Superheroes and socio-political champions, cold-blooded killers and murderous polar bears – the year’s best television had something for everyone, says Aaron Yap. And then there was True Detective… In 2015, there were no shortage of momentous occasions in the world of prestige TV. Mad Men came to a satisfyingly wistful close after seven seasons, granting … Read more
Earlier this year, Mad Men’s prize asshole Don Draper was forever tied to Coca-Cola’s advertising history in an act of televisual finale-making so audacious that it raised the question: is great advertising art? The answer, obviously, is no, but does that necessarily mean its empty calories are worthless? That’s both a clunky rhetorical question and … Read more
Duncan Greive and Alex Casey run through the Emmy nominations for 2015, picking their favourites to take home the dangerously spiky golden awards. Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series: Better Call Saul • AMC • Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill Bloodline • Netflix • Kyle Chandler as John Rayburn House Of Cards • Netflix • … Read more
To help us cope with the horrors of a post-Mad Men world, Rose Matafeo compiled this loving video tribute to explain how key characters’ lives played out beyond the ’60s. Warning: contains mild and often very misleading spoilers. I started watching Mad Men when I was 15 years old. As a teen I’d have to … Read more
As the final season of Mad Men draws to a close, Henry Oliver reports back on the faithful sets, drawers of trinkets and tiny 1960s clothes at the Mad Men exhibit at New York’s Museum of Moving Image. Photo credit: Alexis Brooks. Everything’s an exhibition nowadays. This year in New York, a city seemingly full of … Read more
Fragmentary Thoughts is a comic strip by José Barbosa, in which he’ll tackle a different television show or phenomenon each month. In this instalment, he illustrates his favourite moments from Mad Men. The end is coming for Matthew Weiner’s examination of the slow, gurgling death of the American dream. One more episode of Mad Men remains. The … Read more
Aaron Yap welcomes part two of Mad Men season seven, dissecting the first two episodes and predicting towards how the show will wrap its final season. As Mad Men heads towards the end of its extraordinarily consistent eight-year run, the first two episodes of its final season, ‘Severance’ and ‘New Business’, usher in a brand new … Read more
After the passing of Coronation Street‘s beloved Deirdre yesterday, Alex Casey looks back at how TV shows have historically coped with unexpected cast deaths. // We must admit that, here at The Spinoff HQ, our mourning for Deirdre was overshadowed only by our complete panic at the realisation that nobody we knew was remotely interested in Deirdre … Read more
We polled the Spinoff writing team and hauled out the ol’ abacus to tally the results. The results are in: these are the ten best international shows of 2014. Broad City This surrealist journey following two twenty-somethings stumbling through life in New York City is like Girls dipped in optimism, Dorito-dust and pure hilarity. Despite … Read more
Two key Spinoff writers share a dirty little secret: they’ve never seen any of the defining ‘important’ TV shows of our time. They launched Catch Up Club to save them (and possibly you). This week’s show is the taut-as-heck political drama House of Cards. // Alex: Hello, President Spacey here Joseph: Why hello theyar Aleyux … Read more
Two key Spinoff writers share a dirty little secret: they’ve never seen any of the defining ‘important’ TV shows of our time. They launched Catch Up Club to save them (and possibly you), beginning with the smoky glory that is Mad Men. // Alex: It was the launch of Catch Up Club, a glorious opportunity for … Read more
It’s the weekend. You can’t deny it, it’s definitely about to happen. Lucky you’ve got that giant television spreadsheet nailed onto your wall to get you through the next 48 hours. Oh, you don’t? Well never fear. It’s scheduled to rain a lot over the weekend, so let us guide you through the two days … Read more
Two key Spinoff writers share a dirty little secret: they’ve never seen The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad or any of the other defining ‘important’ TV shows of our time. Catch Up Club is here to save them, and possibly you too. // Alex: Hello Joseph, you have not seen a lot of fancy TV … Read more
Dominic Corry gives us a rundown of the top celebrities to visit 30 Rock. // The little comedy runt that could, 30 Rock (2006-2013) was entirely overshadowed in the lead-up to its debut by that season’s other new show – also set behind the scenes of an Saturday Night Live-esque programme – Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 … Read more