Capture: reality TV’s Hunger Games finds drama in a game of tag
On The CW’s Capture, teams of two try to avoid being tagged during a four-hour hunt by a designated team.
Why CNBC’s The Profit is so great: reality
A few weeks ago, CNBC debuted a new series into a crowded space: The Profit. Like other makeover shows, it features an experienced person going in to challenged or failing businesses and making it over. The difference here is reminiscent of Shark Tank: Marcus Lemonis invests his own money in the businesses that he’s taking …
Whodunnit’s intense finale focuses on its greatest crime
ABC’s Whodunnit concluded with an intense, rapid-fire finale that had a challenge and pace reminiscent of an outstanding The Amazing Race finale. But it was guilty of emphasizing the wrong thing, insisting that the “who” mattered in everything from its title to its finale’s focus. The episode began with a Giles-narrated intro that should have …
Food Network’s tragically fallen Star
Food Network Star had an incredible season last summer, reinventing and reinvigorating the show with a new format that was reality TV’s best makeover ever. And then Food Network threw it all away and gave us a season that excised nearly everything good about last season. Genius. The previews hinted at the problems, but the …
The Hero: moments and moments of frustration that need more of The Rock
TNT’s competition series The Hero has reached the point at which viewers get to select Patty O’Neil as the hero, giving her $610,000 and the title. Because honestly, is there any way that she will not win? Last night’s penultimate episode was blatantly edited and structured to set her up as an actual hero, saving …
Top Shot, Big Brain Theory both take reality TV competitions to fascinating new places
Two competition series have evolved the very, very standard, formulaic, talent-driven competition format in interesting ways: History’s Top Shot has become 100 percent about talent, while Discovery’s The Big Brain Theory has kept its eliminated contestants around to continue to participate and compete for a wild card spot. Both shows are produced by Pilgrim Studios, …
Queen of Versailles: this is must-see reality TV
The Queen of Versailles is an exceptional, must-watch film that’s better reality TV than most reality television. We need more documentaries–and more reality television–like this. Bravo’s broadcast of the film tonight and again on Friday makes surprising sense, since the network almost exclusively now traffics in dramatizing and mocking the lives of the rich, making …
Face Off needs to take off its inflexible mask and free McKenzie
SyFy’s Face Off ends its fourth season tonight, having already been renewed for a fifth season that will air this summer. It remains a strong competition with a lot of talent and some really impressive work. But it has a problem. Like makeup done that doesn’t allow the actor to emote or even more their …
Why Survivor Philippines was so satisfyingly great
Eight reasons why Survivor Philippines was so great, from Denise Stapley’s win to the casting of Lisa Whelchel, Jeff Kent, and Malcolm Freberg.
Survivor winner Yul Kwon’s PBS series America Revealed: frustrating, but well-intentioned
America Revealed is about transportation, food, power, and manufacturing, and mostly comes to life thanks to Yul, who gets into the middle of the things that he’s talking about.
NYC Prep: PC’s coming-out party and lots of awkward rich teenager moments
Bravo’s streak of docudramas about people we love to loathe continues with NYC Prep, a series that follows several prep school kids that doesn’t have much going on except the exploration of one character’s sexuality. Still, it’s perfectly enjoyable, especially as a summer show. The series is basically a teenage version of The Real Housewives …
Whale Wars is compelling real-life drama in the Antarctic
A high-tension thriller in which activists fight against whalers and their own inexperience.
High school newspaper reality series The Paper debuts tonight on MTV
Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET, MTV debuts The Paper, a reality series that follows the staff of The Circuit, the student newspaper at the country’s largest high school, Cypress Bay High School in Broward County, Fla. As a former high school journalist and editor, I was psyched when MTV first announced the series, and was …
Celebrity Rehab’s finale airs tonight; it’s the best and most tragic show of the year
The two-hour finale of VH1’s Celebrity Rehab officially debuts tonight at 9 p.m. ET, when the celebrities go on an Outward Bound experience together before leaving rehab. A mini-marathon precedes that, starting at 6. I’ve found the show to be exceptionally compelling–and the best new reality show of 2008. The problem is that because there’s …
Project Runway 2 concludes and Top Chef debuts tonight on Bravo
Project Runway 2 concludes tonight at 10 p.m. ET, when either Chloe, Daniel, or Santino will win the competition, perhaps only to turn down the show’s prize just like last season’s winner. As the episode begins, we’ll see how each designer handles the last-minute challenge they were given: to design and construct one more piece …
