Whatever a real American family was supposed to look and act like, I couldn’t have told you. I was raised on 1980s comedy television. Each evening, I watched the whole slate of sitcoms, most of which were about families, and…
King of the Hill reminds us change can be good, too
In an age when politics overpowers all aspects of life, it isn’t surprising adult cartoons regularly embrace it for fodder. South Park’s new season drew White House acrimony after depicting Donald Trump as an egomaniacal devil-worshipping tyrant. And this was…
A year in review: An informal survey of 2022 pop-culture highlights for BNG readers
It’s that time of year once again when everyone makes lists of their favorite things from the past year. But the year 2022 has been long. With the world gradually attempting to return to a somewhat-normal, somewhat-forever-changed state after the…
Many people who watch Jeopardy know the Bible better than the show’s writers
Question: This show’s writers made an enormous biblical blunder by assuming the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews and that it is an epistle. Answer: What is Jeopardy? The popular game show best known for its backward syntax on…
Supergirl — or Relative-girl?
By Jonathan Waits So I’ve probably mentioned before that I’m a sucker for superhero fare. I don’t just go see all the movies, if possible; I buy a copy when they release them to the public. I have all the…
The church is not ‘Cheers’
“Is that we are called to do? Create a place where everyone knows your name? Did Jesus call us to build a Christian version of Cheers?” Those are the words of Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of the Church of the…
Why dads matter
I grew up in the television heyday of the family sitcom. Shows like The Cosby Show, Full House, Step by Step, Home Improvement, The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World, Family Matters, and so on were hugely popular and as far…
Can we still look at one another and talk?
Most Sundays, I make my way to a local shop and pick up the Sunday edition of The New York Times. Admittedly, the Sunday Times is a paperweight in comparison to most newspapers. This past Sunday’s edition was no different,…
Hashbrown blessed or we’re all God’s children in the dark
Have you ever had that experience where-after happening upon the age of some celebrity or Silicon Valley tech maven who at 10 years your junior has already managed to accomplish more than you ever will-you find you have a rather…
A Plastic Feast, Part 3
In the first two parts of this series I shared some reflections on the Fox-National Geographic Channel’s reboot of Carl Sagan’s classic science series, Cosmos. While the show is a feast for the eyes with its stunning cinematography and computer…
A plastic feast, part 2
In the first part of my reflections on the recent Fox-National Geographic reboot of Carl Sagan’s famous series, Cosmos, I focused on some of the scientific problems in the first episode. Those, however, were far from the only problems with…
Don Draper’s progress
“I keep wondering: have I broken the vessel?” Don Draper’s mid-flirtation confession to his airline seatmate in the April 13 premiere of the seventh (and final) season of the AMC drama Mad Men may prove to be the single most…