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Melanie McFarland (page 20)

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

Brett in episode 402 of "Love is Blind." (Courtesy of Netflix)

“Love Is Blind” promised a live reunion, only to stand us up. So, what did we learn?

Melanie McFarland
Succession (HBO)

If “Succession” is a competition that ends with a winner, we’d be foolish to count out Marcia

Melanie McFarland
Bill Hader in "Barry" (Merrick Morton/HBO)

Buoyed by Bill Hader’s confident directing, “Barry” saves its best hits for last

Melanie McFarland
A group of public broadcasting supporters gathers in the Hart Senate Office building to lobby lawmakers to keep funding the PBS and NPR on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 (Bill Clark/Roll Call)

“Defund NPR”: As PBS and NPR exit Twitter, which has more value to taxpayers? Hint: not the bird app

Melanie McFarland
Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Grogu, and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in "The Mandalorian" (Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney+)

How do free societies fall? This season of “The Mandalorian” explores several ways

Melanie McFarland
Ali Wong as Amy in "Beef" (Courtesy of Netflix)

What makes “Beef” so seductive? Understanding the intimacy of rage sheds light on that ending

Melanie McFarland
J. Smith-Cameron and Kieran Culkin on "Succession" (HBO)

“Succession”: Dearly beloved, the Roys cordially invite us to a wedding we won’t soon forget

Melanie McFarland
Ali Wong in "Beef" (Andrew Cooper/Netflix)

“Beef” serves up a sizzling hot, blackly comedic revenge story to feed our ongoing anger

Melanie McFarland
Brian Cox in "Succession" (Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO)

“Succession”: The Roy family wails through a loveless karaoke night

Melanie McFarland
Chris Pine plays Edgin and Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga in "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" (Paramount Pictures/ eOne)

We scouted “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and can confirm that it’s a veritable treasure

Melanie McFarland
Gwyneth Paltrow leaves the courtroom in her civil trial over a collision with another skier on March 29, 2023 in Park City, Utah (Rick Bowmer-Pool/Getty Images)

Gwyneth gets a dollar: A Utah jury concludes Paltrow is not liable, ending skiing collision trial

Melanie McFarland
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow enters the courtroom for her trial on March 24, 2023, in Park City, Utah. (Salon/Rick Bowmer-Pool/Getty Images)

Basking in the soothing Goop that is the Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial

Melanie McFarland
Olivia Colman as “Miss Havisham” and Tom Sweet as "Young Pip" in "Great Expectations" (Miya Mizuno/FX)

Olivia Colman on her “Great Expectations” for Miss Havisham: “There’s such darkness inside her”

Melanie McFarland
Brian Cox in "Succession" (Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO)

Ready to reinvest in “Succession”? Skim the Roys’ portfolio to get up to speed in time for Season 4

Melanie McFarland
Sally Hawkins as “Philippa Langley” and Steve Coogan as “John Langley” in Stephen Frears’ "The Lost King" (Courtesy of IFC Films)

Steve Coogan on finding “The Lost King”: “It’s not a journalistic piece. It’s a point of view”

Melanie McFarland
Actor Lance Reddick poses for a portrait during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the Getty Images Portrait Studio at the Village At The Lift Presented By McDonald's McCafe on January 18, 2014 in Park City, Utah. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

From “The Wire” to “John Wick,” we trusted Lance Reddick as a voice of authority, empathy and comedy

Alison Stine, Melanie McFarland
American Masters: Dr. Tony Fauci (Courtesy of Topspin Content/Room 608/American Masters Pictures)

“American Masters: Dr. Tony Fauci” filmmaker talks about following Fauci’s finale in public health

Melanie McFarland
Bob Odenkirk as Hank in "Lucky Hank" (AMC)

Bob Odenkirk scores with “Lucky Hank,” a frustrated guy who shares DNA with his “Saul” conman

Melanie McFarland
Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams in "Abbott Elementary" (ABC)

Stop shipping the duos on “Abbott Elementary” and “The Bear.” TV needs deeper workplace friendship

Melanie McFarland
"Swarm" (Amazon Studios)

With “Swarm,” two “Atlanta” collaborators kick the beehive of toxic fandom

Melanie McFarland
Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis in "Ted Lasso" (Apple TV+)

The “Ted Lasso” way gets tested in the beloved show’s third season

Melanie McFarland
Oscar acting winners Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser and Jamie Lee Curtis in the press room during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Ovation Hollywood on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

How the Academy Awards managed to be both uplifting and disappointing – everything, all at once

Melanie McFarland
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us" (HBO)

“Last of Us” creators on the finale, a game “genetic connection” and what they won’t do in Season 2

Melanie McFarland
Idris Elba as John Luther in "Luther: The Fallen Sun." (John Wilson/Netflix)

For Idris Elba’s sake, let “Luther” retire

Melanie McFarland
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