Thomas W. Shales

Articles by Thomas W. Shales

Coverage of the 61st Annual Prime-Time Emmy Awards (September 21, 2009)

TV Preview: Tom Shales on Fox's 'Glee' (May 19, 2009)

TV Preview: Tom Shales on 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' (May 12, 2009)

TV Preview: "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" on HBO (May 7, 2009)

Tom Shales: Obama Deftly Handles Another Prime-Time News Conference (April 30, 2009)

Tom Shales's TV Preview of the Walter Cronkite Documentary 'Legacy at War' (April 29, 2009)

Tom Shales's TV Preview of 'Future Earth: Journey to the End of the World' on MSNBC (April 25, 2009)

Tom Shales's TV Preview of MTV's 'The Phone' (April 21, 2009)

Jessica Lange Lights Up 'Grey Gardens' on HBO (April 18, 2009)

TV Preview: Tom Shales on Fox's Sunday Night Show "Sit Down, Shut Up" (April 16, 2009)

TV Preview (April 9, 2009)

Tom Shales's TV Preview of 'Harper's Island' on CBS (April 9, 2009)

TV Preview: Tom Shales on the Return of Bob Saget in 'Surviving Suburbia' (April 6, 2009)

Tom Shales on 'Osbournes: Reloaded': It's So Bad, It's Must-Flee TV (April 1, 2009)

TV Preview: Tom Shales on 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' (March 29, 2009)

TV Preview: "In the Motherhood," a Funny New Sitcom on ABC (March 26, 2009)

Obama's News Conference: Still 'President Wonderful' (March 25, 2009)

TV Preview: "Better Off Ted" on ABC (March 18, 2009)

TV Preview: "The Chopping Block" Debuts on NBC (March 11, 2009)

Tom Shales TV Review: "Castle" (March 9, 2009)

TV Preview by Tom Shales: 'Kings' on NBC (March 8, 2009)

TV Review: "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (March 4, 2009)

Tom Shales on President Obama's Address to the Joint Session of Congress (February 25, 2009)

Oscarcast 2009: Golden Statuettes, but Leaden Television (February 23, 2009)

Review of HBO's 'Taking Chance' (February 21, 2009)

Review of HBO's Comedy 'Eastbound & Down' (February 14, 2009)

'Dollhouse': On Fox, a Strange New Toy (February 13, 2009)

TV Preview: MTV's 'How's Your News?' Gives Disabled Reporters Spotlight (February 5, 2009)

Super Bowl XLIII Defies the Gravity of the Times (February 2, 2009)

Katie Couric's Ease as CBS News Anchor Grows, Along With Her Audience (January 29, 2009)

TV Preview: 'Trust Me' on TNT (January 26, 2009)

TV Networks Capture Sentiment of the Day -- Joy -- at Obama Inauguration (January 21, 2009)

'Lie to Me' Handles Famous Psychologist's Truth Nicely (January 19, 2009)

'United States of Tara': HBO's Clever Look at Lunacy (January 17, 2009)

Tom Shales on President Bush's Farewell Speech (January 16, 2009)

Patrick Swayze's 'Beast': Another Renegade Antihero (January 15, 2009)

'13: The Fear Is Real': Um, Afraid Not (January 7, 2009)

TV Preview: ABC's 'Homeland Security USA' (January 6, 2009)

Tom Shales Previews 'Game Show in My Head' and 'Howie Do It' (January 3, 2009)

Web TV Review: Classic 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' Cast Returns for 'Cinematic Titanic' (December 30, 2008)

TV Preview: 'Little Spirit: Christmas in New York' (December 10, 2008)

TV Preview: Amanpour Looks at Genocide on CNN's 'Scream Bloody Murder' (December 4, 2008)

'A Colbert Christmas' Is a Very Merry Special (November 22, 2008)

Comic Ricky Gervais's First Stand-Up Special Premieres on HBO (November 15, 2008)

Fox's 'Television & the Presidency' Revisits Clinton-Lewinsky (November 15, 2008)

After a Night of Illusions, Television Records Reality (November 5, 2008)

'Stylista': Reality Right Off the Rack (October 22, 2008)

Candidates Make A Name for This Guy Joe (October 16, 2008)

Early Returns Are Promising In 'SNL's' Thursday Campaign (October 10, 2008)

'Kath & Kim' Is a House Of Mirth (October 9, 2008)

A Showdown That Was More of a Letdown (October 8, 2008)

So Goofy It's Sweet: CW's Infatuating 'Valentine' (October 4, 2008)

Palin Takes On A New Foe: Her Image (October 3, 2008)

'Ex-List': At Least the Star Has a Future (October 3, 2008)

McCain's High Horse Meets Obama's High-Mindedness (September 27, 2008)

'Little Britain' Slaps a Smile On the Stiff Upper Lip (September 27, 2008)

'Knight Rider' Is Stuck in Low Gear (September 24, 2008)

PBS's Warner Bros. Documercial (September 23, 2008)

'Mad Men' Wins the Account (September 22, 2008)

'Worst Week': Off to a Hapless, And Possibly Hopeless, Start (September 22, 2008)

Ones to See ... Ones to Flee ... (September 21, 2008)

Transmission Impossible (September 21, 2008)

Fey-as-Palin Wins the Early Vote On 'SNL' (September 15, 2008)

Gibson-Palin: Ratings Hot Despite His Chilly Start (September 13, 2008)

A 'Hole' New Reason to Get Off the Couch (September 11, 2008)

'Do Not Disturb': Plenty of Vacancy In This Hotel (September 10, 2008)

CW Viewers: Cursed, Not 'Privileged' (September 9, 2008)

'True Blood': Undead On Arrival (September 6, 2008)

Re-Branding the Old Elephant (September 5, 2008)

She Shoots! She Scores! A Hockey Mom's Moment (September 4, 2008)

'Raising the Bar': Bochco's New Case Has Limited Merit (September 1, 2008)

A Big Moment for the Small Screen (August 29, 2008)

HBO's 'Black List': Portraits in Candor (August 25, 2008)

Basking in The Glow (August 25, 2008)

'Jobs': Another Day At the Reality Mill (August 25, 2008)

A Story With a Few Holes (August 18, 2008)

'Kung Fu Killer': Carradine Inflicts Pain on Viewers (August 16, 2008)

Kathy Griffin: A Funny Thing At Walter Reed (August 14, 2008)

From China, a Spectacle Worthy of a Gold Medal (August 9, 2008)

'China Inside Out': A Global Panorama On a Rising Nation (August 6, 2008)

On 'Long Way Down,' a Ride Full of Highs (July 30, 2008)

CNN's 'Black In America' Is An Expressive Portrait (July 23, 2008)

'The Cleaner': Addiction Drama Unlikely to Be Habit-Forming (July 15, 2008)

On HBO, The Fierce Tug of War (July 13, 2008)

Good Cop/Good Cop: CBS's Lukewarm 'Flashpoint' (July 11, 2008)

Ted Koppel's Capital Tour of a New China (July 9, 2008)

In Nickelodeon's 'Coming Home,' War Stories of the Littlest Heroes (July 5, 2008)

'Factory': Blue-Collar Comedy That Works (June 28, 2008)

A Case Of Stolen Formula (June 25, 2008)

Tim Russert: The Smile That Lit Up Journalism (June 14, 2008)

In 'Polanski,' A Perversion Of Justice (June 9, 2008)

Sex and the Suburb: '70s Lust on CBS's 'Swingtown' (June 5, 2008)

Worth a Closer Look (May 31, 2008)

'Recount': Still Too Close for Comfort (May 25, 2008)

Crossing the Finish Line, 'SNL' Shows Some Late Kick (May 19, 2008)

VH1 Zips (With No Unzipping) Through 'Sex' (May 12, 2008)

Sofa, So Good: Tom Cruise's Mission: Oprah (May 3, 2008)

PBS Takes USS Nimitz On a Long, Choppy Ride (April 26, 2008)

On 'Today,' Laura Bush Hits a Gusher (April 23, 2008)

In Pa. Debate, The Clear Loser Is ABC (April 17, 2008)

Kathie Lee and 'Today': Fluff and Nonsense (April 8, 2008)

The Man, The Brand, The Plan To Rule TV (March 23, 2008)

'John Adams,' Second To None (March 15, 2008)

'Canterbury's Law': Margulies Makes A Compelling Case (March 10, 2008)

That 'Big Give' Feeling: Warm, Fuzzy & Familiar (March 1, 2008)

In the Democratic Debate, Cooler Heads Prevail (February 27, 2008)

'Quarterlife': Blogged-Down Connections (February 26, 2008)

Oscar Viewers Got Clipped, In More Ways Than One (February 25, 2008)

'Bernard and Doris,' Richly Rendered In HBO Drama (February 9, 2008)

'Lipstick Jungle': NBC's Thick Application of Gloss (February 7, 2008)

'The Captain': Livable if Not Quite Lovable (February 4, 2008)

Fox, Advertisers Telegraph the Plays (February 4, 2008)

'Eli Stone': No Seer, But No Rerun Either (January 31, 2008)

The State of the Union? It's Fine by the President. (January 29, 2008)

'Baghdad Hospital': A People With Grievous Wounds (January 29, 2008)

Special 'Treatment' (January 28, 2008)

Politician-Activist Sargent Shriver: He's the Real Ideal (January 21, 2008)

There's a Meth To AMC's Madness In 'Breaking Bad' (January 19, 2008)

Back In the Saddle (January 12, 2008)

PBS's 'The Jewish Americans': A Triumphant Tale (January 9, 2008)

'The Wire,' Crackling With Heat (January 6, 2008)

Familiar Faces, Back Looking More Different Than Ever (January 4, 2008)

The Dry Spell Ends (January 3, 2008)

The Golden Age of Television, Lacking Luster in PBS's 'Pioneers' (January 2, 2008)

ABC's 'Duel' Personality? Dull and Dumb (December 17, 2007)

A Dreary Date With Destiny (December 8, 2007)

Oasis in a Desert Of News Coverage (December 6, 2007)

A Comedian Who Knows No Routine (December 2, 2007)

Sci Fi's 'Tin Man' Plods On the Yellow Brick Road (December 1, 2007)

Ho-Ho-Hokey: 'Grandpa' Tugs At Well-Worn Heartstrings (November 24, 2007)

The Multiple Personalities of 'Frank TV': Sketchy, Indeed (November 20, 2007)

'SquarePantis': Squeezing The Life Out of SpongeBob (November 12, 2007)

Brian Williams, Showing That An Anchor Can Be Light (November 5, 2007)

'Planet in Peril': Provocative Eco-Reporting (October 23, 2007)

'Viva Laughlin': CBS Gambles On a Gimmick (October 18, 2007)

NBC's Matt Lauer, Making the Least Of an Opportunity (October 17, 2007)

'Samantha Who?': Less Than Memorable (October 15, 2007)

ABC's 'Pushing Daisies': Everything's Coming Up Roses (October 3, 2007)

Out of the Cave, Into the HOV Lane: That's Progress (October 2, 2007)

'Aliens in America': Roll Up the Welcome Mat (October 1, 2007)

'Moonlight' Needs More Bloodsucking, Less Crime-Fighting (September 28, 2007)

CEOs Keep Bad Company On ABC's Randy 'Big Shots' (September 27, 2007)

'Bionic Woman' Version 2.0 (September 26, 2007)

Beelzebubbly: CW's 'Reaper' Is Tempting Fare (September 25, 2007)

Way to Go, 'Chuck'! (September 24, 2007)

'Kid Nation': Grow Up, CBS! (September 20, 2007)

On the Laugh Track (September 19, 2007)

Going Out With a Bang & a Bleep (September 17, 2007)

Programmers Used To Dream of Hits; Now It's the Ghost Of Autumn Present (September 16, 2007)

On the Nation's TVs, A Familiar Picture (September 14, 2007)

Steamy and Stimulating (September 8, 2007)

Amateur Power (September 2, 2007)

'Bob Saget': He'd Empty A Full House (August 25, 2007)

The Host Who Was Everyone's Guest (August 13, 2007)

'Flash Gordon' Is More Comic Than Cosmic on Sci Fi (August 10, 2007)

'The Company' Puts the Chill Back In the Cold War (August 4, 2007)

The Naked Truth About Movie Sex (August 1, 2007)

Tom Snyder Turned Television Into a Tete-a-Tete (July 31, 2007)

'Two Coreys': A Double Negative (July 28, 2007)

Hi, I'm Tom In Washington, And My Question Is for CNN . . . (July 24, 2007)

AMC's 'Mad Men': A Bunch of Cutthroats Without an Edge (July 19, 2007)

TBS's 'Bill Engvall': Leave It to a Father Who Knows Best (July 17, 2007)

A Plague Of Hokey, Poky Karaoke (July 14, 2007)

NBC Unleashes 'Singing Bee'; America Breaks Out in Hives (July 10, 2007)

Paris Hilton, Free To Speak Her Mind (Such as It Is) (June 28, 2007)

Kiwi Comedians Merrily Wing It And Sing It on HBO's 'Conchords' (June 16, 2007)

Dan Rather Takes On Network News With His Tart Remark (June 13, 2007)

A Bang-Up Finale For 'The Sopranos' (June 11, 2007)

From Cincinnati, 'John' Goes Nowhere (June 9, 2007)

Who's Really The Boss? David Chase Calls the Shots (June 9, 2007)

TBS's 'House of Payne': A Little More Humanity Would Make It Habitable (June 6, 2007)

'Hidden Palms': Teen Soap All in a Lather (May 30, 2007)

Unpleasant Reality: ABC's 'Ex-Wives' (May 28, 2007)

'Bury My Heart': HBO Digs Into a Sad, Shameful Tale (May 27, 2007)

Fox's 'On the Lot': Hollywood, Get Me Rewrite! (May 23, 2007)

'Cronkite' Grasps The Admired and The Avuncular (May 18, 2007)

ABC's 'Traveler' Takes a Jog Down Conspiracy Lane (May 10, 2007)

'Saturday Night' Snippets (May 5, 2007)

A Media Role in Selling the War? No Question. (April 25, 2007)

Till Cancellation Do Us Part (April 23, 2007)

NBC Broadcasts An Eerie Epilogue (April 19, 2007)

Bad News, Broken Slowly (April 17, 2007)

With 11-Part 'Crossroads,' PBS Looks Many Ways (April 15, 2007)

Fox's 'Drive': It Can't Get There From Here (April 14, 2007)

'Thank God,' Eventually It Ends (April 9, 2007)

'Entourage': Still, and Very Much, a Player (April 8, 2007)

Down To His Last Shot (April 8, 2007)

'The Tudors': Buff Henry VIII Finds Minx Amid the Ermine (March 31, 2007)

Letterman's (And Our) Longtime 'Bud' (March 26, 2007)

Wonders Never Cease On 'Planet Earth' (March 24, 2007)

' 'Til Death Do Us Part': Groom and Doom (March 19, 2007)

NBC's 'Andy Barker P.I.': A Nose for Laughs (March 15, 2007)

Fox's 'The Winner' Doesn't Even Get to First Base (March 3, 2007)

'Ghosts of Abu Ghraib': Fearlessly Facing the Shame (February 22, 2007)

Fox News Channel's '1/2 Hour News Hour': Right Funny, in Spots (February 17, 2007)

Ending on a High Note: 'Sopranos' And 'Idol' Are Unlikely to Disappoint (February 11, 2007)

Ignorable 'Rules' (February 5, 2007)

'The Supreme Court': PBS Does Justice to History (January 31, 2007)

Soldiers of the Cross (January 25, 2007)

Getting a Read On the Speech Makes for Quite A Snapshot (January 24, 2007)

'Rome' Is Burning Bright (January 14, 2007)

A Few Choice Words, Including 'Mistakes' (January 11, 2007)

'Armed & Famous': CBS's Keystone Cop-Out (January 10, 2007)

Pride and Prejudice, Lifetime Channel-Style (January 8, 2007)

'Idol' Meets 'Grease' And the Audience Is the Biggest Loser (January 6, 2007)

'Knights of Prosperity': A Deftly Daffy Quest (January 3, 2007)

The Respectful Eyes of America (January 3, 2007)

FX's 'Dirt': A Wickedly Good Wallow In Hollywood (January 2, 2007)

That Familiar Ticking Grows Fainter (December 31, 2006)

Spotlighting Immigration, With No Fuss (December 26, 2006)

Mistaken 'Identity' (December 18, 2006)

Showtime's 'Sleeper Cell': Shut It Down (December 9, 2006)

'Tsunami': A Tale Where The Truth Would Do (December 9, 2006)

'Twenty Four Seven' Has Zero to Offer All of the Time (December 6, 2006)

TBS's '10 Items' And 'My Boys': Save the Receipt (November 27, 2006)

'Candles on Bay Street,' Cast From A Familiar Mold (November 25, 2006)

In 'Iran,' Ted Koppel Explores the Nation Behind the Label (November 18, 2006)

'30 Rock,' Solid Enough to Rebuild a Thursday Foundation (November 16, 2006)

'Day Break': It's Noir at 6:17 In the Morning (November 15, 2006)

'3 Lbs.': A Little 'Grey' Matter But Not a Lot Of Smarts (November 14, 2006)

A Few Leaders Emerge in Election Coverage (November 8, 2006)

Darrell Hammond Has No Imitators (November 4, 2006)

Hollywood and Vino: 'Law & Order' Plays Off Mel Gibson Story (November 3, 2006)

Jane Wyatt, Television's Liberating Mom (October 24, 2006)

'Friday Night Lights' Shines in a Vast Wasteland (October 24, 2006)

Mel Gibson, Part 1: Scratching The Surface (October 13, 2006)

'Nine': At Least Its Viewers Can Escape (October 4, 2006)

'Friday Night' Kicks Off With A Great Formation (October 3, 2006)

'SNL' at 32: Cutting Edge Yields to Comfy Middle (October 2, 2006)

Look Homely, Angel (September 28, 2006)

'Help Me': A Cure for Couch Potatoes (September 26, 2006)

'Heroes': Less Than Super (September 25, 2006)

ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters': A Series So Sensitive It Hurts (September 23, 2006)

James Woods's Formidable Chops in 'Shark' (September 21, 2006)

'Kidnapped' Holds Viewers for Ransom (September 20, 2006)

Light-Fingered 'Smith' Makes for A Weightless Drama (September 19, 2006)

Not Live! Not From New York! It's 'Studio 60' . . . (September 18, 2006)

The Season's Best, Ripe for Picking (September 17, 2006)

'Men in Trees': Definitely a Hazard (September 12, 2006)

In Season 4 of 'The Wire,' Cable That Can't Be Touched (September 11, 2006)

ABC's Twisted 'Path to 9/11' (September 9, 2006)

Yuk, Yuk, Yuck (September 7, 2006)

No News Not the Best News For Katie Couric's Debut (September 6, 2006)

Bombs Away: Fox Drops A Big One (September 5, 2006)

On Fox, 'Justice' Is Served Swiftly (August 30, 2006)

Sometimes on Television, Dreams Really Do Come True (August 28, 2006)

Mike Douglas, A Turbulent Era's Blissfully Bland Talk Show Host (August 12, 2006)

'One Ocean View': Six Degrees of Stuporation (July 31, 2006)

A Backward Look at the Times Of 'Uncle Walter' Cronkite (July 26, 2006)

It Takes 'Talent' To Kill This Trend (July 19, 2006)

The Bright Appeal of Red Buttons (July 14, 2006)

A Delightful Scream: TNT's 'Nightmares' Toys With the Mind (July 12, 2006)

In 'Lost Episodes,' Found Comedy (July 8, 2006)

'Entourage,' Giving HBO Summer Fare A First-Class Escort (June 11, 2006)

NBC's 'Apocalypse 10.5': Let's Get Ready to Crumble! (May 21, 2006)