The Three Strike Rule »
The Three Strike Rule: “Z Rock” and “Gavin & Stacey”
Two of the most pleasant surprises of the late summer have been a pair of new comedy series: Z Rock on IFC and Gavin & Stacey on BBC America. They couldn’t be farther apart
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: “The Cleaner”
On A&E’s new dramatic series, The Cleaner, Benjamin Bratt is doing some of his finest acting since leaving Law & Order. After walking off the beat of NBC’s venerable cops and lawyers show, Bratt
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: “Burn Notice”
Like watching a second-year veteran going through a hitting slump, three episodes into the Burn Notice sophomore season, the show still hasn’t found the same spark it displayed last summer when it became a
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: An Interview With Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell is one of the preeminent film critics and interviewers of our generation. Since 1996 his NPR radio show, The Treatment, has been a stomping ground for popular culture’s most talented and important
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: “Lost”
I was supposed to write a column about several reality shows airing this summer, and I had good intentions of doing just that. But the only reality I know right now is that I’m
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: “The Bill Engvall Show,” “My Boys”
TBS begins their summer of comedy this Thursday night (6/12/08) with the second season premieres of The Bill Engvall Show (9:00 PM) and My Boys(9:30 PM). The Bill Engvall Show is the more traditional
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: “In Plain Sight”
USA Network’s latest in a successful slate of summertime programs is In Plain Sight (premiering 6/1/08 and airing Sundays, 10 PM). The series stars Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon, a federal marshal for the
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: “American Idol”
So here we are at the end of another cycle of Fox’s juggernaut, American Idol. For seven seasons, the televised talent show has been the thorn in the side of every network and the
Read More »The Three Strike Rule: Not Just Kids’ Stuff — Quality Animated Television
Hey, all. This week I learned what they mean by “chasing down an interview.” I had been planning to post a conversation with one of the actors from October Road, and the two of
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