Help keep Salon independent

Melanie McFarland (page 15)

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

Corey Mylchreest and India Amarteifio in "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" | Billie Eilish in "Swarm" | Sabrina Wu in "Joy Ride" (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images/Nick Wall/Netflix/Ed Araquel/Lions Gate/Amazon Studios/)

The best breakout performances of 2023, from queens and jurors to . . . Billie Eilish?!

Hanh Nguyen, Melanie McFarland, Nardos Haile, Joy Saha
Brian Cox and Matthew Macfadyen on "Succession" (HBO)

The 10 best TV episodes of 2023, from an unforgettable wedding to an unbelievable courtroom

Melanie McFarland
Fargo (FX)

What “Fargo” achieves through puppets

Melanie McFarland
Ncuti Gatwa in "Doctor Who" Christmas special "The Church on Ruby Road" (Disney+)

The “Doctor Who” Christmas specials are a glorious new start, yet annoyingly hold onto the past

Melanie McFarland
Hallmark Fan Experience (Photo by Melanie McFarland)

Heart of peppermint-barkness: I infiltrated Hallmark town, changing my view of its holiday movies

Melanie McFarland
Yvette Nicole Brown (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

From “Community” to “Frog and Toad,” Yvette Nicole Brown on the “self-care” of Christmas specials

Melanie McFarland
Viggo Mortensen during "The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King" - Los Angeles Premiere at The Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California, United States. (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Two decades after “The Return of the King,” we still remember Aragorn’s warning about US militarism

Melanie McFarland
Digital Shrine to George Santos (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Let’s stop funding George Santos’ theatrical dishonesty – he’s not even a good liar

Melanie McFarland
Middle Eastern food, Maklube (Getty Images/Esin Deniz)

Why making maklouba can be a powerful gesture of solidarity when the world feels upside down

Melanie McFarland
Adam Brody (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Why Chrismukkah is “the greatest super holiday known to mankind”

Melanie McFarland
Andre Braugher attends the red carpet event for "She Said" during the 60th New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on October 13, 2022 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for FLC)

Andre Braugher, star of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” dies at 61

Melanie McFarland
Mario (Chris Pratt) in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" | J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) in "Oppenheimer" (Photo illustration by Salon/Universal Pictures)

“Barbie,” Oppie and . . . Mario?: Why the Golden Globes mean even less than before

Melanie McFarland
Nicolas Cage (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Nic Cage embraces his Jungian “notoriety and infamy,” living in our collective unconscious rent-free

Melanie McFarland
Kelsey Grammer in "Frasier" (Pamela Littky/Paramount+)

Does Frasier Crane listen to Donald Trump?

Melanie McFarland
Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)

“Girls, gays and theys”: A key “Squid Game: The Challenge” move set up its artful conclusion

Melanie McFarland
Producer Norman Lear at home, February 27, 1984 in Los Angeles, California. (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)

Norman Lear was a true Hollywood liberal, for better and for worse

Melanie McFarland
Juno Temple as Dorothy "Dot" Lyon in "Fargo" (Frank W. Ockenfels III/FX)

#TradWives are not real housewives. “Fargo” shows us the heroic difference between the two

Melanie McFarland
Actor and comedian Robin Williams poses for a portrait circa 1999 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry Langdon/Getty Images)

The celebrity worship of “Love Has Won”: Why Robin Williams may have resonated with a cult

Melanie McFarland
Noah Schnapp, Susan Sarandon and Marc Lamont Hill (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

From cable news to Hollywood, there’s double standard when it comes to speaking out about the war

Melanie McFarland
Gerry Turner on "The Golden Bachelor" (ABC)

Our “Golden Bachelor” reality check: It’s not the first time a lapse in vetting led to juicier TV

Melanie McFarland
Dave Foley as Danish Graves in "Fargo" (Frank W. Ockenfels III/FX)

How “Fargo” made an icy villain out of Dave Foley, the famously nice Kid in the Hall

Melanie McFarland
Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)

The word of the year is “authentic”: “Squid Game: The Challenge” tests its definition in 2023

Melanie McFarland
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers in "The Marvels" | Maya Erskine as Mizu in "Blue Eye Samurai" (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty images/Marvel Studios/Netflix)

Marvel pulls its punches when it comes to showing women fighting men. A Netflix samurai explains why

Melanie McFarland
Woman is arriving at her friends house for a dinner party with flowers in her arms. (Getty Images/SolStock)

Don’t bring your pistol to the holiday party, and other advice on how to be a stellar guest

Melanie McFarland
« Previous
Page: 15
Next »