Television

Sautter says that, in order to break into the industry, aspiring television writers need to craft better material than what they see on air. His new book explains the mechanics and unspoken rules of scriptwriting.

Scholar Kathryn Montgomery says that deregulation in the late 1980s has led to the rise of different advocacy groups who seek to influence television programming, often by targeting advertisers. Her new book, Target: Prime Time, explains how both minority and religious groups have mobilized in recent years.

HBO will soon air the animated show Babar, about an elephant and his family. TV critic David Bianculli says the program joins the ranks of other recent, excellent children's programming like Shining Time Station and the Peter Pan musical. More importantly, his kids love it too.

The 1960 broadcast of the musical, starring Mary Martin in the titular role, returns to television. TV critic David Bianculli says, watching it again, he clapped right along with his two young children.

Film critic David Bianculli says the drama China Beach and a special episode of Nightline deal with the lives of Vietnam veterans in respectful and powerful ways; both are worth watching.

David Marc considers his new book about classic sitcoms as a kind of autobiography: each show he reviews reminds him of the time in his life when he first watched it. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the history and politics of television comedy, especially in how it restricted the roles of women and people of color.

TV critic David Bianculli calls the new sitcom, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis, has an intriguing premise and promising cast, but it follows a familiar, cookie-cutter formula, and its writing needs work.

Reiner is a prolific director of comedy films. A frequent collaborator with Mel Brooks, he started in the theater and later television, where he began his career as a writer on the program Your Show of Shows. His latest movie, inspired by classic Hollywood musicals, is called Bert Rigby, You're a Fool.

Tucker says he's often confused with the character he plays on the legal drama -- which also stars Jill Eikenberry as his wife. He's featured in the new made-for-TV movie, Day One.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new made-for-TV movie about the bombing of Hiroshima, called Day One. He says the scenes of White House discussions regarding whether or not to use nuclear weapons are what make the movie really special -- and really scary.

Leslie Savan, who writes about advertising for the Village Voice, looks at Pepsi's newest ad campaign in the USSR, and reflects on the relationship between Russian culture and American corporatism.

The new PBS show dramatized news program Timeline features on-the-ground reporting of historical events in order to give viewers a new way of thinking about the past. TV critic David Bianculli praises the show's accuracy, and it's respect for its audience.

The World War II-themed Christabel airs at the same time as Glory! Glory!, about the relationship between a televangist and a punk rocker. Since the latter will play repeatedly on HBO, TV critic David Bianculli recommends first watching the more substantive Christabel.

Peter Falk reprises his role of the disheveled detective Columbo, twelve years after the series ended. TV critic David Bianculli says the show meets the high standards of the original, and that Falk is as charming as ever.

Television critic David Bianculli says that viewers have lost their taste for westerns and miniseries. But he recommends the star-studded show Lonesome Dove, which is both. The story follows the lives of three sheriffs in the untamed west.

Martin Short established himself as a comedic actor on SCTV and Saturday Night Live. He's famous for his physical humor, celebrity impressions, and the memorable characters he invented, like Ed Grimley. Short has since graduated to the silver screen, starring in movies like Innerspace and Three Amigos. His new movie is called Three Fugitives.

Freberg created several humorous and memorable ad campaigns for television and radio, and continues to work in the trade today. His new memoir, the first of two volumes, is called It Only Hurts When I Laugh.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews Shining Time Station, a kids' show starring Ringo Starr and acted out with tabletop train sets. Bianculli says he liked it almost as much as his toddlers did.

Guest critic Leslie Savan says the portrayal of women in recent television commercials reflects what she calls the "gal" archetype -- clumsy but charming, and always insecure, they never have the upper hand at home or work.

TV critic David Bianculli review The Arsenio Hall Show and The Pat Sajak show, both of which attempt to recreate the success of Johnny Carson and David Letterman's late night programs. Bianculli says Hall leans a little too heavily on name-dropping, while Sajak borrows too much from Letterman.