Category Archives: Best Of

The List: Top 10 ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Episodes

Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered 10 years ago this week. The cop comedy was definitely hilarious right out of the gate, but it fixed its minor issues early on to become one of the most reliable sources of laughter for the rest … Continue reading

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The List: Top 10 ‘The X-Files’ Episodes

The X-Files premiered 30 years ago this week. While I was a latecomer to the series, it quickly became one of my favorites. No matter how ridiculous the case, there was something indescribably wonderful about the partnership between Agents Mulder … Continue reading

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The List: Top 10 ‘The Office’ Episodes

The Office ended 10 years ago this week. I was an early champion of the show, but fell off in its third season when the show sent Jim to Stamford, then back to Scranton with his new girlfriend Karen (Rashida … Continue reading

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The List: Top 10 ‘Happy Endings’ Episodes

One of the finest sitcoms of the 2010s ended 10 years ago this week. Happy Endings took the same set-up and premise as Friends, but updated it for Millennials, tripling the number of jokes per minute. Yet it constantly seemed … Continue reading

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20 After 20: 2002

20. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (dir. Joel Zwick)In the running for my most rewatched film ever, Nia Vardalos’s sweet-natured rom-com has endured. While it lacks the sophistication of some of the genre’s masterpieces, its comic timing and sense of … Continue reading

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The Best Film Performances of 2022

Ensemble in a DramaWomen TalkingTrying to single out a performance here is a fool’s errand, because what makes the movie so powerful is each individual’s grief, frustration and determination revealing themselves throughout. Another clear example of why the Oscars need … Continue reading

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The Best and Worst Movies of 2022

10. Avatar: The Way of Water (dir. James Cameron) and Nope (dir. Jordan Peele)Is this cheating? Maybe. But in a cinema landscape dominated by disposable blockbusters, Cameron and Peele delivered big-budget films made to last. Both are films about family, … Continue reading

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The Best TV Performances of 2022

Ensemble in a Comedy Series Abbott ElementaryMany comedies take a while to find their footing and figure out the balance of their ensembles. Not Abbott. It joins a rare club – whose members include Arrested Development and Brooklyn Nine-Nine – … Continue reading

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The Best TV Shows of 2022, Part 2

COMEDY SHOWS & SPECIALS Documentary Now! (IFC)One of the only shows on the air that feels like it’s tailor-made to my overlapping nerdy interests. Documentary Now! continues to deliver spot-on absurdist parodies of obscure documentaries, solely because IFC’s parent company … Continue reading

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The Best TV Shows of 2022, Part 1

If you thought we had hit “Peak TV” (a term coined by executive John Landgraf nearly a decade ago), you were wrong. With 600-plus scripted shows airing in 2022, there was absolutely no way to keep up. But I still … Continue reading

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