Reviews of television shows
In which Roger remembers his Jambalaya recipe. Francine is frustrated that she can’t grow a garden until she orders the farmers almanac. She eventually grows some good tomatoes, which makes Roger remember that he can make a really good Jambalaya. … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 19 Jambalaya
In which Jeff tries to please everyone and ends up pleasing no one. Jeff’s very nature is to be a cypher character. He goes along with the plot as is necessary. In fact one of the very early episodes is … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 18 Please Please Jeff
In which Stan hijacks Hayley’s thing The Stan/Hayley conflict is essentially the original basis of the show (what if All in the Family but updated and animated). The show has grown passed that but often returns to it for general … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 17 Hayley was a Girl Scout?
In the Flesh premiered on BBC Three in March 2013. We visit a Britain that survived a zombie apocalypse. A drug was developed to cure the undead of their brain munching cravings. The “partially deceased” must now re-integrate into society. … Continue reading LGBT Media: In the Flesh
In which Barry tries to buy some speakers and learn a lesson in the process When you’re a long-running show and you want to stay fresh from a story telling perspective, you better have a deep well of characters from … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 16 I Heard You Wanna Buy Some Speakers
Pity the Crown Prince Wilhelm. His wealth and privilege cannot mend his broken heart. Season one of Young Royals explored the romance between Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) and the working-class Simon (Omar Rudberg) at their Swedish boarding school. The Royal family … Continue reading LGBT Media: Young Royals. Season Two
In which Roger and Steve try to save a dying mall American Dad! has a lowkey Halloween/Horror episode tradition including episodes like Poltergasm, Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls, and I’d even put The Witches of Langley up there … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 15 You Are Here
In which Steve gets over his hero worship Stan as written is the very idea of the kind of toxic alpha jerk who believes he’s better than everyone, including his family. How that is often played for laughs on AD! … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 14 A League of His Own
In which Roger drives everyone into danger When everyone is too drunk to drive home from Oktoberfest, Roger offers to drive everyone home but is rejected. Everyone says he is a terrible driver, even returning insurance adjuster Heinrich Brown and … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 13 The Fast and the Spurious
Spoiler warning for the 2022 A League of Their Own TV series The original A League of Their Own is a stone cold classic, half a fist pumping crowd pleaser of an underdog story, half nuanced, heartwarming relationship drama between … Continue reading LGBT Media/TV Review: A League of Their Own (2022)
When I entered this world in 1995, my father, a public school English teacher, was waging the sixth year of war against his mortal enemy. He never encountered his foe directly, except on bootleg t-shirts and bumper stickers, but he … Continue reading Late to the Party: The Simpsons of the 20th Century (1989-1999)
SPOILER WARNING: I’m assuming in these reviews that readers have seen the show. The most bizarre thing about this episode is its premise, because neither freaks nor geeks in high school tend to be filled with school spirit. I know … Continue reading Freaks And Geeks: S01E09 “We’ve Got Spirit”
Going home means different things to different people. Some never leave home; some count the days until they can leave, and never go back. For most everyone else, it means a kind of reconciliation between the past and the present, … Continue reading TV Reviews: The Bear (2022)
Two teens apply for a job at a haunted amusement park. Barney (Zach Barack) is looking to emancipate from his transphobic family. Norma (Kody Kavitha) is obsessed with the park’s mysterious founder (Coco Peru). A mishap leaves Barney’s dog, Pugsley … Continue reading TV Review: Dead End: Paranormal Park
I could have and should have seen this movie when it came out in theatres. Back then I would often spend my allowance at the movies but at one point I interrupted that habit because I was saving up my … Continue reading Late to the Party – Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
I got permission from SadClown to post this, because they had done an LGBT media of Looking approximately a year and a half ago. I recommend reading that first, I haven’t fully read that review as I write this. This … Continue reading Late to the Party: Looking (2014-2016)
Who is Victor Salazar? A popular jock? A clueless wrecking ball? A good man? In season one he suffered the humiliations of the closet. In season two he experienced the ups and downs of coming out. The frustrating final season … Continue reading LGBT Media: Love, Victor. Season Three
In the early aughts Queer as Folk and its remake were the primary sources of gay men on television. Peacock’s re-imagining arrives amidst a wave of queer programming. This takes pressure off the writers. After a shocking opening they transition … Continue reading LGBT Media: Queer as Folk (2022)
The L Word follows a group of lesbian and bisexual women living in Los Angeles. They hang out, gossip and hook up. The first season is short on plot and momentum. It takes eight episodes to introduce a serious conflict. … Continue reading LGBT Media: The L Word. Season One (2004)
Boy meets boy. Boy dates boy. Boys kiss without tongue. Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper is a slow burning comic. It’s happiest when the leads are simply hanging out. The series has been adapted to television with a strong cast and smart … Continue reading LGBT Media: Heartstopper (2022)
In which Stan and Francine get heated… The Stan/Francine marriage dynamic is one that feels well explored because it’s one that has been done on American Dad’s contemporaries, such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. However, often times they’ll throw … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 8 “A Song of Knives and Fire”
