Tim’s back from winter press tour with news of Fox and FX and reviews of “Backstrom” and “Better Call Saul.” Plus Tim and Jason discuss the massive number of scripted shows out there—with an actual number, thanks to the FX research department. Also we ponder why anyone would tune out PBS when it offers cancer, mortality, and math; Jason gets confused and thinks “Wolf Hall” is a “Game of Thrones” spin-off; and we read a bunch of listener questions.

Winter Press Tour wrap-up

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

We’re bringers, bringing our brand halo to a hungry audience that’s overwhelmed by choice.

Okay, it’s week two of the Death March With Cocktails and Tim may have gone a little loopy. But we’ve still got loads of information from winter press tour, including baiting Donald Trump, ABC’s alien whispers and questionable series promotional techniques, new stuff from AMC, Comedy Central, Amazon, Netflix, NBC, and the CW.

2015 Winter Press Tour, week two

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

After five days “in residence,” Tim reports in live from the TV Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. Among the topics: Why critics don’t clap, chance encounters with Scottish showrunners, and why Netflix’s numbers don’t matter. Tim gets name-checked in a tchotchke and an HBO ad. Plus, we look ahead to the next week and a half (!) of the press tour.

2015 Winter Press Tour

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

A photo posted by TimGoodman/BastardMachine (@timgoodman) on Jan 7, 2015 at 5:26pm PST

Positivity abounds! In this episode, Tim and Jason go over Tim’s lists of the best TV shows of 2014. Nothing but sunshine and great television here! Let it never be said that Tim is not someone who loves (good) TV!

Best of 2014

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

Tim and Jason talk about the turnover in late-night, with Stephen Colbert and Craig Ferguson departing and James Corden and Larry Willmore on the horizon. Plus, Jason annoys his wife with “Ascension” jokes and Tim answers letters from old-school fans of the podcast. Happy holidays, everyone!

Late Night turnover

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

Tim and Jason discuss the Golden Globe TV nominees, the phenomenon of midseason finales, and answer listener questions.

Golden Globe nominees

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

Tim and Jason talk “Peter Pan Live,” and then dive into reader questions, including a brutal review Tim didn’t remember writing, the appeal of “Jane the Virgin,” mid-season replacement shows, and holiday TV episodes.

"Peter Pan Live" and bad reviews

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we list some TV we’re thankful for. Also, inevitably, things get a bit dark when we talk about some of the fall season’s true turkeys. Also, we answer more listener questions, including other TV critics, top fantasy shows, TV reboots, and a guide to when to stop watching a show.

TV we're thankful for, and TV turkeys.

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

In this episode Tim and Jason talk about something that can delight even the most toughened critic: a pleasant surprise. Tim revisits “Homeland” and discovers that the show may be turning it around, and finds an unexpectedly solid scripted drama on Bravo. Also, we answer listener questions about antiheroes, remakes, and co-productions.

Critical surprises

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell

Where have all the miniseries gone? They’re actually all around us, but they’re called anthologies or limited series or TV events. Tim and Jason talk about the merits of shows opting for finite lifetimes. Plus some thoughts about the minds behind Adult Swim, TV guilty pleasures, the perils of series featuring anti-heroes, this season of “Doctor Who,” Katherine Heigl’s star turn as Charleston in “State of Affairs”, “The Missing” and the difficulty of watching kids in peril, and the strengths and weaknesses of Aaron Sorkin.

Miniseries, antiheroes, and Adult Swim

Tim Goodman and Jason Snell