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Melanie Mcfarland

Melanie Mcfarland

Salon

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With “Prey,” Amber Midthunder gives us a woman warrior worthy of sequels

White women warriors aren't going away, but the heroine of "Prey" proves the appeal in casting a wide net

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Melanie Mcfarland

“All’s Fair” and the problem with Kim Kardashian

Ryan Murphy's latest muse can't act, but her high influence in our misinformation age is what's truly depressing

06.11.2025 1

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Melanie Mcfarland

Maybe “Love Is Blind,” but does politics adjust the lens on this show’s relationships?

The reality show's D.C. season may be the first to feature contestants mentioning past relationships with Trump

04.11.2025 2

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Melanie Mcfarland

The late night rise of “Gutfeld!” is telling us something. It isn’t funny, but that doesn’t matter

Greg Gutfeld's late night incursion forces us to acknowledge that Americans live in two separate comedy ecosystems

04.11.2025 2

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Melanie Mcfarland

Why “Dancing with the Stars” fans love voting for Andy Richter

Watching the beloved middle aged comic on "Dancing with the Stars" shows we still agree on the important things

04.11.2025 2

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Melanie Mcfarland

What’s on the table at Downton Abbey?

TV’s most lavish dinner table reminds us why dressing up for dinner — and making the duck — is worth the trouble

01.11.2025 7

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Melanie Mcfarland

Our serial killer obsession might be making us less human

Devouring shows about Ed Gein and John Wayne Gacy reflects our tendency to justify the violence we do to each other

29.10.2025 6

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Melanie Mcfarland

Ryan Murphy’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is an example of the brand undermining the mission

Netflix's serial killer hit could've distinguished itself by centering Dahmer's victims instead of its performances

29.10.2025 5

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Melanie Mcfarland

Pennywise isn’t Derry’s biggest terror

Salon talks to the makers of "It: Welcome to Derry" about building the town's history on America's fears

26.10.2025 3

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Melanie Mcfarland

A nostalgic comfort meal, inspired by “The Bear”

In the tender “Worms” episode, Sydney turns Hamburger Helper into a masterclass in care and doing more with less

25.10.2025 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Zola” is a cautionary tale about Black women befriending white women

"Zola," a film that confirms the same white women that smile in your face be the same ones that come for you later

25.10.2025 100

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Breaking the Deadlock” shows us what civil discourse could look like

When illogical shout fests are passed off as debate, this considerate roundtable may be just what we need

22.10.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

We’re all living in Murdaugh Country now

"Murdaugh: Death in the Family" shows how women like Maggie Murdaugh bargained our pain for their comfort

16.10.2025 2

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Melanie Mcfarland

Does mac and cheese belong in a holiday meal? Yes — and here’s my go-to recipe

Our differing views of the comfort classic's meaning and specialness comes out in the open during the holidays

15.10.2025 50

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Chair Company” is peak Tim Robinson

The co-creator of "I Think You Should Leave" pushes the limits of cringe with his latest comedy

14.10.2025 9

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Boots” shows us what training warriors looks like

The Netflix show follows a closeted Marine and questions the type of courage that Pete Hegseth’s 1990 test ignores

10.10.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

Saudi Arabia’s latest luxury buy? Comedians selling out free speech

The comics in the Riyadh Comedy Festival are just the latest performers hired to shine up brutal regimes

10.10.2025 70

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Melanie Mcfarland

Ethan Hawke’s “Lowdown” hero is doing his best, even though he’s the worst

Hawke, Keith David and series creator Sterlin Harjo unpack the moral ambiguity of messy men with noble missions

08.10.2025 3

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Task,” a crime drama that dares to embrace forgiveness

Tom Pelphrey and series creator Brad Ingelsby are giving us a thriller about compassion in this age of vengeance

06.10.2025 2

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Melanie Mcfarland

The “Peacemaker” twist is a wake-up call for America

Some of us noticed the problem with Christopher Smith's "best dimension ever" from the very beginning

02.10.2025 2

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Fights, Camera, Action”: How Jerry Springer exposed the beginning of America’s decline

A new documentary explains how "The Jerry Springer Show" was a herald of the end of American civility

28.09.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

Jimmy Kimmel was meant for this moment

In the tradition of late-night confronting cultural flashpoints, ABC's host is the free speech champion we need

26.09.2025 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Alien: Earth” warns us to be careful of the monsters we make

The first season finale reaffirms that our quest to dominate life, and other lifeforms, will likely be our undoing

24.09.2025 3

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Lowdown” puts a gritty spin on noir with Ethan Hawke’s dirty detective

"Reservation Dogs" creator Sterlin Harjo weaves a mystery investigated by Ethan Hawke's Dude-ly citizen detective

23.09.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

Jimmy Kimmel and the strongman’s fear of comedians

ABC's latest sacrifice to Trump comes straight out of a playbook followed by other authoritarian governments

19.09.2025 3

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Melanie Mcfarland

The “Alien: Earth” terror we can’t unsee

This new space creature doesn't have teeth, but it may be the most unnerving one yet

18.09.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

The charity case that was the 2025 Emmys

A night of satisfying wins and worthy surprises was dragged down by a bumbling host committed to a tasteless bit

15.09.2025 7

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Melanie Mcfarland

Divorce, “Downton Abbey” style

The final chapter of Julian Fellowes' high society fantasy examines what it takes for a divorcée to make a comeback

14.09.2025 3

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Melanie Mcfarland

Charlie Sheen’s consequence-free life

Netflix's gaze at the star's years of drug-fueled "winning" explains America's weakness for cults of personality

12.09.2025 9

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Melanie Mcfarland

Tearing down the house that Thurgood built

Before Thurgood Marshall joined the Supreme Court, he secured many of the rights his successors are dismantling

10.09.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Alien: Earth” sees our robot future

Two “Alien: Earth” stars, playing an augmented man and a machine, weigh in on whether robots may help or destroy us

08.09.2025 8

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Melanie Mcfarland

We need to talk about Andy: The best “Alien: Romulus” character has glitches

David Jonsson's work lends weight to the new "Alien" chapter. His android also evokes an unfortunate movie cliché

06.09.2025 20

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Melanie Mcfarland

“I Know This Much Is True” offers twice the Mark Ruffalo, many more times the sadness

Honestly, how much more despair can we take right now? HBO's new limited series puts that question to the test

05.09.2025 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Mare of Easttown” is twisty until the very end, but the best part is its grace

HBO's prestige murder mystery is this spring's best whodunnit. Its other defining quality, however, is absolution

05.09.2025 40

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Paper” and the politics of the workplace mockumentary

Two decades after "The Office," the faux doc is the go-to format for sitcoms about professionals trying to help us

04.09.2025 5

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

“Stupid is as stupid does”: The Gumpification of America, 30 years later

Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump" is aging poorly. What's worse is how we're creating more bliss through ignorance

29.08.2025 50

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

The heroic queerness of “Peacemaker”

The sexuality of John Cena's traumatized hero amounts to more than simple signaling

28.08.2025 3

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Melanie Mcfarland

Now we have a princess: Why a royal Meghan Markle matters

The “Suits” actress is ascending to a place millions of black women never thought possible. That's a big deal.

28.08.2025 9

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Melanie Mcfarland

The familiar fury at “With Love, Meghan”

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is only the latest in a line of lifestyle TV hosts people love to hate

27.08.2025 6

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Melanie Mcfarland

Screaming our way to a fitter world

"The Biggest Loser" taught us that abuse is a motivator. But on "Limitless" Chris Hemsworth only preaches potential

24.08.2025 8

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Peacemaker” faces a stealthy multiverse of regret

John Cena's hero stumbles on what may be the best dimension ever. But we know better

21.08.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

In the end, “Peacemaker” is the villain-turned-hero worth crossing the TV galaxy for

A certain bounty hunter may have legacy on this side, but John Cena's buffoon made a killing by trying to be good

21.08.2025 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

Why Amanda Knox’s story still captivates

"The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" wants us to understand its subject instead of judging her case

20.08.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

“South Park” and the high price of free speech

With our First Amendment rights under attack, those in the best position to defend them also happen to be rich

17.08.2025 6

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Melanie Mcfarland

“And Just Like That” exits with a woman alone at the end of her story

Carrie Bradshaw leaves us with a question, and answer, that should have been the start of something wonderful

15.08.2025 8

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Melanie Mcfarland

TV’s Southern woman strategy

"I've Had It" podcasters weigh-in on "Leanne" and "The Hunting Wives" normalizing the megachurch

12.08.2025 10

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Melanie Mcfarland

“The Gilded Age” is at its best when Black prosperity is central to the story

At the end of its best season yet, "The Gilded Age" saves its happiest moment for the Black social scene

11.08.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland

Should the billionaire be a fan fave? “The Gilded Age” says yes

We should know better by now than to embrace George and Bertha Russell as heroes

09.08.2025 7

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Melanie Mcfarland

The GOP’s assault on public media will hit rural America the hardest

As the Corporation for Public Broadcasting shuts down, here's how that could impact your local media

06.08.2025 6

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Melanie Mcfarland

“Alien: Earth” knows how it’s all going to end for us

Xenomorphs are scary, but Noah Hawley's addition to the "Alien" universe wonders if we're the bigger problem

05.08.2025 4

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Melanie Mcfarland