Jen Chaney Author Archive
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Vulture and New York TV critic Jen Chaney previously worked for the Washington Post and has bylines at the New York Times and Vanity Fair. She also wrote As If: The Complete Oral History of Clueless.

  1. predictions
    So, Who’s Getting Nominated for an Emmy Tomorrow?Let’s guess together!
  2. close read
    The Bear’s Suitcases“Honeydew” and “Forks” may appear to be bottle episodes, but they’re something else. (Mad Men’s greatest hour provides a clue.)
  3. close read
    Black Mirror Looks BackSeason six’s focus on the past is a reminder that the future has always seemed scary.
  4. close read
    We Need to Talk About Nate One Last TimeThe third (and presumably last) season of Ted Lasso chickened out on its heel turn. What was the point?
  5. chat room
    Barry’s Henry Winkler Wanted Gene to Feel Nothing in His Final Scene“In my mind, it got very quiet and empty.”
  6. wambsgans watch
    Tightrope Tommy Really Did ItWow, you guys.
  7. emergency discussion
    Actually, Yellowjackets Did Bite Off More Than It Could ChewThere’s ambiguity and then there’s aimlessness.
  8. character study
    Yellowjackets Has a Plan for Other TaissaThe series writers confirm they know exactly what’s going on with Taissa Turner’s alter ego, even if the two actresses who play her do not.
  9. movie review
    Even If You Know Tina Turner’s Story, You Should Watch TinaThe HBO documentary is a comprehensive and moving look at the wild, inspiring life of a rock icon.
  10. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal on This Week’s Succession?Get this man a nap, stat.
  11. coronas out
    Every Single Time the Word Family is Uttered in Fast XHint: It’s more than X — or ten — times.
  12. close read
    But Seriously: What Would Logan Roy Do?The poison drips through in three very different ways.
  13. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal on This Week’s Succession?She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie: cocaine.
  14. ted talk
    Ted Lasso Has a Major Character FlawIn the spirit of “Be curious, not judgmental,” we’re curious whether the show remembers why we cared about these people in the first place.
  15. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Things between Tom and Shiv go from sexy to ugly.
  16. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?The one where Tom gets bitey.
  17. tv review
    Long Live the White House Correspondents’ DinnerHost Roy Wood Jr. and President Biden made a case for why this goofy event is important.
  18. emergency discussion
    Did James Corden Change Late Night for Better or Worse?On one hand, the host was try-hard personified. On the other, The Late Late Show expanded the boundaries of the genre.
  19. tv review
    Somebody Somewhere Is a Sunday-Night Sigh of ReliefHBO’s Bridget Everett comedy is a perfect chaser to the heady cocktail of Succession and Barry.
  20. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Tom is hanging by a thread. But he’s still hanging.
  21. will they or won’t they?
    Abbott Elementary Knows Exactly What It’s DoingThis is a practical, thoughtful move for two practical, thoughtful characters. It’s also incredibly romantic.
  22. tv review
    Thank the Algorithm for Mrs. DavisTara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof’s new Peacock series is wild, occasionally confusing, and so, so worth it.
  23. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Tom is … what’s the phrase I’m looking for? Oh yeah: fair and squarely fucked.
  24. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Tom’s obviously upset, but about what exactly, it’s tougher to say.
  25. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Things are looking up for ol’ Wambsgans after “Rehearsal,” but he may be fucked in the longer term.
  26. profile
    Ken Marino Will Do Anything for ComedyDead rats, discouragement, the shame of farting in front of his colleagues: Nothing can stop this man.
  27. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Let’s assess, on the fuck-or-get-fucked spectrum, exactly how things are going for Tom at the end of season-four premiere ‘The Munsters.’
  28. chat room
    Melanie Lynskey Has Never Been on a Set as Overwhelming as The Last of Us“It was disgusting, honestly.”
  29. vulture quiz
    Can You Guess What Actually Happens in 80 for Brady?80 for Brady is one of the weirder comedies to arrive in theaters lately — so weird that describing it might make you think I am lying.
  30. tv review
    Shrinking Desperately Wants You to Like ItThe new Apple TV+ comedy starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford is as needy as its protagonist.
  31. emergency discussion
    Velma and the Case of the Condescending RebootThree new TV revamps of varying quality offer a lesson in how to wield nostalgia responsibly.
  32. tv review
    The Golden Globes Got Drunk on a Tuesday, and It Was Great Live TVFor the 2023 ceremony, the HFPA left self-importance to the less embattled awards shows and leaned into farce.
  33. tv review
    The Last of Us Will Invade Your PsycheThe HBO video-game adaptation is a reminder of how effective postapocalyptic storytelling can be no matter how well trod the territory.
  34. golden globes 2023
    Who’s Going to Win at the Comeback Golden Globes?This newly reformed awards show feels harder to predict than ever — not just who’s going to win but who’s going to show up.
  35. finale thoughts
    Fleishman Is in Trouble Feels Like Being Inside Lizzy Caplan’s Head“I have friends that ask themselves these questions and we talk about it. I don’t know if there is a solution.”
  36. close read
    Fleishman Is in Trouble Does What the Book Couldn’t DoThe episode “Me-Time,” adapted by Taffy Brodesser-Akner from her own novel, is a prime example of the potency of stories told onscreen.
  37. best of 2022
    The Standout TV Performances of 2022Individually and collectively, these 14 performers embody what made this year’s television interesting and special.
  38. close read
    The Real Cost of The White LotusThe best things — really all things — in life? They definitely are not free.
  39. golden globes 2023
    The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2023 Golden Globe NominationsWas Women Talking silent, or was it silenced?
  40. don’t stop him
    Bono Takes the ‘Highway to Hell’ in the Middle of the National CathedralLook, the guy really loves AC/DC, okay?
  41. best of 2022
    In 2022, Good TV Was a Gut FeelingOur critics break down what goes into naming the best of the year.
  42. toasts and roasts
    At the Kennedy Center Honors, George Clooney and U2 Get Their FlowersGladys Knight, Amy Grant, and Tania León were also celebrated during one of Washington’s most star-studded events of the year.
  43. 2022 kennedy center honors
    Borat Showed Up at the Kennedy Center Honors to Make the Bidens UncomfortableSacha Baron Cohen, in the guise of the journalist from Kazakhstan, paid tribute to honorees U2.
  44. best of 2022
    The Best TV of 2022Television’s future looks hazier than ever, but these shows make a clear case for optimism.
  45. tv review
    Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain Make George & Tammy SingThe stars take what could have been a run-of-the-mill music biopic and infuse it with passion.
  46. remembrance
    Christine McVie’s Perfect VoiceShe was Fleetwood Mac’s most reliable songwriter, but the ache in her voice was just as important as her words.
  47. the vulture transcript
    Welcome to Chippendales Is More Than Tearaway Pants and Butt CheeksKumail Nanjiani, Annaleigh Ashford, and EPs Rob Siegel and Jenni Konner unpack the scandals at the heart of the Hulu miniseries.
  48. exit interview
    ‘Can We Do It One More Time?’Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman on saying good-bye with an ellipsis …
  49. movie review
    Disenchanted Can’t Conjure the Magic of the OriginalThe title tells you how you’re going to feel after you watch it.
  50. the vulture transcript
    Going West with the Cast of Tulsa KingThe Paramount+ series showrunner and stars break down the mechanics of dropping a mobster in the middle of Oklahoma.
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