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Melanie McFarland

Melanie McFarland

Salon

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Janet Jackson’s “Nasty” woman’s anthem

Forty years ago, Janet Jackson took "Control"

11.04.2026 10

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

“Rooster” and the wake-up call that nobody cares

In its way, Bill Lawrence and Steve Carell's comedy interrupts the globally destructive pull of male insecurity

05.04.2026 5

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Melanie Mcfarland

Red Hot Chili Peppers gave us plenty to hate — and one song we can’t quit

You may hate the Chili Peppers, but you'll never escape "Can't Stop"

04.04.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Harry Potter and the half-baked debate

What began with a well-meaning comic questioning a stance became a model for learning what true allyship requires

02.04.2026 5

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Melanie Mcfarland

Janet Jackson is finally back in control of her rightful legacy in must-see docuseries

The highly private pop star opens up in Lifetime's emotionally genuine four-part series, five years in the making

31.03.2026 80

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Melanie Mcfarland

HBO’s celebratory Tina Turner doc gives her the final word on the woman behind the iconic name

In the film, the artist proves she's more than "the worst parts" of her life, even if others find inspiration there

31.03.2026 350

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Melanie Mcfarland

Hollywood finds religion again

"House of David" and "The Faithful" join a rising tide of Bible-inspired shows meeting a right-trending culture

29.03.2026 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

What a friend we have in Black Jesus: “Jesus Christ Superstar Live”

By offering up a live version of the Broadway hit starring John Legend, NBC might resurrect the musical trend on TV

28.03.2026 550

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Forsyte Saga” is about hot men and the money they love

PBS' new "Masterpiece" limited series puts a twist on a seductive classic

28.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

On “The Comeback,” AI gets the last laugh

As Lisa Kudrow’s Valerie Cherish takes the pulse of AI’s Hollywood takeover, so does a new film hitting theaters

26.03.2026 7

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Melanie Mcfarland

Ladies, “The Madison” proposes that our place is in an isolated cabin

Taylor Sheridan's new show calls for abandoning scary city life for a rustic outhouse of one's own

23.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Taylor Frankie Paul’s dirty laundry is our reality check

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star and almost "Bachelorette" reflects a media-enabled numbness to wrongdoing

21.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

The useful rage of Godzilla

Godzilla stories warn that humanity’s attempts to control the uncontrollable inevitably invite catastrophe

20.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Our “Golden Bachelor” reality check: It’s not the first time a lapse in vetting led to juicier TV

Gerry Turner isn't a perfect gentleman. Oh well. But the "Bachelor" franchise let worse into the house before

18.03.2026 300

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Murdochs” is a messier “Succession”

Netflix's strangely entertaining new docuseries explains the ascendance of Fox News in the age of Trump

14.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Succession”: Dearly beloved, the Roys cordially invite us to a wedding we won’t soon forget

It's inevitable that with the Roys, Connor's wedding is just another setting for a family blindside

13.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Sinners” should win, but always bet on the Oscars to disappoint

I regret to predict that "One Battle After Another" is a safer choice for an irritatingly familiar reason

13.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Will Smith perfected blockbuster success, but his Oscar-worthiness is tougher – slap or no slap

The actor's new film "Emancipation" isn't getting much love, but probably not for the expected bad PR reasons

10.03.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

“I’m not a victim, baby”: Chris Rock delivers an incendiary counterpunch to infamous Oscars slap

Netflix's "Selective Outrage" gives Rock's jabs at Will Smith, Meghan Markle and Jan. 6 a global live audience

10.03.2026 2500

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

Why the “Love Is Blind” experiment was doomed from the start

Lockdown shifts that made Netflix's romance reality show a hit may be the main reason its couples aren't making it

08.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Saturday Night Live”‘s middle ground problem

The Olympic hockey cameos offered a reminder that the show’s nonpartisan jokes often drift into false equivalence

06.03.2026 9

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Melanie Mcfarland

How can “Saturday Night Live” parody a farcical administration?

“The Question Is Moot,” a mock game show just might be the answer

04.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Watching “Bridgerton” in a “Heated Rivalry” world

In refreshingly different ways, these lusty pleasures have freed TV's hero romances from straight expectations

04.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

The BAFTAs have us arguing over the wrong words

Assigning guilt over a slur yelled at the British Academy Film Awards ignores the real issues: impact and intent

01.03.2026 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

We still swoon for Prince’s “Kiss”

Known for songs dripping with sensuality, Prince achieved PG success with this innocent crowd-pleaser 40 years ago

01.03.2026 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

Everyone should live like Miss Piggy

Celebrated in a culture that teaches girls to shrink themselves, Miss Piggy has long stood as a glittering rebuttal

01.03.2026 30

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Melanie Mcfarland

The shrunken ambition of Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story”

A decade after "The People v. O. J. Simpson" comes an empty romance whose existence hangs on the Kennedy name

13.02.2026 70

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Melanie McFarland

Bad Bunny gave us a Super Bowl halftime show for all Americans

In an electrifying, fully Spanish performance, the Puerto Rican superstar showed what the joy of unity looks like

09.02.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

“Shrinking” is a therapeutic retreat from an ugly world

Like Apple TV's other hit "Ted Lasso," this show's community of mending hearts gives us something to believe in

07.02.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

The “Ted Lasso” way is comforting – and a counter to the hollow nationalism Americans have embraced

We yearned for comfort in 2020. This series offers something more in asking us to believe in being our best

06.02.2026 200

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Melanie McFarland

“Shrinking” returns with a more assured and legitimately therapeutic second season

Like another Apple TV series soothed us in 2020, this comedy returns with a healing prescription for 2024: empathy

05.02.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

Catherine O’Hara knew that motherhood can be a slapstick comedy

O’Hara gave us decades' worth of moms who know it's better to be a star than a self-sacrificing angel

04.02.2026 10

Salon

Melanie McFarland

The prime of Dame Maggie Smith left us a portrait of what it means to be a lady, upper and lowercase

Before "Harry Potter" and "Downton Abbey" removed her anonymity, the actor let us see the many faces of damehood

03.02.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

“Primal” is a life-affirming zombie tale

Genndy Tartakovsky defies our short attention spans with the quiet tale of a lost soul seeking the ones he loves

01.02.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

Mary Tyler Moore stands for Minneapolis

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show" demonstrated that progress can be won

31.01.2026 30

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Melanie McFarland

“Schitt’s Creek” star Catherine O’Hara, dead at 71

O'Hara's costars were quick to sing her praises in the wake of her passing, remarking on her one-of-a-kind talent

31.01.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

The lost joy of the Food Network chef as teacher

TikTok is where the recipes are, but it's a poor substitute for a TV expert's instruction

30.01.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

With “Hind’s Hall” Macklemore finally delivers an allyship effort that isn’t embarrassing

A decade ago would you have thought the widely dissed white rapper would earn Tom Morello's approval?

29.01.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

Everyone wants to be a Traitor until it’s time to betray themselves

In Peacock's hit reality show, it's fun to be a villain until your morals make the murder shortlist

28.01.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

David Bowie’s Goblin King still casts the longest spell

Bowie’s many personas shaped pop culture, but his role in "Labyrinth" is one of his most enduring legacies

24.01.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

“The Bone Temple” argues that in a rage apocalypse, art may be the cure

The new "28 Years Later" shows Ralph Fiennes as a man battling evil with reason, calm and the joy of Iron Maiden

24.01.2026 50

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Melanie McFarland

“Army of the Dead” is what happens when desperation meets a thrilling zombie conflagration

Don't call it brainless: Zack Snyder's latest is exactly the kind of raucous zombie action flick we need right now

22.01.2026 40

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Melanie McFarland

The alpha male era is on its way out

The right’s “masculinity crisis” has popular culture in a bear hug. But it may be nearer to tapping out

22.01.2026 40

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Melanie McFarland

Don’t blame media literacy for our naivete

A viral misunderstanding of MTV’s "demise" illustrates the urge to believe what feels right

21.01.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

We’re gonna make it after all: Let’s throw our hats in the air for Mary Tyler Moore

Thanks to Moore, generations of young women knew they could be single, unapologetic and confident

21.01.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

A knight’s tale that needs no dragons

Between Rhaenyra’s war and Daenerys’ rise, Ser Duncan the Tall roamed Westeros. Here's what you need to know

17.01.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

Michael Rapaport is the best worst person on “The Traitors”

Peacock’s hit reminds us that sometimes the enemy of your enemy can be terrible company — and that’s half the fun

15.01.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

Nikki Glaser proved to be the Golden Globes’ safest bet

While the comic kept the show light in these heavy times, the show's lack of integrity makes us question its worth

12.01.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

The prescriptive comforts of “The Pitt”

HBO Max’s hit drama offers a vision of care and connection amid expanding national trauma

08.01.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

“Primal” may be the most unconventional love story on TV. Just not in the way you think

Genndy Tartakovsky's minimalist caveman fable reminds us the best love stories have nothing to do with romance

07.01.2026 40

Salon

Melanie McFarland