Good Media Websites

[gogglebob]

So for years I used to hit the AV Club website on a frequent basis. This goes back to... let's see here... about when they started "classic" reviewing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That is apparently dated 2008, so I have been stopping over that site on at least a weekly (if not daily) basis for nearly fifteen years. Dang. Unfortunately, after the latest round of layoffs, it seems like the site is just completely entertainment news clickbait at this point (current headline: "Jennifer Lawrence knows things got a bit weird there for a minute". What are we talking about? Click to find out!), so even my currently anemic visits are going to come to an end. I probably held out so long simply because I really didn't know any alternatives to find content like the AV Club, and I've been subsisting entirely on What We Do in Shadows comment sections for the last few months...

Anywho, I would like to read sites/articles that have thoughtful, possibly insightful discussions about the current television/streaming/movie/media landscape. And, yes, I said read, dammit, because my ADD never pivoted to video. Essays, dedicated forums, whatever. Does such an animal exist anymore in this brave new internet? I'd like to find out!

 

[Rascally Badger]

I really wish I had somewhere to direct you, because my feelings about AV Club are pretty similar. IDK, there's some good TV/Movie writing on The Ringer sometimes, but man, you better hope you like the flavor of the month, because you are going to get a lot of it. If you want extensive coverage of House of the Dragon, its got you covered. Maybe some Andor or She-Hulk. But there is not a lot more.

 

[jpfriction]

Yeah the last good thing I remember reading on the av club was the random roles with John Astin and I believe that doubled as a goodbye article for the last of the old guard. RIP only good pop culture website.

The vanity fair articles that pop up on my newsfeed are sometimes ok, I guess?

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

I would like to read sites/articles that have thoughtful, possibly insightful discussions about the current television/streaming/movie/media landscape. And, yes, I said read, dammit

This is an empathetic and common refrain. But the problem with it is while many people might share the same sentiments, I'm afraid it just isn't a profitable business model. Not with how the internet currently works. If you can be the person who invents more meaningful and accurate ad metrics that rewards thoughtful, long-form, anti-clickbait text stories, you'll be able to retire very comfortably very quickly. But I have my doubts it's even possible considering a lot of factors, including the people who want to spend a long time reading a thought provoking thing are also often the people with the least amount of time to devote to such things.

there's some good TV/Movie writing on The Ringer sometimes, but man, you better hope you like the flavor of the month

The Ringer also rewards blistering hot takes and immense hype versus more level headed and reasonable discussions.

 

[q 3]

probably the best case scenario is to find someone who writes thoughtful stuff about the stuff you're interested on their personal blog (or twitter or tumblr or "let's watch" / "where I watch" thread in a forum etc.), maybe with like a patreon or something if they're not doing it solely as a hobby.

 

[conchobhar]

I've been checking IndieWire and Paste since AV Club's layoffs. Neither match AV Club back in its glory days, but they're pretty good.

For film criticism specifically, I honestly think the best option is to just make a Letterboxd account. Many professional critics (including many AV Club alum) are active there, and while they don't post their reviews to the site directly, they do post excerpts and a link to it.