Gregory Mysogland is a film critic and feature writer, previously a Senior Writer at Collider, where he covered film criticism, production, and entertainment industry reporting. He holds an MA in Cinema Studies from NYU and brings that graduate-level analytical training to popular coverage of movies, television, and the craft behind them.
The cast of The White Lotus is always full of stars, but most actors only appear for one season. The hit HBO dramedy is an anthology series, telling a different story with each individual season: new location, new guests, new story. This article explains why the series qualifies as an anthology, how that format shapes its storytelling, and whether the seasons are actually connected.Continue reading Is White Lotus an Anthology Series? Answered
The Star Wars franchise features many of the most famous, frequently quoted lines in movie history. Select bits of dialogue from the later films might be more appropriately called “infamous.” But more of the series’ best-known quotes are revered for being well-written parts of iconic scenes. Some lines simply delight because of the imagination and personality the filmmakers and actors display. But others transcend the franchise’s sci-fi setting and have been adopted as common advice on a variety of real-life topics. We’ve put together a list of some of the series’ very best quotes, with some analysis on what makes…
In 2014, the first season of HBO's True Detective took the television world by storm. The show followed a mismatched pair of Louisiana State Police detectives, Rust Cohle and Marty Hart. The roles were played by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, respectively. The series' aesthetics and storytelling were widely praised, with the cast and crew earning numerous accolades.When the second season arrived the following year, it introduced an entirely new cast and mystery set in a different location. This was not a production problem. It was always the plan.So is True Detective an anthology series? Yes, unambiguously. Matthew McConaughey True…
Based on the 1996 Coen Brothers’ film of the same name, Fargo is one of the most prominent and successful anthology TV series of the last decade. The black comedy crime series shares continuity and stylistic elements with the film and often references it. But the cast of characters is not only original to the show, it routinely resets as each season depicts a different mystery in the American Midwest. This differs sharply from other television series based on famous source material, which tend to emphasize connections to the original texts. But Fargo’s standalone anthology approach has worked spectacularly well,…
Casual moviegoers may think of the Western as a genre of the past. And it's true that the era of cowboys and outlaws dominating the film industry the way science fiction and fantasy blockbusters do today was decades ago. But Westerns remain a crucially important genre of storytelling. The best cowboy movies and Spaghetti Westerns of the past century have influenced generations of filmmakers, many of whom continue to make new ones of their own. For fans looking to delve into the history or present state of the genre, there’s no better way to start than by watching any of…
The most successful TV shows of recent years hail from an increasingly wide variety of genres and styles. But many of these otherwise disparate shows are made in the same distinctive format: many are “anthology series.” An anthology series tell groups of complete stories that are only loosely connected, if at all. Continue reading What Is an Anthology Series? Meaning and 7 Best Shows
Based on Cormac McCarthy's novel, the 2007 Coen Brothers film No Country for Old Men is full of dynamic, unforgettable No Country for Old Men characters. Protagonist Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is one of the most compelling. Moss' actions begin the plot and much of the story is presented from his perspective. However, an unconventional plot twist changes everything. Spoilers for No Country for Old Men follow:Continue reading Who Is Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men?
