Articles by Tom Comi

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Drama

NBC’s “Chuck” finally down to its last breath and season

October 28, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide Fans of the NBC show Chuck have been given the diagnosis that the end is near, so we’ve gathered you here today to offer the last rites. Nobody can ever claim that the NBC spy drama wasn’t a fighter. It battled poor ratings up until the bitter end. Sadly, with no hope or cure in sight, Chuck has been transferred to that depressing place where shows go to die (Friday night), and we regret to inform you that there won’t be any last-minute donors to save the day. With all options exhausted, maybe saying goodbye […]

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Documentary

HBO’s “Prayer for a Perfect Season” follows NJ high school hoops team

October 25, 2011 Tom Comi

At most public high schools around the country, the basketball team merely provides entertainment and school spirit for students and people in the community. At some Catholic schools like St. Patrick in New Jersey, the stakes are much, much higher. Tonight on HBO (9pm ET), we get a behind-the-scenes look at those stakes thanks to acclaimed director Marc Levin’s documentary Prayer for a Perfect Season. Levin spent a year following the 2010-11 boys basketball team at the Elizabeth, NJ, school, which culminates in a thrilling showdown with rival St. Anthony of Jersey City. For those who don’t follow high school […]

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Comedy

Who Watches This Stuff?: “2 Broke Girls”

October 24, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide CBS has done a great job over the past several years of becoming the go-to network for comedies, so it should never come as a surprise when one of its new ventures finds an audience. But it might be fair to say that nobody expected 2 Broke Girls to register like it has. With no household names to carry the load, the sitcom (tonight, 8:30pm ET) was fortunate to be sandwiched out of the gate between established hits How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. Debuting with 19 million viewers, the […]

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Reality TV

CMT goes behind the scenes with “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders”

October 20, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide I an currently a Washington Redskins fan who grew up rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, so suffice it to say I have been conditioned for the past 35-plus years to despise the Dallas Cowboys. So how is it possible that I have been drawn to the cheerleading squad of my biggest sports nemesis? The answer is easy when the group is the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, arguably the most famous ensemble of their sort in all of sports. It would be easy to say it is merely based on their looks, but my infatuation with this […]

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Lifestyle

NASCAR’s Joey Logano chows down on Travel Channel’s “Man V. Food Nation”

October 19, 2011 Tom Comi

If you have an appetite for food and NASCAR, then you should make a reservation to watch Travel Channel tonight. Host Adam Richmond and his Man V. Food Nation crew hit the road for Rochester, New York, to watch NASCAR driver Joey Logano tackle a humongous sandwich called the Atomic Bomb (9pm ET). Donning his familiar orange Home Depot cap, Logano approaches the table at Sticky Lips restaurant like a gladiator entering a coliseum. Dozens of fans cheer to offer inspiration for the young driver. And boy is he going need it, because he only has 30 minutes to finish […]

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Music

NBC’s “The Sing-Off” is the best singing competition this season

October 17, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide If you want to watch a fun singing competition instead of Simon Cowell’s American Idol wannabe on FOX, I would highly suggest you tune in tonight to NBC’s under-the-radar The Sing-Off. Let me warn you first, though. You’re not going to get a high-end production like you do with Cowell’s The X-Factor, there isn’t an ounce of hype surrounding this show, and you surely won’t tune in more for the judges than you will the singers. If that’s your thing, then by all means The X-Factor is probably the better bet. But if you are […]

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Comedy

Top 5 tips for creating a successful sitcom

October 13, 2011 Tom Comi

If any of you has the formula for what makes a successful sitcom, you have my permission to stop reading now so you can head directly to Hollywood to start your new job as a TV executive. If only it was that easy, right? The fact of the matter is there is no concrete formula, because every network would have already packed their respective schedules with hilarious shows that all of us would flock to every week. But there are some ingredients that are paramount if a situation comedy is going to thrive, the least of which is actually being […]

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Documentary

“The Dotted Line” on ESPN examines professional sports agents

October 11, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide Many casual sports fans know little about the role of sports agents other than what they gleaned from the Tom Cruise movie Jerry Maguire, but filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is proving with his new ESPN documentary there is much more — both good and bad — than meets the eye. Premiering tonight at 8pm ET, The Dotted Line delves into a profession that many people consider one step below Wall Street bankers. Sports agents are the sharks that athletes pay to get them as much money as possible.These are the negotiators who stand between the owner […]

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Reality TV

“Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show” sheds new light on diva

October 1, 2011 Tom Comi

By Tom Comi Follow @ChannelGuide There was a recent documentary on the controversial group the Dixie Chicks called Shut Up and Sing, but that title in my mind very well could have applied to a TV program on diva Celine Dion. I’ve always marveled at the remarkable voice and range of Celine. There was never any question about her talent or ability to capture an audience. Something about her, though, just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was the theatrics on stage or how she came across as somewhat insincere in interviews. But times change, people change, and so […]