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Steve Sternberg

Member since September 2009Contact Steve

Steve Sternberg is currently Editor-in-Chief of The Sternberg Report. He has more then 30 years of television and video analysis experience, having held top research posts at Bozell, TN Media, Magna Global, and ION Media Networks. He also authors The Sternberg Report (www.sternbergreport.com)

Articles by Steve All articles by Steve

  • Counting Down My List Of The 40 Best TV Series of 2022: Part 2 in Research Intelligencer on 11/30/2022

    In last week's edition, I began my countdown of the 40 best television series of 2022 with a ranking of 31 through 40. In this week's edition, I provide my rationale for this year's best shows ranked 21 through 30. Some of these shows had their series finales in 2022, others just completed their first seasons, and still others are in the middle of potentially long runs. Some shows that I included last year did not make the cut this season, either because new series supplanted them or because the current season was not as good as those in previous years.

  • Counting Down My List Of The 40 Best TV Series of 2022: Part 1 in Research Intelligencer on 11/16/2022

    It's hard to imagine that just 20 years ago, the only place to watch first-run original scripted series was on one of four broadcast networks -- and only for six or seven months of the year. Today, in the era of Peak TV+, there are so many good TV shows year-round, on so many different platforms, that I am constantly discovering new ones to watch. Nobody has to watch the so-called "least objectionable programming" anymore, and those under 40 have probably never even heard that phrase. In this week's edition, I publish the first installment of my list for the best TV series of 2022, starting with those ranked 31 through 40.

  • Netflix Is Not Back. It Never Left in Research Intelligencer on 11/02/2022

    By any normal metric, Netflix has enjoyed continuous and unparalleled growth and success since "House of Cards" became the first major streaming hit in 2013. The streamer has gained subscribers every year and has consistently had the most popular streaming shows on any platform - even during two years of pandemic-related program production delays, and with several major new players entering the arena. In this week's edition, I make the case that Twitter isn't "back," because it never actually left.

  • 2022 Marvel TV Series: Lesser-Known Heroes Lead To More Diversity And Creativity in Research Intelligencer on 10/21/2022

    Television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are based on characters appearing in Marvel comics who have a shared reality with the theatrical films. Between 2008 and 2022, Marvel Studios has released 30 movies featuring characters from its Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange franchises. Eight TV series and one "special presentation" were produced for Disney+ in 2021 and 2022. There are nine more feature films planned between 2023 and 2025, and at least six more Disney+ series in the works for 2023 and 2024. One reason television series based on movies seldom work is because the stars from the theatrical movie don't ordinarily reprise their roles for the TV version. So viewers are often disappointed when the new actors don't measure up to the originals. In its first four Disney+ series, Marvel features secondary characters from the movies, portrayed by the same actors, overcoming this drawback, creating anticipation and strong viewer sampling. In this week's edition I analyze the diversity and creativity spawned by new series based on lesser-known Marvel characters.

  • Fall Series: The Good, The Almost Good, And The Not-So-Good in Research Intelligencer on 10/11/2022

    For American television viewers, the official start of the new prime-time season has been underway for a few weeks. In today's video world, of course, the idea of a fall season seems antiquated. Cable networks debut original scripted series throughout the year, most often in spring or summer when the broadcast networks air largely repeats or reality and game shows. Streaming services drop new series whenever they are ready to go. But the broadcast networks still have the most and the highest rated original scripted series ("The Walking Dead" and "Yellowstone" notwithstanding) - although these days most of them are geared toward and appeal to those over 45, viewers largely ignored by the press (who continue to be obsessed with adults 18-49). So, as long as the broadcast networks continue to premiere so many programs over a two-or three-week period in September and October, the new "fall season" will still be relevant. I've been analyzing new TV seasons for more than 30 years, and this is my take on this year's batch of new broadcast network fall series.

  • Cop Shows: The Reckoning That Never Came in Research Intelligencer on 09/27/2022

    More than 70 years of police portrayals on popular scripted dramas have contributed to public perception of police as the heroic good guys putting their lives on the line every day to keep us all safe. Doing whatever it takes to catch the bad guys, even if it means roughing up suspects and violating their rights, is forgivable, and often necessary, to achieve the greater good of protecting the public and bringing criminals to justice. In this week's edition, I provide a brief history of law enforcement on TV.

  • 'Severance' Is The Best New TV Series Of 2022 in Research Intelligencer on 09/12/2022

    With the Emmy Awards airing tonight, I thought it was a good time to provide a review of the best new series of the year. In this week's edition, I examine the refreshingly original, uniquely inventive, and brilliantly conceived, "Severance" debuted on Apple TV+ in February 2022. It sits at the top of an impressive stable of original series for the three-year-old streaming service that includes, "For All Mankind," "Foundation," "Pachinko," "See," "Slow Horses," and "The Morning Show." Of course, when I say best, I don't necessarily mean most popular. I know a number of people whose taste in television and movies are generally in synch with my own who hate Severance. And for the life of me, it's hard to explain to them why I like this show so much. And I certainly understand why it might not be everyone's cup of tea. But read on and you might change your mind.

  • A League Of Their Own Gets To Third Base in Research Intelligencer on 09/06/2022

    Co-created by Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), who also stars, and Will Graham (Mozart in the Jungle), and inspired by Penny Marshall's pitch-perfect 1992 theatrical film of the same name, this new version of A League of Their Own has its own reason for being. As in the movie, this comedy-drama centers around the Illinois-based Rockford Peaches, one of four teams of women competing in the newly formed AllAmerican Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II (the real-life league operated from 1943-1954). But this is a different group of women from the movie, several of whom simply couldn't be featured in a mainstream film 30 years ago. In this week's edition, I explain why this Amazon Original series needs eight episodes to tell stories that couldn't fit in the original two-hour theatrical version released 30 years ago.

  • 'The Bear' Cooks Up A Feast Of Tasty Television in Research Intelligencer on 08/30/2022

    In a television/video world where there are more original scripted series than ever before, it is rare to find a new show that is truly original and immediately rises to the top of the heap. I came to "The Bear" knowing virtually nothing about it aside from a friend's recommendation that it was "really good." She didn't want provide any details, because she thought I might not want to watch it if she did. And she's probably right. In this week's edition I share my one recommendations on why it is indeed really good.

  • Is 'Evil' A Great Supernatural Comedy Or A Great Procedural Horror Story? in Research Intelligencer on 08/22/2022

    Hint: It's both. The series, which premiered on CBS in 2019, was the network's best new show of the year, but unfortunately not one of its most watched. In fact, for the full 2019-20 season, it was one of CBS' lowest-rated series, and a prime candidate for cancellation. In this week's edition, I explain why it's not just another good series that got lost in its linear network's incompatible lineup. Or another victim of the broadcast networks' ridiculous policy of not cross-promoting one another's shows as cable has done so successfully over the years.

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