If you've spent any time in the Greendale study room, you know there's a moment in nearly every episode where Abed Nadir looks directly at the situation unfolding around him and names exactly what kind of episode it is. A bottle episode. A clip show. A flashback structure. A documentary. He says it out loud, … Continue reading Abed Nadir: Deconstructing the Fourth Wall Breaking Character
TV Nostalgia
Smallville Fan Culture: Tributes, Fan Theories, and Iconic Moments
It's been over fifteen years since Clark Kent hung up his red and blue for the final time on Smallville, and yet here we all are, still talking about it. Still rewatching it. Still arguing about whether the show needed ten seasons or whether seven would've done just fine (I have thoughts, but that's a … Continue reading Smallville Fan Culture: Tributes, Fan Theories, and Iconic Moments
More Than a Host: The Enduring Legacy of Alex Trebek
I've written before about my complicated relationship with Jeopardy! — how I dreaded it as a kid, how it became appointment television once I discovered I actually loved trivia, and how watching it with my dad became one of the great rituals of my adult life. But when I sit down and think honestly about … Continue reading More Than a Host: The Enduring Legacy of Alex Trebek
New Girl: A Comprehensive Guide to the Show’s Unique Charm
I'll be honest with you — New Girl is not a show I've always known what to do with. There's something about it that manages to be endearing and frustrating in almost equal measure, sometimes within the same episode. The premise sounds almost too simple: a quirky woman moves in with three guys and awkward … Continue reading New Girl: A Comprehensive Guide to the Show’s Unique Charm
Come On Down! A Brief History of Game Show Phrases That Took Over the World
There's a particular kind of magic that happens when a television phrase escapes the confines of its original context and starts living rent-free in the broader culture. Politicians use them. Teachers use them. Your grandma uses them, possibly without knowing exactly where they came from. Game shows, more than almost any other television format, have … Continue reading Come On Down! A Brief History of Game Show Phrases That Took Over the World
The Confusing Middle 