Television

Posts about television shows.

How do I make a second edition of Breaking Down Breaking Bad worthwhile?

December 29, 2016 17 Comments

Breaking Down Breaking Bad

Back in late 2013, I decided to try an experiment: I decided I’d self-publish a book of television commentary on a show I was obsessed with at the time, Breaking Bad. The result was Breaking Down Breaking Bad. The idea was a culmination of several things coming together at once. I’d had over a decade in journalism and knew I could meet a deadline, and with the show coming to an end it looked like a great time to hit the world with something. I’d also been Editor in Chief for a website devoted to movie and TV criticism for a few years, so I’d been down the “critic” road before (though admittedly, it was never my jam; didn’t enjoy doing reviews then, don’t enjoy…
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Television, Works by Eric, Writing

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Two nerds with beer (one of them me) beat the Kirk vs. Picard horse

June 16, 2016 1 Comment

Hours in the Attic debuts a new segment this week called “Nerd Fight,” which is … well, you can guess what it is. And what better way to kick it off than with a playful take on the debate nerds have been gnashing their teeth about since The Next Generation debuted? Yep, Kirk vs. Picard, with a dash of Kirk vs. Han Solo thrown in for good measure. Watch, and when you’re done check out my Star Trek marathon:

Geek Stuff, Television, Videos, Works by Eric

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Just how historically accurate was Mad Men?

May 9, 2016 3 Comments

The following piece is an excerpt from Celebrating Mad Men, available in paperback and for Kindle. “I talk to them about relationships, how people might interact with a certain company at a client meeting. I also ask really simple questions, like ‘Where did you eat lunch?’” –Mad Men researcher Kathryn Allison Mann on interviewing industry veterans (source) When Mad Men first hit the air, few things garnered as much attention as the show’s slavish devotion to capturing period-accurate detail. The show developed such a reputation for being correct in its period details that sticklers for historical accuracy have kept a close eye on things like the fonts being used just to catch them in an error. (Font Designer Mark Simonson has a fantastic breakdown on…
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Television

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NEW VIDEO: Top 5 Childhood Cartoons you’d want to experience again for the first time

May 5, 2016 25 Comments

Ever try to revisit a cartoon from your youth? It usually doesn’t go well. Except for classic stuff like the Warner Bros. shorts, that stuff usually does not hold up, especially if you were a child of the ’80s, when all cartoons were just long toy commercials. You can’t recapture the time and place that made it special in the first place. But if you could erase your memory and relive them for the first time, what would you choose to watch? Here’s what we said on the latest Hours in the Attic:   Also, shame on me for forgetting the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon! It was just formulaic bullshit, like all these shows were, but to my young mind it seemed pretty epic. Tiamat…
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Geek Stuff, Television, Videos, Works by Eric

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Meet Robert Kirkman, the Man Behind The Walking Dead

February 24, 2016 0 Comments

The following is an excerpt from Dissecting The Walking Dead: Slicing Into The Guts of Television’s Hottest Show, available in paperback and for Kindle. Dig it: Robert Kirkman is a Kentucky boy. There is no mistaking him for anything but. He is one of TV’s hottest properties of the moment, yes, and for the last decade he has also been the dominant force in creator-owned comic books, but talk to him and he’s still the same quiet, considered dude he’s always been. Thick beard, plain T-shirt, eyes that make you believe he’d rather be anywhere but in the spotlight – his appearance hasn’t changed much over the years, even if his bank account has. Oh, he’ll sport a decent sports jacket now instead of a…
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Comics & Graphic Novels, Geek Stuff, Television

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