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Quality TV Shows That Are Basically Soap Operas

By Judy Berman on

Dallas premieres tonight, and if you’re the kind of person who worships HBO’s three Davids (Simon, Chase, and Milch), you probably aren’t that excited. After all, this isn’t just a primetime soap opera — it’s a reboot of a primetime soap that already ran for 13 seasons before calling it quits two decades ago. Now, we don’t blame you for being skeptical about Dallas; we are, too. But don’t dismiss it just because it’s a soap.

As we mentioned a few months ago in a defense of Downton Abbey, plenty of  what we think of as quality TV shows fit the basic requirements for a soap opera. Although definitions vary, most sources agree that the category encompasses melodramatic serial dramas with multiple storylines and episode-ending cliffhangers. With those guidelines in mind, we’ve revealed which critical darlings are secretly soap operas, after the jump. … Read More

Partner Buzz

The Greatest, Craziest Time Travelers in Pop Culture

By Doug Levy on

There are few notions as compelling as the idea of time travel. Whether it’s the chance to make good on a past mistake, the opportunity to change the course of history, or the possibility of witnessing the far-flung future, moving through time has always held a particular fascination for the more imaginative folks among us. That’s why it’s not hard to envision the idea of a person getting a little too obsessed with the notion — and maybe going a bit bonkers in the process.

In the new film Safety Not Guaranteed, indie fave Mark Duplass (Humpday, The League) plays a man looking for a time-traveling companion via a classified ad in Backwoods magazine. Parks & Recreation‘s Aubrey Plaza is the woman who responds, as part of a journalist’s attempt to see just how crazy this guy is. But is he really nuts or is there something more to the story? Watch the trailer after the jump and decide for yourself, then join us for a look at some of our other favorite chronally challenged figures in pop culture, from an overstimulated boy and his tiger to a murderous cyborg with the face of a governor. … Read More

Television

Watch Damon Lindelof Answer Questions About ‘LOST’ Finale in Great Video Interview

By Judy Berman on

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since LOST ended, on a note that disappointed and confused many viewers. Mostly, that’s because the discussion around the show never ended, with showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse defending their ending against the fan backlash. Indeed, of everyone involved in LOST, Lindelof has had the… Read More

Television

15 of the All-Time Most Powerful Women on TV

By Judy Berman on

Veronica Mars is coming back to TV. Now, don’t get excited — there are no new episodes in the works. (Kristen Bell is 31 years old at this point, after all.) But this Sunday, fans will be able to stuff themselves with wisecracking teen-sleuth goodness as SOAPnet kicks off its syndication of the series with an 11-hour marathon. We’re so excited to see such a strong female character on television again that we’re celebrating by rounding up 15 of the all-time most powerful women on TV. From Mary Richards to Daenerys Targaryen, our picks are after the jump. Leave your additions in the comments. … Read More

Pop Culture

9 Cleverly Hidden ‘Star Wars’ References You Never Noticed

By Victoria McNally on

We may still joke about Star Wars being a thing only nerds like, but let’s face it: it’s a part of popular culture that’s become just as mainstream as football and apple pie. That means that the geekiest among us have to work a little harder to make our references that much more obscure, so we can brag to each other about catching them when more casual fans don’t. To make things a little easier for the uninitiated, we’ve rounded up a bunch of tiny Star Wars Easter eggs in video games, movies, and TV shows, from Joss Whedon to American architectural landmarks. Impress your dorky friends with the knowledge you’ll gain after the jump. … Read More

Pop Culture

Hilarious and Informative Condensed Video Versions of Famous Pop-Culture Franchises

By Victoria McNally on

In today’s media-saturated market, who has time to invest in watching and reading everything out there? Not us — and we assume that we devote more time to pop-culture consumption than most. But you don’t have to feel left out of your friends’ conversations about Harry Potter, Doctor Who, or even The Bold and the Beautiful. Luckily, there’s a way to catch up the  television shows, movies, and other classics that everybody’s talking about — and it’s much more fun than reading the summaries on Wikipedia. We’ve put together some of our favorite video condensations of famous franchises to keep you up to date. … Read More

Pop Culture

Famous Pop-Culture Love Triangles Where the Girl Should Have Stayed Single

By Victoria McNally on

Ah, the girl-focused love triangle. For generations, male and female audiences alike have lived for watching two dudes fight over a woman, and oftentimes it can seem like a choice between the lesser of two jerks. Given the option, we would have loved to see these popular heroines — from Greek mythology to ’90s TV — embrace singledom instead. … Read More

News

The Morning's Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Slashfilm got an early look at Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises prologue, and discovered that the finished film will have a whopping 50 minutes of IMAX shot-and-projected footage. Here’s a spoiler-free recap.

2. This could be interesting: Spike Lee has signed on to direct Eddie Murphy in a new HBO biopic… Read More

Television

Trailer: Will J.J. Abrams’ ‘Alcatraz’ Be a Weak Imitation of ‘Lost’?

By Judy Berman on

Are you totally overwhelmed by the number of projects J.J. Abrams has going? Earlier this year, he channeled ’80s Steve Spielberg with Super 8. And there’s the new Mission: Impossible, which comes out later this month, and the recently announced Star Trek sequel. On TV, he’s got Person of Interest, which is doing well in its first season. And now, we’ve got a teaser for Alcatraz, the sci-fi/adventure/cop drama that will premiere on Fox in January. As Vulture points out, the preview’s 30 seconds are packed with trailer clichés. Most of all, we’re worried that Alcatraz is going to be a watered-down version of Lost – with an island, a mysterious, action-catalyzing disaster, hints of time travel wonkiness, a spooky soundtrack, and even a familiar close-up of a worried Jorge Garcia (who will apparently play a geek on this show, too). It’s obviously too soon to render an opinion, and any Abrams production merits a chance, but we are starting to wonder whether the über-producer needs to slow down a bit. Watch the teaser and decide for yourself after the jump. … Read More

Television

10 TV Shows That Ended on a Bizarre Note

By Romy Oltuski on

It’s hard to wrap up a years-long TV series, with all of its mysteries, questions, and unresolved narratives, in a single episode. Fans will need you to help them cope with the separation, and critics will watch your every move, looking to pick out the one loose end you forgot to tie up. But the 10 TV finales we list below transcended the average tear-jerking resolution. Whether deliberately planned endings or simply the unintentional result of sudden cancellations, these last episodes go above and beyond when it comes to leaving us in the dark, crushing our dreams, and preparing America’s children for years of psychiatric therapy. Browse through our list of happily never afters and tell us which cliff-hanging, hope-sucking shows you’d add in the comments. … Read More