Eric Deggans

Tv and Media Critic for the Saint Petersburg Times

Eric Deggans appears in the following:

Diane Sawyer's 'World News' Departure Sets Off Big Changes At ABC News

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Diane Sawyer will leave her job as anchor of ABC News' flagship program, World News, during the last week of August, capping a five-year run at the show and kicking off an anchor shuffle at the network.

Good Morning America co-anchor George Stephanopoulos, who was widely seen as Sawyer's likely ...

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'Freedom Summer' And 'The Watsons': Powerful TV About A Civil Rights Journey

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

This story in the "Book Your Trip" series features NPR TV critic Eric Deggans on two books turned TV shows about civil rights: PBS's Freedom Summer and Hallmark Channel's The Watsons Go to Birmingham.

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FX's 'Tyrant' Drowns An Opportunity For Nuance In Stereotypes

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

With Iraq spiraling out of control in a conflict where everyone involved has a compromised and troubling past, there's no better time for a TV series about the son of a brutal Middle Eastern dictator who returns home from America ready to oppose his father's tactics.

It's too bad that ...

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Sputtering On Fumes, 'True Blood' Has Outstayed Its Welcome

Friday, June 20, 2014

HBO's True Blood is a prime example of a TV show that kept going long after it should have ended. Why is it that some shows stay on air well after they've run out of creative juice?

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A Plea To Emmy Voters To Consider Overlooked Shows And Actors

Friday, June 20, 2014

The prime-time Emmy award nominees will be announced on July 10. Our TV critic points out some under appreciated performances that Emmy voters should recognize.

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Hey, Emmy Voters, Stop Ignoring 'Orphan Black' — And Other Suggestions

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Emmy nominations are a tough time for a TV critic.

That's because much of the work involved in choosing the best achievements for television's highest award is done in the nominating process.

Tatiana Maslany, the talented Canadian actress who plays a multitude of clones on BBC America's mind-bending sci-fi drama ...

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Larry Wilmore Knows: Heavy Lies The Late-Night Mantle

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Larry Wilmore talks to NPR TV critic Eric Deggans about the pressure of moving from his job as the "senior black correspondent" on The Daily Show to his spot as host of the new show Minority Report.

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'Working Stiff TV' — Hey, Meat And Potatoes Are Pretty Tasty

Monday, June 09, 2014

Even the snobbiest entertainment fan has got to admit it: Television is pretty good these days.

So it's easy to get distracted by talk of big-ticket dramas like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead or Orange Is the New Black. But the fact is, there's a whole wide universe of ...

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More Scripted TV Shows Included In Top-10 List

Monday, June 09, 2014

The ratings for prime-time shows are out. If you look at the demographics advertisers pay the most for, young people, there are even more scripted shows edging out reality TV.

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New Faces Keep 'Orange Is The New Black' Humming In A New Season

Saturday, June 07, 2014

Orange is the New Black has always been a bit of a head fake.

Creator Jenji Kohan has admitted she uses the story of WASPy prison inmate Piper Chapman to draw TV audiences into stories about the types of women who rarely take centerstage in more mainstream fare: a transgender ...

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TV Offerings Are Hotter Than Usual This Summer

Thursday, May 29, 2014

This year, more original, highly anticipated summer TV series are debuting on the broadcast networks than ever before — along with some big-ticket series from cable and one of Netflix's biggest shows.

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'Mad Men' Pauses At The Half-Season With A Song And Dance

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

A death, a divorce, a song and dance number and a sale; must be the end of another Mad Men season.

Creator Matt Weiner has a reputation for ending seasons on a melodramatic note. And even though this year's run of Mad Men episodes was cut in half by AMC ...

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A Painful But Critical Reminder From 'The Normal Heart'

Friday, May 23, 2014

Every so often, storytellers land on the same idea close enough to the same time that it rattles the zeitgeist like an earthquake.

That's how it felt, sifting through the well-crafted, emotionally exhausting scenes that fill HBO's version of The Normal Heart. Created as a searing, tragic look at the ...

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This Fall, TV Looks Much More Diverse: Now Don't Screw It Up

Friday, May 16, 2014

For those of us who have spent time arguing for increased ethnic and cultural diversity on television, the last seven days have felt like a fantasy fever dream.

This week, the big broadcast networks announced their schedules for the 2014-15 TV season during the industry's "upfront" presentations to advertisers. And ...

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A Feminist Weighs In On Debate Over Beyoncé

Friday, May 16, 2014

Note: This interview contains language that may be offensive to some listeners.

Beyonce on the cover of Time.

Beyoncé is everywhere, most recently on the cover of Time as one of the 100 most influential people. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg of ...

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A Farewell To Foremother Of TV Journalism: Barbara Walter Retires

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Barbara Walters retires from daily television work on the May 15 edition of The View. Walters may be the real parent of today's TV journalists, who often meld the worlds of entertainment and news.

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Book Review: 'American Innovations'

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Alan Cheuse reviews American Innovations, a new collection of short stories by Rivka Galchen.

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Reading The Tea Leaves Of The Upcoming TV Season

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

This week, the television networks announced their new season lineups. NPR's TV critic, Eric Deggans, talks with host Audie Cornish about some of the new shows and the trends that they reveal.

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How Funny Or Die Makes Room For What Works

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Funny or Die, a website founded by comedians including Will Ferrell, is finding ways to channel the loose comedy of the Internet into projects both online and on television.

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Louis C.K. Takes On TV Hypocrisy, Aiming Scrutiny Back At Himself

Monday, May 12, 2014

When the comic's alter ego rejects a woman because she's overweight, she pours her heart out in a way television rarely allows.

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