CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
CBS
TV News: Cancellation Axe Falls on ‘Dollhouse,’ ‘Eastwick,’ ‘Hank’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 13, 2009 - 2:09pmCHICAGO – Blogs everywhere are reporting that FOX has canceled “Dollhouse” and that ABC has canceled “Eastwick” and “Hank”. “Dollhouse” starred Eliza Dushku with “Eastwick” and “Hank” being headlined by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Kelsey Grammer, respectively. The series join “Trauma” and “The Beautiful Life” as early fatalities of the new season.
DVD Round Up, Oct. 20, 2009: ‘Medium,’ ‘Princess,’ ‘Top Chef’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 20, 2009 - 1:06amCHICAGO – Over the course of dozens of editions of HollywoodChicago.com’s DVD Round-Up column, we have brought our readers more than a few collections that possessed a remarkable variety of genres in one piece, but few match this week’s column, a quartet of titles that include supernatural drama, reality television, foreign animation, and classic fantasy.
TV Review: ‘Medium’ Jumps Networks, Still Delivers Thrills
Submitted by BrianTT on September 25, 2009 - 3:24pmCHICAGO – When NBC committed five hours a week to “The Jay Leno Show,” we knew a few corners would have to be cut when it came to scripted programming at the peacock network but no one really expected that the consistent (both creatively and in the ratings) “Medium” would get the axe.
DVD Review: Great Second Season of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Deserves Better Set
Submitted by BrianTT on September 23, 2009 - 9:51pmCHICAGO – CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” had a good first season but, like a lot of sitcoms, it became much more confident in season two and really developed a rhythm that I expect will carry it for years to come. Don’t believe me? Check out the nearly-perfect and Emmy-nominated second season of “The Big Bang Theory,” now available on DVD.
TV Review: ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Has Breakout Potential as Hottest New Show
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2009 - 10:27amCHICAGO – Doesn’t it feel like there will someday just be a few mystery franchises with several different iterations on the air? We have three versions of “Law & Order” and “CSI,” and now “NCIS” has joined in, expanding the franchise of this surprisingly popular show to “NCIS: Los Angeles” with appealing stars Chris O’Donnell and L.L. Cool J.
TV Review: Promising ‘The Good Wife’ With Juliana Margulies
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2009 - 9:41amCHICAGO – From the non-stop ads (especially the ones that played all weekend locally with Bill Kurtis), you would be forgiven for thinking that CBS’ “The Good Wife” was solely about a scorned woman who enjoys slapping her lothario husband. There’s a lot more to the drama than that overplayed scene and the potential of the show is in the promise of watching a strong female character get past that moment, not play it over and over again.
TV Review: Emmy-Nominated ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Starts Promising Fifth Season
Submitted by BrianTT on September 21, 2009 - 12:47pmCHICAGO – CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” reached a creative and cultural peak last season shooting up twenty-one places in the ratings and an average of 1.2 million viewers a week - a virtual tsunami of TV watchers in an era of constant erosion with broadcast TV ratings.
DVD Review: Guilty Pleasure ‘Harper’s Island’ Could Become Cult Hit
Submitted by BrianTT on September 9, 2009 - 2:26pmCHICAGO – I’m still a little miffed that the “Harper’s Island” experiment didn’t work out for CBS. The show was far from perfect, but I still like the idea of a limited series with a predetermined beginning, middle, and end. Sadly, no one tuned in to watch “Harper’s Island” on CBS but the guilty pleasure could have a second life on DVD.
CBS Fall 2009 Premiere Dates For ‘The Mentalist,’ ‘CSI,’ ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ More
Submitted by BrianTT on August 27, 2009 - 11:05amCHICAGO – CBS has announced their fall premiere dates and the network is starting with one of their ratings juggernauts with the launch of “Survivor: Samoa” on September 17th.
CBS Returning to Core; Betting on ‘The Mentalist,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ ‘NCIS,’ ‘CSI’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 3, 2009 - 9:42pmCHICAGO – Though CBS is the turtle in selling sexy TV, the network is the hare when it comes to selling a broad audience what they ultimately want.