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Can Speculative Short Fiction Really Work on TV?
We can really only handle our fictional dystopias in short-form; the world in 2018 is enough of a long-form dystopia for most of us. And the logic of a dystopian world doesn’t leave much room for any...
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The Dream of 2011 is Dead: Portlandia Comes to an End
Ephemerality is often a feature of art, not a bug. But the immediacy of a work, the way it clicks perfectly into the viewer’s world and context at the moment of its release, can become the exact reason...
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The Surprising, Unorthodox Media Criticism of High Maintenance
High Maintenance is not supposed to be a depressing show. The series, which follows The Guy (played by co-creator Ben Sinclair) as he bikes around Brooklyn delivering marijuana to an ever-growing...
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Is the Quest for an Ethical Reality Show Doomed?
Talking about “ethics in reality television” can feel like a failed attempt at meaningful speech, like asking a child not to eat a piece of candy put in front of them or for the New York Times op-ed...
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It’s Time for TV to Eat the Rich
As the wheel of nostalgia creaks forward, the ’00s appear poised to return in a big way. A Mean Girls musical is in development, Paris Hilton is making a comeback, and, 15 years after the start of the...
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The Inherent Anxiety of the “Good Cop” Show
Within the first minute of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s fifth season finale, the show’s protagonist Detective Jake Peralta asks his colleagues to threaten a private citizen. It’s his wedding day, and his...
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A Conflicted Feminist Revenge Fantasy for the #MeToo Era
In the second episode of AMC’s new drama Dietland, the body of a photographer is dropped out of a plane during Fashion Week. Before his untimely end, Malleck Ferguson, the victim, wore large, ugly,...
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The Philosophy of Romantic Comedy
Last week, the philosopher Stanley Cavell died. His contributions to human thought are vast and rich; his subjects range from the intricacies of human language to the nature of skill. But one of...
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Toward a Theory of Radical Corniness
It’s increasingly difficult for any television show to get noticed. The skyrocketing production of new series by streaming services, studios, and tech companies means that viewers’ attention is...
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Better Call Saul Knows Morality is About More Than Individual Choice
In a 2011 essay for Grantland, cultural critic Chuck Klosterman argued that, of the four TV dramas he took to be part of the Golden Age canon—The Sopranos, Mad Men, The Wire, and Breaking Bad—the...
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