tv
The Crown abdicates without a successor
My viewing experience recapitulated a running theme of the show: the question, Why are we doing this?
The priest behind the screen
Oddly enough, some of the best TV shows about clergy come from secular Europe.
House of Cards has become a less funny, even less realistic The West Wing
As an optimistic romance on network, The West Wing's advantages are obvious: more feels, less murder. What’s weird is that House of Cards doesn’t really deliver on the other side of the ledger.
We’re still family
I don't like family sitcoms, so I long avoided Modern Family. But the show catches the way family can be both loathsome and life-giving.
Faith in 2-D
It's the golden era of TV, and many shows explore moral and psychological issues with great nuance. Why not take religion as seriously?
Emerging as adults
Our culture tells young adults to resist adulthood with all their might. New Girl portrays characters who want something more.
Rev.
I feared that Rev. would reprise the saccharine sweetness of The Vicar of Dibley. Episode one set me straight.
reviewed by Jason Byassee
Sherlock
Theologians have long posited an omniscient God. The British TV show Sherlock delights us with an omniscient human being.
reviewed by Jason Byassee
Game of Thrones
It seems like all anyone wants to talk about is power. And the best show on television about power is Game of Thrones.
reviewed by Jason Byassee
Anne Shirley? What in the heck are you doing here?
My mother read to us a lot when we were little. Most of us were girls. And she liked classic stuff, so I grew up with a strong working knowledge of Little House and Little Women. (I don't think we ever read Little Men, but let's be honest, who did? Also: It's still about Jo!)
But the house favorite was definitely Anne of Green Gables.
Got a half hour of leisure? Watch this show about a pastor who doesn't.
First of all, yes, if you're a linguistic traditionalist then the show should really be called The Rev., not Rev.
Second of all, it's disappointing that by the second episode, the British scripted series is relying heavily on the old binary of a small, old-fashioned, declining, liberal congregation vs. a large, hip, casual, thriving, conservative one. (The latter's hip-hop music leader goes by the name Ikon! Cute, but haven't the showrunners heard of Peter Rollins?)
Okay, now I can say it: Rev.'s on Hulu! You should watch it!
Downton Abbey
“I’ve been telling everyone who’ll listen how great Downton Abbey is,” I said in a sermon that was technically about evangelism. I was illustrating St. Augustine’s point that when people love, say, a great actor they tell others about him—and so how much more should we tell others about the gospel. A week later I learned how (un)successful that point had been. “I’ve watched every episode,” a parishioner said. “Now what was it you were trying to say about that show?”
reviewed by Jason Byassee
A show about dependence
Friday Night Lights, which ends tonight, portrays a small town and the relationships within it. The show is steadfastly conventional, commercially unsuccessful and the best thing on television.
Scene of the crime: Television's longing for justice
Forensics television is more than gory titillation and casual senationalism. These programs scratch at religious itches: they try to see beyond death and long for ultimate justice.