True Detective, Breaking Bad, And The Sequelization of America
The final act of any successful drama tends to follow a formula: A climactic confrontation resolves the tension built in the first two acts, the action falls as we learn how the players grew from the...
View ArticleThe Moral Relativism Of Serial Television
The sweet spot for serial television drama right now exists on non-premium cable channels. After decades of dominance by the broadcast networks, followed by a period in which the premium cable channels...
View ArticleMy Secret Shame: I’m Addicted To ‘19 Kids and Counting’
The new season of “19 Kids and Counting” is here. And I’m excited. So what? Generally speaking, I enjoy the most salacious, violent and depressing television shows I can find. Maybe it’s just a...
View ArticleReports Of Adulthood’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Film critic A.O. Scott has pronounced the death of adulthood in the pages of The New York Times. In a long, winding piece, he attempts to prove through a strange algebra that Don Draper, Walter White,...
View ArticleA ‘Full House’ Reunion Won’t Make Us Happy
Editor’s note: This article contains spoiler-alerts for “The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Breaking Bad,” “Sons of Anarchy,” and “Mad Men.” If you’re not caught up on each series’ finale, proceed at...
View ArticleNathan Drake Is A Singular Hero In Our Cynical Culture
Note: Mild spoilers follow for several things, including “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.” Video games are often dismissed by “critics,” that elusive group containing our social betters and the guardians...
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Marketers Grab Attention At SXSW With Pop-Up Restaurants
It’s South by Southwest in Austin right now, which means the city is flooded with musicians, filmmakers, tech moguls, and visitors. In other words, it’s a marketer’s dream. As the festival has grown...
View ArticleWhat’s Behind Big-Name Actors’ Migration To Television
Brad Pitt’s new “War Machine,” out on Netflix in May, is part of a remarkable shift in star power towards television over the past 30 years. If you’re a part of Generation X or older, you remember...
View ArticleTrue Detective, Breaking Bad, And The Sequelization of America
If storytelling is an endless conveyor belt, then closure is a foreign concept.
View ArticleThe Moral Relativism Of Serial Television
It's troublesome that as a society our most compelling entertainment increasingly eschews the concept or even the ideal that good exists in the world.
View ArticleMy Secret Shame: I’m Addicted To ‘19 Kids and Counting’
Whether you believe the Duggar lifestyle is optimal – and I don't – there is much to learn from them about parenting.
View ArticleReports Of Adulthood’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Luckily for us all, most American men ignore The New York Times.
View ArticleA ‘Full House’ Reunion Won’t Make Us Happy
Returning to the cheesy schlock of ‘Full House’ won’t satisfy audiences hungover on addictions to murderous, adulterous anti-heroes. There’s a better way.
View ArticleNathan Drake Is A Singular Hero In Our Cynical Culture
It is a rare and amazing experience to be presented with a character and a franchise that encourage me to support the right actions for the right reasons.
View ArticleMarketers Grab Attention At SXSW With Pop-Up Restaurants
AMC isn’t the only network paying for a pop-up restaurant to promote a TV property at SXSW.
View ArticleWhat’s Behind Big-Name Actors’ Migration To Television
Brad Pitt’s new ‘War Machine,’ out on Netflix in May, is part of a remarkable shift in star power towards television over the past 30 years.
View ArticleWhy Bob Odenkirk Makes ‘Better Call Saul’ The Best Show On TV
No other fictional person contained in a TV series has better portrayed unrelenting conflict and struggle like Jimmy McGill.
View ArticleWe Hide The Truth About Abortion Because It Condemns Us All
We are a culture awash in self-acceptance. This is seldom more apparent than in the way we speak of—and try not to speak of—abortion.
View ArticleLife In The Hollow Golden Age Of Television
Are shows likes Game of Thrones really what we want history to record what we were doing when the debt ballooned and fertility collapsed?
View ArticleThe Top 10 Binge-Worthy Shows Of The Decade
I've chosen ten of the best series made in the 2010s, in no particular order, that are ideal for binge-watching, along with being absolutely excellent shows.
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