John’s top 10 TV shows of 2022

2022 television: The landscape of TV is being flattened – fewer episodes, but more shows. That makes narrowing this list to a mere 10 quite a challenge.

John’s top 10 TV shows of 2018

It’s never before been so hard to pick the 10 best shows of the year, as streaming services deliver strong short series on a regular basis, and cable and network TV have mostly kept pace with the quality. Some staple entries have dropped out of my top 10 not because they got worse but simply

First episode impressions: ‘Atlanta’ Season 2 (TV review)

This week, “Atlanta” (10 p.m. Eastern Thursdays, FX) began its second season of being about nothing and everything. The episode “Alligator Man” opens with two ATL youths lounging around when one mentions that they can purchase drugs at a local drive-thru restaurant if they ask for the “No. 17.” We assume they are heading there

John’s top 10 TV shows of 2016

These were my 10 favorite shows of 2016: 1. “Atlanta” (Season 1, FX) – Donald Glover’s brainchild is a crazy mix of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”-esque wry observations (Earn’s inability to order a kids’ meal), envelope-pushing storytelling choices (the pundit roundtable parody) and outright horrific violence (Earn witnesses a murder, then moves on like it’s just another

I owe an apology to the Fall TV season: It’s been pretty great (Commentary)

When I saw the lineup of new Fall TV shows, I thought it looked like the worst selection in recent memory: Lots of unnecessary remakes along with tired new shows that didn’t have hooks. I owe the Fall TV season an apology, because it has turned out to be the best in the past 10

First episode impressions: ‘Atlanta’ (TV review)

I put off sampling the first hour of “Atlanta” (10 p.m. Tuesdays on FX) for a couple weeks because I knew I’d have a tough time watching police beat up an unarmed man, which happens in the second episode of this ultra-realistic half-hour dramedy. Indeed, it is tough to watch, but it’s so artfully staged, and says