• How to Cite
  • Language & Lit
  • Rhyme & Rhythm
  • The Rewrite
  • Search Glass

How to Write a Television Show Review

Television reviews focus on a range of TV shows, such as nail-biting dramas or situation comedies, but they all provide a critical perspective that entices readers to watch the show. In a review, draw upon a show's performance and production, and illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of a show, as well as what audiences might enjoy most. Reviews evaluate the overall production and performance of a show and also compare the show to the cast and crew's previous work.

Summarize the Plot

In the first paragraph, describe the show's basic storyline to pique readers' curiosity and give them context for the rest of your review. Incorporate a brief plot summary, which introduces the central character and his primary conflict, and also introduces the setting, time period and genre. Since your readers have not yet seen the show, limit your summary to only the most important details. Don't reveal plot spoilers, which could ruin the story for potential viewers.

Provide Production Information

Since many shows earn reputations based on previous credits of a show’s production team, comparing the show with the creators' and writers' previous work can help readers connect it with programs they're already familiar with. You might discuss how the show fits into the creators’ overall body of work or compare and contrast it with other shows they've produced. A television show also may earn cult status among a specific audience demographic or blaze creative trails with its structure and episodes. Describing the show's unique appeal to viewers and groundbreaking elements can reveal what sets it apart from programs that may be similar.

Critique the Script

All television shows begin as scripts that incorporate carefully composed dialogue with production directions. Your review should detail how successful the show is in creating a believable plot and characters. Discuss how the dialogue reveals the characters, presents key story and plot information, or creates mood and tone. Write about the writer's use of action, developing the story through the characters' behavior. If the show takes place in a specific setting or time period, discuss how the costumes and scenery make the story real for the viewer.

Evaluate the Acting

The ability of the actors to evoke emotion and believability is a crucial mark of its success. Your review can evaluate the quality of the actors' performances and how they contribute to creating a realistic, entertaining story. Focus on the actor who portrays the show's central character, using specific examples to illustrate why his performance is successful, and also point out the supporting actors who add depth and meaning to the story. If you're reviewing an established show, consider how the characters have changed throughout the series and how the actors' performances contributed to this development.

  • American Library Association: Elements for Basic Reviews

Kori Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts in professional writing and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and has been crafting online and print educational materials since 2006. She taught creative writing and composition at West Virginia University and the University of Akron and her fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals.

Pitchgrade

Presentations made painless

  • Get Premium

126 TV Show Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Are you struggling to come up with a topic for your TV show essay? Look no further! We have compiled a list of 126 TV show essay topic ideas and examples to help inspire your writing. From analyzing character development to discussing social themes, there is a wide range of topics to choose from. Whether you are a fan of drama, comedy, or reality TV, there is something for everyone on this list. So grab your popcorn and get ready to dive into the world of television!

  • Analyze the character development of Walter White in Breaking Bad.
  • Discuss the representation of mental illness in the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
  • Explore the theme of power dynamics in Game of Thrones.
  • Compare and contrast the relationships between the characters in Friends and How I Met Your Mother.
  • Examine the role of technology in Black Mirror.
  • Discuss the portrayal of race and ethnicity in Orange is the New Black.
  • Analyze the impact of social media on reality TV shows like The Bachelor.
  • Explore the theme of family in The Simpsons.
  • Discuss the representation of gender in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
  • Analyze the use of flashbacks in Lost.
  • Compare and contrast the different seasons of American Horror Story.
  • Discuss the role of religion in The Handmaid's Tale.
  • Explore the theme of identity in The Good Place.
  • Analyze the role of humor in The Office.
  • Discuss the representation of LGBTQ+ characters in Modern Family.
  • Explore the theme of survival in The Walking Dead.
  • Analyze the use of music in Glee.
  • Discuss the portrayal of mental health in BoJack Horseman.
  • Compare and contrast the different generations of Doctor Who.
  • Analyze the role of politics in House of Cards.
  • Discuss the representation of women in Sex and the City.
  • Explore the theme of friendship in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
  • Analyze the use of symbolism in Twin Peaks.
  • Discuss the portrayal of addiction in Shameless.
  • Compare and contrast the different timelines in Westworld.
  • Analyze the role of nostalgia in Stranger Things.
  • Discuss the representation of disabilities in Breaking Bad.
  • Explore the theme of morality in The Good Place.
  • Analyze the use of animation in Rick and Morty.
  • Discuss the portrayal of class in Downton Abbey.
  • Compare and contrast the different settings in Game of Thrones.
  • Analyze the role of technology in Black Mirror.
  • Discuss the representation of race and ethnicity in Orange is the New Black.
  • Discuss the portrayal of gender in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

With so many TV show essay topic ideas to choose from, you are sure to find the perfect topic for your next paper. Whether you are interested in analyzing character development, exploring social themes, or discussing the impact of technology, there is something for everyone on this list. So grab your remote, turn on your favorite show, and start brainstorming your next TV show essay topic!

Want to create a presentation now?

Instantly Create A Deck

Let PitchGrade do this for me

Hassle Free

We will create your text and designs for you. Sit back and relax while we do the work.

Explore More Content

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

© 2023 Pitchgrade

ProMovieBlogger

How to Avoid Copyright Claims when Using Photographs in Your Articles

Meta Logo Person On Facebook Cellphone

Facebook Verified Account Review: One Month with a Meta Verified Blue Check for a Facebook Group & Page Admin

Woman Loves Coffee Microsoft Bing

Steps to Getting Your Website included into Bing News and the Benefits of Inclusion

Woman Examining Papers Glasses Computer Monitor Chalk Board

3 Steps to Analyzing Site Traffic and Replicating High Traffic Articles for Increased Pageviews

Mark Margolis Katie Mcguinness Miranda Edwards Daveed Diggs Snowpiercer First The Weather Changed

Snowpiercer: Season 1 Blu-ray Giveaway

Woman Hand Up Stop Black And White

How to Protect your Website and Intellectual Property from Article Web Scrapers and Plagiarism

Woman Examining Papers Glasses Computer Monitor Chalk Board

The 5 Fingers of SEO: An Easy Keyword Placement Strategy Infographic

WordPress Permalink Setting Page

Make Your Website’s Permalink Google News Compliant on Day One

tv series review essay

8 WordPress Plugins: Podcast, Images, Meta, Optimization, Nagivation

SpoilerTV Logo

Interview: SpoilerTV’s Andy Page on Organization, Page Load Speed, & Blogger

We Got This Covered Logo

Interview: We Got This Covered’s Matt Joseph on Site Planning & Content

Joblo Movie Network Logo

Interview: JoBlo’s Berge Garabedian on Growing a Site, Revenue, and Passion

Reel Talk Logo

Interview: Reel Talk’s Candice Frederick: Moving Beyond the Blog

Meta Logo Person On Facebook Cellphone

Reelkandi.tv Video Player Publisher Review: Deceit, Non-Payment: Pt: 5

Ben Affleck Rebecca Hall The Town

Reelkandi.tv Video Player Publisher Review: Deceit, Non-Payment: Pt: 4

Rebecca Hall The Town Bank Robbery

Reelkandi.tv Video Player Publisher Review: Deceit, Non-Payment: Pt.3

Mark Margolis Katie Mcguinness Miranda Edwards Daveed Diggs Snowpiercer First The Weather Changed

Betty Blue (1986): The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Contest

WRECK-IT RALPH (2012) Blu-ray Giveaway

WRECK-IT RALPH (2012) Blu-ray Giveaway

Hotel Transylvania (2012) Blu-ray Giveaway

Hotel Transylvania (2012) Blu-ray Giveaway

How to outline to efficiently write a review for a tv show episode.

' src=

Table of Contents

Outlining your TV show review before you write it is your best review writing strategy. By preceding your review by writing a simple, moderate, or complex outline consisting of key events in the TV show episode, you will know where you are going with your TV show episode review before you begin writing it.

An outline can be written quickly (one-to-five minutes) or it could take you up to twenty or thirty minutes, depending upon how complex you wish to make it. After completing your outline, when writing your TV show episode review, you won’t have to rack-your-brain for what to write about. It will be there, on paper or on-screen, in front of you.

Body Bullet Points

Write out the main points from the TV show episode (descriptive notes), that you want to talk about and analyze in your review. Jot them down into sparsely-worded bullet points, words, or phrases that bring up the key points in your mind from the TV show episode that you wish to explore, discuss, and review in your critique.

After that is done, build paragraphs around each of those moments, each of those points. Break each point apart and analyze it in those paragraphs. What made those points good, what made them bad, what made them memorable?

As you go through your newly created list, building your outline, and eventually begin writing your review, narrow this list down, combine items where possible.

As you do this more and more, these process will become automatic.

Writing the Review

I have written about writing reviews for a TV series (or Blu-ray ), writing strategies , and 7 things to avoid when writing a review , so I will not go over that in this article.

When transforming your outline into a full review, remember:

The Opening – optional – The thesis statement where you give your overall thoughts on the TV show episode. You don’t have to do this. You can just go into the most important moment of the TV show episode that you want to talk about. If you have overall thoughts on the TV show episode, however, the opening of your review is where you should place it.

The Body – Complete all of your outline paragraphs, edit them, and decide in which order you want the paragraphs in your review to appear. The easiest order is sequential to the TV show episode but that is not always the best order for a review. As I mentioned in “The Opening,” you may want to begin your review with the most important part, in your opinion, of the TV show episode, the thing that hung above and beyond all other elements in the TV show episode in your mind.

The Closing – This can be a fixed ending – a per-determined ending to your review, what you had always intended to end your review with, what you intended to leave the reader with, or it can be an organic, the natural conclusion to the final paragraph of your review.

Different Review Structures Examples

This Penny Dreadful : Season 3, Episode 4: A Blade of Grass TV show review is representative of the end result of a structured outline and thought-process. It is, for the most part, sequential, but for a even larger part its the author (I’m the author) talking about the episode and its elements while comparing it to previous episodes in the TV series, other TV series, and films as well. This is what outlining does – it helps you to thoroughly think about the subject matter under review and all of the points of comparison and contrast that spring to mind. This Outlander : Season 4, Episode 8: Wilmington TV show review is an example of this as well.

For an example of a review distinctly broken up by separate sections, this Snowpiercer : Season 2, Episode 1: The Time of Two Engine TV show review serves as an example. In this review, you can literally see the skeleton of the outline in the review, especially in its sub-headings and how each section is defined by a single subject.

You can read here the differences between blending paragraph transitions vs. separate sections in review writing .

Key-points to remember:

  • Get your thoughts down on key moments from the episode on paper before writing your review
  • Refine those thoughts into sentences then create paragraphs from those refined sentences
  • Copy-edit your paragraphs, place them in the order that makes the most sense, and read through the finished review 5-7 times to catch any errors

I hope that you found this article helpful. If you did (or didn’t), leave your thoughts on it below in the comments. Want up-to-the-minute notification of newly published articles? ProMovieBlogger publishes articles by Email , Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , Tumblr , and Pinterest .

You may also like

Netflix House of Cards The Crown Stranger Things Love

How to Write a Review for an Entire Television Season

Twitter Followers

How to Increase Your Twitter Followers by 10,000 (10K)

Tumblr

How to Create A Tumblr Blog That Publishes Your Site’s Articles

About the author.

' src=

Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook, ProMovieBlogger, and TrendingAwards.

Connect with ProMovieBlogger

Trending on promovieblogger.

A Teacher Tv Show Poster Banner

Advertisement

tv series review essay

  • Odnoklassniki
  • Facebook Messenger
  • LiveJournal

You cannot copy content of this page

tv series review essay

LISTEN: Dark Patterns Mystifyingly Blends Dark Post-Punk Tropes With Infectious Electronics On “Dislocation”

tv series review essay

LISTEN: Omniscene’s Long-Lost “I’m On Mine” Finally Hits The Internet With Jazzy Hip-Hop Gusto

tv series review essay

Wilco Breaks Out Rarely Played Tunes At Solid Sound Festival (RECAP)

tv series review essay

Cass McCombs Announces Early 2000s Reissues & “As Paint On Fur Tour”

tv series review essay

North Mississippi Allstars’ Cody Dickinson Celebrates A New Way Of Life With First Solo Album ‘Homemade’ (INTERVIEW)

tv series review essay

Philly Rockers Cosmic Guilt Finds Perspective With ‘Palace Of Depression’ (INTERVIEW)

tv series review essay

Karen Haglof’s New LP ‘One Hand Up’ Is a Wild Multi-Genre Ride (INTERVIEW)

tv series review essay

RJD2 Details New Album ‘Visions Out Of Limelight,’ His Twenty-Plus Year Career & Starting His Own Label (INTERVIEW)

Album Reviews

tv series review essay

SML Break New Ground with Experimental Jazz Sounds on Debut ‘Small Medium Large’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Show reviews.

tv series review essay

NOFX’s Final Tour Comes Crashing Into Portland, OR with Pennywise, T.S.O.L., Subhumans and More (SHOW REVIEW)

Television & Film

tv series review essay

Music World Gives Payback To An Overlooked Legend On ‘Lee Fields: Faithful Man’ (FILM REVIEW)

DVD Reviews

tv series review essay

1982’s ‘Around The World’ Covers The Police On Their First World Tour (DVD REVIEW)

Other Reviews

tv series review essay

Kathleen Hanna Shares Deep and Introspective Stories in Memoir ‘Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk’ (BOOK REVIEW)

Film Reviews

tv series review essay

‘Licorice Pizza’ Can’t Carry Weight Of Its Parts (FILM REVIEW)

tv series review essay

‘Loki’ Gives Us Loki vs. Loki in Episode 3 (TV REVIEW)

tv series review essay

All the Movie Trailers from Super Bowl LIV

Commentary Tracks

tv series review essay

2021 Holiday Movie Preview: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘The Power of The Dog,’ ‘House of Gucci’ & More

tv series review essay

45 Years Ago Today – First Sony Walkman Is Released In Japan (Watch 1979 Retro Walkman Commercial)

tv series review essay

SONG PREMIERE: Darren Barrett Lays Down Sprawling Instrumental Funk Single “The Clav Is In Order”

tv series review essay

The Revolution Jam Like It’s 1984 Again At Minneapolis’ First Avenue For ‘Purple Rain’ Anniversary Week (PHOTOS)

tv series review essay

John Fred Young Of Black Stone Cherry Serves Up Another Round of Candid Hard Rock Insights (INTERVIEW)

tv series review essay

Austin’s Nick Taylor Gives Hearty Track By Track On Stellar Debut Album ‘Not Alone’

Vinyl Lives

tv series review essay

Portland’s Record Pub Serves Up Vinyl, Brews & Weekly Gatherings (VINYL LIVES)

These Walls

tv series review essay

Richmond, Virginia’s The Camel Keeps It Artist-Driven & Creatively Spirited (These Walls)

tv series review essay

Saxophonist John Helliwell (Formerly Of Supertramp) On A Life Of Jazz After Prog-Pop (HEY YOU/INTERVIEW)

tv series review essay

On The Map: Inside The Allman Brothers Band’s ‘Big House’ In Macon, GA

Vintage Stash

tv series review essay

The Replacements’ ‘Tim’ Let It Bleed Edition Proves Worth As Discerning & Durable Retrospective

tv series review essay

TIME OUT TAKE FIVE: Falkner Evans, Franco Ambrosetti, Jan Hammer & More

tv series review essay

SONG PREMIERE: Heart of Pine Ignites & Takes Notice With Fiery Country/Blues Rocker “Hello Heartache”

tv series review essay

SONG PREMIERE: Michael Des Barres Serves Up Rock ‘n’ Roll Cover of Roxy Music’s “Love is the Drug”

tv series review essay

SONG PREMIERE: The Freedom Affair Celebrate Inclusivity with Breezy Soul Harmonies on “Love Is Love”

tv series review essay

  • August 5, 2021
  • B-Sides , Columns

How to Write A TV Show Review: An Ultimate Guide

  • No Comments

The analysis of a cinematographic work aims to explain the meaning of a film or a sequence. To do this, it is essential to have empirical knowledge on the seventh art, but above all to have a real cinematographic culture as a spectator.

Why Analyze A Film?

The analysis of a film especially when you ask someone to “do my essay” on this subject, online essay writing service will help you to consists above all in studying the scenario, the construction of the plans, the soundtrack, the framing, the editing and the developed themes. Be careful, it is important not to confuse the analysis of a cinematographic work with the writing of a review. In any case, its purpose is not to issue a value judgment. It must always serve to express feelings and provide a general vision of the scope of the film.

How To Analyze A Filmographic Work?

The analysis of a cinematographic work always requires methodology as it might be difficult to avoid simply retelling the plot or expressing your opinion without proper analysis. Apart from that, closely watching a movie or TV show is a tedious task. In such cases, a movie research paper writing by Edubirdie will be the saving hand for students. Research assignments require a lot of time and preparation that students may not have, so a little help always comes in handy. 

Whatever your situation is, it is essential to be aware of how to write a proper review. So, let’s take a closer look at the main elements to analyze in order to achieve a good film analysis.

General presentation of the film

The analysis of a film necessarily begins by evoking its title. You will also remember to indicate the name of the director, the year of release, the historical context as well as the number of admissions of the film to the cinema.

A scenario study can also be used to support the general presentation of the work.

Give your opinion quickly

Don’t let the reader wonder if you liked the movie or not. You will have time to develop the reasons for your opinion later.

Develop your arguments based on tangible evidence gathered during the viewing of the film. Watch the movie or parts that interest you. No one will care about your opinion if you don’t try to argue it.

Study of plans and film clips

A film analysis necessarily requires a study of the shots and sequences that form the cinematographic narrative . It will then be necessary to describe the shots in order to indicate the movements and techniques of the camera. (panoramic view, diving, traveling, zoom, shoulder camera ..).

Sound band analysis

You can talk about the soundtrack and show how it influences the action or guides the narration of the work. Sounds outside the story, also called background music, should also be included in the study.

Assembly analysis

Editing is in fact an assembly of images and shots filmed during the shooting. For a film analysis, you will have to study the sequence of shots and say what type of editing it is: parallel editing, anachronistic editing, chronological editing, cut editing …

The pace of the staging should also be described: slow pace or fast pace?

Express your personality

This is not an essay, so you should make your mark in this review. If your writing style is pretty cool, your article should be too. If you are more serious and dramatic, use this tone as well. Your style should reflect your personality , because that’s what the reader will like.

So What Is Film Analysis?

A cinematographic analysis is:

1) Look for the relationships between the signified and the signifier

Such a moment, such a sequence mobilizes the attention of the spectator. The analysis should try to explain the issues between a possible meaning and a form.

2) Investigate the relationship between the filmic work and the viewer

For this part of the analysis, you can use psychoanalysis, the ideas of the film and the story in general. The study of the possible meanings of a cinematographic work must correspond to a clearly supported hypothesis (what do you want to say about the film?)

Finally, you will broaden your film analysis by evoking what already exists in this field of research.

In summary, the method of analysis must allow you to validate your critical gaze without ever distorting the work.

Related Content

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to glide.

tv series review essay

Dirty Three Try On Six Sonic Cohesive Pieces For Rewarding ‘Love Changes Everything’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

tv series review essay

CAUSTIC COMMENTARY: Dirty Three, Hiatus Kaiyote, Aaron Frazer, The Folk Implosion, Redd Kross & More

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Email Address*

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Movie Review — Review of the Series, Gossip Girl

test_template

Review of The Series, Gossip Girl

  • Categories: Movie Review

About this sample

close

Words: 1381 |

Published: Jan 15, 2019

Words: 1381 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Works Cited

  • Adler, R. B. (2005). Understanding Human Communication (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  • Altheide, D. L. (2002). Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis. Aldine Transaction.
  • Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. University of Texas Press.
  • Beresin, E. V. (Ed.). (2013). Media Impact on Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Advances in Adolescent Development. Routledge.
  • Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford University Press.
  • Livingstone, S. (2005). On the Relation Between Audiences and Publics. In S. Livingstone (Ed.), Audiences and Publics: When Cultural Engagement Matters for the Public Sphere (pp. 17-42). Intellect Books.
  • McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail's Mass Communication Theory (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
  • Meyrowitz, J. (1985). No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic Media on Social Behavior. Oxford University Press.
  • Turkle, S. (1997). Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. Simon & Schuster.
  • Van Zoonen, L. (2004). Feminist Media Studies. SAGE Publications.

Image of Dr. Charlotte Jacobson

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

  • 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
  • Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

author

Dr. Heisenberg

Verified writer

  • Expert in: Entertainment

writer

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 748 words

1 pages / 507 words

6 pages / 2540 words

2.5 pages / 1123 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Review of The Series, Gossip Girl Essay

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Movie Review

Exploring the intricate layers of societal interactions and human behavior, the analysis of societal dynamics in "Train to Busan" sheds light on the complex web of relationships that emerge in the face of adversity. This essay [...]

Psychological disorders are more commonly diagnosed in today’s society. Years ago, a psychological disorder was easily overlooked. In today’s society, it is easier to tell if someone has a psychological disorder because of all [...]

As the saying goes, “Beauty is only skin deep.” Elle Woods, in the film Legally Blonde, fulfills the proverb beautifully. The film debuted in 2001 during a time when feminism was not as notable as it is today; the early 2000s [...]

In this "The Notebook" movie review we delve into the poignant narrative of Duke, an elderly man who recounts a captivating story from his notebook to a fellow patient suffering from dementia in a nursing home. The story begins [...]

This is my comparison of Robert Zemeckis’ 2007 movie Beowulf and of the epic poem Beowulf. Robert Zemeckis’ 2007 movie tells the story of Beowulf, the character. However, they share not only similarities but also share [...]

Blade Runner 2049 is not only one of the greatest movies to be released in 2017, but one of the greatest movies in the sci-fi genre. Not only does this movie pay respects to the 1982 original film Blade Runner, but it manages to [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

  • Instructions Followed To The Letter
  • Deadlines Met At Every Stage
  • Unique And Plagiarism Free

tv series review essay

7.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically About Entertainment

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Compose a review based on a thesis supported by analysis and evaluation.
  • Demonstrate the steps of the writing process: invention, drafting, revising, and editing.
  • Participate in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.
  • Give and act on productive feedback to works in progress.
  • Adapt composing processes for a variety of technologies and modalities.

Throughout this chapter, you have learned about the review genre. You have learned that reviews evaluate a variety of items. In addition to books, films, and TV shows, people look to reviews to buy cars, choose restaurants, hire plumbers, and more. In this section, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the review genre by composing your own review.

Summary of Assignment: Review of Primary Media Source

Write a review of a specific film, book, TV series, podcast, play, or video game that you think contributes something significant to the genre and to the culture at large. Show how the subject—the primary source—of your review illustrates something compelling or exceptional about a particular idea or theme common to the genre. For example, the CW series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019) is a romantic comedy that eschews and even satirizes traditional romantic comedy tropes such as the “grand gesture,” doing something out of love for someone. Use specific evidence from your primary source to support a central idea, or thesis. In an essay of about 1,200 to 1,500 words, provide an overall judgment about your subject and support it with evidence from the primary source and from secondary sources if applicable. In addition, explore how your specific source has contributed something significant to its genre. In other words, why is this subject interesting, different, or worthy of analysis? Be sure to demonstrate awareness of your source’s cultural and historical context as well. For example, if your review is about a romantic comedy, provide relevant information about the history, conventions, or expectations of that genre. Think about and explain the ways your topic adheres to or breaks from audience expectations.

Another Lens 1. Create a three-to-five-minute podcast review of a specific film , book , TV series, album , podcast, play, or video game. How does the subject of your review illustrate something interesting or unique about a particular idea or theme common to the genre? Integrate specific evidence from the primary source and secondary sources, if applicable, to support a main idea, or thesis.

To record your podcast review, use either a simple recording method, such as the voice memo app on your smartphone, or something more sophisticated, such as Garage Band or iMovie. To become more familiar with this genre of reviewing, listen to one or two of the examples linked above. Note how this genre is somewhat different from an academic essay. For example, the speaker’s voice is more conversational and engages the audience auditorily by stressing particular words or syllables. In your review podcast, take advantage of the opportunity to present a more informal tone than you might use in an academic essay. Podcast hosts are often successful because of their personality and ability to connect with their audience. Draft a script for your review podcast that reflects your personality and use of language, rather than formal language. For example, use contractions, first- or second-person pronouns, and appropriate slang.

Finally, to maximize the effect of your podcast, consider incorporating short clips from the subject of your review. Upload your podcast review to SoundCloud and share your review with the class. For more direction on public speaking, consult Scripting for the Public Forum: Writing to Speak .

Another Lens 2. Instead of a straightforward review of a single primary source, review several sources in the same genre, as Caelia Marshall has done in her essay. Or compare a film to the book on which it is based and evaluate it. Select your sources from films, books, television programs, video games, or any other form of entertainment, focusing your review essay on a single area, such as social context, character development, or screenplay vs. original text. Choose other genre-specific evaluation criteria as well, and address them in your essay, as Marshall does. Use specific evidence from your primary sources and secondary sources, as needed, to support your main idea, or thesis. In other words, why is this source interesting, different, or worthy of analysis?

Quick Launch: Developing Evaluative Criteria

To write an effective review, you need clear and relevant evaluation criteria. To help you establish your review criteria, fill in a table similar to Table 7.3 by following these steps:

  • Write the name of your primary source.
  • In the left-hand column, write the genre category to which your topic belongs (horror, action, biography, etc.).
  • Under the genre, brainstorm as many characteristics of the genre as you can.
  • In the right-hand column, write “Examples.”
  • Brainstorm as much evidence from your primary source as you can think of.
  • Create a second table called “Subgenre.” For example, if your topic is a horror film, some possible subgenres might be “ghost horror,” “monster horror,” or “slasher horror.” Add a colon after Subgenre , and write the subgenre type.
  • Label the left-hand column “Subgenre Elements” and the right-hand column “How to Evaluate.”
  • In the Subgenre Elements column, brainstorm for as many characteristics of the subgenre as you can. You can use some relevant characteristics from step 3, but try to focus on unique characteristics of the subgenre. For example, what makes a horror film about a ghost, such as The Grudge (2020), different from a slasher horror film, such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)?
  • In the right-hand column, develop questions to assess characteristics.
  • Select three to five genre characteristics with the most evidence, and focus on them as you look closely at your primary sources. Take notes and gather evidence to support your evaluation.
(2003 Film)
Script/plot: Scary story Presented as a “true” story, scary ending
Characters: “Monster” or “thing” that kills Leatherface, a masked killer who wields a chainsaw
Characters: Victims, usually multiple Young people stranded on a road trip
Setting: Rural Texas Creepy locations with potential for violence
Special effects: (gore, jump scares, etc.) Gore: blood and guts
Sound effects: Screaming Many victims and screaming from road trippers
Cinematography: “Gross” or “creepy” images Meat plant, creepy house
One deranged killer Is the killer believable in the moment? Does the killer scare me?
One weapon characteristic to the killer Is the weapon creative? Does it fit the killer’s character?
Killer with a backstory Does the backstory tell me why the killer is deranged? Does it convince me it’s the reason they kill?
Killer hunts the victims Victims’ terror should be convincing: realistic screaming, fear, etc.
Creepy images: setting, props, etc. need to be realistic Are they realistic? How? How do the images add to the sense of fear?

Evaluation Criteria for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre :

The Killer (Leatherface): How effective is he at scaring the audience? How does he scare the audience (backstory, appearance, weapon, etc.)?

Images/Setting: How do the filmmakers create a creepy setting? How does the setting add to the fear?

The Victims: How do they project fear (screaming, etc.)? How effective or convincing is their fear?

Drafting: Thesis Statement, Analysis, and Supporting Examples

After you have selected a topic and decided on the evaluation criteria, spend some time looking closely at your primary source (the film, TV show, book, etc. you have chosen to review). With these criteria in mind, view/read/listen to your primary source. Take notes on how your selected evaluation criteria apply to your source. When you come across strong and relevant examples, write down vivid, detailed descriptions of the scene and quote applicable dialogue. By looking closely at your primary source and taking notes now, you will have solid and specific examples to illustrate your points later when you draft your review.

Also, while you are looking closely at your primary source, think about the features that appeal to you. Is there a character that is particularly interesting? Do you see an interesting viewpoint on a theme or idea? Is the writing or the use of language interesting, different, or clever? How does it keep your attention or provide something unexpected? The answers to these questions can lead you to your overall evaluation and thesis.

Use a graphic organizer like Table 7.4 to plan your draft. Then, you will use the notes you took earlier to help you brainstorm for the main points that support the thesis and provide specific, concrete evidence.

Overall way you will organize your review: aspects of the source you will analyze or criteria on which you plan to focus.

Example: female romantic-comedy leads.

Ways to narrow your focus, such as time, place, cultural context, comparison to similar sources.

Examples: the female lead in versus other female romantic comedy leads or how the 1961 film version of depicts Lena Younger as a “tyrant.”

The idea you’ll use to draft a working thesis; must be a debatable point about your topic.

Example: Rebecca Bunch, the female lead in , is flawed and not virtuous. Her shortcomings make her character more engaging than traditional romantic-comedy female leads.

One sentence (sometimes two) that clearly states your argument.

Example: Although most romantic-comedy female leads are virtuous and have admirable character traits, Rebecca Bunch is flawed and sometimes unsympathetic; however, the audience still roots for her to find love.

Planning the Main Points and Body Paragraphs

Your main points should be your topic sentences, expressed as one sentence at the beginning of each paragraph. Preview these main points by adding because to your thesis statement as illustrated below.

  • Because romantic comedies such as Knocked Up (2007) depict their leads as unquestionably “good” people . . .
  • Because Rebecca Bunch is sometimes selfish . . .
  • Because Rebecca Bunch is sometimes promiscuous . . .
  • Because despite these flaws, men still seek her attention . . .
  • Because the audience sees Rebecca as realistic, they root for her . . .

Now complete a graphic organizer like Table 7.5 by adding your main points from your primary source.

Point 1. Because . . .

Explanation:

Example:

Point 2. Because . . .

Explanation:

Example:

Point 3. Because . . .

Explanation:

Example:

Point 4. Because . . .

Explanation:

Example:

As you continue to plan your review, consider these questions: Depending upon your audience, how much background or context should you provide about your topic? Are they likely or unlikely to have knowledge about the topic? Do you need to summarize anything about your primary source? Do you need to provide historical or cultural context? Use the notes you took earlier as your draft your essay. Remember, you can change things! It is up to you to decide how to organize your argument and where to present specific evidence.

Your review will contain both summary/observation (objectivity) and evaluation/analysis (subjectivity). Practice determining whether statements are summary or observation as opposed to evaluation or analysis.

Secondary Source Evidence

Once you form your own opinions, you may want to look for additional sources to support your review. Secondary sources, or sources that contain the opinions and analyses of others, are frequently used in academic writing to help writers support a point or provide background and context. Scholarly, peer-reviewed secondary sources give your review greater credibility because the articles are written by experts in their fields. Use your college library’s databases, or ask a librarian whether your college provides access to journals that publish articles on movies, television, and culture. Most colleges have access to JSTOR, a database search engine focused on the humanities. In addition, the MLA International Bibliography is a common database of journals related to culture. Research Process: Accessing and Recording Information and Annotated Bibliography: Gathering, Evaluating, and Documenting Sources provide more information about finding sources.

Another, less academic, place to look for secondary sources is in Recap . In recent years, recapping has become a popular way to join the conversation about TV shows, with sites such as The AV Club , The Huffington Post , Slate , The Verge , and Vox dedicating staff to summarizing and discussing popular shows. Fans engage with each other and recap writers by commenting on and sharing the articles.

Note, too, that well-known publications, such as The New York Times , review not only movies and TV shows but also products such as those you may have chosen to write your review about. In addition, Consumer Reports is one of the longest-running magazines dedicated to reviewing products of all kinds. Many websites, as well, review video games and consoles.

Drafting the Introduction

The introduction should interest readers in your topic and make them eager to learn more about it. If you were proposing this idea to a company, what would your “elevator pitch” be? What might you say to quickly pique audience interest? You might describe the part that convinced you it was good. You might explain why your audience would find the topic relatable.

Be sure readers know by the end of the introduction what specifically you are reviewing. Provide the title and necessary background/context: when it was made, the medium (film, book, podcast), the genre, and how to find it (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu). Include your overall evaluation: Did you like it or not, and why overall?

Then present your thesis at the end of your introduction.

student sample text Introduction example. Many people love romantic comedies, but what happens when real life isn’t like the movies? We are conditioned to believe there is one person we are destined to be with. Disney movies, TV shows like The Office , Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, and traditional romantic comedies reinforce the notion that for the believer, true love is right around the corner. But everyone knows the pain of rejection or of pining for a person who doesn’t seem to notice them. The CW series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend shows what it’s like when love is more complicated than what we see in the movies. The show follows Rebecca Bunch, a successful but unhappy—and far from virtuous or admirable—New York lawyer who instantly abandons her life to move to West Covina, California, to pursue Josh Chan, her summer-camp crush from long ago. Rebecca cooks up crazy, desperate schemes to get the attention of the aloof and clueless Josh. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend masterfully taps into our inner crazy ex by making good comedy out of Instagram stalking, relationship sabotage, and infatuation. end student sample text

Now, write your introduction:

General statement: ________

Background or context: ________

Brief summary: ________

Evaluation: ________

Thesis: ________

Drafting the Body

For the body of the review, provide more background and context wherever you think such information is necessary. Because the purpose of this part of the review is to present the main points that support the thesis, be sure to show how these points explain the criteria on which you have based your evaluation. Back up the main points with specific, concrete evidence from your primary source. At this point, return to your early notes and use the descriptions and quotations you gathered. You will likely have collected more evidence as well. Use a graphic organizer like Table 7.6 to create your draft. Main points 1 and 2 should be your topic sentences.

Main point 1

Explanation:

Evidence:

Quotations:

Secondary source evidence (if needed):

Main point 2

Explanation:

Evidence:

Quotations:

Secondary source evidence (if needed):

Main point 3

Explanation:

Evidence:

Quotations:

Secondary source evidence (if needed):

Main point 4

Explanation:

Evidence:

Quotations:

Secondary source evidence (if needed):

Main point 5

Explanation:

Evidence:

Quotations:

Secondary source evidence (if needed):

Drafting the Conclusion

For the conclusion, summarize briefly how the criteria you used led you to your evaluation, rephrase or validate your thesis, and make a recommendation.

student sample text Conclusion example. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a refreshing take on the romantic comedy genre. It elevates comedy by using catchy, original songs to accompany clever dialogue. Though Rebecca is intense and extreme, her situation is relatable, and she comes across as more sympathetic than not, proving that people don’t have to be perfect to be deserving of love. The departures from the romantic comedy playbook leave the audience guessing what will happen next, ensuring the show never feels tired or stale. What comes after the grand gesture and big kiss? That’s a question this show tries to answer, and sooner than you might expect. If you’re looking for a new binge-worthy show, clear your calendar for the next week and give Crazy Ex-Girlfriend a try. end student sample text

Now, write your conclusion.

Brief summary of criteria and evaluation: ________

Restate or validate thesis: ________

Make a recommendation: ________

Peer Review: Conferencing with a Partner

After you finish your draft, receiving feedback from a peer will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses in your review. Because writers sometimes find it hard to review their work from the perspective of their audience, peer feedback will help you see your writing in ways not obvious to you. As a peer reviewer yourself, try to offer suggestions to make the essay more like something you would want to read.

To give and receive the most effective feedback, use the following guidelines:

  • On your own draft, note the areas you are unsure about and where you especially want feedback. It’s a good idea to have specific questions so that your peer can focus on what you think will help you.
  • When you are assigned a peer, read their essay at least once without commenting, just to get a sense of what the essay is about.
  • Read the essay a second time. In the margins, add any comments or reactions to the essay.
  • In what ways are the first few sentences engaging?
  • Would you want to keep reading to learn more? Why or why not?
  • In what ways does the introduction clearly establish what is being reviewed? Does it provide sufficient background information? In what ways does the thesis make a judgment or an evaluation with a reason that leads to the judgment or evaluation?
  • Mark what you think the thesis is. If you find no clear thesis, mark something for the writer to focus on to arrive at a thesis.
  • Jot down one or two prodding, open-ended questions to help the writer develop or revise the thesis.
  • Is enough background provided, either in the introduction or early in the body, to give you a complete sense of what the writer is evaluating?
  • If there is not enough background, jot down a few questions that could be answered with additional background and context.
  • What is the main point of each body paragraph?
  • In what ways do the main points support the thesis (my thesis is true because . . .)?
  • Do the body paragraphs contain specific, concrete details from the primary source to support the main points?
  • If the body needs more specific details, mark places where the writer can add more detail.
  • Does the conclusion clearly tie up the main points?
  • If not, how might the writer revise the conclusion?
  • Although your task is not to edit the essay or mark every error, point out any consistent patterns of grammatical errors.
  • When you have finished, summarize your comments at the end of the review by writing three things on which your peer can focus when revising.

As you work, be detailed and specific in your comments so that your peer can use them to make revisions:

  • What specifically is working or not working?
  • Why is it working or not working?
  • What can the writer do specifically to revise?

If you are having trouble finding something to comment on, remember that you can make comments about what the writer does well. Be sure to explain in detail why you think it’s working. Be sure to consult Evaluation: Effect on Audience as well.

Revising: Maintaining Ownership

When you receive your reviewed essay, look over the comments. Remember that they are merely suggestions; your revisions are ultimately up to you. For example, a sentence fragment, while technically incorrect, could be an effective way to emphasize a point. It is your call to decide whether your use of language is appropriate for your audience and purpose. With that said, however, it’s possible your peer pointed out something you did not notice.

As you revise, keep in mind the following success criteria. Ensure your essay has them:

  • Specific topic : The essay is about a specific TV show, film, book, podcast, video game, or other primary source(s).
  • Interesting lead : You show your audience why this topic interests you and try to capture their attention.
  • Thesis : You present a clear, debatable, and specific thesis about your topic.
  • Body : The body supports the thesis with clear main points. Summary is used effectively to provide background and context.
  • Specific details : You support your main points with relevant and ample details (in the form of quotations, paraphrases, vivid descriptions, etc.) from the primary source or sources as well as secondary sources, if you have used them.
  • Citation : Sources are cited correctly in the text.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction
  • Authors: Michelle Bachelor Robinson, Maria Jerskey, featuring Toby Fulwiler
  • Publisher/website: OpenStax
  • Book title: Writing Guide with Handbook
  • Publication date: Dec 21, 2021
  • Location: Houston, Texas
  • Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction
  • Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/7-5-writing-process-thinking-critically-about-entertainment

© Dec 19, 2023 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.

Geek Vibes Nation

How To Write A TV Show Review: A Detailed Overview

  • By Amanda Dudley
  • May 5, 2022
  • No Comments

tv series review essay

Writing a professional TV show review isn’t as easy as you think. Throwing several facts in the message and writing your thoughts on them isn’t enough. Such a structure is great when you’re leaving a comment on Amazon after buying a DVD or a digital copy. But if you aim at a professional review such as essaysevice com review , consider things like the director’s previous work, the script, etc.

You can always use a writing service in case of an emergency. Such online writing websites, like SmartWritingService, have hundreds of professional academic writers, ready to assist 24/7. A lot of them are trained in writing reviews and do this on a daily basis. Nevertheless, it’s still very important to know how to write a TV show review yourself.

We’ve prepared several methods pro reviewers use to make their messages stand out.

Things That Make a TV Show Review Good

There are two important questions to answer:

  • What do you want to convey with your review?
  • What do your potential readers want to see in it?

By combining the two things and writing them in a proper way, you can make the best TV show review possible.

The answer to the first question might be that you loved the show and want to promote it and recommend it to other people. It might also be that you liked some of the parts but there are things that, in your opinion, could have been portrayed better. And it also may be that you didn’t like the show at all, the script is boring and plain, and that you don’t recommend this show to anyone.

As to the second question, it’s much easier to answer. Usually, people read reviews to find out whether the show is worth their time and money (in case they want to buy a copy). 

Some additional elements of a good review are:

  • Entertaining bits like jokes, sarcastic comments, etc. Make sure you don’t overdo it, though;
  • Interesting facts about the show, actors, director, etc.;
  • Your personality as a reviewer. This is especially important if you want people to follow your future work.

What to Include in a Review

There are specific things that look good in TV show reviews, given you’re writing about them properly and do sufficient research beforehand. While your personal opinion is very important, there must be some clear information for the readers to try and make their own conclusions.

Let’s see what a review can contain:

  • Plot summary. There are two types of such summaries: a full one and a partial one. The first can be used if you’re writing on a platform where people go to read the full plot of the show. This means they aren’t afraid of spoilers. The second one is to give the reader a taste of the show.
  • Write your opinion on the script. Think about how well the show was written. Does the script awake any emotions? Are the characters natural? What about the dialogues? Do you have to stop the show to understand what’s going on? Paying attention to the script will make you a better reviewer since you’ll understand what is worth watching and what common mistakes are.
  • Evaluate the actors. How well have the actors portrayed a character? Is the age proper? The attitude? What about their acting credentials? If the show has a lot of actors, it’s a good idea to evaluate the main ones in detail and all the other ones in general. A talented cast can make a plain script seem much better.
  • Mention the directors’ other works. If relevant, write more about the other works of the director. Maybe there are some honorable mentions? You can compare the level of “that one” movie or show with the one you’re reviewing. This will put a lot of things in perspective and can become the main point of the whole review.

Proper Writing Is Another Key

No review is good without proper vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Here’s a checklist of all the things to pay attention to when writing:

  • Keep the structure easy to understand and read;
  • Make the paragraphs connected, don’t leave cliffhangers in the middle of a review unless you’re doing it on purpose;
  • Proofread the text several times;
  • Use online tools to check grammar and punctuation;
  • Make sure you use proper vocabulary. Make the reviews sound smart but not too much;
  • Be fair, don’t base the whole text only on your opinion. Some people might like the show that you think is trash just because the main actress isn’t blonde, even though you imagined her blonde in this role.

To Summarize

Reviews are one of the most powerful ways to promote or destroy a show. Before buying, watching, listening to anything, people go online to find reviews. Customer time is precious, and they never want to waste it on a movie or a show they won’t like. There are thousands of reviews online, you can find them on YouTube, Amazon, and specialized platforms. But if you want to stand out as a professional reviewer, put some effort into your message.

Include your persona there, joke, provide interesting information, make it catchy and easy to read. And practice a lot to make sure you improve with every new TV show review you write. There are enough shows to watch and write about, so go ahead!

Amanda Dudley

Amanda Dudley is a lecturer and writer with a Ph.D. in History from Stanford University. After earning her doctorate in 2001, she decided to pursue a fulfilling career in the educational sector. So far, she has made giant strides by working as an essay writer for EssayUSA , where she delivers high-quality academic papers to students who need them.

Related Posts

guest

‘A Family Affair’ Review – A Swoon-Worthy Romance With A Main Character Problem

‘a quiet place: day one’ review – beautifully human and exceptionally thrilling, no streaming required: physical media spotlight for the week of june 25th, new arrivals coming to netflix in july 2024, connect with us.

x-logo-twitter-transparent-logo-download-3

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

How to Write an Evaluation Essay on TV Shows

26 sep 2017.

Some TV shows are much better than others.

Even though there are several guidelines and specific formatting criteria that a professor, instructor or boss will expect from your evaluation essay, at the heart of a well-developed evaluation is your own unique and cutting opinions on a particular subject. TV shows come in many variations, but there are a number of similarities between all of them that allow you to evaluate and compare each one. By analyzing several universal dynamics shared by all TV shows, you will be able to evaluate them in an intelligent and thought-provoking way and organize your opinions in an interesting and opinionated evaluation essay.

Explore this article

  • Genre and Audience
  • Overall Quality

1 Genre and Audience

Begin writing your evaluation essay by pinpointing the specific genre of the TV show you’re evaluating, and identify the intended audience of that TV show. The genre reveals the TV show’s intent. If a particular show’s striving to be funny, it drastically alters your interpretation and evaluation of the show than if you were watching a drama, mystery, thriller or news program. The same is true of identifying the audience. You won’t form an opinion and evaluation for a show geared for children in the same way you would for a young adult or adult show. Once the audience and genre are identified, you can begin to form an opinion regarding the overall success of a TV show, and your audience will have a clear idea of what kind of show you’re critiquing.

An attribute that is at the heart of many great TV shows is great writing. In your evaluation essay, take a stance on the writing quality. It will benefit your essay to take a strong position on whether or not the story and central conflict are well-developed and if the dialogue is natural and fluid. Use specific examples from the TV show when constructing your essay, and make each specific example significant and in line with your position.

The actors are given the responsibility of physically interpreting and presenting the writing and have a great deal to do with how you feel about the overall success of a TV show. Form an opinion of whether or not the acting is realistic and believable. If you feel as though the acting is poor, explain in your essay why you feel this way with hard-hitting critique and relevant examples from the show.

4 Overall Quality

Something that you should address in your essay is your overall reaction to the quality of the TV show. If it is clear that the show is trying to be funny and culturally relevant, do you feel that it succeeds in these ventures with any kind of clarity and power? Your reader will undoubtedly want to know if you’d recommend the television program, and the central stance you take in your evaluation should clearly communicate whether or not you’d recommend the show to others.

  • 1 Aims Community College: The Evaluation Essay
  • 2 University of Nevada, Reno: Quick Guide to an Evaluation Essay

About the Author

Jake Shore is an award-winning Brooklyn-based playwright, published short story writer and professor at Wagner College. His short fiction has appeared in many publications including Litro Magazine, one of London's leading literary magazines. Shore earned his MFA in creative writing from Goddard College.

Related Articles

What Is a Subjective Essay?

What Is a Subjective Essay?

Passive Agreement Speech

Passive Agreement Speech

How to Write a Hero Speech

How to Write a Hero Speech

How to Write an Essay Synopsis

How to Write an Essay Synopsis

How to Write a Request for a Waiver for the Military

How to Write a Request for a Waiver for the Military

Ways to Write a Closing Argument for a Classroom Debate

Ways to Write a Closing Argument for a Classroom Debate

How to Give a Good 8th-Grade Speech

How to Give a Good 8th-Grade Speech

How to Start Off an Essay on Why I Should Be Accepted to a College

How to Start Off an Essay on Why I Should Be Accepted...

Purpose of Writing an Essay

Purpose of Writing an Essay

How to Write a Comparison Essay on Two Different Stories

How to Write a Comparison Essay on Two Different Stories

What Is a Narrative Anecdote?

What Is a Narrative Anecdote?

DRAPES for Persuasive Writing

DRAPES for Persuasive Writing

Tips on the Hook Statement in Persuasive Writing

Tips on the Hook Statement in Persuasive Writing

How to Write an Essay About a Piece of Literature

How to Write an Essay About a Piece of Literature

How to Write an Intellectual Biography for Graduate School

How to Write an Intellectual Biography for Graduate...

How to Write a Self-Descriptive Essay

How to Write a Self-Descriptive Essay

How to Write a Conclusion in an Analytical Essay

How to Write a Conclusion in an Analytical Essay

How to Write an Analysis on an Editorial

How to Write an Analysis on an Editorial

Help on How to Write & Analyze a Speech

Help on How to Write & Analyze a Speech

How to Write the Opening Paragraph of a Research Paper on a Famous Person

How to Write the Opening Paragraph of a Research Paper...

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Policy
  • Manage Preferences

© 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer .

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, black writers week, netflix's visual essay series voir is worth a look.

tv series review essay

The new Netflix series “Voir” bills itself as “A collection of visual essays for the love of cinema.” What this translates to is a collection of six short films, each approximately 20 minutes in length, in which a collection of film journalists use a combination of artistic analysis, personal details, and judiciously selected clips in order to examine both the hold that the medium has held on our collective imagination for more than a century, and the ways in which it has evolved over that time. This is not manifestly different from the countless number of similar videos one can find online at any given moment, other than the fact that those homegrown efforts presumably lack the money, solid legal clearances, and the imprimatur of David Fincher , who serves here as one of the executive producers.

The six episodes cover an array of topics, ranging from broad examinations to close analysis of specific films; the approaches similarly veer between the straightforward to the deeply personal. Three of the episodes come from Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou, who have done a number of visual essays in the past under the name Every Frame a Painting and whose efforts here tend to follow a more traditional and historical-minded approach to their subjects with mixed results. “The Duality of Appeal” utilizes expert testimony from Brenda Chapman and Gil Kenan to help explore the dynamics of design, in terms of how animators strive to make visually appealing characters and how CG animation has altered the landscape in that regard. Blending together history, criticism (especially in regards to the ways in which female characters tend to be developed) and a look at the actual filmmaking process, this is both the best of their contributions and one of the very best of the entire series.

“The Ethics Of Revenge” utilizes Park Chan-wook ’s brilliant and brutal “Lady Vengeance” as a vehicle to explore both the unending fascination we have with narratives driven by the need for revenge and the storytelling tricks and tropes utilized by filmmakers in the hopes of evoking a response from viewers without tripping over into outright sadism. This segment is not especially revelatory but it does lay out its arguments in a solid and straightforward manner that both film experts and comparative novices should find watchable. “Film Vs. Television” is a glib, not-especially insightful look at the shared history of the two competing formats and how the once-distinct lines between them have blurred in recent years. The essay only really comes alive during the section in which clips from Michael Mann ’s 1995 crime epic “Heat” and “L.A. Takedown,” a more compact dry run of the same story that he made as a TV movie six years earlier, are juxtaposed to illustrate the different approaches applied to the same material in their respective formats.

tv series review essay

Among the other episodes, “But I Don’t Like Him” finds Drew McWeeny utilizing his conflicted views regarding “ Lawrence of Arabia ” as a leaping-off point for an examination of narratives that we find to be fascinating despite—or perhaps because of—the unlikable nature of the protagonists driving them. Although intelligently executed, it does not really add anything new to the discourse on this particular topic, though it does allow for the inclusion of clips from a number of Martin Scorsese films along the way. 

The most curious of the episodes is “Summer of the Shark,” a more overtly autobiographical episode in which Sasha Stone juxtaposes her own coming of age in the mid-Seventies with the how the film industry shifted to a more blockbuster-heavy emphasis following the staggering financial success of Steven Spielberg ’s “ Jaws .” On the one hand, it doesn’t really offer much in the way of new insights on the topic of Hollywood’s move from telling stories to creating pre-packaged events, and the one interesting notion raised—the way in which this move tended to treat young female moviegoers almost as afterthoughts—gets a little lost in the shuffle. On the other hand, the more impressionistic moments illustrating the young Stone and her sister getting lost in the magic of the movies over that summer are striking enough to make one wish to see an entire feature film along those lines.

As it turns out, the best and most interesting episode of “Voir” is the final one, “Profane and Profound,” in which Walter Chaw examines Walter Hill ’s 1982 hit “48 Hrs”—which he saw for the first time when he was in the third grade—as a still-audacious examination of systemic racism. The film continues to pack a punch nearly 40 years after it first burst on the scene and transformed Eddie Murphy into a superstar unlike any that Hollywood had ever seen. As a passionate fan of Hill and his often-stunning, if sometimes overlooked, body of work, it's refreshing to see this film analyzed as more than simply the progenitor of the buddy cop subgenre that would emerge in its wake. Chaw’s analysis of the film and its impact on him merges the critical and the personal in smart, incisive ways that will have most viewers reaching for their copy of it as soon as the episode is over. Although “Voir” as a whole is ultimately worth a look, “Profane and Profound” is ultimately the keeper of the bunch and if another series of episodes comes along, here's hoping that future contributors will look towards it as an inspiration for their own efforts.

All episodes of season one screened for review. "Voir" premieres today on Netflix.

Peter Sobczynski

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

Latest blog posts

tv series review essay

Some Material May Be Inappropriate: The PG-13 Rating at 40

tv series review essay

The Unloved, Part 127: Highlander II: The Quickening

tv series review essay

“This Is The Life, Isn’t It?” Martin Mull: 1943-2024

tv series review essay

Kevin Costner: The Last of the Cornball American Directors

Latest reviews.

tv series review essay

A Quiet Place: Day One

Brian tallerico.

tv series review essay

Last Summer

Christy lemire.

tv series review essay

Sheila O'Malley

tv series review essay

Green Border

Godfrey cheshire.

tv series review essay

Kalki 2898 - AD

Simon abrams.

tv series review essay

Matt Zoller Seitz

  • Skip to main content
  • Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Pop Culture Happy Hour

  • Performing Arts
  • Pop Culture

The Seven Ways To Write About Television

Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes

A hand with a remote looking at many screens.

Perhaps it's the combination of Sunday night's Mad Men finale and the flurry of Sopranos discussion that followed the death of James Gandolfini, but it's hard not to be struck by the explosion of writing about television that's occurred in the last 15 years or so, facilitated (of course) by the ability to go from rolling credits to publication in an hour (if necessary). After any major episode, there will be a flurry of commentary, and even after minor episodes of minor shows, there are write-ups here and there.

But while these pieces — whether you call them recaps, reviews, essays, commentaries, whatever — may look the same, there are a bunch of different ways to do them, and understanding the kinds that are out there might help you find the kind you like. So here they are: the seven ways people commonly write about television.*

The Craft model . In a lot of ways, this is the kind of criticism with which people are most familiar. It's focused on the quality of work that goes into a show — how strong is the directing, writing, acting, lighting, scoring, and so forth. The higher-brow the show is, the more Craft writing there is; nobody spends a lot of time writing about the direction on NCIS or The Big Bang Theory , even if they like those shows.

That doesn't mean there is no craft — it just means either writers are usually not interested in writing about it or they don't have the familiarity with the form to analyze it effectively. Craft writing probably requires the most background knowledge and the most experience, and it's where you're most likely to fall into a hole if you don't actually know which pieces of a show's quality are the result of direction, for instance, versus writing. To give you an example of Craft done well, Matt Zoller Seitz is a Craft writer, mostly. (Although, I should note, everyone I know who's a good writer incorporates elements of all these models. But Matt is a Craft guy.)

The Ethical model. It's almost a subspecies within the Craft model, but it deserves its own section, I think. The Ethical model is where writers address the sociological implications of how the show is made. In the reality setting, this is pretty obvious — were people subjected to terrible conditions, and so forth. But Ethical writing also tends to incorporate issues of gender, race, sexuality, politics, and so forth. Perpetuating stereotypes, representation behind and in front of the camera — this is where Ethical writing gets its strength. Alyssa Rosenberg does a lot of Ethical writing at Think Progress; she's probably the only writer I can think of where that's what she sees as her primary beat (perhaps unsurprisingly).

The Puzzle model. This is the writing that tries to uncover hidden meanings and explain symbolism. The idea is to take your sharp eye, as the writer, and note things that other people perhaps wouldn't notice. The absolute best Puzzle writing I'm aware of at the moment is Mad Style , the weekly column breaking down the costuming of Mad Men , found at the fashion site Tom and Lorenzo . Most costume commentary, other than this, is part of the Craft model — admiring the sheer beauty of wardrobe choices or the skill in matching them to the period. But Mad Style treats fashion like other writing treats any other kind of messaging and applies specialized knowledge to surface pieces of the storytelling that aren't obvious.

But whenever writers are pointing out callbacks, metaphors, symbolism, lines that have double meanings — that's all Puzzle stuff. In many, many episode recaps, you'll find bullet points at the end, some of which will be Puzzle content that doesn't fit anywhere else.

The Maker model. These are the pieces of writing that focus on the relationship between a show and its creator, in spite of the fact that lots of people's work go into the final product. It's kind of like auteur theory in film, although it tends to be a little more from-the-hip with television, and it doesn't necessarily indicate that anyone is sophisticated enough to be considered an auteur. These are things like Emily Nussbaum's marvelous New Yorker piece on Ryan Murphy, "Queer Eyes, Full Heart." There are makers who attract much more Maker writing than others — Shonda Rhimes, oddly enough, attracts less of it than you might expect, given her massive impact on the ABC lineup, while Lena Dunham attracts outrageous tons of it, despite her relatively small audience. (Aaron Sorkin gets more of it the more he complains about it, which is sweet justice for someone, but I'm not sure who.)

The Riff model. This is writing that sees television primarily as a jumping-off point for jokes. It's what Television Without Pity was when I worked there, it's what Previously.tv is, and it's what a lot of Vulture recaps are, including (for instance) Dave Holmes writing about American Idol .

The Vignette model. On a personal note, this is probably the model I use the most. Monday's piece about the Mad Men finale falls into this category; on a less serious note, so does the Scandal piece I wrote about how everyone in the world should dump Fitz. In the Vignette model, you look at a piece of television as a little story, and then you address a bunch of discussion questions. Can Don be saved? Is Megan misunderstood? Can Walter White turn his life around? Should Alicia Florrick get back together with her husband? These aren't really about the quality of the product, exactly, they're questions the product provokes . The episode, in this case, just exists — it's like an essay question on a test. "Discuss."

A lot of people are completely baffled by Vignette writing. This is where you get the "What are you talking about THESE ARE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS!" stuff, as if you'd never talk about what the people in a story did unless it was true. The irony is that Vignette writing freaks people out, but it was the first literary analysis most of us ever learned: Why does this character lie? What should this person have done? What motivated Iago?

Vignette writing is also what animates just about everyone who likes writing about reality TV, because while there's a lot of craft involved in differentiating good reality from bad, that's not what most of the writing is about. Most of the writing, whether serious or funny, is about the people in the story and what their behavior says about the way people act. I don't remember ever having an incredibly fascinating conversation about the crafting of reality shows except with people who make them or appear on them, but I've had many, many great discussions about (for instance) the distinction between the kinds of men who win Survivor and the kinds of women who win, or why The Bachelor contestants act like being divorced is scandalous, or why you can't have alliances on The Amazing Race . Again, you just take the story as a story. Discuss .

The Service model. There are people who really do spend a lot of time just telling you what happened without comment, where the primary purpose of the piece is to fill you in if you missed it. This is basically a human taking the place of your DVR if you forgot to set it.

So there you have it: the seven ways to write about television. Of course, this is less a set of distinct areas with sharp boundaries and more a color wheel where one thing blends into another, because you'll usually see elements of all of them in a good and comprehensive piece of writing, but most of us are more interested in some of these kinds of writing than others, and it's good to have a sense of the landscape when you're looking for a home.

*These are ways, I should note, to write commentary. There is also a world of more traditional reporting, including profiles and breaking news, that's a separate issue entirely. That, in turn, is subdivided into business reporting (who's got a deal with which studio), show reporting (stories about production and creation), and the weird world of plot reporting (news stories about fictional characters — so-and-so will die, so-and-so will have an affair with so-and-so).

  • Order now 1(888)585-0586 1(888)216-9741
  • TV Drama Series Analysis

Introduction

The present essay provides a comprehensive analysis of a contemporary TV drama. I opted for Lost as an object of this research because of its popularity, original idea, inventive plot, and the complex relationship of the production and creative entities involved in its creation. The assessment will demonstrate a critical insight into the professional and industrial landscape, in which the contemporary TV drama is created and the interaction between the co-creators.

One of the most successful projects in the history of international serialization, Lost was launched in September 2004 and incorporated 121 episode. Its genre is a mix of adventure, mystery, suspense, science-fiction, and supernatural. A seemingly uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean becomes a shelter for several dozens of the Oceanic Airline’s Flight 815 surviving passengers. The six-year-long saga is a story of numerous ordeals and personal evolution. Each episode narrates dual timelines. Parallel to the events unfolding in the immediate present of the characters, the first three seasons present the audience with meaningful flashbacks. These digressions reveal the former character of the group members and allow understanding the way their experience on the island changed their identity. The second half of the drama delivers glimpses to the future. The drama’s finale introduces an innovative narrative strategy showing development of the character’s lives in the circumstances where the crash never happened. The basic plot is an ingenious interpretation of the eternal war between good and evil in the context of choices that people make in their daily lives. The island becomes a Purgatory for the wandering and lost human soles of the civilized world. It condemns each character to the furnace of hardships as a way to test his or her moral principles, life experience, and physical capacity. The main theme is supplemented by numerous secondary topics, such as true friendship, solidarity, self-sacrifice, the strife between science and religion, the concepts of insiders and outsiders, love, etc.

As envisioned by the film writers, the closing scenes compose an open ending by posing new mysteries and withholding answers to important questions. This strategy invites the viewers to become co-creators by employing own imagination and critical thinking. This approach firmly asserts the TV series as a unique cultural phenomenon. The idea brings the show beyond the common entertainment elements of the mass market and qualifies it as a tool of personal transformation towards enlightenment. 

Charged with intense emotions, invested with the high-degree of realism, and animated with vehement action, the narrative keeps the viewers on constant alert and forces them to empathize and identify with the characters. The epic ending empowers each follower with the power of self-awareness and self-determination. Just as every character of the drama, every viewer can find his or her true self.

Lost jumped on the bandwagon of success of the Chris Carter’s The X-files, which introduced the mystery, intellectual symbolism, conspiracy theories, and the idea of the insidious societies opposing the protagonists. The science-fiction drama tackled the most current trends in the professional and industrial landscape to deliver some of the most appealing products of the time. Ever since the advent of television, there have been three major forms of material presentation, i.e., the news, the shows, and the dramas. The latter arrived from the radio platforms and claimed the rightful place at the new media. The Golden Age of drama coincided with the rise of the national network giants: NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont.  In the 1950s, the live dramatized shows overcame the early technological limitations and received substantial sponsorship from corporations that realized the opportunity to address consumers in an innovative way. As the television concepts moved from classical productions and dramatic anthologies towards original scripts, the demand for the talented writers, Hollywood actors, directors, and camera professionals grew exponentially. This strategy contributed to the popularity of this form of television with the audience immensely. Not only it brought the quality of the artistic presentation to a completely new level, but also furnished the outreach to the gross national audience. By discarding the high culture approach of the classical telecasts and adopting an increasingly customer-oriented vision, the new TV product gained interest and unvaried love of the American households. The early dramas could not escape the adverse influence of McCarthyism, which forced the studios to commission the scripts that criminalized communism, praised the American values and patriotism, as well as avoided the burning socio-political themes of the time. The middle-class urban drama focus was narrowed to a number of individual moral challenges, such as alcoholism, generation gap, alcoholism, divorce, peer-pressure, etc. Presentation of these commonplace and unsophisticated values satisfied the needs of the network owners and the advertising companies. It also satisfied the interests of the housewives that appeared as the primary drama consumers. As the prosperity of the American economy was gaining momentum, TV audience expanded, and comedy ranked first among the preferences of the carefree consumers.

The 60s and 70s were satiated with a number of milestones that changed the national mentality, undermined confidence in the government, and curbed the universal optimism. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, President Nixon’s resignation, the Watergate Scandal, and the resulting turmoil opened a new era in the news broadcasting. The TV dramas tuned in grasping the opportunity to address the same issues by scrutinizing them in fictional contexts. They responded to and educated the growing political awareness and national consciousness. The television network administrations took over production and programming decisions and secured greater freedom for script writers. The entertainment broadcasts were among the first to break racial barriers, recognize the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement, introduce African-American characters, as well as discuss structural poverty, discrimination, class stratification, etc. Westerns and urban sitcoms were substituted by numerous premiers that reflected the diversity of the ongoing social debates in various fields. In the 80s, the TV audience was fed up with a seemingly endless chain of problems avalanching on the American nation. They suffocated from the abundance of stress occurring in their real lives, discussed in the news and talk-shows, as well as recycled in popular drama series. The networks delivered the eagerly anticipated escape in the form of the utopias featuring the lives of the strikingly rich people.

The young generation of the postmodern era was keen on quality and real-life connection. The viewers welcomed the idea to identify and grow with their favorite characters. Instead of escaping the daily problems, they felt empowered and entitled to solve them through knowledge, experience, and professionalism. The networks responded by hiring the young writers to create appealing, intelligent and competent protagonists capable of fighting the system, solving complex problems, and improving the world around them. Family shows gave way to criminal drama, detective stories, and medical analysis. The X-Files became the epitome of this trend and spotted a yet unsatisfied demand of the TV-grown audience, i.e., the yearning for the restoration of confidence and faith, self-search, exploration of spirituality, and the endurance of human spirit. It proved that the audience became extremely sophisticated, intended to be involved and taken into account. People wanted to find the place for mysteries in common life, settle internal conflicts, push the boundaries of wisdom, and move along the modern path of enlightenment. 

Lost embarked on completing this monumental and complex task. The project combined the production efforts of the ABC Studios, Bad Robot Productions, and Grass Skirt Productions. Partners maintained the historical commitment to consistently high quality, respect to the viewer, non-discrimination, acknowledgment of diversity, and unreserved openness in tackling the most challenging socio-economic and political issues of the time. These principles were ameliorated by the rules of mass market production and the innovative approach to technological solutions. By embracing the robinsonade the ABC Studio has once again corroborated its eye for up-to-date consumer preferences. The concept emerged in the inventive mind of a visionary leader Lloyd Braun in 2003. The head of ABC was inspired by the idea presented in the full-length movie Cast Away and the intensity of emotions involved in the reality show Survivor. He thought of the opportunity to combine the comic element of the early CBS sitcom, Gilligan’s Island, and the high-pitched dystopian tragedy of the Golding’s Lord of the Flies. This unconventional proposal stood out against a background of the universal obsession with the criminal stories. Braun had to defend this risky and challenging initiative at the cost of his position at the company. 

Regardless the immense opposition, the ABC’s senior vice president, Thom Sherman, decided to trust Braun’s renowned instinct and ordered the sample script from Spelling Television, part of the CBS Corporation. The move indicated that outsourcing operations to competitive networks became common practice in the industry environment. The original pilot script of 2003 by Jeffrey Lieber was not approved. It incorporated corrections provided by J. J. Abrams on request of Braun a year later. Eventually, this confusion between the commissioning parties and authors required the involvement of the arbitration and the judgment of a shared creator’s title. Abrams agreed to the legal settlement by bargaining the inclusion of the supernatural elements and addition of a personal writing partner. His partnership with Damon Lindelof defined the overall style of the consigned drama, fixed the set of characters, limited the length of the project, and composed a mythological array accompanying the progression of events. As the studio wanted to make the drama less serialized and more reusable, it forced the creators to make the episodes maximally independent from one another. Abrams conceived the sound opening and the brand label before transferring the reins of power to executive producers, Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. The partnership turned out to be extremely prolific with the former delivering 45 and the latter 39 episodes of Lost. Due to tight deadlines, the creative team was limited in their opportunities for script and characters modification. The smashing popularity of the show allowed revitalizing and diversifying the writing effort by other talents in the field, such as Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Elisabeth Sarnoff, etc. 

The launch of the two-part opening episode in autumn 2004 cost twice the price of an average pilot and unleashed the new era in the history of the American TV drama. Budget overruns and excessive risk-taking instigated the indignant board of directors to relieve Broun of his duties. However, by the end of the year, the overwhelming commercial and marketing success of Lost became an undeniable fact.

At the beginning, the casting decisions, as well as significant modifications of the script and characters were made by the ABC executive producers based on their personal choices. Later these working solutions were delivered on a more objective ground in reliance on the actors’ credits, script requirements, and audience’s preferences. Jack Bender embraced the roles of an executive producer and the chief director. The former sitcom actor, Bender knew the process inside out and was capable of making cost-efficient and impressive filming decisions. His unique vision allowed selecting suitable locations, combining technological competencies, and creating studio interiors. 

Notably, each of the executive producers was involved in some part of the creation process serving either as a writer, showrunner, or filming director. Such involvement provided greater control of the operations and budgets. It synchronized the team efforts and allowed delivering an integrated and high-quality product. A holistic approach to production of Lost was one of the major factors of its unrivaled success. 

The musical construct of the drama requires a specific mention. J.J. Abrams engaged his longtime associate, Michael Giacchino, to work on the unique themes for Lost. The duo worked together on other TV projects, like Alias and Fringe. This time, the result of Giacchino’s genius was a full-fledged unique music score. The composer orchestrated all of the pieces performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra. He attached recurring tunes to specific locations and characters creating their inimitable image. Giacchino obtained original sounds by employing stomp performance techniques. The composer deliberately abstained from the use of popular songs to avoid setting the drama in a fixed American cultural context (Fernandez 2010).  This strategy allowed introducing minimum adjustment to the musical element in the international broadcasting environment. The soundtracks were such an immense success with the audience that they required independent releases by Varese Sarabande. 

The success of modern TV drama depends on the synergy and the smooth professional relationship between the key creative entities. Lost was a product of the coordinated efforts delivered by its writers, showrunners, and filming directors. The era when dramas were sponsored and commissioned by manufacturing corporations is long gone. Reputable studios, like ABS, consolidate executive producers capable of sharing the numerous functions involved in the production process. Such involvement secures comprehensive control and maximum cost-efficiency of the investment initiative. The executive producers make sure that composers and actors invited to the project understand the overall concept of the drama and are capable of contributing to it with a unique vibe. Nowadays, the key creators compete in the environment of the free market and constant innovation for the continually varying consumer preferences. Since the industry deregulated, the viewers set the trend for TV dramas. The scale of the projects and the required amount of funding forces the studios to establish partnerships and outsource some of the operations to fellow networks.

Payment Methods

  • Accounting Essay
  • Admission Essay
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • APA Essay Format
  • Argumentative Essay
  • Argumentative Essay Writing Tips
  • Article Critique
  • Article Review
  • Article Writing
  • Book Report
  • Book Review
  • Business Writing Services
  • Business Report
  • Capstone Project
  • Chicago Writing Style
  • Classification Essay
  • Coalition Application Essay
  • Comparative Essay
  • Definition Essay
  • Discussion Board Post Assistance
  • Dissertation Abstract
  • Dissertation Discussion Chapter
  • Dissertation Introduction
  • Dissertation Literature Review
  • Dissertation Results Section
  • Dissertations Writing Help
  • Economics Essay
  • English Essay
  • Essay on Marketing
  • Essay Rewriting Service
  • Excel Exercises Help
  • Formatting Services
  • IB Extended Essay
  • Good Essay Outline
  • Grant Proposal
  • Hypothesis Statement for a Dissertation
  • Letter Writing
  • Literary Analysis Writing
  • Literature Essay Topics
  • Literature Review
  • Marketing Essay
  • Methodology for a Dissertation
  • Motivation Letter Writing
  • Movie Critique
  • Movie Review
  • Paper Revision
  • Poem Writing Help
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Online Test
  • PPT Poster Writing Service
  • Proofreading Service
  • Questionnaire for Research Paper
  • Reaction Paper
  • Research Paper
  • Research Proposal Essay Topics
  • Response Essay
  • Resume Writing Tips
  • Scholarship Essay
  • Thesis Paper
  • Thesis Proposal Example!
  • Turabian Style
  • Turabian Style Citation
  • What Is a Proposal Argument?
  • Movie Adaptation of the Shakespeare’s Book Romeo and Juliet
  • Personal Leadership Reflective Paper
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Discourse Community
  • Tesla Motors
  • Richard Weston Case
  • Assessing Post Injury Intellectual Ability
  • Cinema Leisure
  • The Trauma of Physical Abuse
  • Dance Culture
  • IT Computer Software
  • Final Project on Pepsi Co. Strategic Plan
  • Career Research Report on EBay and Amazon
  • Scientific Method As Applied To Real Life Instances
  • RR Analysis Paper
  • Professional Development Plan
  • Anxiety and Depression in Hospice Patients
  • The Coca-Cola Company Human Resource Practices
  • Flight Safety
  • Media Coverage Analysis
  • Hollywood Movie in UAE
  • Is Technology and Social Media Taking Over?
  • Importance of Social Class in our Society
  • V for Vendetta
  • How Spanx Became a Billion-Dollar Business Without Advertising
  • Deinstitutionalization Movement
  • Cultural Self-Analysis
  • Accordion Family – Challenges of Today
  • Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451
  • Value and Drawbacks of Innovations in Limb Prosthetics
  • Managing Information Systems
  • Movie Family Assessment
  • Strategic Environmental Assessment in South Australia
  • Technology and Happiness
  • Casinos as Part of Entertainment Industry
  • Western Culture and Its Artifacts
  • Underage Drinking
  • The Nature of Love in The Storm and As Good as it Gets
  • Strategic Rewards
  • Sociology Essay
  • Service Learning Reflection
  • Review of Music of the Heart
  • Political Systems in Ancient Greece
  • Philosophy of Nursing
  • Organizational Structure in an Aircraft Maintenance Facility
  • New Balance Market in the USA and Worldwide

Please note!

Some text in the modal.

Advertisement

Supported by

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Review: Silent Beginnings

The chills are more effective than the thrills in this prequel to the “A Quiet Place” franchise.

  • Share full article

A man, a woman and a cat stand at the base of the escalators in a dark subway station.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

The cat. It’s all about the cat.

No matter what else happens in “A Quiet Place: Day One,” no matter how sensational Lupita Nyong’o is — and she is — her character’s feline buddy is going to take over the story and, likely, the discourse around it.

Mind you, there also was a cat, Jones, in “Alien,” a movie that’s a major influence on the “Quiet Place” universe — one in which aliens land on Earth and massacre everybody for no reason besides sheer killing instinct. John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” (2018) and “A Quiet Place Part II” (2021) laid down the basic parameters, mainly that the creatures’ extremely developed hearing makes up for their blindness, and they hate bodies of water.

But Jones was peripheral to “Alien,” the masterpiece that kicked off a franchise revolving around body invasion. Our fearless new hero is very much embedded in the theme running through all three “Quiet Place” movies: the importance of family, whether biological or chosen.

In Michael Sarnoski’s prequel, Frodo (played by both Nico and Schnitzel) is the support cat of Samira (Nyong’o), a New York City poet living in crippling cancer-induced pain in a hospice. She takes Frodo everywhere, including an outing to a puppet show, where the audience members include a man (Djimon Hounsou) whom viewers of the second movie will instantly recognize. When the invasion begins, he is quick to impart the importance of making as little noise as possible to avoid alerting the attackers.

Somehow borne on meteorites (don’t ask), the aliens immediately get down to their gruesome business. The movie allows us a few good looks at the toothy monsters, who made me think of hellish Giacometti sculptures. But otherwise Sarnoski (who made the endearing Nicolas Cage drama “Pig” ) does not add all that much crucial new information to their basic character sheet — “Day One” is refreshingly free of origin story explaining.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Friends / A Critical Appraisal of the Television Show Friends

A Critical Appraisal of the Television Show Friends

  • Category: Life
  • Topic: Friends

Pages: 1 (485 words)

Views: 2154

  • Downloads: -->

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Laughter Essays

Passion Essays

Loneliness Essays

Pride Essays

Anger Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service  and  Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->