TV Crush
Mary McNamara focuses on TV programming and new media. Follow her on Twitter as @marymcnamara
HBO's Game of Thrones: Swordfights! Sex! Fratricide! It's GREAT!
The ten-episode second season of HBO’s epic medieval fantasy, Game of Thrones, set in the fictional kingdoms of Westeros, returns this Sunday at 9p. While the first season was stunning, the series was somewhat hobbled by exposition. The tale is exceedingly complex. #GoT follows four or five subplots and any number of royal family bloodlines. Now mostly unencumbered by expo ...... Read More
Comments (0)NBC's "Smash" Is Terrific Fun (With One Caveat)
NBC’s much-hyped Smash premieres tonight, February 6 at 10p, although one wonders if there’s anyone left who hasn’t already seen this show. On January 9th, NBC hosted screenings of the pilot in 10 local markets - Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, L.A., Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon and San Francisco. On January 16, the pilot started streaming on all NBC ...... Read More
Comments (0)HBO's Dazzling Luck: Joy, Heartbreak, Awe and Thrills
This Sunday, January 29, HBO’s latest drama, Luck, debuts at 10p. Luck, a journey into the subculture of thoroughbred horse racing, is an edge-of-the-seat thrill, one of the most engrossing, immersive series to brighten the screen in years. In the Emmy race, Luck is likely to be the big contender in a number of categories, including best dramatic series. You will feel as though ...... Read More
Comments (1)Ready The Man Cave: CLOO Has A Mannix Marathon
Ready the man cave. This Saturday, January 28, CLOO is running an all day Mannix marathon. Senior vice president of research for both USA Network and CLOO, Ted Linhart (twitter: @TedonTV ) - an avid fan of the series - has selected a dozen of his favorite eps which will air in semi-rotation starting at 6 AM CLOO, currently available in 38 million homes, is a destination channel for cri ...... Read More
Comments (3)Food Network Paula Deen Firestorm 0% Contained
Paula Deen kicked up a firestorm earlier this week when she announced she had diabetes. The popular Food Network chef promotes a diabetes-inducing diet of southern cooking laden with sugar and fat. For example: her infamous Lady’s Brunch Burger, a concoction of beef with fried egg and bacon on a sliced glazed donut. Deen has long been controversial but the attacks this week have ...... Read More
Comments (0)TCA - TNT Unveils Dallas
Reporting from Pasadena CA — TNT unveiled Dallas this afternoon, a continuation of the original series, one of the most popular television shows of all time. The original Dallas, a soapish chronicle of the oil and cattle-rich Ewing family, ran from 1978 to 1991 for an astonishing 357 episodes on CBS. The new Dallas, which debuts this summer, jumps ahead approximately 20 years in time. ...... Read More
Comments (0)TCA/Showtime "House of Lies" - An Adventure in The Unexpected
Yesterday at Television Critics Association, Showtime trotted out the cast of their latest comedy, House of Lies - a crazed and laugh-out-loud funny send-up of American capitalism. The series is based on the book House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time, written by Martin Kihn, a former consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. “The first episode ...... Read More
Comments (0)Candid NBC Chair Greenblatt Assesses Fall Season, Praises Comcast
Reporting from Pasadena CA: This morning at the NBC Network executive session at Television Critics Association press tour, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt first thanked the press for their “tepid applause.” But when the laughter died down, he offered an unusually frank assessment of NBC’s Fall season. “I don’t really have a big speech ...... Read More
Comments (0)PBS Kick Starts #TCA12 Winter Tour
Reporting from Pasadena, CA/Jan.5 @ 4:40p PT – On January 4, PBS kick started the first full day of Television Critics Association 2012 Winter Press Tour with an impressive parade of talent and entertainment, culminating in the evening appearance of the B-52’s. For a good hour, the band rocked the house to promote their PBS special airing sometime this March. A joy ...... Read More
Comments (0)Ohhh, La, La: Sons of Anarchy Renewed for 5th Season
This is not unexpected news, given the rip-roaring Sons of Anarchy ratings this (fourth) season. But still, the news is EXCITING. From FX publicity: NOBODY MESSES WITH SAMCRO FX Orders Fifth Season of Its Acclaimed Hit Drama Sons of Anarchy Series is Basic Cable’s #1 Scripted Drama Series Among Adults 18-49 and FX’s Highest-Rated Series Ever 7 All New Episodes Remain This Seaso ...... Read More
Comments (0)It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: The Hilariously Depraved 7th Season
Last August, at Television Critics Association press tour, as we all filed in for FX Network’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia presentation, we found an odd bit of swag waiting at our seats. A bucket of…something. A BIG bucket of something. Big, chunky, nauseating, sticky clusters of….maybe it was oily granola and marshmallow and chocolate. (I ...... Read More
Comments (1)Comcast Apologizes for Ominous Email
This morning we woke up to an ominous email from Comcast, threatening us with a partial account suspension. Here’s the email, sans all the Comcast graphics etc. Dear Comcast Customer, Our billing system has detected errors in your payment information. This usually occurs when your payment method on file has expired or declines a payment charge. Please be aware that your access to ...... Read More
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