Television

Bianculli reviews Clone High, a new animated series on MTV.

He stars as maverick cop Vic Mackey in the FX channel drama series The Shield. Last year, in the first year of the series, Chiklis won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Now it's year two. The Shield is a major departure from the sunnier roles Chiklis had in his past TV shows, The Commish and Daddio.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews Mark Twain the new two-part documentary series by Ken Burns which airs on PBS tonight and tomorrow night.

Chuck Barris is the creator of "The Dating Game," "The Newlywed Game," and "The Gong Show." He also composed the themes for each show. The new film "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is based on Barris' 1980 autobiography in which he claims - while he was creating game shows - he was also a CIA assasin. "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is George Clooney's directorial debut. (REBROADCAST from 1/28/86)

They are the creators of the original TV reality show An American Family. The 1973 PBS series followed the Loud Family. The new film Lance Loud! A Death In An American Family premieres on PBS January 6, 2003 at 9 p.m.

TV critic David Bianculli previews the HBO docudrama Live from Baghdad. It's a behind-the-scenes story about how CNN scooped its rivals in covering the first night of the Persian Gulf War 12 years ago. The show premieres on Saturday.

Lewis Gould is a professor of American History at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s edited the new book, “Watching Television Come of Age” (University of Texas Press) a collection of the New York Times reviews by his father, Jack Gould who covered TV for the Times from 1947 until 1972. Jack Gould died in 1993.

He starred in HBO's parody of talk-shows, The Larry Sanders Show. It featured Shandling as a veteran talk-show host. His guests included Robin Williams, Howard Stern, and, actual talk show host, David Letterman playing themselves. The show went off the air in 1998, but reruns of the show are currently airing on the network Bravo. Shandling also starred in It's Garry Shandling's Show. Shandling also appears in the new Seinfeld documentary, Comedian,which shows in theaters now.

David Bianculli reviews The Osbournes, the MTV reality series about the family of rocker Ozzy Osbourne. The new season starts tonight.

TV personality Tom Arnold hosts FOX television's The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Arnold is probably best known for his marriage to Roseanne Barr. He was a writer, actor and executive producer on Roseanne, and starred in three tv shows of his own including The Jackie Thomas Show. He has a new memoir, How I Lost 5 Pounds in 6 Years

British actor Jeremy Northam stars in the new CBS movie Martin & Lewis about Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (he plays Martin) which airs Sunday. Northam recently starred in Gosford Park, Possesion and Enigma. In 2003 he stars in the new film The Singing Detective.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews Curb Your Enthusiasm the Larry David series on HBO which just concluded its second season.

His popular show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was the longest-running program on public television. It ran 33 years and ended its run in 2001. Rogers is the author of the new book, The Mister Rogers Parenting Book: Helping to Understand Your Young Child. (Running Press). Earlier this year, Rogers was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the nation can bestow.

Born and raised outside Chicago, Wax moved to England during her 20s, and found success as a performer, writer and TV personality. Wax scripted the British TV comedy Absolutely Fabulous and has had many other hit TV series on the BBC. Her new memoir is called How Do You Want Me?

Host of NPR’s The Tavis Smiley show, TAVIS SMILEY. He’s the author of the new book “Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing, and Hope from Black America” (Doubleday). The book is a collection of personal narratives by ordinary African Americans. SMILEY also provides commentary twice a week on ABC radio’s Tom Joyner Morning Show. And he’s a contributor for CNN and a contributing correspondent on ABC’s PrimeTime.

TV critic David Bianculli previews tonight’s season premiere of the second season of “24” on FOX.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews some new DVD collections of TV shows.

Shes currently starring in the new sitcom Life with Bonnie, playing a TV morning show host, doctors wife and harried mother. It airs on ABC, Tuesday nights at 9 PM. Its Hunts third sitcom. Hunt came out of the Second City Comedy Troupe.

T.V. critic David Bianculli reviews two made-for-TV movies airing this Sunday: Gleason, on CBS, about the life of comic Jackie Gleason, and Showtimes Bang, Bang, Youre Dead, a one-act play that recalls the dramatic programming of TVs early days.

Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, authors of the new book, Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live (Little Brown and Company). The book is a history of the late-night comedy mainstay, which first aired in 1975. Shales and Miller interviewed the shows' producers, writers, cast members and guest hosts, including Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Al Franken, Will Farrell, Tom Hanks and many more. Tom Shales is the Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic of The Washington Post and a movie critic for NPR's Morning Edition.