Mar 2015
Taking a break but leaving behind a cavalcade of reviews
03/27/15 06:21 PM
The boss at unclebarky.com -- me -- has decided that it’s sole employee -- me -- could use a little respite as the Easter season approaches. But we’ve left behind a wealth of reviews of upcoming new series and notable documentary films in addition to a review of the Season 7B opener of Mad Men. Most of the newcomers are bunched on Easter night. But two others are coming early next week. Here’s the complete list, with links to all of our reviews:
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (HBO, Sunday, March 29)
Weird Loners (Fox, Tuesday, March 31)
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (Lifetime, Easter Sunday, April 5)
Wolf Hall (PBS, Easter Sunday)
A.D. The Bible Continues (NBC, Easter Sunday)
American Odyssey (NBC, Easter Sunday)
Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All (HBO, Easter Sunday and continuing Monday)
Mad Men (AMC, Easter Sunday)
Ed Bark
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (HBO, Sunday, March 29)
Weird Loners (Fox, Tuesday, March 31)
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (Lifetime, Easter Sunday, April 5)
Wolf Hall (PBS, Easter Sunday)
A.D. The Bible Continues (NBC, Easter Sunday)
American Odyssey (NBC, Easter Sunday)
Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All (HBO, Easter Sunday and continuing Monday)
Mad Men (AMC, Easter Sunday)
Ed Bark
PBS' Wolf Hall very slowly re-draws Henry VIII/Thomas Cromwell
03/27/15 03:31 PM
PBS’ latest Masterpiece presentation, the six-chapter Wolf Hall, takes its own good time -- and then some -- in again retelling the story of King Henry VIII and his hold on consigliere Thomas Cromwell. Premiering on Easter Sunday, it stars Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis of Homeland fame. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
More whacks with Lifetime's The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
03/27/15 01:30 PM
Lifetime’s swingin’ new series, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, picks up four months after the network’s hit movie, Lizzie Borden Took An Ax ended with her acquittal. But in this eight-episode treatment, premiering on Easter Sunday, she’s clearly guilty as sin and still intent on chopping more than broccoli. Christina Ricci again stars, and our review is here.
Fox's Weird Loners seeks viewer commitment
03/27/15 10:03 AM
Fox has regrouped in recent months by reaping a ratings bonanza with Empire while also scoring with another midseason entry, The Last Man On Earth. But it seems highly unlikely that its latest new comedy, Weird Loners, will make it a winning threesome. Our review is here.
Also, Thursday’s NCAA hoops-infused D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in.
Ed Bark
Also, Thursday’s NCAA hoops-infused D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in.
Ed Bark
Seeing is believing in HBO's bravura Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
03/25/15 12:18 PM
The buzz over HBO’s The Jinx is still among us. But now comes the network’s arguably even more startling Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. It premieres on Sunday, March 29th, and our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Latest D-FW Nielsen ratings spotlight The Walking Dead, The Voice and a continued startling turn of events in a key early morning news demographic
03/24/15 10:33 AM
The Friday-through-Monday D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in. And there are some notable ascents and descents. Details are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Also, a new TV Bulletin Board has a wealth of munch-able items, including Tuesday’s announced return of The X Files to Fox.
Ed Bark
Also, a new TV Bulletin Board has a wealth of munch-able items, including Tuesday’s announced return of The X Files to Fox.
Ed Bark
Empire blasts off with 2-hour Season 1 sign-off
03/19/15 10:31 AM
Fox’s Empire drew more than half a million D-FW viewers Wednesday night for its two-hour Season 1 finale. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Reality check: The makers of The Jinx are not the bad guys here
03/18/15 03:13 PM
The makers of HBO’s The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, have accomplished what prosecutors and cops couldn’t. Isn’t that the overall real story here? My assessment is on the Network News & Reviews page.
Also, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark
Also, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark
Flesh with success: The CW's iZombie
03/17/15 12:46 PM
From the creator of Veronica Mars, it’s The CW’s iZombie. It’s brainy on several fronts, and our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
NBC's One Big Happy has Three's Company trappings but without all that pussyfooting
03/16/15 07:14 PM
Ellen DeGeneres gets back into the sitcom game as a co-producer of NBC’s One Big Happy, which premieres on Tuesday, March 17th. So yep, the central character is gay. And our review is here.
The Broadcast exits KTXD-TV after two-year run
03/16/15 11:28 AM
It’s official. KTXD-TV’s (Ch. 47) locally produced The Broadcast has been dropped from the station’s morning lineup. It joins the station’s other major programming initiative, The Texas Daily, which was dropped a year ago. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings highlights are posted.
Ed Bark
Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings highlights are posted.
Ed Bark
Fresh helpings of D-FW Nielsen ratings
03/13/15 10:37 AM
Reviewing Netflix's Season 3 of House of Cards and Season 1 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (after viewing all 13 episodes of each, pant-pant)
03/11/15 04:26 PM
Netflix is still basking in the third season of House of Cards and Season 1 of Tina Fey’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (after NBC rejected it). Our reviews are based on watching both seasons in their entirety. Why? Because better judgments can be made that way. And besides, why not?
The review of House of Cards, with no major spoilers, can be found right here. And for an assessment of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, you can go right here.
Plus, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark
The review of House of Cards, with no major spoilers, can be found right here. And for an assessment of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, you can go right here.
Plus, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark
The Walking Dead demolishes all
03/09/15 01:34 PM
The ratings are still to die for when it comes to AMC’s The Walking Dead. Our Friday-Sunday D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” documents just how dominating it is. Many other weekend ratings highlights are also included.
Plus, a new TV Bulletin Board page post has specifics on NBC’s and CBS’ summertime schedules, etc.
Ed Bark
Plus, a new TV Bulletin Board page post has specifics on NBC’s and CBS’ summertime schedules, etc.
Ed Bark
Fox4 should tip frosty mugs after dominating D-FW's coverage of Arctic Blast-a-Palooza
03/06/15 01:38 PM
Fox4 ascended to Nielsen ratings heaven with its Wednesday night newscast preludes to D-FW’s Thursday morning frozen tundra. The station then dominated the elongated Thursday morning coverage as well. We have all the numbers on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page, where you can believe what you read without any of those pesky “content-sharing” spins. Imagine that.
Plus, return with us now to a creaky 1987 promo for Wheel of Fortune. KXAS-TV (Channel 5) carried it back then, before WFAA-TV (Channel 8) took it away and later foolishly let it go to CBS11.
Ed Bark
Plus, return with us now to a creaky 1987 promo for Wheel of Fortune. KXAS-TV (Channel 5) carried it back then, before WFAA-TV (Channel 8) took it away and later foolishly let it go to CBS11.
Ed Bark
USA networks Dig has a storyline worth burying
03/05/15 03:44 PM
From the creator of NBC’s Heroes, it’s the USA network’s Dig. Lowering your expectations would be a good first step. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Fox4 meteorologist Jennifer Myers undergoing surgery for likely thyroid cancer
03/04/15 10:45 PM
Meteorologist Jennifer Myers, best known in D-FW television for co-anchoring Fox4’s weekend morning newscasts, has gone public with her impending thyroid removal for what appears to be stage 1 Papillary Cancer. Myers, whose surgery is scheduled for Thursday, March 5th, expects to be off the air for at least a couple of weeks.
Her upbeat Facebook post so far has generated nearly 1,000 comments. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. And of course we wish her the very best.
Ed Bark
Her upbeat Facebook post so far has generated nearly 1,000 comments. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page. And of course we wish her the very best.
Ed Bark
ABC's American Crime may not be a big crowd-pleaser but it's an instant Emmy contender
03/04/15 07:07 PM
The most daring broadcast network drama series in a good long while gets underway on Thursday, March 5th. Our review of ABC’s American Crime is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Former NBC5 anchor Jane McGarry becoming full-time co-host on Good Morning Texas
03/04/15 11:54 AM
Jane McGarry, a contributor on Gannett8’s Good Morning Texas since 2013, is joining the program full-time as a co-host with incumbent Mike Castellucci. Details and an interview with McGarry are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Come again: Broadchurch returns to BBC America for a very savory Season 2
03/04/15 10:36 AM
One of last year’s most acclaimed British series, Broadchurch, is back with a vengeance on BBC America. Its eight-episode Season 2 begins on Wednesday, March 4th. And our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Standout medical reporter Janet St. James the latest to exit Gannett8
03/03/15 01:02 PM
Dallas-based Gannett8 is losing another longtime major contributor with the impending departure of medical reporter Janet St. James. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Plus, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in.
Ed Bark
Plus, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in.
Ed Bark
The by-the-book ABCs of CSI, with Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette taking the fourth
03/02/15 05:38 PM
And the list goes on: From CSI: Crime Scene Investigation to CSI: Miami to CSI: NY to the new CSI: Cyber. This time CBS gets an initially unanticipated bonus -- newly minted Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette in the starring role. Our review is here.
Plus, three new series premieres, some big returnees and two other biggies collided in prime-time Sunday. Our weekend D-FW ratings “snapshot” has the details.
Ed Bark
Plus, three new series premieres, some big returnees and two other biggies collided in prime-time Sunday. Our weekend D-FW ratings “snapshot” has the details.
Ed Bark