Character: Widow FortuneShow: The Dark Secret of Harvest HomeEpisode: Mini-series I recently watched R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About it with my children and I had an epiphany -- TV was a lot creepier when I was a kid. We didn't watch water-downed kiddie horror. We watched what the adults watched when they obviously didn't know we were watching. My parents didn't allow me to see ...

Breathtaking vistas? Wild animals? Vibrant culture? Life Is Wild, the new fish-out-of-water drama on the CW promises all these things, and yet, doesn't quite deliver. It's more of a "Life Is Mild" -- a generic family drama set in a lush South African locale -- that strips all the color out of the scenery by weighing down its story with bland characters played by nondescript actors stuck in ...

In July, I was at a sitcom writing seminar in which Sam Simon (who helped develop The Simpsons) declared: "the sitcom is dead." Veteran comedy writer Ken Levine (who hosted that sitcom seminar), however, disagrees. Ken believes the traditional multi-camera sitcom might be on a respirator, but still has a pulse. Levine said, "I would amend Sam's statement and say that yeah, the bad, stale, family ...

I sometimes look around the internet and am amazed by the sheer volume of content. People can write about almost anything -- especially when they're obsessed with a specific topic. And a lot of people seem to be specifically obsessed with television. Not that I can judge. I'm TV addict who writes for TV Squad. But I sometimes wonder if it all really matters. Is anyone listening to any of us? And ...

I know what you're thinking. Who would want to work on daytime soaps? They're cheesy and lame. And they're not "real" TV shows. So why would anyone waste their time checking out the NYTVF's panel on "Breaking into Daytime Drama?" Well, I would. And I'm glad I did. As a writer trying to break into television, I like to know all about potential employers. Besides, it's not like TV shows grow on ...

I entered the NYTVF panel discussion about advertising with some trepidation. After all, I love TV, but I hate commercials. In fact, I'm in love with my DVR because it allows me to fast forward through all that garbage. And I really love watching my shows on DVD because I don't have to worry about about commercials at all. However, I also realize that much of my beloved television programming ...

While Joel was covering the New Amsterdam premiere at the New York Television Festival on Thursday night, I decided to check out NBC's Comedy Short Cuts showcase. According to a press release, seven cast members (including Tracy Morgan) from 30 Rock were scheduled to appear at the event. It was also noted on the press release that "All Talent Subject to Change." And change it did. Tracy was a no ...

Ryan Seacrest + Super Bowl = Is Nothing Sacred? When you think about the Super Bowl, does the name "Ryan Seacrest" come to mind? Probably not. I'm pretty sure I know more about football than Ryan Seacrest (which isn't saying a heck of a lot). Yet somehow, Fox has awarded Super Bowl hosting duties to their American Idol golden boy. As master of ceremonies for football's biggest game, Ryan will ...

American Idol's season six winner Jordin Sparks and first runner-up Blake Lewis are hitting the studios to record their individual debut albums. With possible release dates as early as Thanksgiving, America will learn soon enough if the latest batch of Idols are "turkeys" or not. Jordin said, "I'm trying to mix everything together. I'm loving all the songs I'm recording, so hopefully that will ...

I may have been a tad bit cynical about American Idol's big fundraiser show, Idol Gives Back, but the folks at the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences were clearly impressed. The Academy is giving American Idol its very first Emmy -- a special Governors Award -- for "harnessing the power of television to educate and inform viewers." Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said, "I'm really pleased that the ...