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Television

Worst Enemy, even worse writing

His Own Worst Enemy
Two men. One body. It sounds like the title of a squeamish sequel to “Two Girls, One Cup.” But the good news is it’s just the premise of My Own Worst Enemy , Christian Slater’s foray into the world of crappy small-screen dramas that use a lexicon of jargon in order to sound “sciency.”

By: SARA FAITH ALTERMAN | November 06, 2008

NBC's Chuck doesn't deliver

NBC’s Chuck is a concept in search of a show
Though Chuck is programmed as a comic-action hybrid, it doesn’t do either particularly well.

By: RYAN STEWART | October 21, 2008

Bad girls

Fashion deathmatches on Stylista and The Rachel Zoe Project
One of the accepted truths of the fashion world is that it’s utterly bizarre.

By: SHARON STEEL | October 29, 2008

The good news

David Alan Grier fills "TV's black hole" with Chocolate News
When David Alan Grier promises that he’s “filling TV’s black hole” with his chocolate flavor, you know it’s gonna be good.

By: SARA FAITH ALTERMAN | October 08, 2008

Sarah Connor: Terminator's MILF from Hell

Terminator ’s wonder years
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is ostensibly sci-fi action adventure. It may be the best teen drama for adults on TV.

By: JON GARELICK | October 01, 2008

To Hell and Harry

Hell Girl, The IT Crowd
American hetero pornography is, most often, a fantasy celebration of exhibitionist sluttiness, itchy whores on their knees, opening their legs, without a moment’s hesitation or a flicker of shame.

By: GERALD PEARY | September 24, 2008

I love the ’90s

The CW’s new 90210
When the CW did not send out screeners of the pilot of 90210 some observers took that as a bad sign.

By: RYAN STEWART | September 16, 2008

Sight unseen

The fall TV season flies without pilots
Hollywood writers are no longer walking picket lines, but their 14-week shutdown of TV production reverberates through the 2008-’09 fall season.

By: JOYCE MILLMAN | September 11, 2008

Science? Or fiction?

J.J. Abrams’s oddball Fringe
“It’s not an exact science,” Dr. Bishop says. His wise-ass son Peter interjects: “It’s not even science.”

By: RYAN STEWART | September 08, 2008

Blood sucks

HBO does the ‘Southern Vampire’
With regard to this whole nouveau vampire thing, this revitalized appreciation for the undead, I should declare myself at the outset a more or less complete philistine.

By: JAMES PARKER | September 02, 2008

Scout's honor

Burn Notice ’s honest con job
In the popular imagination, the spy is always cool, sophisticated, elegant — in other words, European.

By: CHARLES TAYLOR | August 26, 2008

Cry babies

Teen talent wails on High School Musical: Get in the Picture
The top brass at Disney knew full well what they were about to unleash when the original High School Musical premiered on the Disney Channel two years ago.

By: SHARON STEEL | August 19, 2008

Not by George

Robot Chicken: Star Wars
A long time ago, on a bricks-and-mortar soundstage far, far away, the last great Star Wars movie was made.

By: MIKE MILIARD | August 11, 2008

Found farce

Spaced makes it to DVD
Simon Pegg is funny.

By: MIKE MILIARD | August 05, 2008

Visions from Lilliput

The rise of the minisode
In a sense, every successful portmanteau word represents a narrow escape.

By: JAMES PARKER | July 28, 2008

Life of Don

Mad Men ’s dark nostalgia
Mad Men continues to take us back to a time we think we know.

By: JON GARELICK | July 22, 2008

Working girl

In Plain Sight’s straight talk
On USA’s nifty summer series In Plain Sight , Mary McCormack, as federal marshal Mary Shannon, joins the select league of those who’ve made jeans, tank tops, boots, and leather jackets into an American fashion statement.

By: CHARLES TAYLOR | July 15, 2008