Reviews...

Television Without Pity

Good site for independent criticism and fun chat about all that is TV. This huge word-of-mouth success has forums so influential that TV hot-shots have admitted to eavesdropping for feedback. What we liked: The forum postings are pure class: obsessive but spiked with a healthy cynicism. Contributors might be square-eyed telly-spotters, but they're clued-up about TV culture and take it personally when shows go off the boil. Using the forums is easy, and they're broken down into categories so you can choose which aspect of a show to natter about. What we didn't like: All the cross-examined shows are American, so EastEnders fans should look elsewhere for Walford-inspired chat. However many of the shows are aired in the UK, so impatient fans of US shows can get sneak plot previews. Three hot topics: More spin-offs (the Buffy forum), that nasty Simon Cowell (American Idol) and designers making people cry (Trading Spaces, the Yank Changing Rooms).