Editor’s note — I’ve added 20 more lists to this poll, which was originally published in 2020. We now have a total 105 lists tallied.
Read moreMichael Douglas Believes He Lost 2013 Cannes Actor Prize Due to Steven Spielberg's TV Bias
Michael Douglas’ “Traffic” co-star Benicio Del Toro interviewed him as part of an “Actor on Actor” series [via Variety]. The real gimme of this chitchat is the fact that Douglas truly believes that he missed out on the Cannes 2013 Best Actor prize due to Steven Spielberg’s bias against television. Spielberg was the Jury president that year and Douglas’s film was the HBO-produced Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra.”
Read moreIlana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson’s Landmark ‘Broad City' Wimped Out in Its Final Season But Let's Remember the Good Times
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson’s “Broad City” came to end this past Thursday night with an emotional but somewhat underwhelming episode. In fact, this entire fifth and final season felt underwhelming, the girls went out with a whimper instead of a bang. And so, let’s focus on the positive;
Read moreTrump Threatens ‘Saturday Night Live' With Federal Investigation; Charges ‘Advertisement Without Consequences' For Mocking Him
It’s become a tradition in this country for President Donald Trump to begin his Sunday morning venting about current events, not to mention the powers conspiring against him. He went that extra mile though this morning when he complained the show should be investigated by federal regulators for mocking him and not the Democrats.
Read more‘The Simpsons’ Showrunner Al Jean Theorizes, Without Evidence, That Michael Jackson Used ‘Simpsons' Episode to ‘Groom Boys’
‘The Simpsons’ Showrunner Al Jean likes to theorize and invent stories on-the-spot.
Read more“True Detective” Season 3 Was An Improvement Over Last Season, But Continued to Show Its Creator's Flaws As An Artist
The exposition in “True Detective” Season 3 almost broke the season apart for me. When you have an actor like Mahersala Ali, who can give off emotional resonance with just a facial stare, and you give him incredibly expanded dialogue, well, that’s creator Nic Pizzolatto’s ego for you.
Read more“Russian Doll" Is Wry, Inventive and Acerbically Original Television
“Russia Doll” is a new spin on the time-loop story which was popularized by “Groundhog Day” more than 25 years ago. That film’s concept caught on to the point where there is now a film, every year or so, which uses the gimmick. It all has to do with the notion of "If I had that to do over, I'd do it differently.” Most recently, and most successfully, was a jump towards sci-fi in which “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Source Code” used it in ways that brought a sense of newness to the gimmick, nevertheless, it’s a concept that still has many rolling their eyes whenever used, check out the less-than-successful YA flick ‘Before I Fall.”
Read moreVince Gilligan’s ‘Breaking Bad’ Sequel Will Premiere on Netflix
The Simpsons Nears Renewal for Seasons 31 & 32; Once Classic Show Continues to Gorge Itself.
“The Simpsons,” as it happens, is a textbook-perfect example of postmodern entertainment. A pastiche of pop culture sources and meta-commentary, it was originally conceived as a satire about the American family’s relationship to their televisions. Of course, The Simpsons has outlived the phenomenon of “television addiction” (thanks to the internet), but it was still one of the most – if not the most – relevant comedy of the 90s (only “Seinfeld” can claim to be in that same league). It has also been the subject of several academic articles and papers. The show’s artistic techniques have become canonical examples of postmodern television production. The show’s thematic resonance even inspired a book on the series’ relationship to philosophy. In The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’Oh! of Homer, several academics explored the show’s relation to classic and contemporary philosophy alike, proving the series’ lasting relevance Also, Mark Liberman, director of The Linguistic Data Consortium has stated that “The Simpsons has apparently taken over from Shakespeare and the Bible as our culture’s greatest source of idioms, catchphrases and sundry other textual allusions”. There are many other substantial reasons why The Simpsons will always be better, more important, and more iconic than Family Guy.
Read moreJames Gandolfini's Son, Michael Gandolfini, Will Play Tony Soprano Role in Upcoming ‘Sopranos’ Prequel Film at HBO
The Sopranos creator David Chase has found his Tony Soprano and it is none other than Michael Gandolfini, son of the late great James Gandolfini who originally played the part for six seasons on HBO’s The Sopranos.
Read moreNetflix’s ‘Bandersnatch’ Feels Gimmicky Rather Than Cinematic
A lot has been said about Netflix's "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," a "choose-your-adventure" formatted movie that seems to destroy the intentions and artistic value of cinema. "Bandersnatch" tries to work on two levels. On one level, it tries to envelop you into the psyche of a disturbed teenager's mind. This is done by having the narrative appear in a jumbled timeline, completely disorienting you. This disorientation is caused by the choices you have and the frequently replay, creating a feeling of inevitability, as if what happens was always going to happen. In doing so, it makes you understand how someone can feel events are out of the control of the main character, Stefan.
Read moreCBS Paid Eliza Dushku $9.5 Million Settlement After Offensive Comments Were Made By Her Co-Star
Actress Eliza Dushku believes she was written off the CBS series "Bull" because she complained about inappropriate on-set comments made by her co-star Michael Weatherly. It all culminated in a secret confidential settlement that was reached between CBS and Dushku. The actress made $9.5 million out of the ordeal. The details claim that on-set sexual comments by Weatherly made her uncomfortable when she was beginning a run as a recurring character back in March of 2017.
Read moreHow TV Replaced Movies As the Medium For Adult-Driven Drama
Last year was the year when TV, in terms of sheer quality of artistry, caught up to American filmmaking. I can't see it any other way. 2017 was the year, when comparing my movie ten-best list and my TV ten-best list, I came to the conclusion that the television I was watching was vastly superior. Don't believe me? Well, how else can you not make the case that "Twin Peaks: The Return," "The Leftovers," "Handmaid's Tale," "The Deuce," "Big Little Lies," "Mindhunter," "Better Call Saul," "GLOW," "Better Things," and "Master of None" were top-tier works of art?
Read moreTim Allen Likes Pissing Liberals Off: "There's Nothing Worse to Them Than A Very Funny Conservative."
The new trend these days on television seems to be the success of conservative-minded TV shows. Just look at how Roseanne catapulted to the top of the ratings due, in part, to its star's unadulterated, not to mention unfiltered, pro-Trump rhetoric. Trumpsters love to have their values represented in pop culture, something that so rarely happens in mostly liberal-minded Hollywood. So it is not a surprise that Tim Allen's "Last Man Standing" is doing so well. A popular ABC show which was all-of-a-sudden cancelled by the network earlier this year, 'Standing' found a new home at FOX where, surprise surprise, it has become a major hit.
Read moreJimmy Kimmel Begs Michelle Obama to ‘Save Us’ from Trump; Compares Obama to Superman.
“You see how much we miss you? I mean where did you go” Kimmel said after Michelle Obama sat down for an interview to promote her just-released book, “We need you back in the old house.”
Read moreBryan Cranston Confirms, 'Breaking Bad' Movie Follows Jesse Pinkman Immediately After Series Finale
Yesterday we were one of the first sites to report that Vince Gilligan was going to shoot a “Breaking Bad” movie in New Mexico. However, there wasn't much to report beyond that, no polt details were mentioned. However, Bryan Cranston's Walter White died in the series finale and I had mentioned that, if a film were to be made, chances are it could revolve around Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman.
Read moreBreaking Bad Movie Is Happening, and Possibly Shooting This Month
"Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan has always stated his desire to bring the character of his now classic AMC series to the big screen. That wish might be happening much sooner than we think. In fact, a new report states that a movie based on the TV series might start shooting this coming month.
Read more‘True Detective’ Season 3 Trailer: Mahershala Ali Tackles Murder-Mystery in the Ozarks
The original director for the third season of HBO's 'True Detective" was supposed to be Jeremy Saulnier (“Green Room,” “Blue Ruin”) but “creative differences” with creator Nic Pizzolatto, following the completion of just two episodes, had Saulnier entirely scrapped from the project. Enter the hiring of director Daniel Sackheim, known for directing several episodes of FX‘s “The Americans,” and Pizzolatto himself who would be directing around 60% of the show. Good God. You go from hiring a cinematic talent such as Saulnier to getting a TV director to replace him?
Read moreThe problem with 'The Simpsons' axing Apu
I haven't watched The Simpsons since, oh gosh I don't know, Season 11, I think? It's now entered its 25th season, but, goddammit if that stretch they had between 1990-2000 wasn't one of the finest in TV history, right up there with "Seinfeld," "The Sopranos," and "Breaking Bad."
Read moreHow ‘Making A Murderer' changed TV forever
Netflix's “Making a Murderer” should be considered one of the most influential shows of the decade. It opened the door for a slew of murder-mystery dramas, which have all but invaded the TV stratosphere and podcasts such as Serial. If you remember, the non-fiction docu-series chronicled the conviction of two men for a crime that they may, or may not, have committed. By the end of the series, most of America had their own opinion on who did it. It was a magnificently rendered work of art.
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