So what company are you planning on switching to in 2 years when Hulu Plus becomes bogged down in the exact same issues that Netflix is having?

That's because the DVD providers likely saw that Netflix was seriously eating into potential sales.  I agree that they're far from perfect, but holy shit do they have some amazingly obscure films available on DVD.  If new releases are what you want, you probably have a Redbox close by.

I think there's a difference between blackface, which implies a very specific impression of a tasteless African-American caricature, and what Crystal did, which was put makeup on such that he looked like Sammy Davis Junior, in order to do an impression that was (also) incredibly out of date.

There's something ironic about the fact that even though television has way more freedom these days to tell a sprawling story without adhering to market pressures that people still demand their dramas be pitched up to 11 in intensity right away - like it's either Breaking Bad or nothing.

I agree that the soundtrack has been overbearing, but giving up on a show because of that? Really?

"Instead, they rewarded her for it, and we have the rest of her career to look forward to alright movies and TV drowned in overwritten dialogue"

I really don't see how Seasons 8 and 9 are 'low hanging fruit'.  The show became outlandish - things like Jerk Store are very high, high hanging fruit.

Also, to further my earlier comment, one of my favorite parts about the later-era shows is how all 4 characters have much less patience for each others' hijinks.  They're not going to pretend to care about one another's dilemmas because they've seen so many of them before.  Jerry, in particular, has no patience with…

I think the show rightfully steered into goofier territory because they had already mined all the best material out of the mundane.  A Larry Charles episode about stopping the mail might involve something like this plot, but it would be much darker and more sinister, and wouldn't have any movie homages in it to…

I'm from the NY area but I never understood that there might actually be a 'Wiz' to be beaten.  It was still all very confusing.

Kramer is so great with that plot - 'faxes, telegrams, HOLOGRAMS…'

Under, although I'm imagining AV Clubbers walking out of this saying, 'I can think of at least one thing wrong with that title.'

also my first thought upon reading about this series.

Everyone who replied is correct - I was a touch hasty in my declaration.  I guess having been weaned on HBO dramas, I don't really know what single-episode type dramas look like.  Whatever it is, I can't say I'm upset about its decline in popularity.

HBO did make the brilliant move of dropping the pilot a month early, then airing episode 2 on the same night as the Super Bowl.  But unfortunately I agree with you, I can't see this show gaining traction.  Hopefully it gets a Year 3, I'll be satisfied with that.

This criticism is absurd when applied to Luck, since every episode so far takes place over the course of a single day.  If that's not an episodic structure, I don't know what is.

I guess I am just picturing their lives off-screen as still being at the bar and it's more than a little depressing.  I understand that's part of the show - there's all sorts of lonely people who wander into Cheers - but their friendship seems to be based on being at Cheers and little else, and it seems like each…

The Taco Bell stuff is terrible as satire - I find the idea of the Franchise Wars to be hilarious, but as a commentary on product placement, it's completely flat - I honestly had no idea that actual Taco Bells were heavily promoting this film.  Then again, I don't really think ANYONE has a good commentary on product…

I found the Cliff-Norm scene from "Little Sister…" to be sad and a little forced - yes, Cliff calls Norm his best friend, but what do they share together besides this bar?   I guess that's what we'll find out over the rest of the series, but it felt off to me, as if the show felt it needed to establish characters…

I mean, our author points out that Huxley's office is decorated with posters from films that Joel Silver produced.  Arnold Schwarzenegger was the President.  Stallone and Snipes can barely go one gun volley without making snide remarks to one another, in basically a parody of action film wit.  They let Denis Leary…