Primetimer

Richard Hatch Pushed Boundaries to Define Reality TV Villainy / Aug. 23, 2023 / My analysis of the first Survivor winner’s prototypical villainy.

Revisiting the Seinfeld Pilot: What Stuck and What Got Dropped / Oct. 4, 2021 / As Seinfeld moved to Netflix, I looked at the changes between “The Seinfeld Chronicles” and the rest of the show’s episodes.

Revisiting the Frasier Pilot: What Stuck and What Got Dropped? / June 2, 2021 / Frasier arrived quite fully formed, as I discovered when I revisited its pilot.

It Took a While, But Streaming Has Finally Embraced the Reality Competition / May 20, 2021. I looked at the history of reality competitions on streaming services, which have come a long way betwee Netflix’s Ultimate Beastmaster and The Circle.

How Celebrities Killed the Career Game Show Host / Jan. 6, 2020. I wrote about the shift to casting celebrities as game show hosts, instead of stand-ups, improvisers, or people with, you know, hosting experience.

Reality TV to the Rescue / Sept. 24, 2020. I break down broadcast network’s use of game shows and reality TV to fill time on their fall 2020 schedules.

Summer Comes Early For Reality Television / May 18, 2020. A look at what’s coming up this summer in reality TV—and how that’s changing because of the worldwide pandemic.

ABC’s Don’t and the Rise of the Low-Stakes, High-Comedy Game Show / June 11, 2020. So many reality shows just prioritize the silly and funny, from Hollywood Game Night to Ellen’s Game of Games.