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Melanie Mcfarland

Melanie Mcfarland

Salon

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With "Lazarus," the creative force behind "Cowboy Bebop" soothes our present vibe with his own

With

If this is the end of the world as we know it, Shinichirō Watanabe's may help you feel a bit closer to fine

yesterday 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Fired White House Correspondents' dinner host Amber Ruffin has learned her lesson. The WHCA has not

Fired White House Correspondents' dinner host Amber Ruffin has learned her lesson. The WHCA has not

“I thought when people take away your rights, you're supposed to call it out," Ruffin said on Monday. "I was wrong"

02.04.2025 4

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Reading builds empathy": The case for saving America's libraries

America needs "third places" like our libraries more than we ever have, both functionally and philosophically

31.03.2025 50

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

MTG pitting Elon's DOGE against NPR and PBS is a literal hot mess

MTG pitting Elon's DOGE against NPR and PBS is a literal hot mess

PBS and NPR have successfully defended public media from defunding in the past. This time feels different

27.03.2025 4

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

In "Ludwig," being a detective is tough—and leaving the house is tougher

In

This cozy murder mystery turns sacrificing solitude into an act of heroism

26.03.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

On "The White Lotus," the Ratliffs ooze the kind of idle rich ignorance that's killing us

On

Wealthy fools are a feature of "The White Lotus," but this family may be the apotheosis of society's ruin

24.03.2025 7

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Goats, guts and a glorious day: "Severance" closes with a man divided

Goats, guts and a glorious day:

The second season answers the question of who Mark S. wants to be. Where he can run from here is an unsolved puzzle

23.03.2025 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Severance" and the horrors of RTO: The case against bringing your best self to work

The divide between Lumon's workaholic "innies" and sad "outies" proves we should save our best energy for ourselves

21.03.2025 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"The Residence" makes its White House mystery quaint and cozy by removing its institutional romance

Where "The West Wing" portrayed the White House as a hallowed place, this show sells it as an everyday crime scene

20.03.2025 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Everything's permissible and nobody's accountable now: Welcome to the age of anything goes

Everything's permissible and nobody's accountable now: Welcome to the age of anything goes

Tony Hinchcliffe has a Netflix deal, Andrew Cuomo might be mayor and Mel Gibson may get his guns back. Why not?

16.03.2025 7

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Temptation Island" is the land of broken hearts and promises, making it America's truest reality TV

“Outside perspective, this seems nuts and crazy and people are probably wondering what the hell we’re doing. And I feel the same way.” While these...

13.03.2025 20

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"The White Lotus" frenemies make a strong case for vacationing alone

Every season of Mike White's show features a terrible friend, but these three women might top them all

10.03.2025 7

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

As the media landscape shrinks, the right-wing bullhorn only gets louder

Broadcast news anchors are leaving and critics like Joy Reid have been fired. Can the news as we know it survive?

08.03.2025 9

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Daredevil" returns just in time to challenge America's lawless love of supervillains

Charlie Cox's blind hero returns in an era when justice is stacked against would-be heroes. That seems about right

05.03.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Meghan Markle doesn't elevate how-to TV, giving the haters more to hate

The Duchess of Sussex launches her lifestyle brand with a pretty show that looks like every other lifestyle brand

05.03.2025 4

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

This time "Reacher," like us, may be dealing with something too big for him to handle

It is simply too big, this foe – unexpectedly huge and surprisingly quick. Jack Reacher’s creator, Lee Child, designed his hero to strike this...

21.02.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

YouTube at 20: The video platform transformed screen entertainment. Now it could change a lot more

The platform that changed the very meaning of electronic communication is now a dominant TV platform

19.02.2025 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"The White Lotus" returns to luxuriate in the spiritual malaise of the rich and dissatisfied

Season 3 follows its guests' tours within, finding the psychological stowaways they've hauled on vacation with them

17.02.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Severance" and the important, mysterious job of speaking the language of work

Creator Dan Erickson weighs in on how the very precise, intricate Lumon-speak conveys the weirdness of it all

16.02.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Yellowjackets" returns with the same convoluted taste some of us aren't excited to re-acquire

The drawn-out mystery still bumbles along as before, which makes us wonder if it knows where it's going

16.02.2025 9

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Cobra Kai" may never die, but at long last, the show is over and bows out a champion

"The Karate Kid" spinoff went on for too long, but ends well by recalling what made it great in the first place

14.02.2025 5

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

It's been a minute, but "Severance" returns to work with a weird wonder of a second season

Nearly three years after Apple TV 's phenomenal drama debuted, it manages to keep us enthralled with its mystery

12.02.2025 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Puppy Bowl XXI": Dan Schachner was never a real NFL referee, but he plays one when it matters

Salon talks to the longtime "Puppy Bowl" ref about the animal rescue special's impact and those other "Bowls"

10.02.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Apple Cider Vinegar" may explain how "The Whole Pantry" fraud was a step on the path of RFK Jr.

It's a familiar story of a wellness scam that explains how we came to see conspiracists as health experts

09.02.2025 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

The 67th annual Grammy Awards distinguished itself with great winners. Its host? Not so much

For Grammys host Trevor Noah, the fifth time was a challenge. But it's still the best awards show going

03.02.2025 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Jim Acosta officially signs off from CNN: "Don‘t give in to the lies. Don‘t give in to the fear"

Following reports that CNN intended to exile Acosta to midnight, the longtime journalist's exit was expected

29.01.2025 20

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"The Fall of Diddy" chronicles decades' worth of failures to hold a powerful monster accountable

Versions of this story have been told before, but few demonstrate so well how our celebrity worship got us here

27.01.2025 4

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

The makers of "Star Trek: Section 31" had a difficult mission, so they decided to make it fun

Olatunde Osunsanmi, Alex Kurtzman and Omari Hardwick talk about latest film in Paramount 's "Star Trek" universe

24.01.2025 5

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"The Rachel Maddow Show" has begun its 100-day watch. Let's hope the host can bring us through this

“More than ever,” Maddow said in her Monday night broadcast, “this is not a time to pretend this isn’t happening"

23.01.2025 5

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"The Joe Schmo Show" returns with a charming, skeptical mark forged in the age of disinformation

It's tough to make a dupe out of a sweet guy who automatically disbelieves everything that doesn't add up

22.01.2025 3

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Turn the channel on the inauguration with these counterprogramming suggestions

From "Twin Peaks" to "Chicken Nugget," preserving your sanity on Inauguration Day is just a click away

20.01.2025 40

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

How do we define Lynchian? Look to some of the most audacious TV -- you'll know it when you see it

David Lynch figured out how to beguile TV audiences with unease. Some of the best shows still follow his lead

19.01.2025 8

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Con-gregation, be seated: "Scam Goddess" is a better podcast than it manifests on TV

Trading co-star chemistry to visit the scenes of scams, Laci Mosley's hit loses something in its TV translation

15.01.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Long live "The Traitors," a killer distillation of American reality TV psychological games

TV's murderously meta reality competition shows us how fame leads us to assume the wrong things about worthiness

09.01.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

We can all learn something from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" visiting "Abbott Elementary"

We get it in our heads that some flavors could never, ever work together — only for their collision to yield something wonderful. Kids make these...

08.01.2025 7

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Fights, Camera, Action": How Jerry Springer exposed the beginning of America's decline

Before the man who transformed “The Jerry Springer Show” into a gladiatorial showcase of the worst common denominator took over as its executive...

07.01.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Nikki Glaser triumphs as the host of a revived 82nd Golden Globes

Last year’s Golden Globes telecast provided its strongest case yet for its retirement from public life. The previous version of the Hollywood...

06.01.2025 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Squid Game 2" fittingly plays a different and still very relevant game for its return

Before Elon Musk effectively bought an American presidency, he mounted a hostile takeover of the attention economy. His initial bulk acquisitions...

03.01.2025 2

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

9 unforgettable moments that made TV great in 2024

You already have your own list of best TV shows, and who am I to disagree? Any show that makes your mood a little lighter or moves you in some...

28.12.2024 3

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

7 of the most fearless comedy specials you might have missed this year

From the moment the Golden Globes added a category for best stand-up comedy performance, cynics like me had doubts. Globes voters have a...

20.12.2024 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

On "Shrinking" Brett Goldstein models a version of what forgiveness can look like, and it's not easy

Louis Winston’s contribution to “Shrinking” begins like so many of us watching, with a rearview glimpse at his fortunate life. Each day he and his...

19.12.2024 30

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"It was a fearless ending": "What We Do in the Shadows" vamps reflect on laying the show to rest

 “What We Do in the Shadows” was never intended to be the perfect pandemic comedy. In the way of all TV legends, it simply happened to peak at the...

18.12.2024 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

The "Deadpool & Wolverine" Golden Globe nomination category says a lot about the state of movies now

By now somebody in my position, which is to say those who analyze popular culture for a living, should know better than to write off the Golden...

10.12.2024 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

How the mid "Skeleton Crew" makes us nostalgic for the wretched "Star Wars" holiday specials of yore

Since the first “Star Wars” blasted a hole in popular culture we've been gifted a few unforgettable (and not in a good way) Christmas-adjacent...

09.12.2024 8

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Let nothing you dismay: The "Die Hard" comfort and joy in Netflix's bloody "Black Doves"

Every culture has its bewildering holiday traditions. One that never gets old for Americans is arguing over Christmas movies. Although Netflix's...

08.12.2024 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

My shelter cat heist: How "Adopt, Don't Shop" almost became my villain origin story

"Come back in a couple of weeks, and we'll talk then," the woman at the animal rescue chirped.  The short version of this story is my husband and I...

06.12.2024 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Wicked" reminds us we'd all better be ready to defy gravity. Especially Black women

The “Wicked” nation is still relatively young, like the musical itself. This year marks its 21st anniversary on Broadway, and the touring version...

02.12.2024 5

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"Conclave" is just "Mean Girls" with priests

Awards season always brings a parade of Very Important Cinema to theaters, most of which have the appeal of roughage. They may be good for us, but...

22.11.2024 9

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

With "A Man on the Inside" Ted Danson sweetly leads us into the mystery of getting old and going on

Mike Schur devised a mostly foolproof formula for the perfect modern workplace sitcom that began with “The Office” and steadily evolved through...

22.11.2024 5

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

HBO's "Dune: Prophecy" is a bold vision up to the task of matching its theatrical counterpart

What “Dune: Prophecy” offers on its face is bound to appeal to women who are sick of everything. Given the present circumstances, who wouldn’t...

18.11.2024 70

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland