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Melanie McFarland (page 4)

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

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks in front of a photo of drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

MTG pitting Elon’s DOGE against NPR and PBS is a literal hot mess

Melanie McFarland
David Mitchell in "Ludwig" (Courtesy of BBC/Big Talk Studios)

In “Ludwig,” being a detective is tough—and leaving the house is tougher

Melanie McFarland
Parker Posey in "The White Lotus" (Courtesy of HBO)

On “The White Lotus,” the Ratliffs ooze the kind of idle rich ignorance that’s killing us

Melanie McFarland
Adam Scott and Britt Lower in "Severance" (Apple TV+)

Goats, guts and a glorious day: “Severance” closes with a man divided

Melanie McFarland
Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp in "The Residence" (Jessica Brooks/Netflix)

“The Residence” makes its White House mystery quaint and cozy by removing its institutional romance

Melanie McFarland
Merritt Wever and Zach Cherry in "Severance" (Courtesy of Apple TV+)

“Severance” and the horrors of RTO: The case against bringing your best self to work

Melanie McFarland
Andrew Schulz in the Netflix comedy special, "Life." (Courtesy of Netflix)

Everything’s permissible and nobody’s accountable now: Welcome to the age of anything goes

Melanie McFarland
Tayler Byrd and Ashley Moore in "Temptation Island" (Courtesy of Netflix)

“Temptation Island” is the land of broken hearts and promises, making it America’s truest reality TV

Melanie McFarland
Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan in "The White Lotus" (Fabio Lovino/HBO)

“The White Lotus” frenemies make a strong case for vacationing alone

Melanie McFarland
Joy Reid speaks during the 2024 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture™ Presented By Coca-Cola® at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 07, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

As the media landscape shrinks, the right-wing bullhorn only gets louder

Melanie McFarland
Daniel Martin and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in "With Love, Meghan" (Courtesy of Netflix)

Meghan Markle doesn’t elevate how-to TV, giving the haters more to hate

Melanie McFarland
Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in "Daredevil: Born Again" (Photo courtesy of Marvel Television/Giovanni Rufino)

“Daredevil” returns just in time to challenge America’s lawless love of supervillains

Melanie McFarland
Still from "Eyes On The Prize III" (Courtesy of HBO)

To filmmaker Dawn Porter, the “Eyes on the Prize” message is plain: “We cannot wait for the savior”

Melanie McFarland
Natasha Rothwell in "White Lotus" (Fabio Lovino/HBO)

On “The White Lotus,” Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda finally gets a break

Melanie McFarland
Olivier Richters (Paulie) and Alan Ritchson (Jack Reacher) in "Reacher" (Jasper Savage/Prime)

This time “Reacher,” like us, may be dealing with something too big for him to handle

Melanie McFarland
YouTube logo is displayed on a mobile phone (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

YouTube at 20: The video platform transformed screen entertainment. Now it could change a lot more

Melanie McFarland
Morgana O'Reilly, Arnas Fedaravičius, Christian Friedel, Dom Hetrakul and Lalisa Manobal in "The White Lotus" (Fabio Lovino/HBO)

“The White Lotus” returns to luxuriate in the spiritual malaise of the rich and dissatisfied

Melanie McFarland
Jen Tullock and Michael Chernus in "Severance" (Apple TV+)

“Severance” and the important, mysterious job of speaking the language of work

Melanie McFarland
Anisa Harris as Teen Robin, Vanessa Prasad as Teen Gen, Jenna Burgess as Teen Melissa, Sophie Nélisse as Teen Shauna, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Teen Taissa, Liv Hewson as Teen Van, Courtney Eaton as Teen Lottie, Nia Sondaya as Teen Akilah, Samantha Hanratty as Teen Misty, Kevin Alves as Teen Travis and Silvana Estifanos as Teen Britt in "Yellowjackets" (Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+/SHOWTIME)

“Yellowjackets” returns with the same convoluted taste some of us aren’t excited to re-acquire

Melanie McFarland
William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso in "Cobra Kai" (Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix)

“Cobra Kai” may never die, but at long last, the show is over and bows out a champion

Melanie McFarland

“Puppy Bowl XXI”: Dan Schachner was never a real NFL referee, but he plays one when it matters

Melanie McFarland
Kaitlyn Dever in "Apple Cider Vinegar" (Courtesy of Netflix)

“Apple Cider Vinegar” may explain how “The Whole Pantry” fraud was a step on the path of RFK Jr.

Melanie McFarland
Desiree (Laverne Cox) in "Clean Slate" (Courtesy of Prime)

In “Clean Slate,” Laverne Cox and George Wallace carry Norman Lear’s spirit into a homecoming story

Melanie McFarland
Dr. Henry Louis Gates with a photo of the Arthur family during their group interview. (McGee Media/PBS)

“Great Migrations: A People on the Move” shows the leaps of faith that made modern America

Melanie McFarland
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