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Melanie McFarland

Melanie McFarland is Salon's award-winning senior culture critic. Follow her on Bluesky: @McTelevision

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (Disney/Randy Holmes)

Jimmy Kimmel was meant for this moment

Melanie McFarland
Sydney Chandler as Wendy and Alex Lawther as Hermit in "Alien: Earth" (Patrick Brown/FX)

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

Melanie McFarland
Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon in "The Lowdown" (Shane Brown/FX)

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

Melanie McFarland
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Randy Holmes)

Jimmy Kimmel and the strongman’s fear of comedians

Melanie McFarland
"Alien: Earth" (FX)

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

Melanie McFarland
Nate Bargatze speaks onstage at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

The charity case that was the 2025 Emmys

Melanie McFarland
Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" (Rory Mulvey/Focus Features)

Divorce, “Downton Abbey” style

Melanie McFarland
Charlie Sheen in "aka Charlie Sheen" (Netflix)

Charlie Sheen’s consequence-free life

Melanie McFarland
Thurgood Marshall leaves Federal Court in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 29, 1956. (Library of Congress)

Tearing down the house that Thurgood built

Melanie McFarland
Adarsh Gourav, Timothy Olyphant and Babou Ceesay in "Alien: Earth" (FX)

“Alien: Earth” sees our robot future

Melanie McFarland
Mark Ruffalo and Martha Plimpton in "Task" (Peter Kramer/HBO)

“Task” balances grit with grace

Melanie McFarland
(l-r) Alex Edelman as Adam, Gbemisola Ikumelo as Adelola, Domhnall Gleeson as Ned and Melvin Gregg as Detrick in "The Paper" (Aaron Epstein/Peacock)

“The Paper” and the politics of the workplace mockumentary

Melanie McFarland
Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier in "Alien: Earth" (FX)

“Alien: Earth” and the foot on our necks

Melanie McFarland
John Cena, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Holland in "Peacemaker" (Erin Sintoes/HBO Max)

The heroic queerness of “Peacemaker”

Melanie McFarland
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in "With Love, Meghan" (Jake Rosenberg/Netflix)

The familiar fury at “With Love, Meghan”

Melanie McFarland
Chris Hemsworth in "Limitless" (National Geographic/Evan Paterakis)

Screaming our way to a fitter world

Melanie McFarland
John Cena in "Peacemaker" (Jessica Miglio/HBO Max)

“Peacemaker” faces a stealthy multiverse of regret

Melanie McFarland
Grace Van Patten as Amanda Knox in "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox." (Disney/Andrea Miconi)

Why Amanda Knox’s story still captivates

Melanie McFarland
"South Park" (Comedy Central)

“South Park” and the high price of free speech

Melanie McFarland
Sarah Jessica Parker in "And Just Like That" (Craig Blankenhorn/Max)

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

Melanie McFarland
Jessica Frances Dukes and Audra McDonald in "The Gilded Age" (Karolina Wojtasik/HBO)

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

Melanie McFarland
Kristen Johnston and Leanne Morgan in "Leanne" (Patrick McElhenney/Netflix)

TV’s Southern woman strategy

Melanie McFarland
(Photo illustration by Salon / Corporation for Public Broadcasting / Getty Images / ReflectFilms / Luza Studios )

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

Melanie McFarland
Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh in "Alien: Earth" (FX)

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

Melanie McFarland
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