Sep 2011
Ken Burns' Prohibition drinks it all in
09/30/11 04:09 PM
It's harder and harder to believe that
this era ever happened. Oh wait, we live in times
when the Kardashians are all TV stars and Jersey
Shore remains a runaway hit for MTV. OK, it's
perfectly plausible that the U.S. once had a nearly
14-year ban on alcohol consumption. And Ken Burns has
the pictures to prove it in his latest great
documentary film, Prohibition. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Dexter back on attack
09/29/11 06:52 PM
Television's acquired taste serial
killer -- but only of bad guys -- returns for Season
6 Sunday night, this time with an overriding
religious motif. Our review of Showtime's
Dexter is here.
Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are glad tidings for both The X Factor and Revenge.
Ed Bark
Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are glad tidings for both The X Factor and Revenge.
Ed Bark
Showtime's Homeland stakes claim as fall's best new drama series
09/29/11 11:22 AM
It's been very much a so-so fall for
new TV dramas. But that's because their purveyors are
the traditional broadcast networks. Now come
Showtime's Homeland, easily the best of show
and virtually guaranteed to be an Emmy contender the
next time around. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Cuban onboard with Rentrak
09/28/11 06:40 PM
Rentrak's ongoing effort to dethrone
Nielsen Media Research as the longtime measurer of TV
ratings has both an ally and a significant investor
in Dallas Mavericks/HDNet owner Mark Cuban. Which
gives D-FW's only Rentrak subscriber to date, WFAA8,
a bit of the old happy pants. The story is on our
Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Fox's New Girl still the network's brightest new light
09/28/11 12:59 PM
Afforded perhaps one-tenth the
promotion for either X Factor or Terra
Nova, the new Fox sitcom New Girl
continued to score big among viewers that networks
covet the most -- 18-to-49-year-olds. Our latest
"Local Nielsen ratings snapshot"
gives you the complete picture.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
From Two and a Half Men to How to be a Gentleman
09/28/11 12:06 PM
The address is CBS for odd couple
comedies. Our review of How to Be a Gentleman
is right here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Long Rooney era ending on 60 Minutes
09/27/11 04:52 PM
Ninety-two-year-old Andy Rooney, a
commentator on 60 Minutes since 1978, will
make his last regular appearance on the program this
Sunday. Details of the CBS announcement are on our
Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Suburgatory commutes to ABC's Wednesday night comedy lineup
09/27/11 03:21 PM
Jeremy Sisto plays a put-upon dad in
the new Suburgatory. It's on a night when ABC
already has kindred pops on Modern Family and
The Middle. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Cowboys again rock ratings while Terra Nova stands fairly firma
09/27/11 11:54 AM
Yet another down to the wire Cowboys
game --this one a win -- crushed everything in its
path Monday night. The two-hour premiere of Fox's
cost-a-plenty Terra Nova drew a small fraction
of the Cowboys crowd, but fared fairly well against
the competition from ABC, CBS and NBC.
Get all the details in our five-day catchup on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Get all the details in our five-day catchup on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
D-FW news notes: WFAA8's Chris Flanagan hitting the road while TXA21's "First in Prime" newscast will soon be a goner
09/26/11 06:11 PM
Chris Flanagan will be taking his
talents to Cleveland after an abbreviated run at
WFAA8. And TXA21's recently downsized "First In
Prime" newscast is going to disappear all together.
Get the details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
The late Jerry Haynes leaves a happy trail as Dallas' foremost kiddies' pal, Mr. Peppermint
09/26/11 04:41 PM
Jerry Haynes, who spanned generations
of kids as WFAA8's Mr. Peppermint, died on Monday at
the age of 84. Our tribute is here, along with a video
showing the close relationship he had with his
son, alternative rocker Gibby Haynes of Butthole
Surfers fame.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Hart of Dixie gives CW a decent drawling board
09/26/11 01:46 PM
Television's portrayals of the Deep
South have not been known as towering intellectual
exercises. The CW's new Hart of Dixie, set in
Alabama, is down-home without unduly deep-frying its
denizens. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Terra Nova gives Fox a new/old world and a big price tag
09/26/11 11:01 AM
The most expensive, ambitious series
of the new season, Terra Nova, premieres
Monday night on Fox. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Fly them to the moon, because ABC's Pan Am needs something to keep it airborne
09/22/11 10:31 PM
Set in 1963, ABC's Pan Am looks
good for starters. But compelling storylines look as
though they're going to be much harder to come by.
Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
That's the spirit: CBS hopes to finally launch a successful contemporary medical drama by adding an otherworldly touch
09/22/11 03:20 PM
CBS hasn't had a successful medical
drama since Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Now the
crime-infested network is trying again with A
Gifted Man. Its gimmick? A ghost. Because that
has worked on CBS in very recent years. Our
review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
X Factor no blockbuster but still draws a pretty good crowd
09/22/11 12:07 PM
Wednesday's opening night returns in
D-FW for Fox's mega-promoted X Factor were
only fair to middling, particularly for its second
hour. See how it did -- and how other new and
returning series fared -- in the latest "ratings snapshot."
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
WFAA8 anchor-reporter Debbie Denmon files discrimination suit against the station -- and not on the usual grounds
09/22/11 11:14 AM
Contending that her weight is being
held against her by station management, WFAA8
anchor-reporter Debbie Denmon has filed a
discrimination suit against the Dallas-based station.
As expected, no one is talking. But we've pieced
together some of the particulars. The story is on the
Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Angels wing it anew on ABC
09/21/11 07:21 PM
Yet another version of Charlie's
Angels is probably not what the world needs now
-- let alone the continental U.S. But here it comes
-- and our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
NBC's Prime Suspect manages to stand on its own
09/21/11 04:52 PM
A new American TV version of Prime
Suspect might seem like a capital crime to some.
But it's all in the execution. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
CBS' Person of Interest preserves an endangered species -- the two-fisted man of action
09/21/11 02:15 PM
Women are the drive shafts in this
fall's crop of new broadcast network dramas. And most
of the prominent comedies, too. That's fine. It's
probably about time. But CBS still has a place for a
hard-charging action male in Person of
Interest, which premieres Thursday. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
New season, Night 2, is big boost for Fox's new New Girl
09/21/11 10:50 AM
D-FW viewers instantly took to Fox's
New Girl Tuesday night. It had an appreciably
bigger overall audience than its Glee lead-in
and also prospered with advertiser-coveted
18-to-49-year-olds. CBS' double dose of NCIS
and its spin-off also did quite well, leaving ABC's
Dancing with the Stars in wobbly shape. Get
the details on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
NBC's new Whitney is a comedy with a nice bite
09/21/11 09:33 AM
No. 4 NBC badly needs something
to work this fall -- besides Sunday Night
Football. And whatever its ratings, it at least
has a winning new comedy in Whitney. Our
review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Daybreak's Ron Corning gets a showcase spot -- and paints a picture, too
09/20/11 06:26 PM
Dallas-based WFAA8's early morning
Daybreak program still runs third on most
days. But the ABC affiliate keeps trying to sell its
team -- and teammates. And now, for the first time,
full attention is paid to co-anchor Ron Corning.
See it here, and get our comments,
too.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
ABC's new fall line begins with Revenge
09/20/11 02:37 PM
Madeleine Stowe makes for a pretty
delish villainess in ABC's latest woman-powered
serial drama. Otherwise, I dunno. Our closer look at
Revenge is on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Gargantuan re-launch for Two and a Half Men
09/20/11 11:19 AM
CBS couldn't have scripted this any
better -- the ratings at least. The network's Charlie
Sheen-less Two and a Half Men was a colossus
Monday night in the D-FW Nielsen ratings while the
premiere of NBC's The Playboy Club ended up a
bust so to speak. Get all the details on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Charlie Sheen fit for a Dustbuster in Two and a Half Men kiss-off
09/20/11 10:07 AM
Two and a Half Men rid itself
of Charlie Sheen in no uncertain terms Monday night.
Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Memory serves in new CBS' crime drama Unforgettable
09/19/11 06:08 PM
CBS doesn't go in for capes or
physical super powers in its "procedural" crime
series. Still, ya gotta have a gimmick these days.
Our review of Unforgettable is right here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Fox hawks gawky in appealing new comedy New Girl
09/19/11 03:00 PM
Zooey Deschanel, kid sis of
Bones star Emily Deschanel, is still looking
for a post-Almost Famous breakout hit. Maybe
she has it in Fox's New Girl, but one never
really knows. Our review is here.
Plus, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings "snapshot" has all the details on how the Cowboys game did, and whether the subsequent Emmy Awards on Fox were able to withstand NBC's Sunday Night Football.
Ed Bark
Plus, the weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings "snapshot" has all the details on how the Cowboys game did, and whether the subsequent Emmy Awards on Fox were able to withstand NBC's Sunday Night Football.
Ed Bark
Friday Night Lights finally gets some Emmy love on a night when free TV scores big against cable
09/19/11 07:28 AM
Sunday night's 63rd annual Primetime
Emmy Awards put the made-in-Austin Friday Night
Lights onstage for the first and last time while
also providing a big booster shot to over-the-air
broadcast TV. Cable won its share of Emmys, too. But
very much unlike last year, it wasn't the lion's
share. Get our complete report and review right here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Emmy awards nearing, and here are my picks
09/16/11 06:07 PM
Sunday night brings the 63rd annual
Primetime Emmy Awards, which of course will be
trounced by Sunday Night Football. But I've
gone ahead and tacked down some picks anyway, which
you can slice 'n' dice on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Growing, growing gone: D-FW takes a body blow in latest Nielsen estimates after years of steady growth
09/16/11 03:33 PM
D-FW television stations always could
count on a little ratings inflation whenever Nielsen
Media Research's yearly data was revised. That
happens in September. And this time around, the
nation's fifth largest TV market is showing
across-the-board decreases, save for one lone
demographic group that neither advertisers or TV
bean-counters really care about at all. Get our
detailed report on the Dallas-Fort
Worth TV page, where Thursday's ratings "snapshot" also
is available.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Bunny ha ha: NBC's The Playboy Club sells pulchritude as "empowerment"
09/16/11 12:07 PM
One of the showier new series for this
fall, NBC's The Playboy Club, premieres
Monday. Set in the early 1960s, it mixes gangland
retribution with all those bosomed bunny buddies. Our
review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Unclebarky.com hits milestone birthday, pats self on head, gets back to work
09/16/11 07:46 AM
Launched on Sept. 17, 2006, unclebarky.com turns five Saturday on the eve of the Emmys and just two days before the official start of the 2011-'12 TV season.
So it's another busy time, but I just want to thank readers for their continued patronage and support. You're the reason this site is still in reasonable working order.
Thanks again, and we'll try to keep going for at least another few years as D-FW's only fully independent chronicler of both local and national TV.
Ed Bark
Talky waitresses on the menu in CBS' ribald 2 Broke Girls
09/15/11 03:31 PM
A few new network series have gotten
head starts this week. But the 2011-12 fall season
officially begins on Monday. And the first show in
view will be CBS' 2 Broke Girls. Our review is here.
Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings show how three freshman series and a pair of "reality competition" finales fared in these parts. And on my home away from home, locatetv.com, there's a look at whether Eddie Murphy might matter as the latest Oscar host.
Ed Bark
Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings show how three freshman series and a pair of "reality competition" finales fared in these parts. And on my home away from home, locatetv.com, there's a look at whether Eddie Murphy might matter as the latest Oscar host.
Ed Bark
The CW now has witches, too, in The Secret Circle
09/14/11 02:47 PM
The network of Supernatural, The
Vampire Diaries and those scary creatures on
America's Next Top Model adds witches to its
otherworldly mix in The Secret Circle. It's
from producer Kevin Williamson, who really doesn't
know any better at this point. Our review is here.
Plus, Tuesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are a downer for Ringer, the new Sarah Michelle Gellar series.
Ed Bark
Plus, Tuesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are a downer for Ringer, the new Sarah Michelle Gellar series.
Ed Bark
Free Agents gives NBC a grownup comedy built around adult neuroses
09/13/11 06:34 PM
Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn make a
winning duo in NBC's new Free Agents. It even
compares favorably with the same-named British
original, which BBC America will make available to
U.S. audiences early next month. We compare and
contrast on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Mmm mmm good/bad: The CW's H8R may be fall TV's guiltiest pleasure
09/13/11 05:00 PM
It's all mostly contrived and not
really believable for more than a second or two.
Still, The CW's new H8R (short for "Hater")
puts celebs and their detractors together in a way
that's indescribably delicious -- as junk food, of
course. Bonus: the first two celebs on the receiving
end include Dallas' own "fame whore," who proves it
anew. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Monday Night Football doubleheader rules D-FW ratings; Krystle Gutierrez still with Fox4 news -- 4 now
09/13/11 02:07 PM
ESPN's opening Monday Night
Football doubleheader kicked all competition to
the curb in the D-FW Nielsen ratings. Get the
numbers here.
Plus, Krystle Gutierrez remains a contributor on Fox4's No. 1-rated Good Day. But she's no longer under contract and could leave the Dallas-based station any day now. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Plus, Krystle Gutierrez remains a contributor on Fox4's No. 1-rated Good Day. But she's no longer under contract and could leave the Dallas-based station any day now. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
The Peacock hatches a baby in new Up All Night
09/12/11 06:13 PM
NBC and kids -- let alone newborn
babes -- have very seldom mixed in prime-time sitcoms
since The Cosby Show's glory seasons. That
makes the new Up All Night an extreme rarity,
even if a workplace also is heavily involved. Our
review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
First new series of the season offers double shot of Gellar in CW's Ringer
09/12/11 03:01 PM
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who came to
international fame as Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, plays two hands in her prime-time series
return. The CW's Ringer finds her as a
recovering addict and former stripper with a twisted
twin sister. See double on our Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Arrgh!!! Cowboys blow another Sunday Night Football opener while NBC sets another ratings record
09/12/11 11:26 AM
The Dallas Cowboys cratered down the
stretch against the Jets, but at least beat last
season's ratings for their giveaway loss to
Washington on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Our
ratings breakdowns are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Starz network' original Spartacus dies of cancer; Emmys warm up with "creative arts" trophies
09/12/11 09:48 AM
Andy Whitfield, who played the title
role in the Starz network's Spartacus: Blood and
Sand, has died of cancer at age 39. Also, the
Emmy Awards' annual "creative arts" prelude to the
Sept. 18th main event has some notable on-camera
winners amid all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Details
are on our TV Bulletin Board page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Packers-Saints game outscores Obama job speech in D-FW (and probably most other places, too)
09/09/11 12:51 PM
All four of the major broadcast
networks carried President Obama's early evening jobs
speech Thursday. Only NBC had the Packers-Saints NFL
Kickoff game. It doesn't take an unemployed rocket
scientist to deduce who won. All the particulars are
on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
And in the end . . . The Love We Make is an optimum way to remember Sept. 11
09/09/11 11:49 AM
The Paul McCartney-led Concert for New
York City is brilliantly seen from behind-the-scenes
in The Love We Make, premiering Sept. 10th on
Showtime. Our review is here.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
A ratings first for MSNBC -- at least in D-FW
09/08/11 04:30 PM
Has this ever happened before? Not in
these parts. At least not that I can ever recall.
MSNBC's two-hour Republican debate Wednesday night,
featuring the debut of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, won its
time slot in competition with both broadcast and
cable alternatives. Get the details on our latest
D-FW ratings "snapshot."
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Perry puts giddyup in Republican debate, but may have bucked himself
09/08/11 07:21 AM
Texas Gov. Rick Perry strode into his
first nationally televised presidential candidate
debate Wednesday night. He emerged with a Social
Security "Ponzi scheme" target affixed to his back
while former frontrunner Mitt Romney may have
suddenly rebounded back to life. Get our blow-by-blow
account on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
Brightest colors of new fall season again elude washed-out broadcast nets
09/07/11 03:39 PM
Television's latest big outpouring of
new product is coming soon, with the broadcast
networks again struggling to stand out while cable
excels with both new and returning dramas. See what
we mean right here.
Plus, a new TV Bulletin Board is stocked with more snacks. And D-FW had a surprise ratings champ Tuesday night in the key 18-to-49 viewer demographic.
Ed Bark
Plus, a new TV Bulletin Board is stocked with more snacks. And D-FW had a surprise ratings champ Tuesday night in the key 18-to-49 viewer demographic.
Ed Bark
Ashes to "Ashes:" FX's Rescue Me puts out its last fire
09/06/11 06:47 PM
The final episode of FX's Rescue
Me is on Wednesday night, just four days before
the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We take a closer look here without giving
away too much.
Plus, Eddie Murphy gets the Oscar host gig, and Regis Philbin announces his goodbye date. Details are on the TV Bulletin Board page.
Ed Bark
Plus, Eddie Murphy gets the Oscar host gig, and Regis Philbin announces his goodbye date. Details are on the TV Bulletin Board page.
Ed Bark
Things that go clunk in the night -- among them Syfy's Paranormal Witness
09/06/11 02:55 PM
Syfy's Wednesday night "paranormal
block" now includes the new Paranormal
Witness. The first episode made me shake -- with
laughter. But perhaps you'll be terrified as
intended. Our review is right here in plain sight.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
College football dominates, MDA telethon barely seen
09/06/11 01:10 PM
The holiday weekend's D-FW Nielsen
ratings had some surprises -- such as Baylor-TCU
not being the most-watched college football
game. Also, the debut of the Jerry Lewis-less MDA
telethon Sunday night on TXA21 went virtually
unwatched. Details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark
Ed Bark
TXA21 cuts its prime-time news in half as part of fall revamp; Sons of Anarchy returns with a vengeance
09/02/11 12:25 PM
Low and continued stagnant ratings
have prompted the halving of TXA21's First in
Prime local newscast, which soon will air only
from 7 to 8 p.m. Get the details and news of other
notable TXA21 fall lineup adjustments on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Plus, the Dallas Cowboys final pre-season game, a thoroughly dull 17-3 loss, easily beat everything in its path Thursday night. But it also ranked as the least-watched by far of this summer's four pretenders. Both the Wednesday and Thursday D-FW numbers also are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
And on FX, Sons of Anarchy is revving up its fourth season. Our review is on the Network News & Reviews page.
Meanwhile, it's another new month, with August rolling over into the archives on some of unclebarky.com's pages.
The onset of September also prompts a friendly monthly reminder to first click on an amazon.com ad on any unclebarky.com page before making the purchases you were going to make anyway. That way, your friendly content provider gets a small commission. It all helps as we near our fifth-year anniversary.
Furthermore, you can follow me on twitter, if you'd like, at unclebarkycom. Thanks as always for your support and readership.
Ed Bark
Plus, the Dallas Cowboys final pre-season game, a thoroughly dull 17-3 loss, easily beat everything in its path Thursday night. But it also ranked as the least-watched by far of this summer's four pretenders. Both the Wednesday and Thursday D-FW numbers also are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
And on FX, Sons of Anarchy is revving up its fourth season. Our review is on the Network News & Reviews page.
Meanwhile, it's another new month, with August rolling over into the archives on some of unclebarky.com's pages.
The onset of September also prompts a friendly monthly reminder to first click on an amazon.com ad on any unclebarky.com page before making the purchases you were going to make anyway. That way, your friendly content provider gets a small commission. It all helps as we near our fifth-year anniversary.
Furthermore, you can follow me on twitter, if you'd like, at unclebarkycom. Thanks as always for your support and readership.
Ed Bark