FOX

CHICAGO – In a world where it’s becoming increasingly difficult for many people to hold one job or keep together one family, it’s not hard to see audiences entertained by watching a man try to juggle two of each.

CHICAGO – When the second season of “Fringe” premiered, I wrote, “If any show is going to go from mildly popular to breakout hit in its second season, I expect it will be “Fringe”.” While that certainly didn’t happen in terms of ratings (the show actually dropped 2.5 million viewers from its weekly average), the critical and cultural buzz around the series has grown. It feels more and more like “Fringe” is the current show that’s beloved by those who watch it even if it’s looking less likely to break through to a wider demographic.

CHICAGO – Not everything should be filet mignon. Sometimes you just want a greasy, delicious cheeseburger. Now imagine eating ten of those cheeseburgers in a row.

CHICAGO – With the departure of Adrian Monk (“Monk”), Jack Bauer (“24”) and Jack Shephard (“Lost”) along with the stoppage of the revolving door of personalities at “Law & Order,” there are very few time-tested icons left on television. One of the remaining TV characters that will clearly have a chapter of his own in the history books of the medium is Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his stellar sixth season of the FOX medical drama was recently released in an excellent Universal set.

CHICAGO – Long past the point when most thought it would be canceled, “The Simpsons” moved into its thirteenth season in the fall of 2001, not quite as clever or culturally relevant as at its peak but still funnier than a lot of television of its time. The first season of “The Simpsons” on Blu-ray with the same caliber of special features as the majority of releases for the most influential cartoon of all time returns the series to the must-buy form it lost with the disappointing “The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season.”

CHICAGO – The broadcast network rookie class of 2009 was one of the best of all time with “Community,” “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “The Good Wife,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Middle,” and “Cougar Town” finding loyal fans.

CHICAGO – “Date Night” is one of the few word-of-mouth hits of 2010; a film that started off reasonably well at the box office but hung around the top ten for months after its release, turning it into an undeniable comedy success. The comedy starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey opened in second place but dropped so slowly that it almost made $100 million (a huge amount for a movie like this one and plus another $50 million internationally). The movie’s loyal fans will love the excellent Blu-ray release from 20th Century Fox.

CHICAGO – Almost laughably trying to blend FOX hits “American Idol” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” the new cooking competition show “Masterchef,” which debuts on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010, is nowhere near as interesting as either and falls ridiculously flat when compared to the excellent “Top Chef.”

CHICAGO – FOX has announced the premiere dates for their hit Fall 2010 lineup including the start of the new drama “Lone Star,” new comedies “Raising Hope” and “Running Wilde,” along with returning hits like “House,” “Glee,” “Fringe,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Bones,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “The Good Guys,” “The Simpsons,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad!”.

CHICAGO – Nearly thirty episodes of Sunday night FOX animated hits “American Dad!” and “Family Guy” were recently released on DVD in extras-packed volumes and we couldn’t let these excellent releases fly by without a brief review. It’s unlikely that anyone is jumping into their collections of either show this late in the game, so the question is will they satisfy fans who already purchased the first four volumes of “American Dad!” or the first seven of “Family Guy.” Fans won’t be disappointed.