Television

Why Live Award Shows Have High Value, Even When We Hate Them

6:50pm January 12, 2014

by NPR Staff

Award shows are a booming business these days. Major networks are bringing in new televised awards and revitalizing old ones. The Hollywood Reporter's Matt Belloni explains why there's a sudden surge in producing these largely "DVR-proof" programs.

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IFC's The Spoils Of Babylon follows a sister (Kristin Wiig) and adopted brother (Tobey Maguire) caught up in a passionate romance.

Arts

On TV This Week: 'Babylon' Has Good Fun, 'Detective' Is The Real Deal

4:55pm January 08, 2014

by David Bianculli

Fresh Air TV critic David Bianculli says two new miniseries this week are worth special mention — and couldn't be more different. The Spoils Of Babylon is a miniseries soap-opera spoof on IFC; True Detective looks like the best HBO drama since The Wire.

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Michelle Dockery's Lady Mary is in deep mourning as Downton Abbey returns for a fourth season on PBS.

Arts

'Downton' Returns, And It's As Rich As Ever

7:36am January 07, 2014

by David Bianculli

Downton Abbey is the most popular drama in the history of public television. And when the whole of the TV universe is fragmenting, that isn't just impressive — it's almost impossible. Critic David Bianculli ponders the hit show's unlikely success.

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Kevin Spacey (left) and Robin Wright star in House of Cards, directed by David Fincher. The Netflix series, which follows a Machiavellian politician, is an adaptation of a BBC series of the same name. Hear an interview with Spacey and Fincher.

Arts

David Bianculli's Top 10 Shows: 2013 Was A 'Good Year For TV'

4:44pm January 02, 2014

by David Bianculli

Two new shows from Netflix -- House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black — changed the TV landscape, but Bianculli's top pick for 2013 is AMC's Breaking Bad. "It ended as brilliantly as it began," he says. "I'm so grateful for that series."

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TV Prank Reveals News Media Shortcoming

7:42am December 30, 2013

by Eric Deggans

ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's fake twerking video not only made thousand of people believe a woman accidentally set herself on fire by twerking upside down, it fooled loads of news outlets into playing the fraudulent clip as if it were real. In one swoop, Kimmel uncovered how reliant many news programs are on found material they cannot or do not verify.

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Alex Borstein (left) and Niecy Nash star as nurses in the HBO comedy series Getting On, which was modeled after the hit BBC series of the same name.

Arts

'Getting On' With It: A New HBO Show Doesn't Tiptoe Around Death

4:01pm December 23, 2013

Set in the geriatric extended-care wing of a California hospital, Getting On is a different kind of workplace comedy. Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer adapted the show from a BBC series of the same name, and added new material largely inspired by experiences they had with their own mothers.

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Bryan Cranston (left) stars as chemistry teacher turned meth dealer Walter White, and Aaron Paul plays former student and drug-dealing co-conspirator Jesse Pinkman in AMC's Breaking Bad.

Arts

Great New DVD Box Sets: Blasts From The Past And 'Breaking Bad'

4:01pm December 23, 2013

by David Bianculli

In addition to Breaking Bad, critic David Bianculli recommends some rare television treats from the '60s and '70s that are now available on DVD. They include Here's Edie: The Edie Adams Television Collection, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, The Rutles: Anthology and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

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'Duck Dynasty' Attracts Christian Conservatives

11:13am December 20, 2013

by Lynn Neary

The patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family has been suspended indefinitely from the hit reality TV show on A&E because of his remarks about homosexuality. He made the comments to GQ magazine. The show has spawned a multi-million-dollar industry of related products and books.

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Jenna Coleman plays Clara, companion to Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith. The relationship between the Doctor and his companions is at the core of Doctor Who's long-lived appeal.

Arts

Allons-y! Why We've Been Traveling With 'Doctor Who' For 50 Years

5:24pm December 16, 2013

by Petra Mayer

The classic British sci-fi series Doctor Who turns 50 today — though the time-traveling Doctor himself is probably somewhere on the wrong side of 1000. NPR's Petra Mayer has an appreciation of the show and the enduring appeal of its ancient, alien hero.

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Nothing's sacred in We Are Miracles — but then as Sarah Silverman told Terry Gross in 2010, "there's a safety in what I do because I'm always the idiot. ... I'm always the ignoramus no matter what I talk about or what tragic event, off-color, dark scena

Arts

Sarah Silverman, Serving Up Sinfully Divine Comedy

5:24pm December 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Sarah Silverman about her upcoming stand-up special, We Are Miracles. Taped in front of a tiny live audience — just 39 people — the show takes aim at religion, childhood, politics, stereotypes and more.

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