Television

TV critic David Bianculli says that the variety show is back, this time on cable. The new show Showtime Coast to Coast features a number of well-known celebrities and excellent performances.

Hugh Wilson created the television show WKRP. His much-anticpated, new program, Frank's Place, centers on a restaurant in New Orleans, and features many roles for African American actors.

John Peck, who also goes by the names The Mad Peck and Dr. Oldie, now focuses his professional interests on TV. His new book, called Mad Peck studio, anthologizes two decades' of his comics and writing.

Television critic David Bianculli reports back from a press tour in Los Angeles, where he was able to preview the shows debuting in the next few months. He shares his thoughts on the upcoming season.

Matt Neuman writes for the HBO show Not Necessarily the News, which lampoons political figures and current events. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his brand of edgy of humor.

Guest critic David Marc looks at the growing popularity of 1950s TV sitcoms. He thinks the trend reveals a troubling desire for an idealized suburban culture where whiteness and paternal authority ruled.

The British performer is an accomplished film, TV and stage actor who also had a number of hits on the British pop charts. Her Emmy-nominated variety show on the Fox Network, The Tracey Ullman Show, was just renewed for a second season.

Many viewers think Dennis Franz stole the show with his portrayal of Norman Buntz in Hill Street Blues. He stars in an upcoming comedy spinoff called Beverly Hills Buntz. Franz got his start early on in theater; small film parts later raised his profile as an actor.

Record producer, musician and songwriter Todd Rundgren joins Fresh Air to talk about his career both in-studio and on the concert stage. Recently, he's branched out into television, writing music for Pee Wee's Playhouse.

Critic Pat Aufderheide reviews two new PBS documentaries about the ways Japan struggles to remember the bombing of its two cities.