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THE DESPARATE HOUSEWIVES BLOG
HOSTED BY MELINDA LEDMAN |
THE 7TH HEAVEN
This drama is currently in its 9th season, and the 1st season has just recently been released on DVD. As avid fans, my wife Janet and I have been rather amused by watching the DVD in tandem with the current episodes to see how the characters have all grown up.
—Ken & Janet Priebe |
Sept 20, 2005 Ongoing updates!
 THE 4400
Review by Jacob Sahms: A group of 4400 who disappeared or apparently died mysteriously over the last 50 years, suddenly appear as a group. Their appearance causes havoc as the communities in which they re-enter are not completely receptive—Homeland Security also attempts to study the 4400 to determine where they went…and why they are back. |
Sept 01, 2005
 THREE WISHES
Review by David Bruce: This show points to the better side of humanity. Three Wishes is about granting people their wishes, in terms their need. Here is a reality show that is positive, outreaching, and heartwarming. |
June 27, 2005
 MEDIUM
Review by Maurice Broaddus: A stylish show at that, one that’s well-acted and has witty dialogue. That’s no surprise once you take a look at who’s involved: creator Glenn Caron (Moonlighting, Remington Steele); known genre writers like Rene Echevarria (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and executive producer of The 4400) and Moira Dekker (Dark Angel, The Dead Zone). |
June 27, 2005
 AMERICAN IDOL
Review by Ken Priebe: Some people love it, some people hate it. And some people, like me, fit into the category of finding elements of it irritating but appreciating it nonetheless and standing on the edge of it being almost a guilty pleasure. Is American Idol a cleverly rigged marketing scheme that only seeks to manipulate the general public? Maybe it is, who knows? And ultimately, I don't care if it is, because I have a sneaking suspicion that of all the shows on television, this is one where God is truly at work, as I will soon explain... |
June 10, 2005
THE 4400
Review by Jacob Sahms: A group of 4400 who disappeared or apparently died mysteriously over the last 50 years, suddenly appear as a group. Their appearance causes havoc as the communities in which they re-enter are not completely receptive—Homeland Security also attempts to study the 4400 to determine where they went…and why they are back. |
June 27, 2005
 30 DAYS
Review by David Zimmerman: Where’s he going with this? That’s the question I find myself asking about the reality show Thirty Days, featuring reality film star Morgan Spurlock. Spurlock, whose documentary Super-Size Me turned heads and caused corporate giant McDonald’s to be foisted by its own sloganeering petard, managed to parlay his one-shot film into a steady gig on the FX network. Following his film’s formula, Spurlock recruits volunteers to spend thirty days straight living a life that is notably distinct from their own. |
June 10, 2005
 THE WIRE
Review by Maurice Broaddus: If anyone poses the question "what is the best show on television?" the answer can be found in two simple words: The Wire. The show stands as inheritor of the crown of intelligent, quality television left by Homicide: Life on the Streets, except with cable’s rules for language, nudity, and violence. It is television that demands work, but the payoff is worth it. With its mix of action, laughs, and thought provoking look at the drug trade on our inner city streets, it is easily one of the most satisfying hours of television watching. |
June 06, 2005
 NYPD BLUE
Review by Maurice Broaddus: Spiritual reality has always been one of the underpinnings of the show. God is at the root of Andy Sipowicz’s character. When he lost his faith in Him, his life completely unraveled into a drunken spiral into prostitution and self-loathing. In that, the show has come full circle with John Jr.’s channeling the spirit of Andy past. John Jr. is flailing about after the suicide of his father followed shortly by the suicide of his girlfriend, not knowing how to put his back together. [I’m just not quite buying Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s performance. He plays his character just this side of over the top, like he’s wearing a character he’s not quite comfortable with.] He could learn a lot from his partner. |
June 06, 2005
 24
Review by Maurice Broaddus: We live in the age of the anti-hero. The time of the Constantines, the Punishers, the Dirty Harrys. Webster defines hero as “a person noted or admired for nobility, courage, outstanding achievements”. The picture that you should probably see next to that definition is that of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) from the television show 24. Jack Bauer lives the story of one man out to save the world (though in this case, the world usually means America). |
June 06, 2005
 HOUSE, M.D.
Review by Maurice Broaddus: Remember the halcyon days of the Fall TV Season of 2003, when we had the battle of the “girls dealing with the universe” shows? Wonderfalls was great, but was cancelled after four episodes. Joan of Arcadia was very good, has found its legs, and is flourishing. And Tru Calling, which was mediocre on its best days, was mercifully cancelled after one season. These days we have House versus Medical Investigation competing for audience’s attentions with similar premises. The upshot? House wins. |
April 04 , 2005
 REVELATIONS
Review by David Bruce: The best apocalytic series ever made for television. Story: Dr. Richard Massey is a scientist faced with the toughest personal, professional and philosophical challenges of his life. He is searching for reasonable explanations -- to explain signs that seem to indicate the apocalyptic end as foretold in Scriptures is in motion. To save humanity, Massey will have to let go of scientific facts and embrace faith. |
January
26, 2005
 BUFFY
THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus: The problem with doing a series retrospective on a show like Buffy
the Vampire Slayer isn’t the fact that it’s hard to find
a spiritual connection, but that it's hard to choose which spiritual
connection to go with. Joss Whedon is a self-proclaimed atheist, yet
he is also the perfect case study for the fact that God is “hardwired”
into men’s hearts. If we are created in God’s image, then
much of His character and essence is part of the fabric of our being
and will come out in our art. |
November
26, 2004
 ONE
TREE HILL
Elisabeth Leitch: One Tree Hill may have
a great deal to teach us all about seeking lives of meaning and love
and seeing ourselves and all those around us with a purpose and value
that runs deeper than who we are on the surface and who we have been
in the past. |
November
5, 2004
 EXTREME
MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION
By Matt Hill: Why does this show work
so well? Isn’t it just another reality show? Isn’t it
just a big Sears commercial in disguise? Maybe. Or could it be that
it works so well because it reinforces a whole bunch of popular and
deeply held beliefs, without our necessarily knowing it? Popular and
deeply held beliefs? What beliefs? |
October
29, 2004
 JOAN
OF ARCADIA (Second Season Review)
Review
by Maurice Broaddus: One of the things that makes this show work is its honest treatment
of faithfulness. It constantly teeters on being overwhelmed with its
earnestness, but is saved by its sense of humor, being seasoned with
an edge of darkness, and, above all, its relevance. |
October
25, 2004
 JACK & BOBBY
Darrel Manson reviews: The show challenges
viewers to think about their own character and values. What has made
us into the people we have become? Are the values we are passing on
truly the values that need to be passed on? Are there values we have
learned that we should rethink and perhaps discard? |
October
25, 2004
 VERONICA
MARS
Darrel Manson reviews: In Buffy, that
battle took place in a supernatural realm. The good and evil were
cosmic. For Veronica, the evil is not from some cosmic evil, it grows
from within people (which is far more sinister.) Buffy was always
saving the world (literally); Veronica saves people that no one else
really cares about. |
October
20, 2004
 THIRD
WATCH (TV Series)
Maurice Broaddus reviews: The premise of the show was to examine the life of those often-unsung
heroes: the patrol cops, paramedics, and fire fighters, the people
who do the actual work between the homicide cop shows like NYPD Blue
and the hospital shows like ER. |
October
15, 2004
 WITHOUT
A TRACE
Elisabeth Leitch reviews: While Without
A Trace always delivers captivating stories and outstanding performances
by all its actors, the way each episode truly delves into a life gives
the viewer so much more than a good story. Each episode is also a
clear reminder of the value of life and the right and opportunity
each and every one of us has to escape from lives of being lost and
find lives of belonging, value, and purpose. |
October
13 2004
 DEADWOOD (HBO TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus: The seeming
absence of Law in Deadwood still points to a Lawgiver. The preacher
on the show, at Wild Bill Hickok’s funeral, summed it up this
way: “I believe in God’s purpose, not knowing it. I ask
Him, moving in Him, to see His will. I ask Him, moving in others,
to allow them to see.” |
October
11 2004
 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus: The show
basically asks “how much do you really want to know about your
neighbors?” The problem is that, as Susan Mayer says, “Sometimes
people pretend to be one way on the outside when they are totally
different on the inside.” That’s something true of everyone
on the show. |
October
10 2004
 LOST (ABC TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus:
The whole concept of man on an island reminds us of who we truly are.
"Three days ago we all died. We should all be able to start over," Jack says. Who they were before the crash was their old nature. This
time on the island represents their chance at redemption -- if they
want it. This show is easily one of the best new shows of the year. |
October
10 2004
 BOSTON
LEGAL (ABC TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus: We have a
love/hate relationship with the law. We are fascinated by its machinations.
The practice of law rarely makes sense, yet we are slaves to it. This
show perfectly illustrates the idea of how our legal system circumvents
the spirit of the law by sticking to, and finding loopholes through
interpretations in, the word of the law. |
July
2 2004
 THE SHIELD (FX TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus: The Shield
is the best cop show on television and one of the most engrossing
and provocative dramas, period. In season three, it has lost none
of its brand of in your face brutality and moral ambiguity as it examines
the life of street level police investigation. Imagine Training Day
and A Simple Plan combined as a television series and you get The
Shield.
|
June
30, 2004
 SIX
FEET UNDER (TV Series)
Review by Darrel Manson: HBO's Six Feet
Under deals with a family that runs a mortuary. Each week begins with
a bizarre death of someone whose body ends up at Fisher & Diaz
Mortuary. The dead person's spirit often appears to one of the main
characters to shed some light on what's happening. The deaths, however,
are not nearly as bizarre as the Fisher family. |
June
27, 2004
 ANGEL: THE SERIES (TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus: Redemption
is what we all hope for. It is difficult to do a show that has as
its heart the theme of redemption without slipping into moralizing
or treacly simple-minded pabulum. In the real world, stories aren’t
often clearly black and white with well-defined heroes and villains.
High themes indeed, but the show works. |
June
26 2004
 NIP/TUCK
(2003 - present TV Series)
Review by Maurice Broaddus:The
episode arc opens with Matt and his Jewish friend, Henry, getting
high while discussing God. Henry can’t light his bong because
it is a Jewish Sabbath, and the Law says that he cannot do any work,
in this case, lighting the match. Matt wonders whether obeying these
rules of conduct matter, to which Henry says that “God doesn’t
give a sh-t” about lighting a match, but he believes that if
he obeys he will lead a “happy life and survive.” |
May
24 2004
 WONDERFALLS
(2004 TV SERIES)
Review
by Maurice Broaddus: Wonderfalls is rife with
religious ideas and from the outset lets us know that religious belief
is its subtext. For instance, the souvenir shop where Jane works has
a display called “I Surrender to Destiny,” centered around
a video that tells the Native American story of the Maid in the Mist.
You see, the god of Niagara Falls randomly killed people. The people
wanted to appease him with gifts. |
May
22 2004
 SMALLVILLE ( 2001-Present)
Review
by Maurice Broaddus: A
being with strange powers descends from the heavens, sent to Earth
as a baby. He takes on the role of humanity, embracing it, experiencing
everything that man typically experiences. Then he grows up to enter
into a ministry to save mankind from the many dangers that mankind
faces. Sound familiar? |
May
21 2004
 FRIENDS
-THE TV SERIES
A tribute by Chris Utley: The
show has remained in the top ten TV shows each season for the last
10 years. It is definitely evident that God has blessed this show.
However, in true Bible-thumping fashion, my reaction has usually been
to stare at my wife as if she’s a stark, ravin' lunatic. |
Feb
19 2004
 JUDAS
(ABC TV March 8 2004)
Review by David Bruce:
Judas is perhaps the most complex character in the Gospels, the disciple-turned-betrayer
— a man who walked with Jesus, only to later turn him in for
fifty pieces of silver. |
Nov
24, 2003
JOAN
OF ARCADIA (CBS 1999-Current)
Review
by Maurice Broaddus: I am pleasantly surprised by how good the show is and how well both
the writing and acting are. Most importantly, I enjoy watching a show
ask and confront the questions that many people ask when they think
about whether or not God exists. |
Nov
24, 2003
THE
WEST WING (NBC, BRAVO 1999-Current)
Review by Maurice Broaddus: In
President Barlett, Creator Sorkin presents an authentic Catholic Christianity
that sets him apart not only from his circle, but from most characters
on television. Rarely is a character’s religion explored. This
is a character who tests Chinese immigrants fleeing because of religious
persecution using the shibboleth passage from the Book of Judges! |
Nov
24, 2003
 PARADISE
HOTEL (Summer 2003)
Review by Maurice Broaddus:
All I know is two things: one, that the show got under my skin, the
guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and I wanted to figure out why. Two,
that somewhere along the line, our culture became fundamentally broken,
someone decided to air the results, and call it reality television. |
Mar
5, 2003
 DOC
(PAX)
Review by David Bruce: "Doc" captures the drama
and comedy of big city medicine as seen through the eyes of Clint
Cassidy (Billy Ray Cyrus), a handsome country doctor from Montana
whose love for a woman took him to the Big Apple. |
Mar
5, 2003
SUE THOMAS: F.B.EYE (PAX)
Review by David Bruce:"Sue
Thomas: F.B.Eye" an original drama inspired by the true story
of Sue Thomas, who although profoundly deaf from the age of 18 months,
overcame significant obstacles to work surveillance for the F.B.I. |
| |
CURRENT
SHOWS
7th Heaven
— Review and Blog by Ken & Janet Priebe
24
—Review
—Comment on Maurice's blog
30 DAYS
—Reviews by David Zimmerman
The 4400
—Reviews
American Idol
—Reviews
Boston
Legal (ABC)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Deadwood (HBO 2004)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
—Review by Maurice
Broaddus
Doc (PAX)
—Review by David Bruce
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
—Review by Matthew Hill
HOUSE, M.D.
—Review
Jack & Bobby (WB 2004-??)
—Review by Darrel Manson
Joan of Arcadia (CBS)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus |
Lost (ABC)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Medium (NBC)
—Review
Nip/Tuck (TV Series)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
NYPD BLUE
—Review
One Tree Hill (2003-??)
—Review by Elisabeth Leitch
The Shield (FX)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Six Feet Under (Cable)
—Review By Darrel Manson
Smallville (2001 - present)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Three Wishes
—Overview
Third Watch (NBC)
—Overview
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Veronica Mars (UPN)
—Review by Darrel Manson
The West Wing (NBC, Bravo)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
The Wire
—Review
Without a Trace
—Review by Elizabeth Leitch |
PAST SPECIALS AND DOCUMENTARIES |
PAST AND SYNDICATED SERIES |
Angel: The Series (1999-2003)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Bettie Page (A&E)
—Review
Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace (PBS)
—Review
Dyan Cannon on Larry King (CNN)
—Review
In the Beginning (NBC)
—Review
Jesus miniseries on CBS
—Jesus Mini Series pg 1
—pg2 pg3 pg4 pg5 pg6 pg7 pg8 pg9 pg10 pg11 pg12
—Interview with Lorenzo Minoli
—Missing parts:
—CBS and International versions
Joan of Arc (CBS)
—Review
Judas (ABC)
—Review
Mary, the Mother of Jesus (NBC)
—Review
Noah's Ark (NBC)
—Review
Revelations
—Overview
The Search for Jesus (ABC)
—Review
Something To Sing About (Independent)
—Review
|
Brimestone (Fox)
—Review
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Fox 1997- 2002)
—Review
Friends (NBC)
—Review by Chris Utley
Insider TV Show (Syndicated)
—Real Video clip
Joan of Arcadia (CBS)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Kristen (NBC)
—Review
Paradise Hotel (2003)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (PAX)
—Review
Touched by An Angel (CBS)
—Review
Wonderfalls (2004)
—Review by Maurice Broaddus
TOPIC AND INDEXES
Picture Index of Past TV Specials and Programs
A Look Back at 1997
A Look Back at 1999
A Look Back at 2000 |
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