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

Television

'Sharknado' Part Deux: The Laughably Bad Epic Strikes Back

Syfy channel has cornered the market on a new kind of film: a movie that's played completely straight, but constructed to look cheesy and easy to ridicule. The best example? Sharknado 2, the sequel to a film so bad it became huge success. Can the network strike gold twice by being stupid on purpose?

'Sharknado' Part Deux: The Laughably Bad Epic Strikes Back

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'Purple Rain' Taught Me How To Be In A Band

"I never wanted to be your weekend lover": Prince and his Purple Rain costar Appolonia Kotero. Warner Bros./Getty Images hide caption

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Warner Bros./Getty Images

Music News

'Purple Rain' Taught Me How To Be In A Band

For Eric Deggans, Prince's movie wasn't just a spectacle. Sitting in a theater packed with kids his age, he saw Purple Rain as "a validation of the musical world I was already seeking out."

'Purple Rain' Taught Me How To Be In A Band

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5 Things I Learned About TV's Future From The Critics Press Tour

Noah Hawley (left) and Warren Littlefield, executive producers of the FX series Fargo, speak at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images hide caption

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Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

5 Things I Learned About TV's Future From The Critics Press Tour

From being mistaken for Randy Jackson to confronting network executives about diversity issues, TV critic Eric Deggans runs down highlights of the two-week blizzard of parties and press conferences.

Viola Davis Gets Groundbreaking Role As ABC Bets On Diversity

Actress Viola Davis speaks about her new ABC show How to Get Away with Murder at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images hide caption

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Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Code Switch

Viola Davis Gets Groundbreaking Role As ABC Bets On Diversity

This fall, ABC will offer its most ethnically diverse slate of new shows in recent memory. But getting people to talk freely about why that's happened is still difficult.

Asking Katherine Heigl The 'Difficult' Question At Press Tour

Katherine Heigl and Alfre Woodard, stars of NBC's new fall drama State of Affairs, speak at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images hide caption

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Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Asking Katherine Heigl The 'Difficult' Question At Press Tour

During a press conference about NBC's new fall drama State of Affairs, TV critic Eric Deggans asked the show's star an "elephant in the room" question.

Social Media Meltdowns Highlight The Power Of The Audience

Anthony Cumia, at an April event commemorating 20 years of The Opie & Anthony Show, was fired after a series of racially charged tweets. Cindy Ord/Getty Images Entertainment hide caption

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Cindy Ord/Getty Images Entertainment

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Social Media Meltdowns Highlight The Power Of The Audience

Online fights hobbled the careers of TV host Adam Richman and shock jock Anthony Cumia. NPR's Eric Deggans says they were kneecapped by the new reality of modern media.

Questlove And The Roots: How A Hip-Hop Band Conquered Late Night

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (center) appears with The Roots members Frank Knuckles (left) and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter during the first episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Lloyd Bishop/NBC hide caption

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Lloyd Bishop/NBC

Television

Questlove And The Roots: How A Hip-Hop Band Conquered Late Night

"It's strange to admit it, but this is kinda the job we were born for," Questlove says of his group's serving as house band for The Tonight Show.

Questlove And The Roots: How A Hip-Hop Band Conquered Late Night

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Media

As The Anchor Chair Turns: A Glimpse At ABC News Past And Future

ABC News has announced major shakeups in its anchor lineup, as Diane Sawyer steps down from her perch as anchor of the network's evening news. What does her replacement say about the state of TV news?

As The Anchor Chair Turns: A Glimpse At ABC News Past And Future

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'Freedom Summer' And 'The Watsons': Powerful TV About A Civil Rights Journey

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegates and supporters stage a demonstration on the boardwalk in front of the Atlantic City Convention Center in 1964. Courtesy of George Ballis/Take Stock hide caption

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Courtesy of George Ballis/Take Stock

Code Switch

'Freedom Summer' And 'The Watsons': Powerful TV About A Civil Rights Journey

This story in the "Book Your Trip" series features NPR TV critic Eric Deggans on two books turned TV shows about civil rights: PBS's Freedom Summer and Hallmark Channel's The Watsons Go to Birmingham.

'Freedom Summer' And 'The Watsons': Powerful TV About A Civil Rights Journey

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Television

Sputtering On Fumes, 'True Blood' Has Outstayed Its Welcome

HBO's True Blood is a prime example of a TV show that kept going long after it should have ended. Why is it that some shows stay on air well after they've run out of creative juice?

Sputtering On Fumes, 'True Blood' Has Outstayed Its Welcome

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Television

A Plea To Emmy Voters To Consider Overlooked Shows And Actors

The prime-time Emmy award nominees will be announced on July 10. Our TV critic points out some under appreciated performances that Emmy voters should recognize.

A Plea To Emmy Voters To Consider Overlooked Shows And Actors

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