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Melanie McFarland

Melanie McFarland

Salon

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Harry and Meghan’s UK return tests a press under fire

The unrelentingly cruel media that the Sussexes moved to America to escape must be hungrily awaiting their return

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Melanie McFarland

Hayden Panettiere lived out TV’s myth of the indestructible girl

The "Heroes" and "Nashville" star lived a demanding life weighed down by unreasonable expectations

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Melanie McFarland

Here’s why we like some superheroes more than others

Maybe it's easier to be chosen than worthy

16.08.2026 4

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Melanie McFarland

What the Ted Lasso Way doesn’t get about women in sports

In women's sports stories, persuading athletes to believe in themselves is only half the game

16.08.2026 4

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Melanie McFarland

HBO’s “Watchmen” takes on white supremacy — Damon Lindelof promises to “troll the white savior”

Damon Lindelof's expansion of the classic comic universe contends with an evil that transcends realities

07.08.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

Power, respect and conscience: How the women of “Fargo” manage (up) in a man’s world

This season's main women are more alike than the richest of them would like to think, especially now

06.08.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

“The Shards” is oozing with Bret Easton Ellis vibes

Ryan Murphy’s collab with the American Psycho author brings Gen X's wasted youth back from the grave

06.08.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

“Watchmen” is a brutally provocative reckoning of alternate history

Damon Lindelof's new vision is more than just a confrontation of white supremacy. It's an indictment of denial

06.08.2026 750

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Melanie McFarland

The end of looking away from violence on social media

Perez Hilton's crisis went out live and unfiltered. That's not an accident anymore.

06.08.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

This Miyazaki film sees who we really are at heart

"Howl's Moving Castle" is many things, but ultimately it's an honest appraisal of the human spirit

04.08.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

The casting of “The Odyssey” proves Nolan’s muse was star power

The recruitment of Matt Damon and other A-listers to sell a Greek myth makes sense

02.08.2026 9

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Melanie McFarland

“Diarra From Detroit” shows what a media merger could cost TV

A Paramount-Warner Bros. merger will mean less diversity and fewer hidden gems

01.08.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

The painful cost of bringing “Children of Blood and Bone” to screen

Days after its trailer debuted, Tomi Adeyemi declared she wants nothing to do with the movie version of her book

31.07.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

Your magical burnout cure is in this Miyazaki film

"Kiki's Delivery Service" is a family movie that holds practical magic for adulthood

30.07.2026 10

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Melanie McFarland

The small-screen seduction of the middle-aged woman

Midlife can be as blissful as "The Five-Star Weekend" or as cathartic as "Ride or Die"

27.07.2026 20

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Melanie McFarland

“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

25.07.2026 10

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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

24.07.2026 10

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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

24.07.2026 10

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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

23.07.2026 10

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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 10

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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 10

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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 10

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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 20

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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 20

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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 10

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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 20

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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 10

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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 20

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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 20

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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 80

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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 30

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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 20

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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 20

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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 90

Salon

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 20

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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 20

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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 20

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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 20

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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 30

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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 20

Salon

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 20

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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 20

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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 20

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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 20

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Melanie Mcfarland