Brian Lowry has been a columnist and critic for Variety since September 2003. Before that, he spent seven years at the Los Angeles Times as a reporter and columnist covering the television industry, which was preceded by a nine-year stint at Variety.  Lowry has been a contributor to National Public Radio and is the former co-host of "Square Off," a weekly talk program on TV Guide Network. He also is the author of two authorized companion guides to the Fox series "The X-Files."  Lowry graduated from UCLA in 1984.