THE CARRIE DIARIES
Show: “The Carrie Diaries” Airtime: Mon., 8/7c on The CW Reel Rating: 4 out of 5 Reels TV Rating: Not rated, but TV-14 if I was in charge Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Teen Cast: AnnaSophia Robb, Austin Butler, Ellen Wong, Katie Findlay, Stefania Owen, Brendan Dooling, Freema Agyeman, Matt Letscher Ok for Ages: 14+ Official Site: http://cwtv.com/shows/the-carrie-diaries PARENTS... Read More
Parenthood
Show: Parenthood Airtime: Tues., 10/9c on NBC Rating: TV-PG Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family Cast: Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen, Sam Jaeger, Max Burkholder, Mae Whitman, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, Joy Bryant, Sarah Ramos Ok for Ages: 13+ Official Site: http://www.nbc.com/parenthood/ Parents Should Know: Parenting is hard work!... Read More
Dallas
Show: Dallas Airtime: Wed., 9 8/c on TNT Rating: TV-14 DLSV (suggestive dialogue, coarse or crude language, sexual situations, violence) Genre: Drama Cast: Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo, Brenda Strong, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Larry Hagman Ok for Ages: 14+ Official Site: http://www.tntdrama.com/series/dallas/ Parents Should Know: This updated... Read More
Frozen Planet
Show: Frozen Planet Airtime: Sun., 8 pm on Discovery Rating: TV-PG Genre: Nature, Documentary Cast: Narrated by Alec Baldwin Ok for Ages: 7+ Parents Should Know: Frozen Planet doesn’t shy away from the grim realities of life and death in the Polar regions. It shows animals killing and being killed, freezing, starving, and battling over territory and mating rights. Mating habits... Read More
THE RIVER
(ABC, premieres Feb. 7 @ 9 p.m.). Too edgy for kids younger than 13. Take one part Lost, blend with one part Heart of Darkness (check out the 1993 movie starring Tim Roth and John Malkovich), and sprinkle in a pinch of Jurassic Park. What you get is The River, a show about famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), who goes looking for magic deep in the Amazon and never returns.... Read More
SMASH
Show: Smash Airtime: Mon., 10/9c on NBC Rating: TV-14 (language, sexual references) Genre: Drama, Musical Cast: Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, Raza Jaffrey, Brian d’Arcy James, Jaime Cepero, Angelica Houston Ok for Ages: 14+ Parents Should Know: The main concern here is sexual content, which begins with a casting... Read More
ALCATRAZ
(Fox, premieres Jan. 16 @ 8 p.m.). Violence and criminal themes: Not for kids younger than 12. I cannot wait to see more of this show. It’s one of those twisty-turny-don’t-know-what’s-coming shows that I hope will gain momentum and stay on the air for at least five years (and I say this after having watched only the pilot). Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia and Sam Neill... Read More
THE FINDER
(FOX, premieres Jan. 12 @ 8 p.m.). Ok for kids 12 and older. I’ve only watched a few episodes of Bones, from which this series spins, so take my notes with a grain of salt. The story revolves around Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults), a guy with the remarkable ability to find anything or anyone. That offers plenty of story possibilities, but the most intriguing thing about this... Read More
WORK IT
(ABC, premieres Jan. 3 @ 8:30 p.m.). OK for kids 13 and older. The last time guys in drag were funny was Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari in Bosom Buddies, and before that, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot. Needless to say, I don’t have high hopes for this show, but we’ll see how it shakes out. Ben Koldyke and Amaury Nolasco star as unemployed car salesmen... Read More
