When it was originally on: 2018-present Original network: Channel 4 (UK), Netflix (US) Where you can stream it: Netflix Had I seen it before: Yes! I’ve seen every episode. What IMDb says: The personal exploits of a 16-year-old girl and her family and friends during the Troubles in the early 1990s. Why I picked it: I made up my mind somewhat early on that I would include … Continue reading 100 Pilots in 100 Days: Derry Girls
When it was originally on: 2020-present Original network: CBS All Access Where you can stream it now: CBS All Access. And only CBS All Access. Yeah, I’m not happy about it either. What IMDb says: Plot kept under wraps. Described as a follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), and centers on Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) in the next chapter of his life. *** SPOILERS FOR EPISODE … Continue reading 100 Pilots in 100 Days: Picard
When it was originally on: 2015-present (with next season to be final season) Original network: Netflix Where you can stream it now: Netflix Had I seen it before: I’m like 99% sure I had seen the pilot before, and maybe a few episodes beyond that, but I had never really gotten into it. What IMDb says: Finding out that their husbands are not just work partners, but … Continue reading 100 Pilots in 100 Days: Grace and Frankie
So the Game of Thrones finale happened. Many people are unhappy with it. As mentioned in a prior blog post, I didn’t jump on the bandwagon until earlier this year, and I recognize that makes my relationship with the show different from that of most fans. This was the first time I really got to experience the frenzy of anticipation and fan theories that goes a long with … Continue reading Dear GoT Fans: Winter Came, So Can We Chill For a Sec?
Over the years, my dad has talked to me about major moments in television and movie history that he lived through. He’s told me about the shock that was the M*A*S*H finale. He’s told me about the “who shot JR” episode of Dallas. His eyes light up when he tries to explain how mind-blowing it was to see Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977, when such a film was … Continue reading The Beauty of Bandwagons (SPOILER FREE!)
So over the last few months I have watched the first seven seasons of Game of Thrones for the first time. I knew such an occasion needed to be commemorated with a blog post. But how does one put together a think piece on seven seasons of television that have already generated far too many think pieces? I can’t. Hell, I can’t even remember how to spell … Continue reading 22 Crazy Things That Probably Won’t Happen On GoT Season 8, But Who Knows?
One of the hardest decisions a screenwriter has to make is deciding what you need to tell your audience and what you need to keep from the audience. How do you keep an audience in suspense while also keeping them informed? How do you make sure they understand your story without spoon-feeding it to them in a way that feels patronizing and belittling? How do … Continue reading Writing About Writing: The Well-Informed Mystery Paradox
I wrote about Freeform’s The Bold Type in a previous article and used it as launching pad for a broader discussion of social stigma surrounding content made for women. While I’m still proud of that post, upon re-reading it I can’t help but notice that it really doesn’t do justice to the show itself. I also wrote it before Season 2, which means I have even MORE to talk about now.
And so to celebrate the Season 2 finale, I thought it best to write a proper fangirl post of The Bold Type. While it’s very easy to look at the The Bold Type’s marketing and think that it’s just another 20-somethings-in-Manhattan show that the world doesn’t need, I genuinely believe there is no other show like this on television. Here’s why.
Yesterday, I finished Season 2 of the CW’s Riverdale. The more I think about it, the more I think that the CW’s Riverdale is the most frustrating television program on the air right now. It might even be in the running for most frustrating television program of all time. Note that I did not say “worse” because that’s not accurate. I said frustrating. That’s because Riverdale is not really a BAD show it just comes so close to being a good show that when it fails, it fails big.
I’ve always found that this is some of the hardest type of tv to watch; not the stuff that is just straight up bad, but the stuff that is just good enough to show you all the potential it failed to reach. Look at these components. Riverdale has all the makings of quality entertainment and then some:
Had I seen it before: No. What IMDb says: Baltimore drug scene, seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement. Why I picked it: As someone who lives sorta kinda near Baltimore, I’ve always been like “I should watch that Baltimore-based show that was rather successful.” 30 Pilots in 30 Days offered the perfect kick in the butt to finally try it. I also have … Continue reading 30 Pilots in 30 Days: The Wire
Butcher Thoughts 