TV Smarty in a Dress

05/11/2021

Madonna’s seminal 1991 documentary had few precedents. That’s why it can’t be replicated today.

05/11/2020

Jerry Stiller was a scene stealer in 2 of the longest running sitcoms (on air and off net) in the past 30 years. Fortunately, Frank Costanza and Arthur Spooner will be with us always. !

04/16/2020

Popular Culture and Society
Public Syllabus
Week 5: Courage
past weeks are also in the comments

03/15/2020

TV Smarty's recommendations for people who have seen everything:

Broadchurch (Netflix): Suspense, good acting, warning: murdered kid
Dare Me (USA): Drama, twisty, warning: mean girl cheerleaders
Scott and Bailey (Amazon): Police procedural, great stories, strong women
Vera (Amazon): Nice storytelling
Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix): John Mulaney-quirky
Count Arthur Strong (Tubi): Silly, good for family viewing
The Thick of It (Hulu): British Veep
High Fidelity (HULU): Smart, music-based TV series
The Wire (HBOGo): Not one bad episode.

10/26/2019

Rachel Maddow looks at the reporting that went into the Harvey Weinstein story and other stories that formed the basis of the MeToo movement, and the conflic...

10/26/2019

Not sure if you caught Rachel Maddow last night, but she improved the working conditions for women in television. BRAVO for taking on her employer in this way.

Rachel Maddow looks at the reporting that went into the Harvey Weinstein story and other stories that formed the basis of the MeToo movement, and the conflic...

05/07/2019

The Boss has always been one of my fav Diana Ross songs. This is fun news. Also, if you don't follow Miss Ross on Twitter, you're missing out.

The success of "The Boss 2019" continues to illustrate the unprecedented star-power of Ms. Ross as a trailblazer and legend in the music industry.

05/07/2019

This is a great story about learning the TV industry and resilience. Media profs should definitely include this in their intro classes.

The fact that Matthew Cherry was a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens is the least most inte…

05/06/2019

Byron Allen is quietly becoming a media mogul. I'm curious what his grand plan is. Local weather outlets with Weather Channel content? Hmmmm.

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Broadcasting has acquired the Bayou City Broadcasting Evansville and Bayou City Broadcasting Lafayette station groups for $165 million, adding a total of four networ…

05/03/2019

TV Smarty Trivia: What recent change has Judge Judy made that has caused a stir?

06/04/2018

On Everybody Loves Raymond, what does Debra's sister decide to do for a living? Bonus question--where does she decide to move?

05/29/2018

Moments like these are when my vast TV knowledge comes in handy.

1. Roseanne the show can't go on without Roseanne the star. There would be no reboot without her. Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman can't carry the show because the show isn't about them. It didn't work for Valerie, Valerie's Family, the Hogans....It certainly won't work for an icon like Roseanne. Nor do they want to do that with their film careers in the balance.

2. ABC doesn't have to pay the crew. TV crews know that the ugly side of their business is that shows are canceled all the time. That said, Roseanne could give money to the crew and not feel it one bit.

3. If ABC could have figured out a way to make money from this disaster, they would have. Right now is when advertisers are looking to jump on to a hit show. Can you imagine how many advertisers were calling the network to get off the Roseanne show today?

4. Roseanne Conner meant a lot to many for decades. The show made many statements about class that are laudable. At the same time, Roseanne the person has long had a self destructive streak. Twitter only made those tendencies more pronounced. ABC loved the off handed, freewheeling remarks until they didn't.

5. ABC should look at this moment as an opportunity to highlight shows such as Greys, Black-ish and Fresh off the Boat that celebrate inclusivity. They should not shy away from meaningful representations out of fear.