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Jen Chaney

TV Critic
@chaneyj
[email protected]

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. The Strange Disappearance of Ed, the Great Show That Time ForgotA salute to the series about Stuckeyville that is virtually impossible to find.
  2. tv review
    Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Review: The Girls Are Back in TownIt’s nice to see these characters again. But some of the Stars Hollow charm is missing.
  3. the vulture tv podcast
    How Will the 2016 Election Affect Scripted TV?Will political TV shows take on different tones than they used to? And will writers generally lean into more progressive ideas?
  4. overnights
    Better Things Finale Recap: Only Women BleedA poignant end to a terrific first season.
  5. 2016 election
    In Praise of the Late-Night Shows That Got Real About Election 2016A salute to the programs last night that got emotional about what’s happening in the country right now.
  6. the vulture tv podcast
    Pamela Adlon on Dealing With Assholes in HollywoodThis was really said to me in real life by somebody I was working with: “You’re my kind of woman. Slap a pair of tits on you and you’re just my type.”
  7. 2016 election
    What We Can Learn From The Daily Show’s 2004 Election Special“The future is for the furious.”
  8. what to watch
    What to Watch on Election Night to Help You Avoid a Heart AttackSome viewing options to keep you (slightly) sane.
  9. overnights
    Better Things Recap: Life’s Been GoodAn episode about appreciating what you have, even when it’s junk stored in the garage.
  10. called it
    How TV Foreshadowed the Presidential ElectionIt’s kind of eerie how much scripted TV got right.
  11. close reads
    On Atlanta and Its ‘Fake It Til You Make It’ Brand of EconomicsThe first season explored the idea that perceived status is just as important as actual status and real wealth.
  12. tv review
    People of Earth Is Smarter Than It Is FunnyAlien abductees: They’re just like us, you guys.
  13. tv review
    Brief Encounters Is a Fine British Soap That Gets (a Little) DirtyThe sex stuff may seem quaint. But the relationships are what this series is really about anyway.
  14. overnights
    Better Things Recap: I Don’t Mean to Scare YouFor Sam’s family, spooky pranks are a weirdly soothing tradition.
  15. still the 80s
    The 1980s Shows, Movies, and Videos Games to Try Based on Your Modern FavoritesIf you like the newer fare, there’s a good chance you’ll like its predecessors, too.
  16. tv review
    Good Girls Revolt Is a Diluted Version of Mad MenThere is probably a way to watch Good Girls Revolt without comparing it to Mad Men. But so far, I have not figured out how.
  17. still the 80s
    How TV Is Making Us Hear ’80s Music in a Whole New WayThe Americans, Halt and Catch Fire, and Mr. Robot, among others, are all making ‘80s pop and New Wave sound fresh again.
  18. the vulture tv podcast
    High Main Creators on Their First HBO Season“The Guy gets frustrated a lot more this season.”
  19. tv review
    Man With a Plan Is Not As Bad As Kevin Can WaitIt’s yet another CBS sitcom that leans really hard into all the genre’s tropes.
  20. still the 80s
    It’s 2016. Why Are We Still Obsessed With the ’80s?Our cultural fixation on the Duran Duran decade has now officially lasted longer than the decade itself.
  21. What Happened When Bill Murray Was Honored at the Kennedy CenterMiley Cyrus recovered from some mistakes, David Letterman spoke from the heart, and Bill Murray was Bill Murray.
  22. tv review
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Is Occasionally Off, But Mostly On in Season TwoWith a new opener and a new connection with Josh, Rebecca Bloom is back and, for the most part, on wacky musical point.
  23. Better Things Recap: Holy Trinity“Duke’s Chorus” scrutinizes the ways that parents look down their noses at each other.
  24. the vulture tv podcast
    Phoebe Waller-Bridge on Being Slapped by a ‘National Treasure’ on Fleabag“I basically had a fight with Olivia Colman.”
  25. tv review
    Black Mirror Is Mostly Still Great in Its Third SeasonThe show is back to remind you, once again, that technology will ruin you.
  26. anniversaries
    An Ode to the Great Pumpkin’s Harsh RealitiesDoes anything good happen to Linus? No. But maybe that’s why this 50-year-old Halloween special perseveres.
  27. tv review
    Hulu’s Chance Is a Psychological Thriller With Its Own Set of IssuesHugh Laurie plays a medical professional in this dark new series. But don’t expect House part two.
  28. overnights
    Better Things Recap: The Scary PartSam gets older, but men stay the same age.
  29. tv review
    Haters Need Not Stream Haters Back Off!Miranda Sings is an internet phenomenon. Now she’s an internet phenomenon who also has a so-so Netflix show.
  30. tv couple scuffle
    Eric and Tami vs. Philip and ElizabethIt’s the Texas sweethearts versus the Russian spies.
  31. chat room
    Divorce’s THC on Robert and Frances’s Backstory“They met probably in their mid to late 20s, and it was a great emotional converging point for both of them.” 
  32. tv review
    SyFy’s Channel Zero Is Yet Another Horror Show Obsessed With the PastThe anthology series isn’t quite the new Stranger Things, but it definitely falls in the same retro horror subgenre.
  33. close reads
    Divorce, Insecure, and the Stagnant Relationship on TVOn the two new HBO series, as well as several other comedies, women are breaking away from men holding them back.
  34. what to stream now
    Your Guide to Halloween TV for the Month of OctoberA whole month’s worth of ghoulish fare to fill your viewing schedule.
  35. overnights
    Better Things Recap: Group ChatHalfway through its first season, Better Things refuses to sugarcoat its worldview.
  36. How TV Is Increasingly Breaking the Rules “Television has always been very good about staking out this middle ground between the novel and the short story.”
  37. How Atlanta Nailed the Art of the BFFsplainTuesday’s episode was another TV example of what having your life explained to you by a female best friend looks like.
  38. tv review
    The CW’s No Tomorrow Is Mostly Pleasurable, Breezy FunCarpe diem! And carpe the rom-com tropes!
  39. close reads
    Why Westworld’s Violence Doesn’t Feel GratuitousThe amusement park in Westworld is steeped in stereotypical male fantasies. But its female characters may be the key to its game.
  40. trends
    The Rise of the Female Impostor ComedyIn Younger, The Good Place, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, women are telling major lies that tell us something about ourselves.
  41. overnights
    Better Things Recap: Like Real People“Woman Is the Something of the Something” is a brilliant commentary on sexism and misogyny.
  42. the vulture tv podcast
    Mr. Robot Creator Sam Esmail on How He Handles Criticism of the Show“Everyone was bummed out [when people figured out the twist] because we were still shooting and everybody on set was like, Oh shit, this is fucked up.”
  43. trends
    Is This the Best Fall TV Season in Recent Memory?All signs point to yes, for reasons that involve quality, but other factors, too.
  44. tv review
    Amazon’s Transparent Returns, With More Changes AheadThe Pfeffermans are back, and their lives are still gloriously messy.
  45. overnights
    Better Things Recap: Are You Gonna Go My Way?The one where Lenny Kravitz comes over for dinner.
  46. Notorious Is No Substitute for ScandalThe only “scandal” is how unoriginal this show is.
  47. tv review
    Designated Survivor Gives Us a Kiefer-in-ChiefThe premise of this new ABC drama is frightening, but watching it is only mildly intense.
  48. tv couple scuffle
    Who Is the Best TV Couple of the Modern Era?Our TV-couples bracket is here, and that means it’s time to commit.
  49. tv review
    Speechless Is Another Solid Addition to the ABC Comedy ArsenalA new fall show to add to your watch list.
  50. the vulture tv podcast
    The 2016 Emmys Felt Like Watching Change in Real TimeThis year’s awards marked a palpable shift.
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