2017-03-05 19:30
The Big Bang Theory 10.2Very funny episode with two strong storylines.The Bernadette/Penny storyline is the better one. It’s rock-solid, standard sitcom fare peppered with a lot of gre… Read More
Blog Directory > Arts & Entertainment Blogs > TV & Film Blogs > A Briefing With Michael tv-and-film Blog >
A Briefing With Michael Blog
abriefingwithmichael.blogspot.com
Tags:
big bang theory
bang theory
superstore
big bang
babylon
twist
complete
star trek voyager
trek voyager
xfiles
Daily review of American Primetime TV.
2017-03-05 15:30
Two entry in The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (Eighth Edition) There are 22 episodes, not 24 Read More
2017-03-04 22:10
Ad for Sliders on Nov 8th, 1996 Read More
2017-03-04 22:00
Ad for Babylon 5 on Nov 2nd, 1996 Read More
2017-03-04 20:50
Ad for Melrose Place on Nov 4th, 1996 Read More
2017-03-04 20:50
Ad for Star Trek: Voyager on Nov 6th, 1996 Read More
2017-03-04 13:30
Ad for The X-Files, Nov 3rd, 1996 Read More
2017-02-22 23:16
Superstore 2.8The show is in a wonderful sweet spot right now. It is still new and firing on all cylinders and there is something new and fun every week.The ongoing love story is playing out… Read More
2017-02-19 23:14
The Big Bang Theory 10.1What an amazing guest cast! Can we get a Penny’s family spin-off? They were easily the highlight of this busy and very funny episode. Other highlights include:S… Read More
2017-02-15 23:11
Superstore 2.7There’s a lovely twist in this one. Pulling the rug out from under us. And poor Amy.All the storylines are strong. The pairing of Dina and Glenn driving the silliest plot… Read More
2017-02-12 23:17
The Big Bang Theory 9.24The a-story doesn’t really go anywhere, but the b-story provides big laughs. Especially the bit where the guys think there is a car following them.Great to see… Read More
2017-02-11 02:02
The Tick # 008An departure-from-formula episode full of wonderful ideas.The best running gag here is the idea of the dimension-spanning super-villain having a surly roommate. Their odd relat… Read More
2017-02-07 23:43
NewsRadio 5.1A remarkable episode which finds a tasteful way to deal with off-camera real-world tragedy, and write a beloved character off the show.The comedy is understandably strained, but… Read More
2017-02-07 23:18
Seinfeld # 034This one won the Emmy that year for Outstanding Writing.It’s interesting to see how underused Kramer is. He doesn’t appear until well into the episode, and all of h… Read More
2017-02-05 23:13
The Big Bang Theory 9.23Great use of Stuart in this one, hiring himself out to do minor tasks for everyone.Sheldon’s quirks are used to (successfully) generate the laughs in the queue… Read More
2017-02-05 16:13
Peanuts # 005He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown.This one works really well because it is story-driven from start to finish.Snoopy has been misbehaving, and driving the kids crazy, so Charlie… Read More
2017-02-03 01:52
Famous Five 1.11The good elements and the bad elements balance each other out in this one making for a middle-of-the-road episode.A lot of the dialogue is stilted and unrealistic.The villain… Read More
2017-02-01 23:45
Gargoyles 2.39Avery Brooks, John Rhys-Davies.Lots to enjoy here. Plenty of action and two very exciting stories, smartly told.In the b-story, Elisa has amnesia. Something which causes her to… Read More
2017-01-31 23:15
Rude Awakening 1.10Very witty script. Relentless one-liners. Delivered at rapid pace by polished cast.Always love seeing Joanna Cassidy in anything and she is terrific here as Billie’s… Read More
2017-01-30 23:10
Frasier 9.8Utterly delightful.This is one of those episode that pits Frasier against Niles and it’s a delight from start to finish. Fast, funny, witty. It starts when recurring ch… Read More
2017-01-28 17:12
Scooby Doo 1.5Departs from formula by having no ‘ghost’ for ages. And when the ‘ghost’ shows up, it doesn’t really fit into the story in progress.It’s a s… Read More
2017-01-26 00:18
Very sad to learn that Mary Tyler Moore has passed away. An extraordinary woman I’ve adored all my life. I was watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show only last Sunday. Aside from that seri… Read More
2017-01-22 23:43
The Mary Tyler Moore Show 3.23Herbie Faye.The comedy highlight here is undoubtedly the part where Lou has to carry Mary around the office, after she falls and sprains her foot. Several ingen… Read More
2017-01-22 23:18
Just Shoot Me! # 005The Maya-Nina a-story tracks a fairly predictable course. Jack advises his daughter to be nice to the ex-supermodel on her birthday, which proves difficult until Maya spo… Read More
2017-01-22 05:28
The Avengers 155Is Tara a traitor?This is pretty much a solo Tara story. Steed only appears properly in the second half, and even then it is really Tara who still carries the story. Steed sh… Read More
2017-01-22 01:38
Midnight Caller 1.7A hurried and contrived ending, but still a good episode.This one loses it’s way at the end. Everything happens too fast. The father-son moment doesn’t ring tr… Read More
2017-01-21 01:36
The Hunger 24Daniel Brochu. A serial killer stalks the residents of a high rise apartment building.The visuals are great, but sometimes they feel like overkill. The fact that every single sh… Read More
2017-01-16 23:34
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3.3Anne Haney. Intriguing puzzle, worthwhile pay-off.This one opens with a mystery. And a compelling mystery it is. A planet’s population has been wiped… Read More
2017-01-16 00:09
Benched 1.12Yvette Nicole Brown. Terrific season-ender. Terrible series-ender.When a show you love gets cancelled, it’s unrealistic to hope that they will tie up all their storylines t… Read More
2017-01-15 21:59
Orange Is The New Black 3.13Delightful season-ender. Brings lots of closure.This is a great episode for Piper, whose storyline had a low-key start this season. All her scenes here were excel… Read More
2017-01-13 19:46
The Incredible Hulk 3.4Sandra Kerns. Enjoyable middle-of-the-road Hulk episode.A lesser-example of something the show normally does really well: create a fully-rounded ‘world’ wi… Read More
2017-01-12 22:01
Tour of DutyPictures used in the end credits for season one Read More
2017-01-11 20:28
Mike Hammer 11Uninvolving murder-mystery.It starts off with Mike trying to save a model from a fire and failing. He then takes on the case of finding out who killed her and why.Turns out her… Read More
2017-01-11 01:43
Have Gun - Will Travel 1.16A middle-of-the-road romcom by Gene Roddenberry.A predictable, generic story that is clearly meant to be more amusing than it actually is.Hired to find a missing g… Read More
2017-01-10 20:13
St. Elsewhere 1.3Third episode is the best so far. Packs real emotional punch.The main story here is about a couple who are told that the child they are expecting will have Down’s Synd… Read More
2017-01-10 19:48
People Like Us 2.5Emma Kennedy, Robert Webb, David Roper. Like all the best episodes of this wonderful show, this is both funny and poignant in equal measure.We are in a bank for this instal… Read More
2017-01-10 19:13
Perfect Strangers 2.7Karen Lynn Scott. A good story, well told. Funny, and with a lot of heart.Balki thinks he is in love, but Larry can see that the girl (a student in Balki’s night-c… Read More
2017-01-09 05:14
The Mary Tyler Moore Show 3.22A remarkably honest and mature script about a troubled romance.The first half is all build-up: Mary gets a phone call from an ex-boyfriend visiting town, and ag… Read More
2017-01-08 23:14
Moonlighting 3.1Paul Sorvino, Brynn Thayer.There’s a very slim story in this one. David’s father is getting married and David knows the bride-to-be from an old one-night-stand. T… Read More
2017-01-08 21:14
Forever Knight 21Cali Timmins. Two very good stories in parallel. One a flashback to 1966.Most of this episode is set in 1966 and follows Nick as he befriends a family, while searching for a… Read More
2017-01-08 18:19
Knots Landing 1.7Les Lannom, John Dennis Johnston. A Karen-centric story about a biker gang.When bikers start terrorizing the neighbourhood, Karen leads the fight to stand up to them.A story… Read More
2017-01-07 00:54
Sledge Hammer! 2.1Cheerfully ignoring the shocking ending to season one, the show returns by poking fun at the insanity of TV.The best parts of the episode are all the digs at other TV shows… Read More
2017-01-07 00:54
Sledge Hammer! 2.1Cheerfully ignoring the shocking ending to season one, the show returns by poking fun at the insanity of TV.The best parts of the episode are all the digs at other TV shows… Read More
2017-01-07 00:54
Sledge Hammer! 2.1Cheerfully ignoring the shocking ending to season one, the show returns by poking fun at the insanity of TV.The best parts of the episode are all the digs at other TV shows… Read More
2017-01-06 22:49
Hunter 4.11A good story from two of my favourite writers: Roy Huggins and Joe Menosky.The high point is the conclusion, particularly the final two scenes which are excellent and very, very p… Read More
2017-01-06 18:54
Mission: Impossible 096Arlene Martel. A simple story with some intricate plotting.A terrorist serving a life sentence is about to be pardoned, and the IMF must work to prevent that happening… Read More
2017-01-06 03:19
The Hardy Boys Mysteries 10Cesare Danova, Elyssa Davalos. Fast-moving, mysterious and fun.In Egypt, Frank sees a girl’s purse being stolen in the street. He chases the thief and gets t… Read More
2017-01-05 05:19
Peter Gunn 1.5Whit Bissell. This one positively zips along, with action and atmosphere at every turn.Peter shows up to meet a guy - a low-level crook - but the guy has been murdered. And our… Read More
2017-01-03 23:14
Soap # 038Except for the final scene (a very sad death) this is an average episode.The reconciliation between Mary and Burt seems awkward, as is the idea that they would cheat on one another… Read More
2017-01-03 22:19
Taxi # 038A slim idea for a story with some good comedy bits in the second half. And a touching ending.Reverend Jim buys a horse.Funniest moments come in the second half when the guys visit… Read More
2017-01-03 19:49
Space: 1999 # 015Doesn’t work. Too slow and too silly.A party of Alphans (that we’ve never met and consequently have no reason to care about) has disappeared. All the early scene… Read More
2017-01-03 00:32
Sliders 043Dawnn Lewis. Excellent. A fast-paced balls-to-the-wall sci-fi/fantasy thriller, showcasing a dark side to our beloved characters.With an alien parasite inside of her, Maggie goes… Read More
2017-01-02 18:12
Acapulco HEAT # 006Good fun. Standard action-packed a-story with an interesting, well-cast b-story.After a C-5 agent disappears, the HEAT team are sent on a recon mission to an island off th… Read More
2017-01-01 22:22
Barney Miller 4.1Standout performance from Stanley Brock, in a downbeat and sobering story about vigilantism.The best thing here is Brock’s performance as the arrogant, cocky guy who p… Read More
2017-01-01 20:17
Get Smart 007Best/Funniest episode so far. Good gags and sharp social commentary.There are a lot of good gags in this one. Max’s character is used extremely well to drive the jokes and… Read More
2016-12-31 04:49
Wonder Woman 18A weak start gives way to what is actually a good story with an interesting villain.The fourth episode produced for the new season and definitely the best so far. It has probl… Read More
2016-12-30 18:29
Fables of the Green Forest 05Continuing the story of the bear, who first appeared in the previous episode.The main character here is Buster the Bear (the ‘monster’ from the previ… Read More
2016-12-26 05:18
Swamp Thing 10Basic story, badly told.First Jim-centric episode since number 7. He’s in pretty much all the scenes and the entire story is about a night he crept out of his house to go… Read More
2016-12-25 16:13
Wings 4.10Christmas episode ending with a very solid comedic situation: mistaken identity.The friendship of the three main characters nicely underscores the story here. The plot revolves aro… Read More
2016-12-23 00:40
Masters Of Sex 3.11Judy Greer. The scenes with Libby and Johnny were the best. By far.The main storyline concerned a dinner-for-four. Another example of the manipulative mind-games we have c… Read More
2016-12-22 00:21
Motive 4.12 Joanna Cassidy, Emily Tennant. A heartbreaking story, cleverly told with twists/turns and a tragic final reveal.Right from the get-go, this one deviates from the formula by… Read More
2016-12-21 00:31
Powers 2.8Michael Madsen being awesome, and a jaw-dropping return from the dead are the highlights here.Madsen is always cool. And this tortured, off-kilter character is perfect for him and… Read More
2016-12-16 00:56
2016-12-11 20:20
2016-12-11 01:15
2016-12-10 18:20
2016-12-09 14:08
Yes, it can be hokey (laying on the message about doing the right thing a bit thick) but if you can get past that then this is a fun half-hour with a fast-moving adventure story.Most of the… Read More
2016-12-09 00:53
2016-12-07 23:38
Motive 4.11Merritt Patterson, Tim Guinee. The show delivers another great story. Here are 6 random reasons why this is brilliant:The bond/friendship between the two girls (Liz and Rachel) is… Read More
2016-12-03 23:22
A very satisfying episode, as several characters start to connect the dots.At the start of this episode Joyce Byers is isolated. Neither her son (Jonathan) nor the cop (Hopper) believe her c… Read More
2016-12-03 23:16
An episode which meanders a lot in the second half when Alicia goes MIA due to her grief over Will.The case-of-the-week was interesting mostly in terms of how David Lee was using it to drive… Read More
2016-12-02 23:11
Another episode with an interesting location, a cool baddie-of-the-week and some kickass fight scenes.The fact that they have regular characters turned against other regular characters AGAIN… Read More
2016-12-01 23:31
2016-11-30 23:11
A thrilling and emotional episode illustrating why this is now one of the very best shows on TV.This 3-parter wasn’t as good as the 5-parter from early in the year but it was still som… Read More
2016-11-29 23:21
2016-11-29 23:16
A Halloween episode with a slim storyline.Some good moments (thanks to cast) raise it up.A couple of scenes remind us that Jonah has a crush. Presumably laying the groundwork for an Amy/Jona… Read More
2016-11-27 23:18
Best parts:Piper’s panty speech was a hoot. Brava Taylor Schilling! Likewise the discussion about donuts between Charlie and Pennsatucky was hilarious.Enjoyed seeing Danny‘s back… Read More
2016-11-27 02:18
A perfect conclusion to the season, and to the main story as well as a few b-stories.The first half of the episode was completely devoted to a b-story barely touched this season, but kept al… Read More
2016-11-25 23:18
2016-11-25 03:08
While the Tawny/Ted scene is the standout here, this was an episode of many great scenes. Remarkable storytelling.We saw Daniel getting angry, and we saw Janey fight with her husband and get… Read More
2016-11-24 23:55
Slim idea with a weak ending, which managed to generate laughter here and there in the first two-thirds.It had a very strong opening sequence, which was beautifully filmed.The building they… Read More
2016-11-22 23:35
A fight gets the Rashomon treatment, allowing Ashley Williams to shine (in the second flashback). Nice story, with heart. 8/10 Read More
2016-11-21 23:13
A scattershot episode that answered some key questions, but raised many new ones.We continue to see that Dolores is seeing things.Great thought-provoking conversation between Ford and Bernar… Read More
2016-11-20 23:21
First episode that didn’t feel overly slow. A lot happened. And the while thing was basically a race against time, as Luke and Claire tried to get Scarfe to safety.The scene that set t… Read More
2016-11-20 23:16
David Newsom.Across the board, in all storylines, this was a light and funny episode.For the fourth time in a row we got a very interesting flashback backstory (Norma’s), but this time… Read More
2016-11-20 00:46
The story drives this series, like almost no other on television.A lot of this episode follows the two main villains of the story: Veronica Allen as she tries to track ‘her’ mone… Read More
2016-11-19 23:11
Many shows have killed off a major character but rarely has it been done as well as this.Alicia goes on a quest to find out why Will wanted to phone her, just before he was shot. A quest tha… Read More
2016-11-19 12:36
Production begins on the regular series with this strong story, showcasing remarkably well-developed regular characters.Not only are Kirk, Spock and McCoy very recognisable as themselves but… Read More
2016-11-19 12:36
Scott Marlowe. The ending is clumsy but this is an unusual and strong TRF which doesn’t feature Jim as much as usual and looks at the effects of a fake news story on a mafia family. We… Read More
2016-11-18 01:03
2016-11-18 00:52
This season has brought three new characters and their stories into the fold. Something they show never did before, and it is definitely one of the reasons this fourth season is the best. So… Read More
2016-11-16 23:37
Enjoyed the vibe of the crew working at night, etc. But other than lines from Holt there weren’t too many laughs. 7/10 Read More
2016-11-16 23:22
Fairly generic story, which follows a predictable path. Action scenes are good, but none of the b-stories pop. 6/10 Read More
2016-11-16 23:12
2016-11-15 23:15
Two best things about this: Erin Richards‘ performance, and Theo Galavan‘s villainy.Richards is just so much fun to watch. And appears to be having fun playing Barbara. She bring… Read More
2016-11-15 16:06
2016-11-14 23:25
2016-11-12 02:02
2016-11-11 01:07
Rarely (if ever) have they done an episode with so much change. Or a scene as beautiful and moving as that last one. Wow.The potential sale of the store, the potential ending of a marriage&h&hell…Read More
2016-11-09 23:29
Subscribe to A Briefing With Michael
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!