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Explore some of my work below. I've written thousands of articles, so this is by no means a complete collection!

LateNighter •

Bathroom Boy: An Oral History of Jimmy Fallon's 'Gossip Girl' Crossover - LateNighter

2009 marked a crucial turning point in Jimmy Fallon’s career. After his departure from Saturday Night Live in 2004, he spent a few years pursuing a movie career; although he’d landed starring roles in Taxi and Fever Pitch, both films fared poorly with audiences and critics alike. The future Tonight Show host would later refer to this time in his life as a “kind of lost period,” admitting that he was unsure about what to do next.


All that changed in March 2009, when Fallon succeeded Conan O’Br...
AV Club •

The Cruel Intentions reboot just doesn’t click

At first glance, Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions (a loose, modern-day adaptation of the beloved 1999 film of the same name) has all the familiar elements going for it: There’s sex, creepy step-siblings, nighttime dips in the pool, cocaine stashed in a cross necklace, and even a catchy “Bittersweet Symphony” remix. But all the nostalgia in the world can’t make up for how utterly meh this eight-episode drama feels in comparison to the Sarah Michelle Gellar vehicle from a quarter century ago.
Create...
LateNighter •

Inside Late-Night TV and Marvel’s Long, Tangled History

Late-night stars have never been shy about their love of Marvel. Known comics super-fan Seth Meyers has interviewed plenty of MCU stars and comic book writers on Late Night; Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Conan O’Brien have all paid tribute to The Avengers in their own unique ways; and Bill Maher was even in a deleted scene in Iron Man 3. 


Plenty of Marvel stars have hosted Saturday Night Live, including Paul Rudd, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Simu Liu, and the late...
primetimer.com •

The Bear Season 3 Mirrors the Struggles of the Media Industry

[Note: This post discusses plot points from The Bear Season 3.]



“I thought it would be there forever.”

There are many emotionally loaded moments in Season 3 of The Bear, but this exchange between Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his sister Natalie (Abby Elliott) feels especially poignant. The third season of FX’s acclaimed comedy-drama series, which premiered June 27, sees Carmy grappling with the unexpected news that Chef Andrea Terry’s (Olivia Colman) beloved fine dining establishment Ever
primetimer.com •

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School May Be the First Successful Teen Slasher Show

From Prom Night to Jennifer’s Body, teen slasher movies have always been a staple in the horror genre. Even if the films don’t always earn positive reviews from critics, viewers never seem to get tired of watching teenagers make painfully bad decisions (“Don’t open that door!”) and get chased through the woods by a masked killer who turns out to be someone in the friend group.

Curiously, however, the subgenre’s popularity hasn’t really translated to TV. There have been a few teen slasher show a
primetimer.com •

The Owl House Changed the Game for Disney’s LGBTQ+ Representation

When Disney Channel’s The Owl House first blasted into the Demon Realm in 2020, the animated series provided a delightful escape from reality for kid and adult viewers alike. Although the show ran for just three seasons, it amassed a fiercely loyal fanbase and garnered widespread acclaim for its blend of humor, horror, and heartfelt storytelling.

Created by Dana Terrace, the series centered on Luz Noceda (Sarah-Nicole Robles), a 14-year-old Dominican-American girl who finds a portal that leads
primetimer.com •

The Sex Scene Discourse Is Overblown

Jonathan Bailey in Bridgerton Season 2, though you'd be forgiven for thinking this was Fellow Travelers (Photo: Netflix)

It feels like you can’t spend more than two minutes on the internet without coming across some form of the dreaded “sex scene discourse.”

For those blissfully unfamiliar with the concept, it’s basically the debate over whether there’s too much sex in TV and movies these days. The discourse — which largely lives online and tends to skew younger — spans everything from the sup
primetimer.com •

Under the Bridge Gives Us What True Detective: Night Country Wouldn’t

Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone in Under the Bridge (Photos: Hulu)

Complicated relationships and twisted secrets are at the heart of Hulu’s Under the Bridge, and that’s not limited to just the teenage characters. Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey, the limited series centers on the 1997 murder of fourteen-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) and the classmates accused of killing her. While the show focuses heavily on adolescent angst and the cruelty of teenage girls
primetimer.com •

A Plea to Abbott Elementary: Give Us More Principal Ava

Summer is just around the corner, which means school is almost out — including Abbott Elementary. Although Season 3 is on the shorter side following last year’s dual Hollywood strikes, with14 episodes in total, the hit ABC sitcom has still managed to pack in plenty of fun, drama, and laughs.

This season has seen major developments for many characters, from Janine’s (Quinta Brunson) district storyline to Gregory’s (Tyler James Williams) Garden Goofballs club to Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Jaco
primetimer.com •

Turtles All the Way Down Captures OCD With Heartbreaking Accuracy

Isabela Merced and Felix Mallard in Turtles All the Way Down (Photo: Max)

When I was 16, my brain started to feel impossible to live with. I knew it wasn’t just typical teenage angst and hormones I was dealing with, but something more — I was eventually diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. The anxiety disorder, which affects approximately 1.2% of adults in the US, is characterized by frequent unwanted, distressing thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts ca
primetimer.com •

All Hail Camila Mendes, the Streaming Age’s Rom-Com Queen

Whenever a big teen drama comes to an end, there’s the inevitable question: “Where does the cast go from here?” The teen TV pipeline can catapult its stars anywhere from Lifetime flicks to Oscar-winning films (just look at Michelle Williams) to career pivots into music, fashion, or directing. Some stars take a brief hiatus from acting, like Dylan and Cole Sprouse during their years attending NYU, while others never return to Hollywood at all. Whatever path they ultimately choose, it can understa
primetimer.com •

How BookTok Can Help Write the Next Chapter of Teen Dramas

Clockwise: The Summer I Turned Pretty Still; We Were Liars book cover; They Both Die at the End book cover; Heartstopper still (Photos: Netflix/Delacorte Press/HarperTeen; Primetimer graphic)

These days, watching teen dramas feels a little like taking a trip to the library. Studios have always loved established IP, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that so many of today’s biggest YA shows are based on books. There’s Netflix’s Heartstopper, Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, the recently
primetimer.com •

Apples Never Fall Puts a Dark Twist on the ’Houseguest Who Won’t Leave’ Trope

Conor Merrigan Turner, Essie Randles, Sam Neill, Annette Bening, Alison Brie, and Jake Lacy in Apples Never Fall (Photo: Peacock)

We’ve all been there: You’re ready to call it a night and be alone, but a guest can’t seem to take the hint that you’d like them to get going. Over the years, many television shows have featured a houseguest who, for one reason or another, just won’t leave. Coined “The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave” on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s, the trope can commonly be spotted i
primetimer.com •

Jinkies! Velma Burns It All Down in Over-The-Top Season 2

Whether the internet likes it or not, Velma is back for Season 2. The adult animated series, which first premiered on Max in 2023, returns with another round of mysteries and hijinks on Thursday, April 25.

Created by Charlie Grandy, the show is an alternate universe origin story that reimagines the Scooby-Doo gang as high schoolers. It centers on sarcastic teenage detective Velma (Mindy Kaling) and her friends Fred (Glenn Howerton), Daphne (Constance Wu), and Norville (Sam Richardson), aka Shag
primetimer.com •

In the Post-Peak TV Era, It’s All About Quality Over Quantity

Jeremy Allen White and Lionel Boyce in The Bear (Photo: FX)

For better or worse, the television landscape is constantly changing and evolving. As Hollywood returns to work after the dual strikes, there are a lot of questions about what the future of TV looks like — and who better to address the state of the industry than FX boss John Landgraf? Speaking at the 2024 Television Critics Association winter press tour on Friday, the executive touted the network’s upcoming slate of shows and explained
primetimer.com •

The Loneliness of Young Adulthood Is on Full Display in Netflix’s One Day

Left: Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal in Normal People; right: Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall in One Day (Photos: Everett Collection/Netflix)

If one were to base their expectations for their twenties and early thirties purely on television, they’d almost certainly be disappointed. Despite the enduring popularity of sitcoms like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and New Girl, very few of us spend these years conveniently sharing an apartment building with all of our closest friends and frequenting t
EW.com •

The 15 best America Ferrera movies and TV shows, ranked

The Disney Channel Original Movie star to Oscar nominee pipeline may not be the most common Hollywood pathway, but America Ferrera is proof that it’s possible. Before she was Gloria in Barbie , the actress made a name for herself in iconic millennial movies, groundbreaking Latina-led projects, and quirky sitcoms that we’ll never stop quoting. She even received a Golden Globe , SAG , and Primetime Emmy Award for her most famous role in Ugly Betty (which may foreshadow our list). Clearly, her tale
primetimer.com •

We Need a Teen Drama Renaissance

Clockwise: Riverdale, Never Have I Ever, Cruel Summer, All American (Photos: The CW/Netflix/Freeform; Primetimer graphic)

The state of teen drama television today is, to put it mildly, a bit of a bummer. The CW that we once flocked to for our dose of superheroes, twentysomethings playing preppy high schoolers, and quirky hits like Riverdale is now primarily focused on sports, unscripted shows, and lower-cost “content.” In December, Freeform, formerly home to staple teen shows like the original
Paste Magazine •

TV Rewind: The Society Remains One of the Best YA Shows of the Streaming Age

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our TV Rewind column! The Paste writers are diving into the streaming catalogue to discuss some of our favorite classic series as well as great shows we’re watching for the first time. Come relive your TV past with us, or discover what should be your next binge watch below:

It’s undeniable that streaming has completely changed pretty much everything about television, and teen dramas are no exception. Long gone are the days where 22-or-more-episode seasons were the norm...
Paste Magazine •

It Still Stings: Hope and Josie's Wasted Potential on Legacies

Editor’s Note: TV moves on, but we haven’t. In our feature series It Still Stings, we relive emotional TV moments that we just can’t get over. You know the ones, where months, years, or even decades later, it still provokes a reaction? We’re here for you. We rant because we love. Or, once loved. And obviously, when discussing finales in particular, there will be spoilers:

When Legacies first premiered on The CW in October 2018, the supernatural teen drama seemed full of potential. A spinoff of
Inverse •

Inside 'The Sims 4’s Revolutionary New Update

Since its initial launch in 2000, The Sims has always walked a fine line between imitating real life and offering a fun escape. Sure, you can carefully guide your simulated family to happiness and success, but isn’t it more fun to throw them in the swimming pool and delete the ladder?

The franchise’s latest update leans hard into the game’s warring concepts. In The Sims 4: For Rent, you can finally be a landlord, building out an empire of up to six units. Will you be a benevolent property manag
primetimer.com •

The Spirit of Gossip Girl Thanksgiving Lives on in The Summer I Turned Pretty

Left: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Photo: Prime Video); Right: Screenshot from Gossip Girl

Every November, the same Gossip Girl clip inevitably goes viral. You know the one: all the characters have their secrets, scandals, and petty drama exposed at the Thanksgiving table as Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say” plays in the background. The scene hails from the Season 3 episode “The Treasure of Serena Madre,” which premiered in 2009 and has remained in the cultural conversation ever since. It’s not the s
Peoplemag •

'Scott Pilgrim' Animated Series — Featuring Original Film's Star-Studded Cast — Gets First Official Teaser

Scott Pilgrim is back — this time in anime form!

On Wednesday, Netflix released the first official teaser for its upcoming series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. The animated show, based on the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, will premiere on Friday, Nov. 17 and feature the return of the entire original ensemble cast.

The star-studded voice cast includes Michael Cera as the titular Scott Pilgrim, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers, Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Chris Evans as Lucas Le
Peoplemag •

'Chicago Fire,' 'Law & Order: SVU' Among 6 NBC Shows No Longer on Fall Schedule; 'Magnum P.I.' to Bow Early

TV will look a little different this fall.

On Wednesday, NBC released its fall schedule and announced that six shows initially slated to return in the fall — Night Court, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU — have been pushed to 2024.

The news comes in light of an uncertain future for television as both the Writer’s Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA continue to strike.

In contrast, the second half of Magnum P.I.’s fifth and final season, which was originally
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