Category Archives: TV Reviews

The Great American Myth Of The Small-Town Life Archetype

I have nothing against Andy Griffith and Norman Rockwell. But they deserve a little bit of scorn for creating a mythos of how small-town life could, would and should be. Sadly, it varies from location to location. And even more sadder, most people looked through these two icons and their lives with rose-colored glasses. GriffithContinue reading “The Great American Myth Of The Small-Town Life Archetype”

Fran Drescher Is Not One To Underestimate

Granted, Fran Drescher before this month was mostly remember for his TV show The Nanny. The 1990s shows was so much of a sitcom it could easily pass as a parody of 1990s sitcoms. Drescher plays Fran Fine, a very Jewish woman from Queens selling cosmetics door-to-door after being dumped by her boyfriend. She attractsContinue reading “Fran Drescher Is Not One To Underestimate”

How Hollywood Shutting Down Could Cause Some Major Changes For All

When I was working in Wagoner, Okla. at the Tribune, the company (which was owned by one of the Walton kids, nonetheless) got the idea we were going to be offering pictures online to be sold. It was a great idea that came with one flaw – we had to upload them ourselves. This addedContinue reading “How Hollywood Shutting Down Could Cause Some Major Changes For All”

An ‘Ashley Madison Affair’ Some Might Not Want To Remember

In college, one of my writing professors told us to beware of certain literary magazines as they’ll inform us they “accepted” your submissions but they may need some pay for publishing. I even decided to do it sending off some mediocre items and thus getting told it had been “accepted.” I knew it was notContinue reading “An ‘Ashley Madison Affair’ Some Might Not Want To Remember”

‘Muscles & Mayhem’ Carries A Lot Of Weight

The use of the word “Unauthorized” in the Netflix docuseries Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators leads me to wonder the legitimacy of the phrase. Because it seems they got a lot of authoritized people to speak in the documentary. Granted, they can’t interview Samuel Goldwin Jr. because he’s been deceased forContinue reading “‘Muscles & Mayhem’ Carries A Lot Of Weight”

‘Seinfeld’ Mocked Male Insecurities With Classic “Outing” Episode

At the height of its popular in the early to mid-1990s, Seinfeld took a bold roll of the dice on an episode that exposed the insecurities of men in regards to being considered gay. Titled “The Outing” and airing in the mid-winter of 1993, the premise has Jerry Seinfield and his long-time friend, George ConstanzaContinue reading “‘Seinfeld’ Mocked Male Insecurities With Classic “Outing” Episode”

‘Based On A True Story’ Wastes A Good Plot With A Not-So-Good Execution

It’s hard to watch Peacock’s Based on a True Story series without comparing it to Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. Both series deal with people obsessed with true-crime podcasts who find themselves involved too closesly with a real murder. The gag of Murders was how it seemed their insistence that a reported suicide wasContinue reading “‘Based On A True Story’ Wastes A Good Plot With A Not-So-Good Execution”

‘Arnold’ Burns Out In Its Own Pace

The problem with the Netflix docuseries Arnold is that it tells the most fasciniating and intriquing stories first and then reduces the second half to boring talking head interviews from famous faces praising Arnold Schwarzenegger and a focus on his term as the “Governator” of “Calie-Fornie-Ah” that would put any political science professor to sleep.Continue reading “‘Arnold’ Burns Out In Its Own Pace”

Treat Williams Was An Actor’s Actor

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching Once Upon a Time in America in which Treat Williams has a minor role. By 1984, Williams had starring roles in Hair and Prince of the City. He had worked with Steven Spielberg, Milos Forman and Sidney Lumet in just three years. That’s a resume many actorsContinue reading “Treat Williams Was An Actor’s Actor”