Sunday TV: ‘Family Tree,’ ‘Survivor’ Finale
It's about time Christopher Guest got into the TV biz; his approach to mockumentary has inspired a handful or more of the best comedies on TV in the last decade.…
Wiig Well Used in Returning to ‘SNL’
It's usually fun -- and seemingly easy -- whenever a former cast member returns to "Saturday Night Live" to host. There's no learning curve to overcome, a certain ease with…
Saturday TV: Salute to Harryhausen
Special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, who died Tuesday at 92 gets a full salute today with a replay of the French documentary that it premiered earlier this spring, "Ray Harryhausen:…
Friday TV: Ukeleles and Finales
A young man from Hawaii who found the ukelele a much more versatile instrument than his forebears is featured in the well-made documentary "Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings" (PBS,…
Reality TV’s Crying Jag
There may be no crying in baseball, but there is no stopping the tears on reality shows. Both "Survivor" and "American Idol" were soaked in them Wednesday as they approached…
Thursday TV: ‘Monumental Mysteries,’ Four Finales, ‘Wipeout’ Returns
The new "Monumental Mysteries" (Travel, 9 p.m.) throws together a bunch of crime stories that are loosely connected to monuments. They make it sound as if it will be Alamo and the…
Four Current Plays: ‘Optimism’ to ‘The Golem’
By the time Voltaire got around to writing Candide, he had been kicked out of Paris a couple of times for his outspoken work. The 1759 book, whose subtitle was “or…
Wednesday TV: Deer in the Headlights, ‘Idol’
"Nature" (PBS, 8 p.m.) is often about exotic or little seen animals in exotic areas, but tonight's episode is about the deer eating your garden right now. A century ago,…
Tuesday TV: ‘Wait Wait, Don’t Amend Me’
There's a number of ways PBS could approach a series about the Constitution. They could have Ken Burns do it with black and white pictures and old timey music. Or…
Monday TV: Importing an Asian Wife
Filmmaker Debbie Lum was always fascinated with the number of white American men who preferred Asian women. Then again, her own husband was white. But when she started to look…