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Exclusive: WeForShe has called “Action!” on the 2018 participants for its DirectHer Program. The women’s advocacy group, which is focused on creating practical ways to establish more gender equality in television, today named nine breakout female helmers and the veteran episodic helmers with whom they will be paired.

Directors with experience outside of episodic are identified through the WeForShe Program. They then are partnered with veteran episodic directors who guarantee their work during key parts of production and shooting. The inaugural program for DirectHer placed nine female directors who collectively have gone on to direct 65 episodes of TV so far.

Here is the list of participants and their teammates are Lynn d’Angona (paired with Jonathan Frakes), Paige Morrow Kimball (Todd Holland), Jen McGowan (Mary Lou Belli), Sj Main Munoz (David Rodriguez), Melissa Oren (Tamra Davis), Bola Ogun (Tawnia McKiernan), Mo Perkins (Gail Mancuso), Amber Sealey (Daisy Von Schlerer Mayer...

While dramatic television has seen a wave of directorial ingenuity over the last 17 years (see our list of the best-directed dramas for proof), 21st century TV will probably be remembered more for the growth of vision in the comedy genre. What was once a format dominated by multi-cam sitcoms with live studio audiences has become the most auteur-driven genre on television, and the results have been some of the most creative and personal series the small screen has ever aired.

Read More: The 20 Best-Directed TV Drama Series of the 21st Century, Ranked

In brainstorming the best-directed comedy series of the 21st century, it becomes very clear just how much the genre is driven by personal style. Whether it’s Louis C.K.’s grounded realism or the rapid-fire curveballs of Armando Iannucci and Mitch Hurwitz, the showrunner as auteur has become the lynchpin of what makes 21st century TV comedy so...

Wesley Mead Dec 21, 2016

Here's day three in our countdown of the top Christmas TV episodes of all time: entries 60 to 41...

This article was first published in December 2015. Read entries 100 - 81 here and entries 80 - 61 here.

See related Sherlock series 4 episode 1 spoiler-free review: The Six Thatchers Sherlock series 4: go behind the scenes; spoiler-free review Doctor Who Christmas special: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio review Doctor Who Christmas special: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio nerdy spots & Easter eggs

Since the medium’s infancy, viewers have enjoyed sharing holidays with their favourite television characters. We grow invested in our friends on screen over the years; spending Christmas with them is a rite of passage, a chance for us to share tradition from our world with the fictional ones we see on screen. Some shows embrace the season wholeheartedly, characters in good spirits and enjoying the trappings of the season; others skew a little darker,...

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Here's day three in our countdown of the top Christmas TV episodes of all time: entries 60 to 41...

Read entries 100 - 81 here and entries 80 - 61 here.

Since the medium’s infancy, viewers have enjoyed sharing holidays with their favourite television characters. We grow invested in our friends on screen over the years; spending Christmas with them is a rite of passage, a chance for us to share tradition from our world with the fictional ones we see on screen. Some shows embrace the season wholeheartedly, characters in good spirits and enjoying the trappings of the season; others skew a little darker, bringing the more oppressive, burdensome side of the holidays to life. Either way, Christmas episodes tend to demonstrate the strengths of our favourite series, and it’s long been a festive ritual of mine to wheel out old DVD sets and settle back for a few favourites during December.

Recently, ABC released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "The Middle" episode 9 of season 6. The episode is entitled, "The Christmas Wall," and it sounds like things will get quite dramatic as Frankie starts to feel unappreciated. Mike gets cheated on an artificial Christmas Tree buy, and more. In the new, 9th episode press release: Frankie has had enough of schlepping out the Christmas decorations and is going to be trying to make the perfect holiday for her family -- who she feels doesn't appreciate all that she does for them -- and decides to kick back on the couch and have a minimalist Christmas this year. In the meantime, due to Sue's allergy to real Christmas trees, Mike is going to attempt to purchase an artificial one and ends up not getting what he paid for. Axl will put Boss Co. back into business for the holidays as...

Adam Pally as Max on Happy Endings

It's no secret that we're big fans around here of ABC's Happy Endings. That's why I made sure to sit down and do interviews with the entire cast when I was in L.A. for the Television Critics Association Press Tour earlier this month. (Check back next month for those interviews where I talk smack with Adam Pally.)

And it's why we are happy that next week ABC will be airing an extra episode of Happy Endings that the network didn't have room for last spring. (Blame it on Dancing With the Washed Up Has Beens.) On the downside, based on the promo pics provided by the network, it doesn't look like Max (Adam Pally) is going to have much to do.

To which we can only say ... Boo! You better not do that when the show returns in September ABC, or there might be trouble.