Eric Deggans

Tv and Media Critic for the Saint Petersburg Times

Eric Deggans appears in the following:

Do Critics Of Violence And Sex In HBO's 'Game Of Thrones' Miss The Point?

Thursday, June 11, 2015

This is dangerous ground for a critic who has seen every episode of HBO's sword and dragon-fueled fantasy drama Game of Thrones but hasn't read one page of the books by George R.R. Martin which inspired the series.

But as the show winds up its fifth season Sunday, I'm beginning ...

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Child Molestation Scandal Involving TLC's Duggar Show Unfolds In Media

Monday, June 08, 2015

The controversy around the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting continues. Family members have appeared on Fox News to try to portray the child molestation accusations against Josh Duggar as overblown.

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Racial Diversity Grows On Network Television, But Will Quality Lag Behind?

Sunday, May 31, 2015

The moment comes a minute or so into the trailer for Dr. Ken, Ken Jeong's new fall comedy for ABC.

He's playing a Korean-American doctor with no bedside manners and a wacky family; not a bad setup for a sitcom that will straddle the work/family setting. Dave Foley, ...

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CBS' Bob Schieffer Retires Sunday As Last Of The Old-School TV Anchors

Friday, May 29, 2015

No one can ask a tough question quite like Bob Schieffer.

For example, when he asked then-presidential candidate John Edwards: "It appears that the White House strategy will be to picture you as a pretty boy....A lightweight...Does that bother you?"

Cue nervous laughter from a candidate who became known for ...

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New Season Of 'Halt And Catch Fire' Is A Welcomed Upgrade

Friday, May 29, 2015

AMC's show Halt and Catch Fire chronicles the dawn of the PC-era at a time when companies like Texas Instruments dominated the Silicon Prairie. The second season debuts Sunday.

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Letterman Leaves Late-Night TV With A Near-Perfect Final Show

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Late Show host David Letterman said goodbye Wednesday night with his trademark self-deprecating sarcasm. He left as he had arrived: with a hilarious show made on his own terms.

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'Mad Men' Finale: A Love Letter To Fans Filled With Mostly Happy Endings

Monday, May 18, 2015

AMC's Mad Men ended its seven-season run on Sunday. Fans may have loved how characters' stories were resolved, but critics may question how writers got them there.

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Network's Fall TV Shows Embrace Diverse Casts

Friday, May 15, 2015

The TV industry was in New York to present its new lineup to advertisers. We examine whether the networks have doubled down on diversity after the success of shows like Empire and Jane the Virgin.

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David Letterman Looks Back On Career As TV's Longest-Serving Late Night Host

Thursday, May 14, 2015

NPR's Eric Deggans interviews David Letterman about his career as a late night host. Letterman will retire from CBS' Late Show next Wednesday.

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David Letterman's Top 10 Late-Night Memories (Well, Not Really)

Thursday, May 14, 2015

No one has been a late-night TV host longer than David Letterman, who retires Wednesday after 33 years. Here's what he told TV Critic Eric Deggans about leaving the Ed Sullivan Theater one last time.

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'American Idol' To End After 15 Seasons

Monday, May 11, 2015

The once dominant TV show American Idol will end after this coming season.

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ABC Brings Muppets Back To Prime Time As News Emerges About Fall Shows

Friday, May 08, 2015

The long wait for Muppets fans is over: ABC is bringing back the beloved puppets in a prime-time TV series this fall for the first time in nearly 20 years.

News of the new show, called The Muppets, dropped this week as TV networks begin calling producers, stars and studio ...

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Successful Superhero TV Shows Go Beyond Superpowers

Monday, April 27, 2015

Superheroes are big on TV, but why do some shows work and others fail? It's not about the costumes or the special effects.

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Clone Drama 'Orphan Black' Returns, As Complex And Complicated As Ever

Friday, April 17, 2015

The BBC America series returns for a third season on Saturday. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says the show's dense stories are immensely absorbing, but can make it hard to follow for casual viewers.

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The 'Justified' Finale Brings An End To Another TV Western

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Here's why I'm going to miss FX's modern-day Kentucky Western, Justified, so much.

In last week's episode, our hero, unflinching U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, has ambushed his bitter rival, backwoods Kentucky crime lord Boyd Crowder, shooting at him from across a darkened field on the side of a mountain in ...

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'Nurse Jackie' Ends As TV's Most Honest Depiction Of Addiction

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Even after an accident with a carload full of pills gets her arrested, Nurse Jackie Peyton can't be honest about her addictions. Especially not while explaining her sudden absence to her ex-husband Kevin.

"Where were you this past week?" Kevin asks, tensely.

"Really, you want to know where I was?" ...

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'Game Of Thrones' And 'Veep' Anchor HBO's Killer Sunday Lineup

Friday, April 10, 2015

HBO's Game of Thrones, Veep and Silicon Valley all start new seasons Sunday. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says these three shows just might form the best Sunday night lineup on television this spring.

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'So That Happened:' Confessions Of A Duck-Man

Saturday, April 04, 2015

In the John Hughes-penned classic, Pretty in Pink, Jon Cryer's "Duckie" Dale has one of the best on-screen friendships in '80s teen movie history.

Unfortunately, he's also in love with that friend — his best friend — Andie, played by Molly Ringwald. She's about to date a rich kid, Andrew ...

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The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same As 'Mad Men' Winds Down

Friday, April 03, 2015

AMC's award-winning drama Mad Men returns for its final season Sunday. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says these last seven installments explore how little people change, even in tumultuous times.

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Comedy Central Backs New 'Daily Show' Host Despite Insensitive Tweets

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

Comedy Central named Trevor Noah on Monday to replace Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show. The 31-year-old comic is being criticized for misogynistic and anti-Semitic jokes tweeted in 2009.

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