Does SNL Lack Confidence In Its Cast?

Oct 8, 2019 | Television

“Saturday Night Live” boasts a cast of 17 actors. You’d think that would be enough to portray any character the writers want to put in a sketch. Yet the show consistently goes for stunt casting during its cold open political sketches, as it did this...

Valerie Harper

Sep 3, 2019 | podcasts, Television, Theater

When I heard Friday of the death of Valerie Harper at age 80, I went to my archives to dig out a conversation I had with her in February, 2006. Best known as TV’s Rhoda Morganstern, she was touring that year in “Golda’s Balcony,” a one-woman...

What I’m Watching

Aug 21, 2019 | Television

Jim Gaffigan’s new standup special on Amazon Prime, “Quality Time,” had me laughing out loud several times. It’s much better than his last, even with more than ten minutes of horse-related jokes in the middle. He also doesn’t do nearly as...

Not Cutting The Cord

Aug 13, 2019 | Television

We haven’t cut the cable in our house, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon. We pay a little under $60/month for about 300 channels (of which, admittedly, we only watch a few dozen), and I’ve been wondering whether it’s worth it. We...

Turn Off The Lights

Aug 2, 2019 | Comedians, Television

Although I wasn’t a fan of “Parks and Recreation” or “Master Of None,” I did enjoy Aziz Ansari’s new Netflix special, “Right Now.” I like the way, right up front, he handled the #MeToo situation he was ensnarled in last...

Sometimes You Gotta Go

Jul 30, 2019 | Blog, Television

I’m catching up on some episodes of “The Weekly,” a half-hour documentary series produced by The New York Times for FX. It’s very well made, and gives both face time to the paper’s intrepid journalists and air time for more details than...