Help keep Salon independent

Melanie McFarland (page 11)

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

U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

CNN’s first televised presidential debate of 2024 was not a good look for America

Melanie McFarland
Jeremy Allen White as Carmy in "The Bear" (FX)

Hungry as ever, “The Bear” is still the excellent TV dish everyone wants to devour and discuss

Melanie McFarland
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cooke and Luke Tittnsor as Ser Arryk Cargill in "House of the Dragon" (HBO) (HBO)

Death is cheap on “House of the Dragon”

Melanie McFarland
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC)

“When the robots get scary,” AMC’s “Orphan Black: Echoes” asks what makes us human

Melanie McFarland
Andrew McCarthy in "Brats" (AMC)

By making peace with The Brat Pack, “Brats” shows Generation X how to let go

Melanie McFarland
Susan Heyward as Sister Sage in "The Boys" (Prime Video)

“The Boys” introduces Sister Sage, a Black woman who is not going to save you this time

Melanie McFarland
Daniel Francis as Lord Anderson and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury in "Bridgerton" (Liam Daniel/Netflix)

“That is not history”: Adjoa Andoh, the other “Bridgerton” queen, challenges the usual period dramas

Melanie McFarland
Matt Smith in "House of the Dragon" (Ollie Upton/HBO)

“House of the Dragon” returns but lacks the storytelling fire to make us care who gets burned

Melanie McFarland
Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton and Hannah New as Lady Tilley Arnold in "Bridgerton" (Netflix)

A “Bridgerton” happy ending hints at long-anticipated queer romances ahead

Melanie McFarland
Star Wars: The Acolyte (Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney+)

“The Acolyte” follows the Thread to tell a tragic Jedi story from the witches’ perspective

Melanie McFarland
Károly Kozma as Adolf Hitler in "Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial" (Netflix)

“Holocaust denial … was turning into ‘Hitler was right'”: Director on urgency of Nazi docuseries

Melanie McFarland
Nicola Coughlan in "Bridgerton" (Netflix)

Dissecting the frustration and confusion of the “Bridgerton” split season

Melanie McFarland
Carrie-Anne Moss in "Star Wars: The Acolyte" (Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney+)

“The Acolyte” bait and switch angered some, but many more kept watching. That’s why it works

Melanie McFarland
Nick Cannon in "Counsel Culture" (Prime Video)

“Counsel Culture” makes us wonder, is Nick Cannon really the best advocate for growth and healing?

Melanie McFarland
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult (Netflix)

“Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult”: A tango between coercion and the entertainment industry

Melanie McFarland
Amandla Stenberg in "Star Wars: The Acolyte" (Lucasfilm/Disney+)

A riveting “Star Wars: The Acolyte” breaks away from the usual Jedi rhetoric about good and evil

Melanie McFarland
Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa in "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Furiosa” is struggling at the box office. Could the post-apocalyptic “Fallout” be a factor?

Melanie McFarland
Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump on set during the Season Finale of the Celebrity Apprentice on May 10, 2009 in New York City. (Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)

“The Apprentice” long con persists today, even beyond its host’s many convictions

Melanie McFarland
Helen Hunt in "Hacks" (Max)

“She’s suffering no fools”: “Hacks” guest star Helen Hunt weighs in on the finale’s shark attack

Melanie McFarland
Sarah Kameela Imprey as Saira, Anjana Vasan as Amina Hussain, Faith Omole as Bisma, Lucie Shorthouse as Momtaz, Juliette Motamed as Ayesha in "We Are Lady Parts" (Saima Khalid/WTTV Ltd/Peacock/C4)

“We need to upend this”: How punk band comedy “We Are Lady Parts” conquers second album anxiety

Melanie McFarland
Hoa Xuande as Captain in "The Sympathizer" (HBO)

“It’s not about nihilism”: “The Sympathizer” boss decodes the series’ ending revelations

Melanie McFarland
Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt in "Interview with the Vampire" (Larry Horricks/AMC)

“I don’t want to see some glittery vampire”: Why Anne Rice’s undead reigns in a post-“Twilight” era

Melanie McFarland
Carrie Fisher on Stinson Beach in Northern California with an Ewok from Star Wars. (Photo illustration by Salon/Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty Images)

Hate “The Phantom Menace”? The Ewok Line theory could explain why

Melanie McFarland
Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in "Hacks" (Max)

“Hacks” wonders why saying sorry is rare in comedy

Melanie McFarland
« Previous
Page: 11
Next »