David Bianculli

Fresh Air TV critic David Bianculli reviews HBO's new series John Adams, produced by Tom Hanks.

Musicians Stew and Heidi Rodewald speak with Fresh Air TV critic David Bianculli. They're the founders of a band they call The Negro Problem. Their new Broadway musical, Passing Strange, is an autobiographical look at Stew's journey through music.

The Showtime series Dexter, which tells the story of a criminologist who moonlights as a serial killer, will air (edited for content) on CBS. Fresh Air's TV critic David Bianculli talks about Dexter's move from cable to network.

Fresh Air's TV critic David Bianculli discusses the long-term effects of the four-month-long writers' strike, and--more immediately--when we can expect new episodes of our favorite shows to return to the air.

Actor Bryan Cranston — best known as the dad on Fox TV's Malcolm in the Middle talks to Terry Gross about his newest role. He plays a meth-cooking high-school chemistry teacher in Breaking Bad, a new series on AMC.

New mysteries, new jeopardies and only eight episodes to explore them: The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 are back, but the ongoing Hollywood writers strike means a shorter season than planned. Fresh Air's TV critic — and him you can trust — previews the season premiere of Lost, airing tonight on ABC.

HBO, once home to The Sopranos, has some experience with conflicted psychoanalysts. The latest one on the lineup: Paul Weston, played by Gabriel Byrne. The central figure of In Treatment, a nightly half-hour serial adapted from an Israeli TV drama, Weston is a calm, collected counselor on the outside — and an emotional mess on the inside. Fresh Air's TV critic offers a diagnosis.

Fresh Air's TV critic previews the new series Breaking Bad, about a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who decides that cooking crystal meth is the best way to support his family after he's gone. The show premieres on the AMC cable channel on Jan. 20.

New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman talks with David Bianculli about his new book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It's the most recent in Bittman's series of "How to Cook Everything" books.

The writers' strike knocked late-night television shows like the Late Show and The Tonight Show into reruns. Now these pillars of the talk-show genre are back on the air with fresh material.