My optimism about the direction of season 4 of Hacks was up with episode 4, but it immediately dropped again while watching episode 5, Clickable Face. I have a little bit of sunk cost going on here, but goodness, this season is feeling like a slog, and that’s a serious disappointment for a …
Very few creatives have made quality comedy television series. Classics from folks like Larry David and Garry Shandling and old-school favorites from Lucille Ball are harder to come by. Among modern comedic television voices, one of the biggest must be Danny McBride. Besides his work with filmmakers like Seth Rogen …
Once again, Andor Season 2 moves one year later. When the clock rolls forward to BBY 2 at the start of Episode 7, Messenger, Cassian (Diego Luna) is on Yavin itself, working with organised and rapidly mobilising Rebel forces rather than just as the mercenary of Luthen (Stellan Skarsgard). Of …
Everybody clearly had a wonderful time making this episode of Carême, in which they either very politely make vicious threats to each other, or create a colossal mess. Best of all, nudity! Sorry, this is France: nudité. One bottom belongs to a male extra who has evidently just participated in …
The opening episodes of season 4 of Hacks left this critic feeling a bit cold, but episode 4, I Love LA, is the first time that I’ve felt a bit of hope for the remainder of the season. Hacks has been one of my favorite comedies since it premiered four …
What happens throughout this episode is, in the very best sense of the word, adult. Carême’s understanding that people’s motivations and people’s desires do not necessarily reflect their best selves is unknown in American art. But the French are perhaps more capable of acknowledging the gap between their best and …
The sumptuous Carême hits two basic needs for a high-end television series. One is for sex, but the other is rarer in fictional television: food porn. This combination is an absolutely wonderful idea, because god knows our appetite for something good to eat doesn’t always get its due from a …
In its second week, Andor’s second series has again jumped a year forward, covering a span of mere days in BBY 3. The jump can be disorientating at first, as the cast of characters finds itself in largely new configurations. However, the show is confident enough to hint at what …
Doctor Who is back on our telly (and streaming) screens as of a few weeks ago. If you haven’t watched the series yet, don’t fret. You still have plenty of time to catch up before the four remaining episodes air. We are going to talk about every episode of series …
In recent years, there has been a massive influx of movies and TV series that showcase the reality of the entertainment industry and how youngsters navigate the world of showbiz. Most importantly, these titles exhibit how young people navigate through life while trying to achieve something, which makes them raw …
As Makeup Department Head on the Hulu hit Deli Boys, Nesrin Ismail is behind some of the most interesting looks on television. She’s an expert in both beauty and special effects makeup and puts all that to use on the comedy about fish out of water drug kingpins in an …
Hacks season 4 continues to underwhelm as it comes on with episode 3, What Happens in Vegas. Despite two absolutely electric leads and a primary story that has the ability to highlight some of the inequities in late-night television, specifically, and women in entertainment more broadly, it continues to pit Ava …
The Max Original comedy series Hacks is back for season 4, and this critic couldn’t be happier. Jean Smart’s renaissance has been an absolute delight, and of her many roles, Deborah Vance is a favorite. While the second season ended in a way that allowed the show a satisfying end …
Movies (or television) about the entertainment industry can prove challenging to produce. In some cases, they can feel like nothing more than a vanity project. Thankfully, stories in that vein, such as The Player and The Larry Sanders Show have proved this formula’s effectiveness with the right talent involved. Thirty-three …
A lot has changed in the two and a half years since Andor first landed on Disney+ screens in autumn 2022 in the wider world, and the return of possibly Star Wars’ most overtly political and subversive entry was highly anticipated. While always in production as a two-season show, the …
Marking its final adventure, the third season of Apple TV+’s acclaimed Jane premiered last week. I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with two of the key creative forces behind this environmentally conscious children’s series. The seasoned duo of J. J. Johnson and Matt Bishop (best known – at least …
Australian auteur Justin Kurzel adapts Richard Flanagan’s novel to harrowing effect in The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The adaptation blends a harrowing tale of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp with a war-bound love story and a modern tale of surviving the trauma. The series doesn’t wait to set up …
And now, man without fear, he must face the final curtain: except of course it isn’t. Like James Bond (RIP), Reacher will return. The zeitgeist can be guessed at and striven for, but it cannot be faked and it cannot be bought, because the audience never knows what truly speaks …
This year’s Slamdance Film Festival saw director Erin Brown Thomas present the pilot episode of the series Chasers. The pilot primarily focuses on Sophia (played by Ciarra Krohne) and how she is trying to navigate through her life. The series delves into the relentless grind of Hollywood’s dream-chasers, exposing the dark …
After strike-induced delays, the second series of Andor arrives on 22 April 2025, almost two and a half years after the first series first appeared on Disney+. This time, it will deliver its twelve episodes over a might-tighter release window (twelve episodes over four weeks rather than ten). Revisiting Andor’s …