Paige Albiniak
The Archive
Back from the 'Dead'
With zombies taking over the earth in “The Walking Dead,” ghosts scaring everyone on “American Horror Story” and all sorts of supernatural creatures doing who knows what on “True Blood,”...
The soul of 'Magnolia'
If you enjoyed the 1989 movie “Steel Magnolias,” you probably thought you were covered in the Southern melodrama department for decades to come. Based on a Robert Harling play, the...
Haunted house
Horror has found a new audience, with shows about zombies (AMC’s “Walking Dead”), ghosts (FX’s “American Horror Story”) and vampires, werewolves, shifters, witches and renegade gods (HBO’s “True Blood”). But...
The anti 'Normal'
The most controversial new series is NBC’s “The New Normal,” designed to offend several special-interest groups at once. Gays, because it skewers the fashion-obsessed superficiality of the culture. Heterosexuals, because...
Apocalypse now
There’s nothing like a little apocalypse to kick off the fall season. We’ve all seen the world nearly end in recent network dramas but on NBC’s “Revolution” what looks like...
Monkey see: Kirk’s in ‘Practice’
Lions and tigers and bears — and one very famous Capuchin monkey named Crystal — are just a few of the animal cast members of NBC’s new sitcom, “Animal Practice,”...
Trash TV
If cleaning out the attic is on your to-do list, get to it! It might be stuffed with unknown treasures that you can sell at a tidy profit. At least,...
Do-tell 'Hotel'
The secret to the success of “Hell’s Kitchen” star Gordon Ramsay, the television-spawned love child of Jerry Springer and Simon Cowell, is that he takes conflict and turns it into...
Everybody out of the water
One of the pleasures of watching “Shark Week,” which celebrates its 25th aSnniversary this week, is watching people attempt demented feats, things no sane person would ever even consider doing....
Laughing on the outside
Humor is tragedy plus time. Mark Twain said it, Lenny Bruce echoed it and now actor Matthew Perry, coming back together with Scott Silveri, his old “Friends”’ writer and executive...
Get me the Monkey
The monkey is hot. A month before the new fall season shows start, Crystal, a capuchin monkey and star of NBC’s “Animal Practice,” already is the break-out star. Crystal, who...
Changing channels
Remember when Bravo aired ballet and TLC actually considered education part of its mission? Yeah, we don’t either — but that’s where those channels got their starts. The founders of...
Broadway babes
Ballet is at the core of ABC Family’s “Bunheads,” but it’s also a fast and funny tale of folks who suddenly find their lives smashed together. Creator Amy Sherman-Paladino and...
‘House’ in the afterlife
With “House” ending its run, the show’s fans need not fear — there are plenty of places to hang out with crotchety doctor Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie, above) and...
When good things happen to bad shows
The end of the TV season is upon us and we have to address some hard truths. Which is that some shows are terrible. Stale. Cheesy. But before you put...
Gator gold rush
NBC spends Thursday nights trying to woo young audiences with hipster comedies, while Fox presents its singing mastodon, “American Idol.” But on Thursday nights, the coveted young male viewers are...
The young and the fuzzy
Puppies and kittens and sloths, oh my! Tiny critters — including turtles, ducklings and guinea pigs — is the territory of Animal Planet’s “Too Cute!,” a precious entertainment that stars...
Don Draper’s liver
So what if Don Draper is not a real person? If you follow the “Mad Men” protagonist on Twitter, you’ll never know the difference. And you can follow him on...
Float your boat
The Titanic sank 100 years ago this month, and today, many people remain obsessed with the ship that’s now disintegrating 2.35 miles below the ocean’s surface, 375 miles south of...
Geek chic
What are the chances that a half-hour series about a bunch of socially inept geeks could emerge, in its fifth season, as TV’s top-rated comedy? What are the chances that...