Jerry Seinfeld has an infectious laugh, which is funny in itself because it's a silent laugh. He straightens up, throws his head back, and contorts himself in spasms of mirth as if imitating Edvard Munch in The Scream...

2020

Mar

'NARCOS: MEXICO' + 'ZEROZEROZERO' = FAMILIAR, YET GRIPPING JUST THE SAME By Alex Strachan

And then there were two. Or perhaps 22. Who knows anymore? ZeroZeroZero landed mere days after the second season of Narcos: Mexico on Netflix, and it's becoming hard to keep track...

2020

Feb

THE LATEST FROM PBS'S 'FRONTLINE,' ‘AMAZON EMPIRE,’ IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF TV WORTH WATCHING By Alex Strachan

Pity poor Jeff Bezos. You may have more in common with Amazon founder than you might think...

2020

Feb

'BATTLE FOR HONG KONG' ON PBS' 'FRONTLINE' IS A MULTI-LAYERED PORTRAIT OF A ONE-SIDED FIGHT By Alex Strachan

Out of China, always something new. It's a sign of the turbulent times we're living in that Tuesday's absorbing — and topical — PBS Frontline program, Battle for Hong Kong, seems, well, no longer so topical all of a sudden...

2020

Jan

OF STUDENT FRATERNITIES AND SECRET SOCIETIES: THIS IS NETFLIX'S 'ARES' By Alex Strachan

Ares, an eight-episode Dutch thriller from Netflix about a young college student trying to fit in with the "in" crowd, has a simple premise that's much better in the execution than a single-line synopsis would have you believe...

2020

Jan

'FOUR SEASONS IN HAVANA,' A HIDDEN GEM ON NETFLIX, WELL WORTH THE TIME TO FIND By Alex Strachan

Sometimes the best gems on Netflix are the ones you never hear about...I found myself utterly entranced by a four-part mystery set in present-day Havana, Cuba...

2019

Dec

THE YEAR’S DEFINING TV SHOW: NETFLIX HAS SEEN THE FUTURE, AND IT LOOKS A LITTLE LIKE THIS By Alex Strachan

No, not Game of Thrones. Not Chernobyl, though both had moments of real, genuine quality. And certainly not Survivor in its ‘Me Too’ season...

2019

Dec

THE SAG AWARDS AND ENSEMBLE ACTING: THERE IS NO "I" IN 'GAME OF THRONES' By Alex Strachan

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations have been announced — think The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, don't think Succession — and once again media attention is on the movie nominees, as with the Golden Globes, and not so much the TV nods...

2019

Dec

ATTENBOROUGH TO TURN FOCUS NEXT TO TREES, WITH ‘THE GREEN PLANET’ By Alex Strachan

In just one day, one large tree can draw as much as 100 gallons of water from the surrounding ground and recycle it back into the air, in the form of life-giving water vapor...

2019

Dec

FROM ‘SURVIVOR AFRICA’ TO ‘ISLAND OF THE IDOLS’: SAME NAME, DIFFERENT SHOW By Alex Strachan

So much of TV is in-the-moment. We’re constantly rushing onto the next thing, and have little time to reflect on the past...

Posts 21-30 of 253

2 3 4 5 6

Alex Strachan

Alex Strachan has written extensively about television since 1995. He was the staff television critic for The Vancouver Sun from June 1995 to 2003. Prior to that, he was a general-assignment reporter and sportswriter at the Sun, which he originally joined in 1979. He became the national TV critic for Canada’s Postmedia News chain, or Canwest Global Communications as it was then called, in September 2003. He wrote for the chain from 2003-15, during which time his stories appeared regularly on Canada.com and in such daily papers as the National Post, Vancouver Sun, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen and Calgary Herald. In recent years, his writing has focused more on media analysis and industry trends than celebrity profiles and background features, but he still finds time to watch The Voice and The Amazing Race, not to mention guilty pleasures like Banshee and Amazon Hotel. Alex's personal website focuses on his concern for the world around us through his stunning photographs from his world travels. In addition, check out Alex's blog on his site which he tries to update every two days or so. You can also follow Alex @astrachanideas

New From TVWW

Alex Strachan

Amazon Prime's 'Utopia' Might Hit a Little Close to Home

'Enola Holmes' Finally Arrives on Netflix

'The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden' Available on Other Platforms

PBS' 'Frontline: The Choice' has Never Been More Important or Meaningful

'The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden' Examines How Hardship and Tragedy Shaped the Lives of the Candidates

Dispatches From TVWW

'Filthy Rich' is the Silliness We Need This Year

A New Season of 'Last Tango in Halifax' Debuts – Finally!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life As Played Out On the Big and Small Screens

Despite Its Heavy Hitters, 'Ratched' Fails to Hit a Home Run

The Next TV Experiment: 'The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards'

1997: NBC's 'ER' Scores with a Live Episode