I am a “Downton Abbey” adorer. And judging by my social-media feeds, its fan base has exploded since its recent second-season PBS premiere. Everyone, it seems, loves to follow the Edwardian-era lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants as they together inhabit a magnificent manor home. So what…  [more]

I would not claim 2011 was a banner year for great television. But in the midst of all the reality TV, some smart shows quietly had amazing years. Here are my 10 TV shows that had the best 2011: 1. "Community" To say this is TV’s smartest comedy might give…  [more]

Sept. 7, 1927, is the date of the first electronic video image. Since then the electronic screen has evolved into the hottest commodity in Western culture. From the inaugural television programming (1948) to computers, digital cameras, smart phones and 3-D TVs, this phenomenon is what I and others call "screen…  [more]

Showtime’s hit show "Dexter" has been a little more miss than hit in recent seasons, but as a longtime fan who has seen every single episode, I can’t change the channel on everyone’s favorite serial killer just yet. This most recent season, however, might be sounding the death knell on…  [more]

A group called the Florida Family Association wants to make sure I don’t watch a show on TLC called "All-American Muslim." They needn’t worry about me, because the show is on TLC. (Maybe if it were on ESPN, but TLC...?) They are so worried about me watching it that they’ve…  [more]