TVWriter™’s all-time favorite artist/philosopher, Grant Snider, once again demonstrates his uncanny knowledge of the writing mind.
See more of Grant Snider’s extraordinary perception of human creativity at Incidental Comics, HERE
Larry Brody: Mark Trail’s Long and Winding, um, Trail…
by Larry Brody
Have you read the Mark Trail comic strip lately? For that matter, have you ever read it? The strip began in 1946 and pretty much changed the same until earlier this century when some minor alterations were made.
But less than two months ago, in the second week of October, it went through a radical change from nature strip to, well, what some people might call – and in fact are calling – an “unnatural one.”
Peak Comfort: The triumph of brazenly uncomplicated entertainment.
TV as elevator music. Why didn’t we think of that?
by Kathryn VanArendonk
One of the best new TV shows I’ve seen lately is the Netflix adaptation of the beloved YA book series The Baby-Sitters Club. I like the show for lots of reasons, but chief among them is how genuine it is about the things that matter to its group of young protagonists. Creating a show like that — one that can confidently deliver a warm, sincere, thoughtful tone without coming off as simplistic or self-congratulatory, that will appeal to multiple age groups, and that can pull off a “girl’s first period” plot without feeling gross or pedagogical — is impressive. It takes skill. It’s an excellent season of TV.
There’s a different version of that first sentence, one I might have written if I were reviewing The Baby-Sitters Club even a few years ago. Rather than best, I would likely have swapped in the word favorite. It’s a small but meaningful distinction. Best is always a bit of a lie in criticism, a way to pretend a critic’s subjectivity can be removed from the equation, but it is an important signifier nonetheless. It’s an indicator of quality. The term means “I think this is good, not just for me but objectively for lots of people.” Favorite may be truer, but it also comes off as a qualification: “I enjoyed this show. Maybe you will too?”
WGAW December 2020 Calendar
Here’s what going on, socially and professionally, at the Writers Guild of America West this month:
December 2020
Events listed are current at time of publication. Dates and details are subject to change during the month.
Should You Ditch Streaming & Go Back to Cable?
Every Tuesday we run the latest news in the world of cord-cutting, and yesterday was no different. Today, however, we’d like to bring you this alternate perspective.
by Andrew Heinzman
Streaming video was supposed to save us from the wicked grasp of cable TV. But as prices rise and streaming selections fall, it’s getting hard to justify the frustrating, expensive streaming experience that comes along with being a cord cutter. People subscribed to services like YouTube TV could actually save money and get more channels by with a cable subscription. But is going back really worth it?