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Two new music competition shows have just started airing on ABC! Costume-karaoke celebrity game show Sing your Face Off and social media-driven singing talent show Rising Star. Are you enjoying either/both shows? Is ABC's bet on the future of music competitions going to pay off?

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of recent TV shows have had random jumps forward in time? Parks and Recreation skipped three years, Fargo one and Boardwalk Empire is moving forward seven years for its final season! Here's my blog post about this phenomenon: Box Jumps | Watching TV with...

I wrote a blog post last week about TV memory aids: http://watchingtvwithamericans.com/2014/06/12/memory-box/ Are you as annoyed as me by TV's amnesia? What shows do you see this happening in?

I've been desperately trying to get into TNT's Murder in the First but even after only two episodes, I know it's not for me. The cast, writing and premise (Virtual Reality? What is this, 1992?) are pretty poor in all departments. It's easy to forget that the man behind the show is Steven Bochco...

As a British ex-pat I have to point out that a lot of TV you're being sold as brand new is in fact stuff from British TV that's been obsolete for years. ABC's Sing Your Face Off is a re-boot of an old Karaoke show called Stars in Your Eyes and Ladies of London makes out that Caprice is still a...

This is my first World Cup in the US. Before that I was in the UK and knew which channels to watch the coverage on. Now I don't have a clue. I've found the networks that are showing the games but I need to know who's got the best commentary, punditry, pre and post-match shows etc. Can anyone...

A CNN original documentaries called The Sixties (no need to say what it's about!) went to air last week. Documentaries and original factual series seem to have been CNN's calling card over the past year or so - I suppose anything to distract viewers from the actual news reporting! They're a...

As I'm sure you've heard (especially those snarks and trolls amongst you) John Oliver's Last Week Tonight did a segment on the 'net neutrality' legislation and its protestors. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbOEoRrHyU I think this is brilliant and hilariously funny, despite the...

These are my highlights of The HBO Collection on Amazon Prime Instant Video (free to Amazon Prime subscribers): The Sopranos Treme The Wire Oz Six Feet Under Flight of the Concords Boardwalk Empire Deadwood Family Tree In Treatment Any more for any more?

So True Detective is going to return for a second season but with 3 new leads and a completely different story and set-up. We're not even sure if Fargo is going to return for a second season but we know Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman won't be back. Do you like this trend of shows with...

Today the deal between HBO and Amazon Prime comes into effect, so those of you who subscribe to AP can now watch some of the most amazing television of the last 20 years (with a 3-year delay on the latest show/series) for free. There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from, but I'd recommend...

The Bachelorette returned for a new season this week, following an utterly disasterous season of The Bachelor in which the producers had no choice but to turn public homophobe and slut-shamer Juan-Pablo into the villain of the piece. New contestant Andi, one of last season's biggest onscreen...

Louie is back on TV after nearly two years off the air, and - apart from the ill-advised decision to excise the wonderful title sequence from the show - Season 4 has started with some of the strongest (and most outwardly hilarious) episodes in the entirety of the series. I'm continually amazed...

These were Bart Simpson's words after watching The Flintstones meet The Jetsons seconds before he was introduced to Jay Sherman from the animated series The Critic. Self-aware of the pitfalls or not, The Simpsons and Family Guy, which are both hit (to say the least) primetime Sunday night adult...

From 24 to Bravo's Ladies of London, more and more American TV shows are making use of the UK's capital. Is this a post-Olympics fad that will wear off by the time of Rio 2016 or is it reflective of a new dependence on Britain (UK actors, formats, programs) in the content of US shows? What do...

On Monday, Fox premiered the first 2 episodes of the re-launched 12-episode special of 24 entitled Live Another Day. It's been 4 years since the show was on the air, and this time around (which may possibly be the last one!) we have a new format (12 episodes instead of 24) and a foreign setting...

My TV viewing each week is now mostly comprised of FX shows (Fargo, Justified, The Americans) and with Louie on the way, it doesn't look to be changing any time soon. Netflix and HBO seem to get all the headlines and yet FX consistently produces the finest shows on American television today...

There's a big difference between shows we watch because we like what they do and shows we watch because we need to know the information they're giving. I, for instance, think The Dog Whisperer or Cesar 911 are pretty artless and tedious TV shows... but I need to watch them so I can be a better...

More and more of the big TV shows are adaptations, re-makes, sequels and re-boots of movies. Often we're talking about movies or film franchises from some years ago rather than series capitalizing on today's hits. We've had Fargo, Hannibal, Bates Motel (Psycho) and now Rosemary's Baby. What do...

I ask as PBS has traditionally been the main US importer of BBC programs but now BBC America is on the scene and delivering newer and more popular BBC content to American viewers. BBC America also do quite a few documentaries which tend to be more watchable (though not necessarily more...