"The Cleveland Show" is like giving Marge Simpson her own spinoff
Cleveland is like the straight man, which leads to the problem "that Cleveland isn’t an inherently interesting, or, worse, funny, character," says Alan Sepinwall. "His presence allows the writers … to tell meta jokes about white people in Hollywood producing entertainment for a black audience, and occasionally some of the racial humor lands."
"Cleveland" sure feels like "Amos & Andy" // At least it's eccentric
It's tamer, more circumscribed and less subversive than "Family Guy"
Ken Burns' "National Parks" doc is astonishing — and very, very slow
The 12-hour documentary, which kicks off Sunday on PBS, combines a compelling subject matter with a slow pace, says Mary McNamara. "As much as one admires Burns' refusal to acknowledge the conventional wisdom that the American attention span has shrunk to a hair's breadth, there is no denying he could have picked up the pace a bit here," she writes. "(Also, fiddle and banjo music should be banned from documentary usage for the next five years.)"
Where are the people in the parks? // Warning: "Parks" may make you drowsy
"National Parks" is a phenomonel achievement, simply for its organization
"Brothers" overdoses on sibling rivalry jokes
You've gotta have a high tolerance for sibling rivalry jokes to endure the new Fox sitcom, says Matthew Gilbert. "A few minutes into 'Brothers … I learned something about myself: I am definitely not in love with sibling rivalry jokes. Watching this show was the worst kind of sitcom experience – mediocre material, piercing laugh track noise, wasted talent, and a memory-impaired father who is fascinated by the fact that some men shave their “wiggly-dos.’’ Yeah, wiggly-dos."
Dear "Brothers" writers: Give us more CCH Pounder — and the real Michael Strahan
This is a life-long dream for writer/producer/star Daryl "Chill" Mitchell
It has trouble balancing humor and pathos // Strahan: "This acting's serious!"
