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.
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‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ has neither laughs nor scares
Movie review: By not settling on a tone, this mix of comedy, horror and legitimate teen drama falls flat in every category.
With ‘Westworld’ canceled, ‘Peripheral’ smoothly slides in
First episode impressions (TV review): Scott B. Smith returns to prominence with “The Peripheral,” the latest visionary sci-fi show to hit streaming.
‘Goodnight Mommy’ remake scrapes by on mood, twist
Movie review: The story is simple yet watchable, with a decent twist. But this remake doesn’t achieve the tragic poignancy it aims for.
‘The Boys’ are back in town for still-excellent Season 3
First episode impressions (TV review): Homelander’s evil and Starlight’s heroism take center stage as “The Boys” masters superheroes-as-parable.
‘I Want You Back’ a super-cute yet unpredictable rom-com
Movie review: Written with insight and care, this romantic comedy also benefits from wonderful chemistry between Jenny Slate and Charlie Day.
Sorkin stays in comfort zone in ‘Being the Ricardos’ (2021)
Movie review: Aaron Sorkin transplants his “making of an episode” TV structure into film to chronicle the behind-the-scenes drama of “I Love Lucy.”
Midge seeks comedic voice in ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Season 4
First episode impressions (TV review): Season 4 of the Palladinos’ gem digs into how a person gains a voice in the pre-digital age.
John’s top 10 TV shows of 2021
2021 television: Mystery miniseries dominated 2021. But at least one reliable old standby cracks my list of the year’s 10 best TV shows.
Allen tackles TV with ‘Crisis in Six Scenes’ (2016)
Woody Wednesday (TV review): The 1960s setting is the biggest pleasure as Woody tries his hand at a six-episode Amazon Prime miniseries.