ScottFeinberg.com

By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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After a fantastic fall that moved it from fourth to first place among the major networks, NBC is hitting yet another rough patch this spring.

The premieres of new shows Deception, 1600 Penn and Do No Harm failed (NBC is pulling the plug on Do No Harm after two episodes), and promising rookies Go On and The New Normal are tumbling without lead-in The Voice. Aside from this, Smash saw its second season premiere down 39 percent from its May season finale, attracting 4.5 million viewers and just a 1.1 adults rating.

On top of it all, NBC’s Up All Night star Christina Applegate is leaving the comedy as it’s in the middle of a major creative overhaul, saying, “It’s been a great experience working on Up All Night, but the show has taken a different creative direction and I decided it was best for me to move on to other endeavors.”

We’ve written a lot about NBC’s struggles, but it’s time to look ahead at how it can change for the better. And why not learn from example? Here are lessons NBC would be wise to pick up from its more successful network companions:

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By Carson Blackwelder
Television Contributor

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The nominees of last year’s 64th Primetime Emmy Awards were filled with critical darlings, obvious snubs and a few fresh faces.

While the freshman class of nominees didn’t make a huge splash — unless your name is Homeland (Showtime) or the one-shot Game Change (HBO) — it did show the Academy is willing to recognize some breakout talent.

The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards won’t air until Sept. 22 on CBS, and the nominations won’t be announced until July 18, but it’s not too soon to consider potential nominees.

This season’s TV has already offered up some amazing performances, and the competition for the prized golden statues is sure to be heated. Unfortunately, for series that aren’t as popular as other shows or air their seasons long before the voting period, great performances can get overlooked.

Here’s a look at some fantastic performances we’ve seen so far on TV this year — ones I hope the Emmys won’t soon forget.

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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

With the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards set to take place tonight on NBC, I have made my final predictions. I encourage you to share your predictions — with commentary — in the comments section at the bottom of the post.

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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that holds and selects the winners of the Golden Globes, is tricky to predict.

Unlike the Emmys, which tends to award the same shows year after year, the Golden Globes is more likely to honor nominees who are “out of the box.” Just take a look at last year’s ceremony, where Laura Dern (HBO’s Enlightened) and Matt LeBlanc (Showtime’s Episodes) walked away with statuettes.

At the same time, the Golden Globes is likely to spotlight nominees who are recent topics of watercooler conversation. This explains why in the past 10 years, it’s been rare to see an actor or actress win consecutively — aside from Hugh Laurie of Fox’s House M.D., Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin of NBC’s 30 Rock.

When making my predictions, I’ve tried to take this into account. Take a look at my choices below!

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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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TOP STORIES

• Fox’s The X Factor is undergoing more judging shakeups. Although the reality singing competition added Britney Spears and Demi Lovato this season, judge L.A. Reid is departing the series following the finale.

• Dreams do come true! Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) will host NBC’s Saturday Night Live on Jan. 19.

• In the aftermath of the tragic Newtown, Conn., shooting, TLC wisely delayed the premiere of its one-hour special Best Funeral Ever. Can we rename TLC (The Learning Channel) to NSC (Nothing is Sacred Channel)?

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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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As it’s the end of the year, it’s time to reflect on our successes, regrets and, of course, favorite TV shows.

Below are my choices for the top 10 TV shows of 2012. This list wasn’t an easy one to make, as no list really is, but these are the series I simultaneously enjoyed the most and thought were the most noteworthy of the year.

Sadly, some programs didn’t make the cut, including HBO’s Game of Thrones, FX’s Justified and ABC’s Happy Endings, but they were certainly close.

Take a look at my picks, and let me know what you think.

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By Rachel Bennett & Carson Blackwelder
Television Editor & Columnist, Television Contributor

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With the Emmys behind us, it’s time to focus on the Golden Globes.

The 2013 Golden Globe nominations were announced Thursday to much surprise and some bewilderment, as occurs with most award shows. The ceremony will take place Jan. 13 and will be hosted by the dream team of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

We here at ScottFeinberg.com loved some of the nominations, but we’re still shaking our heads over some people and shows that are missing. Take a look at our thoughts on the Golden Globes below:
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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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NBC’s Revolution aired its winter finale two weeks ago, and the network’s ratings champ won’t return for three long, cold months.

As much as I like Revolution and think it’s better than most critics make it out to be, there’s one part of it I can’t stand: Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), its protagonist. She’s self-righteous, stubborn and not exactly the brightest bulb in the box (pun intended).

This is typical of several TV teen characters — just take a look at Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) of NBC and DirecTV’s Friday Night Lights, Dana Brody (Morgan Saylor) of Showtime’s Homeland and Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) during the second season of AMC’s The Walking Dead — but it makes sense: Teens are often annoying as they find their footing in an adult world. They don’t call them “growing pains” for nothing.

The problem with this happens when said conflicted teen is the main character. At the same time, several series have pulled this off, including ABC’s My So-Called Life and NBC’s Freaks and Geeks.

The difference with Revolution is that it’s not as introspective, or hasn’t mastered those emotional moments, as well as these series have. Instead, its strength lies in the action, and Charlie’s reflective moments frustratingly stall that.

If Angela Chase (Claire Danes) existed in the Revolution universe, I’d probably find her equally intolerable, but I love her in My So-Called Life because the point of the series is to focus on the struggles of adolescence. Revolution tries to balance so many storylines that some wobble more than the others, and Charlie’s character development is certainly a faltering one.

As a result, I’m not overly excited to tune into Revolution every week, which is a shame because I enjoy most of the other characters. But it’s not the first time a role sours a series, and it won’t be the last.

When this occurs, whose responsibility is it conform to certain expectations — the writers or the viewers?

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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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I’ve written a lot about Showtime’s Homeland for ScottFeinberg.com, as it’s one of the best dramas on TV.

From discussing the the drama’s incredible pacing to giving you reasons to watch, I’ve championed the series since its 2011 debut. Each week leaves me with my jaw on the floor in all of the best ways — except for last week’s chapter, “Broken Hearts.”

[SPOILER ALERT] The episode largely followed our heroine Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), as terrorist Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban) abducted and held her hostage. During this time, Nazir negotiated with his supposed follower Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) to get the serial code for Vice President William Walden’s (Jamey Sheridan) pacemaker. Nazir’s plan was to remotely manipulate the vice president’s pacemaker and kill him, and the scheme actually worked.

So why am I so down on the hour? Because, despite suspending my disbelief for parts of this season, I felt the series was finally asking too much of me.

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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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If there’s one type of TV character that can appeal to younger and older viewers, it’s the TV teen.

For younger audience members, TV teens are figures to whom to relate and admire. Older audience members, on the other hand, use these characters to relive the innocence and optimism of youth that somehow gets sanded down over time.

TV teens are tricky to pull off, as they can become just as obnoxious as real teens occasionally are. But if portrayed with a relatable honesty and vulnerability, they can evolve into some of the best TV characters ever.

Tessa Altman (Jane Levy) of ABC’s Suburgatory is on her way to cementing her place among famous TV teens, but until she does, here are my choices for the top 10 teens in TV history:

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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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Showtime’s Dexter keeps chugging along with its seventh season tonight, and though it’s improved this year, the drama no longer sparks as much conversation as it used to.

This year’s Emmys is the first since 2008 that the show wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, reflecting viewers’ waning interest in the serial killer series. Lead Michael C. Hall received his fifth nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, but he has yet to take home a statuette (He did receive the 2010 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama).

What surprises me most about this year’s nominations is how little pundits considered Hall to be a serious contender for the award — and I agreed with them, even if it had nothing to do with his actual performance. Instead, I took into account more the material he acted as opposed to his technique.

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