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+.
FOX
TV Review: FOX Rules on Sunday With ‘Animation Domination’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 25, 2011 - 8:46amCHICAGO – The legacy of “The Simpsons” lives on as the show premieres September 25th for its record-holding 23rd season. Afterward, the season premieres of Seth MacFarlane’s cartoon classics – “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show,” are all part of “Animation Domination” on FOX.
Blu-Ray Review: Emmy-Nominated Second Seasons of ‘Glee,’ ‘Modern Family’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 24, 2011 - 12:37pmCHICAGO – Two of the recent nominees for the 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series were recently-released in stellar season-set packages from Twentieth Century Fox. The company not only wisely chose to release these programs in HD but have included fan-centric special features for both “Glee: The Complete Second Season” and “Modern Family: The Complete Second Season.” If you even like either show, you should pick ‘em up. If you love these comedies, you probably already have.
TV News: Kiefer Sutherland Returning to FOX in ‘Touch’
Submitted by TimBMartens on September 23, 2011 - 11:37amCHICAGO – Kiefer Sutherland is returning to the FOX network, but don’t expect him to be wielding guns and saving the world from terrorists in his new show. Sutherland, who made Jack Bauer and ‘24’ a hit for the network, is signed on to the new drama series ‘Touch,’ which FOX ordered 13 new episodes of yesterday morning.
TV News: ‘Person of Interest,’ ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Have Decent Premiere Ratings, ‘The Office’ Maintains
Submitted by BrianTT on September 23, 2011 - 10:02amCHICAGO – The overnights for the first new Thursday of the Fall 2011 season are in and there were no major surprises. Every network has something to be happy about and something to worry about, depending on who’s spinning the story. “The X Factor” maintained from its opening night numbers and “The Office” proved it may not need Steve Carell, while “Person of Interest” and “Charlie’s Angels” were well-sampled.
TV News: FOX’s ‘The X Factor’ Opens Below Ratings Expectations
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2011 - 9:00amCHICAGO – The highly-anticipated series premiere of “The X Factor” on FOX was watched by enough people to not be considered a failure but its numbers were well below insider expectations, falling FAR short of “American Idol” numbers and not even topping the night as the most-watched program. It was a solid opening by most standards when it comes to assessing new programs but far from an instant hit, and if it slides (as most new shows do) it could be one of the year’s surprise losers.
TV Review: Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul Need to Prove ‘The X Factor’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 21, 2011 - 2:57pmCHICAGO – Singing competitions are becoming as pervasive as sports on TV. But as the “leagues” multiply, will the audience show up to yet another franchise? The granddaddy of all prime time singing judges, Simon Cowell, hopes he has “The X Factor” to create another hit, which premieres September 21st on FOX.
TV News: New Series ‘New Girl,’ ‘Unforgettable’ Open With Strong Ratings
Submitted by BrianTT on September 21, 2011 - 9:19amCHICAGO – Demographic numbers aren’t in yet and there certainly isn’t a story as huge as Monday night’s ludicrous ratings for “Two and a Half Men,” but we thought you might want to know that FOX’s “New Girl” and CBS’s “Unforgettable” seem to be off to good starts. “Glee” was down in its season premiere while “Ringer” dropped in its second week.
TV Review: Oddball ‘Raising Hope’ Returns For Second Season
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2011 - 4:07pmCHICAGO – One of the nice twists of the Fox sitcom “Raising Hope,” is that it doesn’t so much rely on the cute baby named Hope, preferring to focus on the strange people who are in charge of “nurturing” her upbringing. The wackiness continues for a second season starting September 20th on FOX.
TV Review: Impressive ‘New Girl’ Perfect For Zooey Deschanel
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2011 - 10:02amCHICAGO – Is there anybody in show business that knows their character and personality profile better than Zooey Deschanel? Her accessible, quirky persona – evident in “(500) Days of Summer” – scores big time again with the new sitcom “New Girl,” premiering September 20th on FOX.
Blu-Ray Review: Ambitious, Remarkable Third Season of ‘Fringe’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 15, 2011 - 8:58pmCHICAGO – There are very few programs as ambitious or refined as “Fringe.” Low ratings have proven that it’s not a show for everyone and I’ll admit to dipping in and out of it myself over the first two seasons, but I was struck by the confidence on display in season three, recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. In many ways, this program is redefining what it takes to stay on network television with low ratings but impressive numbers in other arenas. Check it out and see why.