Jeff Daniels adapts to the long hours of 'The Newsroom' life

Before taking on the lead for "The Newsroom,"HBO's intense drama exploring the behind-the-scenes frenzy of a cable news network, Jeff...

Q&A: Donald Driver discusses being the 'Dancing with the Stars' winner

Donald Driver on 'DWTS': Big winner, 'tough' moments

Hugh Laurie talks about his long goodbye to 'House'

Critic's Notebook: Farewell to 'House,' which remained true to itself

Krysten Ritter just wants to have fun

Behold a scene of lust and betrayal between a young woman and another woman's fiancé, on top of a kitchen table. Make that on top...

'Hemingway & Gellhorn': Love is a battlefield in the HBO movie

Most writers can only daydream about meeting — in the flesh — the characters they've imagined. But for Ernest Hemingway, one...

The Sunday Conversation: Jeremy Irons digs in to 'Borgias' darkness

Jeremy Irons stars as the ruthless Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI, in Showtime's period drama"The Borgias," now in its...

Critic's Notebook: TV's focus on childhood obesity hits home

I was a pioneer of childhood obesity.

Late Night: Conan O'Brien and David Letterman bash Jay Leno

Upfronts analysis: Networks playing for laughs in a big way in fall

What's so funny about the TV networks' new fall schedules? Everything — or at least that's the hope of programmers who unveiled...

'Bachelorette' Emily Maynard: 'I've never been called boring'

'Game of Thrones': George R.R. Martin fights the genre wars

TV Skeptic: 'Weight of the Nation' is light on balance about obesity

'Smash's' Christian Borle: Expect show to be 'rebooted' in Season 2

'Saturday Night Live's' eight greatest stars

'Johnny Carson: King of Late Night' takes an in-depth look

Barbara Walters, Peter Jennings and Diane Sawyer all made their best pitch but were turned down. Johnny Carson, the man who changed...

Hart Hanson talks 'Bones,' 'The Finder,' the art of show running

'Game of Thrones' star Carice van Houten on magic and Melisandre

TV networks desperately seeking young-adult viewers

Earlier this week, long-languishing NBC ordered a fall sitcom with an apt title: "Save Me."

When Spock met Hendrix: 'Trek' icon Leonard Nimoy's cosmic moment

Critic's Notebook: Of 'Mad Men' and a long-lost Beatles cartoon

Video: Jermaine Paul wins 'The Voice,' Christina Aguilera mends fences

Howard Stern talks about playing nice on 'America's Got Talent'

'Sherlock' makes its case to U.S. viewers

KCET partner Eyetronics downsized, behind on rent, sources say

The company introduced last year as a financially powerful production partner for KCET-TV has been reduced to a tiny operation that has been...

Critic's Notebook: A farewell to 'In Plain Sight'

At its best it was as smart and rich and complex as any of television's more outwardly serious and loudly celebrated cable dramas; I...

Garry Marshall recalls happy and not-so-happy days

In his new autobiography, "My Happy Days in Hollywood," which he co-wrote with his daughter Lori, Garry Marshall recalls the time in his...

Critic's Notebook: 'I, Claudius' left its bloody, sinister mark on TV drama

It's been more than 31/2 politically and culturally eventful decades since the BBC debuted "I, Claudius," the now iconic political drama set...

AMC's Joel Stillerman is meticulous in looking for next 'Mad Men'

NEW YORK — On a recent morning, Joel Stillerman, an executive with the cable network AMC, was sitting in his 15th-floor office...

Q&A: Will Arnett, a very 'Mansome' fellow

Funny and handsome, Will Arnett is willing to cop to procuring the odd pedicure. Also to embracing his makeup use at work, and teaching...

Kelly Ripa rules out her husband as co-host for 'Live!'

Critic's Notebook: Network TV embraces the B-word

Last year, when the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals curtailed the Federal Communications Commission's powers to punish networks for "fleeting...

CBS will break financial records in 2012, Leslie Moonves predicts

Katie Couric launches weekly Web show on Yahoo

Real 'fixer' behind 'Scandal' steps into spotlight

When actress Kerry Washington was preparing for her role as Olivia Pope, the high-octane Beltway "fixer" on the new ABC series "Scandal,"...

'Game of Thrones': Richard Madden talks Robb Stark's romance

"Game of Thrones'" second season continues and Robb Stark, the eldest son of the Stark family, is knee deep in mud and war....

MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry brings her analytical POV to cable news

She is a writer, academic and activist when not on the set of her weekend news show, But she'd really feel complete if she could land...

'Bronies': SoCal men let their 'My Little Pony' flag fly

The future of KCET

KCET-TV pushes into its second year of independence from PBS with a new headquarters, a new slogan and new pledges about the thoughtful...

Talk radio station KFI-AM on a roll with top ratings

Riding wave after wave of pop hits that carried the station into more radios than any other in the market, Top 40 outlet KIIS-FM (102.7)...

'Byrd' and 'Judge Judy': It's a bond that's secure

The Hollywood studio "courtroom" of "Judge Judy" Sheindlin may seem inviting enough, but Hugo Escobedo Jr. looked like someone discovering a...

The Sunday Conversation: Shannen Doherty

Shannen Doherty returns to prime time in her new WeTV reality show, "Shannen Says," which follows the former "Beverly Hills 90210" star as...

'NYC 22' shows there's still plenty of bang left in TV cop dramas

TV westerns, game shows and variety shows have come and gone. But when it comes to prime time, TV has rarely experienced a cop-out,...

'Eastbound & Down': In a league of its own

There are basically two kinds of fans of HBO's comedy "Eastbound & Down," which wraps up its third, and what will probably be its final,...

James Van Der Beek is just being himself

It would turn out to be a classic teen TV drama moment: Dawson Leery, the eternal idealist of late '90s adolescent sudser "Dawson's Creek,"...

Analysis: Mike Wallace's pit-bull style made him a household name

The death of CBS News' pit-bull reporter Mike Wallace marks not only the passing of a broadcast lion but in many ways also the brand of...

Lena Dunham speaks uncomfortable truths about 'Girls'

Lena Dunham is sitting at a Larchmont Boulevard cafe in a pale yellow dress and a blazer, rummaging around her bag for a bottle of green...

'The Client List': Jennifer Love Hewitt decides to 'shake it up'

The billboards are impossible to miss. There she is: Olive skin glistening, leg arched seductively, virtually naked save for flesh-colored...

'The Beverly Hillbillies' and other great storytelling TV themes

In honor of the passing of Earl Scruggs, here's a brief look back at some of the most notable storytelling TV themes.

Creative Minds: 'Game of Thrones' costume designer Michele Clapton

Michele Clapton is the Emmy-nominated costume designer for HBO's "Game of Thrones." She talks about the challenges of outfitting a sprawling...

Has TV matured to the 'just friends' stage?

Way back when the world was young and romantic comedies opened at theaters every weekend, "When Harry Met Sally" had everyone talking, and...

'Southland' puts viewers on L.A.'s mean streets

The suspect is a teenager, a baby-faced black kid out for a joyride in "the Jungle," a high-crime maze in southwest Los Angeles. Two white...

'Smash': Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman want to make viewers hum

The great promise of "Smash" was that it offered a glossy insider's look at Broadway. The equally great challenge was to create original yet...

Andy Borowitz: Digital stand-up artist

When he wrote for TV sitcoms, audience buzz or ratings might roll in over a few days. It could take several stand-up gigs to find the...

Critic's Notebook: NBC welcomes 'Grimm' development

In the endless prelude to the premiere of "Smash," the hand-wringing over the state of NBC was something to behold. After canning "Prime...

The Sunday Conversation: The Rev. Al Sharpton

The Rev. Al Sharpton, 57, has evolved from outside political agitator to presidential advisor and host of MSNBC's weekday news show...

The Sunday Conversation: Elizabeth McGovern

Elizabeth McGovern, 50, and her English director-producer husband, Simon Curtis, 51, recently hit the awards nominee circuit in tandem, he...

NBC is hoping 'Smash' is a smash

NBC is banking on a musical about a tragic icon for a reversal of its own misfortunes.

Facebook, Twitter's roles in campaign 2012 media coverage deepen

Politico headlined a story last week "Mitt, Paul winning Facebook primary." About the same time, the Washington Post reported "Romney...

'Magic City' drama moves to a midcentury Miami beat

The comparisons will be inevitable between the Starz drama "Magic City" and AMC's critical darling "Mad Men."

"Touch" gets to Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland runs through a packed Grand Central Station, dodging bystanders and scanning the crowd for suspicious activity. The...

Late-night shows find favor with GOP presidential candidates

Mitt Romney has yet to appear on the Sunday morning political talk shows of three major broadcast networks this fall, but the GOP...

Golden Globes: TV nods go dark and offbeat

Ambitious and largely dark cable shows dominated the TV drama category, while offbeat, quirky newcomers outnumbered the usual suspects for...

For TV networks, it's Tebow Time

They say Tim Tebow can't pass. They say he over-relies on the run, and prays too much on the field. They say he'll never last in the...

Solemn or silly — these actors can do it all

A panic-stricken middle-aged man, wearing little more than a gas mask and tighty-whities, is driving a dilapidated RV across the desert. Two...

Political campaigns a gold mine for late-night comedians

Earlier this political season, many comedians lamented the absence of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the 2012 presidential race,...

Established chefs risk reputations to be 'The Next Iron Chef'

They're the food world's equivalent of "made" men and women — instantly recognizable chefs who have their own cooking shows,...

Yes, Anna Kournikova can relate

What does Anna Kournikova know about losing weight?

Comic-Con icon Felicia Day

Felicia Day is a sort of famous person, by which I do not mean that she is moderately famous but that her fame is of a particular type.

It's America's turn to judge 'X Factor'

It may look like "American Idol" and sound like 'American Idol" — it even has some of the same people as "American Idol" — but...

Claire Danes stars in 'Homeland'

Who is more dangerous?

Tim Allen's still hungry for sitcom success

Tim Allen knows what he likes: hamburgers. And sitcoms. Specifically, sitcoms of the hamburger variety. At least, that's how Allen describes...

Fall TV: 'Beavis and Butt-Head' on MTV

Whoever believes wisdom increases with age may be in for a reality check if they come across the return of MTV's resident idiots, "Beavis...

Sarah Michelle Gellar: mother of one, actress of two

What happens after you save the world?

Classic Hollywood: Doctors, lawyers invade TV in '61

Every fall the broadcast networks unveil their new series — some will become hits, a lot more will disappear in a nanosecond. The same...

How 9/11 seared itself into American culture

How should popular culture deal with a tragedy in which nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in a space of time equivalent to an average-...

Review: 'Hatfields & McCoys' has vivid detail, fine acting

History knows more than a little something about the dangers of messing with a big family.

Summer TV Preview: Meet the new shows

Summer TV season, you used to be a lazy thing, satisfied with reruns and minor-league variety shows, happy to kick back until fall. Now...

NBC set for an Olympic feat without longtime captain

On July 27, a torchbearer will trot into a new $770-million stadium in London and light that famous flame. And for the next 17 days, NBC...

BBC America's 'Copper' takes on New York crime in the 1860s

It seemed like a good idea at the time: Convert an area in Lower Manhattan into a comfortable, racially integrated middle-class neighborhood...

'Dallas' villains and Stetsons return on TNT

If you seat a bunch of lying, scheming, backstabbing relatives around one lunch table, would it be wise to remove all the sharp objects,...

'Hatfields & McCoys' miniseries looks at families' bloody feud

Even 150 years later, no one can say for sure what started the bloody feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of...

Critic's Notebook: Recommendations for reruns

For reasons that have more to do with ad sales tradition than modern viewer function, television does not have the same deeply committed...

Russell Brand brings 'consciousness' (and comedy) to 'Brand X'

Russell Brand — movie star, provocateur, former addict, ex-pop-star husband and MTV awards show lightning rod — is seeking a...

Katee Sackhoff's new role is down to Earth

Katee Sackhoff is rough, tough and buff. At least, that's how millions ofsci-fi fans know the statuesque blond actress from"Battlestar...

New CW reveals lineup; 'Supernatural,' '90210' move nights

Upfronts 2012: CBS unveils fall schedule; 'Men' moves to Thursday

Upfronts 2012: ABC looks to rebuild Sundays, beef up Fridays

Upfronts 2012: ABC unveils 2012-13 schedule

Dish Network ad-skipping feature Auto Hop irks network TV execs

NEW YORK — Satellite broadcaster Dish Network Corp.'s new Auto Hop feature, which makes it easier for viewers to avoid watching...

Fall TV: Fox unveils 2012-13 schedule; 'Glee' moves to Thursdays

NBC hopes you find its schedule funny

NBC evidently believes laughter is the best medicine: The struggling network will have a strong dose of comedy on four nights in its fall...

Review: HBO's 'Weight of the Nation' pounds away at obesity

"The Weight of the Nation," HBO's new four-part documentary exploring the rising obesity rates among Americans, does not pussy-foot....

Eva Longoria says 'Housewives' all get along -- even Teri Hatcher

"Desperate Housewives" has always offered equal amounts of drama off- and on-screen, but one might imagine weepy reflections on the...

Time Warner Cable stepping up its game in L.A. sports programming

Already the largest cable television provider in Los Angeles, Time Warner Cable Inc. now wants to become the dominant sports programmer in...

Remembering Maurice Sendak through his Stephen Colbert interview

'First Take' on ESPN2 is turning up the volume

BRISTOL, Conn. — In the bid to build the perfect sports talk show, competition abounds — from the Web, talk radio and, most...

TV review: 'Jesse Owens' on fast-forward

The Olympics are (almost) back, and it's a good time to sing again the ballad of Jesse Owens, the black American track star who put the...

FCC says TV stations must disclose data on political ad spending

Soon, anyone who wants to know how much a political candidate spent on a commercial will be able to find out with the click of a button.

FCC weighs putting political ad data online; broadcasters balk

This month, just before the Pennsylvania primary, Mitt Romney's campaign bought a 30-second commercial on CBS-owned KYW-TV Philadelphia that...

Television review: 'The L.A. Complex' twists the familiar

Oh, Canada, so near and yet so far. We share a language, albeit with different notions of how to pronounce "sorry" and "about"; we use...

Comcast's 2 highest-paid executives get smaller packages

Comcast Corp.'s highest-paid executives — Chief Executive Brian Roberts and NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke — experienced...

Review: Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes a first-rate, funny 'Veep'

Armando Iannucci's droll, fleet "Veep," which premieres Sunday on HBO and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfusas Selina Meyer, vice president of the...

'Good Morning America' has a breakthrough

It's morning for America —"Good Morning America,"that is.

Jeffrey Schlesinger brings Warner films and TV to global viewers

The gig: As president of Warner Bros. International Television, Jeffrey Schlesinger, 56, oversees sales of Warner...

ABC's 'Titanic' can't stay afloat with so many stories to tell

Although I never thought I would say these words in this lifetime, what I really missed was Celine Dion.

Television review: 'Girls' a potent force but it's hard to love

Toward the end of the first episode of HBO's "Girls," Hannah (Lena Dunham), in the hopes of persuading her parents to continue supporting...

Daum: The radical message of 'Girls'

When I was 24 and living in a funky New York City apartment with roommates, roaches and ambitions that were both utterly consuming and...

TV review: You can trust roomies of 'Apartment 23' to be funny

Despite its rather tiresome and typographically unwieldy title,ABC's "Don't Trust the B— in Apartment 23" is among the least raunchy...

Movie trailers have become a main event

The online video touted an epic unveiling from one of Hollywood's most revered filmmakers: "In three days, Ridley Scott returns to the genre...

Jason Isaacs lives the dream on 'Awake'

On NBC's psychological procedural "Awake," Jason Isaacs plays a man moving between two realities. In one: His son is alive, but his wife...

DirecTV and Tribune make deal to restore channels

Tribune Co. television stations, including KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles, are coming back to satellite broadcaster DirecTV.

'Fashion Star' is designed with retail in mind

Fashion ought to be a no-brainer for television: It's fun to look at, appeals to a spending-happy demographic and involves outsized...

Oscars 2012: Ratings up slightly with Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal may be nearly old enough for Medicare, but when it comes to Oscar ratings he can outrun hosts half his age.

Fighting for truth, justice the silly way

Christian Jacobs is standing on the set of "The Aquabats! Super Show!," having cupfuls of what looks suspiciously like vomit poured all over...