Ani Bundel

1 week ago | tellyvisions.org | Ani Bundel

One of the best aspects of the U.K.'s primary export being entertainment is that whenever something historically significant happens, it often inspires a BBC-produced TV series. Such was the case with the London 2012 Olympics, which not only was a ratings hit in sporting programs, but also begat the first three parts of the Henriad known as The Hollow Crown and the satirical series Twenty-Twelve, in which Hugh Bonneville lampooned the BBC's efforts to televise the games.

1 week ago | tellyvisions.org | Ani Bundel

Watching a shift in societal mores is usually something that happens at a glacial pace. One looks back after 25 years and discovers that the world has changed from one's childhood, slowly, inexorably, mostly when one was doing other things. But the 2010s were not like that. The rise of social media, specifically Twitter, suddenly and loudly flattened the landscape so that voices and opinions that were previously easily ignored — those of women and people of color — suddenly had a megaphone.

1 week ago | tellyvisions.org | Ani Bundel

There was a piece in the Financial Times recently decrying the lack of a monocultural connection as one of the things currently dividing populations; the implication being that siloing oneself entertainment-wise leads to siloing oneself politically. The writer was talking about the U.K., of course, but the same could be argued for the U.S., where Netflix shattered what was a system wherein everyone benefited, from series creators to small-time actors to audiences.

1 week ago | tellyvisions.org | Ani Bundel

PBS and Masterpiece are on a roll now that the end-of-year pledge drive has wrapped up and the first debuts for the 2025-2026 television season have arrived. Patience Season 1 has rolled out to solid enough reviews and an already greenlit Season 2, and Grantchester Season 10 is bubbling along happily with its new Hot Vicar.

1 week ago | tellyvisions.org | Ani Bundel

Ask anyone who works at Paramount or Skydance how the merger is going — it was initially supposed to close by the end of June 2025 — and they'll tell you everything is fine, on track, and nothing to worry about.