Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'fx'

At The Emmys: Basic Cable Has A Big Night

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:49:00 EDT

NBC's 30 Rock cleaned up the major comedy prizes, but the big drama awards went to basic-cable breakouts like AMC's Mad Men and FX's Damages. TV critic David Bianculli recaps the evening.

The Man Behind 'The Shield'

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:40:00 EDT

Shawn Ryan, creator and executive producer of the acclaimed FX drama, The Shield, discusses his involvement in the series.

Michael Chiklis Shines On 'The Shield'

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:25:00 EDT

Michael Chiklis stars as rogue detective Vic Mackey in the TV series The Shield; the Peabody Award-winning show is in its seventh season on the FX cable channel.

What 'The Shield' Taught Basic Cable

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EDT

It's time to bid farewell to one of TV's most under-appreciated series, the FX program The Shield. When this gritty cop drama began in 2002, it was groundbreaking in more ways than one. Never before had a cable channel outside of HBO tried a high-quality scripted series.

Last Act For 'The Shield'

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:55:00 EDT

TV critic David Bianculli considers the impact of the FX drama series The Shield, which begins its seventh and final season.

Basic Cable Shows Snag Emmy Nominations

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The nominations for the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Thursday in Los Angeles. The surprise was that basic cable programs cleaned up. AMC's Mad Men racked up 16 nominations, including one for Best Drama, along with FX's Damages.

Denis Leary, the Renaissance Man of 'Rescue Me'

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:26:00 EDT

On TV's Rescue Me, the comic, actor and writer Denis Leary plays a highly strung, highly macho fireman Tommy Gavin, who deals with raging fires and his own raging male ego. Season 4 starts next week on the FX network.

'The Shield,' back in action

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:46:00 EDT

The gritty cop drama The Shield, starring Michael Chiklis, begins its sixth season tonight on the FX cable network. It's intense from the start -- and it keeps building from there.

FX Debuts a New Drama: 'The Riches'

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:41:00 EDT

The Riches is a new drama series on the FX cable network. It stars Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver in a story about a family of criminals pulling the biggest scam of their lives.

'Dirt' Bombs, Despite Having All the Right Pieces

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:44:00 EST

Despite the firestorm of hype over the new FX drama Dirt, the show could use some spiffing up. The show, which stars Courteney Cox Arquette and is executive-produced by her husband, David Arquette, demonstrates how the sum of many great parts can still add up to a not-so-great TV show.

Cable Networks Gain Viewers with Edgy Shows

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Broadcast television networks are built on pulling in big numbers of viewers. But basic cable channels such as TNT, FX and USA are enjoying increasing success with edgier shows. The cable networks are able to succeed with smaller viewership numbers than their broadcast counterparts.

A Final Word from F.X. Toole: 'Pound for Pound'

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 13:52:00 EDT

F.X. Toole wrote fiction all his life, but didn't see his stories in print until he was 70. Now, four years after his death, his first novel -- Pound for Pound -- has been published.

Novels from F.X. Toole, Pelecanos

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 11:55:20 EDT

Our book critic reviews two new novels: Pound for Pound by late writer F.X. Toole, and The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos.

'Thief': A Standout Cops-and-Robbers Series

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:13:20 EST

Thief, the new crime drama from the FX cable network, premieres Tuesday night. Andre Braugher of the 1990s series Homicide stars as the leader of a crew of high-stakes bandits. Television critic Andrew Wallenstein says the series stands out from the latest batch of cops-and-robbers shows.

Braugher Returns With 'Thief'

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 18:29:22 EST

Actor Andre Braugher stars in the new series Thief, which debuts at 10 p.m. Tuesday on FX. Braugher plays Nick Atwater, leader of a small gang of thieves. Braugher is best known for his work on the TV series Homicide: Life on the Streets.

David Mamet and Shawn Ryan: 'The Unit'

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 12:16:29 EST

The latest project from playwright David Mamet teams him up with Sean Ryan, who created the FX series The Shield. The pair's new show is The Unit, about a covert military unit.

'Starved': New Comedy Not Hungry for Laughs

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EDT

'Starved': New Comedy Not Hungry for Laughs August 11, 2005 · Day to Day television critic and Hollywood Reporter editor Andrew Wallenstein reviews Starved, a new comedy on the FX television network. Wallenstein calls the series a "nasty, brutish" comedy -- and one of the best shows of the season.

'Over There': A Real-Time Iraq War Drama

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

'Over There': A Real-Time Iraq War Drama July 27, 2005 · Day to Day television critic Andrew Wallenstein reviews Over There, a war drama premiering tonight on the FX channel that follows the lives of GIs fighting in Iraq.

Producer Steven Bochco and 'Over There'

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Steven Bochco is co-creator and executive producer of Over There, a new FX drama about U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Bochco has won 10 Emmy awards for creating and producing Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue.

'30 Days' in Someone Else's Shoes

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT

'30 Days' in Someone Else's Shoes June 15, 2005 · Our own Day to Day television critic reviews the new FX network series 30 Days. The show, hosted by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, plays with the idea of what it's really like to live in someone else's shoes for 30 days. Spurlock was the subject of the film Super Size Me, where he charted his weight gain while eating exclusively at McDonald's for 30 days.

'The Shield' Season 3

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT

'The Shield' Season 3 April 8, 2005 · NPR's Mike Pesca reviews the DVD box set of the third season of the FX cop drama The Shield. Not only are the characters and action compelling, but the behind-the-scenes mini-documentaries and commentary tracks -- often just tacked-on to pad other DVDs -- actually add to a greater appreciation of the show.

Glenn Close Joins 'The Shield'

Tue, 15 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST

Glenn Close Joins 'The Shield' March 15, 2005 · Day to Day TV critic Andrew Wallenstein speaks with actress Glenn Close about her choice to join the cast of the FX police drama, The Shield.

F.X. Toole's Tales from the Ring

Fri, 14 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

At age 70, the late writer and former boxing "cut man" F.X. Toole published his first book, a collection of short stories about boxing called Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, to critical praise. We rebroadcast a Sept. 26, 2000, interview with Toole.