Latest TV Reviews
Stranger Things Season 5 Review: An Explosive Finale Can’t Save Cringey Dialogue
The series finale of Stranger Things came to an explosive conclusion on Dec. 31. The 8-episode final season dropped in three batches: the first on Thanksgiving, the next on Christmas, and the finale on New Year’s Eve. This review includes spoilers from the show’s final season. Before we dive into the Upside Down, let’s look back at when this show…
Pluribus Season 1 Review: Vince Gilligan’s Mesmerizing Slow Burn Epic Declines to Reward Patience
The discourse surrounding Apple TV's Pluribus, Vince Gilligan's (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) sci-fi mystery starring Rhea Seehorn, has been exhausting on the extremes, as is the norm with all prestige television these days. The series has been a smashing success for Apple, per the recent announcement that it has become the most watched drama series in the streamer's history…
The Chair Company Season 1 Review: Tim Robinson’s Hilarious Conspiracy Series Carves Out New Space for Comedy
Tim Robinson has had one of the most interesting and unique comedy careers in recent memory. Following his brief stint on Saturday Night Live from 2012-2013 as a cast member, he spent the following 7 years in the writers' room at 30 Rock. During which he created the beloved cult comedy series, Detroiters. Then his hit Netflix sketch show, I…
Star Wars: Visions Season 3 Review: Breathtakingly Imaginative Visual Storytelling, With a Couple Duds
I'm not an anime guy. I have nothing against it, as I know it's a powerhouse medium in pop culture that many of my friends fervently participate in. It just hasn't been for me aesthetically and tonally. But I've been coming around to it in recent years, mostly thanks to Star Wars: Visions: a non-canon creative experiment where Lucasfilm partners…
Gen V Season 2 Review: A Frustrating Mix of Edgy Supes Mayhem and Overdramatic Mediocrity
The first season of Gen V was a nicely done collegiate spin-off of The Boys: X-rated X-Men Academy with blood, guts, sex, social/political commentary, and non-stop social media livestreams. It had solid connectivity to the Homelander/Vought lore, but also carved a new path for young supes trying to discover themselves. Unfortunately, Gen V season 2 suffers from the classic "sophomore…
Andor Season 2 Video Review: The Sophomore Season to Star Wars’ Best Show Hits Brilliantly at the Most Urgent Time
Incredible follow up to the already high benchmark set by season 1. Andor season 2 is what we all need right now as both lovers of great television and a democratic society. Tap the IG video to watch my review! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Barrett Goetz (@thescreenmash)
Black Mirror Season 7 Review: A Mixed Bag, Per Usual, But It Ends With a Banger
For the past decade, Charlie booker has been terrorizing the mental health of audiences with his dystopian critiques and premonitions of technology with Black Mirror. As is the case with all previous seasons of the standalone anthology storytelling, there are profound hits and underwhelming misses. Season 7 is no different, featuring incredibly strong execution in some episodes (USS Callister: Into…
The Studio Season 1 Review: Elite Production and Chaotic Cringe Comedy Yields The Best TV Comedy of the Year
Seth Rogen continues to surprise me with his fascinating evolution as a filmmaker and storyteller. The bulk of his career - and writing partner Evan Goldberg - has been centered on broad, raunchy comedy films (Superbad, Pineapple Express), but in the last decade has pivoted to a diverse array of genres in television. Whether it be creating AMC's supernatural fantasy…
Running Point Season 1 Review: Yes, it’s Cheesy, But it’s Also Very Funny and Watchable
From creators Mindy Kaling and Ike Barinholtz, Running Point is a funny and clever sports comedy series inspired by the life and career of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. Kate Hudson’s commanding and charming lead performance really stands out and reminds us of her skills as an actress, especially in the romantic comedy realm. She was just fantastic. And as with…
Severance Season 2 Video Review: A New Benchmark for Prestige Cinematic Television
From The Screen Mash Podcast Episode 69, reviewing ALL 10 episodes of Severance season 2, COMPLETELY SPOILER-FREE! Listen to the extended spoiler free discussion on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Tap the IG video below to watch our review! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Barrett Goetz (@thescreenmash)
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Season 1 Review: Spielbergian Wonder is a Breath of Fresh Air for the Galaxy
The quality of the Star Wars Disney+ series ecoystem has been all over the place. From Andor (incredible), to Ahsoka (solid), to Book of Boba Fett (bad). Enter Jon Watts (MCU Spider-Man trilogy) who had an idea to inject the galaxy with the kids mystery-adventure energy of '80s Amblin Entertainment, and it works. The very heart of Skeleton Crew resides…
Creature Commandos Season 1 Review: James Gunn Kicks Off the DCU With This Ferociously Entertaining Show
James Gunn’s kick-off to the DC Universe (DCU) is a smashing success with the wonderfully funny, action-packed and emotionally impactful animated series, Creature Commandos. Gunn was obviously influenced by Amazon’s Invincible (a compliment) in terms of tone, visual style and omnipresent bloody carnage. The structure of an overarching narrative, paired with individual, sympathetic origin stories for each character, yields a…
