These pieces are less about episodic reviewing and more about long-term questions with specific series, networks or in the industry as a whole. They are listed in reverse chronological order.
Does a series’ ultimate failure negate a great pilot? [March 2012]
Talking about television is not ruining television [February 2012]
The value of work: On the success and appeal of labor-centric reality programming [January 2012]
Character depth welcome: On why White Collar is far and away USA Network’s best series [January 2012]
“We’ve had a really bad fall” (and decade): On the fatal flaw of NBC’s development strategy and defeatist thinking [January 2012]
Love to hate, hate to love: On contemporary comedy’s reliance on bickering [January 2012]
Just be funny: On why Happy Endings is the “new Friends” and how it is hard to express that [January 2012]
Guided by moments: On watching How I Met Your Mother in its elder years [November 2011]
Community “benched”: Why NBC isn’t the ultimate bad guy [November 2011]
Quality television by-the-numbers: On AMC’s continued misguided laziness [November 2011]
Four things Chuck needs to do to make the final season great [October 2011]
Compelled, not connected: On my lack of emotional connection to Boardwalk Empire (and why it doesn’t matter) [October 2011]
Wasted potential: On frustrations with Modern Family [October 2011]
Controlled madness: On The Vampire Diaries, Nikita and narrative pacing [August 2011]
Brand transition?: On what’s at stake for USA Network this summer [June 2011]
Kingdom of disconnect: On ambivalence with Game of Thrones [June 2011]
Empty twists: On frustrations with The Killing [June 2011]
Telling the best original stories? Discussing AMC’s brand development [June 2011]
On letting go: Musings on Lost‘s final season one year after the finale [May 2011]
Misery loves company: Why season two of Community has been better than season one [May 2011]
Surveillance spring stumping: Why CBS should review The Good Wife [May 2011]
Surveillance spring stumping: Why FOX should renew The Chicago Code [May 2011]
Waiting for Superman, week four: How important is the ending? [May 2011]
Surveillance spring stumping: Why The CW should renew Nikita [May 2011]
Surveillance spring stumping: Why ABC should renew Happy Endings [May 2011]
Waiting for Superman, week three: What’s the legacy of Smallville? [April 2011]
Waiting for Superman, week one: How Smallville can stick the landing [April 2011]
Stuck in the middle: The failure of the complex, restrained television series [April 2011]
The show about nothing: The problem with Glee‘s second season [March 2011]
The waiting game: Watching and writing about today’s television comedy [February 2011]
No more questions: Parks and Recreation is already better than The Office has ever been [January 2011]
Value in departure: Why a Terriers cancellation isn’t the worst thing in the world (But it’s probably close) [December 2010]
How much can a great ending save a mediocre (or worse) season? [November 2010]
Tonal transition: Why House is having a creative resurgence in its seventh season [November 2010]
Smallville reaches 200: An ode to undervalued fans [October 2010]
Is it time to swap 30 Rock and Community on the schedule? [October 2010]
Over-Flow — Responses to Flow Conference 2010 panels: I can’t quit you, terrible TV [October 2010]
Over-Flow — Responses to Flow Conference 2010 panels: The sitcom and happy endings [October 2010]
Event pre-air musings: Haven’t we been down this road before? [September 2010]
What’s happening on Jersey Shore‘s second season? [September 2010]
Not quite Dundie-worthy, but not as bad: Post-DVD watch musings on The Office season six [September 2010]
Fall TV preview: Friday’s are back! [September 2010]
Fall TV preview: Are there any broadcast hits in this group? [September 2010]
The Emmys to split into two shows? Other suggestions for TV’s biggest awards night [August 2010]
False stakes welcome: The pointlessness of ongoing arcs in USA series [August 2010]
In Mes Res work: Making the scripted more real? Pro wrestling and Twitter [August 2010]
Is Supernatural‘s back-to-basics plan a good idea? [August 2010]
AMC breaks bad with its schedule — No Breaking Bad until July 2011? [August 2010]
Does anyone actually believe Ryan Murphy? [August 2010]
We were all witnesses (to the death of sports media) [July 2010]
Steve Carrel reaffirms is decision to leave The Office: What’s next? [June 2010]
Should Hulu be in more of a hurry? [June 2010]
Emotion over “answers”: Discussing storytelling approaches in the finales of Lost and Supernatural [June 2010]
Smallville to end at 10 seasons: It’s about time [May 2010]
Sandra deserved to win Survivor: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the social game [May 2010]
What’s the legacy of Heroes? [May 2010]
FlashForward is no more: What have we learned? [May 2010]
In which I worry about Glee [April 2010, migrated from old site]
What’s the future of serialization on broadcast television? [April 2010, migrated from old site]
Catching up on DVD: What changes? [April 2010, migrated from old site]
Thank you, Shawn: Celebrating the performance of one of wrestling’s greatest [March 2010, migrated from old site]
Letting go, holding on: Fandom and serial TV [March 2010, migrated from old site]
Broadcast networks and the miniseries: Will it ever happen again? [March 2010, migrated from old site]
Should NBC pause the ticking clock on 24? [March 2010, migrated from old site]
Twitter and TV viewing: Pay attention to me! [February 2010, migrated from old site]
Just end it already! Genre television and end dates [February 2010, migrated from old site]
The dead-end “dead” serial discussion: It’s not happening [February 2010, migrated from old site]
Chuck versus the ridiculous fan reaction [February 2010, migrated from old site]
Will the iPad change television? [January 2010, migrated from old site]
TV Surveillance 