criticism ← Ellen Shapiro dot com

Fall TV Fun

Sep

30

2011

My annual TV roundup is a little late this year – I’d intended to do this as a Preview, but Premiere week has come and gone and I got slammed with work, so it’s here now. The good news is, that allowed me to see a good number of the shows that I didn’t have ...

Too Much TV, Fall ’10 Edition 5

Sep

29

2010

My annual post-premiere week roundup of all the new shows I’ve tried out, so that a) I can advise those of you who want to know what shows are worth your time and b) convince myself that watching all this shit has been worth my time. I’ll try to disclose anywhere I’ve got friends working ...

“FlashForward is a show where things happen because the writers want them to happen, but they can’t figure out organic ways to make them happen.” 2

May

23

2010

Over the last few years, I’ve invested a lot of time in shows that, for one reason or another, just don’t work out. They get cancelled, they get so unimaginably stupid that even I stop watching, whatever. But I haven’t read quite as good a takedown on both the mechanics of a bad show playing ...

DVR Break-Up: Heroes

Mar

19

2009

It takes a lot to make me stop watching a show. Evidence: I have watched every single episode of ER since its premiere. IN FUCKING 1994. But I’m with Alan Sepinwall on this one: Heroes has lost me for good, and not because of anything in particular, but because of the sum total of its ...

When TV Characters Do Implausible Things 2

Feb

3

2009

Spoilers for the last couple episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and The L Word, in the unlikely event that anyone who gives half a shit about either show hasn’t either seen the episodes or heard about them. There are many shows that, for whatever reason, have their characters do things that are either entirely out of ...

Sometimes, It’s Best To Just Give Up 1

Mar

27

2008

I finally gave up on a couple shows I’d watched every episode of earlier this year, Prison Break and Desperate Housewives. While in DH‘s case I hear I may have given up right before the show creatively resurrected itself, this spoilery item indicates I checked out of Prison Break at the right time. Because seriously? ...

A Quick Summary of My Reaction to Spider-Man 3

Dec

14

2007

Shut up, Emo Peter Parker.

I Think I May Have Seen A Movie Before Tim Did

Dec

5

2007

Although I’m at a bit of an unfair advantage: Working at the Fox Lot, we got a free screening tonight of Juno. While I’m not nearly as eloquent a reviewer as Tim (and I actually look forward to his take on this movie), I’ll give the short version. This is a movie with several major ...

Tim Brayton Is The Man

Oct

20

2007

I had not even been considering seeing wholly unnecessary sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age until I read Tim’s magnificent review of it in all its glorious awfulness. Now, I have to see it. This is why Tim should be writing reviews for a living. God bless Rotten Tomatoes for adding him to the Tomatometer, giving ...

The Best New Show on Television

Oct

17

2007

Almost a month into the season, I can now declare an official winner: Pushing Daisies. I’d absolutely loved the first two episodes, with their bizarre hyper-techincolor acid trip set design, extremely strong acting, and cute (but without crossing the fine line into too cute) stories. I was worried, however, because both episodes were directed by ...