The amazingly named Benedict Cumberbatch returns to PBS' Masterpiece Mystery with Martin Freeman in the second season of the BBC's update of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock. This iteration updates the story and brings it into new millennial London with Cumberpatch playing the coldly analytical and slightly cruel title character alongside Freeman's tougher and more grounded take on Watson. The shows first season brought the classic character into modern times adeptly by weaving in present-day technology with old school super-sleuthing, and like the original tales, much of the content was of a darker nature than most associate more recent retellings of the Holmes tales. Quite possibly the most welcome update was the casting of Andrew Scott as the sociopathic arch-enemy of Holmes, Jim Moriarty. more ›

First, we've been quiet on this subject for far too long, but WE LOVE PURRFECT THE CAT. To those not in the know, Purrfect is the surprise breakout star of NBC's The Voice. Seriously, that cat has gotten more attention than any of the actual contestants (sorry Jamie). Of course there might be a bit of nepotism at play here since Purrfect belongs to Cee Lo Green, but we're not going to complain about being introduced to this wondrous creature. more ›

The latest episode of Hulu's original online series A Day in the Life follows Stephanie Izard around during a day at Girl & the Goat, from arriving just as the sun peeks over the lake to being in the weeds during dinner service at the restaurant and going over plans for The Little Goat with her staff. more ›

Potbelly sandwich maker by day, musician by night (and sometimes even on the job), Jamie Lono of Vernon Hills recently represented Chicago on the TV singing competition, The Voice. The hit show has a unique approach to the American-Idol-style reality concept with four judges (Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton) who decide who they want for their “team” based solely on what they hear, with their backs turned to the contestants. more ›

We're not certain how many fans of The Office still call the show appointment television—we certainly don't—but the idea of a Dunder Mifflin paper truck is pretty cool. (We wished it happened during the funnier Steve Carrell years, though.) more ›

With Mayor Kane's approval ratings down due to a chemical contamination scandal in Bensenville, and a myriad of plots against him from some of the Chicago's top politicos, Kane struggles to keep the city running. more ›

The announcement isn't surprising and was expected after Ebert announced on Nov. 6 he and wife Chaz had been underwriting the resurrected At the Movies since its January launch and that they needed funding to continue the show. more ›

Chicago wine lovers shed a few tears this morning as Lettuce Entertain You Wine and Sprits Director Alpana Singh announced her departure from the company. more ›

As our protagonist Tom Kane lies fallen in the wake of the Bensenville / O'Hare toxic chemical dumping scandal we see vultures start to circle his newly vulnerable legacy. more ›

We can't help but see the resemblance between the Grammer's Tom Kane and a certain Elective Majesty, and the series draws inspiration from infamous Illinois scandals such as the Burr Oak Cemetery debacle. more ›

Happy Endings is the Bizarro World version of Friends if the show was set in Chicago; Chandler was black; Joey was gay, fat and sloppy; and Ross owned a food truck. more ›

Next Sunday, the Northwest Chicago Film Society presents an evening of 16mm film liberated from Midwestern television stations showcasing some amazing artifacts of this period. more ›

We preview the forthcoming PBS miniseries and share the recipe for Corpse Reviver #2, a vintage cocktail. more ›

Tejano funk from Austin at Mayne Stage. A pop-up art show in River North. Or just stay home and watch local boxers pound each other. more ›

As in the music industry, the high-bandwith Internet age has shifted the ground beneath the feet of cable and satellite television providers. more ›

If your knowledge of pre-MTV music television is limited to late night Time Life infomercials, or even if it isn't, an upcoming program at The Nightingale is sure to be an eye-opening experience. more ›

In less than 24 hours, Oprah Winfrey's final show will air. Conan O'Brien had some fun looking at what the final three shows would be like. more ›

Well, that's it, Fox has canceled The Chicago Code, and we admit to having mixed feelings about it. While this site's initial review was a glowing one, this critic felt the earlier episodes relied too heavily on piling on hackneyed Chicago cliches. The first episode was particularly egregious in "establishing" itself as being based in our fair city through verbal and visual markers tourists would understand -- we were just waiting for someone to start shouting, "Bang! Bang! Al Capone! Michael Jordan!" -- when it should have been hooking viewers in with compelling storylines. more ›

When your boss is Oprah Winfrey, results are demanded (unless you're Gayle King). And with the Big O now able to focus her attentions to her vanity network, heads have started rolling at the Oprah Winfrey Network. more ›

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was taped last week, aired today. The show led off with the already seen clip of Winfrey asking the President about the release of his birth certificate, which the President said "it seemed unlikely my 18-year-old mother had plotted at the time" for him to be a Manchurian candidate and Michelle Obama called "ridiculous." From there, the appearance settled down into a discussion on the Obama's stay at the White House, the pitfalls and advantages of living in the White House, raising a family inside the bubble of the Presidency and what they hope the future holds for them. Here are some of the highlights. more ›

We watched the finale of Top Chef All-Stars at Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Goat along with many Bravo television notables. The only thing tastier than the eye candy was the incredible food. Enjoy some pictures from our evening! more ›

Somehow we doubt that we were the only ones to locate a friend whose apartment has HBO, so we could watch last night's premiere of Mildred Pierce. Gosh, we're glad we did. It's some of the best television we've seen in a long time. more ›

It's really happening: Oprah's Harpo Productions announced yesterday that her May 25th show will be her last show ever. It is safe to say that her final show will be incredibly outrageous, considering how extravagant and wild her show is during the holiday season (three words: Oprah's Favorite Things). Oprah hasn't dropped any hints about what she was planning for the May 25th finale, but she tweeted last week that she was "hard at work planning the final shows." more ›

The long-delayed Museum of Broadcast Communications is nearing completion. No, really. Steve Dahlman of Marina City Online has posted an update on the progress of the 62,000-square-foot facility at State and Kinzie, including a model of the finished museum. more ›

WBEZ's Lee Bey shared two clips of a 1957 television drama filmed in Chicago called Chicago 2-1-2 on his blog last week. The show, as Bey noted, was part of a DuPont Anthology series on ABC and starred Frank Lovejoy as Chicago Fire Department Inspector Ed McCook, tracking down an arsonist. Chicago 2-1-2 — the "2-1-2" being the call signature for the main fire alarm office at the time — was essentially Dragnet for firefighters. more ›

Model, actress, singer and songwriter ... Taylor Momsen is so talented busy. Let's talk a bit about her and her rock band The Pretty Reckless before she appears at Beat Kitchen tonight. more ›

The initial ratings for Oprah Winfrey's television network are in and they aren't rosy. If a color were to be ascribed to the ratings, it would probably be closer to the unnatural colors found in her network logo. more ›

Last night's Oscar telecast was relatively straightforward, entertaining, and almost entirely free of surprises--with some notable exceptions. more ›

51 years ago, on a typically cold Febuary day in Chicago, a line of eager patrons waited outside on the sidewalk for a new club to open up at 116 E. Walton St. $50 got them a lifetime membership to Hugh Hefner's first Playboy Club entitling them to a key with the bunny logo stamped into it, $1.50 meals, drinks, and a formidable variety of entertainment at the members-only establishment. And of course, there were the he soon-to-be famous bunny-attired cocktail waitresses. The formula worked, with nearly 17,000 visitors in the first month and over 100,000 in its first year. The club became a phenomenon and, along with the magazine and Hefner himself, a touchstone. more ›

We've eagerly watched each new episode of Ebert Presents At The Movies, and this week's episode includes the finest moment yet for the fledgling program: a discussion that's articulate, scholarly, and just plain hilarious. more ›