Darren Franich

Darren is a TV Critic. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFranich for opinions and recommendations.
WandaVision is a boldly surreal new direction for the MCU. Or is it?: Review
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On Marvel's first Disney+ miniseries, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany look liberated in their sitcom prison.
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Vikings creator on the show's epic finale
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Writer Michael Hirst talks about the closing act of his Northman saga.
Cobra Kai's meandering third season builds to an awesomely emotional finale: Review
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Netflix's silly-smart Karate Kid reboot gets a lot better when everyone agrees to do karate again.
The curious legacy of Tron: Legacy
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A great score, some bland nostalgia, and a dark prophecy.
10 great episodes from the best animated series of 2020
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A sampler of brilliance from the year's best cartoons.
2020 was the year of the party episode
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Social events were canceled everywhere except television.
The best and worst TV shows of 2020
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Critics Kristen Baldwin and Darren Franich pick their favorite television from their least favorite year. Plus: Bad television, and two essential Blursts.
2020 was a Hell of a year
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Great art was newly essential in a socially distanced world.
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Hillbilly Elegy is a horrific showcase for miserable overacting: Review
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Glenn Close and Amy Adams look lost in Ron Howard's all-over-the-place biopic.
Giving thanks for Jersey Shore, a family reunion you can attend guilt-free
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Watching the Supernatural pilot in 2020
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The CW saga ends this week. How did it begin?
Remembering Alex Trebek, TV's serene god of knowledge
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The late host made Jeopardy! a brainy-fun ritual for more than three decades, before a cancer diagnosis brought new poignance to his steady grace.
We Are Who We Are finale review: Party like it's not 2016
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Luca Guadagnino's drama was a loving indie-pop meander about young Americans abroad.
Superstore returns with the ultimate 2020 episode: Review
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NBC's workplace comedy looks back on a long year with humor, heart, and satiric knives out.
The Queen's Gambit plays familiar moves with style and star power: Review
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Anya Taylor-Joy is stunning as a self-destructive chess prodigy in Netflix's solidly entertaining miniseries.
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The politics of Below Deck
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Bravo's seaward franchise is a fiendish, funny portrait of the trashy leisure class — and the strivers who can barely stand to work for them.
Farewell to GLOW, a great show that deserved one final round
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The female wrestling saga was a brazenly unique blend of retro-pop ridiculata and sharp human comedy.
Primal returns with more bloody weird prehistoric emo action: Review
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Adult Swim's caveman-dinosaur thriller bombs the fantasy genre back to the Stone Age.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond is already stumbling toward a quick conclusion: Review
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Teens vs. zombies, except no fun.
A pretty good Emmys made a poor case for TV’s importance, but at least we could watch Watchmen: Review
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The Jimmy Kimmel-hosted show triumphed over coronavirus precautions with witty flair, even if it couldn't always live up to its profound ambitions.
Emmys 2020: Who should win, and who will win
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The (virtual) Emmys are almost here, and so are EW's fearless predictions about which nominees will be thanking the TV Academy from their couches.
Fargo season 4 has a lot of nothing to say about America: Review
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FX's anthology returns with its own True Detective season 2.
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Ratched ratchets up the crazy and goes off the deep end: Review
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Netflix's prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is nice to look at until the too-ludicrous plot spoils the fun.
PEN15 season 2 is a marvel of middle school terror and wonder: Review
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Hulu's surreal kid comedy gets weirder, and more emotionally resonant.
We Are Who We Are is mostly vibes, but what vibes! — Review
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Luca Guadagnino's teen drama romanticizes teen life on a U.S. Army base in Italy.
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