Television

Emmy-award winning writer-producer Paul Haggis. He's written for Norman Lear's sitcoms, was writer-producer of the first season of thirtysomething, and wrote sketches for The Tracey Ullman Show. His new TV series is "EZ Streets." (Interview by David Bianculli)

This month National Geographic "Explorer" will broadcast a behind-the-scenes documentary about NFL films, whose innovative presentation of football has helped make the sport as popular as it is today. The show, which is called "Inside NFL Films: The Idol Makers," will air on August 17th at 7 PM (ET) on TBS Superstations. Marty Moss-Coane talks with Steve Sabol, the president of NFL films, who also directs many of the NFL films.

Television producer Tom Fontana has collaborated with Barry Levinson on the critically acclaimed drama "Homicide: Life on the Street." The team is now premiering a new adult drama for HBO, called "Oz," which FONTANA also wrote. "Oz" is a realistic look at an experimental unit of a maximum security prison whose aim is to rehabilitate its inmates. Each episode focuses on a specific theme, such as sex or capital punishment, and how it affects the characters. "Oz" debuted on July 12 on HBO and can be seen on Mondays at 11 PM ET.

TV critic David Bianculli looks back and ahead at the television season.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the the last episode of Roseanne -- which is vying for viewers with a special Mad About You episode.

TV Critic David Bianculli talks about the history of television laugh tracks and a new development in their usage.

Composer Alf Clausen is the man behind the music of "The Simpsons." There's a new compliation CD of music from the animated cartoon TV series, "The Simpsons: Songs in the Key of Springfield" (Rhino).

For five years, Tabor played the part of Hank Kingsley, talk-show sidekick on the HBO comedy series, "The Larry Sanders Show." He's had many character roles on television and film. He made his film debut with a critically-acclaimed performance as Al Pacino's deranged law partner in the 1979 film "And Justice For All." He's currently starring in the TV movie "Weapons of Mass Distraction" written by Larry Gelbart. It premieres May 17.

Emergency room doctor Joe Sachs has a consultant to the popular TV drama series "E.R." He'll discuss how he works with the show, and his work in a real E.R.

TV critic David Bianculli previews the "Ellen" episode that's been talked about for months: the one in which she comes out as a lesbian.