dorian tv nominations announced!

per GALECA:

Adding some Hollywood fizz to Pride month, the 560-member strong GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced its 16th Dorian TV Awards nominations for the best in television and streaming, mainstream to LGBTQ+ content. Voters in the organization, now the second largest entertainment journalists group in the world, write and work for some of the most respected and buzz-worthy media outlets in the U.S. and beyond.

Venerable stars and fast-rising names grace the non-gendered performance and tribute categories. Beyoncé, Jean Smart, Colin Farrell, Colman Domingo, Michelle Williams, Pedro Pascal, Natasha Lyonne, Uzo Aduba, Bella Ramsey, Noah Wyle, and current TV “It Daddy” Walton Goggins are among those in the mix. The fresh-faced contingent includes Ncuti Gatwa, Katherine LaNasa, Owen Cooper, and the actress who simply calls herself Holmes. 

Vying for Best Drama: The twisty and surreal office drama Severance, seen on Apple TV+, the Disney Plus Star Wars universe spinoff Andor, and HBO/Max's ever-outrageous hotel drama The White Lotus—each of which took six Dorian nominations. Two more HBO/Max shows, the gritty new medical drama The Pitt and zombie spooker The Last of Us, are in the running with five.  

In the comedy arena, HBO/Max's Hacks—the Dorian Award winner here last year and in 2021—scored six nods, the same streamer's outgoing Somebody Somewhere grabbed four, with ABC's Abbott Elementary (another two-time Dorian winner) chalking up three. Also in the running: Apple TV+’s new, big and boisterous Hollywood satire The Studio and the second season of HBO/Max's genre-defying The Rehearsal, creator-star Nathan Fielder’s societal experiment that aims to prepare average folks for various potential, if wildly unlikely, life snags.

“By loving-up series like Hacks, Somebody Somewhere, and even The Rehearsal and Andor—a sci-fi story of the beginnings of a major rebellion—Dorian Award voters once again have shown they have a special affinity for stories of self-discovery and pushing for more,” said GALECA Executive Director Diane Anderson-Minshall. “Like generations of LGBTQ+ people who took on the battle for the right to be who they are, these nominated programs underscore that solidarity, morality, and justice aren’t just for superheroes, but can be found in small daily actions.”

GALECA’s penchant for championing the underdog is evidenced in its novel Best Unsung TV Show award, going to a series the group feels deserves more attention. Among the nominees are creator Julio Torres’ wildly inventive and droll fantasy-comedy Fantasmas (HBO), the final season of Paramount+’s pointed supernatural drama Evil, and Amazon Prime’s Overcompensating. The latter show, about a former Idaho high-school jock and closeted college freshman, is inspired by star Benito Skinner's own college days. Skinner received a Dorian nod himself.

As for GALECA's most irreverent Dorian Award, Campiest TV Show honors could go to Mid-Century Modern (Hulu), the loopy freshman comedy featuring Linda Lavin (in her final TV role) alongside Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham and Matt Bomer as three gay besties living together in Palm Springs, Ca. Modern's fierce competition: The drama-drenched reality battle The Traitors (Peacock), Overcompensating, the over-the-top Ryan Murphy sawbones-on-a-cruise-ship opus Doctor Odyssey (ABC), and perennial GALECA favorite RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV).

Leading in network/streamer counts were HBO/Max with 39 nominations, followed by Netflix with 22. 

Winners will be announced Tuesday July 8 at 8am PST.

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and its Dorian Awards honor the best in film, television, and theater at separate times of the year. More than 560 members strong, GALECA reminds society that the world values the informed LGBTQ perspective on all things entertainment. A nonprofit organization, GALECA also advocates for better pay, access and respect for entertainment journalists (especially the underrepresented) and provides scholarships for LGBTQ journalism students. Follow us @DorianAwards on social media, and find more information about who we are and what we do at GALECA.org.

2025 DORIAN TV AWARD NOMINATIONS—FULL LIST

 

BEST TV DRAMA

Andor (Disney+)

The Last of Us (HBO/Max)

The Pitt (Max)

Severance (Apple TV+)

The White Lotus (HBO/Max)

 

BEST TV COMEDY

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Hacks (HBO/Max)

The Rehearsal (HBO/Max)

Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)

The Studio (Apple TV+)

 

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW

Agatha All Along (Disney+)

Hacks (HBO/Max)

Heartstopper (Netflix)

Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)

Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)

 

BEST TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES

Adolescence (Netflix)

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)

Dying for Sex (FX)

The Penguin (HBO/Max)

Rebel Ridge (Netflix)

 

BEST WRITTEN TV SHOW

Andor (Disney+)

Hacks (Max)

The Pitt (Max)

Severance (Apple TV+)

The White Lotus (HBO/Max)

 

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW

English Teacher (FX)

Evil (Paramount+)

Fantasmas (HBO/Max)

Mid-Century Modern (Hulu)

Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)

 

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW

Threesome (ViaPlay)

My Brilliant Friend (HBO/Max)

One Hundred Years of Solitude (Netflix) (tie)

Elite (Netflix) (tie)

Pachinko (Apple TV+)

Squid Game (Netflix)

 

BEST LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Hulu)

The Boyfriend (Netflix)

Elite (Netflix)

The Secret of the River (Netflix)

When No One Sees Us (HBO/Max)

 

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA

Colin Farrell, The Penguin (HBO/Max)

Stephen Graham, Adolescence (Netflix)

Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

Diego Luna, Andor (Disney+)

Cristin Milioti, The Penguin (HBO/Max)

Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us (HBO/Max)

Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us (HBO/Max)

Adam Scott, Severance (Apple TV+)

Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex (FX)

Noah Wyle, The Pitt (HBO/Max)

 

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA

Owen Cooper, Adolescence (Netflix)

Carrie Coon, The White Lotus (HBO/Max)

Taylor Dearden, The Pitt (HBO/Max)

Erin Doherty, Adolescence (Netflix)

Walton Goggins, The White Lotus (HBO/Max)

Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt (HBO/Max)

Genevieve O'Reilly, Andor (Disney+)

Parker Posey, The White Lotus (HBO/Max)

Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex (FX)

Tramell Tillman, Severance (Apple TV+)

 

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY

Uzo Aduba, The Residence (Netflix)

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX/Hulu)

Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)

Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal (HBO/Max)

Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along (Disney+)

Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face (Peacock)

Seth Rogen, The Studio (Apple TV+)

Benito Skinner, Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)

Jean Smart, Hacks (HBO/Max)

 

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY

Ike Barinholtz, The Studio (Apple TV+)

Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons (Netflix)

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks (HBO/Max)

Holmes, Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Kathryn Hahn, The Studio (Apple TV+)

Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)

Linda Lavin, Mid-Century Modern (Hulu)

Catherine O'Hara, The Studio (Apple TV+)

Meg Stalter, Hacks (HBO/Max)

 

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Beyoncé, "Cowboy Carter" medley, Ravens vs. Texans Halftime Show (Netflix)

Doechii, “Catfish" / "Denial Is a River," 67th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS)

Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, “The Wizard of Oz” / “Wicked” medley, 97th Academy Awards (ABC)

Kathryn Hahn, Patti LuPone, Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, "The Ballad of the Witches' Road,” Agatha All Along (Disney+)

Kendrick Lamar, “Squabble Up,” “Humble,” etc., Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show (Fox)

 

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Deaf President Now! (Apple TV+)

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (Max)

Pee Wee as Himself (HBO/Max)

The Rehearsal (HBO/Max)

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (NBC)

 

BEST LGBTQ TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution (PBS)

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara (Hulu)

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution (Netflix)

Pee Wee as Himself (HBO/Max)

Queer Planet (Peacock)

 

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW 

(Talk show or news/information program)

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

Hot Ones (YouTube)

John Mulaney Presents: Everyone’s in L.A. (Netflix)

Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO/Max)

 

BEST REALITY SHOW

The Amazing Race (CBS)

The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)

RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)

Top Chef (Bravo)

The Traitors (Peacock)

 

BEST GENRE TV SHOW

Agatha All Along (Disney+)

Andor (Disney+)

Black Mirror (Netflix)

The Last of Us (HBO/Max)

Severance (Apple TV+)

 

BEST ANIMATED SHOW

Big Mouth (Netflix)

Bob's Burgers (Fox)

Harley Quinn (HBO/Max)

The Simpsons (Fox)

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING TV SHOW

Adolescence (Netflix)

Agatha All Along (Disney+)

Andor (Disney+)

Severance (Apple TV+)

The White Lotus (HBO/Max)

 

CAMPIEST TV SHOW

Doctor Odyssey (ABC)

Mid-Century Modern (Hulu)

Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)

RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)

The Traitors (Peacock)

 

WILDE WIT AWARD

Quinta Brunson

Alan Cumming

Hannah Einbinder

Cole Escola

Nathan Fielder

 

GALECA TV ICON AWARD

Gillian Anderson

Angela Bassett

Alan Cumming

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Jean Smart

 

GALECA LGBTQIA+ TV TRAILBLAZER AWARD

Jonathan Bailey

Greg Berlanti

Ncuti Gatwa

Bella Ramsey

Mike White

Bowen Yang

 

Number of nominations per network/streamer:

HBO/Max - 39

Netflix - 22

Apple TV+ - 13 

Disney+ - 11

FX / Hulu - 10

ABC - 5

Amazon Prime - 5

Peacock - 5

Fox - 3

Paramount+ - 2 

CBS - 2

NBC-  2

Comedy Central - 1

Bravo - 1

ViaPlay - 1

MTV - 1

PBS - 1

Youtube - 1

fellow travelers - episodes 1 & 2

In the wake of a known homophobe elected as House Speaker, the sensitive and absorbing McCarthy-era entrenched and Washington D.C.-centric Fellow Travelers lands on Showtime (episode 1 streaming today, and airing Sunday). America is a splintered country, constantly progressing and regressing like shoreline, with a splintered media landscape; the people who should watch Fellow Travelers probably won't, but there is much to glean and learn from the miniseries' not-so distant American queer history for both older and newer generations. Based upon a sturdy 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon, the series follows a through-the-decades relationship between Hawkins "Hawk" Fuller (appropriately nicknamed, played by piercing-eyed Matt Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey). The first two entries move primarily back and forth between the early 1950s and the mid-1980s, during the AIDS-crisis. The series opens to 1986 with the wistful strands of Stevie Wonder's "If It's Magic" (throughout, songs complement characters and actions), where Hawk is introduced at his roomy house with a Mitt Romney-ish disposition, monied, graying around the temples and married (Lucy, played by Allison Williams). One of the immediate strains here is trying to make both Bomer and Williams look stodgy and authentically "old"--their aged make-up isn't quite credible, and faintly distracting.  

The series, however, hits its stride (so far) plumbing the Lavender Scare, where Hawk, Tim, and others within their career and social circles are swept up. In some ways, it is a glossy and unsurprising depiction, with Philip Glass-y music and smooth photography (shot by frequent Ryan Murphy collaborator, Simon Dennis, whose burnished glow camera work is as lustrous as Boomer's sleek body and countenance), and softly erotic depictions of men talking about McCarthy on a sofa while unbuttoning each others' white Oxford shirts in cigarette smoke haze. 

Yet, beyond the surfaces, it's agonizing to see the splitting of couples, the interrogations, the burdens, festering paranoia, and secrets ("Why don't you pretend?" Nat "King" Cole croons after one nighttime street scene after a tryst). It is probably why creator and writer, the intelligent and thoughtful Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia and recently, co-adapter of My Policeman), and director Daniel Minahan (for episodes 1 & 2), revel in bawdy, explicit sex scenes. These sequences are moments of intense, fleeting pleasure and release for closeted men, and complicated as well, characterizing Hawk's career-climbing shallowness and sexual dominance as barbed and self-protective and the boyish Tim, with his Clark Kent eyewear, fumbling, subservient and sweet. Bailey has a more introspective character to play; in the outset he seems to be looking to advance his State Department career (who in D.C. now and then isn't and wasn't?) but he at least seems to have a political philosophy (one figures, with glimpses of him living in 1980s San Francisco, he will go through significant changes). 

It will be interesting to see the direction this series takes in developing them further. In the second episode, we start to see the denseness of Hawk in particular as we see early interactions with Lucy and trip home to visit his family (Rosemary Dunsmore appears in a standout turn as his mother), flashing back to a prior relationship (objects--a tennis trophy and a D.C. paperweight--are emotional triggers for Hawk, as he continuously seems to bury over his queerness). Also in the mix are Roy Cohn (Will Brill), and Hawk's boss and Lucy's father Senator Smith (Linus Roache in another unrecognizable showing). Marcus (Jelani Alladin) is a Black journalist who has had some history with Hawk, and figures as a somewhat tenuous connection. Hopefully the series will continue to sketch him further--and his deepening flirtation with nightclub singer (Noah J. Rickets, who provides sultry music cues)--as he currently feels a bit adrift from the overwhelming force of Tim and Hawk's relationship.  

-Jeffery Berg

interview with amanda reyes

Amanda Reyes is an author and podcaster who concentrates most of her work on the made for television movie (although she loves and writes about horror movies and soap operas from time to time!). She edited and co-wrote the book Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999, which was released through the UK publisher Headpress earlier this year.

Her blog, Made for TV Mayhem and its companion podcast are the central locus for most of her writing/discussions. Amanda has also been a guest on several other podcasts and has traveled all over the world to discuss TV movies. Most recently, she provided the commentary track for Shout! Factory’s release of the 1977 tele-horror The Spell.

JB: What have you been watching lately? Any favorite movies of the year so far?

AR: To be honest, I haven’t had time to watch much in the way of new. I did see Get Out earlier this year and really, really loved it! I was happy to see it do so well too. While I don’t get to see as much as I’d like, I can see a real shift in the way post-modernism is dictating some of what is happening in horror, and I quite enjoy it. At the same time, there’s still a hold on the more classic stuff, like the things James Wan is doing with the Conjuring films. He’s a great filmmaker, but admittedly I’ve fallen behind on his films too.

In terms of what I normally watch and have been watching of late, I’m currently working on a paper about female-centric paranormal telefilms of the 1970s-80s and their response to second wave feminism, which means I’m watching things like Midnight Offerings (1981), which is a favorite, and Night Cries (1978). I’m having a lot of fun with the topic. 

JB: Tell us a little about your podcast and what we can find there.

AR: The podcast is named after my blog, Made for TV Mayhem, but I added the word "Show" at the end to differentiate it! I have two co-hosts. I do the show with my good friends Dan Budnik and Nathan Johnson. While we’re open to discussing all facets of classic television, the podcast concentrates mostly on the made for television movie. It’s a double feature show, and the way I program it is that I do my best to put one well-known title alongside a more obscure title, pairing them by some sort of theme.

For instance, we did Dark Night of the Scarecrow and Revenge, and they were put together because they are both revenge titles. Also, we did Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Crawlspace together because John Newland directed them both. It’s a lot of fun. Just the other day Nate said he enjoyed doing the show because he hasn’t seen a lot of the titles I’ve chosen and he’s never sure what he’s about to see. That’s fun for me. Mostly, we’ve loved all of the movies, but there’s a clunker or two in there! 

JB: When did you start getting into TV movies?

AR: As a kid. I grew up on TV movies, although I didn’t know that’s what they were. They were just movies playing on the "Afternoon Movie" on the local station. It was a gateway into horror for me and I can still remember being fascinated by the monsters in Gargoyles, and terrified of the creatures in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. And as I got older, I went to the movies as often as I could, but I didn’t have a real source of income, and we didn’t get cable until I was almost out of high school, so I relied heavily on TV movies in terms of feeding an early cinefile habit I was developing.

JB: It seems like sometimes people are reductive when comparing a theatrical picture to being like a "Lifetime" or "Disease of the Week" picture. Do you think TV movies get a bad rap? How would you describe television movies as an art form?

AR: Yes, TV movies get a super bum rap. While it’s true that TV movies were and still are produced in a sort of factory system, there is still artistry within these films. I think that we know that low budgets, quick script writing, and sometimes even quicker production schedules hamper a lot of potential in TV movies. Furthermore, because they are beholden to FCC standards, they are limited in their ability to into anything even marginally objectionable, and therefore, we think telefilms have nothing to offer. But TV movies can be fantastically subversive, or at the very least, extremely entertaining. So, I guess if I were to describe the telefilm as an art form, I would say that TV movies say more with what remains unsaid. They may look superficial, but often have layers of meaning, and it’s a tribute to the medium that many of these films not only endure, but also mean something, even all these years later. 

JB: Are there any TV movie directors who are particularly great?

AR: My favorite small screen director is John Llewellyn Moxey. He’s probably best known for directing The Night Stalker, which introduced the world to Kolchak, but he made so many good films. He was a bit of a journeyman, and just seemed to know how to set up suspenseful set-pieces. Some of his best horror films or thrillers are The House that Would Not Die (1970), Home for the Holidays (1972), and No Place to Hide (1981). He also kind of redid the vampire thing in the underrated I, Desire in 1982, which had David Naughton fighting vampires not so long after he had turned into a werewolf in An American Werewolf in London!

I also really like Gordon Hessler, who had a really nice eye, and his films were often very moody. I think Hitchhike, which stars Cloris Leachman, is my favorite of his films. He also did the underrated The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver.

JB: Any TV movies with a great music score?

AR: Oh yes, pretty much anything by Billy Goldenberg, who did Duel and The Legend of Lizzie Borden. But honestly, I really, really love the music for Night Terror, which was done by Fred Steiner. It’s so discordant and really gets into the disturbed mind of the killer chasing Valerie Harper across the desert. The soundtrack to The Spell by Gerald Fried runs along those same lines and is also oh-so-seventies!

JB: It was exciting to see that you did commentary for the The Spell. This is actually my first TV movie memory. I believe it aired as an also-ran on TBS. I was haunted and disturbed by it and didn't know the name of it for years! I finally traced it down a few years ago and it seemed so much less sinister but more of a fun watch. What are your experiences with the film?

AR: I didn’t discover The Spell until I was an adult. I had a friend who was obsessed with it and thought it was a must see film, so he made a copy of his copy for me. I can imagine what seeing it as a kid must have been like, and I’m sure that re-watching it with adult eyes made it a little less sinister. It’s got a lot of depth to it though, which I discovered as I was prepping the commentary track. It’s like I mentioned before, these telefilms can appear inconsequential at times, but there’s a lot going on at their core. I was glad I got to revisit it and give it some deeper thought.

JB: Are there any other TV movies that should be on bluray?

AR: Oh yes! My favorite TV movie, This House Possessed has never had any kind of legitimate home video release, and it really needs one. It’s endlessly entertaining, and I just recently watched it with a crowd and they loved it too.

Also, there’s some classics that are just woefully in need a real release such as Midnight Offerings, Don’t Go to Sleep, Satan’s Triangle and I Saw What You Did, just to name a few off the top of my head. Also, there are some dramas like Griffin and Phoenix and That Certain Summer that deserve a chance at a second audience. And I think Murder By Natural Causes is such a clever mystery/thriller. It would be nice to see that get a release as well. Oh, who am I kidding, can we release every TV movie on bluray? Please?

Actually I’ve a seen a few people comment that they’d like to see an Aaron Spelling boxset. Spelling is, of course, best known for his TV series, but he produced something like 140 telefilms, many of which are absolutely wonderful. I think a box set like that would be a good place to start.

JB: Do you think that's common--that we sometimes have vague memories of a TV movie but can't place the name of it or know who's in it?  Perhaps because it was always hard to find a resource list of films or the actors in them? It sounds generic but I have one where a woman is being followed by a truck (or another car?) for a long amount of time on a deserted highway. Any guesses?

AR: Check out the aforementioned Night Terror and let me know if that’s it or not. I think it might be!

I had a vague memory, which I don’t want to go too into because it will spoil two films, but it turns out I was conflating a telefilm – Scream, Pretty Peggy and an episode of the British series Thriller – "Dial a Deadly Number" together, and for years I was looking for one film. I’m not quite sure how I extrapolated the memory but I’ve been able to get copies of both things, and I can see the similarities now.

I think when we’re young there are just some images that resonate and we don’t really know why yet. Those are the types of memories that linger. If you grew up in the seventies or even the eighties I can see where those images might have come from a made for TV movie. If you caught it on its network airing, it may not have aired ever again.

JB: What do you think the state of television movies is today? Have you enjoyed any recently?

AR: That’s a good question, and very difficult for me to answer. I don’t watch all that much in terms of new television. For one, I don’t have as much time as I used to, and secondly, I’m not as drawn to long form series the same way I once was. I am a soap opera addict though and am really into The Young and the Restless right now. I only mention that because modern TV really takes a nod from the soaps in terms of long-term story arcs, and I do love stories that take a long time to unfold. But for whatever reason, I haven’t found a show that has hooked me yet.

JB: Many are calling this era a renaissance for television.  As someone who prefers the medium and time constraints of a film, rarely do I last through multiple seasons of a show. Lately I've been re-watching early Dynasty though. Do you have favorite TV shows?

AR: Old shows? Yes, I love a lot of them. As far as nighttime soaps, I’m an uber Dallas fan. It’s so amazing. Lots of fun, and great acting. My all time favorite show was One Life to Live, which I watched religiously for 30 years. I miss it every day. But my favorite prime time series is Magnum P.I. Now, that’s a show that just keeps giving. While there’s a lot of a fun-in-the-sun-car-chase episodes, there was a lot of depth given to many of the stories, and certainly to the characters. So much of what came during and after the fifth season could be really esoteric and thoughtful. I fell in love with every recurring character and constantly return to my DVDs to enjoy the show. I also worship at the altar of the Golden Girls, but who doesn’t?

Another show I’m revisiting and loving is Reba, which was an early 2000s sitcom that is truly funny. And I’m a sucker for Three’s a Crowd, which was the spinoff of Three’s Company. It only lasted one season, but it’s all about John Ritter and Robert Mandan chewing the scenery. That was a show that needed a longer life. Oh, and I really adore Lucan, which is another short-lived series that had a surprising amount of depth and heart. And Love Boat, Fantasy Island and Charlie’s Angels are my go-tos when I need to escape from the world. Lately I’ve also been revisiting and loving Eight is Enough. Oh, I also love The Waltons!

This is why I don’t have time to watch new shows, apparently!

JB: And how is your day today?

AR: Very well, thank you! I really enjoyed this interview! Thank you!

a look back at 'coven' by justin lockwood

Following the finale of "Coven," the latest season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology American Horror Story, I went back and watched parts of the earlier episodes.  There were some terrific scenes, notably those between Jessica Lange’s devious, self-absorbed Supreme witch Fiona and the other female leads, Angela Bassett’s fact-based voodoo queen Marie Laveau and Kathy Bates’ cruel Madame Delphine LaLaurie, also a historical figure.  Their scenes together crackle with intensity and pathos, fueled by terrific performances from the women involved and sharp writing.  They imply the season’s primary themes: the complicated, fraught relationships between women as their roles have evolved over time, and an unsubtle, powerful dramatization of race relations writ large.  These themes were further developed by stunning set pieces like a torch wielding black mob, led by Marie, lynching LaLaurie’s family and entombing her below the ground and, later, a 1960s youth hung by white men, his death avenged by resurrected Confederate soldiers.

Unfortunately, "Coven" cast its net too widely beyond these potent conflicts, encompassing so many characters and mini-arcs that the central dramas got a bit lost in the shuffle.  Even the season long McGuffin—who would be the next Supreme?—took a back seat at times to diversions like “FrankenKyle,” a good-hearted frat boy turned monster involved in a love triangle with young witches Zoe (Taissa Farmiga) and Madison (a perfectly bitchy Emma Roberts).  Perhaps the best illustration of "Coven's" misguided attempt to do too damn much is its failure to produce an iconic monster in the style of the first two seasons.  While season 1 had Rubber Man and season 2 gave us Bloodyface, "Coven" stumbled by offering us three candidates: the Minotaur LaLaurie created out of Marie’s lover, the reality-based Ax Man of New Orleans (Danny Huston), and the demonic Papa Legba.  The Minotaur was dispatched early on—perhaps a twist meant to keep us guessing, but one which just felt anticlimactic.  Huston’s seductive, powerful work as the Ax Man made him memorable, but the series didn’t seem to know quite what to do with him.  Was he the love of Fiona’s life?  A mere pawn in the war between witches and their hunters, and Fiona and the witches themselves?  His ending with Fiona—apparently for her, Hell is domesticity with one dude—didn’t really make sense.  Both Fiona, who wreaked endless havoc in her life, and the Ax Man, who was all too happy to be stuck with Fiona for all time, seemingly deserved far worse than their fates.  Meanwhile, Legba was certainly striking, smoothly portrayed by Lance Reddick in creepy makeup and costume, but he should have been more prominent in the final episodes.  Instead, he, too, was shouldered aside by the wrapping up of countless loose threads like that FrankenKyle triangle.  (Spoiler alert: the doomed end of Farmiga and Peters’ relationship in season one was infinitely more satisfying than this season’s ho-hum happy ending.)

By the end, "Coven" was apparently intended as the story of two women: Fiona and her daughter Cordelia (Sarah Paulson).  LaLaurie and Marie met their fates in the second to last episode, fittingly trapped in an eternity of vengeance against each other in a Legba designed Hell.  The last episode focuses on the reality-TV like “Seven Wonders” challenge for the Supremacy.  Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe), after navigating a minefield of racial and sexual (dig that Minotaur seduction scene!) politics, ends up second in command to a white lady.  Zoe meets the same fate, after escaping an Emo sounding Hell of endless breakups with her undead boy toy. (Really, guys?  That’s her Hell?  Snooze.)  Then there’s Misty, the awesome Stevie Nicks loving Swamp Witch who seemed like an early favorite for Supreme.  She gets… condemned to a Hell in which she’s a tormented freak endlessly killing and resurrecting a frog in science class.  This one was a real head scratcher.  Misty was the least deserving of such an awful fate, having killed no one and resurrected half the cast with her benevolent magic. Apparently it was meant to be tragic irony, but to quote every college Fiction Writing class ever, It Didn’t Feel Earned.  By the end, Fiona re-emerges, ravaged by cancer and confronting the daughter she never knew how to love, who’s been named Supreme and encourages her mom to at long last accept her own mortality.  It’s a fitting end for both women—and a nice counterpoint to the Asylum finale, in which Paulson was the mom putting her insane son out of his personal misery—but it should have been supported by a season’s worth of narrower focus on both story arcs.  Paulson had her bad ass moments— mainly both times she was blind—and Lange had her share of juicy scenes, but this was more testament to the talent of the actresses than to the material itself.  As Lana and Sister Jude, respectively, Paulson and Lange emerged as the dark, transformed hearts of the sensational Asylum, evolving in ways that felt organic and well thought out.  To trace their character arcs in "Coven," one has to gleam on to bits and pieces scattered amidst mountains of speed plotting, crazy characters, and shock value. (Regarding Patti Lupone’s fundamentalist mom, Mare Winningham’s incestuous one, and about a dozen other odds and ends—um, what the heck was that all about?) For next season, which has a 1950s setting that sounds quite promising, I encourage Murphy to focus less on an endless supply of nuttiness and more on just a few killer characters and themes.  Your repertory company of kick ass women (and men) will make it more than worth our while without so many bells and whistles.


-Justin Lockwood

from hollywood to tv guide by karen g.

I was watching reruns of "30 Rock" the other night and it suddenly dawned on me how many big Hollywood stars from the 70s, 80s and 90s have now become the TV stars of the new generation.


Alec Baldwin

I guess in all fairness, Alec started his career in TV ("The Doctors" and "Knots Landing"), went BIG in Hollywood (Malice, Beetlejuice), came back to TV ("30 Rock"), then bounced back and forth ever since! Watch out for Baldwin in Woody Allen’s upcoming Blue Jasmine.

Charlie Sheen

What a rollercoaster ride Charlie’s been on! I guess he was always a bit of a bad boy – even in his Hollywood days.

Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer’s career was on fire in the 80s and early 90s and then he disappeared from the limelight for a while. He made an explosive comeback as Jack Bauer in the TV series "24" and his career was reawakened to a legion of new fans.

Glenn Close

Close was unforgettable in her role in Fatal Attraction and has been nominated for 5 Oscars.  She later made the successful move to TV and starred in the hit television series "Damages."

Holly Hunter

I found Hunter unforgettable in Raising Arizona and The Piano – two incredibly different but memorable roles that showcased her talent.  Hunter can now be seen in the popular TNT show "Saving Grace." Looking good Holly!

James Caan

Most famous for his role in The Godfather and honorable mention of one of my favorite movies, Misery, Caan has been cast in the Fall 2013 ABC TV series called "Back In The Game," a far reach from Corleone family secrets or Kathy Bates’ mallet.

Jessica Lange

I was moved to tears by her role as Mary in Rob Roy and was blown away at how natural and beautiful she looked in Cape Fear and then remembered her fresh face in Tootsie. Now Jessica has taken on a darker role in A&E's extremely twisted "American Horror Story."



-Karen G.

justin lockwood's tops in pops for 2012, part 2

"Angry Boys"

Chris Lilley’s bizarre-o comedy series, in which he stars as a black rapper, a Japanese stage mom forcing her skater son to pose as gay, a pair of feckless twins, and others, is unclassifiable.  By turns absurd, funny, disturbing, and heartfelt, it’s the kind of thing only a creative genius could dream up.

V/H/S

This found footage anthology garnered mixed reviews, but me and my traumatized boyfriend can vouch for its effectiveness.  The creatures run the gamut from murderous succubae (the balls to the wall opener) to ghosts (the haunted house closer), serial killers, and everything in between.  The diverse group of directors reinvigorate even the hoariest horror movie clichés (a Paranormal Activity knock-off goes in a very unexpected direction) with skill, style, and most importantly, the ability to scare your socks off.

The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple

The moody songstress is back with another convoluted title, but unlike many of her 90s female counterparts (I’m looking at you, Tori Amos and Alanis Morrisette), she hasn’t lost a bit of her angsty, primal power.  Heaven knows why this woman is so miserable, but as long as she makes compelling, surprising music, I certainly don’t mind.

Life of Pi

Ang Lee solidifies his reputation as one of our most accomplished filmmakers with this spectacular adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel.  Unsurprisingly, the director of The Ice Storm and Brokeback Mountain has as much flair for the human elements of this fantastic, thought provoking story as he does for those involving zoo animals and shipwrecks.  A terrific movie in every way.

"American Horror Story: Asylum" 

Season 1 of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s series was my favorite obsession last year, and their sophomore effort has proven equally compelling.  While this year’s 60s set tale of a mental institution was always engaging, it became amazing with “I Am Ann Frank, Part 2,” in which its vision of a man’s world pitting sadists like James Cromwell’s Nazi doctor and Zachary Quinto’s serial killer against women like Jessica Lange’s complex and tortured Sister Jude (just hand her the Emmy already) became harrowingly clear.  As good as television gets.

-Justin Lockwood

remembering "designing women" by karen g.

What do you get when you toss a feminist, an ex-beauty queen, a divorcee/single mom, a respectable "country girl" and an ex-con into a design business running out of a house in Atlanta?  A show that is very near and dear to my heart, all these years later.  (I might have to grab the series on DVD this holiday).  The show ran from 1986 to 1993 but I can still picture the opening credits whenever I hear "Georgia on My Mind."


Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter)

Suzanne Sugarbaker  (Delta Burke)

Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts)

Charlene Frazier Stillfield (Jean Smart)

Anthony Bouvier (Meshach Taylor)

-Karen G.