Over the weekend, social media blew up with post after post lauding the new Netflix docu-drama Cheer. Before long, the Navarro Bulldogs’ coach Monica Aldamo was being favorably compared to both Coach and Tammy Taylor from Friday Night Lights (and yes, she is the perfect amalgamation of the two), people were comparing Gabi Butler’s parents to Kris […]
Author: Jean Henegan
The Mandalorian – Chapter 8 Review
Hindsight is, as they say, 20-20. And now that we’ve reached the end of season one of The Mandalorian, I think it’s safe to say that the series wasn’t what most of us assumed it would be. Where we assumed it would be a cohesive narrative, following the story of the titular Mandalorian on his […]
The Witcher Season One (Spoiler-free) Review
After watching two episodes of Netflix’s new fantasy series The Witcher (an adaptation of the novel series and video game of the same name), I almost threw in the towel. As someone with zero knowledge of this fantasy world, I was confused by the characters, I didn’t understand the politics, and I was bored with […]
Top 10 TV Shows of 2019
The temperature has plummeted (to shockingly low depths here in Chicago, starting my annual ritual of wondering why I continue to subject myself to this weather), the holidays and 2020 are just around the corner, which means it’s time for that time-honored annual tradition: The Critic Best of List. 2019 was an interesting year for […]
The Mandalorian – Chapter 5-7 Review
So, I’ve avoided reviewing The Mandalorian these last few weeks because, frankly, I didn’t have all that much to say about the show. It had fallen into a predictable pattern: Mando and Baby Yoda reach a new planet, they run into a friend/foe, Mando defeats the foe, they make a new friend, they leave the […]
Watchmen – See How They Fly Review
My favorite type of ending is one that refuses to tie everything up in a little bow. It’s Buffy looking out over the crater of Sunnydale, offering a small smile, while refusing to answer any of the myriad of questions being thrown her way. It’s not knowing just what fate will befall Paige Jennings as […]
His Dark Materials – The Daemon-Cages Review (A Newbie’s Perspective)
I have a confession to make: I broke down and asked Twitter to explain just what was happening with His Dark Materials. Not everything, mind you. I get the basic machinations of the plot (Magisterium bad, Asriel flighty, polar bears awesome, daemons = the soul of the person, people can travel between universes, Lyra is […]
The Expanse Season Four (Spoiler-Free) Review
Despite being in the era of Peak TV, where there is more than enough television to sate anyone’s particular appetites, there is one area where supply is not meeting demand: Science Fiction. Considering how the past decade has made more “nerdy” interests mainstream (see the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars films), that same […]
Watchmen – A God Walks into Abar Review
We’ve had a lot of time travel stories over the past few years, and almost all of them fall apart at some point in the narrative. But “A God Walking into Abar” might be the first that actually holds up all the way through while also giving us its own take on the grandfather paradox.* […]
The Top 10 TV Shows of the Decade
With the 2010s coming to a close, it’s my duty as a TV critic to create a Top 10 List of the best TV shows of the decade. Seriously. Check all the other entertainment sites. We’re all doing it. (And, if I’m honest, we’re all putting a lot of the same shows on our lists […]