The canvas of television has changed drastically since “The Simpsons” premiered. Reality TV was a fresh concept, FOX was only just starting out, and the animated sitcom was a wildly unexplored idea. Before “The Simpsons” the only real animated sitcoms we had was “The Flintstones,” a pop culture gem that spoofed “The Honeymooners” and was intended for adults. Instead it ran for five seasons and eventually became a franchise meant for children. Then there was “The Jetsons” a rip off of “The Flintstones” that focused on a family in the future, another mature series that became a hit with children later on in its run. Back then it was pretty apparent that just about everyone assumed animation was strictly for children.
Tag Archives: TV Show
Why We Won't Miss "The Office US"
This year NBC networks released the news that with the parting of show writers Mindy Kaling (who is going on to head a soon to be cancelled FOX show), and B.J Novak were leaving one of the very few hit NBC sitcoms, the US adaptation of “The Office.” Due to their departures, the show’s stars desires to pursue other projects and their main star Steve Carrell moving on last year, NBC was heavily considering finally ending “The Office.” In its place would be a spin-off featuring the oddly popular supporting character Dwight in his own series. My response to that was: good riddance.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season (Limited Edition) [Blu-Ray]
SEASON TWO
Season two of AMC Network’s “The Walking Dead” is perhaps the most controversial and also the most daring. AMC made the dunderheaded decision of cutting the reins from show runner Frank Darabont and cutting the series’ budget in half right before the premiere of the high rated series that managed to break every cable record in the time of its premiere. Why AMC continues to handle the business in such a manner is baffling. The release of show runner and critically acclaimed director Frank Darabont from the series is one that continues to anger fans, but happens to be a blessing in disguise.
Fans complaining that the show detracted from the comic book source material were in store for much more in the way of detraction with Darabont’s intent on tailoring the series more toward his sensibilities and including wild card episodes at the start of every season. His vision of slow burn storytelling just didn’t sit well with AMC Network and fans either. Fans complain that the first half of “The Walking Dead” season two is sluggish and uneventful. While I disagree, the first half of the season that gets most criticism is that led by Frank Darabont. Season two is almost as flawless as season one, and is given much more room to fail than season one was.
Mockingbird Lane
This is one of the few times where my fandom has kind of come back to bite me in the ass. I am a fan of “The Munsters” and from day one was opposed to this radical reworking of the series. The darkly comic tone with a violent dramatic atmosphere made me irritated beyond belief. “Mockingbird Lane” surprising enough ends up being a wonderful re-imagining of the series that doesn’t quite alter the comic tone of the original series so much as it adds a lot of menace to it. Instead of a sitcom it’s a dark comedy drama, and instead of the eccentric tone there’s a more menacing and brooding color palette. What makes this special even better is that it completely changes the dynamic of the Munster family.
Our Top Ten "Tales from the Darkside" Episodes
“Tales from the Darkside” was initially supposed to be a “Creepshow” television series after the successful run of both films. Alas it never came to be and the idea was eventually transformed in to “Tales from the Darkside” bringing along the “Creepshow” alum of George A. Romero, Tom Savini, and Stephen King, all of whom contributed episodes and directed many of the key installments of the hit series.
One of the many anthology series of the eighties anthology revival, “Tales from the Darkside” covered fantasy, horror, and science fiction, and sometimes injected dark comedy in to the narratives. While not every episode is a masterpiece, these are ten of the best episodes of the series that I can never get enough of. Also, the theme song used to scare the living crap out of me for a time when I was a kid. It was so frightening it’d often reduce me to tears. Thanks George A. Romero!
Our Top Ten "Monsters" Episodes
1988’s “Monsters” was one of the many anthology shows in the eighties that managed to cash in on the anthology boom of the decade and offer up its own demented take on the concept. Like “Tales from the Darkside,” and “Twilight Zone” every episode provided its own story steeped in horror, science fiction, or fantasy but had on rule: It had to feature a monster in every episode. Every episode had a monster in one form or another.
Most times it was rather clever, other times it missed big time in its efforts to deliver something new (ahem–I’m looking at you, “My Zombie Lover,” and “Taps”). “Monsters” very much approached the genre with a mixed bag of tricks offering up some dark comedy, thick terror, and often ironic climaxes that succeeded in being a fun and unique series for genre buffs. While sadly fading in to obscurity, it’s still a very entertaining show, and it’s one I fondly re-visited after so many years off the air. To celebrate the lost formula of the anthology, we offer our top ten episodes of the series run.
Scary "The Simpsons" Episodes Not Affiliated With Halloween
So, you’ve seen all of the “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, including the newest one on FOX that was… okay, and you still want to see The Simpsons, but with episodes that are horror themed. We have ten episodes from The Simpsons that have nothing to do with Halloween but are very much steeped in horror, or mystery and will whet your appetite for the genre. Even when the Simpsons aren’t delivering their yearly “Treehouse of Horror” episode, they’re still churning out atmospheric episodes filled with elements from the genre that are often excellent and entertaining. Here are ten stands outs.
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