2006 HBO special Sick and Tired had me howling for days. Some lines still make me chuckle -- like the advantages of getting older and, well, "not giving a #!#." Grocery sacker asks if she wants paper or plastic? She answers, "I don't give a @#!*."

Granted, Sykes' humor may be a bit too irreverent for some viewers. Not everybody thought her routine at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner, delivered in front of President Obama, was appropriate. Regarding photos of the shirtless president, Sykes turned to Obama and snapped, "Please, I don't need to see your nipples!" Or this month's HBO special, I'ma Be Me, which, among other things, marveled at TV's flood of "broke dick" commercials.

Of course, we don't really know what the Fox show will be. The network describes the hour-long show as "topical, innovative and irreverent." It is said to include commentary and panel discussions on current events. We don't know who the panelists will be, but probably not Rush Limbaugh or George Will. Yet, maybe? You just never know with Sykes, and that's one of the many reasons I love her.

The late-night show format also will include "field segments," shot outside the studio. Maybe Sykes will go to grocery stores and ask if they want paper or plastic.

Honest, dangerous and smart as a whip, this Emmy-winner (for writing on Chris Rock's old HBO series) could spice up Saturday nights, which have been in a major lull now that SNL no longer has the presidential campaign to mine. I'm hopeful. I'm excited. And I really hope I'm not wrong, because that mea culpa would be embarrassing to write.

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GUEST BLOG #56: Diane Holloway on TV's Friday night sights

October 8, 2009 1:40 PM

[Bianculli here: Contributing critic Diane Holloway shines her Friday night lights on that evening's broadcast prime-time programming, and finds reasons for both cheer and disdain. Personally, I like Fox's Dollhouse more than she does, but I'm clearly in the minority. Even the genre fans flock in larger numbers that hour to Syfy's new Stargate Universe -- and that's on cable...]

Please, networks, don't give up on Friday night

By Diane Holloway

Is Friday night making a comeback on network TV? Or is it still one of the spots where prime-time series go to die?

Yes, I realize that scheduling is less and less important in the Age of DVR. Thursday night viewers no longer have to choose between Grey's Anatomy and CSI. They can watch them both, whenever the mood strikes, and they can even add The Office to the mix.

But there is still something to be said for when and where a show airs -- if only because it seems that viewers are more likely to set their DVRs to record on a weekday or a Sunday than they are on a Friday or Saturday night.

Let's get Saturday out of the discussion right away, because this is the least-watched night of the TV week, and justifiably so. About the only thing new on network TV is gruesome true crime on 48 Hours. Wait, Fox has Cops and America's Most Wanted. But who cares?

Fridays, on the other hand, might be making a comeback. Maybe network programmers figure the sour economy will keep folks home that night, so they're scheduling accordingly. CBS has three hours of fresh prime time now. So do NBC (at least for now) and Fox.

ABC has been rerunning a couple of its so-so new series (Flash Forward and The Forgotten), leading into new episodes of 20/20. But this month, ABC will bring back new installments of Supernanny (ick) and Ugly Betty (yeah!).

CBS picked up NBC's dropped Medium to pair with Ghost Whisperer for a supernatural double-bill. The Big Eye wraps up Friday night with the durable Numb3rs. I'm not a fan of any of these shows, but viewers enamored of emotional women and the things that haunt them have something to look forward to.

Whether NBC wants to or not, the network has its fifth night of The Jay Leno Show, preceded on Fridays by fresh chapters of the nearly-dead Law & Order and yet more crime/scandal with Dateline. But good news is coming. On Oct. 23, the very promising cop drama Southland returns. It was a bad sign when NBC bumped Southland from Thursday's old ER spot, but at least it got picked up. We'll see how it fares on Fridays.

As for Fox, well, that network's younger viewers aren't likely to be home watching or recording the awful new comedy Brothers, the awful returning comedy 'Til Death or the tawdry melodrama Dollhouse.

But it wasn't such ancient history when Friday nights were prime viewing time. NBC ruled the '70s with Sanford & Son, Chico & the Man, The Rockford Files and Police Woman. In the '80s, the network struck gold with the hip-and-cool Miami Vice.

And who can forget the Friday night blockbuster Dallas? From 1978 until 1991, millions stayed home to see who J.R. was going to swindle or screw. VCRs were starting to catch on then, but most people watched the Ewings' nighttime soap shenanigans live, so they wouldn't miss out on the water-cooler chatter.

Today's splintered audience prohibits Dallas-size blockbusters on any night of the week, and Friday remains a less-popular TV night. But it's good to see the networks aren't giving up entirely. Maybe there's life yet in that little corner of the schedule. For the sake of Southland, I hope so.

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UPDATE Thursday 7 p.m. ET --

Turns out it's too late for Southland. NBC just pulled the plug after six second-season episodes were produced (and none televised). Read more here.

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GUEST BLOG #55: Diane Holloway cruises TV cityscapes

October 1, 2009 11:31 AM

[Bianculli here: TV critics, like other people, should know their place. But in contributing critic Diane Holloway's case, the sense of place given off by a TV show has a lot to do with how much she enjoys it...]

Appreciating TV with a sense of place

By Diane Holloway

Over the years, some of my favorite TV shows have starred places as well as people. Apparently, I need specific geography to be entertained.

This rich addition almost always applies to dramas rather than comedies, at least partly because comedies rarely leave the confines of a studio. And it doesn't really matter where the characters are when they're trolling for yuks.

For a place to be truly part of an ensemble, the writers have to do more than mention it occasionally and shoot a few exterior scenes from a helicopter.

Grey's Anatomy, for example, is set in Seattle, but aside from aerial views and the hospital being named Seattle Grace, the self-absorbed docs could be emoting from anywhere. There's absolutely zero sense of place.

The Law & Order franchise, on the other hand, showcases the look and feel of the city of New York almost as much as the ensemble casts. Everything from the cops and the crimes to the courts and the legal eagles are distinctly New York.

Compare Law & Order to CSI: NY, and you see a world of difference. The New York portrayed in the CSI Big Apple spinoff is all shiny and clean, with a forensic lab that looks like a sci-fi movie set. The city in CSI could just as easily be Minneapolis.

Because of its inherent drama, New York has been a favorite setting over the years. NYPD Blue certainly reeked of the city, and currently so does Rescue Me. Although it doesn't really trot around the city, Mad Men is very New York in its angst and atmosphere. A show about advertising in the 1960s couldn't really take place anywhere else, but Mad Men does exceedingly well in playing up the urban ambience.

The only thing better in my book than a show with a sense of place is a show that is defined by its place -- like Frank's Place, one of my all-time favorite shows. Its run was brief (1987-88), but Tim Reid's magnificent love letter to New Orleans was simply brilliant. From the opening titles, we could smell, hear and see the city. Gumbo bubbled, jazz wailed, and people oozed creole charm.

More recently, Anthony Anderson's post-Katrina crime drama K-Ville also starred New Orleans, and it did a remarkable job of showing the tragedy faced by the city after the devastating hurricane, as well as the optimism of its surviving sons and daughters.

Of course Dallas oozed its city, too. The 1980s sudser featured big hair, big music, a big villain (hello, J.R.!) and big, big money. Could a juicy prime-time soap about wealth and intrigue, ranches and oil wells be set in, say, Atlanta? No. It had to be Texas, and it had to be Dallas.

Creators seem to be drawn to very cold or very warm cities. Snow and icy breath do make for impressive cinematography. The Windy City made us shiver from opening to closing credits on Chicago Hope and ER. And other shows' sparkling water and beaches look sexy and inviting.

TV has had something of a love affair with certain cities -- Boston, Los Angeles and Miami, just to name a non-New York trio.

Boston Legal, St. Elsewhere and Cheers gave us a distinctive flavor. Boston Legal didn't exactly comb the streets near Back Bay or Faneuil Hall, but devoted Bostonian David E. Kelley sure knew how to blend exterior footage and New England characters.

Los Angeles was portrayed as slick and modern in L.A. Law years ago, but The Shield, Southland and occasionally even The Closer showcase the grittier back alleys of that city.

Miami Vice set a distinctive visual style for the Latin-infused urban sprawl in South Florida, and today's Burn Notice [photo at top] picks up a similar vibe. When its protagonist isn't slicing and dicing, Dexter gives us a keen sense of Miami, too. But CSI: Miami never seems to step beyond the homes and lifestyles of the super-rich.

Some shows can get away with taking place in Anywhere, USA. Hill Street Blues never identified its locale, and nobody has ever figured out where those Desperate Housewives really live.

But it's a tasty enhancement when shows involve us not only with stories and characters, but also a specific place. Wonder why nobody has come up with a drama about keep-it-weird Austin . . .

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #54: Diane Holloway Thinks "Dexter" Is Bloody Good

September 24, 2009 10:40 AM

[David B. here: I'm going to let the TV WORTH WATCHING ladies, the two Dianes, fight over this one. Showtime's Dexter is one of my favorite drama series on TV, but Dianes 1 and 2 have different ways of expressing their emotions about this fabulously different television antihero. Diane Werts reviews the new season of Dexter, which starts Sunday at 9 ET, on her blog -- while on today's guest blog, contributing critic Diane Holloway sums up the three seasons to date.]

TV Serial Killers and the Women Who Love Them

By Diane Holloway

Oh, Dexter, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Come to think of it, perhaps I should explain why, instead of how. Loving a serial killer -- no matter how endearing he may be when not wielding a syringe, knife, piano wire or hacksaw -- requires some explanation.

Seriously, folks, I'm not some sicko. I'm a calm, rational little woman who loves children and dogs and who volunteers for a couple of charities. But I love this cold-blooded killer, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I don't love to hate him; I love him.

In anticipation of the fourth-season debut of Showtime's magnificent Dexter (Sunday night at 9 ET), I watched the entire third season on DVD in a self-imposed marathon of three days. The saturation helped me justify to myself why I have such a soft spot for Dexter Morgan. The submersion also reminded me why the dark side of the character can leave me chilled to the bone.

The No. 1 reason Dexter is inherently lovable is Michael C. Hall, a baby-faced actor with big brown eyes, a sweet smile and enormous talent. Soft-spoken and mild-mannered in real life, Hall gives Dexter an undeniable vulnerability and guilelessness. He's almost cuddly.

Without Hall, Dexter wouldn't be Dexter. Based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay, the series scripts are first-rate, but Dexter is all about the actor who plays him. When Showtime presented its first press conference touting the show, Hall smiled and shrugged when asked how he came up with his portrayal.

"There isn't a lot of opportunity for research," he said.

In other words, the fully realized Dexter springs from the creative mind of Hall. And that portrayal has evolved.

In the beginning, Dexter came across as more of a clueless sociopath. But in a Forrest Gump kind of way, he has been forced by circumstance to become more human and simpatico. He's always been a caring, protective big brother to the hilariously foul-mouthed Deb (played by Hall's real-life wife, Jennifer Carpenter). His feelings for girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) may have waxed and waned, but his dedication to her two children has never wavered.

And Dexter certainly works hard at his job as a blood-splatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department.

By the end of the third season, Dexter has overcome any feelings of reluctance about his romantic relationship and has happily tied the knot with Rita, who is pregnant wit his child. He promised at the wedding to be the "best husband and father possible." And we believed him.

Fans of the show worried that Dexter had left himself open to trouble by letting his new "friend," Miguel Prado (brilliantly played by Jimmy Smits) into his secret life. We knew that would not end well, and it didn't. But Miguel turned into such a fiery, mean-tempered villain that Dexter came off as the good guy -- even while choking Miguel to death.

The fourth season, which features Jonathan Lithgow as a legendary serial killer, will attempt an even trickier balance between Dexter's dark side and his new life as a family man.

Can he really be a good husband and father while dispensing with the evil-doers who meet his late father's "code"? Will he successfully wipe the blood off his hands before bouncing his new baby boy on his lap? And after getting burned by his failed friendship experiment with Miguel, will he shut himself off a bit more to outsiders?

Dexter is one of those shows, like Perry Mason and Seinfeld, that simply couldn't exist without its star. Michael C. Hall makes Dexter Morgan an inherently bad guy who really is lovable -- in a psychotic, deeply weird kind of way. He is loyal, well-mannered, neat, clean and hard-working. If it weren't for that little homicidal streak, he would be perfect... but he wouldn't be nearly as compelling.

I love him just the way he is.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #51: Diane Holloway Offers a Dissenting "Idol" Opinion

September 16, 2009 9:26 AM

[Bianculli here: When the announcement was made that Ellen DeGeneres would be replacing Paula Abdul as a judge on American Idol, TV WORTH WATCHING contributing critic Diane Werts registered and explained her disapproval. Now another TVWW contributing critic named Diane -- Diane Holloway -- respectfully but forcefully disagrees, and thinks Ellen should do just fine. Fight nicely, ladies, or at least duel with feather pillows at 20 paces. I'll pull this website over if I have to...]

Ellen Replacing Paula?
Diane No. 2 Applauds the Switch

By Diane Holloway

As much as I admire and respect my TV Worth Watching colleague Diane Werts, I have to respectfully disagree with her recent posting about Ellen DeGeneres heading to American Idol.

Diane No. 1, as I call her (I'm lowly Diane No. 2, by the way) doesn't see how DeGeneres will fit into the Idol judging panel. And she believes the show will suffer without the replaced Paula Abdul.

After eight seasons of watching the show and grimacing over some of Abdul's head-case antics, I'm relieved that she's gone. I do agree that her nurturing comments provided a refreshing respite from Simon Cowell's sometimes cruel reality.

But I think DeGeneres can provide the same positive commentary to the young contestants while also serving up some smart fun. The genius of DeGeneres is her ability to connect with people and to see the wacky humor in just about everything. She will be able to lighten any caustic Cowell moments AND make us laugh at the same time.

Of course Abdul made us laugh, too, but not intentionally. She made us laugh and cringe at the same time, when she remarked on a song that hadn't been sung, or lost track of what she was saying, or showed up decked out in a leftover costume from Moulin Rouge.

It was like watching those overweight folks falling off the big balls on Wipeout. It's sad, embarrassing and funny at the same time.

Heading into its ninth season, American Idol could stand some change in the judging booth. Fox attempted to do that last season by adding Kara DioGuardi as a fourth judge, but that was a mistake.

The commentary after the performances took way too long with four rambling judges, and DioGuardi was by far the most rambling. Three judges are better than four. I wish DioGuardi had been bumped, too, but she probably comes cheap compared to the others.

Diane 1, like many other fans and critics, questions DeGeneres' qualifications as a singing judge. She probably has a point there, but American Idol judges aren't exactly evaluating the fine points of singing.

"Dog, you really did your thing." -- Randy Jackson

"I just felt your emotions pouring out. I have chills." -- Paula Abdul

"To be honest, that was like bad karaoke." -- Simon Cowell

Seriously, folks, how much more credible does DeGeneres need to be? DeGeneres is a self-described music junkie. She loves pop and rock music, and she loves to dance. How is that different than Abdul, who can dance but has debatable vocal skills?

DeGeneres persuaded a very reticent Barack Obama to "bust a move" on her daytime talk show during his presidential campaign. Doesn't that speak volumes about her motivational skills?

With deepest apologies to Ms. Werts, I'm looking forward to DeGeneres on Idol. I predict she will be smarter, funnier and more supportive than the oft-daft Abdul.

And I can't wait to see her take on Simon! THAT'S going to be TV worth watching.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #48: Diane Holloway Rides Along with FX's "Sons of Anarchy"

September 8, 2009 12:03 AM

[Bianculli here: Labor Day is over, and the TV WORTH WATCHING squad is back at work. (Not that we ever stopped.) Today, contributing critic Diane Holloway admits to another TV pleasure about which she is no longer guilty: the raucous rebels of FX's Sons of Anarchy...]

That's When I Fell For the Leader of the Pack

By Diane Holloway

Crude, raw and supremely politically incorrect, Sons of Anarchy returns to FX for a second season tonight at 10 ET. Rev up the violence and beam down the biker brawls. This season looks like it's going to be even better -- and certainly more shocking -- than the first.

Last season I was initially embarrassed to admit that I was riveted to this dark and often disturbing drama. No more. I'm out and proud. It's all in the execution.

On the surface, a show about the outlaw world of a Northern California motorcycle club would seem to have limited appeal. But Sons of Anarchy exploded that myth.

Thanks to tight scripts, brilliant performances by Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal, and a distinctive B-movie look, the series became must-see by the end of its brief first-season run. Think of it as Deadwood without the F-words. It began perhaps less focused and well-honed than FX's Rescue Me and the late, great The Shield, but it improved and heated up quickly.

You wouldn't want to hang out with any of these characters, and you certainly wouldn't want to live in a small town like Charming, where the gun-dealing gang keeps what passes for peace among the denizens. But these folks sure are engrossing (in a seedy kind of way) to watch from a distance.

For newcomers to Anarchy, Clay Morrow (Perlman) is the growling gorilla-like president of the biker club. An angry guy with a big chip on his shoulder, he is married to tough mama Gemma (Sagal), whose son Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), also an outlaw biker, has frequent and dangerous conflicts with his stepfather.

Jax's late father, John, was the club's co-founder, a Vietnam vet who came home disillusioned and hoped to establish a free-wheeling alternative society. In his memoir, which Jax reads from time to time, John expressed regret over what the club evolved into, and Jax senses the disappointment that emerged from his father's lost idealism.

It was unclear last season whether Jax was truly pulling away from Clay's violent ways, especially after he and girlfriend Tara (Maggie Siff) had a baby. Was Jax seriously challenging Clay's leadership? If so, what different direction would he take the club? Did he think the biker club and Clay were old-fashioned and useless?

In the second season, conflicts continue, and now we have more odious folks to deal with than the bikers or their gun-buying gangster customers.

Now we've got a group of white supremacists in Charming, who lock horns with Clay's club over their sale of weapons to "coloreds." New cast regular Adam Arkin is chilling as Ethan Zobelle, an alleged businessman who opens a cigar shop where he mostly sells a racist agenda. Henry Rollins also joins the cast as A.J. Weston, one of Zobelle's more intense cohorts.

Explosions lurk around every corner, domestic and otherwise. Charming and the families of the Sons of Anarchy are at war, with each other and with the new population of white supremacists. Nobody will mistake this drama for comfy escapism. It's uncomfortable to watch, but it's also superbly executed and compelling fare.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #47: Diane Holloway's Whiff of Fall TV

September 3, 2009 7:40 AM

[Bianculli here: Last week we heard from Tom Brinkmoeller about his initial expectations, and reservations, concerning the upcoming fall TV offerings. Today, weighing in on the same topic, we hear from another contributing critic, Diane Holloway...]

When a critic's thoughts turn toward the fall season

By Diane Holloway

This is the time of year when the smells of pencils, crayons and gum erasers waft through the air. There's something about that scent of school starting. It's the whiff of new possibilities, of redemption and reinvention.

For those of us who are no longer going to class, but do serve as professional couch potatoes, this is also a time for anticipating the return of favorite shows and the arrival of promising newcomers.

No longer a daily TV critic, I'm not currently churning out dozens of capsule reviews, assigning grades, and fiddling with a new TV grid likely to make little sense. Seriously, does anybody want to see Jay Leno in prime time five nights a week?

But thanks to TV Worth Watching guru David Bianculli, I have already seen previews of most of the new series. In my guest blogger role, I'm looking forward to a more leisurely review process, sharing space with distinguished colleagues who may not agree on anything. But we'll have fun disagreeing.

I must confess, I haven't seen much that truly thrilled me. That's why I'm more excited about the return of NBC's Southland than anything else. This little spring series -- a super-raw cop drama set on the mean streets of Los Angeles (and co-starring Austin's own Ben McKenzie) -- hit it out of the park last season and promises to pick up steam in the new season.

I'll probably check out new episodes of ABC's Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters and Desperate Housewives (to see if they time-travel this fall till the glamorous gals of Wisteria Lane are menopausal). And I'm curious to see how far Fox's Lie to Me can go in revealing falsehoods through facial expressions.

Without going into detail (which we'll happily do closer to premiere dates), I will admit believing that NBC had by far the best pilots, including the only sitcom that actually made me laugh. In fact, Community, about the misfits in a community college, had me howling like a maniac. On the other hand, CBS's Accidentally on Purpose, with Jenna Elfman getting pregnant by her boy-toy, was simply putrid.

NBC also has a couple of promising new dramas. The medical rescue drama Trauma [photo at top] is more action than melodrama, a plus for me. And I hadn't wanted to like Parenthood, but sort of did. (Too bad the latter has been pushed back to midseason because of costar Maura Tierney's illness.)

CBS's The Good Wife, starring Julianna Margulies, starts off exceedingly well, but I don't think the teases reflect how the series will unfold. This is not a political drama, despite featuring Christopher Noth as a scandalous politician (a la South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford). It's actually about the pol's wife, who must forge ahead alone and reestablish her career as an attorney. So it's a legal drama, which is a bit disappointing.

Oh, and I'm really looking forward to seeing former U.S. House Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay twirl around in satin and sequins on Dancing With the Stars.

Maybe it's just a Texas thing, but the thought of the disgraced DeLay (he was indicted in 2005 on criminal charges that he conspired to violate campaign finance laws) doing the paso doble and the jitterbug has me all atwitter. Ballroom pro Cheryl Burke has worked miracles on the dance floor before, but "The Hammer" could prove too big a challenge. Viewing parties are planned in this neck of the woods for what we anticipate being the most hilarious TV event of the season.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #44: Diane Holloway is committed to 'The Closer'

August 24, 2009 8:00 AM

[Bianculli here: The season finales for TV's best summer shows are starting to roll out, which is sad. But if not for the excitement generated from these series, all of which are on cable, summer TV would have been a lot worse. Today, in that spirit, contributing critic Diane Holloway salutes the season finale of TNT's The Closer...]

Kyra Sedgwick's ensemble closes strong

By Diane Holloway

Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson drawls her "thank yooo" summer farewell tonight as The Closer ends its fifth blockbuster season (Monday at 9 p.m. ET, TNT).

Golden Globe-winning star Kyra Sedgwick and the talented ensemble make The Closer what it is, because honestly, the stories aren't all that innovative. It's a cop show. There's a murder (or murders). And Brenda squeezes a confession out of someone. The formula rarely changes.

But Sedgwick brings a singular quirkiness to the role. It's not just the totally believable Southern drawl. It's everything from the constant battle with a chocolate addiction, to her big floppy hats and black reading glasses, to her queasiness about personal relationships. Thanks to Sedgwick, Brenda Johnson isn't like any other cop on TV -- and not just because she's a slightly frilly Southern belle.

A little background, in case you're not among the 7.5 million weekly viewers who make The Closer basic cable's all-time No. 1 show -- Brenda came to Los Angeles from Atlanta to head up LAPD's Major Crimes Unit. She has a history with Assistant Police Chief Pope (J.K. Simmons), but the relationship has evolved into one of mutual respect and perpetual annoyance.

The supporting squad includes G.W. Bailey, formerly of M*A*S*H, as the dyspeptic, curmudgeonly Lieutenant Provenza, who this season has undergone something of a personality transplant since falling in love with a very beautiful and very young woman. He gets all the wry one-liners and is mostly just drop-dead hilarious.

Also on the squad are Brenda's right-hand man, Sergeant Gabriel, played with smooth distinction by Corey Reynolds; Tony Denison (left) as Lieutenant Flynn, whose machismo usually leaves him with egg on his face; Michael Paul Chan as Lieutenant Tao, a loyal tech nerd; and Raymond Cruz as Detective Sanchez, a gang expert who nearly got killed last season.

On the homefront are Brenda's long-suffering love, FBI Agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney), and her deeply Southern parents (Barry Corbin and Frances Sternhagen).

The fifth season started where the fourth left off, with Brenda finally tying the knot with Fritz. He had been begging; she had been avoiding. Work comes first for Brenda, who is notable for her lack of personal commitment. She even found it impossible to name her beloved stray cat (dubbed Kitty, for lack of anything else). But besides actually giving in to her love for Fritz this season, Brenda allowed herself to fall apart when Kitty became ill and had to be put down.

That feline storyline actually dragged on too long and got too drippy for me, but I'm a dog person. The brief stay in the Brenda-Fritz household of wayward niece Charlie -- played by Sedgwick's real-life daughter, Sosie Bacon -- was a bit much, too (pot-spiced brownies?), but it didn't last long enough to cause the show serious damage.

In this week's season finale (video sneak peek here), Brenda and the gang tackle a serial killer who dons a ninja outfit and stabs people. An El Paso detective (Xander Berkeley, left) muscles in on Brenda's case, because a similar crime has taken place in Texas. Horns lock and the case is pulled in all directions.

Back in the old days -- before original series on cable -- I used to absolutely dread summer reruns. But now there are fresh episodes of high-quality dramas to relieve the boredom and heat. And since this summer in Austin has amounted to unshirted hell, The Closer has been a cool godsend.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #43: Diane Holloway on Former Colleague Turned CNN Analyst

August 18, 2009 11:20 AM

[Bianculli here: We TV critics who have been around for a while get to witness, from time to time, local broadcasters make good on the national scene. I was covering the Miami market in the late 1970s, for example, and often praised the efforts of a local reporter named Steve Kroft, now a high-profile regular for 60 Minutes on CBS. Today, contributing critic Diane Holloway salutes a similar long-time "find": CNN analyst Roland Martin...]

CNN's Roland Martin and his Texas-size success

By Diane Holloway

Television critics, usually thought of as sour and snobby journalists, love success stories. Seriously, we do. Especially when they involve our hometown folks. The mother hen in me rears its feathered head, and I get a big case of the warm fuzzies.

The current object of my pride is Roland Martin, with whom I worked at the Austin American-Statesman back in his pre-success days. These days, Martin is a CNN analyst, who was showcased during the 2008 presidential campaign and remains one of the network's go-to political commentators. He also writes columns and articles for an array of publications, has a couple of books to his credit and sounds off on radio in Chicago.

Look up the term "multi-media" in the dictionary, and there's a picture of Roland Martin. He's young (40), smart as a whip, and has more energy than anybody I've ever known. When I was in Los Angeles recently for the Television Critics Awards, I ran into Roland, who was racing around promoting the cable channel TV One (where he'll host Washington Watch starting Sept. 27) and catching up with friends and colleagues. The man simply doesn't slow down.

That's Roland now. But even when he was a newbie reporter in Austin, covering the not-so-glamorous beats of county government and neighborhoods, his energy and ambition were breathtaking. He dressed better than anyone else in the newsroom (except for some of his Aggie shirts), and he probably churned out more stories than anybody else, too.

And even though this Houston-born kid with a journalism degree from Texas A&M was clearly capable of "doing it all," mainstream media types kept telling him to focus on something. Pick newspapers. Pick television. Pick radio. Pick long-form writing (books). But pick something ... you have to focus!

But Roland was forward-thinking, even as a fresh-faced Aggie in Longhorn country. He knew he could indeed do it all. After leaving Austin, he covered city hall for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; worked in management and reporting for radio news in Dallas; served as managing editor of the Houston Defender and Dallas Weekly; and launched a monthly Christian newspaper called the Dallas/Fort Worth Heritage.

You think I'm through? I am not. Roland is the founding news editor of Savoy magazine, founding editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com, and former executive editor of the Chicago Defender, the largest black daily newspaper in the country. It's exhausting just listing his accomplishments.

When I was glued to cable news during last year's presidential primaries, I remember watching my former colleague and thinking to myself: "Was Roland always that smart and articulate? Did I realize when I sat near him and played stupid jokes on him [I vaguely recall tossing a Cheeto at him when he was doing a phone interview with a county official], that he would win national journalism awards for interviewing (separately) Barack Obama and Michelle Obama?"

No, I did not predict that. But it's wonderful to hear Roland hit the nail on the head as a TV pundit, whether he's talking about politics, race or religion -- all of which he does with ease. And it's equally wonderful to read his columns and blogs. Multi-media can be done and it can be done well, with the proper degree of intelligence and skill. Roland Martin does it well. Cluck-cluck, says the mother hen.

Usually when TV critics have to "localize" a TV story, it's about some poor soul who is eating bugs on Survivor, shrieking his/her way through American Idol auditions, or begging for love on The Bachelor. I dreaded those pieces.

But it's a real treat when an actor as skilled as Austin's Benjamin McKenzie comes along (The O.C. and the newer Southland), and it's even more thrilling to see a former local join the talking egghead brigade on TV. Good for you, Roland. And, selfishly, good for me.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #41: Diane Holloway Is Tickled Pink By TNT's "Dark Blue"

August 11, 2009 8:22 AM

[Bianculli here: Big Diane news. Our tenured cohort, Diane Werts, is on the mend enough to provide her first column in weeks. Welcome back, Diane! And our other Diane, Diane Holloway, is checking in, too. With all the TV out there, so much of it bad, it's tough enough to sample everything once, much less return for a second helping. Yet contributing critic Diane Holloway did just that with one of the recent TNT premieres, and returned with a much stronger second impression. She makes her case here -- and speaking personally, she had me at "animalistic sexual relationship"...]

Violence? Sex? 'Dark Blue' Takes Them Both Seriously

By Diane Holloway

The last thing I need is another cop show on my must-see docket, but TNT's recent entry Dark Blue (10 p.m. Wednesdays) has become just that. Damn.

After seeing the pilot, I thought, "Meh. It's OK, even kind of intriguing. But I can do without." Then summer-induced inertia brought me back to the show, about a group of undercover cops working in the seedy underworld of Los Angeles. By the third episode, I was hooked.

What's so great/different/compelling about Dark Blue? The surprising plot twists are pretty ingenious (more about that in a minute), and the rich look of this dangerous and sometimes downright creepy environment appeals to my inner villain.

In its proper place (as in fiction), I actually like violence. Those "light-hearted" crime shows, like Leverage and Monk, leave me yawning most of the time. I need bloody violence in my cop shows, which is why I was such a passionate fan of The Shield.

The big draw for Dark Blue is not the handsome star but beady-eyed actor Logan Marshall-Green and the cold-as-ice character he plays, Dean Bendis. In the pilot, we were led to believe he just might be a dirty cop who was about to turn from good guy to super-bad guy.

I'm still not altogether sure he won't flip at some point, but for now, he's a man on the edge -- willing to bend the rules (maybe that's where his name came from) to the breaking point. Calling him a rogue is a major understatement. And I'm guessing he has lots of secrets, past and present.

For the uninitiated, Dark Blue is about a small team of undercover cops led by Dylan McDermott's enigmatic Carter Shaw. He doesn't smile, he doesn't frown, he doesn't appear to have any emotion whatsoever. Some of the early pans I read about this show focused on McDermott, who is best known for his intensely crusading, yuppie-looking lawyer role on ABC's The Practice. I'll admit the current role was jarring at first, but the against-type casting is beginning to pay off. McDermott doesn't even look as pretty any more.

Also on the team are Omari Hardwick's Ty Curtis, a recently married by-the-book guy partnered with Bendis. Unlike many cop partners on TV, Curtis and Bendis are not buddies and rarely even get along on a professional basis. Bendis has an almost suicidal propensity for risk-taking, while Curtis just wants to make it home at the end of the day.

Rounding out the testosterone-laden group is Nicki Aycox's Jaimie Allen, a woman with a drug addiction and criminal past. At first Aycox seemed too co-ed pretty and innocent-looking, but she has dug deep to give Jaimie a raw edge.

In a few short weeks she has nearly overdosed on cocaine (to keep her cover, not to feed her addiction) and engaged in an unromantic, animalistic sexual relationship with bad-boy Bendis. She seems almost as destined for disaster as Bendis.

Last week's episode found these "dark blues" infiltrating a Korean mob of counterfeiters, and the action was as edgy as anything else we've seen on basic cable. With each passing week, the characters deepen and become more complex, and the storytelling becomes more bold. At the end of each episode, the line between good and evil becomes more blurred, and we are left wondering which, if any, of these characters will stay on the right side of the law.

Nobody will confuse these cops of being heroes. They are decidedly not -- not even close. But that's what sets Dark Blue apart, and what makes it increasingly riveting television. I wish I didn't have another cop show to watch, but now I do.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #34: Diane Holloway Gives Local Love to "Friday Night Lights"

July 27, 2009 9:06 AM

[Bianculli here: Even when we agree on things here at TV WORTH WATCHING, our tastes and perspectives can be very different... which I love. Contributing critic Diane Holloway, for example, loves Friday Night Lights as much as I do -- but since it films in her home town of Austin, she has a special take on it...

She also is a lot less enamored than I am of The Mentalist and Lost, but that's what makes horse races. And interesting websites...]

Still Fuming: How Could The Emmys Ignore "Friday Night Lights"?

By Diane Holloway

When the oh-so-flawed Emmy nominations were announced earlier this month, I kept my angry trap shut. But anyone who knows me can attest that I'm not particularly good at stifling rage.

Here's my biggest (among many) gripes about the list: Friday Night Lights continues to be ignored. Nobody else seems to be as outrageously offended by this glaring omission, so it's up to me now.

If ever a drama deserved an Emmy nod and the description "TV Worth Watching," it's Friday Night Lights. And I'm not just saying this because the series is based in my hometown of Austin, Texas. This is not a gripe based on provincialism; it's a gripe based on sky-high quality overlooked.

To jiggle your memory about the nominations, check out the full list HERE. And for those who care, mark your Emmy-watching calendars for Sept. 20.

When FNL (as it's nicknamed in Austin) debuted, the hallowed New York Times became nearly apoplectic in singing its praise. The initial review was so glowing that some readers may have thought the Times had forgotten that this was a TV show, not a film, a play or an art exhibit.

NBC executives may have privately wondered if Americans would embrace a show set in Texas, given President Bush's sagging popularity at the time. Nevertheless, critics sang its praises, a small but fiercely loyal audience did come to the show, and the production recently got the green light for a fourth and fifth season.

Last season and for the next two seasons, FNL will air first on DirecTV and then shift to NBC. The fourth season arrives in January on DirecTV and on NBC in the summer of 2010. This arrangement was struck for financial reasons, and hats off to everyone concerned for finding a way to keep it going.

For the uninitiated (hello, quality seekers), FNL is about small-town life, the glue of high-school football that holds many such communities together and the coach's family. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton play Coach Taylor and his wife Tami. A phenomenal cast of young actors, next season headed up by Jesse Plemons (as Landry Clarke), Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins) and Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor), rounds out arguably the best ensemble on TV.

FNL never has been a show about football. Nor has it ever been a teen drama or a Texas drama. It's an everywhere/everyone drama about small towns and families. The Dillon Panthers are simply a conduit for good storytelling.

Brilliantly written and stunningly portrayed, the series is heartwarming, heartbreaking and hilarious from episode to episode. It is what good drama is all about, and it unfolds the way series were meant to unfold, developing characters and storylines in detail and depth.

So why is FNL not among the seven best-drama nominees? Maybe nobody in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences bothered to look at it last season. If so, that's their loss... and their bad.

Britton certainly deserves a nod, and so does Chandler. Supporting nominations also could have gone to just about any of the young actors, including Plemons, Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette) and Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen).

What would I ditch in favor of FNL? In the drama series category, I would scratch Lost, which takes itself way too seriously for no apparent reason. Among the actors, I would replace Simon Baker, who simply grins his way through The Mentalist, and Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU, who has been emoting the exact same way for way too long.

Heading into its final 26 episodes -- scheduled to air in two 13-week batches -- it's time for the Emmys to recognize this under-appreciated gem called Friday Night Lights. Even if it weren't based in Austin, I would keep tooting its horn.

Really, I would. And I will.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #32: Diane Holloway Says "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" Has Struck Gold with Goldblum

July 13, 2009 7:49 AM

[Bianculli here: I'm back from Rome, and tomorrow will post a recap of the best new and proposed international TV projects knocking around at RomaFictionFest. Today, though, contributing columnist Diane Holloway wants to rave about a star of NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which airs tonight at 9 ET -- but NOT about the star of tonight's show...]

Jeff Goldblum Sucks... But In a Good Way

By Diane Holloway

Not many actors can draw me to a TV series that I don't normally watch, but Jeff Goldblum is sucking me into the eighth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (9 p.m. Sundays on USA).

The first seven seasons didn't strike my fancy, but this season with the new cop and a new guy? Much better.

Goldblum has replaced Chris Noth as the alternating lead cop on Dick Wolf's L&O spinoff. Howls of protest from Noth fans erupted over the casting announcement last year, but as perhaps the only woman in the country who didn't love him or his time on Sex and the City, I didn't care one bit.

Original star Vincent D'Onofrio, who still leads the CI cast every other week, has always gotten on my nerves. D'Onofrio's perpetual twitching drives me nuts, and as the years have gone by, both he and his character (Detective Goren) have seemed on the verge of "going 'round the twist," as they say in Britain. Come to think of it, both sort of have, but D'Onofrio fans slurp up every weird turn and twist.

I know, I know. Goldblum's quirky intensity, coupled with his propensity for playing wildly eccentric characters, would appear to place him in the same vein as D'Onofrio. But Goldblum, to me, is endearing, whereas D'Onofrio is off-putting.

My love affair with Goldblum began way back in 1980, when he starred with Ben Vereen in one of the best and most under-appreciated comedy-dramas of its time, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe. Goldblum played a nerdy detective who was paired with Vereen's super-hip parolee hustler. The chemistry was immediate, and the result was fast-paced fun. It didn't last, but that's one of TV's ongoing tragedies: sometimes the good die young.

Goldblum, now 56, had been floating around stage and screen for a while before he popped up on Tenspeed and Brown Shoe. He made his movie debut in Charles Bronson's Death Wish (1974) and may be remembered by alert moviegoers for a brief scene in 1977's Annie Hall. He popped in as the type of flustered Hollywood lightweight Woody Allen loves to make fun of, a desperate guy on the phone frantically babbling to his meditation guru, "I forgot my mantra!"

Even more memorable was Goldblum's performance in the iconic baby-boomer flick The Big Chill (1983). He played Michael Gold, the bespectacled, neurotic magazine writer suffering an early midlife crisis. As usual, his neuroses provided a healthy dose of comic relief in the angst-ridden comedy-drama.

Goldblum, apparently, is an acquired taste. Either his fast-talking, pointy-headed take on characters makes you hungry for more, or makes you hit the remote so fast you hurt your finger. Millions of viewers certainly fled his most recent solo series, Raines (2007), in which he played a detective who communed with dead crime victims. That little effort lasted less than half a season.

And when he starred in the 1986 remake of the camp horror film The Fly, people never quite knew whether to laugh or cringe -- or both. Certainly watching his gooey human ears drop off as he turned into the icky insect was both funny and deeply disgusting. And he sure buffed up his previously scrawny body for the role. It was a perplexing take that was not well-received.

But millions loved him as the chaos theory scientist in 1993's Jurassic Park, and once you become a certified member of the Goldblum fan club, there's no turning back. His take on New York Detective Zach Nichols in Criminal Intent is refreshing in an otherwise overly serious cop saga.

Try it... maybe you'll like it. He may not be as GQ handsome as Chris Noth (again, I never got it), but he's a whole lot more interesting.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #30: Diane Holloway likes Dick Enberg's versatility

July 3, 2009 12:30 AM

[Bianculli here: Wimbledon tennis is available all weekend, regardless of weather, thanks to the new retractable Centre Court roof. Men's semis are televised live Friday by ESPN2 (7 a.m. ET) and NBC (noon ET). Women's finals are Saturday at 9 a.m. ET, and the men's on Sunday at the same time, both on NBC. And at the climax of these weeks of British tennis, contributing columnist Diane Holloway salutes one of its amiable, always professional sportscasters...]

Dick Enberg meets every sports challenge

By Diane Holloway

Oh my. Dick Enberg -- arguably one of the best and certainly the most versatile sportscaster ever to grace televised sports -- turned in another brilliant performance during ESPN's Wimbledon tennis coverage.

Seriously, is there a smarter, more subdued, yet more enjoyable communicator working in sports today? I don't think so. And as many of you know, I'm a big-time sports watcher. But I'm happy to hear alternative nominations . Just click on "comments" below. (Please keep the additions to current sportscasters.)

Enberg is my clear-cut winner, and has been since he hit the national stage in 1975 calling college basketball for NBC. Nobody holds a candle to him. Not Al Michaels or John Madden or Marv Albert or even Bob Costas.

I think it's time to send out a hearty appreciation to Enberg, who at 74 hasn't lost a step in terms of energy or knowledge. He's still very much at the top of his game. And he still looks like he's having more fun than any working professional should be allowed to have. The smile is wide, genuine and permanent. But I feel kudos are in order.

I interviewed Enberg several times over the course of my tenure as TV critic for the Austin American-Statesman, mostly for his coverage of the NFL and the Olympics. But I've watched him exude quiet excitement during many TV sports events. He's a true sports Renaissance man.

Let's see, where to begin the Enberg story? Before he signed with NBC, Enberg was the voice of the California Angels, the Los Angeles Rams and UCLA basketball. And before that, the Michigan native was an academic. He has a master's degree and a PhD in health science from Indiana University. Armed with book smarts, he became an assistant professor and baseball coach at California State-Northridge.

On-air experience? Oh my! Enberg has covered NFL games for 41 seasons, the Super Bowl 10 times, the Rose Bowl nine times, the Olympics four times, Wimbledon 25 times, the French Open 22 times, the U.S. Open Tennis Championship five times, U.S. Open Golf Championship five times, the World Series and heavyweight boxing championships five times, NCAA basketball championship 13 times, the NBA playoffs numerous times . . . there's more, but my fingers are tiring.

Succinctly put, Enberg knows his stuff in tennis, football, basketball, baseball and golf. Oh, and he has put in time calling horse races, track and field, gymnastics and even figure skating. In 2000, he switched from NBC to CBS and remains much in demand. Who knows what NBC was thinking when they let him go.

What makes Enberg so good? Well, obviously he's smart and articulate. But he also knows when to analyze and when to shut up. Knowing when to talk and when to be quiet takes confidence and years of experience. And it signals to the viewer that he thinks we're smart enough to recognize a magnificent moment when we see it.

For his efforts, Enberg has raked in so many Emmys he's lost count, and he's won them for sportscasting, writing and producing. He nabbed a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2000. Not that it matters in the overall scheme of sports on TV, but Enberg also has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I once asked Enberg if he had a favorite sport among all he has covered, and he shrugged with that shy grin and said, "Oh my, I love 'em all." When you enjoy your work that much, it seeps into the broadcast booth and into living rooms all over America. What a joy for us.

(ESPN2 has the Wimbledon semi-finals Friday 7 a.m.-noon ET. Then NBC takes over Wimbledon coverage Friday noon-5 p.m. ET. NBC has the women's finals Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET and the men's finals Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET.)

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #29: Diane Holloway celebrates a screwy show that fixed itself

June 29, 2009 9:15 AM

Bianculli here: TV critics, almost by definition, have to be optimists ("With all this horsesh**, there must be a pony in here somewhere!"). Finding the good shows is more difficult, but more rewarding, than trashing bad ones. Sometimes that means displaying saint-like patience, and giving shows a second or third chance -- as contributing columnist Diane Holloway does today by revisiting TNT's Raising the Bar, a Steven Bochco law show that stumbled badly coming out of the gate...

'Raising the Bar' raises its quality

By Diane Holloway

With the notable exception of Cop Rock, that way-too-wacky musical police drama of 1990 (grimace, shudder, gag!), I've always been an admirer of Steven Bochco's work.

From Hill Street Blues to L.A. Law to NYPD Blue, he created super-quality dramas that became long-running hits. Even his good-but-unpopular shows were commendable: Bay City Blues (1983), about a minor league baseball team; Hooperman (1987), an offbeat comedy-drama with John Ritter as a run-down San Francisco cop; and 2005's brilliant but shunned Over There, FX' chilling drama about Iraq war soldiers.

So I was deeply disappointed last year when TNT's Raising the Bar debuted as such a dud. Unfocused, ill-defined and just plain clumsy, the legal drama landed with a thud. I feared that Bochco had come to the end of his creative run.

The series about young lawyers defending and prosecuting criminal cases starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a long-haired, full-of-himself crusader and Jane Kaczmarek as the ridiculously over-the-top judge who hated him. It came off as old-fashioned and formulaic in today's climate of edgy dramas.

But here's the good news (and what makes this show an acceptable TV Worth Watching topic) -- the second season, which arrived June 8, has returned Bochco to his rightful place as a creator of really good television. Check it out for yourself Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on TNT. (Or streaming anytime here.)

Just about everything that was wrong with the first season has been fixed in the second. Bochco has always taken thoughtful criticism to heart, and it looks like that's exactly what he did here.

Gosselaar's disconcerting mane was the topic in the season opener earlier this month. OK, the silly hair is dirty and distracting. No serious lawyer would walk into a courtroom looking like that. So a juror actually told public defender Jerry Kellerman (Gosselaar) that he would be less likely to trust the attorney's presentation of the case because of his unkempt appearance. The next time we see rumpled Jerry, he has been to the barber and donned a decent-looking suit. Voila! Credibility returns! A small point, perhaps, but indicative of larger previous problems.

More importantly, the characters have all been tweaked with nuance. Kaczmarek's Judge Kessler is no longer shrieking and stomping around her chambers. She's still politically ambitious and cold, but now she shares bench duties with Judge Farnsworth (John Michael Higgins of Boston Legal and Best in Show fame, and Kath & Kim infamy). He's probably not intended to be comic relief, but he has some genuinely funny moments.

The overly serious and painfully sincere Jerry has lightened up. Finally. Too much idealism made Jerry a dull boy last season. And this season, co-stars have been given a chance to shine. Gloria Reuben (ER) and Currie Graham (NYPD Blue) are especially promising in supporting roles as a defender and a prosecutor, respectively. In other words, the ensemble is now a true ensemble.

As is typical with Bochco shows, there are plenty of sexy secrets bubbling beneath the surface. And the legal cases, dealing with everything from hate crimes to kiddie porn, make for compelling storytelling. The tantalizing blends of shock and awe, heartbreak and humor are back where they belong.

So if you've been avoiding Raising the Bar because of last season's sour taste, give the second season a second chance. Bochco has earned it.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #25: Diane Holloway salutes ads that outshine the show

June 22, 2009 8:45 AM

Bianculli here: Having a problem finding an entertaining show to watch, even with the help of TV WORTH WATCHING? Oh, well, there are always the ads -- and contributing columnist Diane Holloway hones in on on ad campaign that comes through loud and clear, like a Sonic boom...

Pete and T.J. create a Sonic boom

By Diane Holloway

If Sonic would post a schedule for the Pete and T.J. commercials, fans like me could enjoy their 30-second chuckles on a regular basis. Think of it as the perfect summer comedy for folks with no time to spare -- or sadly short attention spans. Whatever . . .

While the majority of today's 30-minute sitcoms fail to produce a single laugh, these little snippets of the tater-tot-loving buddies never fail to produce hilarity.

For eight years now, the Second City-trained duo from Chicago have been pushing steak-and-egg burritos and pancakes-on-a-stick while building the kind of popularity rarely seen in commercials. These guys overshadow the Coke bears and the Budweiser Clydesdales. They're simply silly, offbeat and fun.

Even the new generation of TV fans who only watch recorded shows and thus skip the ads will stop for these -- or, even more amazingly, the spots are sought out and enjoyed online. (You can watch a compilation here.) You know those ridiculous drunken-buddy movies people pay big bucks to go see? They pale in comparison to these improvised half-minutes.

The Sonic Guys, as they are widely known, have been around so long you may already know the basics about them, but in case you don't:

Both are rather non-descript thirtysomethings, and they came to the Sonic auditions already friends. Their chemistry is instantly obvious.

T.J. Jagodowski is the blonde doofus who gets the punchlines; Peter Grosz is the dark-haired straight man. Both are trained actors, writers and improv specialists. T.J. has popped up in guest starring roles on TV series; Pete writes for and occasionally appears on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. And they appeared together in Will Ferrell's 2006 movie Stranger than Fiction.

Barkley, Sonic's ad agency, concocted the campaign to promote the drive-in chain's distinctive fast-food items, such as corn dogs and the aforementioned breakfast-on-a-stick.

Initially the spots were pure guerrilla theater. The Sonic Guys would drive through a competitor's window and pull some outrageous prank to promote the brand. An early attack found the guys asking an unsuspecting window worker to microwave their popcorn (Sonic doesn't use microwaves). Coconuts were cracked, and parking lots were invaded. It was mayhem.

The undercover spots had a Saturday Night Live feel to them, and thus appealed to hipsters everywhere. But as Pete and T.J. became famous, the pranks had to stop. They were increasingly recognized before they could pull off a stunt. No surprise, no fun.

That's when the ads moved into Pete's car, where the foolishness continues.

T.J. and Pete typically are seen stuffing their faces with whatever they're promoting. Clueless T.J. usually goes off on some tangent, knocking a tater tot out of Pete's hand as he's riffing about basketball, or wondering why Sonic chose to put raspberry and mango in iced tea instead of soda or coffee. Pete usually responds with frustration or amazement at his friend's flights of fancy. (They have sort of a Tommy and Dicky Smothers feel.) Then "smack!" The slapping noise means the ad is over.

The spots are clearly not scripted. You get the feeling the ad agency just tells Pete and T.J. what to hawk, and the improv guys go to it. They've made well over 100 separate spots.

Recent Sonic spots have also used a man-woman couple and a couple of lady friends, but Pete and T.J. rule. Besides YouTube, their online presence has included a game, maketjdrink, that let fans manipulate the front-seat action. Fans even posted their own versions of the ads on YouTube.

The Sonic Guys make us realize advertising still is an art form -- and that funny is funny no matter what the venue.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #23: Diane Holloway suggests some satisfying summer libations

June 15, 2009 8:00 AM

Bianculli here: One of the most exciting things about having other TV critics share space on this website is opening up whole new arrays of small-screen passion. In fighting off the dog days of TV summer, contributing writer Diane Holloway goes way beyond my usual BEST BETS to recommend enjoyable TV
alternatives on the fringes of the TV dial.

Here she goes...

Try these cures for the summertime blues

By Diane Holloway

Appointment viewing is swell, isn't it? We look forward with anticipation to the new season of Mad Men or the next installment of Dexter.

But there are times when our prime-time hours have no appointments whatsoever. Even the DVR can empty out and leave you lonely. Anyone with extra hours and a splendid high-def TV is faced with a gaping viewing calendar this time of year -- especially on Friday and Saturday nights.

But if you're like me, you probably have a fallback channel or two. Almost any time of the day or night, you can punch in the number and find something worth an hour or two of couch potato (non-)activity.

For me, it's often the History Channel or Discovery or Animal Planet.

I can be perfectly happy with an afternoon marathon of History's Modern Marvels. Everything from bulldozers to the Hoover Dam gets an up-close-and-personal look that's fascinating. I had no idea I was interested in presidential limos until I stumbled upon a recent episode about "presidential movers."

Trust me, the knock on History that it's nothing but wall-to-wall World War II documentaries is totally wrong. Though the channel still boasts lots of historical docs, it's also got Expedition Africa and Extreme Trains.

Unfortunately, like so many formerly high-brow cable channels, History is slapping us in the face with the reality genre. More about that in a sec. But if you suddenly find yourself facing a night of Ice Road Truckers, you can click onto another network.

On Discovery (especially Discovery HD), you can wallow in the beauty of Inside Planet Earth and Out of the Wild. Or you can embrace your inner nerd and watch How It's Made. Think you don't care how aluminum foil or Crayons are made? Think again. How It's Made is fascinating. Even Discovery's sea-going reality show Deadliest Catch is surprisingly compelling.

Critter lovers can always find pleasure on Animal Planet. Installments of Whale Wars and Blue Planet: Seas of Life can perk up any bored summer viewer. On the lighter side, you can watch doggie makeovers on Underdog to Wonderdog and thrill to a touch of graphic animal violence on Untamed and Uncut. (Grrrrr.)

Back to the sorry state of former high-brow cable nets. Remember when A&E really stood for Arts & Entertainment? People in public television actually worried that A&E, with its British plays, classical music concerts and ballets, might cut into PBS's audience.

Well, that didn't happen, did it? Now A&E is famous for such elite cultural experiences as Dog the Bounty Hunter and Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

Similarly Bravo, which started out with grand schemes to elevate basic cable with live performances and classic fare, now toots its horn for The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Kathy Griffin: Life on the D List. Ick and eeew.

National Geographic Channel still has Explorer, The Dog Whisperer and glorious documentaries on Stonehenge and the mysterious Druids. But NGC is fast becoming famous for its fascination with the decidedly freakish. The Girl With Eight Limbs and China's Elephant Man spring to mind as recent examples.

And unless you've been orbiting Mars lately, you know that The Learning Channel is now TLC and home to the ubiquitous Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht, along with its fair share of freakish fare such as The Woman With Giant Legs, The World's Tallest Children and The World's Strongest Toddler.

If you're asking yourself what the "learning" value is of Jon & Kate, you know just how far the network has drifted from its original promise.

But there are safe harbors. Visit History or Discovery when a hole opens in your viewing schedule. If all else fails, you can catch endless reruns of Law & Order (the classic original) on TNT and CSI (again, the classic original) on Spike. Just surf to the right wave.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout. She's now sniffing out other possibilities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #22: Diane Holloway is hot for 'Burn Notice'

June 4, 2009 6:01 AM

Bianculli here: USA Network's Burn Notice is one of my favorite shows on cable right now -- and is a hit with enough other viewers to make it one of cable's most popular scripted offerings. It turns out contributing columnist Diane Holloway loves it, too, and welcomes tonight's season premiere by explaining why...

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USA's 'Burn Notice' fires up the summer

By Diane Holloway

Ah, summer. Reruns, tawdry reality shows and, in my corner of the universe (Austin, Texas), relentless heat.

Viewership may be down during New England summers because people prefer to romp outside in the cool night air. But here in the scorching Southwest, where evenings plummet to 80 degrees, we prefer watching TV in air conditioned comfort. I say no-thanks to sweating on the patio with mosquitoes the size of hamsters.

This week brings good news for us summer couch spuds -- the return of the super-cool spy series Burn Notice.

This sly little cable offering, which launches its third season Thursday (9 p.m. ET, USA), has carved a sizable niche for itself thanks to its crisp writing, offbeat characters and sizzling look. Before taking its little hiatus in the spring, the show regularly pulled in more than 7 million viewers each week.

It's perfect for summer -- not too heavy, a little sexy and lots of old-fashioned fun.

Like blowing up cars and boats.

Jeffrey Donovan stars as Michael Westen, a former globe-trotting CIA agent whose career was snuffed out for unknown reasons. One minute, he was a big-time spy. The next minute, he got his walking papers (the "burn notice") and became a struggling Miami private eye.

The perfect crime-fighting hero, Westen is hot-looking but self-deprecating, and often just plain bumbling. Women drool over him, but men can admire his action escapades and laugh at his ineptitude.

But the real fire in Burn Notice comes from the supporting characters. Besides the sexy gun-toting Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar as Westen's spy partner and frequent romantic tease) and Westen's cigarette-puffing, trashed-out mom (Sharon Gless), there's beer-swilling pal Sam (Bruce Campbell), a washed-up operative who sometimes assists in Westen's capers but mostly provides comic relief.

I fell in love with Campbell when he starred in the short-lived but wildly hilarious western/sci-fi spoof The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (now a $40 bargain at Amazon). That Fox show only lasted one season in 1992, but Campbell had me with an impromptu back-flip during a potentially dull Los Angeles press conference. He's also the star of countless B-movies, including The Evil Dead and Maniac Cop. You just gotta love him.

The stories on Burn Notice weave together plain old crime sagas with an ongoing mystery about Westen's past spy activities. Spicing things up are the Westen-Fiona flirtations and the sarcastic banter between Westen and Sam.

Those of a certain age will feel a tinge of the disheveled, cynical world of The Rockford Files -- and absolutely none of the over-stylized glitz of CSI: Miami.

If you somehow missed the previous seasons of Burn Notice, don't be a stranger this time around. Pour yourself a cold one, crank down the AC, and enjoy.

(If you'd rather catch up first, the show's first season is out on DVD now, while the second arrives June 16 on both DVD and Blu-ray.)

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout and early retirement. Retirement? More like between jobs. She's still sniffing out possibilities and sifting through freelance opportunities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #20: Diane Holloway's Teeny-Weeny NBA Lament

May 29, 2009 7:00 AM

Bianculli here: Watching the unbelievably suspenseful competition on live TV last night, with all that talent and tension on display, was a thrill -- and I'm not just talking about ABC's National Spelling Bee. But while I've found that watching LeBron James and Kobe Bryant and the others in this year's NBA playoffs has been a joy, contributing columnist Diane Holloway insists it's also been "a challenge." Read on to discover why...

Who ARE those NBA Munchkins?

By Diane Holloway

Watching the NBA conference finals games this year has been a challenge.

First, you have to find them. ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and TNT have all carried games of the Eastern and Western Conferences. The sports-on-TV section in the newspaper has become my best friend.

Then, if the game happens to be in the Nuggets' home stadium in Denver, you've got to squint to see the action. That's because the cameras are mostly floating somewhere in the tip-top of the arena, shrinking the towering basketball stars to the size of Munchkins. Pretty much the only easy-to-see activity from Denver has been slow-motion replays or boring free-throws. The rest is full-court, mile-away shots of those Munchkins.

All of which got me thinking: Some sports are spectacular on TV, others not so much. Is it the number of players, the speed of the action, or maybe even the size of the ball that makes one sport TV gold and the other more like rusty tin?

In the course of my life, I've probably watched more sports than prime-time entertainment. I'm a sports junkie. It's a joy and a sickness. When the Olympics are on, I watch everything from downhill skiing and pole-vaulting to curling and ribbon gymnastics. Networks that spend millions and millions of dollars to broadcast the Olympics generally know how to make any sport look spectacular. Proof? Even marathons can be exciting.

So what's the deal with the iffy prospect of some "regular sports"? Commentary can have a huge impact (Charles Barkley has simply ruined NBA half-time shows for me), but since that varies so wildly, we'll skip the talking heads here and concentrate on technical elements.

Pro basketball has only five players per team (who are, as previously mentioned, large and often spectacularly tattooed) and an enormous ball. So the problem with coverage must have to do with camera location and the speed of the game. I noticed a big difference watching the games in Orlando, where the action was more up-close and personal, and Denver, with its frustrating vision of ants on the court. But even in Orlando, it's sometimes difficult to pick out specific players.

Baseball and football have bigger fields and more players per team (nine for baseball, 11 for football), yet TV manages to make those competitions more intimate -- and thus more exciting. We can see clearly the pitcher throw and the batter swing. We can see a quarterback zing the ball into the hands of a receiver, and we can see (and often hear) that receiver get thwacked by defenders.

Some sports, of course, seem custom-made for TV. Tennis and golf, for example, not only tell the story of a sports match but also spend a leisurely amount of time telling the individual stories of the athletes. I've been watching early rounds of the French Open, and I can already tell apart all the Czech and Russian female players. I can't necessarily pronounce their names, but I know a good deal about each of them.

Yes, I know it's considered deeply nerdy to watch golf on TV, but really, I only watch tournaments with Tiger Woods. (It's a Tiger thing, not a golf thing.) Although I do love the beautiful music and the serene green setting . . . Is there anything more gorgeous in all of sports than the opening shots of The Masters?

Swimming, diving, gymnastics, ski jumping and figure skating -- all make for beautiful TV watching. Breathtaking technology advances have been key, from underwater cameras to "super slo-mo." Viewers are engulfed in those sports.

I'm not giving up on the NBA finals, but I sure wish we could see round-ball action on TV with the same precision and intimacy as other sports. When you can't pick out someone as big and obvious as LeBron James in a fast break, there's something terribly wrong.

[So you don't have to befriend your local TV listings right away, the weekend's scheduled games are as follows: Game 6 of the Lakers-Nuggets contest, 9 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN; Game 6 of Magic-Cavaliers, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on TNT; and, if necessary, Game 7 of Nuggets-Lakers at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.--David B.]

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout and early retirement. Retirement? More like between jobs. She's still sniffing out possibilities and sifting through freelance opportunities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #17: Diane Holloway Observes Season Cliffhangers and Asks: Who Cares?

May 20, 2009 10:52 AM

Bianculli here: TV has served up some strong season-ending finales this month -- Lost, 24, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, Friday Night Lights, Dollhouse, Bones and House, just to name a few. It's become an annual TV tradition, but TV WORTH WATCHING contributor Diane Holloway asks if it's a tradition whose time has passed.

"I wonder," she writes, "just how effective cliffhanger episodes have become now that audiences are splintered, fewers episodes air, and the time between seasons pretty much erases our memory of what came in May." Click to read her full column, and to answer her query at the end...

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Who Cares About TV Cliffhangers? No, Really, I'm Asking: Who Cares?

By Diane Holloway

Suspense is a beautiful thing, isn't it? Don't we all love perching on the edge of our sofas and wondering what the heck is coming next?

I realized about halfway through this week's 24 season-ender that I had dug my fingernails into our prized leather sofa. The dog actually growled at me once, because I think I dug into him briefly, too.

But I wonder just how effective cliffhanger episodes have become now that audiences are splintered, fewers episodes air, and the time between seasons pretty much erases our memory of what came in May.

This is not to say some of these recent episodes haven't been terrific. They have. I just question their effectiveness in maintaining a heightened state of anticipation from May until September -- or in some cases October, or even January of the following year.

People who are devoted fans of Grey's Anatomy likely would be planning their fall premiere parties even if we hadn't been left with the sad prospect of either Izzie or George dying.

But I admit this was a particularly juicy twist on the long-standing rumor that Izzie would turn toes up in the finale, because Katherine Heigl has a burgeoning movie career and wanted to leave the show.

Forgotten or overlooked were the quieter rumblings that T.R. Knight longed to return to Broadway, hence the shock of George turning out to be the mangled John Doe run over by a bus.

And the "afterlife" teaser, in which Izzie and George encountered each other at the elevator: Izzie in her prom dress from before, George in his military uniform from... Later? Never?

Will we wonder all summer who lives and who dies on Grey's? Doubtful. Word likely will leak out about contract negotiations, as in who signed on and who didn't. But even if the secret remains a secret, what then?

The cliffhanger just doesn't stir up the same passion as it did when Dallas whipped up a worldwide frenzy with the "Who shot J.R.?" episode. We have more choices now, and summer is no longer the TV wasteland it once was.

Cable has given us shows to watch during the long, hot months, and even broadcast TV serves fresh fare, at least to those who enjoy watching women beg for love (The Bachelorette and The Bachelor) or unfortunate folks flopping off big red balls (Wipeout).

Nobody is going to talk about a cliffhanger all summer. It's just not going to happen. So maybe it would be better to stir up suspense and provide a satisfying conclusion in the same fabulous season-ending episode.

Is Eric dead on CSI: Miami? Probably not, so it would have been more entertaining to leave him bleeding and yelling at Callie for shooting him.

Do you really care whether Mike married Katherine or Susan on Desperate Housewives? Nah, but ending the season with a big silly wedding could have been tons of fun.

Cliffhangers may be a dying tradition, but apparently they aren't dead yet. Some show creators are still trying to squeeze extra ratings out of them. What do you think? Are you desperate to find out who tied the knot on Desperate Housewives? Have you started your office pool on the Izzie-or-George mystery?

Whatever your opinions, we promise to reveal them before September.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout and early retirement. Retirement? More like between jobs. She's still sniffing out possibilities and sifting through freelance opportunities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #16: Diane Holloway Salutes Michael J. Fox's Fierce, Fiery Stint on FX's "Rescue Me"

May 14, 2009 10:24 PM

Bianculli here: Michael J. Fox just completed a fabulous guest stint on FX's Rescue Me. New TVWW contributor (but veteran TV critic) Diane Holloway loved what she saw -- and wants more. Here's a taste of her reaction:

"It has been the most unsympathetic portrayal of a handicapped person I've ever seen. And coming from the boyish-looking Fox, whose incredible spirit in his battle with Parkinson's has endeared him to millions, it's been breathtaking."

For her full column, read on.

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Acting Crazy Like a Fox -- Brilliantly

By Diane Holloway

How do you turn a lovable actor best-known for playing lovable, squeaky-clean preppies into a thoroughly unlikable wretch?

The answer lies somewhere between the remarkable talent of Michael J. Fox and the brilliant writers of FX's Rescue Me. If you've been watching the fifth season of Denis Leary's scorching fireman drama, you know what I'm talking about.

Fox's Emmy-worthy performance has been bold and stunning. It has also been, at times, hilarious and downright ugly.

Fox recently wrapped up a scheduled five-episode run as Dwight, the handicapped, alcoholic and drug-addicted boyfriend of Tommy's ex-wife Janet. But since the series is scheduled to run through most of the summer, there's a chance he could return. Fingers crossed.

In the role of Tommy's latest annoyance, Fox used his own twitches and slurs, brought on by his long bout with Parkinson's disease, to devastating effect.

When Tommy first discovered Janet had a new live-in guy, he didn't know the beer-swilling Dwight was wheelchair-bound, and challenged him to a fight. Dwight eagerly accepted, swinging his fist from the couch while Janet brought him his wheelchair. A shocked Tommy tried to back off when he saw the chair, but Dwight was having none of it.

The best Bad Dwight scene of the season found Tommy on a reluctant outing with his ex's aggressively grumpy lover. Popping pills and downing entire cans of beer in a single gulp, Dwight drove his car through the streets of New York like a certifiable madman, spewing foul language and bragging about the non-handicapped status of his wildly active (yet unpredictable) sex life with Janet.

It has been the most unsympathetic portrayal of a handicapped person I've ever seen. And coming from the boyish-looking Fox, whose incredible spirit in his battle with Parkinson's has endeared him to millions, it's been breathtaking.

Most of us know Fox, now 47, from his youthful days on TV's Family Ties (1982-89) and Spin City (1996-2001). Or maybe from his subsequent movies, such as Back to the Future. Or his many public appearances on behalf of charities related to Parkinson's. He was diagnosed in 1991, at the ridiculously young age of 30, but kept his condition secret for seven years.

Only days after the final (only for now, we hope) Dwight episode, Fox's inspirational ABC special Adventures of an Incredible Optimist aired, no doubt only deepening viewers' love affair with the actor. The special was prompted by the release of Fox's second memoir, Always Looking Up, which follows an earlier memoir, Lucky Man. The guy is indomitable.

So here is real-life Fox, lighting up our lives with genuine humor and bravery, relishing the love of his wife, Tracy Pollan, and their children, as he battles this debilitating disease. At the same time, here is actor Fox, yelling nasty stuff at the famously nasty Leary in a near-epic showdown of crude characters. Dwight made Tommy look almost gentle!

Good actors are supposed to be able to twist expectations and surprise the audience. Maybe we've always underestimated Fox's talent. We've definitely underestimated his bravery.

FX has already renewed Rescue Me for a sixth season. Let's hope we see Dwight again this season, and that he becomes a recurring character.

It's too good to end now.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout and early retirement. Retirement? More like between jobs. She's still sniffing out possibilities and sifting through freelance opportunities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #14: Diane Holloway on Leno at 10, Now That It's "Officially" Official

May 5, 2009 9:46 AM

Bianculli here: With NBC unveiling much of its fall 2009-10 prime-time lineup yesterday, our newest veteran TV columnist, Diane Holloway, confronts the reality of Jay Leno's new talk show occupying the 10 p.m. ET slot each weekday -- and likes it even less than when it was first announced.

"Seeing Leno stretched across the lineup, five days in a row," she writes, "just seems wrong."

Read on for her full story, and to weigh in yourself on whether you expect, come fall, to vote Leno, or Leno no!...

Come Fall, Will You Vote Leno, Or Leno No?

By Diane Holloway

Jay Leno ends his reign on The Tonight Show on May 29, but come September we'll be able to see more of the chin-jutting comedian than many of us will want to stomach.

NBC, as you may have heard on this site or elsewhere months ago, is turning over its last hour of prime time (10 p.m. ET) every single weekday to Leno. The late-night talk show becomes a nightly prime-time talk show, complete with silly sketches and a slew of Hollywood celebrities.

The reality of this Leno overkill sinks in now that NBC released its new fall schedule yesterday. Seeing Leno stretched across the lineup, five days in a row, just seems wrong. His jokes aren't funny; his interviews are fawning.

Conan O'Brien, who assumes The Tonight Show in June, hasn't complained publicly about this deal, but it's highly likely that he isn't thrilled. If Leno is booking all the big actors for prime time, what does that leave for O'Brien in late night?

NBC undoubtedly sees the odd programming move as a cost-saving venture. A talk show, even if Leno really is pulling in the $30 million annual salary reported in various publications, is cheap compared with the larger cost of an ensemble drama. Plus, Leno will deliver almost a full year of rerun-free fresh episodes.

The network also believes that the aging baby boomers who have kept Leno afloat all these years are getting too old for late-night TV and will welcome the chance to watch him earlier and then hit the sack.

Nevertheless, doesn't this move just scream "desperation" to you? It does to me. NBC has been dubbed creatively bankrupt before, and ditching the whole concept of scripted drama in the late prime, when more viewers are available than the previous two hours, seconds that emotion.

What do you think? Will you watch the new prime-time Leno?

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout and early retirement. Retirement? More like between jobs. She's still sniffing out possibilities and sifting through freelance opportunities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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GUEST BLOG #13: Diane Holloway Views 'Southland' Via 'Hill Street Blues'

April 30, 2009 7:00 AM

Bianculli here: I couldn't be more thrilled. Today TV WORTH WATCHING welcomes its latest contributor, another veteran TV reporter/critic coming here to play. (A few more, we'll have enough to field a softball team.)

Our newest all-star team member is Diane Holloway, who served, in stellar fashion, as the nationally respected TV critic for the Austin American Statesman in Texas -- for 30 years. Like me, she's a founding member of the Television Critics Association. And like me, she's got plenty of opinions -- as in her inaugural TVWW column, which compares NBC's current Southland (tonight at 10 ET) to the new DVD release of season two of an NBC cop show from another era, Hill Street Blues.

Read on -- and welcome our newest Diane to the fold...

Southland -- Hill Street Blues on fast-forward?

By Diane Holloway

TV-loving baby boomers (that would be me) will recall the arrival of Hill Street Blues in 1981. It was gripping, shocking and brilliant.

We assumed, at least those of us who had never worked in law enforcement, that it was probably realistic, too.

That was before The Wire and The Shield showed us just how excruciatingly real TV could be -- from the gruesome violence to the filthy mouths. We were such innocents back in the Hill Street era.

But Hill Street was a game-changer in its day. No doubt about it, and most of today's dramas owe a lot to Steven Bochco's boys (and girls) in blue.

Southland, NBC's new cop drama, recently slipped into the appointment slot ER had long held on Thursday nights. Both shows spring from the creative mind of John Wells, so it makes symmetrical sense that gritty police action should take over where life-and-death medical drama once lived.

With its fast-paced storytelling, large cast of cleverly-crafted characters, gritty look and tsunami of bleeped-out four-letter words, Southland may remind some viewers of The Shield, the late-great FX drama that reveled in raw language and didn't have to bleep it.

Hints of dark secrets and trauma permeate the cops on Southland, especially showcased partners John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) and rookie Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie). Hard-nosed vet Cooper has already let it spill that his father is in jail, and Ben has revealed that despite his privileged upbringing, he witnessed stunning violence in his home when he was younger.

Hill Street fans will recall gasping when we learned secrets about the characters on that show. Gasp! Frank Furillo was an alcoholic and (gasp-gasp!) was romantically involved with attorney Joyce Davenport.

Secrets and surprises -- we love 'em!

I was a huge fan of Hill Street. Never missed an episode. And I was predisposed to like Southland for two reasons: John Wells is genius, and young Ben McKenzie is a fine young actor from Austin whom I've come to believe has serious potential. Southland just might do for him what ER did for George Clooney.

About a week after Southland debuted, I was at loose ends and popped in Hill Street's second-season DVD. Wow! I did NOT expect to see such a difference. Based on my memory, I thought the two shows would be kissin' cousins.

The biggest difference was pace. Hill Street may have been fast-paced for its day, but it is s-l-o-o-o-o-w compared with today's shows. Characters such as Howard Hunter and Phil Esterhaus engaged in meandering philosophical conversations that lasted close to 10 minutes. They were smart and amusing chats (often about manhood and Grace Gardner). Today, 10 minutes is about the entire length of storytelling time between commercials.

Commercials. An hour-long drama gave up only 10 to 12 minutes of ad time back then. Today, we're lucky to get 42 minutes of real story time in an hour-long show.

That little economic reality has a major impact on a show's pace. Hill Street plays out in languid fashion, regardless of all the action; Southland rushes along with quick scenes and jerky storytelling.

Oddly enough, both the old and the new pacing can be effective -- and enjoyable. But watching an episode of Southland (online at NBC's show page) followed by an episode of Hill Street (streaming at Hulu) definitely requires shifting to a slower gear.

It's a good thing I didn't try this comparison of the old and the new with 24. I might have wound up screaming at Furillo to pick up the pace! As we say in Texas, slow down and enjoy the ride.

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Diane Holloway was the TV critic for the Austin American Statesman for 30 years, until the downturn in the newspaper business prompted her to take a buyout and early retirement. Retirement? More like between jobs. She's still sniffing out possibilities and sifting through freelance opportunities. Before newspapers, she worked in Washington for the Library of Congress, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe something entirely different is next. Or not.

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