CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
HollywoodChicago.com Television
TV Review: Don’t Visit Eli Roth’s ‘Hemlock Grove’ on Netflix
Submitted by BrianTT on April 18, 2013 - 3:00pmCHICAGO – I was so ready for “Hemlock Grove.” I’ve liked more of Eli Roth’s work in the past than most critics and thought of the creative freedom allowed by a company like Netflix and what that could mean for the horror TV genre. After the home run that was “House of Cards,” could they really go back-to-back?
TV Feature: The 5 Network Shows Most on the Bubble
Submitted by BrianTT on April 17, 2013 - 12:25pmCHICAGO – As the networks finalize their schedules, there are more periods than question marks. CBS has already renewed most of their line-up while some programs on other networks have nothing to worry about. At the same time, there are some axes that everyone knows are going to fall. But what about the shows in the middle?
TV Review: Riveting ‘The Central Park Five’ Debuts on PBS
Submitted by BrianTT on April 16, 2013 - 12:01pmCHICAGO – Almost exactly 24 years ago (on April 19, 1989), Trisha Meili was raped and brutally assaulted in Central Park in New York City. Known in the press as “The Central Park Jogger,” she lay near death as the city let out a wail for justice. Five young men who had been in the park that night were arrested and sent to jail for a crime that they clearly did not commit.
TV Review: Characters of ‘Mad Men’ Getting Lost in Changing World
Submitted by BrianTT on April 7, 2013 - 11:21amCHICAGO – Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is no longer the most popular person in the room. Time, depression, alcoholism, and the changing politics have altered this character, once such a vital force of human nature. Remember the days when everything Don said hit with the client? When he could juggle secret pasts and multiple mistresses? One of the most prominent arcs of “Mad Men” overall has been how that Don is fading away as the ’60s head toward the next decade.
TV Review: NBC’s ‘Hannibal’ is Smart, Creepy, Adult Thriller
Submitted by BrianTT on April 4, 2013 - 10:14amCHICAGO – NBC’s “Hannibal” is the best new network drama of the 2012-13 season. It’s a smart, creepy, atmospheric piece of work that perfectly gets the Thomas Harris universe that gave us one of the most memorable villains of all time.
TV Review: ‘How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 3, 2013 - 10:40amCHICAGO – How do so many talented comedians end up making such an awful sitcom as ABC’s “How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)”? The show is proof that the writer is still the king of television and that even a cast this notable can’t save cliched, poorly-written comedy.
Interview: Joshua Sasse, Leah Gibson of New TV Show ‘Rogue’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 2, 2013 - 6:17pmCHICAGO – One of the characteristics of the expanded TV spectrum is new programming from unlikely sources. DIRECTV is debuting a new series for their subscribers, a street drama called “Rogue.” The series features Thandie Newton as a conflicted undercover cop, and co-stars Joshua Sasse and Leah Gibson.
TV Review: HBO Returns to Dark World of Beloved ‘Game of Thrones’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 31, 2013 - 10:58amCHICAGO – Millions of viewers will return this week to a land of dragons, swords, magic, and characters that are difficult to tell apart when HBO’s “Game of Thrones” premieres its third season tonight, March 31, 2013 at 8pm CST. What is it about “Game of Thrones” that has engendered such incredible loyalty?
TV Review: Clever ‘Orphan Black’ Joins BBC’s Supernatural Saturday
Submitted by BrianTT on March 30, 2013 - 2:05pmCHICAGO – “Orphan Black” joins “Doctor Who” and the new program “The Nerdist” for a night of genre fun on BBC America every weekend that is known as “Supernatural Saturday.” “Who” is still the gem here but “Black” starts promisingly enough with an engaging, sexy lead performance and clever, high-concept hook.
TV Review: David Mamet’s ‘Phil Spector’ with Al Pacino, Helen Mirren
Submitted by BrianTT on March 24, 2013 - 11:56amCHICAGO – With the larger-than-life acting tics that have invaded most of Al Pacino’s performances in the last twenty years, it seemed inevitable that the actor was the only person who could possibly play a notable loon like Phil Spector. In tonight’s HBO movie named after the legendary producer, Pacino chews the scenery as one would expect but it’s Helen Mirren who steals the piece from the Oscar winner.
