Now that you’ve settled back into work and failed to keep up any of your resolutions, it’s time to turn back to trusty old television. Alex Casey and Sam Brooks introduce some new shows on Lightbox that might take your fancy. Available now: Brooklyn Nine-Nine S4 There’s a conversation to be had about whether a … Read more
Sam Brooks uncovers Watching Ellie, a Julia Louis-Dreyfus sitcom that got buried somewhere in her illustrious career between Seinfeld and Veep. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an international treasure. She has three billion Emmys (fact-checked, and yes that is the correct number), she’s starred on several long-running shows and she’s managed to establish three iconic comic characters … Read more
Alex Casey watches Loudermilk, a bitterly funny dramedy about staying off the sauce. What’s the story? “Life is about fucking things up and then unfucking the things that you fucked up. That’s what makes you less of a fuck-up” Created by Peter Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber) and Bobby Mort (The Colbert … Read more
The Good Wife is one of those shows that has always seemed to be around but you’ve probably never seen. Sam Brooks tells you why you haven’t watched it yet, and why you should fix that immediately. This story was first published on August 1, 2017. At some point in 2016 I decided I was … Read more
Alex Casey delves into the endless relevance of The Handmaid’s Tale, available exclusively on Lightbox. This story was originally published on June 8, 2017 I first encountered The Handmaid’s Tale during high school English. They were simpler times, when you could buy three full size (!) Moro bars for $2 at the tuck shop, and the world didn’t … Read more
From the genius that gave us Blade Runner, anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams has arrived exclusively to Lightbox. Alex Casey and José Barbosa try to piece together the meaning behind the unique, mind-bending tales. Contains spoilers and trippiness. This story was first published on October 19, 2017 Alex Casey: Hey José, how are you doing today? … Read more
With help from our TV sponsors at Lightbox, Tara Ward rounds up some of the most delicious Christmas TV specials for you to feast upon. There’s 100 reasons why Christmas is so bloody awesome, and 99 of them relate to watching TV specials about Christmas. Indeed, there is no better time than Christmas to watch … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Halli Cauthery, the composer who created the synth soundtrack to Seth Rogen’s Future Man. If you look at pop culture (and the real world) at the moment, there are a lot of people trying to flee their grim reality for something a little more adventurous. Take the new trailer for Steven Spielberg’s … Read more
Arriving December 19, Lightbox’s new historical epic The Hollow Crown is bringing some serious silver screen stars to your little streaming device. Sam Brooks shares a guide on where you know them from and who the heck they’re playing. There are two things that happen when you watch one of these period dramas with loads … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from the finale of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. You could have knocked me over with a ginger feather when ‘Eye of the Storm’ began with Claire announcing she was dead. Dead as in not breathing, tied to a ship’s mast, plummeting to the bottom of the … Read more
Tyler Henry aka The Hollywood Medium is giving one of the most bizarre and compelling performances on television right now, and he probably doesn’t even know it. Straight up: I’ve got no idea if Tyler Henry, the titular Hollywood medium of Hollywood Medium, is legit or not. His Wikipedia page is full of people debunking … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from the twelfth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Nothing kills a party like a wild prophecy about a kid being 200 years old when it dies. It makes as much sense as Coco the Talking Nut and the Dunbonnet’s hair, yet when Margaret Campbell uttered … Read more
Tara Ward falls in crazy, stupid love with Young Hercules, the bizarre 90s classic made in New Zealand and starring a young Ryan Gosling. Once upon a time, in a land far away called 1990s New Zealand, someone made the greatest television show in the history of the universe. Alas, I’m not talking about Face the … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from the eleventh episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. This morning I woke to the crushing news that I am no longer engaged to Prince Harry. Thankfully, one can always rely on Outlander to soften life’s cruel blows with a soft, billowy cushion of ginger joy. … Read more
Search Party is back on Lightbox for its second season – with new episodes arriving every Monday. Sam Brooks is here to tell you why you need to catch up on this show right now. Mild spoilers ahead! If you don’t want to take my word for it, and why would you, you should read … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘Heaven and Earth’, the tenth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Let us bow down at the Outlander altar, because ‘Heaven and Earth’ featured two loves of my life: potpourri and cheese. I never thought the day would come when the King of Men yarns … Read more
Need new TV in your life? Hollywood mediums? Stargate voyagers? Floppy-haired Ryan Gosling? Then allow us to present the new offerings to Lightbox in November. Blindspot (S1-2 available now, new eps of S3 arrive every Sunday) It started with a tattoo enthusiast in a duffel bag in Times Sqaure, but the mystery thriller has become … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘The Doldrums’, the ninth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Anchor me in the middle of your deep blue sea, Outlander, because the dramatic winds of ‘The Doldrums’ filled my emotional spinnaker like never before. I don’t know if it was the fresh ocean air … Read more
With Kiwi hero Anna Paquin gracing Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams this week, some of The Spinoff’s greatest minds* attempt to dissect her reality-bending episode. If you haven’t heard of Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams by now, it’s basically a buzzy anthology series from the dude who dreamed up Blade Runner that burrows deep into your … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘First Wife’, the eighth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. You know you’re in for a treat when Outlander begins with a close-up of a pie. Feast your eyes, my pretties, because that pie was a beautiful piece of symbolism about the endless pleasures bursting … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘Creme de Menthe’, the seventh episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. There were bedroom hijinks aplenty in this week’s episode of Outlander, but sadly none of them involved Jamie Fraser’s naked butt cheeks. I thought Jamie’s post-coital wig was the worst crime their bedroom would … Read more
Craving some spooky TV that isn’t soaked in 80s kitsch? Try the bone-chilling Channel Zero: Candle Cove, writes Aaron Yap. Syfy, look at you! First The Expanse, now Channel Zero? It’s like I might have to start paying attention to your shows or something. Where the former – a superb piece of serious, high-end science fiction … Read more
With season four arriving to Lightbox tomorrow, Sam Brooks previews the return of excellent family dramedy Transparent. I dilly-dallied on watching the third season of Transparent, which I am ashamed about now. Season two ended with one of the strongest images I’ve seen on TV – the image of a baby being born many decades ago, screaming … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘A. Malcolm’, the sixth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Say your goodbyes, Sassenachs, because this week’s Outlander will strike you down dead. The emotion will slay you, the passion will cut you into a thousand tiny pieces, and you’ll end up a wizened, wrinkled … Read more
Tara Ward watches British sitcom Mum, a show for anyone who has found themselves in an inescapable family mess. What’s the story? Mum is a family comedy seen through the eyes of newly widowed Cathy. The show follows Cathy as she negotiates the first year after her husband’s death, beginning in January on the day … Read more
From the genius that gave us Blade Runner, the first two episodes of anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams finally arrived on Lightbox last night. Alex Casey and José Barbosa try to piece together the meaning behind the unique, mind-bending tales. Contains spoilers and trippiness. Alex Casey: Hey José, how are you doing today? … Read more
To celebrate the third season of Mr Robot coming exclusively to Lightbox today at 7pm, here are some of the ways you can protect yourself against the vigilante hacking groups coming for your double chin selfies. Today, after little more than a live E-Coin launch and a cryptic loaded tweet from the director to the … Read more
It’s been touted as the new Black Mirror, but there’s a lot more to blockbuster anthology series Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams. Here’s our crash course ahead of the premiere episodes, arriving exclusively on Lightbox next Wednesday. This content, like all television coverage we do at The Spinoff, is brought to you thanks to the excellent … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘Freedom & Whiskey’, the fifth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Sing me a song of a lass that is gone and then rocks on up again, totes out of the blue, wearing a strange coat and humming the Batman theme song. Everyone join in, … Read more