Discomfort Zone: 10 Great Cringe Comedies

The Office — which ends its nine-season run this week — is a great example of a TV genre that makes us both squirm and laugh

Bloody Death: Six Ways to Die on TV

In this week’s issue of TIME, James Poniewozik explores the question of why today’s TV dramas—even the really good ones—are increasingly dependent on violence...

Life in the Slow Lane: 10 Memorable TV Small Towns

From Twin Peaks to Mayberry, TIME revisits the fictional villages that defined our favorite TV shows

Late-Night Laughs: The 6 Best Comedy Clips of the Week

This week in late-night TV, stockings full of coal were slam-dunked and we received the gift of an Abbott & Costello renaissance.

Sherlock Returns: Top Ten TV Detectives

With Season 2 of the BBC's Sherlock premiering on Sunday, TIME looks back at TV's Watson-worthy sleuths

He Played Who? Emmy Nominees' Surprising Early Roles

It's hard for actors to avoid being typecast, particularly after audiences have spent years watching them on a hit TV show week after week. Here are some of the...

7 As Seen on TV Products That Actually Work

If you're an insomniac or habitual channel surfer, chances are you've come across a late-night infomercial that had you wondering if the product really works.

Best TV Shows of the Decade

James Poniewozik recaps the television series that raised the bar

Top 10 TV Moms June Cleaver Would Hate

Barbara Billingsley, who played June Cleaver on the television show Leave It to Beaver and died Oct. 16, portrayed the perfect 1950s archetype of the American...

Top 10 TV Chefs

As the Julia Child biopic Julie & Julia opens nationwide, TIME cooks up a retrospective of TV's other great culinary masters

The Lost Finale: Top 10 Most Anticipated TV Endings

Even if you've never seen an episode of Lost, you've probably heard all about the mysterious island and the hatch and the smoke monster. All that is coming to an...

Best Movies, TV, Books and Theater of the Decade

TIME's critics pick their favorites from a bountiful decade in the arts

Top 10 Odd Protests

When Iraqi TV reporter Muntadar al-Zeid hurled a pair of shoes at President George W. Bush, he joined a long line of protesters who went to great lengths means...

The Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials of 2010

TIME TV critic James Poniewozik grades the ads of Super Bowl XLIV

Tech Buyers' Guide 2010

From portable hard drives and the Motorola Defy to the Samsung Focus and Google TV, TIME showcases 20 new gadgets that techies will crave this holiday season

The Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials 2009

Which commercials scored touchdowns and which fumbled? TIME TV critic James Poniewozik grades the players

2008 Summer Arts Preview

From the newest tunes to the latest art exhibits, the freshest TV shows to the hottest movies, a survey of the artistic offerings to come in the summer of '08

Top 10 Moments from the U.K. General Election

TIME reflects on one of the most exciting campaigns in history, from "Bigotgate" to the debut of the TV debates

The Other Olympic Sports

Sprinters, swimmers and tumblers in sequined leotards may drive T.V. ratings in the U.S., but here are five lesser-known Olympic disciplines that draw rabid fans...

50 Things to See, Hear and Do This Fall

TIME's arts critics round up the fall's most anticipated movies, books, TV shows, albums and exhibits