Ranking the 34 ‘Ted Lasso’ Episodes
We dive into ‘Ted Lasso’ to see where the beloved AFC Richmond gaffer won and lost. Episodes were judged by their cohesion, heart, humor, and message.
Television
It’s Too Hot to Hate in Climate Change Series ‘Extrapolations’
Scott Z. Burns’ audacious if dramatically uneven climate-change Apple TV+ series shows that while the Earth will change radically, people will not.
‘Silo’ Is the Smart Sci-fi Show We’ve Been Waiting For
Combining conspiracy thriller, dystopian nightmare, and science fiction, Silo succeeds in predicting a grim future for humans but good outlooks for Apple TV+.
Satirical Miniseries ‘White House Plumbers’ Is an Uneven Glimpse into Proximity to Power
HBO’s satirical miniseries on the Watergate affair, White House Plumbers, entertains but struggles to find emotional and political footing.
Vince McMahon and the Damaging Impact of Failing Upward
WWE’s Vincent McMahon has brazenly failed upward over and over again, profoundly impacting (and damaging) American culture along the way, argues Abraham Riesman in the biography Ringmaster.
Comedy Series ‘Detectorists’ Digs into the Pastoral with Humor
The comedy series Detectorists turns a humble hobby into a humorous meditation on Englishness that even Thomas Hardy would enjoy.
The Final Season of Genre-Twisting ‘Barry’ Nails Down Its Tricky Legacy
The final season of Barry irreparably breaks the mold of the tragicomedy genre and unflinchingly severs the umbilical cord between the audience and the protagonist(s).
“I’m a Murderer”: Poker Face’s Vegan Feeling
The new crime drama Poker Face is one of the few TV shows to serve up an authentically represented vegan sensibility.
‘Uncomfortable Television’ and the Postmillennial Spectator
Academic Hunter Hargraves’ Uncomfortable Television considers the postmillennial spectator an active participant and contributor to the neoliberal society that is shaped by today’s television.
How Would Depression-Era Family-Centric Show ‘The Waltons’ Fare in These Times?
In its first season, The Waltons addressed—and took a stand against—sexism, anti-Semitism, religious fanaticism, book burning, xenophobia, and intolerance, and it conveyed the importance of environmental consciousness.
Succession’s Final Season of Satire and Calamity Offers No Parting Panacea
Succession, HBO’s most lauded release of the decade solidifies its place as one of TV’s best dramas, even though it shares nothing positive about our capitalist world.
Will the TV-Adaptation of ‘The Power’ Persuade Viewers?
The characters’ prospects in the upcoming TV adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s The Power are dubious, considering it’s an idea-driven dystopian novel that fries them with an over-abundance of imagery and biblical allusion.
