Kathryn VanArendonk Author Archive
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Kathryn VanArendonk

Critic
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@kvanaren
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Kathryn is a critic who writes about TV and comedy. She gets mad when people say TV is a 10 hour movie.

  1. sequels
    The A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding Trailer Somehow Has More Blog ScandalsNo jellied meats, though.
  2. tv review
    The Kominsky Method Is a Funny But Frustrating Portrait of Aging MasculinityChuck Lorre’s Netflix series is a fantastic showcase for Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. But it has little regard for anyone besides them.
  3. vulture lists
    Homecoming: The 8 Biggest Questions About the Season FinaleWhat does Carrasco’s leaf mean? Why does Walter tilt that fork? Who is the real Audrey Temple?
  4. really?
    Ice-T Says He’s Never Eaten a BagelThat’s messed up.
  5. tv review
    Netflix’s Westside Is an Instagram Ad Made FleshThis jumbled mishmash of reality TV drama, making-of doc, and music video briefly coalesces into something greater than the sum of its parts.
  6. tv review
    Pod Save America Is So Much Better Than AxiosBoth of these HBO shows are about politics and Trump, but only one of them is forthright about how partisan it is.
  7. chat room
    Andrew Rannells on Playing a ‘Shady’ Guy in The Romanoffs’ Misconduct Episode“I’ll be curious to see what the reaction is. In my mind, it is very ambiguous, but I think people will pick a side pretty quickly.”
  8. horror
    How Scary Is Haunting of Hill House, Really?A terrified wimp investigates.
  9. spoilers
    Bodyguard Blows Itself Up in the Worst WayThe hit British thriller is fantastic … right up until its biggest twist.
  10. chat room
    The Romanoffs’ Jack Huston on His ‘Bad Experiences’ With ‘Tough Directors’And why he doesn’t believe in separating art from the artist.
  11. a grammy for megan
    Megan Amram Wants to Win a Grammy After Her Good Place Cameo“I do think a Grammy is something that is very enticing to me. It’s no Emmy, but it’s still very exciting.”
  12. a very serious question
    Is Chidi Too Swole on The Good Place?Am I complaining about this? No, but I do have questions.
  13. bella thorne’s 19 cats
    Can Bella Thorne Actually Name Each of Her 19 Cats?It’s just so many.
  14. why?
    Law & Order: SVU Did a Whole Episode About IncelsThe SVU detectives learn about incels on “the dark web.”
  15. tv review
    Salt Fat Acid Heat Actually Wants You to CookThe Netflix docuseries is a joyful revolution in the world of highbrow foodie shows.
  16. chat room
    Kerry Bishé on The Romanoffs, Men Who Cheat, and Making Art in the #MeToo Era“I hope people have a whole broad range of feelings and thoughts and conversations about this episode, this show, all the work that I make.”
  17. vulture recommends
    Elite Is Your New Favorite Teen DramaThe Netflix series is like Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and Big Little Lies rolled up into an improbably delicious murder mystery.
  18. easter eggs
    Wait, Do The Good Place and Parks and Recreation Exist in a Shared Universe?Pawnee’s famous Paunch Burger makes it to Australia!
  19. new york comic con 2018
    6 Things to Know about the CW’s New Charmed SeriesIt wants to make you have really intense conversations with your mother.
  20. modest proposals
    Rebooting Forgotten TV Shows Is a Great IdeaYou probably didn’t watch The L.A. Complex. That’s why it’s such a perfect candidate for a reboot now.
  21. close reads
    Murphy Brown’s Righteous, Furious, Flawed Protest Against Sarah Huckabee SandersSure, it’s liberal wish-fulfillment. But isn’t that the point?
  22. tv review
    Who Is The Circus For?It’s hard to say what this Showtime docuseries adds to our understanding of politics or the way the news cycle works.
  23. close reads
    Why The Good Place Keeps Rebooting ItselfThe show is its own philosophical thought experiment. And that’s why it’s so great.
  24. tv review
    FBI Is As Apolitical As a #BlueLivesMatter Bumper StickerDick Wolf says that his new CBS show isn’t “politically oriented.” He’s wrong.
  25. tv review
    New Amsterdam Is Very, Very DumbA bad-boy doctor who breaks all the rules? You must be kidding!
  26. tv review
    Credit Where Credit’s Due: Last Man Standing Is Unexpectedly WarmThe show has chosen to make a swerve toward vulnerability and self-knowledge.
  27. close reads
    The Beauty and Brilliance of Forever’s Stand-alone Episode“Andre and Sarah” is proof that streaming shows also need snappy episodic stories.
  28. vulture investigates
    Are Muppets Sexual?A very serious investigation.
  29. vulture lists
    20 Great Shows the Emmys Never Nominated for Outstanding SeriesThe Wire, The Simpsons, and other egregious snubs.
  30. who is the turd burglar?
    Let’s Talk About the End of American Vandal Season 2The Turd Burglar investigation is a nuanced look at teens and social media, until it isn’t.
  31. tv review
    Norm Macdonald Has a Show Is a Comedy RelicHe feels like a talk-show host who belongs to an older era.
  32. tv review
    Lifetime’s You Is Absolutely BonkersIf you can get past the creepy premise, this show is a messy, murderous romp.
  33. post comedy
    8 Signs You’re Watching a Post-Comedy ComedyThere are now enough of these types of comedies that you can start to see patterns in how they work.
  34. tv review
    Jack Ryan Is a (Literally) Explosive ThrowbackThe message of Amazon’s new show is simple: John Krasinski, good. Terrorists, bad.
  35. close reads
    Sharp Objects Broke the Mystery BoxHidden messages were everywhere in Wind Gap, but they weren’t puzzles meant to be solved.
  36. tv review
    The Innocents Is a Supernatural Teen Love StoryBut you can also watch it for Scandinavian farm-to-table lifestyle porn.
  37. vulture lists
    All of the Hidden Words You Missed in Sharp ObjectsThey hide in plain sight, suddenly visible in one frame and gone in the next.
  38. emmy insider
    Is This the Year Antiques Roadshow Will Finally Win an Emmy?Antiques Roadshow is not cool. It is not trendy. And it’s been nominated 14 times in a row without ever winning.
  39. tv review
    Ordeal by Innocence Is a Mystery That Feels Too SlickBut it does land a vicious final punch.
  40. close reads
    The Bachelorette Was Forced to Admit That Politics ExistAnd it immediately responded by trying to ignore that politics exist.
  41. vulture lists
    The 8 Best True-Crime ParodiesAmerican Vandal isn’t the only one!
  42. vulture lists
    The Best True-Crime Series and Movies on NetflixFrom Making a Murderer and The Staircase to lesser-known standouts.
  43. overnights
    The Bachelorette Recap: Grocery Store Joe, What’s UpA two-hour episode focusing on the men skips over some of the thornier aspects of the show. (But does feature some memorable outfits.)
  44. The Bachelorette Is Just Straight-Up Repeating Its Own DatesBecca’s trip to a Buddhist temple feels awfully familiar.
  45. vulture lists
    5 Things We Want to See in Babylon Berlin Season 3Wunderbar! The third season of Netflix’s Weimar-era mystery-thriller is officially happening.
  46. who is america
    What’s the Point of Pranking Corinne From The Bachelor?A reality star will do almost anything to be on TV. How insightful.
  47. vulture lists
    Who Has the Most Damning Appearance in Who Is America Episode 2?Obviously, it’s this guy.
  48. tv review
    Trial & Error: Lady Killer Is a Bonkers DelightKristin Chenoweth’s performance is gloriously unhinged in this NBC true-crime parody.
  49. tv review
    Orange Is the New Black Season 6 Is Aimless, But Still CompellingDespite the problems with this sixth season, OITNB is still stacked with absorbing characters.
  50. close reads
    The Most Nauseating Moment in Who Is America?The distance between Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy and the real world has gotten much smaller since Da Ali G Show.
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