Posted by Cory Barker on February 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment
As I was watching last night’s White Collar season finale, I just wanted to re-link to the piece I wrote about the series six weeks ago. “Judgment Day” embodied most of the things that make White Collar so great: The plots twists and turns didn’t exist just because it was a finale, they instead worked … Read more
Filed under Episode Reviews, White Collar · Tagged with Agent Kramer, Beau Bridges, Clinton Jones, Cory Barker, Diana Berrigan, Elizabeth Burke, FBI, Hilarie Burton, Jeff Eastin, Marsha Thomason, Matthew Bomer, Mozzie, Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Reviews, Sara Ellis, Sharif Atkins, Tiffani Thiessen, Tim DeKay, USA Network, White Collar, White Collar Judgment Day, White Collar Judgment Day Recap, White Collar Judgment Day Review, White Collar Season 3, White Collar Season 3 Episode 16, White Collar Season 3 Episode 16 Recap, White Collar Season 3 Episode 16 Review, White Collar Season 3 Finale Recap, White Collar Season 3 Finale Review, White Collar Season 3 Reviews, Willie Garson
Posted by Cory Barker on February 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Test Pilot #38: The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Debut date: August 27, 1993 Series legacy: One of the more beloved one-season wonders, mostly for its curious mix of genres, styles and imagery Welcome back to Test Pilot guys and gals! With that extra-special Joss Whedon Theme Week behind us, it’s time to fall back … Read more
Filed under Featured, Test Pilot, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. · Tagged with 1893, Billy Drago, Bonanza, Brisco County Jr., Brisco County Sr., Bruce Campbell, Carlton Cuse, CBS, Christian Clemenson, Cory Barker, Cupid, Deadwood, Dixie Cousins, FOX, Freaks and Geeks, Genre mashing, Genre mixing, Gunsmoke, Indiana Jones, Jeffrey Boam, John Bly, Julius Carry, Kelly Rutherford, Lord Bowler, LOST, One-season wonders, Profit, Socrates Poole, Test Pilot, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Episode 1 Review, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Pilot, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Review, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Season 1 Episode 1, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Season 1 Episode 1 Review, The failure of westerns, The Orb, The Rural Purge, The Rural Purge TV, The X-Files, The X-Files Season 1, Undeclared, westerns
Posted by Cory Barker on February 24, 2012 · Leave a Comment
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
Filed under Chitchat, Featured, How I Met Your Mother · Tagged with Alyson Hannigan, Andy Daglas, Barney Stinson, Becki Newton, Carter Bays, CBS, Chitchat, Cobie Smulders, Cory Barker, Craig Thomas, HIMYM, How I Met Your Mother, How I Met Your Mother Season 1, How I Met Your Mother Season 2, How I Met Your Mother Season 3, How I Met Your Mother Season 4, How I Met Your Mother Season 5, How I Met Your Mother Season 6, How I Met Your Mother Season 7, Jason Segel, Jennifer Morrison, Josh Radnor, Kal Penn, Lily Aldrin, Marshall Eriksen, Martin Short, Minka Kelly, Nazanin Boniadi, Neil Patrick Harris, Nora, Robin and Barney, Robin and Barney How I Met Your Mother, Robin Scherbatsky, Slutty Pumpkin, Ted and Robin, Ted and Robin How I Met Your Mother, Ted Mosby, The Mother, Wes Ambrecht, Zoey Pierson
Posted by Cory Barker on February 23, 2012 · Leave a Comment
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
Filed under #TVFail, DEXTER, Featured · Tagged with #TVFail, Angel Batista, Bay Harbor Butcher, C.S. Lee, Cory Barker, David Zayas, Debra Morgan, Dexter, Dexter and Deb, Dexter Doakes, Dexter Morgan, Dexter Season 1, Dexter Season 2, Dexter Season 2 Episode 12, Dexter Season 2 Finale, Dexter Season 3, Dexter Season 4, Dexter Season 5, Dexter Season 6, Dexter The British Invasion, Dexter's Code, Erik King, Frank Lundy, Harry Morgan, Ice Truck Killer, Jaime Murray, James Doakes, James Remar, Jennifer Carpenter, John Lithgow, Julie Benz, Keith Carradine, Lauren Velez, Lila West, Maria LaGuerta, Michael C. Hall, Rita Morgan, Showtime, Trinity, Trinity Killer, Vince Masuka
Posted by Cory Barker on February 23, 2012 · 3 Comments
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
Filed under Pro Wrestling, Social Media, WWE · Tagged with Chris Brown, CM Punk, CM Punk calls out Chris Brown, CM Punk Chris Brown, CM Punk Chris Brown feud, CM Punk Chris Brown Twitter, CM Punk video, Cory Barker, Eve Torres, Hoeski, John Cena, Kane, Monday Night Raw, Pro wrestling, Pro wrestling and women, Slut-shaming, Social Media, Syfy, Twitter, USA Network, Vince McMahon, WWE, WWE and social media, WWE Divas, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown, WWE Twitter, WWE's treatment of women, Zack Ryder
Posted by Cory Barker on February 22, 2012 · 3 Comments
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
Filed under Episode Reviews, Featured, Glee · Tagged with Amber Riley, Artie Abrams, Blaine Anderson, Brittany Pearce, Chord Overstreet, Chris Colfer, Cory Barker, Cory Monteith, Damian McGinty, Darren Criss, Dave Karofsky, Dianna Agron, Finn Hudson, Glee, Glee Mid-season finale, Glee mid-season finale recap, Glee mid-season finale review, Glee On My Way, Glee On My Way Recap, Glee On My Way Review, Glee Regionals, Glee Season 3, Glee Season 3 Episode 14, Glee Season 3 Episode 14 Recap, Glee Season 3 Episode 14 Reviews, Glee Season 3 On My Way, Glee Season 3 Reviews, Grant Gustin, Harry Shum Jr., Heather Morris, Jane Lynch, Jeff Goldblum, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Kurt Hummel, Lea Michele, Mark Salling, Matthew Morrison, Max Adler, Mercedes Jones, Mike Chang, Naya Rivera, Noah Puckerman, Quinn Fabray, Quinn's car accident, Quinn's car accident Glee, Rachel Berry, Reviews, Rory Flanagan, Sam Evans, Santana Lopez, Sebastain Warblers, Sebastian Smythe, Sue Sylvester, Sugar Motta, The Warblers, Tina Cohen-Chang, Troubletones, Vanessa Lengies, Will Schuester
Posted by Cory Barker on February 21, 2012 · Leave a Comment
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
Filed under Columns, Criticism, Featured · Tagged with AMC, Breaking Bad, Columns, Cory Barker, Criticism, HBO, Holmes on Holmes, Mad Men, Showtime, Talking about television is not ruining television, Television Criticism, The Killing, The Sopranos, The Walking Dead, TV Criticism, Unforgettable, We Should Take TV Seriously
Posted by Cory Barker on February 16, 2012 · 1 Comment
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
Filed under Chitchat, Featured, The Office · Tagged with Brad Sanders, Chitchat, Cory Barker, Dunder Mifflin, Dwight Schrute, Jenna Fischer, Jim and Pam The Office, Jim Halpert, John Krasinski, Michael Scott, Pam Halpert, Rainn Wilson, Steve Carell, The Office, The Office Jim and Pam, The Office Jim and Pam suck, The Office Season 2, The Office Season 3, The Office Season 8, Unresolved sexual tension
Posted by Cory Barker on February 15, 2012 · 5 Comments
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
Filed under Cupid, Featured, Test Pilot · Tagged with Anthony Strand, Bobby Cannavale, Canceled TV, Chicago, Claire Allen, Claire McCrae, Connie Britton, Cory Barker, Cupid, Cupid 1998, Cupid 1998 ABC, Cupid 2009, Cupid 2009 ABC, Jeremy Piven, New York, One-season wonders, Paula Marshall, Rob Thomas, Romantic comedies, Sarah Paulson, Single season series, Test Pilot, Trevor Hale, Trevor Pierce, Veronica Mars, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Posted by Cory Barker on February 15, 2012 · 1 Comment
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
Filed under Episode Reviews, Featured, Glee · Tagged with Ali Adler, Amber Riley, Amber Riley I Will Always Love You, Artie Abrams, Blaine Anderson, Brian Stoke Mitchell, Brittany Pearce, Burt Hummel, Chord Overstreet, Chris Colfer, Cory Barker, Cory Monteith, Darren Criss, Dave Karofsky, Emma Pillsbury, Finn Hudson, Glee, Glee covers Whitney Houston, Glee Heart, Glee Heart Recap, Glee Heart Review, Glee Season 3, Glee Season 3 Episode 13, Glee Season 3 Episode 13 Recap, Glee Season 3 Episode 13 Review, Glee Whitney Houston, Glee Whitney Houston Tribute, Harry Shum Jr., Heather Morris, Ian Brennan, Jane Lynch, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin McHale, Kurt Hummel, Lea Michele, Mark Salling, Matthew Morrison, Mercedes I Will Always Love You, Mercedes Jones, Mike Chang, Mike O'Malley, Naya Rivera, Noah Puckerman, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry, Rory Flanagan, Ryan Murphy, Sam Evans, Samuel Larsen, Santana Lopez, Silly Love Songs, Sue Sylvester, Sugar Motta, The Glee Project, The God Squad, Tina Cohen-Chang, Vanessa Lengies, Whitney Houston, Will Schuester
