Dec 2015

Mainstay D-FW anchor John McCaa has a bone to pick with his jaw (which is fractured)

12/30/15 01:14 PM

News anchor John McCaa, in his 31st year with Dallas-based TEGNA8, remains on the mend and off the air after suffering a hairline fracture of his jaw under unusual circumstances. He details what happened in a written response to unclebarky.com.
Ed Bark

Fox strikes twice Sunday with Bordertown and Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life

12/30/15 08:43 AM

The first two new network series of 2016 check in Sunday night on Fox. Our review of Bordertown is here. And see what Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life is all about by going here.
Ed Bark

Tornado coverage preempts Saturday prime-time programming on a night of devastation

12/27/15 12:14 PM

Fox4, NBC5, TEGNA8 and CBS11 all presented wall-to-wall tornado coverage Saturday night, with network prime-time programming out of the picture. Which station or stations did you watch? The official results, based on numbers from Nielsen Media Research, are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Merry Christmas to all from unclebarky.com

12/24/15 10:37 AM

From the living room of unclebarky.com world headquarters, here’s wishing a very Merry Christmas to all of our readers and pretty much everyone else, too.

Plus, that little train in this picture comes to life during the magical season finale of Uncle Barky’s Countdown to Christmas.

Also, CBS’ colorized two-pack of I Love Lucy episodes led all Wednesday programming in the D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Ed Bark

And to all a good night: our annual list of the year's exits from D-FW TV newsrooms

12/22/15 02:19 PM

The numbers in 2015 weren’t as large as in some previous years. But few if any years have seen the departures of so many longtime mainstays of D-FW’s TV newsrooms. Our annual “And to All a Good Night” compendium is on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, see Episode 7 of Uncle Barky’s Countdown to Christmas. And Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” also is posted.
Ed Bark

Cowboys also hit season low in D-FW ratings

12/21/15 03:41 PM

The Dallas Cowboys’ last gasp loss to the Jets aired on a heavy duty night of holiday parties and other Christmas activities. In D-FW, the ratings paid the price, even though the Cowboys again exceeded the one million viewers mark. Details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, Fort Worth-based NBC5 has a new anchor/reporter in South Oak Cliff native Cory Smith. And Episode 6 of Uncle Barky’s Countdown to Christmas finds Tom Petty in the spirit.
Ed Bark

Ghosts of Cowboys' past in Episode 5 of Uncle Barky's Countdown to Christmas

12/18/15 01:01 PM

In 1995, the Dallas Cowboys played their last regular season game on Christmas night. ABC’s Monday Night Football dressed it all up in a Frank Gifford-recited holiday poem that perhaps should have been intercepted. But the Cowboys otherwise were the gift that kept on giving in a season capped by their last Super Bowl championship to date. Episode 5 of Uncle Barky’s Countdown to Christmas gives you the complete opening package, with images of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin dancing in Gifford’s head.

Also, Thursday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark

Still unmerried? Fix that with Uncle Barky's Countdown to Christmas -- Episode 4

12/17/15 11:44 AM

Episode 4 of Uncle Barky’s Countdown to Christmas stars the greatly underrated Kenan Thompson as Sump’n Claus.

Plus, Wednesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is now in sight.
Ed Bark

CNN's Republican debate makes more ratings noise in D-FW than season finale of The Voice

12/16/15 12:47 PM

CNN’s nine-way Republican presidential candidate debate outdrew all programming Tuesday night in D-FW, including NBC’s two-hour season finale of The Voice. Get all the numbers here, plus a local note on TEGNA8’s new executive producer for Daybreak.

Also, Episode 3 of Uncle Barky’s Countdown to Christmas is up and ready for viewing.
Ed Bark

Episode 2 of Uncle Barky's Countdown to Christmas (just add egg nog)

12/15/15 11:17 AM

Episode 2 of Uncle Barky’s Countdown to Christmas shifts to a very inventive spot for Fox4’s Good Day. It debuted last December and all of the principals are still in place.

Plus, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” unwraps more holiday season bounty for NBC.
Ed Bark

Uncle Barky's Countdown to Christmas begins another fun-filled run

12/14/15 12:11 PM

Come all ye faithful. It’s time for Uncle Barky’s annual Countdown to Christmas, in which your friendly content provider shops for just the right holiday season videos from both the distant and recent past. You can find Episode 1 right here.

Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” spotlights Sunday’s latest Dallas Cowboys loss -- at Lambeau Field to the Green Bay Packers.
Ed Bark

Syfy's The Expanse seems to spare no expense, but . . .

12/11/15 10:33 AM

Syfy’s latest otherworldly serial drama, The Expanse, looks great in HD. But its storyline is all over the place in the Monday, Dec. 14th premiere episode. Our review is here.

Plus, the Wednesday-Thursday D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in, with a spotlight on last night’s Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors.
Ed Bark

Top 10 overall and new TV programs for 2015

12/09/15 12:22 PM

It’s the time for year-end lists. And for the fourth time, HitFix.com has surveyed 53 TV critics on their choices for the Top 10 overall and new TV series of 2015.

Your friendly content provider again is included. And you can compare and contrast our lists on the Making a List page of unclebarky.com. Note: We’re in agreement on the No. 1 show in each category.

Also, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in.
Ed Bark

Reviewing Netflix's Jessica Jones after powering through all 13 Season One episodes

12/08/15 03:13 PM

Jessica Jones, another super-powered character from the Marvel playbook, gets a first-rate showcase in Netflix’s 13-episode Season One. Krysten Ritter and David Tennant star. And our review is here.

Plus, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” highlights the two-pronged numbers for the Dallas Cowboys’ win over Washington, which was shown on both ESPN and TEGNA8.
Ed Bark

Discs from the past for gift-giving in the present: Danny Kaye -- Legends

12/07/15 01:56 PM

Danny Kaye again returns to holiday season prominence as Bing Crosby’s pal in 1954’s White Christmas. But he also was a big and immensely talented star in his own right. The new, two-disc Danny Kaye -- Legends offers six full episodes of his old 1960s TV variety show. Guests include Lucille Ball, Louis Armstrong, George Burns, Liberace and Shirley Jones, with a still formative Harvey Korman deployed as Kaye’s featured second banana. Our review is right here.

Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in, with the numbers for prominent pro and college football games and Sunday night’s Sinatra 100 special on CBS.
Ed Bark

Muy bueno new comedy series Telenovela also marks a first for NBC

12/04/15 03:57 PM

In 70 years as a television network, NBC has never had a prime-time series with an all-Hispanic cast. That changes on Monday, Dec. 7th, with the “sneak preview” of Eva Longoria’s Telenovela. Our review is here.

Plus, check out the Tony Romo sleepover sketch from Thursday’s Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS.

Also, NBC’s The Wiz Live out-duels Thursday Night Football in D-FW in the advertiser-prized 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
Ed Bark

Netflix's A Very Murray Christmas gets a ho and a half

12/03/15 10:45 AM

Netflix’s A Very Murray Christmas, which starts streaming on Friday, Dec. 4th, is a stocking stuffer at best. But the mostly straight-ahead song stylings of Bill Murray might go better with a few shots of bourbon. Make those doubles. George Clooney, Miley Cyrus and Chris Rock also participate. Our review is here.

Plus, Wednesday’s Empire fall finale-fueled D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark

Above the Fold

So tell us what you really think about what you see on TV