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Melanie McFarland

Melanie McFarland

Salon

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“President Curtis” is a “Rick and Morty” spinoff to believe in

Keith David's man of action won't make America great again, but he just might save it from itself

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Melanie McFarland

“The Man Will Burn” accidentally shows why people despise Burning Man

Instead of clearing up misconceptions about the annual desert bacchanalia, HBO's docuseries confirms them

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Melanie McFarland

“A Woman of Substance” is a fiercely old-fashioned revenge saga

This soapy Britbox drama trades worshipping high society for good old payback

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Melanie McFarland

On “SNL,” Jesse Jackson proved he knew punchlines have power

In 1984, Jackson used "Saturday Night Live" to take a "last shot at America's mind" and faulty policies with jokes

thursday 5

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Melanie McFarland

“Princess Mononoke” is a warning we didn’t heed

Hayao Miyazaki's gorgeous epic is also his most humanist

22.07.2026 8

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Melanie McFarland

This new “Cape Fear” has me rooting for Max Cady

In a contest between a difficult maniac and an insufferable family, Javier Bardem’s villain is my hero

17.07.2026 7

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Melanie McFarland

Revisiting the quiet joy of “My Neighbor Totoro”

To understand the heart of Hayao Miyazaki, start with this masterpiece

15.07.2026 9

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Melanie McFarland

‘Night, Mee-Maw. “Late Night with Seth Meyers” will miss you

When Lindsey Graham died, Seth Meyers lost one of his best gags: the senator's imaginary, needling grandma

14.07.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

We’re mature enough to reconsider “Little House on the Prairie”

A new adaptation of the beloved tales maintains the frontier fantasy while looking at who really pays for progress

11.07.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

It’s not you, it’s the Emmys: Voters have reasons for ignoring your show

Major industry award pageants rarely take our feelings into account, but Emmy voters are predictable in some ways

09.07.2026 6

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Melanie McFarland

How “Spirited Away” inspired “Avatar: The Last Airbender”

Nickelodeon's beloved cartoon saga is one of many modern fantasies inspired by Hayao Miyazaki

08.07.2026 9

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Melanie McFarland

The golden ambition of “Legally Blonde” can’t be tarnished

Regardless of what “Elle” is doing, the 2001 movie still proves a woman’s limitless potential

07.07.2026 8

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Melanie McFarland

John Oliver’s killer “General Hospital” turn did not disappoint

Move over, 007. The daytime drama transformed the "Last Week Tonight" host into a new international man of mystery

07.07.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

It looks like the “redemption” of Louis C.K. is complete

The supposedly disgraced comic's mainstream return proves that expecting true accountability is the real joke

03.07.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

The Harley Quinn twisted Valentine’s special brings the raunch and romance to our Hallmark holiday

This confidently horny, sex-positive and humorous one-off confirms why Harley and Ivy are one of TV's best couples

02.07.2026 70

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Melanie McFarland

A people’s view of America, as seen on TV

From "Atlanta" to "This Fool," these 13 comedies highlight the real America in all its glory

01.07.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

“Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver checks in to “General Hospital”

The late-night host and ardent soap opera fan makes his first appearance Thursday on the iconic daytime drama

30.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” remains one of the purest portrayals of fighting fascism on modern TV

Nickelodeon's 15-year-old animated series came to set fire to Netflix at a time that we needed its lessons most

30.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

This Juneteenth, “Atlanta” will give you all the insights you need on how America co-opts a holiday

Wonder how a nation that refuses to honestly grapple with slavery will look as it "celebrates" its end? Just watch

30.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

What “The Bear” teaches us about human possibility

The FX hit's final season shows that trust, love and sheer will can be the brightest fires in an end-of-days storm

28.06.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

“The Bear” confronts Carmy’s nightmare: A boss who believes in creating excellence through pain

Bosses like Joel McHale's NYC chef, who haunted Carmy and this show's viewers since the start, are all too common

26.06.2026 80

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Melanie McFarland

Larry David’s sketch series curbs our enthusiasm for American exceptionalism

In HBO's "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness," the comedian makes pettiness all-American

26.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

Without dragons, fantasy wouldn’t have worked on TV

A lot of shows and movies crashed so Targaryens could soar

24.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

Music mogul Clive Davis dies at 94

During his six-decade career, Davis signed and mentored acts that defined the sound of American popular music

22.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

As “House of the Dragon” returns, fire and blood fuel a futile war

Stars Steve Toussaint and Abubakar Salim ponder the lesson of the bloodiest sea battle in Westeros history

21.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

James Burrows, legendary sitcom director, dies at 85

The prolific TV maestro co-created "Cheers" and shaped the modern half-hour comedy as we know it

19.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

The real “Widow’s Bay” curse is all-American

Apple TV’s timely hit is a metaphor for what happens when willful ignorance allows long-buried terrors to resurface

18.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

We scouted “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and can confirm that it’s a veritable treasure

At long last, a D&D movie of which gamers need not be ashamed. Here's our list of its attributes and bonuses

17.06.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

The coziest TV mysteries have a higher calling

The clergymen detectives of "Grantchester" and "Father Brown" prove some murder cases call for divine intervention

16.06.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

The immortal thrill of The Vampire Lestat

Anne Rice's seductive antihero made vampires the rock stars of the monsterverse

13.06.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

Through its time change, “Interview with the Vampire” examines how war poisons the blood

The TV adaptation returns with a visceral parable of the effect man's inhumanity has on our hearts

12.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Anthony Head made the flawed father figure impossible to hate

From "Buffy" to "Ted Lasso," his roles made us see that no man is beyond redemption

12.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Earth, Wind & Fire’s music is universal

Questlove’s new documentary explores the spiritual magic that makes one of pop's biggest bands among its greatest

07.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Hate “The Phantom Menace”? The Ewok Line theory could explain why

What if a "How I Met Your Mother" hypothesis also applies to our divided opinion about the "Star Wars" prequels?

06.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

The NABJ welcomed Trump to insult them and spread lies about Kamala Harris

The organization has hosted controversial speakers before, including one whose long ago speech was a warning

06.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Changing “Interview with the Vampire” made it more alluring while staying true to its spirit

This show's updates to Anne Rice's vampires change the tension in the story, adding potential for longer life

02.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“I don’t want to see some glittery vampire”: Why Anne Rice’s undead reigns in a post-“Twilight” era

Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson discuss the ways their eternal love story is more relatable than that other one

02.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Other Black Girl” peeks into the hidden horrors of being the only person of color at the office

There are no jump scares in Hulu's new thriller, but the dread of being Black in a mainly white industry is real

02.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Amber Ruffin’s hilariously horrifying book about everyday racism shows this is indeed who we are

Salon spoke to the comedian and her sister Lacey Lamar, who co-wrote "You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey"

02.06.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Hacks” finale is a moving tribute to comedy’s power to keep going

In the end, Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels prove that a funnier world is worth fighting for

29.05.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Hacks”: Deborah Vance is Tom Cruise-approved, joining the list of celebrities with the moist cake

A sure sign that you've made it to the top is that the last great Hollywood star sends you a famous dessert

26.05.2026 40

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Hacks” wonders why saying sorry is rare in comedy

“Never apologize for a joke,” says Deborah Vance, echoing many comedians. This episode challenges that notion

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Hacks” returns with its funny ladies on the mountaintop, but questions the cost of the climb

Returning as 61-year-old Vanessa Williams drops a club track, the show reaffirms it still has legs, and miles to go

26.05.2026 90

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Boys” bids a grim farewell to America

Eric Kripke's gory superhero satire concludes that the only way to save ourselves is to kill our gods

24.05.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Boys” gives us a grim warning of Trumpism’s endgame

The political assassination plot is a coincidence. Pay attention to the empty unity rhetoric and what happens next

22.05.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

Finally, “The Man in the High Castle” fascist fantasy ends amidst America’s sobering reality

As Amazon's Nazi-triumphant alternate history ends, we don't need a reminder of how far gone America could be

21.05.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Fascism that cloaks itself in patriotism”: “The Boys” boss on dangers of strongmen and superheroes

Salon talks to Eric Kripke about how his show predicted our terrible present and his expectations for what's next

21.05.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

What we’re losing as “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” ends

We'll see Stephen Colbert again, but his broadcast exit closes out David Letterman's absurdist TV legacy

21.05.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

The perks of being Jane Austen’s wallflower

"The Other Bennet Sister" proves it’s the quiet ones we need to be watching

20.05.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Sheep Detectives” cloaks an urgent message in woolly clothing

Underneath its feel-good fleece, this film sounds quiet alarms about forgetting painful history

17.05.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland