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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. golden globes 2024
    The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2024 Golden Globe NominationsGone is the old Globes insanity, replaced by something safe and respectable.
  2. 2023 kennedy center honors
    The Sweetness and Bittersweetness of the 2023 Kennedy Center HonorsQueen Latifah, Billy Crystal, Barry Gibb, Dionne Warwick, and Renée Fleming received their due in an often personal and poignant ceremony.
  3. best of 2023
    All About the AlgorithmTV in 2023 explicitly and subliminally cast doubt on the sparkling future of streaming television.
  4. best of 2023
    The Best TV Shows of 2023Shows may come and shows may go, but great TV will never leave us.
  5. 25 days of reality
    The Great British Baking Show Cracked the Co-Host CodeIn her debut season as co-presenter, Alison Hammond proved herself a vital ingredient to the show’s success.
  6. emergency discussion
    The Crown Made a Haunting ChoiceWe need to talk about Ghost Diana and Ghost Dodi.
  7. vulture lists
    The 15 Best Chandler Bing Episodes of FriendsThe ones to watch to get a sense of the character and Matthew Perry’s greatness in the role.
  8. remembrance
    Matthew Perry Couldn’t Be Boxed InAs the jokester who wears snarkiness as emotional armor, Chandler stole every Friends scene — even ones where he was theoretically absent.
  9. reunions
    The State Hasn’t Changed. God Bless Them.A three-night New York City stop during their “Breakin’ Hearts and Dippin’ Balls” tour confirms that the troupe’s still got it.
  10. finales
    Let’s Talk About the Challenging Ending of The Changeling“Battle of the Island” gets literal, but not quite literal enough.
  11. movie review
    Cat Person Is Cringe HorrorThe film adaptation of a famous New Yorker short story is appropriately grimace-inducing, but it can’t help overexplaining its terror.
  12. scene report
    Sphere Is an Unnatural WonderIt’s a giant orb in Sin City. Is it also the future of live entertainment?
  13. whodunnit?
    Who Killed Ben Glenroy on Only Murders in the Building?The pieces of the puzzle — and the lousy review for Death Rattle — are finally coming together.
  14. backstories
    How Reservation Dogs Became the Best-Cast Show on TVAll it took was a little Hollywood royalty, a lot of Oklahoma talent, and the eye of casting director Angelique Midthunder.
  15. whodunnit?
    Who Killed Ben Glenroy on Only Murders in the Building?We finally got a confession. But does it matter?
  16. post-game analysis
    Was Winning Time a Loss Or a Victory?Two critics review the highlights and personal fouls of HBO’s ambitious but flawed attempt to distill a dynasty.
  17. movie review
    A Luchador Sheds His Masks in the Triumphant CassandroGael García Bernal is exceptional as the exótico who became a wrestling star.
  18. whodunnit?
    Who Killed Ben Glenroy on Only Murders in the Building?What if … the brother did it?
  19. movie review
    My Big Fat Greek MessThe third time is … whatever is the opposite of a charm.
  20. whodunnit
    Who Killed Ben Glenroy on Only Murders in the Building?Hear me out: Maybe the goldfish did it.
  21. whodunnit
    Who Killed Ben Glenroy on Only Murders in the Building?Analyzing the 18(!) possible suspects.
  22. emergency discussion
    And Just Like That … Can’t Let Go and Neither Can WeNo matter how hard this season tried to push us away with unhinged coat choices and olive-slurping, we kept smashing that play button.
  23. hot fella
    Thank God Mario Cantone Remembers Sex and the CityAnthony Marantino is the only And Just Like That … character living in the original series’ glory days.
  24. emmys 2023
    Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn Disagree on Better Call Saul’s Final Scene“Bob’s always like, ‘They never see each other again and they both die in a fiery car crash.’”
  25. awards season
    The Good, the Bad, and the Weird of This Year’s Emmy NominationsGOOD: Scandoval! Bad: No Reservation Dogs AGAIN. WEIRD: James Marsden for … being James Marsden?
  26. predictions
    So, Who’s Getting Nominated for an Emmy Tomorrow?Let’s guess together!
  27. 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.)
  28. close read
    Black Mirror Looks BackSeason six’s focus on the past is a reminder that the future has always seemed scary.
  29. 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?
  30. chat room
    Barry’s Henry Winkler Wanted Gene to Feel Nothing in His Final Scene“In my mind, it got very quiet and empty.”
  31. wambsgans watch
    Tightrope Tommy Really Did ItWow, you guys.
  32. emergency discussion
    Actually, Yellowjackets Did Bite Off More Than It Could ChewThere’s ambiguity and then there’s aimlessness.
  33. 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.
  34. 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.
  35. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal on This Week’s Succession?Get this man a nap, stat.
  36. coronas out
    Every Single Time the Word Family is Uttered in Fast XHint: It’s more than X — or ten — times.
  37. close read
    But Seriously: What Would Logan Roy Do?The poison drips through in three very different ways.
  38. 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.
  39. 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.
  40. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Things between Tom and Shiv go from sexy to ugly.
  41. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?The one where Tom gets bitey.
  42. 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.
  43. 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.
  44. 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.
  45. wambsgans watch
    What’s Tom’s Deal in This Week’s Succession?Tom is hanging by a thread. But he’s still hanging.
  46. 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.
  47. 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.
  48. 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.
  49. 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.
  50. 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.
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