Franco’s ‘SNL’ Weapon: Nicki Minaj
It was a packed and satisfying "Saturday Night Live" this week and not just because of the usual pre-holiday boost. James Franco has done this job before and, after kind…
We All Survived ‘Peter Pan Live!’
Although it seems to have received half the viewers of last year's live musical event, NBC's "Peter Pan Live!" was a step up from "The Sound of Music" on a…
Chris Rock’s Return to ‘SNL’ (Prince 2)
The last time Chris Rock hosted "Saturday Night Live," I'm convinced, it made him into an A-level comic. An extended monologue that was part of his peerless 1996 "Bring the…
‘American Horror Story’s Freak Show
Old carnival freak shows are the natural stuff of horror so it was only a matter of time before “American Freak Show” (FX, 10 p.m.), which previously visited haunted houses, asylums…
Generally Flat Opener for ‘SNL’
You might think that entering its 40th season, “Saturday Night Live” would have its late night comedy running smoothly and reliably; and after a long summer off, it would be…
The Transcendent ‘Transparent’
The fall's best new series isn't on broadcast television, it isn't on cable, and it even isn't on Netflix. Sponsored by the company that began as an online bookstore, "Transparent,"…
Break-in, Bostonian on ‘Boardwalk’
The third episode of the season for "Boardwalk Empire" wove a gripping story about a domestic break-in by Chalky and his fellow prison escapee Buck, while Nucky Thompson hosted the…
Stage Reviews: ‘Belleville,’ ‘Fool for Love’
Two different plays featuring couples stuck in one place, slowly revealing the secrets that are destroying them, are currently playing in the D.C. area in productions so relentless they have…
Nucky Looks Back on ‘Boardwalk’ Premiere
As brutal as the fourth season of "Boardwalk Empire" was (summarized in a mayhem-filled two minutes) the start of the fifth and final season of the Atlantic City prohibition saga…
Flirting with WWIII on ’24’
In recent weeks, it seemed that the big event on "24: Live Another Day" had all been prematurely resolved. The errant drones were curbed; the President didn’t explode in Wembley…