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Jen Chaney

TV Critic
See all their articles from across New York Magazine
@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. living with yourself
    What Living With Yourself’s Creator Learned From Cloning Paul Rudd“It’s made me much more conscious of my posture. Stand straight and you’ll be a better version of yourself.”
  2. succession
    Succession Creator Jesse Armstrong on Fan Theories and That Finale TwistAnd why he’s reluctant to say exactly what happened between Logan and Kendall.
  3. tv review
    Living With Yourself Doubles the Paul Rudd, Doubles the FunPlaying against himself, the endlessly likable actor ably carries this funny, smart, Charlie Kaufman–esque series.
  4. spoilers
    Let’s Talk About That Brilliant Succession EndingTurns out a “blood sacrifice” wasn’t the season finale’s big reveal after all.
  5. spoilers
    Should We Be Happy for Jesse at the End of El Camino?The conclusion of the Breaking Bad movie isn’t so clear-cut.
  6. close reads
    Shiv Is Exactly Who You Think She IsSuch an Ivanka.
  7. chat room
    Is Cousin Greg Doomed on Succession?“In the finale, he makes decisions that are indicative of how far he is willing to go to be a Roy.”
  8. tv review
    Big Mouth Season 3 Takes a Bigger-Picture View of PubertyThe Netflix animated series is still about sexual transformation and boner jokes, but it’s increasingly about more than that.
  9. close reads
    The Good Place Is the Quintessential TV Show of the Trump EraIt’s not about politics, but its themes and concerns are right in line with what’s happened since 2016.
  10. tv review
    Evil Is Smart, Scary, and PhilosophicalCan Michelle and Robert King just make all the CBS shows?
  11. awards season
    The Emmys Proved That Award Shows Actually Do Need HostsJust not the traditional kind of host.
  12. movie review
    Downton Abbey Cordially Invites You to Fall in Love With It AgainThe movie is basically a bigger, grander episode of the TV show. In a good way.
  13. emmys 2019
    The Emmys Finally Looked to the FutureGame of Thrones and SNL won, but this year’s Emmys leaned toward the future more than ever.
  14. close reads
    As ER Turns 25, a Look at How Its Visual Style Changed the TV GameWhen ER debuted in 1994, its kinetic, Steadicam energy was like nothing else on TV.
  15. predictions
    Who’s Gonna Win at the 2019 Emmys? And Who Should Really Win?Our expert predictions.
  16. close reads
    Unbelievable Is the Most Feminist Crime Show I’ve Ever SeenThe quiet but sturdy feminism of Netflix’s remarkable true-crime drama.
  17. remembrances
    Remembering Ric Ocasek, the Magic Man of American New WaveOcasek’s songwriting and oddball frontman style gave the band its boundless appeal.
  18. friends anniversary
    Friends Is a Gen X Show. Why Don’t We Ever Call It That?Baby boomers created it. Millennials and Gen Y kept it popular. But Friends will always be about Gen X.
  19. hardest things
    The Hardest, Strangest, Most Unforgettable Jobs In HollywoodTV and movie craftspeople share their stories (and a great dip recipe).
  20. tv review
    The Transparent Musicale Finale Is the Best and Worst of Transparent All in OneThe series concludes with a musical that teeters between self-parody and daring celebration, without ever fully falling on either side.
  21. tv review
    Undone Is a Fascinating Head TripIt’s never quite clear where this new animated series from Bojack Horseman’s Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy will jump to next.
  22. tv review
    Unbelievable Is a Radical, Exceptional Crime SeriesThe Netflix drama starring Merritt Wever and Toni Collette is less about finding the bad guy than it is about the value of understanding the victim.
  23. hardest things
    The Hardest Costume I Ever Designed11 costume designers on meeting the excruciating demands of Hollywood.
  24. fall preview 2019
    The Best and Biggest TV Shows to Watch This FallThe Morning Show, Watchmen, Nancy Drew, and more.
  25. angry face emoji
    How Ready or Not’s Nicky Guadagni Landed on This Face for Aunt Helene“I had no idea how grotesque I looked until I saw the trailer.”
  26. emmy insider
    Chernobyl Was the Easiest Thing Craig Mazin Has Ever Written“I’ll probably never write that freely again, because now every time I write something, I’ve got to think, ‘Well, it’s no Chernobyl …’”
  27. tv review
    13 Reasons Why I Couldn’t Stand 13 Reasons Why Season 3The latest season of the Netflix teen drama strikes more wrong notes than we can count. Wait, sorry — we actually can count them.
  28. chat room
    Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany Unpacks Two of This Season’s Biggest ScenesYes, one of them involves Charles Manson.
  29. tv review
    The Affair: Once More Into the OceanMaura Tierney’s performance anchors the Showtime drama as it navigates its fifth and final season.
  30. tv review
    Mindhunter Season Two Is Questioning Us, TooNetflix’s serial killer drama will immediately worm its way back into your head, but not without sparking a bout of self-examination.
  31. tv review
    The Righteous Gemstones Doesn’t Quite Get a HallelujahDespite a strong cast, Danny McBride’s HBO comedy about preaching doesn’t know who its choir is.
  32. tv review
    Diagnosis Is Not Your Typical Medical Mystery ShowThe moving and nuanced Netflix docuseries, based on the New York Times Magazine column, is a mix of genres: reality, detective, and emotional drama.
  33. tv review
    The Family Puts a Secret Group In the Spotlight, But Needs Stronger WattageThe Netflix docuseries connects some dots regarding the religious right and American politics, but it doesn’t add up to more than a basic outline.
  34. close reads
    On the Troubling Subtext of Once Upon a Time in HollywoodYes, that ending is part of it.
  35. tv review
    GLOW Goes Deeper and Gets Even Better in Season ThreeThere’s more introspection than spandex in the new season. But don’t worry: There’s definitely still spandex.
  36. tv review
    BH90210 Has Its Nostalgia Both WaysThe weird, compulsively watchable reboot earnestly indulges viewers’ affection for the original series with a highly meta wink.
  37. tv review
    Euphoria’s Finale Was Visually Stunning, But What’s Beneath the Sheen?The first season of HBO’s messy teen drama ends on an ambiguous but compelling note.
  38. tv review
    A Black Lady Sketch Show Is Pure, Funny FireRobin Thede’s new HBO comedy half-hour is hilarious and surprising.
  39. tv review
    Four Weddings and a Funeral, I Think I Don’t Love YouThe new Hulu series inspired by the film seems more interested in tipping its hat to rom-coms past than building a unique love story of its own.
  40. cancellations
    A Wake for Tuca & Bertie, Which Should Not Have Been CanceledCan’t two bird-women have more of a moment, Netflix?
  41. the mueller hearings
    Robert Mueller Is Not Your TV Hero or VillainThe former FBI director may have been the protagonist of The Mueller Hearings, but he conducted himself more like a respectable side character.
  42. summer tv
    Holey Moley and Blown Away Should Be Your Go-to Summer Reality CompetitionsFinally, reality TV has made room for miniature golf and glassblowing.
  43. follow-ups
    What to Expect From Hannah Gadsby’s New Show, DouglasHer meta-comedy is still very meta, and it’s still working beautifully.
  44. vulture tv awards
    The Best Show on TV Is FleabagNo movie or TV show is perfect. But then along comes something like season two of Fleabag.
  45. vulture tv awards
    The Best Writing on TV Is on BoJack HorsemanNo other show managed the same tricky combination of comedy, drama, and #MeToo commentary.
  46. tv review
    How Big Little Lies Lost Its Way in Season TwoAfter a promising start, season two’s increased focus on Celeste’s custody battle ended up undermining what made the first season so compelling.
  47. vulture tv awards
    The Best Supporting Actor on TV Is One Day at a Time’s Rita MorenoShe’s such a pro that she makes what she’s doing look easy. It isn’t.
  48. close reads
    Stranger Things 3 Is Basically One Big Back to the Future HomageWhat the many allusions to the 1985 blockbuster tell us about this season — and what hints they might provide about the series’ future.
  49. star market
    Who Won Game of Thrones (the Pop Culture Phenomenon)?The fantasy series was gold for nearly every person, place, and broadcaster involved. But who came out on top?
  50. 2019 emmy awards
    Emmy Nominations 2019: The 24 Biggest Surprises and SnubsYay, Fleabag! But really, no Rhea Seehorn?
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