Evil, God Helmet, and Trademark Law
From Murphy v. King Size Productions, decided Mar. 17 by Judge Michael Fitzgerald (C.D. Cal.), but just posted on Westlaw: Defendants produce a fictional television show named “Evil” that airs …
Television
What John Oliver Gets Wrong About Rising Rents
High housing costs are no laughing matter, as John Oliver’s latest monologue confirms. On Sunday, the comedian devoted a 22-minute segment of his HBO show Last Week Tonight to the …
Jan. 6 Committee Pulls Dismal Ratings In Prime-Time Show Trial
Networks that broadcast the Jan. 6 hearing in prime time Thursday night failed to attract more viewers than a typical weeknight. The FederalistThe Federalist is an American conservative online magazine …
Review: Winning Time
Hidden near the heart of many prestige ensemble television dramas—think Mad Men, The Sopranos, or even Hill Street Blues back in the day—lies that seemingly unsexiest of topics: management. So it is with HBO’s …
HBO’s Wild Irma Vep Adaptation Skewers Modern Films
Irma Vep. HBO. Monday, June 6, 9 p.m. Irma Vep is a TV adaptation of a movie adaptation of a century-old silent film serial. If you hadn’t guessed, all three are …
‘Better Call Saul’ Loses Its Light In Shocking Mid-Season Finale
The episode’s final minutes attached consequences to the moral arc of the one character whose corruption for so long seemed least assured. The FederalistThe Federalist is an American conservative online …
The Ipcress File Abandons Its Satirical Roots for Spy Thriller Hijinks
The Ipcress File. Available now on AMC+. If there were some kind of multimedia award for most screenplay adaptations that have literally nothing to do with the source material, The Ipcress File would …
Review: Inventing Anna
Anna Delvey, a German heiress who claimed a considerable trust fund, floated through New York City’s wealthiest circles in the mid-’10s. She had a habit of forgetting to pay for …
In Conversations with Friends, the Topics Always Revolve Around Sex
Conversations with Friends. Hulu. Available Sunday, May 15, on Hulu. First thing first: Conversations with Friends is not a collection of Ross and Rachel’s greatest hits. It’s not really about conversations, either. It’s more …
Cutesy Gay Teen Romance Heartstopper Subverts Absolutely Nothing, and That’s Great
Is an adorable, chaste romance between two teenage boys the antidote to our current incendiary culture wars that threaten to consume all media attention that isn’t focused on the Russian …