Though many people tune in to TV to escape the burdens and dreariness of everyday life, there’s also something to be said for those shows that lean into the depressing nature of life. These shows are often necessary viewing, but they can be difficult to finish, particularly for those who rely on TV to help them get away from it all.
Many people might enjoy comedy, but comedic actors struggle to get the critical praise and regard that’s so often heaped on those who devote their careers to drama. It’s often the case that the Academy approves of these kinds of career moves, and many of the comedy actors who make a turn to drama end up being nominated for an Oscar, and some even manage to take home the statue.
While many of the most frightening and disturbing TV series, particularly those in the horror genre, draw their power from the fact that they are at least somewhat removed from reality, others lean into the fact that they are based in the real world.
There’s something uniquely pleasurable about a terrifying performance in a movie. Very often, the most terrifying performances emerge out of the horror genre — as one would expect — but they also have been known to come from a wide variety of other cinematic genres, including film noir, fantasy, and even, on occasion, a children’s film.
Hollywood history is filled with notorious incidents in which an actor or actress was dismissed from their lofty perch in the world of television by their own actions. As a result, stories of how actors were fired from their shows for various types of misbehavior are solemn reminders of what happens when fame goes to a person’s head.
Genre remains one of the primary ways people decide which shows and movies to watch. However, TV has often been a place where various genres can collide, allowing creators, showrunners, and writers to combine different generic elements to create something new, exciting, and fun.
Whether male or female, whether in drama or comedy, the most intimidating characters are those who are once seen and encountered on the small screen and are never forgotten. There’s a certain charisma and potency that comes from these types of performances, and it’s thus important to recognize how much talent goes into exuding this kind of power on television.
Their decreasing success at the box office and among critics shows how success in the entertainment business can be a very fleeting thing, even for directors who seem to have it all.
Hollywood history is filled with rumors like this, demonstrating the extent to which conspiracy theories and fake news have long been a part of popular discourse. It’s all the more important that one take a more objective look at the ways in which these “facts” are, in fact, urban legends designed to exploit controversy and create prurient interest.
Every so often, one just wants to tune into an action film and turn off one’s brain. While they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there are still many pleasures associated with the kinds of movies that emphasize spectacle over storytelling or character development.
Even though movies are often associated with escapism and the desire to escape from the real world, movie history is filled with examples of films that have had a real-world impact. It’s thus worth taking a look at some of the more extraordinary films that have gone on to change the culture around them, sometimes even inspiring legislation.
Sometimes, a celebrity book is just a way of generating publicity and gaining positive coverage. In some cases, however, a celebrity book ends up being a strong piece of writing in its own right, often shedding necessary light on the lives and internal thoughts of a star or a musician.
It’s a sad but inevitable fact that even very good shows sometimes have bad episodes. Sometimes, these bad episodes are the result of poor writing and production choices, while at others, it’s just the fact that network seasons often require at least a few filler episodes.
These shows remain beloved, sometimes decades after they left the air. As a result, they show the extent to which TV as a medium is always in flux, always finding new, exciting, and challenging ways to bring the human story to life.
Whether in the form of a drama, a comedy, or a documentary, shows set in restaurants aim to give viewers a deeper and richer understanding of these places' role in the fabric of society. They also demonstrate how food is not just something one eats but is also a key reflection of a culture and its values.
Given the prominence of the butler figure in various shows–both comedy and drama–it’s worth taking a closer look at the most notable examples in order to see the variety of ways he has been used in popular media.
Whether in the form of a sitcom or a drama (or some combination of the two), popular culture has had much to say about middle age and what it means for a life well-lived (or not).
The father/son relationship is a very important one, so it makes sense that popular culture — both film and TV — would return to this subject again and again. Whatever form they take, the best father/son pairings in popular culture reveal much about how society thinks about this pivotal relationship and the institution of masculinity.
The last several years have seen a flowering of coming-out narratives in popular culture, with many movies and TV series taking this as their subject. These stories are powerful and sometimes haunting, showing the many different forms that coming out can take.
As a result of their tireless work and advocacy, members of the LGBTQ+ community can now watch quite a few films and TV shows that show that everyone, no matter who they are or who they love, deserves their happy ending.
These are the shows that are both popular in their own time and somehow still manage to be just as popular and beloved, if not more so, for subsequent generations. When TV magic happens, it creates something that lasts beyond a single TV-watching generation.
The LGBTQ+ community has had a very vexed relationship with popular culture. For a very long time, members of the community were either not represented at all or were shown to be disturbed or villainous. However, the past couple of decades have seen a sea-change in representation, and though there’s been some backsliding, there are more LGBTQ+ figures on TV than ever before. As Pride Month is around the corner, it’s worth looking back at some of the most groundbreaking figures in film and TV and appreciating just how far society has come and how far it still has to go.
TV thrives on exploring the fraught relationships between various siblings, demonstrating the extent to which being a part of the same family doesn’t necessarily mean everyone has to get along. Families are complicated, and over the decades, television has been quite adept at exploring the many situations that arise.
These shows often make viewers think and laugh at the same time, and, as such, they are deserving of an especially important and esteemed place in the canon of great television.
Hollywood has long had a fascination with finance and Wall Street. Given how the corporate world exerts a potent hold on American life, this is quite an understandable impulse.