The news is obviously no longer exclusive, but The Lowdown is still a show that you very much should be watching if you haven't already.

The Lowdown is the best damn show not enough people are watching. I can exclusively report that FX has ordered a second season of the delightful Ethan Hawke comic mystery series: www.whatsalanwatching.com/the-lowdown-...

A new Ask Alan video mailbag for What Else Is Alan Watching? bonus subscribers, on the saddest TV endings ever, hits in their time that are largely forgotten now, and more:

Wire rewatch has moved on to s3. On the one hand, I'm sad to leave the stevedores behind. On the other, the chair recognizes one of the funniest scenes of all time:

My review of Fox's small-town dramedy Best Medicine, with Josh Charles and Abigail Spencer, that's incredibly familiar (even if you haven't seen the original Doc Martin), but not without its charms:

You're in luck, friend!

My review of Fox's small-town dramedy Best Medicine, with Josh Charles and Abigail Spencer, that's incredibly familiar (even if you haven't seen the original Doc Martin), but not without its charms:

My review of The Pitt s2, as my favorite show of 2025 returns later this week:

My review of The Pitt s2, as my favorite show of 2025 returns later this week:

Yup. The great majority of episodes have a Problem of the Week for Tony to solve. If it was just nonstop Tony vs that year's version of Richie Aprile, it would have gotten tedious quickly.

Not every show needs to make 20+ episodes a year, but SO many current shows would be better off doing at least 10-13.

In today's free What's Alan Watching? newsletter, previewing my 2026 TV coverage, plus Isiah Whitlock Jr., and memorable New Year's episodes. Read! Subscribe! Share! Do a dance routine with your sibling!

Thoughts on a Stranger Thing series finale that had some excellent moments that were utterly buried by all the padding:

Top 10 lists: threat or menace?

Gratitude! ICYMI Here’s my House of Ashur review and within this, many links to pieces about Spartacus ⚔️👊🏻 www.whatsalanwatching.com/review-spart...

In today's free What's Alan Watching? newsletter, previewing my 2026 TV coverage, plus Isiah Whitlock Jr., and memorable New Year's episodes. Read! Subscribe! Share! Do a dance routine with your sibling!

Thoughts on a Stranger Thing series finale that had some excellent moments that were utterly buried by all the padding:

Gonna have to call Pete Campbell in off the bench to write about most of the finale.

Watching Stranger Things finale on a delay, and it's hard to resist jumping ahead, because this is SO slow and repetitive so far.

For the New York Times, I wrote about the creative implications of the potential Netflix/WBD deal, and why I hope Netflix learns more from HBO than HBO learns from Netflix (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...

MTV is officially ending all of its music channels. In honor of that, what's your favorite music video?

For the New York Times, I wrote about the creative implications of the potential Netflix/WBD deal, and why I hope Netflix learns more from HBO than HBO learns from Netflix (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...

RIP, Isiah Whitlock Jr

At What's Alan Watching?, I wrap up superlatives season with a look at some more of this year's best TV episodes:

At What's Alan Watching?, I wrap up superlatives season with a look at some more of this year's best TV episodes:

🎶 We gotta pod a little deeper… 🎶

My review of the Pluribus season finale, which ended on an all-time mic drop:

I wrote about how the steamy hockey romance Heated Rivalry became a phenomenon, along with some thoughts about the season finale (with a spoiler warning before we get to that part):

What's German for "I'm only referring to the first three seasons"?

Wire rewatch just got up to s2's Johnny Cash montage, where the show had put in so much effort to make the audience understand how the detail worked that it could hit fast-forward on the case like this, trusting we'd be able to follow: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjLt...

God, I love that movie.

SINNERS (2025)

The latest batch of Stranger Things s5 episodes has some incredible highs, but also a LOT of the padding that's unfortunately come to define these later seasons. My take on the series' penultimate chapters:

Make a Bond film casual The Spy Who Swiped Right On Me

In today's free What's Alan Watching? newsletter, catching up mid-holiday season, a salute to the late James Ransone, and more. Read! Subscribe! Share! Sabotage your former employer!

The latest batch of Stranger Things s5 episodes has some incredible highs, but also a LOT of the padding that's unfortunately come to define these later seasons. My take on the series' penultimate chapters:

I wrote about how the steamy hockey romance Heated Rivalry became a phenomenon, along with some thoughts about the season finale (with a spoiler warning before we get to that part):

Our favorite writer would have turned 101 today! Rod Serling was born December 25, 1924. As he so famously quipped, “I was a Christmas present that was delivered unwrapped.” As Lois Nettleton ("The Midnight Sun") said, he was "a lovely gift to the world." Merry Christmas, all!

Pluribus finale recap has been updated to acknowledge an absolutely shameful HamlinFone(*)-related failure on my part: (*) Though one of my followers argues it should be called the HamLine.

Took my final Broadway bow when I departed from AVENUE Q twenty (!) years ago tonight. Time flies. But instead of feeling maudlin, here’s a fun little story that somehow feels apt for our times. 1/

Showed Pluribus ep 1 to a newbie. A fun thing I hadn't noticed before: when Carol and Helen are at the airport after the book tour, they move in unison, and communicate nonverbally, like they're their own two-person hivemind.

Pluribus finale recap has been updated to acknowledge an absolutely shameful HamlinFone(*)-related failure on my part: (*) Though one of my followers argues it should be called the HamLine.

My review of the Pluribus season finale, which ended on an all-time mic drop:

Pluribus finale: great final line of a season, or greatest final line of a season?

My wife brought home a box of Jujyfruit, and now I'm worried her entire life is about to fall apart.

And here I thought I'd been sent every kind of Sopranos swag at one point or another.

Pluribus fans, just a reminder that the finale is debuting tonight at 9 Eastern, due to the holiday. My review will publish tomorrow morning at

I made it to Dec. 23 avoiding "Wonderful Christmastime." Then My car got a flat, and while waiting for it to be replaced, guess what played on the repair place's PA? PAIN.