Category Archives: Good TV

Review “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen”: Either “Knives Out” or “Get Out” 

Posted on April 6, 2026 by williamjcobb

The latest Netflix miniseries to try to scare us all is Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, which should be required viewing for all young couples contemplating marriage—maybe the way that Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace should be required reading for all wannabe dictators eager to stumble into an unwinnable war. Continue reading →

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Review: “Your Friends and Neighbors” Season Two Begins With a Bad Back and a Huge Splash

Posted on April 4, 2026 by williamjcobb

The inimitable writer John Cheever explored this fantasy plot back in the 1950s with his short story “The Housebreaker of Shady Hill,” but Your Friends and Neighbors is definitely a worthy reboot of sorts. Continue reading →

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Review of “DTF St. Louis” Episode 5: David Harbour Deserves an Emmy

Posted on April 1, 2026 by williamjcobb

“In Episode 5 (there are many flashbacks) he confides in Clark an anecdote to explain how he got a ‘crooked dick.'” Continue reading →

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On HBO’s New Series “DTF St. Louis”: Charm & Glory of the Mundane

Posted on March 6, 2026 by williamjcobb

So the best show on TV I’ve seen lately is the new HBO series DTF St. Louis, starring Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini, and David Harbour. I’d heard a little about it but was pleasantly surprised. For one thing, it’s billed somewhat … Continue reading →

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The Alien-Hunting Wives: Trump’s Novel Solution to the Coming Alien Invasion

Posted on February 2, 2026 by williamjcobb

[Note: This is satire. In the spirit of the New Yorker’s “Shouts and Murmurs” satirical op-ed slot.] New bombshells revealed after the recent release of the shocking documentary The Age of Disclosure, detailing U.S. government’s possession of recovered UFO craft … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Intelligence, Anti-Trump Satire, Bad TV, Good TV, The Hunting Wives TV series, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

"Captain Fantastic": Matt Ross's Ode to Life Off the Grid

Posted on February 13, 2017 by williamjcobb

So I caught the indie-hit Captain Fantastic (2016) recently, and after my post not long ago about adventure stories gone wrong, this is a paean to adventure as a lifestyle choice. It’s also something of a genre mixer: adventure tale … Continue reading →

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"The Americans": A New Reality TV Show Starring Melania and Donald

Posted on February 11, 2017 by williamjcobb

So FX has a series titled The Americans, now in Season Five, in which a pair of Soviet spies are masquerading as a married American couple. I’ve always liked the female lead, Keri Russell, who was in the charming indie … Continue reading →

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Does Sarah Palin Know Where Germany Is? and a Shout-Out for Mark Leyner's new novel, "The Sugar Frosted Nutsack"

Posted on March 21, 2012 by williamjcobb

So last night I caught HBO’s film Game Change, about Sarah Palin’s (improbable? nightmarish? absurd?) role as John McCain’s veep in the 2008 election, and it’s surprisingly good. Why surprisingly? I’m not a huge fan of biopics/reenactments of contemporary events, … Continue reading →

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Guns & Bunkers: Or How to Enjoy "Doomsday Preppers" and the Truth About That Asteroid Crashing Into a Crater Near You

Posted on March 17, 2012 by williamjcobb

So the quirkiest angle of the success of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006) was that we could all recognize what Discovery Channel shows Cormac had been watching, once you realize that the mysterious cataclysm that has befallen the world is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad TV, books/film, Climate Change, Good TV, The West, Weird Science | Leave a comment

On HBO's "Enlightened": Or The Resurrection of Laura Dern

Posted on November 22, 2011 by williamjcobb

So Monday night has become one of those rarities: the premier night of must-see TV. I mostly ignore network TV these days, because the many commercial breaks get so tedious that once you get used to programs without them, they … Continue reading →

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