MASH-related stories
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 3:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, TV Royalty, Programming, Reality-Free
I know, I know, that's an impossible question to answer. But
Harris just conducted a poll where they asked people what their favorite shows are. Topping the list are shows like
M*A*S*H,
Seinfeld,
Friends,
House,
Star Trek, and
The Simpsons. The number one show?
CSI. Yeah, that's my thought exactly. What, do these people have long-term memory loss?
My list would include
The Dick Van Dyke Show,
The Simpsons,
Seinfeld,
The Twilight Zone,
The West Wing,
The Andy Griffith Show,
NewsRadio,
Sports Night,
Lost,
Magnum, P.I.,
Kate and Allie, and
Columbo. Oh, and
Mad Men and
30 Rock have zoomed onto the list in the past couple of years. What's on your all-time list?
Posted Apr 14th 2009 5:01PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free
AOL has chosen the
best TV shows of the 1980s, and it's not a bad list. But I'm sure everyone reading this will have their own thoughts.
Sure, there are shows that were my favorites I'd like to see on the list, but those would be personal choices. The only problem I have is
where the shows place on the list. For example, is
Fraggle Rock really a better show than
Spenser: For Hire,
Miami Vice, and
Kate and Allie (even beyond the fact that it might be an odd show to compare to the other shows in the first place)? Is
Facts of Life better than
MacGyver?
Continue reading What are the best TV shows of the 1980s?
Posted Mar 31st 2009 3:25PM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: OpEd, House, Reality-Free
Writing an episode of a show as literally seen through another character's eyes, a point of view episode, seems like an obvious stunt. That is, unless you can pull it off as brilliantly as
House did last night. The episode unfolded mainly through the POV of a man with "locked-in syndrome," played by guest star Mos Def.
The big advantage of telling a story that way is, obviously, to get inside the head of one person, and get their insight into everything that's going on. Unfiltered, in real time.
Scrubs plays with the point of view all the time, but when you stick with one long enough, it changes the feel of the story. In the first episode of season five, "
My Intern's Eyes,"
Scrubs used the point of view of an intern, Keith, to show how awkward and frightening Sacred Heart could be. That was a great transition as J.D became an attending. We got to see J.D.'s new role, plus get a reminder of how the show began. The best of both worlds.
Continue reading House, from another point of view
Posted Mar 31st 2009 3:06PM by Eliot Glazer
Filed under: Battlestar Galactica, Video, Reality-Free
For those us
Battlestar Galactica nerdz, we're still feeling frakked up, teary-eyed and sniveling following the series' recent exit stage right.
Ron Moore laid the show to rest with dignity and deserved pride, which is why our posting the following video might appear silly, childish, and self-indulgent to some.
But still, if you haven't yet seen it, the combination of
Muppet and Cylon is a marriage made in LOLheaven, and we can't let Adama and co. get away without witnessing a giant Animal enacting a nuclear holocaust across the twelve colonies. While there are plenty of mash-ups floating around YouTube, this one has most definitely stood the test of time (less than two years, that is), considering that it combines
Bear McCreary and Jim Henson (which is essentially something we've been waiting for since the very moment Six blew up the planets and stuff in the
BSG miniseries).
Match made in heaven? So say we all.
Continue reading One more thing, Battlestar Galactica - VIDEO
Posted Mar 30th 2009 12:25PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free
Everyone loves lists, and everyone has an opinion, so it's not always nice or productive to point out that another person's list might be lacking in some way. Having said that, let's talk about how this list is lacking in some way.
It's a list of the
10 best series finales of all-time. I'll get right to the point:
Newhart should be on this list.
Continue reading What's missing from this list of the best series finales?
Posted Feb 20th 2009 3:05PM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: TV Squad Lists, Casting, Reality-Free
It's hard to see beloved characters leave your favorite shows. You have created a bond with them, perhaps even projected their values onto yourself in an effort to raise the self esteem you had before, say, you fell down the
Law & Order rabbit hole and started to believe the shows were actual news and not just "ripped from the headlines." But change is inevitable, and sometimes, it works out. Here are a few that worked (at least for me).
1. Current cast of Law & Order: I know, I know, who could replace Lenny Briscoe? No one, really. But the current pairing of Anthony Anderson and Jeremy Sisto as NYPD partners is the best the series has produced. They changed the feel of the show. Perhaps because we're still getting to know them, they are less predictable then previous tandems, and both evoke a certain hard-nosed quality that seems a bit more gritty and real. Plus, Anderson has chops as a stand-up comic, and could easily fill the wisecracker role, if need be.
Continue reading Seven of TV's best replacements
Posted Dec 4th 2008 8:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Awards, Reality-Free
You mean
Bea Arthur wasn't already in the TV Academy Hall of Fame before today? Well, actually, that was Bea's choice. In a very
Maude-like way, she had turned them down. "I said, `So sorry, very nice of you, but I can't possibly accept. There are so many talented people in the business,'" Arthur recalled.
However, she's had a chance to think it over and when asked again, she agreed to become a Hall of Famer, just like Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson and Bill Cosby.
As I wrote previously, the TV Academy Hall of Fame will expand to include Bea Arthur, Merv Griffin, Larry Gelbart (
M*A*S*H), Sherwood Schwartz (
Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch), and ABC executives Thomas Murphy and Daniel B. Burke. On December 9 in Beverly Hills, the awards will be presented.
Continue reading And then there's Maude...in the TV Hall of Fame
Posted Dec 1st 2008 5:02PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: OpEd, The Shield, Reality-Free
Last week another terrific cable drama, The Shield, took its final bow in a series finale that still has fans talking. The talk is mostly about the last three minutes, which featured Vic Mackey's silent contemplation of the life he now leads after losing his friends, family and, some say, his freedom. Right before the screen went dark we saw Vic stride out of the cubicle that is now his home -- unsure of what his fate would be from now on.
Some fans of the series were unhappy with this ending, saying that there was no closure to the life that Vic had led over the last seven seasons. Some hearken the ending to the now-famous series finale of The Sopranos, which featured several seconds of nothingness before the credits rolled. This concept of not giving finality to a series finale is a new one for viewers to grasp onto. But, when you look at it further, it makes complete sense. Why should the lives of our favorite characters come to a complete ending when our own lives don't?
Continue reading Why do series finales have to be so final?
Posted Nov 23rd 2008 5:02PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Reality Shows, Programming, TV on DVD, OpEd, 24, Fringe
Oh my. So much to be thankful for, even though the fall season hasn't been all that great. Here's my list:
Rogue agents. It's been Far.Too.Long since Jack Bauer has entered our living room, and we couldn't be more gleeful about his return - both the
24 movie and the series in January. Welcome back, Jack! We missed you! Well, my son and I have! My daughter and husband don't get you, but that's ok!
Mad scientists. That crazy Walter Bishop really brightens up our Tuesday nights around here. My son goes to school on Wednesday, talks about
Fringe with his buddies, then texts me back their thoughts on The Observer, the cylinders, Massive Dynamic and all the rest. Of course, Walter is the best thing about the show. We love him.
Continue reading What Jane is thankful for
Posted Nov 17th 2008 1:24PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Video, Reality-Free
I think this is probably the 50th or 60th post about
TV theme songs we've done here at TV Squad, either lists of our own or stories about other lists on the web. But it's one of the great all-time TV debates among fans so it's good to revisit the topic every few months.
Paste has the latest list, their
40 best TV theme songs of all-time. Oh, we could talk about this for hours (and we probably will), but there are four thoughts that come immediately to mind after reading all 40 choices:
Continue reading What's the best TV theme song of all time? - VIDEO
Posted Sep 1st 2008 6:23PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Celebrities, Awards, Emmys, Reality-Free
As we've told you before, this is the 60th anniversary of the Emmy Awards. The September 21 show, telecast on ABC, will not only celebrate the Best Actresses and Best Dramas of the current prime time lineup, it will also celebrate the many stars and characters and shows of 10, 20, 40, 60 years ago.
ABC has created an ad that features a lot of those stars. A lot of the stars are easy to find and it's a no-brainer that they were included (Marge and Homer, Rod Serling, Dick Van Dyke, Stewie, the
South Park guys, etc), but I'm happy to also see some people I didn't think would be in such an ad: Guy Williams as Zorro, Robert Culp from
I Spy, Mike Connors from
Mannix, Tim Daly from
Wings, Wally Cox from
Mr. Peepers, among others.
Continue reading This year, the Emmys will feature everyone who has ever been on TV
Posted Aug 20th 2008 2:04PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, Awards, Emmys, Reality-Free
We're used to reading all of the lists that rank the best and worst TV shows of all-time, now ABC is getting even more specific than that.
What are the top moments in television history?
You can vote for them at the ABC site and your answers will be revealed on the 60th Primetime
Emmy Awards, which will be broadcast on Sunday, September 21. There are two categories, comedy and drama (sorry fans of game shows and reality shows). No, you can't write in your own vote, you have to pick from the finalists that they've already chosen for you, so right off the bat you know there's going to be a lot of "but what about..." and "why did they include..." talk.
Continue reading What are the top moments in TV history?
Posted Jul 5th 2008 10:03AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: TV Royalty, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
A lot of
M*A*S*H fans were upset when Wayne Rogers left his role of Trapper John on the CBS show. Many thought he wouldn't have the success he had on the show and others just missed the character (he was replaced by Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicutt). He went on to many guest roles and a short-lived, 1976 private eye series I liked,
City of Angels. But he actually made most of his money over the past 30 years from smart financial investments. So much so that he's now a commentator on the FOX Business Network. His recent guest was his former co-star Alan Alda.
The two talk about several things in the first video, including Alda's new movie (
Diminished Capacity), memory loss, Alda's award nominations, and their days on
M*A*S*H. In the second video, Alda sticks around for a discussion with an expert on shows that are actually good for you, and two of those shows are shows that Alda starred in (
M*A*S*H and
The West Wing).
Continue reading Hawkeye and Trapper, together again - VIDEOS
Posted Jul 4th 2008 10:04AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Video, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
So, did you hear that they did a
poll they did to determine which presidential candidate people would like to hang out with at a barbecue? Obama won 52 to 45 percent over McCain, which may not mean very much in the long run, but the day before July 4th it made news.
The thought of barbecues and July 4th parties got me thinking about which TV characters with whom I'd like to spend Independence Day. I wouldn't want them here at my place, though, I want to go to their places. I have high expectations, too, and a vivid imagination.
Here's the six TV characters who could expect me to join them to watch the rockets red glare -- if only they were real live folks and not just my fictional faves.
Continue reading Six TV characters with whom I'd like to share July 4th - VIDEO
Posted Apr 18th 2008 3:20PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Awards, Reality-Free
Each year, the Emmys honor the best in current TV. They also recognize the all-time greats. This year Bea Arthur, Larry Gelbart, Merv Griffin, Daniel Burke, Tom Murphy and Sherwood Schwartz
will be entering the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame. Grand choices, in my opinion, with only a minor quibble which I'll mention later.
According to ATAS chairman and CEO John Shaffner , "The Hall of Fame is a special recognition for those who have made significant contributions and have left an indelible mark on the television business." As
Maude in the 1970's and Dorothy on
The Golden Girls in the 1980's (into the '90s) Beatrice Arthur, made her mark. She was more effective on TV than she was in the theater, and she was a dynamo on stage.
Continue reading Maude, Merv & M*A*S*H man entering Emmy Hall of Fame
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