Eric Deggans
Eric Deggans is NPR's first full-time TV critic, also serving as media analyst and guest host for the network.
Deggans came to NPR in 2013 from the Tampa Bay Times, where he served as TV/Media Critic and in other roles for nearly 20 years. A journalist for more than 30 years, he is also the author of "Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation," a look at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuels some elements of modern media, published in October 2012 by Palgrave Macmillan.
Deggans also serves as an adjunct instructor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and Indiana University's Media School. He teaches classes on race, media, reporting and writing.
He is a member of the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and chair of the Media Monitoring Committee for the National Association of Black Journalists. From 2017 to 2022, he served as a media analyst/contributor for MSNBC and NBC News and, in August 2013, he guest-hosted CNN's media analysis show Reliable Sources several times.
In 2019, Deggans served as the first African American chairman of the board of educators, journalists and media experts who select the George Foster Peabody Awards for excellence in electronic media. His one-year tenure as chair capped a total six years he served on the board of jurors.
From 2004 to 2005, Deggans sat on the then-St. Petersburg Times editorial board and wrote bylined opinion columns (in 2011, the newspaper changed its name to the Tampa Bay Times). From 1997 to 2004, he worked as TV critic for the Times, crafting reviews, news stories and long-range trend pieces on the state of the media industry both locally and nationally. He originally joined the paper as its pop music critic in November 1995. He has worked at the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey and both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Press newspapers in Pennsylvania.
Additionally, he worked as a professional drummer in the 1980s, touring and performing with Motown recording artists The Voyage Band throughout the Midwest and in Osaka, Japan. He continues to perform with area bands and recording artists as a drummer, bassist and vocalist.
Deggans earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and journalism from Indiana University. [Copyright 2025 NPR]
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The new two-part documentary, which premieres Friday on HBO, is a good example of the tension between access and objectivity that filmmakers face in making documentaries on celebrities. -
The third and final season of Netflix's most popular show is still a prescient commentary on wealth — but its heavy-handed narrative feels too predictable the third time around. -
Emmy voters have until tonight to send in their picks for nominees. Here's what NPR TV critic Eric Deggans thinks they should be voting for. -
Here are some of the best summer TV shows — from Marvel reviving its fortunes with a new armored hero to TV's most compelling serial killer returning for a bite of the Big Apple. -
The spring has been full of great TV. Here's what you might have missed. -
HBO's hit zombie drama spent much of its second season maneuvering Ellie and Abby together. Critic Eric Deggans says it has a pacing issue that many streaming shows share. -
Also on TV this week, a new season of Nine Perfect Strangers premieres on Hulu, and new episodes of Couples Therapy debut on Paramount+ with Showtime. -
The season finale, with host Scarlett Johansson and musical guest Bad Bunny, didn't give any answers about rumored cast departures. -
The new Apple TV+ show starring Alexander Skarsgård features a mix of special effects-laden action, deadpan humor and social commentary. It deserves a big audience. -
NPR TV critic Eric Deggans picks his favorite performances of 2025 thus far, including Noah Wyle in The Pitt, Catherine O'Hara in The Last of Us and The Studio, and Carrie Coon in The White Lotus.
