Apr 10 Charles Van Doren, figure in game show scandals, dies at 93 By Dave Collins, Associated Press The handsome scion of a prominent literary family, Van Doren was the central figure in the TV game show scandals of the late 1950s and eventually pleaded guilty to perjury for lying to a grand jury that investigated them. Continue reading
Mar 04 Luke Perry dead at 52 after suffering stroke, publicist says By Lynn Elber, Associated Press Perry, who gained instant heartthrob status as wealthy rebel Dylan McKay on "Beverly Hills, 90210," died Monday after suffering a massive stroke, his publicist said. He was 52. Continue reading
Feb 28 The ‘awful’ work of the real doctors who inspired M*A*S*H By Dr. Howard Markel The people in MASH units worked long hours and endured horrific stresses of warfare. Continue reading
Nov 27 ‘SpongeBob’ creator Stephen Hillenburg dies of ALS at 57 By Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Hillenburg conceived, wrote, produced and directed the animated series Spongebob SquarePants that began in 1999 and bloomed into hundreds of episodes, movies and a Broadway show. Continue reading
Oct 25 Prime-time TV reaches record-high percentage of LGBTQ characters, study shows By Lynn Elber, Associated Press While the percentage of regularly seen LGBTQ characters on scripted broadcast series rose from last year's 6.4 percent to hit an all-time high of 8.8 percent, GLAAD said the TV industry is still falling short. Continue reading
Sep 28 Watch 9:17 ‘Laughter reaches every demographic,’ says creator of new ‘Murphy Brown’ By Judy Woodruff “Murphy Brown,” a hit situation comedy of the late 80’s and 90’s, is back in a reboot. Original star Candice Bergen and creator, writer and producer Diane English reinvented the program to reflect today’s tumultuous media and political climate. Judy… Continue watching
May 29 Watch 4:22 Roseanne Barr isn’t new to incendiary tweets. Here’s why ABC decided to act ABC canceled rebooted sitcom "Roseanne" on Tuesday over an offensive outburst by its creator and star. Roseanne Barr wrote a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former senior advisor to President Obama. William Brangham talks with Eric Deggans of NPR… Continue watching
Apr 03 Watch 9:00 ‘Roseanne’ revival hits a nerve by tapping the political divide By PBS News Hour “Roseanne” is back after a two-decade-long hiatus, winning high ratings and critical acclaim, as well as criticism. One of the few sitcoms to grapple with issues of class, the reboot locates the Connor family in Trump's America, in the middle… Continue watching
Feb 23 Watch 6:33 Pre-9/11 drama ‘The Looming Tower’ explores the failure of intelligence when division gets in the way By PBS News Hour, Frank Carlson A new drama takes viewers back to the events that led to the 9/11 attacks. Hulu’s "The Looming Tower," based on Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, retells the true story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden in the years… Continue watching
Sep 18 Here’s who won (and poked fun) at the Emmy Awards By Lora Strum Colbert's direct shot at the president was just one of the ways politics made its way into Sunday's television awards, from nods to the cut-throat Washington drama “House of Cards” to Alec Baldwin's infamous impersonation on “Saturday Night Live.”… Continue reading