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TELEVISION

Don't let the first two entries fool you: my articles on TV span more than series in which Jeffrey Dean Morgan appears.

The Walking Dead: Negan as Sadomasochistic Fantasy

Hot dad and sadistic villain — why casting Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan works so well.
Pop Matters, May 2016

In Appreciation of The Good Wife's Jason Crouse (co-authored with Dr. Kristen Warner)

In Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character, the series’ writers have created the perfect man.
The Outtake, March 2016

Targeting Black Viewers: What The Wiz Live! Tells Us about Race and TV Advertising

Viewers of The Wiz Live! noticed an uptick in ads targeting black viewers. Or did they? I ran some numbers.
The Conversation, December 2015

Can Stephen Colbert Uphold David Letterman’s Legacy—and Tone?

Will the new host preserve any of Letterman’s tone: the subversive wit, cynical charm, absurdist play?
In Media Res, September 2015

Why You Know Marc Maron Better Than Your Own Family

How the transmedia work of comedian/podcaster Marc Maron engages with fans.
JSTOR Daily, April 2015

Rednecks: A Brief History of the Term

What's a "redneck" exactly? I explore a brief history of the meaning of the word while coming to terms with my own hometown (in North Louisiana).
JSTOR Daily, April 2015

The Anatomy Missing from Masters of Sex

One thing about Masters of Sex's second season did not change: the double standard with which it portrays male and female bodies.
AlterNet, September 2014

12 Slams on Seinfeld

For its first two seasons, Seinfeld was panned by critics for being too lame, too self-indulgent, too racist, too homophobic, too yuppish, and too liberal.
Mental Floss, July 2014

Comic Conversations and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Jerry Seinfeld's web series distinguishes itself from similar interview shows through its constant mobility, focus on civility, and high production values.
FlowTV, July 2013

Louie's "God" As Cathartic Television

After watching the episode "God," fans recalled "being brainwashed [in their youth] with horror stories of hell and torture."
In Media Res, March 2012

Sex and Screwball Comedy in The Good Wife

Classical screwball comedy showcases "situations arising from the duel tensions of sexual and ideological conflict between its romantic leads," which we see in one relationship in The Good Wife.
In Media Res, October 2011

Bromance and the Boys of Boston Legal

Perhaps the most atypical feature of the primetime courtroom drama/comedy is its persistent exploration of homosociality.
FlowTV, January 2011

Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear: For the Young or the Young at Heart?

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was an event aimed heavily at Generation X and Baby Boomers.
FlowTV, November 2010

So Why Did Everybody Love Raymond?

Americans embraced the sitcom because it repositioned yet sustained the qualities that viewers (for better or worse) appreciated in Seinfeld: well-crafted, narcissistic characters suspended in adolescence, a consistent and humorous focus on the minutiae of human existence, and a guiding mantra of “no hugging, no learning."
FlowTV, August 2010

Paired Segments and Glee's Unevenness Explained

Much of Glee's unevenness boils down to Murphy’s refusal to implement consistently one of the most important structural conventions of the musical genre: paired segments.
FlowTV, July 2010

ABC's The Middle: Redefining the Working-Class Male

A closer look reveals the series is forging new territory, at least in terms of the representation of men in the working-class domestic sitcom.
FlowTV, June 2010

Why Letterman’s Scandal Took This Longtime Fan by Surprise

I have been a fan of David Letterman for 20 years. In high school and college, I tuned in periodically to both Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993, NBC) and the Late Show with David Letterman (1993-present, CBS).
FlowTV, January 2010

The Walking Dead Really Loves the Word "Save"

Televised storytelling relies on repetition, but too much can yield comic results.
Personal blog, July 2015

Mary Ingalls’ Blindness Freaked Me the Hell Out

I was unnerved by The Little House on the Prairie images, but I didn’t dwell much on them — until nighttime.
Personal blog, July 2015

That Ain't Duck Dynasty's House

A recent image from the series reinforces the truth of the term “reality television”: it’s an oxymoron.
Personal blog, July 2015

Saturday Night Live, the Guys, and Me

SNL’s 40th anniversary special reminds me: I’m the generation on its way out.
Personal blog, February 2015

One Last Christmas with Darlene Love and David Letterman

The powerhouse rock/gospel singer will belt her song “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” on the Late Show with David Letterman for the last time.
Personal blog, December 2014