People of a certain age look back on the Mayberry of 'The Andy Griffith Show' and become almost as homesick for that… — Tom Shales Age Copy Share Image
Your humble critic confesses that he has been wrestling with 'weight issues' since leaving college lo these, uh, several years ago, so… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
Perhaps unscripted reality shows and written fiction have already blurred together into some new amalgamated mush, just as the line between commercials… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
It might be hard to remember this far back, but once upon a time, some of us hoped that public TV would… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
'Minute to Win It' is a variation on a game show from the 1950s called 'Beat the Clock,' in which contestants won… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
Television's escapist programming naturally continues to endorse living beyond one's means as the time-tested American Way and rarely depicts families or individuals… — Tom Shales Escapist Copy Share Image
Why, on my mother's birthday, am I thinking about 'Father Knows Best?' At our house, mother knew best at least as often… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
Making music on TV used to be as common as commercials. In the '60s and '70s, prime time was stuffed with variety… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
So it is that one side effect of the HD revolution has been the gratifying and edifying return of the nature documentary… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
ABC's intelligently hilarious sitcom 'Modern Family' depicts a gay-male marriage in which both partners are refreshingly dimensional, believable human beings. The writers… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
Maybe Larry Kings cannot thrive or even survive in a world where the norms for discourse are rage, vehemence and character assassination.… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
In the 500-channel universe, which may, of course, contain many more channels than 500, the fun never stops - fun at such… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
In city after city, newspaper after newspaper has diminished its staff of critics, sometimes to zero. Film and T.V. critics have been… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
Gimmicks come and go; the cop show seems one genre that will never leave - not as long as people like to… — Tom Shales Copy Share Image
