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Jen Chaney

TV Critic
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@chaneyj
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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. year in culture 2016
    The 10 Best New TV Shows of 2016From American Crime Story to Speechless, the best rookie shows of the year.
  2. Let’s Talk About the Ending of The OAIs Prairie lying? Do the Five Movements really work? And eight more burning questions.
  3. anniversaries
    How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas Was MadeIt cost ten times more than similar animated films at the time.
  4. tv review
    Netflix’s The OA Is an Extraordinary, Binge-Worthy December SurpriseThis year of exceptional TV has managed to deliver one more unexpected gift.
  5. tv review
    Fox’s Star Is Not the Next EmpireIt will not break the recent streak of mostly uninspiring music television.
  6. tribute
    Remembering Alan Thicke, a Steady TV ForceOne of the greatest qualities the late Thicke possessed, and that he exhibited on Growing Pains, was his steadiness.
  7. golden globes 2017
    The Surprises and Snubs of the 2017 Golden Globe NominationsMuch love for La La Land and new TV dramas. Less for Tom Hanks and the kids from Stranger Things.
  8. awards insider
    Which TV Shows Will Be Nominated for the Golden Globes?From Atlanta to Stranger Things, our best guesses for Golden Globe nods.
  9. year in culture 2016
    Jen Chaney’s 10 Best TV Shows of 2016Our TV columnist picks the strongest of the year, plus some deserving runners-up.
  10. tv review
    Seriously, Just Watch Mozart in the Jungle Season 3The third season is engaging and elevated, once again, by an exuberant Gael García Bernal.
  11. golden globes 2017
    Which New TV Shows Will Get Surprise Golden Globe Nominations?Will the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominate Stranger Things? Let’s see what the blinking Christmas lights have to say…
  12. hairspray live
    The Highs and Lows of Hairspray Live!You can’t stop the beat, but you can weigh it down with a bunch of technical issues.
  13. wishes
    NBC’s Hairspray Live! Could Be the First Live Musical That MattersThe musical is going to play differently in the Trump era — and that could make for some memorable television.
  14. close reads
    The Safe Progressivism of This Is UsThis Is Us deals with socially significant issues. But, at its midpoint, it’s still taking the easy road too often.
  15. close reads
    Why Westworld Actually Isn’t Like LostTwo words: character studies.
  16. highs and lows
    The Highs and Lows of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the LifeRevisiting Stars Hollow was a real roller coaster of emotions.
  17. chat room
    Gilmore Girls’ ASP on the Last 4 Words, TrumpWould the residents of Stars Hollow have voted for Trump? Apparently it’s a matter of debate.
  18. tv review
    Mariah’s World Turns Exactly the Way You’d ImagineCarey knows viewers will think she’s a high-maintenance, preening narcissist, so she beats them to the punch.
  19. journalism
    Rory Gilmore and Why We Need Better Fictional JournalismLike a lot of TV, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life doesn’t quite capture journalism accurately.
  20. listen
    The Vulture TV Podcast: Gilmore Girls EditionA lively debate.
  21. vulture lists
    The 20 Best Long-Running TV Shows to Binge-Watch for 100 Hours or MoreFrom Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Law & Order, these shows are worth an extended commitment.
  22. close reads
    On the Heightened Sense of Privilege in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the LifeGilmore Girls was always a show about mostly white people living mostly comfortably. But the Netflix reboot takes that to a new level.
  23. chat room
    GG’s Luke on the Scene That Made Him EmotionalPlus, why he’s only ever watched the pilot of the series.
  24. odes
    A Tribute to Paul, the Ann Veal of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life#justiceforpaul
  25. let us discuss
    Let’s Talk About the Ending of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the LifeLet’s process our feelings about those final moments.
  26. the vulture tv podcast
    Search Party Is the Perfect Thanksgiving BingeIt feels pretty spiritually tuned in to our turbulent times.
  27. what to watch
    What TV Should I Watch This Thanksgiving?It’s a four-day weekend for many people. That’s a lot of time to catch up on TV.
  28. refreshers
    So What Happened on The Affair Last Season?The story lines to keep in mind as the third season begins.
  29. tv review
    The Affair Has Even More POVs and Mystery in Season ThreeNoah Solloway is still maddening and this show is still absorbing.
  30. The Strange Disappearance of Ed, the Great Show That Time ForgotA salute to the series about Stuckeyville that is virtually impossible to find.
  31. tv review
    Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Review: The Girls Are Back in TownIt’s nice to see these characters again. But some of the Stars Hollow charm is missing.
  32. the vulture tv podcast
    How Will the 2016 Election Affect Scripted TV?Will political TV shows take on different tones than they used to? And will writers generally lean into more progressive ideas?
  33. overnights
    Better Things Finale Recap: Only Women BleedA poignant end to a terrific first season.
  34. 2016 election
    In Praise of the Late-Night Shows That Got Real About Election 2016A salute to the programs last night that got emotional about what’s happening in the country right now.
  35. the vulture tv podcast
    Pamela Adlon on Dealing With Assholes in HollywoodThis was really said to me in real life by somebody I was working with: “You’re my kind of woman. Slap a pair of tits on you and you’re just my type.”
  36. 2016 election
    What We Can Learn From The Daily Show’s 2004 Election Special“The future is for the furious.”
  37. what to watch
    What to Watch on Election Night to Help You Avoid a Heart AttackSome viewing options to keep you (slightly) sane.
  38. overnights
    Better Things Recap: Life’s Been GoodAn episode about appreciating what you have, even when it’s junk stored in the garage.
  39. called it
    How TV Foreshadowed the Presidential ElectionIt’s kind of eerie how much scripted TV got right.
  40. close reads
    On Atlanta and Its ‘Fake It Til You Make It’ Brand of EconomicsThe first season explored the idea that perceived status is just as important as actual status and real wealth.
  41. tv review
    People of Earth Is Smarter Than It Is FunnyAlien abductees: They’re just like us, you guys.
  42. tv review
    Brief Encounters Is a Fine British Soap That Gets (a Little) DirtyThe sex stuff may seem quaint. But the relationships are what this series is really about anyway.
  43. overnights
    Better Things Recap: I Don’t Mean to Scare YouFor Sam’s family, spooky pranks are a weirdly soothing tradition.
  44. still the 80s
    The 1980s Shows, Movies, and Videos Games to Try Based on Your Modern FavoritesIf you like the newer fare, there’s a good chance you’ll like its predecessors, too.
  45. tv review
    Good Girls Revolt Is a Diluted Version of Mad MenThere is probably a way to watch Good Girls Revolt without comparing it to Mad Men. But so far, I have not figured out how.
  46. still the 80s
    How TV Is Making Us Hear ’80s Music in a Whole New WayThe Americans, Halt and Catch Fire, and Mr. Robot, among others, are all making ‘80s pop and New Wave sound fresh again.
  47. the vulture tv podcast
    High Main Creators on Their First HBO Season“The Guy gets frustrated a lot more this season.”
  48. tv review
    Man With a Plan Is Not As Bad As Kevin Can WaitIt’s yet another CBS sitcom that leans really hard into all the genre’s tropes.
  49. still the 80s
    It’s 2016. Why Are We Still Obsessed With the ’80s?Our cultural fixation on the Duran Duran decade has now officially lasted longer than the decade itself.
  50. What Happened When Bill Murray Was Honored at the Kennedy CenterMiley Cyrus recovered from some mistakes, David Letterman spoke from the heart, and Bill Murray was Bill Murray.
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