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Melanie McFarland (page 43)

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

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James on "The Bachelor," and Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor in "Bridgerton" (Photo illustration by Salon/ABC/Netflix)

From “The Bachelor” to “Bridgerton,” examining the fraught dynamics of interracial romance on TV

Melanie McFarland
WandaVision | Kenan (Photo illustration by Salon/NBC/Disney)

“Kenan,” “WandaVision” and the case against forcing laughter into grief

Melanie McFarland
Samuel L. Jackson on the set of "Amend: The Fight for America" (Joshua Kulic/Netflix)

In Netflix’s stirring “Amend,” stars anguish over the injustices that led to the 14th Amendment

Melanie McFarland
Dwayne Johnson in "Young Rock" (Frank Masi/NBC)

With “Young Rock,” is Dwayne Johnson starting his presidential campaign 10 years early?

Melanie McFarland
The Black Church (PBS)

PBS’ ambitious & fraught “Black Church” takes a tour of America’s complex history, music and faith

Melanie McFarland
The Luminaries (Starz)

“The Luminaries” is a simple, heavenward gaze at an affair interrupted by a con

Melanie McFarland
Odessa Young as Frannie Goldsmith and Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail in "The Stand" (Robert Falconer/CBS All Access)

“The Stand” finale is aggravating confirmation that Stephen King still needs more Black friends

Melanie McFarland
Rebecca Breeds as Clarice Starling in CLARICE on the CBS Television Network (Brooke Palmer/CBS)

“Clarice” takes the extraordinary “Silence of the Lambs” agent and makes her network-ordinary

Melanie McFarland
Queen Latifah stars as Robyn McCall in "The Equalizer" (Barbara Nitke/CBS)

A Queen becomes “The Equalizer”: What it means when Black women take on legacy superhero roles

Melanie McFarland
Books, die, figurines from Dungeons and Dragons (Simon Hayter/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Dungeons & Dragons is truly the best saving throw to escape the pandemic doldrums

Melanie McFarland
Zendaya and John David Washington in "Malcolm & Marie" (Netflix)

Even Zendaya can’t save the stylish “Malcolm & Marie,” a tantrum in search of a reason to exist

Melanie McFarland
Lecy Goranson and Alexandra Billings in "The Conners" (Eric McCandless/ABC)

“The Conners” and the meaning of seeing Alexandra Billings be an average middle manager

Melanie McFarland
The Expanse (Amazon Studios)

“The Expanse” shows the dangers of treating extremism as a joke

Melanie McFarland
Denzel Washington and Rami Malek in "The Little Things" (Warner Bros./HBO Max)

Great acting can only take HBO Max’s throwback noir “The Little Things” so far

Melanie McFarland
Daveed Diggs as Andre Layton in "Snowpiercer" (TNT)

Can we exit this dystopian train already? Alas, “Snowpiercer” & apocalyptic fare keep chugging along

Melanie McFarland
Resident Alien (resident-alien-still01)

Syfy’s charming “Resident Alien” lets its star(man) shine, despite muddled metaphorical aspirations

Melanie McFarland
Larry King during Bette Midler on "Larry King Live" at CNN Studios in Hollywood, CA, United States. (SGranitz/WireImage)

There’s a little bit of Larry King in every decent interviewer, whether they like it or not

Melanie McFarland
The Salisbury Poisonings (James Pardon/Dancing Ledge/BBC ONE/AM)

AMC’s tense “Salisbury Poisonings” shows how easily terror and toxicity almost consumed a small town

Melanie McFarland
Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen in "WandaVision" (Marvel Studios/Disney+)

The “WandaVision” TV homages aren’t mere storytelling gimmicks – they’re strategic metacommentaries

Melanie McFarland
Finn Jones and Hailee Steinfeld in "Dickinson" (Apple TV+)

“Dickinson” creator on Emily and fame: “The spotlight was a dangerous place for her to be”

Melanie McFarland
un peeks out from behind the clouds in woman's head. (Getty Images)

Post-Trump, what are you going to do with all of that freed-up space in your brain?

Melanie McFarland
Mike Lindell (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images/Prostock-Studio/Peter Dazeley/Drew Angerer)

I kicked Mike Lindell’s MyPillows out of bed and finally got a good night’s sleep

Melanie McFarland
Joe Biden (Frontline)

“President Biden” is both a reassuring and worrisome look at a leader built from “the Obama halo”

Melanie McFarland
Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin in "Miss Scarlet & the Duke" (Masterpiece/PBS)

The most exciting thing about “Miss Scarlet & The Duke” is its title

Melanie McFarland
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