What is better, faux reality or real reality? Two new series enable us to examine that pressing question. “Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET, Tuesdays, 10 p.m.) is a script...

“The Americans” (FX, Wednesdays, 10 p.m.) calls itself a “period drama.” The period: 1981 in D.C. The plot: Two Soviets nefariously spy while posing as a suburban coup...

This is the first Thursday of the post-”30 Rock” era. Those who mourn the end of the brilliant sitcom may wonder: What should I do at 8 p.m.? My suggestions: 1. Watch a bo...

Should I praise “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” or eulogize “30 Rock”? Hey, why not do both! Hail Kimmel. Last week, Kimmel, above, whose ABC talk show just moved from 12:35 a.m....

Edgar Allan Poe must be groaning in his Baltimore grave. “The Following” (Fox, Mon., 9 p.m.) uses (or abuses) the author as the inspiration for a serial killer. Charismati...

In this 12th season of “American Idol,” no one cares about the singers. The big question is: What’s up with the judges? Nicki Minaj, above right, has already threatened ...

“Girls,” Lena Dunham’s dramedy about privileged and angsty Manhattan youths, is back for Season 2 (HBO, Sun., 9 p.m.). “Bad Girls Club Atlanta,” a reality show about...

At a holiday party, a colleague asked if I watch “Downton Abbey,” the British series about an early 20th-century earl, his American wife, their three daughters and their g...

TV taught me so much in 2012. Here are a few of the things I learned: “America’s Test Kitchen” showed me that the easiest way to remove the core of an apple I wish to ba...

This year’s lists of the top shows are all pretty much the same, from Mad (Men) to (Breaking) Bad. Let’s break new ground. Here are my picks for 2012’s Best TV Shows for...

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has written to MTV, asking the cable network to kill its new reality show “Buckwild” before it even airs. The show, aka the “ ‘Jersey ...

I was surprised to learn that Hillary Clinton’s favorite show is HGTV’s “Love It or List It,” because the show’s premise is so fake. A husband and wife are unhappy w...

Arrows are trending on TV. Crossbows fire regularly on “The Walking Dead” and “Revolution.” But really, the hot spot for TV arrows is the new CW series “Arrow,” ab...

Un-congratulations to Lifetime TV. You’ve created the train wreck-iest reality show yet: “The Houstons: On Our Own” (Wednesdays, 9 p.m.). The show stars the daughter and...

Was Diane Sawyer tipsy when she slurred and winked her way through ABC's live coverage of the presidential election and started to say “President Barack O’rama”? That’...