#TVFail Entry 18: Dexter, “The British Invasion”
The accused: Dexter, “The British Invasion” (Season 2, Episode 12) The crime: Allowing its lead character to avoid major consequences and therefore damaging the narrative forever How much impact, both positive and negative, can one bad episode have on an entire series? How do long-running series continue onward in the aftermath of an episodic failure? … Read more
Hoeski! Hoeski!: On WWE’s treatment of women, CM Punk and Chris Brown and social media
If you follow me on Twitter, you likely know that I love professional wrestling. I get crap for it all the time, but I am not here to discuss why wrestling is unfairly disregarded as a cultural artifact or get into those obvious taste arguments. Instead, I am going to pretend that wrestling is as … Read more
Review: Glee, “On My Way”
Watching and writing about television is a pretty painless experience in the grand scheme of things. But disregarding the world’s real problems for a moment, watching and writing about Glee can be fairly traumatic, you guys. Every time I think the series has lost its way for good, it pulls me back in with a … Read more
Talking about television is not ruining television
When you run in certain circles online or follow a bunch of people in the same field on Twitter, certain events or pieces become “things.” Over the last 36 hours, the “thing” has been Ryan McGee’s piece about The Sopranos and the HBO model’s impact on television narrative. McGee’s well-reasoned and detailed piece created a … Read more
Chitchat: The Office’s Jim and Pam, World’s Worst Humans?
I talk television with a lot of people. Friends, family, other critics on Twitter, vagrants on the street. I just love talking about TV. Because I don’t have the time and resources to do a podcast like I used to in college, I’m going to sort of replicate that experience in textual form in a … Read more
Test Pilot: File #37, Cupid
Test Pilot #37: Cupid Debut date: September 26, 1998 Series legacy: Intriguing high-concept (but not too high-concept) premise cut down not once, but twice in a decade Welcome back to Test Pilot guys and gals! With that extra-special Joss Whedon Theme Week behind us, it’s time to fall back into the typical, but still lovely … Read more
Review: Glee, “Heart”
By now, you know that my schedule/workload/life changes keep me from writing as much as I would like here at TV Surveillance. Of all series I miss writing about, Glee someone still tops the list (well, since Community is still trapped out there in the ether). I don’t even understand how that’s really true, but … Read more
Showrunner Series: Adam Horowitz and Eddie Kitsis, Flashbacks and Self-Awareness
Welcome back to the Showrunner Series, an occasional TVS feature where I discuss the work of one or more major television voice(s). When a great, popular television series says goodbye, members of that series’ writing staff are going to be hot commodities. They’re going to be asked to run their own series, pitch their own … Read more
Chitchat: Does Parks and Recreation have a Leslie Knope problem?
I talk television with a lot of people. Friends, family, other critics on Twitter, vagrants on the street. I just love talking about TV. Because I don’t have the time and resources to do a podcast like I used to in college, I’m going to sort of replicate that experience in textual form in a … Read more
TV Surveillance Podcast
