Maureen Ryan on Huffington Post

Maureen Ryan: HBO's Awful 'Hemingway And Gellhorn' Is Worse Than 'Sharktopus'

2012-05-25T15:21:17Z

Why is hate-watching the only realistic option? Because loving or even liking this expensive misfire is simply not possible. Don't let the fancy names in the cast fool you: "Hemingway and Gellhorn" is a stupid, stupid movie.

Read more: Tv, Hemingway, Martha Gellhorn, Hbo, Drama, Ernest Hemingway, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Gellhorn, Clive Owen, Reality-Free, Nicole Kidman, Hemingway and Gellhorn, Tv Reviews, TV News

Maureen Ryan: 'Grimm' And 'Person Of Interest' Finale Reactions, Plus Podcast News

2012-05-24T19:48:31Z

A lot of shows are ending their seasons or getting new leases on life right now -- including Grimm and Person of Interest -- so writing about the transition of the Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan podcast feels appropriate right now.

Read more: Grimm, Michael Emerson, Person of Interest, Jim Caviezel, Tv, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, Podcast, TV News

The 14 Best Series Finales Ever

2012-05-23T07:54:00Z

It's been exactly two years since the series finale of "Lost" and you probably still love it/hate it as much as you did that night.

No matter your ...

Read more: Friends Series Finale, The Shield Series Finale, The Wire Series Finale, Best Series Finales Ever, Lost Series Finale, Arrested Development Series Finale, Maureen Ryan, Slideexpand, Mash Series Finale, TV Canada, Newhart Series Finale, Maggie Furlong, Video, Battlestar Galactica Series Finale, Best Tv Finales, The Cosby Show Series Finale, Tv's Best Series Finales, Best Series Finales of All Time, TV News

Maureen Ryan: 'Mad Men' Recap: Flirting WIth Danger

2012-05-21T01:12:07Z

I've had some trouble with some other character evolutions previously in the season (Pete is that unhappy? Peggy is that dissatisfied?), but Lane's has been the hardest one for me to accept.

Read more: Mad Men, Mad Men Season 5, Maureen Ryan, TV Recaps, Reality-Free, TV Canada, Mad Men AMC, Tv, TV News

Maureen Ryan: 'Game Of Thrones' Recap: The Calm Before The Storm

2012-05-20T22:15:00Z

Enjoyable as it was, there was a slightly scattered quality to the episode, as the pieces were put into place for the Giant Battle They Have Been Talking About Forever.

Read more: Game of Thrones Hbo, TV Recaps, Tv, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Episode 8, Game of Thrones Season 2, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, TV News

Maureen Ryan: My Experience Of Dan Harmon Being Difficult (And Why He's Worth It)

2012-05-19T10:35:54Z

I will stipulate that Harmon can be a hard guy to get along with. But I don't require him to be my friend, nor should the executives at Sony and NBC.

Read more: Dan Harmon, Community Season 3, Tv, Community Dan Harmon, Community, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, Community Finale, Dan Harmon Fired, Comedy, Nbc, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Which Comedy Finale Was Funniest? Rating 'Community,' 'New Girl' And More

2012-05-18T13:10:32Z

"Community" is at its best when it ties pitch-perfect concepts to themes that touch on how hard it is to get perspective on your life or to reach some kind of cockamamie maturity.

Read more: Tv, TV Recaps, New Girl, Community, Maureen Ryan, Suburgatory, Reality-Free, Community Finale, How I Met Your Mother, How I Met Your Mother Finale, TV Canada, Suburgatory Finale, New Girl Finale, Comedy, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Why 'Once' Is One Of TV's Most Endearing Oddballs

2012-05-15T18:11:51Z

There's a line between simple and simplistic, and there are times when "Once" errs on the wrong side of it. But when it gets its own peculiar mixture of romance, earnestness and hope right, it is pretty magical.

Read more: Once Upon a Time, TV Recap, Once Upon a Time Abc, Tv, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, Once Upon a Time Season 1, Once Upon a Time Finale, TV News

Maureen Ryan: 'Smash' & The Rise Of The Group Hate-Watch

2012-05-14T07:44:44Z

When it comes to group hate-watching, "Smash" is the gift that keeps on giving ... I thought, "Smash's" team is correcting the problems that have long plagued this drama. And then I watched the "Smash" season finale.

Read more: Tv, Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Smash Season 1, Anjelica Huston, Smash Finale, TV Canada, Smash Nbc, Maureen Ryan, Debra Messing, Reality-Free, Smash, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Thanks, Betty, For The Worst Episodes Of 'Mad Men'

2012-05-14T01:31:23Z

Any episode that prominently features Betty is a lesser episode of "Mad Men." She just isn't as interesting as the show thinks she is, and when she turns up, "Mad Men's" ability to tell stories about bitterness and dissatisfaction becomes noticeably unsubtle.

Read more: TV Recaps, Mad Men AMC, Betty Draper, Tv, January Jones, Jon Hamm, Mad Men, Mad Men Season 5, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, TV News

Maureen Ryan: The Kingslayer And The Murky Moral Universe Of 'Game Of Thrones'

2012-05-13T21:08:29Z

Most people stick to the system they've always known -- and hate Jaime as a result -- because the alternatives are terrifying. But change can't be held back, no more than the Wall held back the Wildlings.

Read more: Tv, TV Recap, Game of Thrones Hbo, Jaime Lannister, Hbo, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season 2, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Why I Gave Up On 'Fringe' (And Why I Came Back)

2012-05-12T16:23:47Z

It was a relief that the end of the Season 4 finale didn't involve yet another massive alteration or reset for the characters. I'm glad that as the show heads into the home stretch, I can watch the final season with at least a modicum of anticipation.

Read more: Fringe, Fringe Season 4, Tv, Anna Torv, John Noble, Fringe Season Finale, Joshua Jackson, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Fringe FOX, Reality-Free, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Can TV Retire The 'We're Not Gay' Non-Joke?

2012-05-11T09:59:46Z

It might have been funny, a long time ago, for two straight men to constantly fend off the suggestion that they are gay. Not anymore.

Read more: Tv, USA Network, Michael Ealy, Common Law, Wes Mitchell, Common Law USA, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, Tv Reviews, TV News

'Mad Men' & 'Game Of Thrones': Are They The Same Show?

2012-05-11T10:00:39Z

Sunday nights are chock full of good television, but let's be honest, they're all about "Mad Men" (10 p.m. ET on AMC) and "Game of Thrones" (9 p.m. E...

Read more: TV Canada, Mad Men, Video, Game of Thrones, Slidewide, Mad Men Season 5, Slideexpand, Maureen Ryan, Game of Thrones Season 2, Reality-Free, TV News

'Cougar Town' Officially Moving To TBS

2012-05-10T13:13:47Z

This isn't just time to open a bottle of wine. It's time to break out Big Carl and call all your neighbors over for an impromptu party.

"Cougar T...

Read more: TV Canada, Cougar Town, Video, Cougar Town Season 4, Cougar Town Abc, Courteney Cox, Cougar Town Tbs, Maureen Ryan, News, Cougar Town Season 3, Reality-Free, TV News

The 'Suburgatory' Actress Behind TV's Tannest Character

2012-05-09T13:30:10Z

This hasn't been a notable season for memorable new characters on broadcast network shows, with the exceptions of Nick and Schmidt from "New Girl," No...

Read more: TV Canada, Video, Suburgatory Abc, Funny Women, Carly Chaikin, Abc, Suburgatory, Suburgatory Season 1, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, TV News

Maureen Ryan: 'Mad Men' Recap: What's Pete Doing With A 'Gilmore Girl'?

2012-05-07T01:34:55Z

Emptiness, missed connections, lies and not getting what you want -- those were the recurring ideas, but overriding all that was the sense that someone was going to die or something terrible was going to happen.

Read more: TV Recaps, Mad Men AMC, Tv, Mad Men Season 5, Mad Men, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, Video, Slidewide, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Cold As Ice: Terrifying Times On 'Game Of Thrones'

2012-05-06T22:00:00Z

The first eight minutes of "The Old Gods" was a masterfully choreographed sequence of tension, chaos and dawning horror. The entire sequence was shot through with a genuine sense of menace and dread.

Read more: Game of Thrones Hbo, Tv, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season 2, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, TV Recaps, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Thank TV For The Success of Joss Whedon's 'Avengers'

2012-05-06T11:05:07Z

For devoted followers of Joss Whedon's TV shows, the success of "The Avengers" is all the more sweet. Everyone who's ever championed Whedon's work probably spent half this weekend saying: "See? I told you he was a frakkin' genius!"

Read more: Avengers, The Avengers, Dollhouse, Tv, Angel, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Marvel's the Avengers, Buffy, Firefly, Reality-Free, Joss Whedon, TV News

Steven Moffat On The Ponds' Exit & What's Next For 'Doctor Who'

2012-05-03T11:40:55Z

Spoilers! River Song hates them, but even "Doctor Who" head honcho Steven Moffat can't resist them now and then.

I recently interviewed Moffat to ...

Read more: TV Canada, Video, Rory Williams, Steven Moffat, Amy Pond, Amy and Rory, Doctor Who Bbc, Maureen Ryan, Doctor Who, Reality-Free, TV News

Talking Holmes And Watson With 'Sherlock' and 'Doctor Who' Writer Steven Moffat

2012-05-03T10:44:00Z

When it comes right down to it, Sherlock Holmes is famous for thinking.

He doesn't boast a superhero physique or wield overwhelming firepower. His...

Read more: TV Canada, Video, Sherlock, Sherlock Season 2, Steven Moffat, Slidewide, Martin Freeman, Sherlock Pbs, Maureen Ryan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Who, Reality-Free, TV News

'Cabin In The Woods' Star Joins 'Spartacus'

2012-05-02T13:33:26Z

Three actresses have been cast in the third season of the hit Starz drama "Spartacus," and one of them has a Joss Whedon connection.

Anna Hutchiso...

Read more: TV Canada, Cabin in the Woods, Video, Spartacus Season 3, Spartacus, Anna Hutchison, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, Spartacus Starz, TV News

Amy Poehler On The Future Of 'Parks & Rec', Directing, 'Wet Hot' Reunion & More

2012-05-02T09:00:07Z

Amy Poehler, who wrote and directed last week's hilarious debate episode, talks about Leslie's election chances, the show's approach to politics, and whether ascending the Pawnee ladder could change the town's most ambitious parks bureaucrat.

Read more: TV Canada, Paul Rudd, Parks and Recreation, Video, Parks and Recreation Season 4, Funny Women, Slidewide, Parks and Recreation Nbc, Maureen Ryan, Amy Poehler, Reality-Free, TV News

Maureen Ryan: Disappointment And Desire At The 'Mad Men' Ball

2012-04-30T11:50:59Z

I love the complexity and ambiguity of the show, but will it continue to arc downward? Like a worried parent, I must confess to wanting more for these flawed, absorbing, misguided, fascinating people.

Read more: Mad Men AMC, Sally Draper, Mad Men at the Codfish Ball, Tv, Don Draper, TV Canada, Mad Men, Mad Men Season 5, Maureen Ryan, Kiernan Shipka, Reality-Free, TV Recaps, TV News

Maureen Ryan: New Alliances And New Dangers On 'Game Of Thrones'

2012-04-29T22:00:00Z

For me, the most moving scene -- the one that spoke most directly to what is valuable about this tale -- was the forest scene between Brienne and Catelyn.

Read more: TV Recaps, Game of Thrones Hbo, Tv, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season 2, TV Canada, Maureen Ryan, Reality-Free, Game of Thrones Recap, TV News