The Bear premiered shortly after my first stint at the AVC ended. The Bear concluded shortly after my second stint at the AVC began. This has dredged up some complicated feelings.

reviewed ELLE, which has the makings of an extremely corny but still cute YA drama. however, it's trapped as a nonsensical prologue to LEGALLY BLONDE instead:

For my June wrap-up, I wrote about the similarities and differences between AI and human magic (you can guess which one I prefer): open.substack.com/pub/thedesko...

Enjoying this press tour so far. www.avclub.com/ben-collins-...

If you finished The Bear over the weekend, @salonig.bsky.social, @danettechavez.bsky.social, and I have a little roundtable for you. www.avclub.com/the-bear-ser...

vented a little about THE BEAR S5 and that dud of a series finale. i know i'm in the minority, but whatever, that was a BAD final season and episode.

From the start of the THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, it's been a common sentiment that Sam Reid is performing so well that it's like he's being possessed by the vampire. It's well meaning, but undervalues Reid's skill. Lestat isn't possessing Reid, Reid is possessing Lestat. www.backstage.com/magazine/art...

We're nearing the end of @avclub.com's best-so-far week, but we couldn't close things out without this look at the state of comedies by @erikadams.bsky.social and @schimkowitz.bsky.social

Another objectively true best-of list from me and your pals at The A.V. Club www.avclub.com/best-films-2...

only @belenedwards.bsky.social GETS IT!!!!!

A lot of good TV this year already!! Wrote about some of my favorites, including DARK WINDS, SHRINKING, THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, & THE OTHER BENNET SISTER! www.avclub.com/best-tv-2026...

The A.V. Club picks our favorites from what’s been on our screens and in our streams this year. www.avclub.com/best-tv-2026...

I wrote about how the new guard of Hollywood is the same as the old one, actually www.thenewworld.co.uk/scarlett-har... via @thenewworldmag.bsky.social

There's a case to be made that nobody has had more influence on the modern era of the television medium than James Burrows. His mastery of the half-hour comedy especially is unmatched & always will be. A master of what he did and incredibly beloved. RIP to a great 💚 people.com/james-burrow...

Sitting down with John Early for this was a highlight of my freaking year. John is such a smart guy and I think Maddie’s Secret is brilliant. A great reminder that you can embrace cultural traditions and still make something personal and new, that you can be funny and serious at the same time.

Riz Ahmed's excellent, heightened, & somehow underrated TV comedy BAIT also happens to boast an incredible—and incredibly original—soundtrack and score. made a case for why the show's music deserves an Emmy nod:

I interviewed MATTHEW RHYS about WIDOW'S BAY!! variety.com/2026/tv/news...

Um, FYC 😳 www.avclub.com/emmys-2026-r...

Editing is difficult to write about, so I hope I did justice to the rhythms and timing that distinguish Reggie Dinkins from other mockumentaries—and make it worthy of Emmy consideration

Riz Ahmed's excellent, heightened, & somehow underrated TV comedy BAIT also happens to boast an incredible—and incredibly original—soundtrack and score. made a case for why the show's music deserves an Emmy nod:

really loveddd WIDOW'S BAY s1 *and* getting to unpack its excellent finale (and S2 hopes) with the best of the best, @erikadams.bsky.social!!

With no delusions about our actual ability to influence the voting, @avclub.com humbly submits the names and titles we'd most like to hear at nomination time, beginning with @salonig.bsky.social singing the praises of the Bait soundtrack

'IS GOD IS is the latest in a growing roster of films that let their Black heroines express the full breadth of their fury." I've long admired @lyvie.bsky.social's work, so I'm not surprised that she murdered her debut in @ebertvoices.bsky.social. A phenomenal piece.

Underneath Lestat's erratic behavior, affinity for theatrics, and love of mockery is a 265-year-old vampire suffering from a massive identity crisis. www.avclub.com/the-vampire-...

Widow's Bay both demands and rewards close viewer attention. www.avclub.com/widows-bay-a...

As spring turns to summer, we're spending time with writing from Lena Dunham and Belle Burden. www.avclub.com/staff-picks-...

What's this? A @sambarsanti.bsky.social byline? On @avclub.com?

Who watches The Listeners? @salonig.bsky.social, and she didn't like much of what she saw or heard.

I interviewed The Vampire Lestat composer Daniel Hart for AV Club, discussing the creative process behind writing Lestat's music and crafting his identity as a rock star:

finally, a show that replicates the experience of getting cornered at the party by that one friend who never shuts up about her ex

On evil board games, drug-trip dolly zooms, and Matthew Rhys' 13-year reign as the most haunted-looking man on television

In its first episode as The Vampire Lestat, Interview With The Vampire veers toward a more flamboyant, rollicking, and comedic energy. www.avclub.com/vampire-lest...

Hi everybody! I'm still looking for writing/editing work, if you have any openings or any leads. I covered news at The AV Club for 10 years and wrote a ton of reviews/features/etc as well. You may have also seen me at IGN, Collider, This Week In Videogames, and more! www.clippings.me/sambarsanti

brat summer has paved the way Lestat summer, or at least that's what i'm telling myself after witnessing a phenomenal Sam Reid rock out at AMC's one-night only The Vampire Lestat concert. there was no other way to kick off #InterviewWithTheVampire S3! wrote all about it:

Capping off the week in TV at @avclub.com with @ceilidhann.bsky.social's lovely tribute to Anthony Head, consummate TV utility player www.avclub.com/anthony-head...

oh look it's my AV Club debut! I wrote about Backrooms' blunt metaphor for a generation's codependent relationship with online spaces and hostile relationship with irl ones www.avclub.com/backrooms-ge...

brat summer has paved the way Lestat summer, or at least that's what i'm telling myself after witnessing a phenomenal Sam Reid rock out at AMC's one-night only The Vampire Lestat concert. there was no other way to kick off #InterviewWithTheVampire S3! wrote all about it:

incredible things are happening on canadian television

This place has everything: Goths, black carpets, a song called "Butterscotch Bitch," ERIC BOGOSIAN. @salonig.bsky.social reports:

I love, love, love Inventory - I've read The A.V. Club's old Inventory book cover-to-cover enough times that my copy is falling apart - and I'm always happy to put together one of these big multi-author installments from the whole staff www.avclub.com/inventory-it...

As a big Mindy Kaling fan, I really wanted to love Hulu's NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK, but the show just isn't sure of what kind of comedy it wants to be yet. Avantika innocent!

I wrote about Delaney Hall, the ICE concentration camp where imprisoned immigrants are staging a work and hunger strike. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

last august, I visited the Toronto set of the most ambitious, lush, erotic, "what the hell did I just watch?" show on TV. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE is now THE VAMPIRE LESTAT. new package, same wild DNA. my dive into that creative process, @vulture.com: www.vulture.com/article/inte...

Deli Boys: Season 2 [81] is on Hulu now: www.metacritic.com/tv/deli-boys... "Like any deli worth its salt, the series is reliable, high-quality, and oddly comforting." - The AV Club's Saloni Gajjar

spent the last month profiling jimmy kimmel, and it's a weird time for that guy! trump and kimmel both want the same thing, which is for kimmel to not be doing this show anymore. how does he make that happen without it feeling like a concession? unclear www.vulture.com/article/jimm...

reviewed S2 of Netflix's THE FOUR SEASONS, which is still immensely watchable* because of the amazing ensemble. *if you can ignore one of the biggest flaws of the show, that this friend group doesn't seem to communicate outside of their vacations at all:

I couldn't comprehend wanting to take a return trip to Gilead, but @salonig.bsky.social makes a compelling argument on behalf of The Testaments www.avclub.com/the-testamen...

I interviewed Danielle Deadwyler for the print issue of @thr.com

The urgency of The Handmaid's Tale’s first season has carried over to The Testaments' core theme of resilience.

VINDICATED: Condé Nast is paying the price for its illegal attempts at busting our union. Our members won a settlement that vindicates those who “marched on the boss” in November 2025. More here… nyguild.org/post/conde-w...