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Eric Deggans Eric Deggans is NPR's first full-time TV critic.
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Eric Deggans

Television

Web-Only TV Shows Take Advantage Of Their Venue

Online videos are getting closer and closer in quality to shows on TV. A new web-only series by Kevin Spacey is going up on Netflix next year. Maura Tierney, who starred in ER and is on CBS's The Good Wife, is also featured in a new web-only series on YouTube. The best web-only shows are a lot like TV, but take advantage of the intimacy of the Internet.

Web-Only TV Shows Take Advantage Of Their Venue

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TV Westerns Prove The West Is Still Fun

Sheriff Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid) and his brother, Jack Lamb (Jason O'Mara), investigate the murder of a craps dealer on Vegas. Cliff Lipson/CBS hide caption

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Cliff Lipson/CBS

Television

TV Westerns Prove The West Is Still Fun

While gritty TV Westerns like AMC's Hell on Wheels may be historically accurate, they often lack substance and fall victim to generic tropes. But as Eric Deggans argues, more modern Westerns like CBS' Vegas and A&E's Longmire make the West wild again with a dash of fun and style.

TV Westerns Prove The West Is Still Fun

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Television

New Hosts Jockey To Be The New Oprah

There are several daytime talk shows starting up, featuring Katie Couric, Steve Harvey and Ricki Lake, among others. TV critic Eric Deggans says they are all still jockeying to be the next Oprah — but there probably won't be another Oprah.

New Hosts Jockey To Be The New Oprah

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Facing Up To Bullies, Everywhere But On Reality TV

Simon Cowell in his early days as an American Idol judge. The success of Cowell and others shows that bullying is acceptable, says Eric Deggans, so long as it's done on reality TV. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Opinion

Television

Facing Up To Bullies, Everywhere But On Reality TV

The fight against bullying has become increasingly high profile over the past couple of years, drawing in many big-name celebrities. But in the world of reality TV, says commentator Eric Deggans, bullying is alive and well as a profitable career move.

Facing Up To Bullies, Everywhere But On Reality TV

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Television

A Bit Of Sherlock Holmes In Every TV Detective

American television is crammed with super-observational, socially-maladjusted detectives who solve crimes with the help of a more normal partner. They are all clones of Sherlock Holmes — who is coming back to American TV on Sunday.

A Bit Of Sherlock Holmes In Every TV Detective

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With 'Scandal,' New Visibilty for Black Women On TV

In Scandal, Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope, a crisis manager based on real-life fixer Judy Smith. ABC hide caption

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ABC

Television

With 'Scandal,' New Visibilty for Black Women On TV

ABC's new drama Scandal, from Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, depicts a powerful black woman in Washington, D.C.: Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), a top-flight crisis manager. Critic Eric Deggans says the show is an example of programming increasingly aimed at black female viewers.

With 'Scandal,' New Visibilty for Black Women On TV

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A Bestselling Book Becomes An HBO Movie About A 'Dynamic Moment'

Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in the HBO film Game Change. Phillip V. Caruso/HBO hide caption

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Phillip V. Caruso/HBO

Opinion

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A Bestselling Book Becomes An HBO Movie About A 'Dynamic Moment'

Commentator Eric Deggans says the HBO film Game Change, based on a much-discussed book about the 2008 campaign, may inform the way we see the 2012 election.

A Bestselling Book Becomes An HBO Movie About A 'Dynamic Moment'

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For Asians And Latinos, Stereotypes Persist In Sitcoms

Han Lee (Matthew Moy), owner of the Brooklyn diner where Max (Kat Dennings, left) and Caroline (Beth Behrs, right) work, joins the two women as they count their earnings on 2 Broke Girls. Cliff Lipson/CBS hide caption

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Cliff Lipson/CBS

Opinion

Television

For Asians And Latinos, Stereotypes Persist In Sitcoms

Critic Eric Deggans says in modern TV comedies, there are fewer stereotyped roles for African-Americans — but two CBS shows suggest that's not the case for Asians and Latinos.

For Asians And Latinos, Stereotypes Persist In Sitcoms

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Bridesmaids No More: TV's Women Get All The Laughs

Zooey Deschanel plays Jess on Fox's New Girl. Fox uses the term "adorkable" to describe her. Isabella Vosmikova/Fox hide caption

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Isabella Vosmikova/Fox

Opinion

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Bridesmaids No More: TV's Women Get All The Laughs

Just a few years ago, some critics predicted reality TV shows would kill the sitcom altogether. Instead, the rise of the Funny Female proves network television's future likely comes with a smile — and a pair of snappy high heels.

Bridesmaids No More: TV's Women Get All The Laughs

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Television's New Antiheroes: Creating Sympathy For The Devilish

Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) owns slaves on AMC's Hell On Wheels. But the guys he's chasing are worse. Chris Large/AMC hide caption

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Chris Large/AMC

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Television's New Antiheroes: Creating Sympathy For The Devilish

Commentator Eric Deggans says television's current crop of antiheroes may reflect the reluctance of an audience in cynical times to accept a traditional straight-up hero.

Television's New Antiheroes: Creating Sympathy For The Devilish

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Disappointing 'Redneck' TV Shortchanges The American South

Skipper Bivens of Animal Planet's Hillbilly Handfishin'. David Yellen/Animal Planet hide caption

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David Yellen/Animal Planet

Opinion

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Disappointing 'Redneck' TV Shortchanges The American South

Commentator Eric Deggans looks at a depressing trend in television that presents the American South through a single, durable stereotype: the so-called "redneck."

Disappointing 'Redneck' TV Shortchanges The American South

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Networks Add New Twists To Old Formulas, But Few Are Succeeding

Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin and David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt on NBC's Grimm. Scott Green/NBC hide caption

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Scott Green/NBC

Opinion

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Networks Add New Twists To Old Formulas, But Few Are Succeeding

Commentator Eric Deggans says the TV networks are spinning old genres in new ways, but they're mostly making themselves dizzy.

Networks Add New Twists To Old Formulas, But Few Are Succeeding

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'Rock Center': Serving Hard News, But Will It Sell?

Brian Williams will set the course for the new NBC newsmagazine Rock Center. The network is positioning it as a serious news program and expecting a ratings struggle, at least at first.

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Justin Stephens/NBC Universal

Opinion

Television

'Rock Center': Serving Hard News, But Will It Sell?

NBC is rolling out a fresh newsmagazine — the first brand new example prime time has seen in nearly 20 years. Anchor Brian Williams means for it to be a vehicle for serious journalism — but TV writer Eric Deggans says audiences may no longer have the appetite.

'Rock Center': Serving Hard News, But Will It Sell?

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