How Accurate is “Boardwalk Empire” at Recreating its Era?
Edward McGinty, who not only plays Al Boyd in the show but is also head historical researcher and consultant, told Wired that “the first season was more about building the world. It was a lot of…
Is “Boardwalk Empire” a Docudrama?
No. Creator Terence Winter wanted the setting and context to be as detailed and as faithful as possible to the non-fiction work that inspired the show, but the plot and characters are strictly…
Is “Louie” a Misogynist?
The fourth season featured an episode where Louie tries to rape a friend and recurring character who had been the object of infatuation in prior seasons. (It’s one of a handful of core plot…
Is “Louie” Autobiographical?
No. While the premise (like much of his stand-up comedy) draws heavily from his own personal life, it was merely a starting point. As Louie C.K. has stated many times, “the show has broken off…
Does “Homeland” Misrepresent Muslims?
The show has been criticized by some for its portrayal of Muslims, particularly Al Jazeera broadcast journalist Laila Al-Arian, who wrote a widely-read, scathing review for Salon, and foreign…
Why Did Louis C.K. Choose to Make His Ex-Wife African-American on His Show?
According to Louie C.K., “When I was drawing from my own life, I didn’t want to have the story be about an ex-husband and ex-wife—that relationship wasn’t what I wanted to write about. I…
Why Does “Louie” Have so Many Continuity Inconsistencies?
Though the show does maintain certain elements from episode-to-episode, Louie C. K. has made it clear that he’s not dedicated to continuity and more than willing to break from television…
How Has “Girls” Been Controversial?
Even though Girls wasn’t thematically an enormous departure from Dunham’s previous work, it was her first work to be widely distributed for a broad, mainstream audience, and it was met with…
What’s the Similarity Between “Homeland” and the John Frankenheimer Film “The Manchurian Candidate”?
Frankenheimer’s landmark film also deals with a prisoner of war who returns home as a war hero even though he’s secretly switched his allegiance to another country. Besides the premise, many…
Does “Parks and Recreation” Push a Political Agenda?
Despite its small-town government setting and subject matter, Parks and Recreation (2009-2015) doesn’t immediately strike the viewer as a politically charged show. Its tone is generally sunny and…
How Much of “Parks and Recreation” Actually Addresses Real Life Politics?
When shows deal with politics, creators are faced with a major question: just how extensively should the series address real-world politics? In the cases of some contemporary shows, the series’…
Why Did Tina Fey Choose To Do a Show That Was so Close to Her Experiences at “Saturday Night Live”?
When Tina Fey was a given a development deal with NBC, her first pitch was a sitcom about cable news. Fey would haved played the producer of a Bill O’Reilly-type show hosted by a character played…