by bob_oganovic | Mar 7, 2020 | Television
Downton Abbey (2010-2015) OK, OK, I will grant you it was derivative from other PBS/BBC dramas. But, honestly, I was instantly at one with the opulent sets, the countless period costumes, the beautiful English countryside, the last-gasp-of-Victorian-era soap opera...
by bob_oganovic | Mar 7, 2020 | Television
Mad Men (2007–2015) Will Rogers famously said: “Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need.” And yet, look around your house, look in the mirror, look out the window as you drive...
by bob_oganovic | Mar 1, 2020 | Television
The Tonight Show (1954 – present) The famed sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer – who I guess was paid to worry about these kinds of things – purportedly said: “Johnny Carson has done more to ruin America’s love life than anyone else in the country....
by bob_oganovic | Mar 1, 2020 | Television
I Love Lucy (1951–1957) I recall watching the various incarnations of Lucille Ball’s TV shows with my mom and dad. As a woman AND a comedienne, she was undeniably a trailblazer within the still young medium of television. Lucy was willing to do anything in the...
by bob_oganovic | Mar 1, 2020 | Television
Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971) For many of us growing up in the 50’s and 60’s Sundays were structured by attending church in the morning, eating a large dinner in the early afternoon, and watching The Ed Sullivan Show at night. Ed was a journalist and had no performing...
by bob_oganovic | Mar 1, 2020 | Television
30 Rock (2006–2013) I always had to watch NBC’s 30 Rock on a delayed basis on my DVR. I had to do this in order to pause an episode as often as needed in order to look up some pop culture reference, meme, urban slang, or non-sequitur by one of the characters...
by bob_oganovic | Feb 22, 2020 | Television
Hill Street Blues (1981-1987) Shows about cops and bad guys have existed forever but I’d say that Hill Street Blues — with its large cast, rapid scene shifts, imperfect characters, gritty plots, people filmed talking and walking — changed the...
by bob_oganovic | Feb 21, 2020 | Television
Damages (2007–2012) In the Netflix portfolio, there have been some terrific shows but Damages remains for me at the top of the list. Glenn Close plays a ruthless lawyer with a dark past. The foil to her character is Ellen Parsons (Australian actress Rose Byrne) who...
by bob_oganovic | Feb 21, 2020 | Television
West Wing (1999–2006) Martin Sheen as Pres. Bartlett Besides a terrific ensemble cast, West Wing also recruited numerous acting heavyweights for guest appearances, including Hal Holbrook, Marlee Matlin, Karl Malden, Mark Harmon, John Goodman, John Larroquette, Alan...
by bob_oganovic | Feb 21, 2020 | Television
House of Cards (2013-2018) Kevein Spacey as Pres. Underwood NOTE: I have decided to leave this older post (below) on my blog site in spite of two unrelated but disturbing stories that surfaced in October 2017. The first involves the personal misconduct of the star of...
by bob_oganovic | Feb 19, 2020 | Television
Ken Burns’ Prohibition (2011) The technique of zooming into and out of a still photo — as well as panning around it — has come to be known as “the Ken Burns effect”. It creates the illusion of the photo being animated. Among his many...
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