Review: 'The Cleaner'

July 15, 2008

Reason to watch Benjamin Bratt's return to the tube, as well as A&E's first new drama series in nearly six years. "Cleaner" is also produced by Jonathan Prince, of "American Dreams," a show once embraced by critics.

Recent columns

• Review: 'The Cleaner'

  July 15, 2008

  Reason to watch Benjamin Bratt's return to the tube, as well as A&E's first new drama series in nearly six years. "Cleaner" is also produced by Jonathan Prince, of "American Dreams," a show once embraced by critics.

• Review: 'The Closer'

  July 14, 2008

  Reason to watch Kyra Sedgwick (as always) and this is, after all, the fourth season premiere.

• CBS imports Hugh Dillon's 'Flashpoint' from Canada

  July 11, 2008

  Reason to watch

• Review: 'Generation Kill'

  July 10, 2008

  Generation Kill

• Review: 'Burn Notice' premieres on USA

  July 10, 2008

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• Review: 'People's Republic of Capitalism' on Discovery

  July 9, 2008

  The People's Republic of Capitalism

• 'Secret Life of the American Teenager'

  July 1, 2008

  Reason to watch For some familiar old friends, like Molly Ringwald and Ernie Hudson (the warden in "Oz") and some promising newbies, like Shailene Woodley. It also marks the return of producer-creator Brenda Hampton, who was show-runner for "7th Heaven," the family-friendliest series since "The Waltons."

• Review: The War of the World, on PBS

  June 30, 2008

  The War of the World

• Review: ABC's hospital docuseries 'Hopkins'

  June 26, 2008

  Hopkins

• NOVA explains universe in layman's terms

  June 25, 2008

  Reason to watch: Neil deGrasse Tyson, who's both brilliant and a wonderful guide. Plus, this may be TV's most accessible science show.

• Review: 'The Baby Borrowers'

  June 25, 2008

  REASON TO WATCH: There was some notoriety over this when the BBC version aired it last year, while the name alone does suggest something untoward, slightly off-center, perhaps illegal ...

• Review: 'Wipeout,' 'I Survived a Japanese Game Show'

  June 24, 2008

  Reason to watch: It's summer. You're bored. Nothing else on. All good reasons (there's always a good book, or a newspaper, by the way), but these shows also could be breakout hits. "Whaaa?!" you say. They're members of a subgenre that launched about three years ago with "The Simple Life" - reality TV spoofs.

• Review: 'P.O.V.: Traces of the Trade'

  June 23, 2008

  P.O.V.

• On TV: Roughnecks getting dirty in 'Black Gold'

  June 18, 2008

  BLACK GOLD

• Review: Jonas Brothers star in 'Camp Rock'

  June 17, 2008

  CAMP ROCK

• Reviews: 'Weeds,' 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl'

  June 16, 2008

  Reason to watch: Fans don't need a reason, but everyone else should know this is the fourth-season launch of TV's most caustic comedy (with a bleaker worldview than Hobbes'). It's also addictive. Meanwhile, Albert Brooks joins the cast.

• Review: 'WPIX/11's 60th Birthday Bash'

  June 13, 2008

  WPIX/11'S 60TH

• Reviews: 'My Boys,' 'The Bill Engvall Show'

  June 12, 2008

  MY BOYS

• Review: 'Celebrity Circus' on NBC

  June 11, 2008

  Reason for watching: None. Just kidding. There's always a reason for watching something, right? Let's see - it's hot, your AC is broken, you can't move your thumb to change the channel. Or, you've already seen that repeat of "CSI: NY." Or, "Farmer Takes a Wife" makes your head hurt, or ...

• Review: 'Ice Road Truckers' on History

  June 6, 2008

  Reason to watch: Second-season launch of History's most-viewed series, ever.

• Review: 'Fear Itself' horror anthology on NBC

  June 4, 2008

  Reason for watching: NBC's revival of Showtime's "Masters of Horror," featuring the blood-curdling chops of a bunch of solid directors who know how to curdle the blood - and splatter, smear, spread and splotch it, too. Some of the names include Darren Bousman ("Saw II, III and IV"), Brad Anderson ("The Machinist"), Mary Harron ("American Psycho") and John Landis ("An American Werewolf in London"). Alums of "Masters" are onboard, too.

• All "Lost" fans need is a miracle

  May 29, 2008

  Let's begin with a flashback to one of the most famous flash-forwards in TV history.

• Review: 'Leaving Long Island' on Ch. 21

  May 27, 2008

  Reason to watch: This one's about you and your future (How's that for a compelling reason?), asking why young people are leaving the Island in droves, and how this demographic drain will ultimately impact Suffolk and Nassau counties.

• Dina Lohan, Lindsay's mom, stars in 'Living Lohan'

  May 26, 2008

  Why you should watch: You're on your own, but here's something that may work as a rule of thumb - if you live/

• Kevin Spacey stars in HBO election drama 'Recount'

  May 23, 2008

  RECOUNT. Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.

• Review: 'Grey's Anatomy' season finale

  May 22, 2008

  Reason to watch: This is the end, or, should we say the end - a big, meaty, two-hour wrap that promises to resolve that Mer/Der thing, and maybe - OK, almost certainly - tell us more about that Hahn/Torres thing, too.

• Aging "American Idol" suffering from entropy

  May 19, 2008

  This time every spring, readers of newsprint across the land can expect to see those confident, can't-miss lists of "Ways to Improve ' American Idol.'" "No Paula!" "New judges!" "Less predictability!" "Change the voting!" "Get rid of the early rounds!" "Better contestants!"

• Who'll waltz off with a win on "Dancing with the Stars"?

  May 19, 2008

  DANCING WITH THE STARS. Tonight at 8 and tomorrow at 9 on ABC/7.

• What's new for fall? '90210' reprise and more

  May 12, 2008

  Mid-May in TV land is a good time to crawl under that nice cool rock you've had your eye on. Starting today, networks announce their fall lineups, though "announce" doesn't do this process justice: Hype. Scream. Yell. And spin spin spin (with all their ever-lovin' might.) Ah, that's more like it.

• Last laughs (for now) on '30 Rock'

  May 8, 2008

  30 Rock. Tonight at 9:30 on NBC/4.

• Review: 'American Masters: Marvin Gaye' on PBS

  May 7, 2008

  Why you should watch. Because if you're 16, it might be nice to hear the soundtrack of the '70s and realize that brilliant music actually came out of that decade. If you're 60, you certainly don't need to be given any reason to watch - it should be self-evident.

• Review: 'The Jewish People: A History of Survival'

  May 7, 2008

  Why you should watch. Producers say this is a departure from recent films, like David Grubin's "The Jewish Americans," which may have placed greater emphasis on culture or religion. The key word here is "survival," and how Jews, at every turn through their long and rich history, were sustained by an unshakable cultural identity as much as by the Torah and Talmud.

• What I now know about Walters

  May 6, 2008

  No wows.

• 'Ugly Betty' returns at last - for her birthday

  April 24, 2008

  Ugly Betty. Tonight at 8. ABC/7.

• Review: Tim Conway appears on NBC's '30 Rock'

  April 17, 2008

  30 Rock. Tonight at 8:30 on NBC/4.

• More Wisteria hysteria on 'Desperate Housewives'

  April 11, 2008

  You should watch because: Honestly, do whatever you want, but I happen to think "Desperate Housewives" is the best dramedy on ABC right now. ("Lost" ranks as best drama, while"Grey's Anatomy" is still looking to recapture that ol' "Grey's" magic.)

• CBS flummoxed with no heir apparent to Couric

  April 11, 2008

  What now, CBS?

• American Idol boring? Verne Gay doesn't think so

  March 25, 2008

  Good heavens, here we go again: Another rant about "Idol."

• 'Sopranos' high notes

  June 7, 2007

  How do you say goodbye to "The Sopranos," the greatest drama in TV history? With a list, of course, which explains why we loved this show for nearly a decade, and why the word "classic" will forever remain glued to its hide. Here we sum up a few key reasons.

• 'The Sopranos': New season worth the wait

  March 28, 2007

  For all you disaffected, embittered, remorseful and hugely disappointed fans of HBO's "The Sopranos" who complained endlessly last summer about a beloved old show where "nothing ever happens anymore," today we offer some words of encouragement.

• NBC's '2.0' may be a zero

  October 23, 2006

  Did you read the news about NBC last week (oh boy)? Seven hundred lay-offs worldwide. ... MSNBC headquarters in Secaucus will be shuttered, and the network moved to 30 Rock ... 8 p.m. slots on the NBC prime-time schedule will be handed over to "non-scripted" programs, like "Deal or No Deal."

• Race for 'Survival'

  September 14, 2006

  When was the last time anyone talked about that granddaddy of reality TV/cultural bellwether/20th century artifact that once set prime time on fire and now merely keeps CBS' Thursday 8 p.m. time slot pleasantly warm, like a tea cozy?

• Family comes first for Vieira

  September 13, 2006

  I ran into Meredith Vieira a couple of months ago, or rather - to be precise - walked up to the table where she sat in the dining hall of a remote lodge in upstate New York. We've known each other (slightly) over the years, so a pleasant little chat ensued, followed by our goodbyes and that was that.