> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theomnicosm.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 'Andor'! 'Shadows'! 'Harley Quinn'! It's not a Top Ten list, but here are a bunch of my favorite TV shows and movies from 2022 - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/andor-shadows-harley-quinn-its-not/ - Published: 2022-12-29T12:01:11.000Z - Updated: 2024-01-13T02:47:47.000Z - Description: I watched a lot of TV this year (and saw a few movies). Thankfully there was a lot of great stuff to watch. PLUS: My thoughts on 'Glass Onion' and 'Top Gun: Maverick.' - Author: Bill Kuchman - Tags: Popculturology • Friday Newsletter, Popculturology, Abbott Elementary, Andor, Barry, DC Studios, The Bear, Better, Black Panther, Bluey, Doctor Strange, For All Mankind, Guardians of the Galaxy, Harley Quinn, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Ms Marvel, Kenobi, She-Hulk, Stranger Things, What We Do in the Shadows, Marvel There’s a theory that the older you get, each year seems to move faster, as they’re a progressively tinier fraction of your life. That’s never seemed truer for me than with 2022\. We brought our daughter home from the hospital on New Year’s Day, and now we somehow have a one-year-old who’s on the verge of walking and will do fun things like making a fart sound when asked “what sound does a bear’s butt make?” or watch *Godzilla* clips me. (Guys, I am nailing the parenting thing.) The past two months of **Popculturology** have flown by too. It’s been a blast writing about pop culture again, and seeing an email about a new subscriber or talking to a friend who enjoys the newsletter never gets old. Hopefully you’ve all enjoyed reading **Popculturology**. As always, I’d much appreciate it if you shared the newsletter with a friend or subscribed if you haven’t yet. Before we wrap up 2022, I wanted to share some of my favorite TV shows and movies from the past year. This list is missing obvious fan favorites like *White Lotus* (not done yet), *Atlanta* (I’m a season behind) and *Better Call Saul* (we have everything but the first season to watch). When I compiled this list, I originally thought of doing something cute like “22 shows and movies from 2022,” but that would’ve meant cutting out a few I really liked. Maybe you’ll see a show or movie on this list that you haven’t watched yet. Maybe there’s something I missed and you’ll let me know. **Popculturology* will be off the next edition, so I’ll talk to you all again on Jan. 5.* ### *Abbott Elementary* We were late to this one, binge-watching the entire first season and getting caught up to the in-progress second season a few months ago. It’s impressive to find a network sitcom these days that actually deserves to be in a conversation like this. **Quinta Brunson** and the rest of the *Abbott Elementary* cast and crew have found a way to pull that off. *Where to watch: ABC* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fdbaedffe-2ae3-4741-a082-1d9113207cf2_3840x1608-jpeg.jpg) ****Genevieve O’Reilly** in **Andor*. / Lucasfilm ### *Andor* What can I say about *Andor* that hasn’t already been said? Best *Star Wars* show. One of the best *Star Wars* projects. One of the best shows on TV right now. I have no idea how **Tony Gilroy** got this past Lucasfilm and Disney. Hopefully the lesson they take from *Andor* isn’t that every future Star Wars project needs to be *Andor* — they just need to be run by empowered creatives who understand that *Star Wars* canon has this kind of potential. Less “Somehow, Palpatine returned” moments and more “I burn my life to make a sunrise I know I'll never see” moments. *Where to watch: Disney+* ### *Barry* **Bill Hader** continues to do it all with *Barry*, including directing a thrilling motorcycle chase in this season’s sixth episode. And where does *Barry* go after that third-season finale? *Where to watch: HBO Max* ### *The Batman* I laugh to myself every time I see *The Batman* toys at Target. We’re a long way from *Batman Forever* and *Batman & Robin* existing solely to crank out Batman action figures with different costumes for kids to buy. But I really liked **Matt Reeves**’ *The Batman*, especially **Michael Giacchino**’s score and the film’s love of Nirvana. *Where to watch: HBO Max* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f77cd47e5-9d4b-4248-8642-bb92e9af5b2c_1200x802-webp.jpg) ****Jeremy Allen White** and ****Ayo Edebiri** in **The Bear*. / FX ### *The Bear* I worked a lot of jobs during high school and college (even spending a summer in a warehouse putting away just about any animal you’d dissect in science class), but I never worked in food. From what I understand, *The Bear* is triggering for people who have spent time in a kitchen, making it probably the purest depiction of that world. *The Bear*’s second-season renewal was a surprise, but I can’t wait to see **Jeremy Allen White** and **Ayo Edebiri** return. *Where to watch: Hulu* ### *Better Things* I actually started watching *Better Things* when it first aired, back when it was still under the **Louis CK** banner. For whatever reason, I dropped off. I was lucky enough to pick this one back up last year when Caitlin and I were looking for a new show to watch. The stink of Louis CK is long gone, and **Pamela Adlon** delivered a touching and memorable series finale in 2022. *Where to watch: Hulu* ### *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* is a cathartic movie. For the characters in the film. For the people making the film. For the people watching the film. **Ryan Coogler** told a story about processing grief while still bringing amazing new characters and actors into the Marvel Cinematic Universe like **Tenoch Huerta** as Namor. *Where to watch: In theaters* ### *Bluey* Give us more *Bluey*, Disney+. We know you have more episodes. Australia can’t keep a secret. *Where to watch: Disney+* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fbc2879bc-66f0-4737-850e-86db053756f0_1440x810-webp.jpg) ****Elizabeth Olsen** in **Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness*. / Marvel Studios ### *Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness* *Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness* is on this list solely due to **Elizabeth Olsen**. We can question the motives of Wanda Maximoff in this movie, but Olsen destroyed every scene she was in. (“Is their mother still alive?) This can’t be the last time we see her as the Scarlet Witch. *Where to watch: Disney+* ### *The Dropout* I had read *Bad Blood*, the book about **Elizabeth Holmes** and Theranos (but not the property that *The Dropout* is based on), so I was familiar with the beats of this show before watching it. **Amanda Seyfried** is so good as Holmes, though, it didn’t matter than I already knew her story. This was one of the best performances of the year, and so good that **Jennifer Lawrence** decided there wasn’t a point in playing Holmes in a movie as she had originally planned. *Where to watch: Hulu* ### *Everything Everywhere All at Once* There wasn’t another film like *Everything Everywhere All at Once* in 2022\. Maybe not ever. While *Multiverse of Madness* told a Marvel-sized story about the multiverse, *Everything Everywhere All at Once* used the multiverse to examine a single broken family. I loved **Michelle Yeoh** and **Ke Huy Quan** in this movie. *Where to watch: Showtime (and digital rentals)* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fd897e8ec-289b-40c0-bb98-286d0c7ad8cf_1676x946-jpeg.jpg) ****Joel Kinnaman** and ****Casey W. Johnson** in **For All Mankind*. / Apple TV+ ### *For All Mankind* The third season of *For All Mankind* didn’t live up to the finale of the second season, but I still looked forward to this show every week. Its optimism about the potential of humanity through space exploration just gets me. The show needs to drop Gordon and Tracy’s sons. Absolute story duds. *Where to watch: Apple TV+* ### *Glass Onion* My full thoughts on *Glass Onion* are below in *The Playlist* section, but I loved **Rian Johnson**’s sequel to *Knives Out*. The man is an oracle, somehow writing a film at least a year before the current **Elon Musk** moment. *Where to watch: Netflix* ### *The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special* Of course **James Gunn** can write and direct a new Christmas classic here. *The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special* works on every level, right down to “I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here).” *Where to watch: Disney+* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f9bb35ab5-c9a3-41c5-9bfa-28ee64a46e82_1584x891-jpeg.jpg) Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in **Harley Quinn*. / HBO Max ### *Harley Quinn* We must protect *Harley Quinn* at all costs from Warner Bros. Discovery. This show is too good and has too much heart to be in the hands of HBO Max’s cost-cutting regime. The show’s third season gave us “Batman Begins Forever,” one of the best Batman stories told. *Where to watch: HBO Max* ### *House of the Dragon* It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the *Game of Thrones* prequel. The show played the traumatic childbirth card over and over and over again, often ending episodes with behind-the-scenes clips of men talking about how childbirth is the battlefield for women. If you could skip over those parts, *House of the Dragon* gave fans of this world dragon-on-dragon action that *Game of Thrones* was only able to hint at. *Where to watch: HBO Max* ### *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power* I spent [last week’s edition of ](https://www.theomnicosm.com/p/the-rings-of-power-is-amazons-most)[**Popculturology**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/p/the-rings-of-power-is-amazons-most) raving about The Rings of Power. I love returning to this world. *Where to watch: Prime Video* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f7ee4898c-c74a-44c5-ac22-22735062127d_3840x1608-webp.jpg) ****Iman Vellani** in Ms. Marvel. / Marvel Studios ### *Ms. Marvel* **Iman Vellani** is Ms. Marvel. Like **Robert Downey Jr.** as Tony Stark, Marvel Studios struck gold when they discovered Vellani. My favorite part of this show was that it was a show about a family with superhero elements as its secondary element. I can’t wait to see Kamala Khan return in *The Marvels*. *Where to watch: Disney+* ### *Murderville* The premise behind *Murderville* is simple: **Will Arnett** plays a detective. A guest star plays his partner. The guest star is truly in the dark in terms of the plot of the episode and is improvising the entire time. The **Conan O’Brien** episode had some of my favorite moments from TV this year. *Where to watch: Netflix* ### *Obi-Wan Kenobi* Cheating a bit on this one, since I only want to highlight the final duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. *Star Wars Rebels* already gave us Ahsoka slashing through Vader’s helmet and revealing the lost face of Anakin Skywalker, but the moment hit differently in live action with **Hayden Christensen** behind the mask. “I am not your failure, Obi-Wan,” is such a crushing line. *Where to watch: Disney+* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fd01eb8c5-c245-4e22-a220-12c9e75d7502_1584x1056-jpeg.jpg) ****Taika Waititi** and ****Rhys Darby** in **Our Flag Means Death*. / HBO Max ### *Our Flag Means Death* When *Our Flag Means Death* was first announced, I assumed it was going to be a goofy pirate show starring **Taika Waititi**. It was so much more than that. Turned out Waititi had a heartfelt story to tell about sexual and gender identity, wrapping it up in a goofy pirate show. *Where to watch: HBO Max* ### *Peacemaker* **John Cena** was born to play Peacemaker. Gunn was born to tick off toxic fandoms. And Eagly? Well, Eagly was born to give hugs and be your new favorite characters. I dare anyone to skip the opening credits sequence while watching *Peacemaker*. *Where to watch: HBO Max* ### *Reservation Dogs* By far one of the most creative shows on TV, *Reservation Dogs* has unfortunately gotten stuck in the grey zone of being an FX show that doesn’t actually air on FX. (When does it air? How many episodes does it air each week?) If you haven’t watched this show yet, fire up your Hulu subscription and binge through its eighteen episodes. *Where to watch: Hulu* ### *Severance* We were late to *Severance*. I had seen the trailers but we often found ourselves watching YouTube or *It’s Always Sunny* repeats instead of jumping into a new show. (It happens at the end of a day of work and seeing to the demands of a tiny human being.) Once we got into the second episode, the show fully clicked for us, and then it was just a question of whether we should squeeze in another episode before going to bed. *Where to watch: Apple TV+* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f2180528a-20c0-4810-a944-5f1992682ebd_2576x1492-webp.jpg) ****Tatiana Maslany** in She-Hulk. / Marvel Studios ### *She-Hulk* I loved *She-Hulk*. **Tatiana Maslany** is perfectly cast. We got **Charlie Cox** as Daredevil again. The CGI might have been shaky at times, but this is the first time we’ve gotten an MCU show where several main and supporting characters are mocap. The *She-Hulk* season finale was unlike anything we’ve seen from the MCU, pulling back the curtain and introducing us to the brain behind it all. *Where to watch: Disney+* ### *Station Eleven* I haven’t read **Emily St. John Mandel**’s book (my wife actually did *just* as the pandemic was beginning), but I thought *Station Eleven* was a great, if not unsettling, watch. Shows like *The Walking Dead* have also calibrated my brain to expect a story like these to lead something like zombies too. *Where to watch: HBO Max* ### *Stranger Things* The penultimate season of *Stranger Things* impressed me in its ability to retcon its own mythology in a way that appeared seamless. **Jamie Campbell Bower** gave the series the kind of villain it had been missing, with Vecna being more than just an unthinking force of violence. *Where to watch: Netflix* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fbf3e42d4-275c-49a0-816c-d7bfe8f97e8a_1200x675-webp.jpg) Ahsoka Tano in Tales of the Jedi. / Lucasfilm ### *Tales of the Jedi* I hope Lucasfilm makes more of these vignette series. Stories like Count Dooku’s fall to the Dark Side and Ahsoka’s missing gaps don’t always have a clear place in a full TV show or a movie, but they can effectively be told through these shorts. *Where to watch: Disney+* ### *Top Gun: Maverick* You know a movie is good when it stars **Tom Cruise** and my wife enjoys it anyways. I missed *Top Gun: Maverick* in theaters but caught it when it made its Paramount+ debut. (A few more of my thought on this one can be found in *The Playlist* section below.) *Where to watch: Paramount+* ### *Turning Red* Disney needs to figure out what it’s doing wrong with the release and marketing of its Pixar films. While *Lightyear* had some major issues, *Turning Red* was delightful. **Domee Shi**’s directorial debut went straight to Disney+ in the United States, further conditioning viewers that Pixar films aren’t theatrical releases. I would have loved to have seen *Turning Red*’s kaiju-inspired finale on a big screen. *Where to watch: Disney+* ### *Werewolf By Night* The Special Presentation format is one of the best things to happen to the MCU. *Werewolf By Night* was the first story to make use of this format, with composer-turned-director Giacchino bringing Jack Russell, Elsa Bloodstone and Man-Thing into the universe in under an hour. *Where to watch: Disney+* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fed8b2986-c401-4dd0-9888-630d19ba65ff_1920x1281-webp.jpg) ****Natasha Demetriou**, ****Harvey Guillén**, ****Matt Berry**, ****Randy Sklar** and ****Kayvan Novak** in **What We Do in the Shadows*. / FX ### *What We Do in the Shadows* Was there a better episode of television in 2022 than “Go Flip Yourself?” [The ](https://www.vulture.com/article/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-property-brothers-spoof-making-of.html?ref=theomnicosm.com)[*Property Brothers*](https://www.vulture.com/article/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-property-brothers-spoof-making-of.html?ref=theomnicosm.com)[ spoof](https://www.vulture.com/article/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-property-brothers-spoof-making-of.html?ref=theomnicosm.com) was a high point in a season of high points for *What We Do in the Shadows*. This show is clicking on every level. I understand that they can’t give **Matt Berry** and **Natasha Demetriou** all the Emmys, but, c’mon, throw a few their way. *Where to watch: Hulu* ### *Winning Time* There was a point this year when our daughter was only contact napping, so we found ourselves scouring the streaming channels for new things to watch. I started *Winning Time* after it had already aired its first season, which made it easily bingeable. I wasn’t familiar with the full drama of the Jerry Buss Lakers, which led to repeated trips to Wikipedia to see what was real and what wasn’t. --- **Happy Thursday, and thanks for reading Popculturology*. I love writing about pop culture, and I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. If you do, please subscribe. It’s the easiest way to make sure you get every edition of *Popculturology*. Tapping the ♥️ at the bottom of each post also helps the newsletter. Now let’s get to the news.* [Subscribe now](https://www.theomnicosm.com/subscribe) --- ![The News](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f4bee8e13-6221-4eea-a85c-ecef7b56f6ab_2028x228-14.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f05686cf5-bc80-457f-8385-35f74c3a527d_2288x958-png.jpg) ****Ana de Armas** in a deleted scene from **Yesterday*. / Universal Pictures ### Turns out you can sue if a trailer promises Ana de Armas in a movie and doesn’t deliver Ever feel disappointed that a movie wasn’t what you were expecting based on its trailers? Turns out you’re allowed to sue the studio, a judge ruled last week. [From ](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ana-de-armas-yesterday-false-advertising-1235467419/?ref=theomnicosm.com)[*Variety*](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ana-de-armas-yesterday-false-advertising-1235467419/?ref=theomnicosm.com): > U.S. District Judge **Stephen Wilson** issued a ruling in a case involving *Yesterday*, the 2019 film about a world without the Beatles. > > Two **Ana de Armas** fans filed a lawsuit in January, alleging that they had rented the movie after seeing de Armas in the trailer, only to discover that she was cut out of the final film. Yikes, this is a slippery slope. Where’s the line on when people can sue a studio? In the case of Yesterday, de Armas was legit cut from the film. This isn’t even a Marvel Cinematic Universe situation where Marvel Studios removes characters from certain scenes or creating full scenes that aren’t even in the movie. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff05828a6-e0fc-456e-8d31-5f6fbd8e943f_3333x65-483.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f558f2804-f976-4850-9919-c5c4c77affb3_3200x2133-jpeg.jpg) ****Gal Gadot** in **Wonder Woman 1984*. / Warner Bros. ### Gal Gadot returning to *Fast and Furious* While the bonds that unite the DCEU are strained at the moment, Gal Gadot is returning to the ultimate family: The *Fast and Furious* franchise. [*The Direct*](https://thedirect.com/article/gal-gadot-fast-and-furious-10-return-exclusive?ref=theomnicosm.com)[ reports](https://thedirect.com/article/gal-gadot-fast-and-furious-10-return-exclusive?ref=theomnicosm.com) that the *Wonder Woman* actress will be back for *Fast X*, the tenth film in the saga. Gadot was last officially seen in *Fast & Furious 6*, while appearing in a deleted scene for *Furious 7*. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff05828a6-e0fc-456e-8d31-5f6fbd8e943f_3333x65-484.png) ### Netflix to crack down on password sharing If you’ve been watching Netflix with someone else’s password, that era is about to come to an end. It turns out it’s hard to keep making money when you don’t require everyone using your service to pay for it. “It’s a stark turnaround for a company that once tweeted, ‘Love is sharing a password,’” [*The Wall Street Journal*](https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-password-sharing-end-11671636600?st=tdykowgso3ywwyu&ref=theomnicosm.com)[ writes](https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-password-sharing-end-11671636600?st=tdykowgso3ywwyu&ref=theomnicosm.com). “The effort is part of Netflix’s answer to slowing growth, especially in the U.S. market.” *WSJ* reports that Netflix has been doing trial runs of a new way to have subscribers pay to share an account. > While Netflix hasn’t announced its plans for the U.S., it has been running tests in Latin American countries, one of the regions where password sharing is most prevalent. In those tests, Netflix lets subscribers pay to share accounts with up to two people outside of their homes. > > Rather than blocking password borrowers from accessing someone else’s account, Netflix prompts them to enter a verification code for their device. The code is sent to the primary account owner, and must be entered within 15 minutes. > > The password borrower can watch Netflix after entering the code, but might keep getting prompts until the account owner pays an additional monthly fee to add a sharer, according to people familiar with the tests. Netflix is weighing similar plans for the U.S., the people said. I do wonder if it’s too late for Netflix to make this change. This might be a similar situation to news website paywalls being instituted years and years after people became accustomed to getting news for free. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff05828a6-e0fc-456e-8d31-5f6fbd8e943f_3333x65-485.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f90da2275-9525-40b1-a222-67f996900070_2154x1124-png.jpg) ****Ezra Miller** in **The Flash*. / Warner Bros. ### The Flash faces off against the Superb Owl, er, Super Bowl Marketing a film that takes place in a cinematic universe in flux and starring a person accused of [a slew of alleged crimes](https://www.vulture.com/2022/12/ezra-miller-grooming-allegations-career-timeline.html?ref=theomnicosm.com) isn’t an easy task, but Warner Bros. Discovery is going to give it their best try. [*TheWrap*](https://www.thewrap.com/warner-bros-super-bowl-the-flash-promo/?ref=theomnicosm.com)[ reports](https://www.thewrap.com/warner-bros-super-bowl-the-flash-promo/?ref=theomnicosm.com) that WBD will end a 17-year absence from the Super Bowl with a trailer for *The Flash*. > Super Bowl LVII will take place on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023\. The buzz on the film is so good that five days later, the superhero film will have its trailer pegged in front of Marvel Studios’ *Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania* which opens in theaters on Feb. 17, 2023. Super weird to read about this movie testing positively and **Ezra Miller** sorting \*waves arms\* everything out with a nice chat with Warner Bros. executives. --- **Wanna send me your comments, questions or recommendations?* Write to *Popculturology* at* [*popculturology@gmail.com*](mailto:popculturology@gmail.com)*, and I might run your mail in a future edition of the newsletter.* --- ![Trailer Watch](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f6aa54423-83c2-4cc8-8d69-443edd9d3f9a_2028x228-11.png) ### *That ’90s Show* I’m very curious to see how heavily *That ’90s Show* features members of the original *That ’70s Show* cast. I can’t imagine **Ashton Kutcher** and **Mila Kunis** need to focus on \*checks notes\* [working on their show about NFT cats](https://www.vice.com/en/article/k78kay/mila-kunis-stoner-cats-cartoon-is-making-millions-selling-nfts?ref=theomnicosm.com)? I think I have something mixed up on that one … *That ’90s Show premieres on Jan. 19, 2023.* --- ![Playlist](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f0383f204-1a32-4863-b02b-60f09d2affe4_2028x228-13.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f16ab7d7e-b89e-4dd9-ac8c-bea24cf20181_1920x804-jpeg.jpg) ****Edward Norton, Madelyn Colin, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe and Daniel Craig** in **Glass Onion*. / Netflix ### *Glass Onion* Rian Johnson wrote and directed the perfect film for 2022\. I don’t know how he pulled this off, somehow writing a movie during lockdown about the emptiness of the billionaires that claim they are going to save the world and dropping it (in theaters for a week and then) on Netflix as the billionaire genius who owns Twitter reveals on a daily basis how false the mythology around him really is. *Glass Onion* is a bigger story than *Knives Out*. While the first film in the Benoit Blanc saga had **Ana de Armas** as the perfect audience surrogate, *Glass Onion* tells a story on a private island full of technocrats, celebrities and politicians. Johnson also created, what’s in my memory, the best film that takes place during the pandemic. There are mentions of working from home, characters wearing masks in various degrees of correctness (or not at all) and the awkwardness of doing the math whether you could hug someone. (*Knives Out* was weirdly the last film I saw in theaters before the pandemic.) “It's a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought with speaking the truth,” is a killer line. Between *Knives Out* and *Glass Onion*, Johnson is making it very clear where he stands on matters of wealth and class. (He did the same with Canto Bight in *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* …) **Daniel Craig**’s Benoit Blanc’s absolute undressing of **Edward Norton**’s Miles Bron instantly became one of my favorite moments in a movie. The weirdest part of my *Glass Onion* viewing had nothing to do with the movie itself, but was instead how difficult it was to find the film on Netflix. We watched it the Friday it released on the streamer, and the movie was nowhere to be found on the landing page. I scrolled, I looped through the various categories — nothing. I had to search for *Glass Onion* to pull it up. A major film hits Disney+ or HBO Max, and it’s plastered in the biggest way possible on the landing page. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff05828a6-e0fc-456e-8d31-5f6fbd8e943f_3333x65-486.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f431cd5ce-30b3-434b-a9f7-e28941d837c0_2360x1552-jpeg.jpg) ****Tom Cruise**, ****Miles Teller** and ****Monica Barbara** in **Top Gun: Maverick*. / Paramount Pictures ### *Top Gun: Maverick* *Top Gun: Maverick* might be the ultimate legacy sequel. It’s a miracle this movie is as good as it is. What easily could’ve been a direct-to-DVD sequel years ago is instead the fifth highest grossing film at the domestic box office and a Best Picture contender. It’s a silly movie, but *Top Gun: Maverick* takes itself just the right amount of seriously. The chatter between the pilots doesn’t get stale, nor does Maverick’s insistence that being a fighter pilot isn’t what he does, it’s who he is. “Stupid Tom Cruise movie,” Caitlin said as she fought back tears during a scene between Maverick and **Miles Teller**’s Rooster. That’s the highest praise. One of *Top Gun: Maverick*’s most impressive tricks is never naming what country the Top Gun pilots are striking. The pilots from that country wear fully tinted helmets. Whatever country makes you want to buy a ticket to this movie, I guess. Can we let **Joseph Kosinski** make his *Tron: Legacy* sequel now that he has a film that grossed almost $1.5 billion worldwide on his résumé? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff05828a6-e0fc-456e-8d31-5f6fbd8e943f_3333x65-487.png) ### *White Lotus* We’re through the first three episodes of the new season of *White Lotus*. This show is so easy to quickly become obsessed with. The revamped theme song. The sprawling cast. **Jennifer Coolidge** in a world of her own. We had to take a break while we went out of town for Christmas, but we’ll definitely jump back in once we’re home. I love seeing Christopher, um, **Michael Imperioli** finally get a shot at being a Hollywood player after it didn’t work out so well on *The Sopranos*. --- ![Box Office Report](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f07aae005-2bba-4d72-a8a2-a302bbff46b6_2028x228-12.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fb8e728e1-0560-4ec0-bcaf-17b4825ca27c_2048x1080-jpeg.jpg) A scene from **Avatar: The Way of Water*. / 20th Century Studios *Weekend of Dec. 23-25, 2022* **Avatar: The Way of Water** (1) *Weekend gross: $64M / Total domestic gross: $261.7M / Percent drop: -52* *Avatar: The Way of Water* remains ahead of its predecessor’s box office numbers through two weekends, grossing a domestic total of $261.7 million compared to *Avatar*’s $212.7 million. The first *Avatar*’s massive staying power has already kicked it, though, with the sequel’s second-weekend haul falling behind the $75.6 million *Avatar* brought in over its second weekend. 1. **Puss in Boots: The Last Wish** (N) *Weekend gross: $12.4M / Total domestic gross: $18.5M / Percent drop: -NA* 2. **I Wanna Dance With Somebody** (N) *Weekend gross: $4.8M / Total domestic gross: $4.8M / Percent drop: -NA* 3. **Babylon** (N) *Weekend gross: $3.6M / Total domestic gross: $3.6M / Percent drop: -NA* 4. **Violent Night** (3) *Weekend gross: $3.5M / Total domestic gross: $42M / Percent drop: -30* --- ![The Links](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f7f1dd043-0aeb-4f20-a18a-171d2bc47cf8_2028x228-14.png) - [This was the year of the prequel](https://www.theringer.com/year-in-review/2022/12/23/23523516/2022-was-the-year-of-the-prequel?ref=theomnicosm.com) (**Ben Lindbergh**, *The Ringer*) - [Jason Brassard spent his lifetime collecting the rarest video games. Until the heist.](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/06/rare-nintendo-atari-games-stolen?ref=theomnicosm.com) (**Justin Heckert**, *Vanity Fair*) - [As late-night prepares for major overhaul, what does 2023 look like for evening talkers?](https://deadline.com/2022/12/late-night-tv-major-overhaul-2023-predictions-1235202855/?ref=theomnicosm.com) (**Peter White**, *Deadline*) - [Amazon’s The Rings of Power was the streaming bet of the year. It was also a bet on an unlikely duo.](https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/27/23521556/rings-of-power-amazon-streaming-wars-jd-payne-patrick-mckay?ref=theomnicosm.com) (**Austin Gayle**, *The Ringer*) - Twitter brings Elon Musk’s genius reputation crashing down to earth (**Faiz Siddiqui**, *The Washington Post*) - [A science reporter asks: “Where are the aliens?”](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/insider/kenneth-chang-science-reporter.html??ref=theomnicosm.com) (**Emmett Linder**, *The New York Times*) --- **Spread the news!* Share a free *Popculturology* subscription with your friends.* --- ![Odds and Ends](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fb9283e5b-c33b-4ae6-918d-ecd7acdecbb6_2028x228-14.png) ### Behind the Sketch: ‘A Christmas Carol’ We don’t fully appreciate the work *Saturday Night Live*’s crew does week to week. We always talk about how the cast and writers spend long nights crafting sketches, but when they’re done, those scripts have to be turned into actual sketches. Sets have to be built. Special effects need to be designed and rendered. Seeing the work that went into making “A Christmas Carol” a reality during the **Steve Martin**/**Martin Short** episode is great reminder of all that work. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/01/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff05828a6-e0fc-456e-8d31-5f6fbd8e943f_3333x65-488.png) ### Rian Johnson breaks down a Glass Onion scene Loved *Glass Onion* and want to know more about it? Johnson broke down a scene for *Vanity Fair*, talking through the moment when the main characters arrive to take a boat to Bron’s island. Johnson also reveled that he hates that the film’s full title is *Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery*. “Honestly, I’m pissed off that we *A Knives Out Mystery* in the title,” [he told ](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ana-de-armas-yesterday-false-advertising-1235467419/?ref=theomnicosm.com)[*The Atlantic*](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ana-de-armas-yesterday-false-advertising-1235467419/?ref=theomnicosm.com). “I want it to just be called *Glass Onion*. I get it, and I want everyone who liked the first movie to know this is next in the series, but also, the whole appeal to me is it’s a new novel off the shelf every time. But there’s a gravity of a thousand suns toward serialized storytelling.” *The Atlantic*’s full interview with Johnson is fascinating, with the director addressing whether the film is about Musk (“The very American, natural instinct to mistake wealth for wisdom and competency.”) and whether the film is angrier than *Knives Out* (“The whole movie, for me, is a bit of a primal scream against the carnival-like idiocy of the past six years.”). --- *That’s the end of this issue of *Popculturology*. Thanks for reading. If you don’t already subscribe, please hit the “Subscribe now” button. Tapping the ♥️ at the bottom of each post also helps the newsletter.* [Subscribe now](https://www.theomnicosm.com/subscribe)