The bottom line: if you don’t find Jason Segel charming, Shrinking is skippable.
Television
Watch Closely: Dark Depths of Winter (Viewing)
Here’s my TV suggestions for the late-January period of long cold dark days and nights.
Television Review: “The Big Payback” — The Road Toward Reparations
The Big Payback doesn’t exhibit a clear slant either way: it simply tells the tale of how a bill asking for reparations came to be, along the way highlighting how past injustice shapes present inequities.
Watch Closely: New Year, New Format, New TV
I’m going to try out a new format in 2023. Along with posting longer reviews of single series, I will also be experimenting with a new (weekly!) format where I include several features in one column.
Television Review: “Koala Man” — Rowdy Aussie Hijinks
The animation itself is akin to what you will see in familiar domestic cartoons, such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers. So it’s the quirky humor that makes Koala Man uniquely Australian.
Television Review: “Dance Monsters” — Do the Monster Mash
If dancing around as a giant CGI monster makes someone happy, then that is enough to make me happy. Let’s embrace what makes us different and do what we love.
Arts Commentary: It’s Not Funny — “Saturday Night Live” and the Mark Twain Prize
Adam Sandler receiving a Mark Twain Prize is one more SNL achievement that defies understanding.
Television Review: “Kindred” — More than a Mystery
In this adaptation for Hulu, Octavia E. Butler’s hybrid sci-fi novel has been reduced to a misguided time travel mystery.
WATCH CLOSELY: “1899” — A Sumptuous Terror
1899‘s excellent design work makes this series an opulent and memorable visual odyssey.
Arts Feature: According to Our Critics — The Best That TV Offered in 2022
Were we able to watch all the new TV shows we wanted to in 2022? Hell, no! But here are some favorites.