TNT's Monday Mornings gives doc drama genre a needed transfusion

01/31/13 10:45 AM

David E. Kelley (Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, etc.) hadn't created/produced a medical series since Chicago Hope. Now he provides some needed new blood with TNT's Monday Mornings. Our review is here.

Also, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are posted.
Ed Bark

NBC's Do No Harm can't get ahold of itself

01/29/13 02:12 PM

A young doc with a crazed alter ego is the premise of NBC's Do No Harm, premiering Thursday, Jan. 31st. But the series just can't seem to get a grip on itself. Our review is here.

Plus, the TV Bulletin Board page catches you up on all the season's latest series renewals, plus a few cancellations and transitions.
Ed Bark

Big blow to Dallas on D-FW home turf, with The Following surging while Ewings suffer major ratings fall-off

01/29/13 11:55 AM

Monday night's D-FW Nielsen ratings were very, very good for the future prospects of Fox's The Following -- and a punch below the belt buckle for TNT's Dallas.

The Ewings' two-pronged Season 2 premiere fell dramatically from last June's Season 1 launch. All the details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

FX's The Americans a KGB keeper

01/28/13 02:24 PM

FX lately has been hitting on all cylinders with both its new and returning series. The Americans, premiering on Wed., Jan. 30th, keeps this momentum rolling. Our review is here.

Also, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings are a plus for the Pro Bowl, even though most say they don't watch it anymore.
Ed Bark

WFAA8's newest anchor/reporter is Carla Wade

01/25/13 12:49 PM

WFAA8 continues to bolster its newsroom staff with the hiring of Carla Wade from Oklahoma City's KOCO-TV. Details on her duties and start date -- plus a video of a recent report -- are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, Thursday's D-FW ratings "snapshot" charts the numbers for Jane McGarry's maiden appearance on WFAA8's Good Morning Texas, Katie Couric's interview with Manti Te'o and Matt Damon's riotous, star-studded heisting of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! The results may surprise you, as local news anchors are wont to say.
Ed Bark

Hagman's last call on TNT's Dallas

01/25/13 12:37 PM

TNT starts its 15-episode Season 2 of Dallas with back-to-back hours on Monday, Jan. 28th. All Larry Hagman sightings are precious at this point -- and he especially delivers in Episode 2. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

"Gridlock Buster" Tammy Dombeck's next stop likely is down the road a bit at CBS11

01/24/13 12:51 PM

A deal isn't completely done yet, but it very much looks like former NBC5 traffic reporter Tammy Dombeck's next D-FW television destination will be a fill-in role at CBS11. More details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are in.
Ed Bark

Jane McGarry starts over with "Starting Over"

01/24/13 12:06 PM

Off the air since early May, former NBC5 anchor Jane McGarry returned to the tube Thursday with the first of five scheduled weekly appearances on rival WFAA8's Good Morning Texas. Here's how it went -- with pictures included.
Ed Bark

Starz's Spartacus hits the bloody trail for last call

01/23/13 03:02 PM

Spartacus: War of the Damned launches Friday, Jan. 25th on Starz for what will be its last blood baths. Episode 1 includes a doubleheader beheading. Our review is here.

Plus, the premiere of ABC's The Taste had unappetizing ratings in D-FW Tuesday night. A full report is on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Fox's The Following off to solid start in D-FW/national Nielsens

01/22/13 02:07 PM

It's pretty good so far for Fox's The Following, the network's big-ticket, midseason serial crime series. Ratings were sturdy in both D-FW and nationally, with next Monday's Episode 2 a pivotal indicator of whether audiences will stay around or turn away. A complete report, including some Inauguration Day numbers, is on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, PBS has an eye-opening new episode of Nova on Wednesday, Jan 23rd. Rise of the Drones looks at the escalation in UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), some of which have been lethally armed since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

D-FW ratings for Sunday's NFL championship games are Cowboys-esque (more or less)

01/21/13 05:03 PM

CBS now has its Super Bowl finalists -- the 49ers and the Ravens -- after Sunday's pair of entertaining games. How'd they do in D-FW? Ratings are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, former Lost star Dominic Monaghan branches out in a big way on BBC America's Wild Things, which premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 22nd. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Former NBC5 anchor Jane McGarry talks about her return to D-FW television with a 5-part series for WFAA8's Good Morning Texas

01/18/13 08:11 PM

Jane McGarry, a 30-year veteran at NBC5 until pleading "No Contest" to a driving while intoxicated charge, will be back on the air next week after a more than eight-month absence. Reached by phone Friday night, she talks about bouncing back on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

BBC America's Ripper Street is not all that Jack-ed up

01/18/13 06:18 PM

Potential viewers should know that Ripper Street, premiering Saturday, Jan. 19th on BBC America, is about a post-Jack East London, circa 1889. And it's pretty ripping good. Our review is here.

Plus, Thursday's Part 1 of Oprah Winfrey's sit-down with Lance Armstrong pulled a big national ratings number by OWN's standards. But it surprisingly fell a little short of the network's biggest wheel to date. Get the numbers on our Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark

Monday bloody Monday with Fox's The Following

01/18/13 12:27 PM

Carnage is commonplace on broadcast television, although seldom if ever to this degree. Fox's The Following, with Kevin Bacon starring in his first weekly TV series, barges into view Monday night. Our review is here.

Also, Thursday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are ready to be inspected.
Ed Bark

King of the Nerds: Add a few IQ points to this "reality competition" series

01/17/13 01:04 PM

Two original cast members from the Revenge of the Nerds movie series hit the small screen as co-hosts of TBS' King of the Nerds. You could do worse. Our review is here.

Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings show that American Idol hasn't yet lost its punch.
Ed Bark

FX's new Legit: down, dirty, funny

01/16/13 05:49 PM

FX now has more than twice as many comedies as dramas in its roster of original series. Legit, premiering Thursday, Jan. 17th, looks like another keeper. Our review is here.

Also, CBS had a very good night indeed in the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Ed Bark

Comedy Central's Kroll Show latest to home in on elusive young male viewers

01/15/13 04:40 PM

Comedy Central's Kroll Show, starring man of many faces Nick Kroll, launches on Wed., Jan. 16th following young male fave rave Workaholics. Our review is here.

Also, Monday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are in the house.
Ed Bark

Danielle Vollmar's Nightcap replacement already on the air at CW33

01/14/13 06:10 PM

Danielle Vollmar's last day at CW33's Nightcap was Friday. She's opted to be a weathercaster in her hometown of Philadelphia. Replacement Zuri Hall's first day was Monday. Wow, that was fast. Details on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page as well as a catchup round on D-FW news anchor pregnancies.
Ed Bark

A Bradshaw (not Terry) gets the teen treatment in CW's The Carrie Diaries

01/14/13 01:33 PM

Premiering on Monday, Jan. 14th, CW's The Carrie Diaries depicts a wide-eyed Carrie Bradshaw in her formative teen years. Our review is here.

Also, how did the Golden Globes and those four NFL playoff games do in the D-FW Nielsen ratings? A complete report is on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

A Rose is a Rose is a TLC reality series

01/11/13 06:52 PM

font size="2">Still barred from the Hall of Fame, Pete Rose goes to bat in a "reality" series pegged to his engagement to a former Playboy babe. Our review of TLC's Pete Rose: Hits & Mrs is right here.
Ed Bark

Fade to gray: Fox4 meteorologist Ron Jackson no longer painting it black

01/11/13 02:04 PM

The television industry, news or entertainment, has long been cosmetically driven. But longtime Fox4 meteorologist Ron Jackson lately has had the temerity to pretty much let his hair have its own way. He talks about it on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, Thursday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are in.
Ed Bark

Season 2 of Girls ready to roll on HBO

01/10/13 04:42 PM

One of the more provocative series of last season, Lena Dunham's Girls, returns to HBO on Sunday, Jan. 13th. Our review is here.

Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings "snapshot" indicates that viewers very much are warming to NBC's late-blooming Chicago Fire.
Ed Bark

NBC5's Matt Barrie taking his sports talents to ESPN

01/09/13 07:02 PM

One of the brightest young sports talents in D-FW, NBC5's Matt Barrie, has been recruited by ESPN. Details on the Dallas-Fort-Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Jimmy does D-FW at 10:35 (so how'd he do on his first night?)

01/09/13 01:51 PM

ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! played the 10:35 p.m. (central) Big Tent for the first time Tuesday. We have a complete breakdown of the D-FW ratings in three major food groups.

Plus, if you missed it, by all means see the video of celebrities reading mean tweets about them. It was the funniest part of last night's Kimmel, and it's on our Network News & Reviews page.

We also have a review of the new Cinemax drama series Banshee, which premieres on Friday, Jan. 11th. Its chief overseer is Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood).
Ed Bark

ABC bequeaths drinking game to TBS, as Cougar Town returns

01/08/13 03:11 PM

Cougar Town begins its run on TBS after a fitful three seasons on ABC. The first of a scheduled 15 new episodes airs on Tuesday, Jan. 8th at 9 p.m. central. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

National championship game dominated in D-FW with deflated ratings

01/08/13 11:09 AM

Alabama's pounding of Notre Dame in Monday night's national championship game wasn't the hit ESPN had hoped for. Get the D-FW details right here.

Also, CBS11/TXA21 meteorologist Jeff Jamison. encountered a couple of comely and decidedly spirited A&M coeds during his Friday night live shot before Friday's Cotton Bowl game. The A&M grad didn't seem to mind a bit. Good times.
Ed Bark

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! effect: soon to be felt by WFAA8's 10 p.m. newscasts

01/07/13 06:03 PM

Starting on Tuesday, Jan. 8th, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! will supplant Nightline as a "lead-out" for local newscasts, including WFAA8's. We take an up-close look on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Justified's back, and still very much on target

01/07/13 02:37 PM

FX's Justified fires up Season 4 on Tuesday, Jan. 8th. Fans should be justifiably excited. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Johnny Football vs. RG3: And the ratings winner is . . .

01/07/13 12:40 PM

Fox corralled the weekend's two big football attractions -- Friday night's Cotton Bowl and Sunday's Washington Redskins-Seattle Seahawks playoff game.

The headliners were Texas A&M's Johnny Football and the Redskins Robert Griffin III. So who won the ratings war in D-FW? Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

NBC's unexceptional Deception

01/04/13 05:33 PM

With Revolution still on a very extended break, NBC is plugging a new whodunit into its Monday 9 p.m. (central) slot. Our review of Deception is here.

Plus, the latest local Nielsen ratings "snapshot" is posing on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

More, more! PBS acclaimed Downton Abbey is back for Season 3

01/04/13 01:15 PM

PBS' most popular series of this century, Downton Abbey, returns for Season 3 on Sunday, Jan. 6th. Our review is here.

Plus, Fort Worth-based NBC5 hires a new early morning reporter. And we take a closer look at Al Gore's decision to sell his Current TV network to Al Jazeera while pocketing a reported $100 million payout in the bargain.
Ed Bark

Anderson Cooper's growing credibility gap; boffo ratings for WFAA8's Big D NYE

01/02/13 05:23 PM

Fresh off his most embarrassing New Year's Eve stint yet with Kathy Griffin, "Face of CNN" Anderson Cooper seems oblivious to the hits his credibility is taking. And the hits keep on coming on our Network News & Reviews page.

Plus, WFAA8's 6th annual Big D NYE production was a smash in D-FW. So much so that it had a bigger audience in late night than any New Year's Day Bowl game. Details on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Happy New Year!!! -- and happy to be back

01/02/13 12:27 PM

Unclebarky.com's holiday hiatus is history, and we begin anew with an up-close look at a season's worth of Dallas Cowboys' ratings in D-FW.

Which games ranked highest/lowest? And what was the demographic breakdown of that final meltdown in Washington? All the numbers are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, as December recedes into the archives on the most-traveled unclebarky.com pages, here's another friendly monthly reminder. If you're making Amazon.com purchases, click first on any of the ads on this site before you buy. That way, a small commission on your purchase goes to unclebarky.com. So if you like what you see and read, help out a little if you can. You were going to make those buys anyway. So it won't cost you a nickel.

Clicks on other ads -- just to take a look at their products -- are also of some help.

Again, thanks for your continued readership and support. And let's all have a safe and happy 2013.
Ed Bark

Above the Fold

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