Television

Modern Anthology Series Could Revolutionize Television

7:45am August 06, 2014

by Eric Deggans

TV is reinventing the anthology with shows like Fargo, True Detective, and American Horror Story. Our TV critic examines what the form allows producers, writers and executives to do.

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On Masters of Sex, Allison Janney plays Margaret Scully. Janney was nominated for an Emmy as outstanding guest actress in a drama series for her performance.

Arts

Allison Janney On Sex, Sorkin And Being The Tallest Woman In The Room

7:11pm August 04, 2014

Allison Janney has been nominated for Emmys for her roles on Masters of Sex and Mom. She says her relationships with her mother and her brother, who was an addict, helped inform her characters.

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Arts

How Interactive TV Is Older Than TV Itself

3:52pm August 04, 2014

by David Bianculli

As technology gets more complex, TV producers aim to take advantage of it, such as relying on phoned-in votes from viewers. The interactive talent show, it turns out, predates TV itself.

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Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Nessa Stein in the SundanceTV original series The Honorable Woman.

Arts

Maggie Gyllenhaal Is 'The Honorable Woman': A Series Both Ruthless And Rewarding

5:18pm July 31, 2014

by David Bianculli

The eight-part drama that begins Thursday stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as a British baroness with an Israeli passport. She's a fearless actor in a show full of kidnappings, seductions and betrayals.

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On Wednesday, Lifetime premiered BAPs, a reality show that follows "an exclusive, privileged and affluent group of African American friends from St. Louis who self-identify as 'BAPs' — Black American Princesses and Princes."

Arts

Hoping To Reach A Wider Audience, Lifetime Breaks Out Of Familiar Formula

5:19am July 29, 2014

by Priska Neely

Lifetime's general manager says the channel is trying to reflect "the true breadth" of America. It recently launched a reality show called BAPs — which stands for "Black American Prince or Princess."

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"When I'm working on The Daily Show, I understand that I'm having a dialogue with the audience about something that is pretty charged," says Larry Wilmore. "And I'm always trying to work on: What is this really about?"

Arts

Larry Wilmore Knows: Heavy Lies The Late-Night Mantle

4:13pm July 26, 2014

by Eric Deggans

Larry Wilmore talks to NPR TV critic Eric Deggans about the pressure of moving from his job as the "senior black correspondent" on The Daily Show to his spot as host of the new show Minority Report.

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Arts

Actor James Garner Of 'Rockford Files' Dies

8:09pm July 20, 2014

Actor James Garner, best known for his roles in hit TV shows Maverick and The Rockford Files, has died. He was 86 years old.

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HBO Scores Big In Emmy Nominations

11:39am July 10, 2014

David Greene talks to TV Guide magazine executive editor Michael Schneider about Thursday's announcement of the 66th Emmy Award nominations.

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'Breaking Bad' Expected To Get Emmy Nod For Final Season

11:30am July 10, 2014

by Kim Masters

Nominations for the 2014 Emmy Awards are announced in Hollywood Thursday. The big category this year is expected to be drama with shows like True Detective, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Fargo.

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The threat is both viral and vampire in The Strain, a show about the sudden outbreak of a disease that kills most of its victims — then begins to mutate them into another species entirely.

Arts

'The Strain' And 'Extant' Play On Fears Of Forces Out Of Our Control

4:02pm July 09, 2014

by David Bianculli

This week, two new TV series begin in the threats-from-nowhere genre: Extant on CBS and The Strain on FX. The better of the two, The Strain, about a disease outbreak, is effectively creepy.

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