Melanie McFarland
@mctelevision.bsky.social
Senior Critic Salon. Fmr prez TCA. Fmr Peabody Awards board. Gardener. Cook. Writer. Opinions are mine. RTs don't ≠ endorsement. If u look like a bot imma block you immediately
Pinned
Don't bring your pistol to the holiday party, and other advice on how to be a stellar guest
Do not be the person who shows up to a meticulously prepared multicourse Tuscan feast with a bucket of chili
www.salon.com
And now, my annual holiday re-sharing of a piece I wrote two years ago. Because some of y'all still don't know how to be in public. www.salon.com/2023/11/22/g...
You know who's had a terrific year? Who just dominated 2025?Trash pandas. Just enjoying the finer things, all willy-nilly. apnews.com/article/drun...
Raccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floor
A raccoon broke into a closed Virginia liquor store and drank alcohol from the bottom shelves over the weekend.
apnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:32 AM
You know who's had a terrific year? Who just dominated 2025?Trash pandas. Just enjoying the finer things, all willy-nilly. apnews.com/article/drun...
Something to contemplate. (I'm mid-game right now.)
It's really hard to put into words why Ghost of Yōtei feels an inversion of the way Ghost of Tsushima approaches the weight of our pasts and the expectations of our parents. The games rhyme? I haven't quite figured out exactly the words to describe it, but it's cool.
December 2, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Something to contemplate. (I'm mid-game right now.)
A worthwhile read from Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
open.substack.com/pub/alisav/p...
open.substack.com/pub/alisav/p...
On Rosa Parks’ Anniversary, America Faces a New Era of Historical Erasure
Federal cuts and political pressure from Trump-aligned officials and Project 2025 are dismantling the very archives that document Black history. We must stop them.
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:42 PM
A worthwhile read from Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
open.substack.com/pub/alisav/p...
open.substack.com/pub/alisav/p...
Reposted by Melanie McFarland
Reposted by Melanie McFarland
A thing we're launching at @salon.com is a weekly art-over-algorithm newsletter on culture and entertainment that isn't decoding the latest trends but rather looking closely at stuff that's (hopefully) built to last. It's called The Swell, it's free, and it starts next week. www.salon.com/newsletter
Salon.com
www.salon.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:32 PM
A thing we're launching at @salon.com is a weekly art-over-algorithm newsletter on culture and entertainment that isn't decoding the latest trends but rather looking closely at stuff that's (hopefully) built to last. It's called The Swell, it's free, and it starts next week. www.salon.com/newsletter
"You will be visited by three spirits."
The three spirits:
The three spirits:
November 28, 2025 at 11:57 PM
"You will be visited by three spirits."
The three spirits:
The three spirits:
Post something random or have an awful December
November 27, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Post something random or have an awful December
Reposted by Melanie McFarland
"This is the fate of long-running series about kids. At some point, all such shows lose their battles with biology," @mctelevision.bsky.social writes.
We outgrew "Stranger Things" years ago
With the cast no longer fitting their child-sized roles, it's past time we all moved on from Hawkins, Indiana.
www.salon.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"This is the fate of long-running series about kids. At some point, all such shows lose their battles with biology," @mctelevision.bsky.social writes.
To the sauce vs. jelly cranberry argument, I need to add that I read Ina Garten's supposed cranberry sauce hack and noticed that it includes raisins. Never before have I doubted the queen but this time I ... I must.
November 26, 2025 at 2:48 AM
To the sauce vs. jelly cranberry argument, I need to add that I read Ina Garten's supposed cranberry sauce hack and noticed that it includes raisins. Never before have I doubted the queen but this time I ... I must.
🤣
I don't want your homemade cranberry sauce. Give me the can of mystery holiday jelly packed by a worker ready to burn the whole factory down.
November 26, 2025 at 2:28 AM
🤣
Few things are better at solidifying my status as a cat person than being around a blind, incontinent dog who needs to be pet 24/7 and loudly barks until you do his bidding.
November 25, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Few things are better at solidifying my status as a cat person than being around a blind, incontinent dog who needs to be pet 24/7 and loudly barks until you do his bidding.
And now, my annual holiday re-sharing of a piece I wrote two years ago. Because some of y'all still don't know how to be in public. www.salon.com/2023/11/22/g...
Don't bring your pistol to the holiday party, and other advice on how to be a stellar guest
Do not be the person who shows up to a meticulously prepared multicourse Tuscan feast with a bucket of chili
www.salon.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:21 PM
And now, my annual holiday re-sharing of a piece I wrote two years ago. Because some of y'all still don't know how to be in public. www.salon.com/2023/11/22/g...
Ronnie "McLovin" Nibbles
November 25, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Ronnie "McLovin" Nibbles
Reposted by Melanie McFarland
Reposted by Melanie McFarland
12 Days of Christmas gifts be like
Days 1-4: hella birds
Day 5: jewelry
Days 6-7: hella birds, part 2
Day 8: maids? milking? idk what they’re milking but I’d guess/hope not the birds
Days 9-12: performance art
Days 1-4: hella birds
Day 5: jewelry
Days 6-7: hella birds, part 2
Day 8: maids? milking? idk what they’re milking but I’d guess/hope not the birds
Days 9-12: performance art
November 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
12 Days of Christmas gifts be like
Days 1-4: hella birds
Day 5: jewelry
Days 6-7: hella birds, part 2
Day 8: maids? milking? idk what they’re milking but I’d guess/hope not the birds
Days 9-12: performance art
Days 1-4: hella birds
Day 5: jewelry
Days 6-7: hella birds, part 2
Day 8: maids? milking? idk what they’re milking but I’d guess/hope not the birds
Days 9-12: performance art
Yes, in case you haven't discovered the glory of #TheChange, this long weekend is the perfect time to correct that. Here's what I wrote about it last year. S2 dropped earlier this year & is available on BritBox. Alas, Channel 4 didn't renew it for a 3rd. www.salon.com/2024/08/19/m...
November 24, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Yes, in case you haven't discovered the glory of #TheChange, this long weekend is the perfect time to correct that. Here's what I wrote about it last year. S2 dropped earlier this year & is available on BritBox. Alas, Channel 4 didn't renew it for a 3rd. www.salon.com/2024/08/19/m...
Reposted by Melanie McFarland
I’ve started watching a show at random and so far it’s about a woman going thru menopause who takes a break from her annoying family and goes to a small town in the woods where she meets Sir Bronn of the Blackwater. I need to give in and give Britbox my $
November 24, 2025 at 6:31 AM
I’ve started watching a show at random and so far it’s about a woman going thru menopause who takes a break from her annoying family and goes to a small town in the woods where she meets Sir Bronn of the Blackwater. I need to give in and give Britbox my $
Good morning.
Just got the news that Fox is reviving..."Baywatch."
Just got the news that Fox is reviving..."Baywatch."
a man is swimming in the water with the word baywatch on the bottom
Alt: David Hasselhoff is amazed and confused by the ocean.
media.tenor.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Good morning.
Just got the news that Fox is reviving..."Baywatch."
Just got the news that Fox is reviving..."Baywatch."
For @salon.com I examined how #TheBeastInMe speaks to (waves hands around wildly) all this. www.salon.com/2025/11/19/t...
"The Beast in Me" is the perfect story for a predator's era
This vicious thriller shows how far the wealthy will go to satisfy their bloodlust and bring it out in others.
www.salon.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:01 PM
For @salon.com I examined how #TheBeastInMe speaks to (waves hands around wildly) all this. www.salon.com/2025/11/19/t...
Sharing this before 5pm for once!
Ladies and gentlemen... the weekend. (also: you are important and are not alone 🧡)
November 15, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Sharing this before 5pm for once!
Find a penny, pick it up.
Then put it in a box, convincing yourself that one day it will be worth, like, 5 times what it is now.
Then forget you did that.
Then, decades from now, when a relative is going through your things & asks what it is, you can say, "I think kids used to swallow those."
Then put it in a box, convincing yourself that one day it will be worth, like, 5 times what it is now.
Then forget you did that.
Then, decades from now, when a relative is going through your things & asks what it is, you can say, "I think kids used to swallow those."
After 232 years, the U.S. Mint has produced its last-ever penny 🪦
November 14, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Find a penny, pick it up.
Then put it in a box, convincing yourself that one day it will be worth, like, 5 times what it is now.
Then forget you did that.
Then, decades from now, when a relative is going through your things & asks what it is, you can say, "I think kids used to swallow those."
Then put it in a box, convincing yourself that one day it will be worth, like, 5 times what it is now.
Then forget you did that.
Then, decades from now, when a relative is going through your things & asks what it is, you can say, "I think kids used to swallow those."
Welp, Andy Richter's run could only take him so far, I guess. #DWTS
On this stressful Election Day, here's a reminder that a vote for Andy Richter to remain on #DWTS is a vote for joy. www.salon.com/2025/11/04/w...
Why "Dancing with the Stars" fans love voting for Andy Richter
Watching the beloved middle aged comic on "Dancing with the Stars" shows we still agree on the important things.
www.salon.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Welp, Andy Richter's run could only take him so far, I guess. #DWTS
I'd recommend #PredatorBadlands full stop, but for @salon.com I examined the ways Dek's journey champions empathy and diversity as strengths. www.salon.com/2025/11/12/i...
In "Predator: Badlands," diversity is the secret weapon
The latest in the "Predator" franchise is a rallying cry for the underestimated to find strength in each other.
www.salon.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I'd recommend #PredatorBadlands full stop, but for @salon.com I examined the ways Dek's journey champions empathy and diversity as strengths. www.salon.com/2025/11/12/i...
Tune in reminder: A new episode of "All's Fair" dropped today
Kim Kardashian shares her frustration in a new TikTok after failing the California bar exam, calling out psychics who told her she’d pass.
November 12, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Tune in reminder: A new episode of "All's Fair" dropped today
Assumed this was the case, but now it's official: "Alien: Earth" has been renewed for a second season. #AlienEarth
a woman in a sleeveless burgundy shirt holds something in her hand
Alt: Wendy from "Alien: Earth" gives its renewal news two snaps up.
media.tenor.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Assumed this was the case, but now it's official: "Alien: Earth" has been renewed for a second season. #AlienEarth