Press Tour Preview of Cable and Streaming’s New Shows Destined to be Binges
It’s not often when someone gets a warm round of sustained applause at the Television Critics Association press tour, but that’s what happened when HBO’s Quentin Schaffer took the stage at the Beverly Hilton last week. The week before, he had announced his exit after 39 years as communications chief at the network and he told the assembled audience of journalists that he wanted to do one last TCA. He said it was his 100th, because he...
TCA Wrap-Up: Top Shows Set the Table for Cable TV
Adaptations of “Howards End,” “Get Shorty” and “The Right Stuff.” New comedies featuring Tracy Morgan, Jason Alexander and Sarah Silverman. Documentaries on Steven Spielberg, Elizabeth Smart and Danica Patrick. And, after five years, a new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Those are just a few of the new programs featured during last week’s cable portion of the Television Critics Association summer press tour, which wrapped up...
From ‘Divorce’ to ‘Berlin Station’ to ‘Mars,’ A Preview of Cable’s Most Buzzworthy Shows
It’s inevitable that there will be some verbal fireworks mixed in with the vast slate of programming presented at the cable portion of the TCA summer press tour held at the Beverly Hilton. Last year, there was a media-manufactured showdown between Michael Lombardo and Chris Albrecht over the similarities of HBO’s “Ballers” and Starz’ “Survivor’s Remorse,” with Albrecht conclusively admonishing the assembled television journalists to...
The Inside Stories of ‘Mad Men’s’ Grand Finale
It was a panacea for all those suffering withdrawal symptoms from the end of the adventures of Don Draper & Co., a packed house at the WGA Theater in Beverly Hills for the Writers Guild Foundation’s “Inside the Writers Room with Mad Men,” a Q&A with series creator Matthew Weiner and his writing staff who worked on the final season of the AMC drama. Moderated by another of television’s legendary creators, Matt Groening of “The...
Zou Bisou Bisou! Things We Just Learned about Mad Men
The two-hour premiere of the long awaited fifth season of “Mad Men” was a huge education. First, it answered the big question: did Megan actually get married to Don in the 17 months that have passed since the dapper Mr. Draper unexpectedly proposed to her in the cliffhanger season four finale? Oh, yeah, they did. And from the looks of it, it appears to be a relationship based upon truth– as it is revealed that Megan...