Television
A ‘Midnight Mass’ for Post-Trump American Christianity
No work has so passionately tapped into the anxieties of Christianity in the wake of Donald Trump as Mike Flanagan’s mini-series, Midnight Mass.
’70s TV Horror/Mystery ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’ Keeps Crawling from Its Grave
Horror-mystery TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker has a sour take on society that hasn’t dated since the ’70s; hence, its eternal afterlife.
Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ Echos Our Lasting Pandemic Grief
Addressing pandemic-induced topics such as loss, grief, and mental illness, Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ serves as a metaphor for life in the time of COVID.
The Dramaturgy of the Rise and Fall of the Bon Appétit YouTube Channel
If food has always been political, as Bon Appétit asserts—so, too, has performance style. It is overdue for food media creators to wake up and smell the coffee.
Did the Pandemic Shutdown Change Hollywood for Good?
The entertainment industry had to change when COVID-19 closed almost all its operations. Media scholar Kate Fortmueller considers the lasting effect.
What’s So Funny About Tragic Things?
Scepanski’s Tragedy Plus Time takes a serious look at how comedy and satire in American media make light of dark matters.
Can Michael Gandolfini Embody The Sopranos’ New Devil?
James Gandolfini’s crime boss Tony Soprano endeared himself to millions of ostensibly law-abiding Americans. Can Michael Gandolfini fill his blood-stained shoes?
Netflix’s ‘High on the Hog’ Is an Overdue Celebration of African American Cuisine
Entertaining and informative, High on the Hog disrupts the Eurocentrism entrenched in the culinary world that tends to devalue so-called ethnic foods.
Nida Manzoor’s Comedy ‘We Are Lady Parts’ Shatters Muslim Stereotypes One Punk Song at a Time
Nida Manzoor’s punk rock comedy We Are Lady Parts beautifully captures that the performance and expression of Muslim identity are complex and multifaceted.
Bo Burnham’s Pandemic Comedy Special ‘Inside’ Is the Krapp’s Last Tape of Our Times
Like Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, Bo Burnham’s Inside offers rich insights into how our psyches and sense of self get warped by ever-advancing technologies.
Chris Brancato on the Moral Conundrum in ‘Godfather of Harlem’
Chris Brancato talks about addressing today’s hot-topic social issues through the lens of the ’60s in the television series, Godfather of Harlem.
