Hank Stuever Quotes

While I don't like violent programs per se, I do like good storytelling, which made me a fan of shows like Breaking Bad and American Horror Story.

One of the dirty little secrets of my job is that I don't do ANY food or cooking shows.

In the end, all critics should be guided by this one principle: Is this piece of work [TV show, movie, play, concert, album, restaurant] succeeding at what it set out to do?

I don't have scientific data, but I think plenty of perfectly nice weekends are being given over to the binge craze.

In fact, when it comes to TV, I'm not even sure what my real, true preferences are.

I'm pretty sure the world is in solid agreement that "The Wire" is worth watching all the way through.

The fastest way to bring financial ruin upon yourself is to go for a drive in the United States without proof of insurance and current license and registration.

We all have to draw some lines. To preserve my sanity, I steer clear of cooking, professional sports and most imports, unless imported to us via PBS, Sundance, etc.

"Star Trek" expands almost instinctively - the more information you seek from it, the more it gives. It also has the benefit of taking place in our future, our mutual destinies as occupants of a peaceful, non-polluted Earth.

Just as it's unfair to review a taco stand for not being a four-star restaurant, I also have to be mindful that not every drama on TV is trying to be "The Wire."

We got Arbitron diaries at my house in the 1980s, when the family was down to just my mother and me, and we tried for a couple of days to fill it out (I of course treated it like we'd been asked to write a new book of the Bible), but we got really bored with it and gave it up.

My first few years as TV critic, I would go to parties and people (usually older Posties or ex-Posties who seemed to pride themselves on not watching very much television) would take me by the arm and insist that I watch this show they'd recently starting watching on DVD, about drug dealers in Baltimore.

I'm not much a TV reporter, as in someone who covers the daily machinations of the television industry, though I certainly follow it and weave it into my reviews and essays about the medium.

My work is very much like the restaurant critic's - a number of factors come together to make for a strong review.

I don't really like to arrange shows by best performances. That's why Emmy season is kind of a chore for me. Unlike movies, where it's easier to decide who was the best performance, a TV show goes up and down, including characters/portrayals.

I do get lots of links to advance screeners, which helps, but there's no way I could do my job without the full-on cable subscription.

Whenever people ask me if it's okay to stop watching "The Leftovers," I always say OF COURSE IT IS.

Mobster stories are always a harder sell for me. I don't romanticize organize crime the way others do, though I can be swayed.

I've loved the "Star Wars" movies for the ride and pure fun and found that it just didn't stand up when asked for more, particularly when it comes to back stories, prequels, spin-offs, encyclopedic scope, etc.

I love commercials. I love to hate commercials, too. I talk back to them.