Ani Bundel has been blogging professionally since 2010. This is her second major independent site launch. A DC native and Keyboard Khaleesi, she spends all her non-writing time photographing her cats. Regular bylines also found on MSNOW.
PBS
There is an accepted truism about historical period dramas as a way for our culture to process the current landscape more easily than dealing with the present reality. Taking the issues of the day and running them through a funhouse mirror of the past makes it easier for audiences to
Netflix
If Netflix enthusiasts know the name Charlie Brooker, it's due to his futuristic horror series Black Mirror, which often hits far too close to home for comfort. The show aired on Channel 4 for a short time, was canceled just as it moved to Netflix in 2014, and
PBS
Masterpiece has now lasted long enough as an entity that it has a catalog of old shows that once ran on PBS to work from and revive, such as Poldark (the original 1970s version aired on Masterpiece Theater) and All Creatures Great & Small (the original aired on PBS, but
Acorn TV
Thirty years after Alicia Silverstone became famous in Clueless, bringing an updated version of Jane Austen's classic Emma to the middle school masses, she once again conquered the heart of Anglophiles everywhere with her hit series Irish Blood. A proper cozy crime series set in the beautiful landscapes
BritBox
The 2020s will be remembered for many things. However, one small part of the entertainment landscape will probably end up overlooked: the sharp increase in murder mysteries and police procedural television in the Western world. From true crime to dramatic thrillers to cozy crime, these shows, referred to in the
PBS
As expected, Unforgotten's third episode opens with the team quickly starting to round up the names of the suspects we've already met. Ram's tip about the ex-employee who was not paid during the pandemic leads to the pub's manager, a lovely
Netflix
The Great British Baking Show is back for a record 16th season! The series returned to Channel 4 at the top of September, and has rolled right over to Netflix for the weekend, bringing the joys of the tent back to fans a few weeks earlier than usual. Outside the
Apple TV
In a landscape where multiple streaming services currently in existence are probably not going to be around much longer, Apple TV+ stands alone as a singular, yet improbable success story. As a content provider with zero experience making its own original series, its launch in 2019 was heavily overshadowed by
Acorn TV
Riding the current high of two record-breaking series premiering back-to-back in Art Detectives and Irish Blood, Acorn TV announced it will bring back one of the shows that hasn't yet found an audience, in hopes that the newcomers will start tuning in. Signora Volpe, the
BritBox
BritBox has been on a roll since early 2024; the BBC never managed to launch its own standalone streaming service (sorry, BBC Select), but when given one that's already on a successful track, the British Broadcaster certainly knows how to program it effectively. The uptick in premium series
Movies
It is a generally accepted trope that the most effective horror movies are the ones that never show you the monster. It holds for classics like Alien and Rosemary's Baby, and is still used to great effect today in franchises like A Quiet Place. However, one of Netflix&
PBS
PBS first announced it would pick up the Mark Gatiss-penned series Bookish in February 2025, a few months ahead of the show's summer-slated premiere in the U.K. At the time, the show was declared as coming sometime in "the 2025-2026 TV season, and