Amber Dowling

  • ‘People of Earth’ Review: Close Encounters with Aliens in Conan O’Brien’s TBS Sitcom

    Extraterrestrials have lived among us (“3rd Rock From the Sun”), set up their own neighborhoods (“The Neighbors”), mixed with other species where they hung out in space (“Red Dwarf”) and even featured prominently on “Saturday Night Live” for several years (the Coneheads sketches back in the ’70s).Taking the concept and twisting it around to focus on those who have had alien encounters, however, is a pretty fresh take on the topic. Viewers meet a group of misfits at an “experiencers” support group – run by former “SNL” star Ana Gasteyer – when Ozzie Graham (“The Daily Show’s” stoic-faced Wyatt Cenac) shows up to write an article on their experiences.

  • ‘The Great Indoors’ Review: Joel McHale Is Back, and Among the Millennials

    If that feels a little nit-picky, the premise is also pretty familiar: it’s how Tim Allen got himself back on television with the Friday night comedy “Last Man Standing.” When his character’s travel budget was slashed he was forced to work in an actual office environment and acclimatize to the female way of life around him both there and at home. For his part McHale does what he can with the multi-camera format.

  • ‘Man With a Plan’ Review: Matt LeBlanc Returns to Sitcom Life, Now as a Confused Dad

    Matt LeBlanc is certainly no stranger to multi-camera comedies; after all, the former “Friends” star parlayed his success on that NBC smash into the poorly received “Joey” spinoff, making him a vet at the format.

  • Icelandair wants to make your stopover dreams come true — for free

    Whatever the magic formula currently out there in the zeitgeist, one thing is for sure: Iceland is becoming a must-see destination. Main Icelandic airline Icelandair is well aware of the country’s growing popularity and now it’s looking to target another type of traveller: the stopover guest. In order to lure even more visitors into the country the airline is offering passengers flying across the Atlantic a chance to stopover in Iceland for up to seven days at no additional airfare.

  • ‘American Housewife’ Review: Katy Mixon Stars as a Woman of a Certain Size

    If the word “fat” makes you uncomfortable, “American Housewife” is either going to leave you squirming in your seat or getting over that bashfulness pretty darned quickly. Katy Mixon, whom viewers will recognize as Melissa McCarthy‘s onscreen sister on “Mike & Molly” or as the love interest on “Eastbound and Down,” finally breaks out as the star she’s meant to be, as leading lady Katie Otto in ABC’s latest comedic offering.

  • ‘Insecure’ Review: Issa Rae Shines in HBO Comedy About Dating and Friendship

    Issa Rae may be a self-proclaimed “Awkward Black Girl” but after this weekend the writer, director, producer, actress and Stanford grad will emerge as the new voice of her generation. In a nutshell, “Insecure” is a down-to-earth look at the relationship between two best friends (Rae and Yvonne Orji’s Molly character), their existential life crises and what it’s like to navigate L.A. as black females in today’s climate. At the outset it seems like Issa has it all–a five-year relationship, a solid job where her opinion matters and a bestie whom everyone loves.

  • ‘Divorce’ Review: Sarah Jessica Parker Is Still in the City, With Less Sex

    Mention Sarah Jessica Parker and HBO in the same sentence and it’s hard not to think of “Sex and the City.” Similarly, it’s hard to see a title like “Divorce” and imagine it being anything but a drama. For her part, Parker perhaps hopes the role will finally help her shed those infamous “Sex” days of cosmos and Manolo Blahniks. As such the actress’s look on “Divorce” is anything but high-fashion.

  • ‘No Tomorrow’ Review: Tori Anderson in a Lighthearted End-of-the-World Comedy

    In keeping with the success of “Jane the Virgin” and “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” CW is looking towards another charming but goofy leading lady in the form of Canadian Tori Anderson for Tuesday’s premiere of “No Tomorrow.” And they’ve enlisted former “Galavant” star Joshua Sasse to help.

  • ‘Conviction’ Review: An Injustice How This Show Wastes Hayley Atwell

    The series, which was created by Liz Friedlander and is obviously designed as a star vehicle for Atwell – the former Agent Peggy Carter on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. –  is a mess from beginning to end, full of clichéd characters and confusing rules. Viewers meet leading lady Hayes Morrison in the opening minutes at “her worst,” which for her means looking perfectly coiffed and in jail following a supposed bust for cocaine.

  • ‘Timeless’ Review: Abigail Spencer and Company Go Back to the Past

    Thanks to a strong behind-the-scenes team consisting of  Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) and Eric Kripke (“Supernatural”) there’s been plenty of early buzz surrounding the series, which also happens to star small-screen darling Abigail Spencer (“Rectify,” “Mad Men”), former “90210” kid Matt Lanter, funny guy Malcolm Barrett (“Better Off Ted”) and Goran Visnjic (“ER”) as the history-changing bad guy. The trio, consisting of historian Lucy (Spencer), muscle Wyatt (Lanter) and technician Rufus (Barrett), works well together in that misfits-trying-to-get-along kind of way.

  • ‘Notorious’ Review: ABC Legal Drama Tries to Please All, Ends Up a Mess

    There’s the high-pressure TV newsroom and the successful producer Julia George (Piper Perabo) who is tasked with getting all the big guests. There’s high-profile lawyer Jake Gregorian (Daniel Sunjata) who goes above and beyond for his sketchy clients. Rather than taking the time to flesh out the actual relationship between Julia and Jake and explain why audiences are supposed to care, the friendship is taken at face value after an “unexpected” twist during a live newscast.

  • ‘Pitch’ Review: Kylie Bunbury on Deck for Stardom in Baseball Drama

    Which is a shame, because the new baseball drama “Pitch,” from Fox, is a show that deserves to be seen. When Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) is called up from the minors to make her big league debut, she not only has to face the pressure of becoming the first professional female player, but she also has to make her start on the mound–one of the most pressure-filled positions in the game regardless of whether you’re a trailblazer. Bunbury is a star in the making as the leading character, but there are plenty of kinks to work out.

  • ‘Speechless’ Review: Micah Fowler Steals the Spotlight in Family Comedy

    ABC cracked that formula back in 2009 when it launched “Modern Family,” effectively establishing itself as the go-to network for a new wave of family comedies. Each of those offerings have been successful because they follow a family that’s relatable but representative, stars notable cast-members and aren’t afraid to tackle tough issues every once in a while (this past season’s racial-profiling episode of “black-ish,” for example). This fall, ABC is hoping to keep the formula intact on Wednesday nights with the new Minnie Driver-led “Speechless.” The series revolves around a wife and mother-of-three who often serves as the voice for her son J.J. (Micah Fowler), a teen whose special needs has him in a wheelchair without the ability to speak.

  • ‘Bull’ Review: Michael Weatherly Reports for Jury Duty

    As it happens, Dr. Phil really was a jury consultant in his former life. The hour-long format stars former “NCIS” star Michael Weatherly in the leading role of Jason Bull, a know-it-all, fast-talking consultant who, for a high fee, helps top lawyers select their juries. Then, because this is high-stakes television, Bull and his super stealthy team of analysts (Freddy Rodriguez, Jaime Lee Kirschner) take it one step further and help bring the real guilty parties to light.

  • ‘This is Us’ Review: Dan Fogelman Mines Great Melodrama From Everyday Life

    In a season rife with superheroes, time travel, remakes and flawed protagonists who seem to have all the answers, there’s not much that’s stood apart from the fall preview pack this cycle. Perhaps that’s why NBC’s “This is Us”–the second fall entry from executive producer Dan Fogelman (Fox drama “Pitch” is his other)–has garnered so much attention ahead of its premiere. Or why the pilot trailer has broken through with millions of video streams, practically achieving “Star Wars” levels of shares.

  • ‘Blindspot’ Review: How Archie Panjabi Might Help Avoid That Sophomore Slump

    Who knew having her body covered in mysterious tattoos would be the least of Jane Doe’s problems when NBC’s “Blindspot” returned for a second helping? Creator Martin Gero did, that’s for sure. It doesn’t take long for everyone to come back together though under new series regular Archie Panjabi, whose NSA character forges a reason to bring Jane back into the mix.

  • 11 things to do with that ‘outdated’ iPhone 6

    It seems like just yesterday we were all being promised amazing new technology and the best phone yet with the release of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Sync it with the app on your new phone and presto! Watch that baby from anywhere—work, the gym or on the road (it should go without saying that someone still needs to be home, of course).

  • ‘Son of Zorn’ Review: An Animated Hero, Lost Among the Millennials

    Animated series are a hard enough sell. Semi-animated series in which the title character is drawn but he’s living in an otherwise normal sitcom existence… well, that’s something else entirely. Yet that’s the situation that the new Fox entry “Son of Zorn” has set up for its Sunday night “animation domination” audiences this fall.

  • ‘Better Things’ Review: Pamela Adlon Delivers One of Fall’s Best TV Shows

    Welcome to single motherhood, where the kids reign supreme, work is anything but fulfilling and there’s plenty of judgment from everyone else. At least that’s single motherhood according to Pamela Adlon in her new FX series “Better Things,” which is one of the best new series to hit the airwaves this fall season.

  • ‘Harley and the Davidsons’ Review: Miniseries Tells Saga of Classic American Brand

    Or at least it will be for an entire week with the premiere of the three-part miniseries, “Harley and the Davidsons.” This big-budget period piece marks a continuation into the scripted storytelling for the network.