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Television

The Most Racially Stereotyped Characters on TV Right Now

By Victoria McNally on

It’s great that television writers and producers are slowly making pop culture more diverse, but that doesn’t mean every non-white character on TV represents a step forward. Some programs seem to do nothing but pump racial stereotypes into the public sphere, which is just really disappointing in 2012. From geeky and pathetic Asian characters to a biracial genie who’s literally an object in a white lady’s house, our top picks after the jump. Let us know about any other questionable depictions that have been bugging you in the comments. … Read More

Celebrity

LeVar Burton in Pop Culture: A Retrospective

By Jennifer Lewis on

Happy birthday, Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr.! Whether you know him as Geordi La Forge from Star Trek, as Kunta Kinte from Roots, or as the Reading Rainbow host who kick-started your childhood book binge, you’re probably as thrilled as we are whenever LeVar Burton pops up in your pop culture sphere. Really, who couldn’t relate to Donald Glover’s Community panic attack upon his starstruck introduction to Mr. Burton? Needless to say, he is a master at the art of TV cameos, and to honor his 55th birthday, we’ve gathered a collection of excellent LeVar Burton pop culture appearances after the jump. Oh, and feel free to leave your birthday wishes in the comments. He might not read them, but we will. … Read More

Television

What Do the Year’s Top-Rated TV Shows Say About Us?

By Judy Berman on

Now that the 2010-2011 TV season is wrapping up, the ratings are in. Entertainment Weekly has posted the full list of how major networks’ prime-time series fared in the 18-49 demographic, and those numbers provide tremendous insight. Because there was a tie for tenth place, 11 shows made the top ten, and only three of them were narrative series: Modern Family (hooray!), Big Bang Theory (really?), and Grey’s Anatomy (sure, why not?). Americans continue to love performing arts competition shows — American Idol took both the #1 and #3 slots, while The Voice was the highest-rated new series at #4, and Dancing with the Stars slid in at #6. Football, meanwhile, claimed three spots in the top ten, with Survivor rounding out the list.

Besides Modern Family and Glee (#13), most Flavorpill favorites didn’t fare quite so well. Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock, for example, don’t even crack the top 50, while the final season of Friday Night Lights is very close to the end of the list. Check out the top ten after the jump, and please be kind enough to console us in the comments. … Read More

Television

Exclusive: The Big Bang Theory Drinking Game

By Lee Frank on

In case you haven’t seen it before, The Big Bang Theory is a CBS show that comes on Monday nights. Getting geekiness down to a science (Seriously, the writers must be real dorks; in a recent episode they referenced Age of Conan when World of Warcraft would have been the obvious choice), the show revolves around two male geniuses, Sheldon and Leonard, and their not so genius neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco). Whether they’re nerding out with Rock Band or Star Trek/Star Wars battles, they’re always learning the social lessons they missed in their academic childhoods.

In order to get the ball rolling on you watching this show, after the jump we’ve prepared a handy drinking game for easy access. … Read More