culturish.com

  There’s a lot to love about this group of ten, so we shall continue our Decade wrap-up with the next batch (cue trumpets)…

[Read more →]

How will the aughts in television be remembered? Will they be remembered for the true paradigm shift that the explosion of reality television provided? Will they be remembered for the writer’s strike that further dismantled the efforts of serious network television? Will it be remembered for HBO’s utter domination, producing […]

[Read more →]

“Something Very Expensive,” Deadwood (writer and director: Steve Shill)

My response to Deadwood was a stage by stage affair. It took about four episodes in the first season for me to go “this is a show I’m gonna watch because it’s on HBO and looks interesting” to “this is an interesting, good show.” […]

[Read more →]

Friends, season 8

The show was tired. It’s last good idea was three seasons earlier (throwing Chandler and Monica together). The show was staggering through unfunny episodes and terrible character assassinations (Ross became a sociopath, Monica became a shrew – it was as if they took the least endearing trait about any character […]

[Read more →]

“Last Ex in Brooklyn,” Will and Grace (w: Alex Herschlag; d: James Burrows)

Will and Grace isn’t a particularly human comedy. It might have started out that way, but soon enough it was pushing even the leads into the lands of caricature. So it works only if the writing works, if the plotting […]

[Read more →]

Carnivale, Season 2

One of my favourite moments in my TV watching days came about when I recognized the thematic terrain of Carnivale. I loved the first season quite a bit, but there’s no denying that it’s a slow moving beast, more concerned with evocation of time and place, more […]

[Read more →]

“I Spy Apocalypse,” MI-5 (w: Howard Brenton; d: Justin Chadwick).

SPOILERS ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL, INCLUDING THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
Few episodes of television are as elegantly ruthless as this one. Elegantly structured with ruthless character examinations (or is that ruthless structure with elegant character examinations? Works both ways). […]

[Read more →]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 5

The new decade was a somewhat fractious time for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Firmly ensconced high in the critical firmament for it’s storytelling ability and the Joss Whedon mythos, the new decade was about moving further and further from the story’s traditional roots: fighting demons while struggling with […]

[Read more →]