Black Power

The inexorable march of the Marvel Cinematic Universe* goes on, and its latest manifestation is the Netflix series Luke Cage.  Debuting earlier this month, it stars Mike Colter as the black Harlem-based action hero, based on the bruising ’70s comic book creation and brought to life by Cheo Hodari Coker. Luke …

Sluts!

Two of the most frequently encountered modalities in the modern world of television comedy share a common weakness:  the way the negative personalities of the main characters tend to get in the way of the laughs.  Comedies centered around protagonists with mental illness can succeed, and the genre has produced …

Really Real

A TAXONOMY OF REALITY PROGRAMMING COMPETITIVE SHOWS: * People compete to win money > People compete to win the right to continue being on television * People compete in a performing talent show > People compete in a performing talent show with or against celebrities * People compete in a …

A Thin Line

Much as the leads of Netflix’s series Love have mixed feelings upon meeting — it’s really not so much what you would call a ‘meet cute’ as a ‘meet indifferent and slightly hostile’ — I had mixed feelings about the series itself.  This was largely due to its pedigree.  Love‘s creators are …