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. let us discuss
    Let’s Discuss The Night Of Finale, ‘Call of the Wild’And the verdict is …
  2. theories
    Before The Night Of Finale, Let’s Consider the Murder SuspectsAll we’re saying is: Don’t rule out the cat.
  3. close reads
    Why Mr. Robot’s Karaoke Scene Was So EffectiveMr. Robot returned to form this week. All it needed, apparently, was Tears for Fears.
  4. trends
    Why Most of This Summer’s TV Felt Like a FlashbackMany of the programs that captured public attention or critical acclaim revisited bygone decades or functioned as outright throwbacks.
  5. close reads
    How Amazon’s I Love Dick Proves Its Worth in One SceneI Love Dick deserves a full-season pickup and it proves that in just one scene from its pilot.
  6. tv review
    Halt and Catch Fire Is Still a Very Good Period Piece in Season ThreeIn season three, the show’s motto seems to be: If it ain’t broke, no need to call IT.
  7. the vulture tv podcast
    Get Down Creator on the Show’s Messy Production“Sometimes I feel like I almost died in this last two-and-a-half years. It’s just been kind of crazy.”
  8. inevitable comparisons
    How Baz Luhrmann-ish is The Get Down?Relatively Baz-ish.
  9. tv review
    We’re Drunk in Love With The Wine ShowMatthew Rhys. Matthew Goode. A whole lot of wine. Need we say more?
  10. wishes
    4 Ways NBC’s Olympics Coverage Could Be BetterMake the Olympics on TV great again.
  11. close reads
    Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, and the Value of Less Advance HypeStranger Things, unlike most of this year’s summer movies, is still generating conversation online. And it’s doing it without months of excessive hype.
  12. the vulture tv podcast
    Stranger Things and the Best Music Scores on TVFrom Fargo to The Bachelor.
  13. olympics 2016
    Why We Need the Olympics Right NowIt’s basically 17 days of “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose,” but with swimming and badminton instead of football.
  14. vulture recommends
    Why You Need to Watch Casual Season TwoSeason one was good. Season two, already underway on Hulu, is just great.
  15. close reads
    What Criminal Justice Tells Us About The Night Of and NazThe British series that inspired HBO’s procedural may provide some clues about what will ultimately happen to Naz.
  16. wishes
    Hey, MTV Classic: Gen X Also Wants Its MTVMTV Classic is all about MTV nostalgia … and pretending that MTV didn’t start until the 1990s.
  17. we are all barb
    Stranger Things’ Shannon Purser on Playing Barb“The idea that somebody might have painted my face on a wall is totally crazy and surreal for me.”
  18. close reads
    Deep Down, BoJack Horseman Is a Hopeful ShowThis is, without a doubt, a bleak show. But it contains hints of optimism, and glimmers of The Simpsons and Pixar.
  19. the vulture tv podcast
    The Second-Season Slump and When TV Shows Become MoviesWhat’s going on with UnREAL and Mr. Robot?
  20. Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard on Kissing Scenes“’Kissing sucks. That sucked.’ That’s what she said.”
  21. tv review
    Survivor’s Remorse’s Third Season Is Its Best YetAfter two rocky first seasons, the LeBron James–produced series returns with episodes that are nothing but net.
  22. movie review
    Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie Is Only Semi-FabIt’s as if the film is taking after its own heroines: aspiring to something bigger than it should, and too often looking awkward in the process.
  23. tribute
    Remembering Garry Marshall, TV’s Mr. Nice GuyGarry Marshall made some beloved movies, but his ’70s sitcoms are what made him a legend.
  24. worlds collide
    UnREAL, the RNC, and TV White PrivilegeFlipping between Giuliani screaming about police brutality and what happened on last night’s UnREAL was enough to make a person’s head explode.
  25. nostalgia
    Winona Ryder and the Power of Meta-CastingWhy our love for Winona so effectively informs our response to Stranger Things.
  26. chat room
    Stranger Things’ Millie Brown on Playing ElevenAnd why she’s obsessed with Winona Ryder.
  27. on snubs
    Has the ‘Emmy Snub’ Lost All Its Meaning?When there are so many good shows on television, some are inevitably going to be overlooked.
  28. chat room
    Stranger Things’ Duffer Bros on Casting Winona“Matthew McConaughey and his McConaissance was a huge help.”
  29. tv review
    The Problem With HBO’s Vice PrincipalsIs this the right time to laugh at two white men trying to destroy a black woman?
  30. emmys 2016
    10 Fun Facts and Oddities About the 2016 Emmy NominationsDid you know that The Muppets got an Emmy nomination today? Yeah. 
  31. emmys 2016
    2016 Emmy Nominations: The Snubs and SurprisesThe Leftovers and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: snubbed. But, yay! The Americans finally got some big-time nominations.
  32. tv review
    Stranger Things Is a Throwback to ’80s Chills and Spielbergian ThrillsCross Spielberg with a Stephen King novel and you’ve got this Netflix series.
  33. inevitable comparisons
    How Sam Esmail’s Comet Foreshadows Mr. RobotIn many ways, Comet establishes a partial blueprint for what would become Mr. Robot.
  34. midseason review
    What’s Going on With UnREAL? A Mid-Season AssessmentIt’s tilting closer to frothy escapism than smart satire.
  35. trends
    Why Family-Friendly Summer-Vacation TV Is EverywhereThe major networks have placed a heavier emphasis this season on programs that pass the beach-house test.
  36. the vulture tv podcast
    The Best TV Shows and Performances of the YearThere needs to be a whole category for ABC comedy parents. 
  37. 8 TV Shows to Watch Right NowFor your long holiday weekend.
  38. the vulture tv podcast
    Orange Is the New Black and the Half-RebootOur very first show with Jen Chaney!
  39. best of 2016
    The Best TV Shows of 2016 (So Far)GOT, CXG, two O.J.s, and more.
  40. tv
    A Salute to Veep’s Sue and Competent People in the WorkplaceEvery office has a Sue, and if it doesn’t, it desperately needs one.
  41. The Best Actress on TV Is The Leftovers’ Carrie CoonThe case for Carrie Coon’s simultaneously understated, explosive performance on season two of The Leftovers.
  42. the vulture tv awards 2016
    The Best Actress on TV Is The Leftovers’ Carrie CoonThe case for Carrie Coon’s simultaneously understated, explosive performance on season two of The Leftovers.
  43. overnights
    Game of Thrones Season Finale Recap: Winter Is HereA very fine season ends with bloodshed, an explosive coup, and thorny questions about faith.
  44. Join Vulture’s Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale LiveblogSunday night at 9 p.m.
  45. emmy insider
    Will the Emmy Noms for Outstanding Drama Get Stuck on Repeat Again?A look at the odds of great new series, like Mr. Robot, and previously overlooked ones, like The Americans, finally making the cut.
  46. emmy insider
    Which Comedy Actresses Have a Shot?Outside JLD, who might the other five nominees be?
  47. tv review
    Roadies Is Not Almost Famous, But It’s Almost SomethingCameron Crowe’s new series isn’t great, but there are moments that suggest it could be.
  48. close reads
    OITNB Shows Sympathy for Aggressors in Season 4But in the end, it’s the vulnerable who the system does not protect.
  49. overnights
    Game of Thrones Recap: Bastard vs. BastardJon Snow, Ramsay Bolton: Let’s get ready to rumble.
  50. tv review
    OITNB S4 Starts Off Rough But Pays OffYou have to do the time.
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