TELEVISION

Keone Young as Mister Wu in DEADWOOD 1x10
DEADWOOD

DEADWOOD 1×10:
"MISTER WU"

As a new social order is forming in Deadwood, a very funny episode explores issues of caste, transgression, and alienation.

DEADWOOD 1X09 - NO OTHER SONS OR DAUGHTERS
DEADWOOD

DEADWOOD 1×09:
"NO OTHER SONS OR DAUGHTERS"

New clothes, new pianos, new ventures, new relationships, new governments: On a relatively quiet episode, everyone in DEADWOOD is grappling with the possibility of change.

Sofia in DEADWOOD 1X08 - SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN
DEADWOOD

DEADWOOD 1×08:
"SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN"

After many years, I'm taking up my Deadwood reviews right where I left off, with an episode that asks whether this brutal place could possibly be a place where family can thrive.

The 50 Best TV Shows of the 2010s
TELEVISION

THE 50 BEST TV SHOWS OF THE 2010S

It was the biggest, most ambitious, most diverse, and best decade in television history. And these were my 50 favorite shows.

WATCHMEN 1X06 - THIS EXTRAORDINARY BEING
TELEVISION

WATCHMEN 1×06: "THIS EXTRAORDINARY BEING"

In one of the best episodes of TV in many years, Watchmen brilliantly explores black anger, the insidious conspiracy of pop culture, and the poisonous nature of nostalgia.

Natalie Martinez in THE I-LAND (Netflix)
FIRST LOOK/LAST LOOK

THE I-LAND

The I-Land wants desperately to be Lost. Dull, derivative, and dumb, it should be lost, and it should stay lost.

Arya Stark in Game of Thrones 8x05 - The Bells
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 8×05: "THE BELLS"

The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones demands that we reconsider everything—including our investment in this show and these characters.

The Night King in GAME OF THRONES 8x03 - THE LONG NIGHT
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 8×03: "THE LONG NIGHT"

Visually muddy, and emotionally clichéd, "The Long Night" begs the question: What sort of ending are we hoping for from Game of Thrones?

Ser Brienne of Tarth in GoT 8x02 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 8×02: "A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS"

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is Game of Thrones at its absolute best. It is a last chance to remember—before all hell breaks loose—that this show was always about people, not special effects.

Jon and Daenerys in Game of Thrones 8x01 - Winterfell
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 8×01: "WINTERFELL"

"Winterfell" feels a little too much like a box-checking prologue to the final season of Game of Thrones, not the exciting opening chapter.

Vinette Robinson in Doctor Who 11x03 - Rosa
DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 11×03: "ROSA"

"This ain't history here," Doctor Who reminds us in the smart, powerful, and horrifyingly timely "Rosa."

Doctor Who 5x12 - The Pandorica Opens
DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO: THE 20 BEST STORIES OF THE MOFFAT ERA

In the second part of my retrospective on Steven Moffat's era of Doctor Who, I discuss the Moffats with the Mostest: my all-time favorite stories from Seasons Five through Ten.

GAME OF THRONES 7x06 - Beyond the Wall
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 7×06: "BEYOND THE WALL"

"Beyond the Wall" might just be the dumbest episode of Game of Thrones ever, but there's good stuff here if we look beyond the contrivances.

GAME OF THRONES 7X05 - EASTWATCH
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 7×05: "EASTWATCH"

"Eastwatch" is something of a table-setting episode, but it also looks at how fathers live in their children, for better or worse.

Nymeria and Arya in GOT 7x02- Stormborn
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 7×02: "STORMBORN"

With new allegiances being forged, "Stormborn" tests the strengths—and limitations—of different kinds of loyalty.

GAME OF THRONES 7X01 - DRAGONSTONE
GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 7×01: "DRAGONSTONE"

In "Dragonstone," the Season Seven premiere of Game of Thrones, survival may depend on reconciling the sins of the past with the needs of the future.

DW10X12
DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 10×12: "THE DOCTOR FALLS"

The tenth-season finale fails Pearl Mackie's Bill, but "The Doctor Falls" is a strong episode that sets Steven Moffat up to say his final word on Doctor Who.

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 10×09: "EMPRESS OF MARS"

What could I possible say about Mark Gatiss's writing that I haven't said before? Not a thing, so I'm not even going to try…

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 10×06: "EXTREMIS"

Steven Moffat's "Extremis" inspired some thoughts on River Song, death, and the problem of endings in Doctor Who.

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 10×05: "OXYGEN"

"Doctor don't you call me, cause I can't go/ I owe my soul to the company store…" Workers of the world unite behind the Doctor in Peter Mathieson's "Oxygen."

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 10×04: "KNOCK KNOCK"

Delivering nothing, saying nothing, and meaning nothing, Mike Bartlett's "Knock Knock" is a forgettable and regrettable hour of Scooby Who.

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 10×02: "SMILE"

New companion Bill learns what it means to travel with the Doctor—and proves her mettle—in a strong second episode.

TV LISTS AND ROUNDUPS

MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS OF 2016

There are many ways in which 2016 was a terrible, no-good, very bad year. But television provided a ridiculous embarrassment of riches.

GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 6×08: "NO ONE"

"No One" ever thinks they're the bad guy, but there comes a time when everyone has to ask themselves the question.

GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 6×03: "OATHBREAKER"

In "Oathbreaker," we are reminded that the game of thrones is largely a game of words. Control the stories, and you can control the world.

GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 6×02: "HOME"

In "Home," everyone grapples with how the mistakes of the past have led to the horrors of the present.

TELEVISION

HORACE AND PETE 1×01

In Louis C.K.'s surprise new work, history is a nightmare from which the characters, the country, and TV itself are trying to awaken.

TV LISTS AND ROUNDUPS

MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS OF 2015

There are more good shows now than a beleaguered critic can possibly watch, but here are my 20 best TV experiences of 2015.

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 9×10: "FACE THE RAVEN"

In which we consider The Impossible Girl, and the frustrating impossibilities of being a girl in Moffat's Doctor Who.

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO 9×04: "BEFORE THE FLOOD"

The conclusion of Toby Whithouse's two-part story left this reviewer with a massive headache brought on by confusion and frustration.

GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 5×10: "MOTHER'S MERCY"

As the season ends with brutal examples of the Father's justice, we look to the Mother—and the mothers—to teach us all a kinder way.

HANNIBAL

HANNIBAL 3×02: "PRIMAVERA"

We enter the Church of Hannibal Lecter: but are we praying to him, or for protection from him?

HANNIBAL

HANNIBAL 3×01: "ANTIPASTO"

The season premiere of Hannibal has a serious question for us: are we observing, or are we participating?

GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES 5×08: "HARDHOME"

Game of Thrones has always been about "us vs. them," but former enemies are finding common ground as the walls tumble down around them.

LOUIE

LOUIE 5×06: "SLEEPOVER"

Louie is surrounded by screaming children, in an episode that's ultimately about childhood's end.

MAD MEN

MAD MEN 7×12: "LOST HORIZON"

Mad Men has always been about individuals, but at its end it may be about a changing culture that has little room for individualism.