Email Author Robert Abele

2005 Stories by Robert Abele

• Exquisite Corpse

  published December 29, 2005

  A clever matchup between ruthless killer and dedicated cop is always cold-bloodedly entertaining. Which is why, in the television crime... More >>

• Who Wants to Be a Ratings Millionaire?

  published December 29, 2005

  In search of that old must-see sparkle, NBC played the get-rich-quick game-show card last week with a five-nights-only airing of Deal or No... More >>

• War Torn

  published December 22, 2005

  What does an ex-anchor do with his time? Tom Brokaw spent the better part of this past year putting together a sobering report that aired... More >>

• CBS’s Sharper Image

  published December 15, 2005

  You can’t exactly ignore the central device of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother: It kicks off each show. We see ... More >>

• The Funniest Guy On TV

  published December 15, 2005

  Outside of Amy Poehler and trenchant “Weekend Update” jokes, Saturday Night Live doesn’t have a whole lot going for it these days. But... More >>

• Vacation From Reality

  published December 8, 2005

  The reality-show mainstays are all sputtering to the season’s close, which makes it a risky time for the networks. How can they ensure that fan... More >>

• Must-Scare TV

  published December 1, 2005

  Photo by Randy TepperCan a dramatic series be considered realistic if it traffics in a scenario that for average citizens... More >>

• Ana-Lucia’s Lost Aria

  published December 1, 2005

  Like solos in a jazz showcase or operatic star turns, the flashback stories on Lost serve as chances for cast members to get a little... More >>

• I'd Like to Thank...

  published November 24, 2005

  What am I thankful for this year? I’m thankful for the awesome sexy-scariness of Rachel Bilson on The O.C., whose bitchy-witt... More >>

• Karma Chameleon

  published November 17, 2005

  Photo by Chris HastonThe dirty secret of Fox’s not-long- for-this-world Arrested Development is that despite it... More >>

• I’m Melting! I’m Melting...

  published November 17, 2005

  Fox concluded its two-part Trading Spouses premiere last week with the long-promised “meltdown of biblical proportions” from obe... More >>

• If Only Life Imitated Art

  published November 10, 2005

  Between its West Wing debate episode and a special two-hour Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NBC gave us some wickedly entertaining... More >>

• A Rock and a Hard Place

  published November 3, 2005

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• Broken Bonaduce

  published November 3, 2005

  Uh-oh. Now that VH-1’s Breaking Bonaduce has reached the forgiveness-and-healing phase, I’m worried that my love for this show h... More >>

• Sex and Gambling on the Polite Screen

  published October 20, 2005

  Watching the six-part miniseries Viva Blackpool on BBC America, I couldn’t help but look at this genre bender — about ... More >>

• Into the Boosh

  published October 20, 2005

  The first tickle of a new obsession being formed is a powerful thing, and it happened to me this past week when I happened to catch... More >>

• Alien Nation

  published October 13, 2005

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• Hooking up on Veronica Mars

  published October 13, 2005

  My anticipation for season two of the high school shamus series Veronica Mars was almost mirthful, an emotion admittedly paradoxical to the... More >>

• Starring Hostage No. 3

  published September 29, 2005

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• Insincerely, Martha

  published September 29, 2005

  Martha Stewart unveiled her equivalent to “You’re fired” last week on her own version of The Apprentice, and it’s . . . poiso... More >>

• Surf Report

  published September 22, 2005

  Every so often, a channel switch acts as a cosmically trenchant edit. Last week I caught PBS’s repeat of Fatal Flood, an America... More >>

• Reality Without Apologies

  published September 15, 2005

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• The Tears of Tyra

  published September 15, 2005

  There were so many confessionals, looks of shock, tears shed and declarations of insecurity/independence/can-do-it optimism on the debut of Tyra... More >>

• Breakout Has-been

  published September 1, 2005

  Before we all get carried away turning Jeremy Piven into the breakout asshole of Entourage and suddenly “Hug it out, bitch” is... More >>

• Cutthroat TV

  published August 25, 2005

  HBO shares water-cooler buzz and Emmy glory with the broadcast networks about as well as co-consuls Gaius Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus... More >>