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The Alan Sepinwall Zone
Description
Yes, TV is Good. ABC declared it back in the '90s in their press materials. Now Alan Sepinwall has used the slogan as the name of his new podcast, where he is paired with fellow critic Kathryn VanArendonk.
I first met Alan back when that slogan was coined at the Television Critics Association's semi-annual network press tours. He wasted no time establishing himself in what was a competitive room as one of North America's leading voices of TV criticism.
At first at the New Jersey Star-Ledger and later as Rolling Stone's TV critic, Alan stood out for his insightful, episode-by-episode essays detailing landmark shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire and Mad Men, among many others. He'd write these short story-length breakdowns minutes after each show aired. To me it was like some sort of voodoo magic trick!
Alan has written several books about television. His latest, available now for pre-order, is "Serling: a Journey into The Twilight Zone with TV's First Visionary." He can always be read at his entertaining blog, "What's Alan Watching."
The two of us talk press tours past and future, including Alan's recent trip to Austin, Texas, to attend, with several other TCA critics, the ATX television festival. Plus we land on one 2025-26 series we both think could emerge as program of the year later this summer when the TCA Awards are announced.