Abba Zabba

He's the Washington Post TV critic. And he's a jackass. The best way to find something to watch is to read Shales' column and do the exact opposite of what he tells you.

Here's an example: He praises a new show on ABC because it's nothing like "Arrested Development." Apparently this show doesn't have complex jokes, interesting characters, or engaging storylines. Instead, it's another generic family sitcom. And supposedly that's a reason to watch it? This isn't the first time Shales has done this; I remember another review where he complimented a show for not being AD. That show, which was more of a bad AD ripoff than anything else, has already been canceled.

Basically, he loves bad sitcoms. He'll praise any crappy new sitcom that comes along by saying something like "Finally, it's a classic old-fashioned sitcom!" He doesn't want innovation. He doesn't want anything he hasn't seen before. He just wants to laugh at the same old jokes while insulting anything that doesn't fit his preconceived notions of what a TV show should be. Oh, and he hates Jon Stewart. So next time you're watching TV and there's nothing good on, remember that it's all Tom Shales' fault.