Television without shame
Watching television these days can give you a somewhat skewed impression of our country's economic well-being. While Blair Waldorf jets around the world and the "The Real Housewives of New York City"...
View Article“Shameless”: American TV’s problem with class
New Yorker critic Anthony Lane memorably described Ralph Fiennes in "Quiz Show" as having a literally mid-Atlantic accent -- as if the Suffolk-born actor had tried to devise a convincing speaking voice...
View Article“Shameless”: TV’s dysfunctional sweethearts
Showtime’s shaggy family drama “Shameless” finished its second season last night, and just like the semi-abandoned siblings the show focuses on, it deserves more love than it receives. The series,...
View ArticleThe best TV moments of 2014
It’s been a long, wonderful year for television. Now that 2014 is finally drawing to a close, I found myself looking back not at just shows, or episodes, or performances, but some mish-mash of all...
View ArticleTackling TV’s rape problem: Why “Broad City” and “Shameless” could change how...
Television has an uncomfortable love affair with rape plots.The short history of the medium has coincided with lifted restrictions, both legally and culturally, on what’s fair game to portray or...
View ArticleIf “Louie” is a comedy, so is “Orange Is the New Black”: The Emmys still...
The Emmys have always been a bit of a mess. We are increasingly seeing a proliferation of shows that resist neat genre categorization (into outmoded categories like "comedy" or "drama," "series or...
View Article14 and trying to get pregnant: “Shameless” paints a bleak portrait of the sex...
Two weeks ago, in the “Shameless” episode “South Side Rules,” 14-year-old Debbie Gallagher decides to have sex with her boyfriend for the first time. At first blush, her decision seems accelerated, but...
View ArticleFrom Sally Draper to Arya Stark: 5 TV dramas that bet big on kid actors and won
Casting a kid actor is always a gamble. It's tough to know what a fresh-faced six year old might look like or sound like in a few years, and whether a child's ability to memorize lines without...
View Article"Shameless": American TV's problem with class
Showtime's "Shameless" remakes a hit British comedy -- but leaves its provocative social critique behind
View Article"Shameless": TV's dysfunctional sweethearts
Showtime's Gallaghers deserve more love -- and so does this underappreciated series
View ArticleThe best TV moments of 2014
From "Time is a flat circle" to Henry and Eliza's near-kiss on "Selfie," these are the moments that stuck with me
View ArticleTackling TV’s rape problem: Why “Broad City” and “Shameless” could change how...
Several shows this season are mining the national debate about consent for drama and even (uncomfortable) laughs
View ArticleIf "Louie" is a comedy, so is "Orange Is the New Black": The Emmys still...
It's great that "SNL" no longer competes with "The Daily Show," but the Academy's other comedy rules are baffling
View Article14 and trying to get pregnant: "Shameless" paints a bleak portrait of the sex...
The Showtime drama's fifth season, with its heartbreaking story of Debbie's sexual misadventures, ends Sunday
View ArticleFrom Sally Draper to Arya Stark: 5 TV dramas that bet big on kid actors and won
Child actors can turn into nightmare adults, but choosing wisely in early casting can change the course of a show
View ArticleWe need more working-class TV now: Why won't pop culture reflect American...
Most Americans have little savings and live one bad break away from financial ruin. TV needs more of those stories
View ArticleZombie apocalypse is a bipartisan issue — on TVs across the U.S., at least
Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much these days. "The Walking Dead" and "Stranger Things" are exceptions
View ArticleThe final season of "Shameless" was at its best when it explored the nuances...
Season 11 was no "Gentefied," but watching the characters grapple with their changing South Side was poignant
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