Brian Aherne on the Screen

If talent and good looks were all that it took to become a Hollywood legend, then Brian Aherne would be remembered alongside such contemporaries as Clark Gable, Cary Grant and James Stewart: not just as an actor revered by vintage film aficionados, but as a star who continues to shine brightly, whose name remains familiar to newer generations. One of the most classically handsome leading men to grace the screen, Aherne was also one of its most accomplished actors. That combination should’ve assured him of celebrity, if not longevity — but it didn’t. Studios began wooing him in the early ’30s, but within a decade, they’d washed their hands of him. He hadn’t been eager to play by their rules, and they were no longer willing to play by his.

Randolph Scott: 10 Best Films of the Fifties

In 1947, actor Randolph Scott — a Hollywood staple since the early sound era — decided from that point on to devote himself entirely to Westerns. (His statement on the subject was practical, gracious and mercenary: “[Westerns] have been the mainstay of the industry ever since its beginning. And they have been good to me. Westerns are a type of picture which everybody can see and enjoy. Westerns always make money. And they always increase a star's fan following.”) And from then until his retirement in 1962, that’s just what he did — sometimes turning out three and four Westerns a year.

The Curious Career of James Craig

James Craig’s Hollywood career has been reduced to so many apocryphal stories, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. His IMDb bio insists that “tall, rugged James Craig's career as an MGM contract player blossomed in the 1940s. This was due in large part to his strong physical and vocal resemblance to the studio’s top leading man, Clark Gable.” That would all be well and good — if any of it were true.

Tomorrow Never Knows: notes on The Last Anniversary, Black Doves and The White Lotus

Last January, the Doomsday Clock was reset at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s ever been to human extinction. Meanwhile, I turn on the TV, and it feels like every third drama is post-apocalyptic. Maybe some people find that comforting — that whatever happens, at least we get through it, even if we’re hunted by zombies, stuck in a silo or trapped underground. Me, I prefer not to think about the end of the world, thank you very much. I haven’t written about TV since May of 2024, so here’s the last of a series taking on nine shows I watched in the last year (none of them set in a dystopian future). Some of my favorite series — The Pitt, Adolescence, Ludwig — were just as good as the critics promised and I have nothing to add, so I won’t be writing about them here. I’d rather focus on shows that came and went without sufficient fanfare, or ones where my opinion differs from popular consensus. Let’s do a roundup of some recent dramas.

Love to Take You Home: notes on Love You to Death, Nobody Wants This and Colin from Accounts

Last January, the Doomsday Clock was reset at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s ever been to human extinction. Meanwhile, I turn on the TV, and it feels like every third drama is post-apocalyptic. Maybe some people find that comforting — that whatever happens, at least we get through it, even if we’re hunted by zombies, stuck in a silo or trapped underground. Me, I prefer not to think about the end of the world, thank you very much. I haven’t written about TV since May of 2024, so here’s the second in a series taking on nine shows I watched over the last year (none of them set in a dystopian future). Some of my favorite series — The Pitt, Adolescence, Ludwig — were just as good as the critics promised, and I have nothing to add, so I won’t be writing about them here. I’d rather focus on shows that came and went without sufficient fanfare, or ones where my opinion differs from popular consensus. Let’s talk about a trio of recent romcoms.

Truth and Consequences: notes on Shetland, Unforgotten and Black Snow

Last January, the Doomsday Clock was reset at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s ever been to human extinction. Meanwhile, I turn on the TV, and it feels like every third drama is post-apocalyptic. Maybe some people find that comforting — that whatever happens, at least we get through it, even if we’re hunted by zombies, stuck in a silo or trapped underground. Me, I prefer not to think about the end of the world, thank you very much. I haven’t written about TV since May of 2024, so here’s the first in a series taking on nine shows I watched over the last year (none of them set in a dystopian future). Some of my favorite series — The Pitt, Adolescence, Ludwig — were just as good as the critics promised, and I have nothing to add, so I won’t be writing about them here. I’d rather focus on shows that came and went without sufficient fanfare, or ones where my opinion differs from popular consensus. Let’s start with a trio of procedurals.