The T Dog Media TV Hall of Shame

No one expected CNN’s Chicagoland to be a love letter to the city – but no one expected it to be a Rahm infomercial either. A critical and ratings flop, Chicagoland is the one of TV’s lowlights in 2014. Recently, the prime-time portion of The Simpsons marathon on FXX attracted more viewers than Chicagoland did. (As of May 2018, the […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: “Futurama” to end run

Plus: North Carolina media news, Glee is renewed, and somehow Jim Laski gets back on the air – Unlike the fate of The Cleveland Show, this cancellation is confirmed: Comedy Central announced the end of Futurama after seven seasons. The animated comedy from Simpsons creator Matt Greoning ran on Fox from 1999-2003 for 72 episodes, and was picked up by […]

“Dallas”, “Jeannie” star Larry Hagman dies at 81

Larry Hagman, known for his roles as Tony Nelson on I Dream Of Jeannie and J.R. Ewing on Dallas died Friday night in a Dallas hospital of complications from cancer, which he had been battling for the past year. He was 81. Born in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in nearby Weatherford, Hagman’s acting career started after he left the […]

Retro Friday: Fall 2008 NBC Promo – Make Some Noise!

This week’s Retro Friday takes a short trip back to 2008 when NBC aired a promo for its fall programming during the Opining Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, featuring the song “Make Some Noise”. Shown are clips from modest hits 30 Rock, Heroes, Chuck, and Deal Or No Deal, featuring Alec Baldwin, Zachery Levi, Howie Mandel, and Greg Grunberg. […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: RIP Sherman Hemsley, Chad Everett

There is other media news besides the Olympics and the Television Critics Association Press Tour – including a new morning show for the new i101 and the return of a bad Scooby-Doo reboot. And we once again mourn the loss of a television great – in fact two of them. – Sherman Hemsley, who is best known as George Jefferson […]

PBS at TCA: Free Bates!

Welcome to T Dog Media’s (snarky) coverage of the Television Critics Association Press Tour. While yours truly isn’t in Cali for the tour (though he wishes he were… well, I have a living to earn, you know), there will be recaps and comments on the day’s activities. And believe me, there is no shortage of items to make fun – […]

Retro Friday: Happy “Friday the 13th”

Straight from the vaults of the T Dog Media TV Hall Of Shame (or more specifically, YouTube): A true TV… um, “horror”: In honor of Friday the 13th, let’s celebrate by watching the opening theme of this forgotten 1987-90 weekly syndicated television series of the same name that had nothing to do with the movie of the same name. Instead […]

Andy Griffith dies

Fans are mourning the loss of television legend Andy Griffith, who died in his North Carolina home on Tuesday at the age of 86. His career spans multiple decades, several movies, and two long-running TV shows. Griffith was born in Mount Airy, N.C. – the town that provided the inspiration for fictional Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show. Griffith got […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Robin Robinson likely out at WFLD

A bunch of items in this week’s Grab Bag: – Is Robin Robinson on her way out at Fox-owned WFLD? Sure looks like it: According to a report surfacing a little over a week ago at Chicagoland Radio and Media, Robinson is expected to depart when her contract expires later this year. Robinson is the longest-tenured anchor at WFLD, being […]

“Dallas” looking to ride high in the saddle again

Look who’s riding back into town after 21 years… and look who’s he brought back from the gutter with him… J.R. Ewing – whose seedy antics made even superhero villains look good by comparison, is coming back to television this Wednesday night in a revival of the popular 1978-91 CBS primetime serial Dallas for TNT, which features the dealings of […]

“21 Jump Street” goes to the movies

Friday marked the arrival of former 1987-91 Fox series 21 Jump Street’s adaption to the big screen. But my oh my, how things have changed at Jump Street Chapel. The film is actually a parody of the series – a standard police procedural with a twist: youthful undercover cops who investigate crimes in those institutions of learning: high schools, colleges, […]

Davy Jones dies (updated)

Antenna TV, MeTV, and MeToo to pay tribute to The Monkees‘ frontman this weekend One of the biggest pop icons in the 1960’s and 1970’s passed away on Wednesday. Monkees lead signer Davy Jones suffered a fatal heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in Stuart, Fla. Wednesday morning, where he died. He was 66. Jones was in the […]

The Grab Bag: The Santa edition

Ho, Ho, Ho! It’s Terry Claus about to deliver you a special Christmas edition of The Grab Bag! I got special presents from the world of media that will make you happy – or cringe. Let’s start handing out the gifts! Ho! Ho! Ho! – WGN-TV has extra good reasons to cheer this holiday season – the Tribune-owned CW affiliate’s […]