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 ›

To be honest, we like the show Girls. In fact, we're pretty sure the backlash is only magnified since the majority of the media writing about it is based in New York so they're hatred tends to bounce off each other and amplify like lasers through a field of mirrors. Whatevs, this is still amusing. more ›

I appeared on FOX's Good Day Chicago this morning to share some brief thoughts on the Lollapalooza line-up this year. The one thing we didn't get to in the segment, that I had planed to discuss, was just how excited I was to see both Frank Ocean and The Weeknd on the bill. For further commentary on the bands that made the cut, check out Chuck's earlier post. While I do think there's an element of nostalgia to the bill, personally I think the bands overall are certainly stronger than last year's bill. 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 ›

Today in restaurant news: It's an opening frenzy! Long-awaited Balena opens, Old Town Pour House Opens with over 100 taps and The Peasantry is coming to Lincoln Park. more ›

We're word-nerds so it should come as no surprise that the Merriem-Webster's Word of the Day podcast is a daily listen for us. What was a surprise is who made an appearance in today's entry! more ›

While the weather outside is going to be glorious in Chicago later today, it appears WGN wanted to underscore just how chilly our morning was to be. more ›

Can you believe Festivus has only been around since 1997 but is now the preferred holiday of 67% of the world's population* today? If, due to a blow to the head in a previous Feat Of Strength, you're not familiar with the basic traditions of the Festivus holiday, Comcast has been kind enough to create an infographic (now the #1 method of sharing information** today!) to make sure everyone can celebrate together. more ›

Local couple Nora Brank and Nic Maier are starting their own variety show, The Nick and Nora Variety Hour, to showcase local music and talent. 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 ›

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 ›

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 ›

Back in 2006, Leon Logothetis trekked across the States on only $5 a day and the generosity of strangers, and then he turned it into the TV show Amazing Adventures of a Nobody. Well, he’s up to his nomadic antics again, this time traveling from NYC to LA in the Kindness Cab and giving away free taxi rides along the way. more ›

The only thing that would make this better is if it featured Stephen Colbert. 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 ›

Thirty years ago today a little channel named MTV debuted that would end up changing the way the world experienced music. Music videos weren't new -- there were weekly programs that featured these promos before MTV came along -- but the idea of a channel devoting itself wholly to music was something new. We stumbled across VH1 Classic's programming of highlights over the past 30 years and were struck by how, well, sharp and playful the channel once was. There's an entire generation that knows the station primarily as a generator of countless reality shows and we think that's kind of sad. heck, back in the early days MTV's original reality program The Real World was actually something of a social experiment. Now it appears as if that programs primary purpose is to provide 20-something with a hot tub and plenty of booze. more ›

Traveling back in time we discover Isaiah Mustafa was not the first commercial spokesperson to entreat you to, "Look at me." more ›

We shared some of Oprah's more absurd moments with you earlier, but it's finally time to say a last goodbye, farewell and sayonara to the Big O. 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 ›

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 ›

Dan Sinker, a.k.a. @MayorEmanuel, stopped by the Colbert Report to parry with Stephen Colbert. Much speculation preceded the appearance (would Colbert act as if he thought real Mayor Rahm Emanuel was the person he was talking to? Would he interview Sinker about everything but the fake Twitter handle?) but the end result was an entertaining back and forth showing Sinker can hold his own IRL. more ›

Although FOX's The Chicago Code has only been airing for less than a month now, it has already received some great reviews and has spawned a drinking game. Yes, that's right, next time you're tuning in on Monday night, you better think about calling out of work on Tuesday because The Beachwood Reporter's game is guaranteed to get you so drunk you actually like the Billy Corgan-penned theme song. more ›

We can't blame FOX entirely for the sad state of the music industry but they deserve some of the credit. First they chipped away at the lower levels of taste through endless seasons of American Idol with steadily decreasing returns on actual displays of talent. Then they went and launched their paean to mediocrity and a new low in the quest of industry to strip what little soul is left grasping onto art in the hit series Glee. more ›

Given the nearly universal acclaim HBO's Boardwalk Empire keeps earning, it is no surprise to see talk of some other series in the works trying to evoke the heady cocktail of relentless entrepreneurial energy, politico-criminal networks and an American frontier mentality that hadn't quite yet been tamed. We confess that we're excited that it may be Chicago's rather notorious history which may be getting the treatment next. No offense to Atlantic City, but early 20th century political corruption and gangster stuff... that's kind of our thing. more ›

Carlo Settecase, 21, who worked as a switchboard operator at the Nordstrom's in the Westfield Old Orchard mall, was arrested in a "ninja-like outfit" after stealing $30,000 worth of merchandise from his employer and attempting to sell it on eBay. On the night of September 5, Settecase reportedly slept under his desk at the store, put on an all-black outfit, and went on his criminal "shopping" spree. more ›

The new season of SNL got underway over the weekend with some new cast members, including two Chicagoans. Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer both hailed from iO, which celebrated with a viewing party. Second City alums Tom Flanigan and Shelly Gossman had also been hired to join the writing staff. more ›

Summer blockbuster season is upon us! 'Tis the season of sequels, superheroes and, of course, the re-imagining of classic television shows! more ›

Clear your calendar or set up your TiVo, because six short days from now Betty White is hosting Saturday Night Live. By now you probably know the backstory: after some hilarious TV appearances and a Super Bowl commercial that went viral, a Facebook campaign to draft White as host caught fire. And the powers that be at NBC actually went for it. more ›