Better Things Season 3: Back and Better Than Ever

By Spencer Coile 

Better Things being renewed for a third season was the miracle we all deserved. Since co-creator/ executive producer Louis C.K. was fired, any worries about the series maintaining its high-wire act of cynical humor and raw emotion should be put to rest. Where the magic of Better Things laid all along was is in its leading lady's craftsmanship. Writing, directing, and playing single mother and working actress Sam, Pamela Adlon is a 2019 force to be reckoned with. 

Better Things has arrived in the wake of a highly contentious Oscar season, and it could not have come back at a better time. Built into every moment is a snapshot (sometimes literal) of the mundane, almost thoughtless acts we so often take for granted. Adlon has rendered these minuscule details into something finely tuned and deeply felt...

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TV Riches. Here are just a few highlights...

Year in review lists/recaps each day. TV is too vast a topic for one list but here's a list of personal favorites from Spencer Coile 

2017 was a messy year. While we may be entrenched in cultural, political, and social turmoil, one area that keeps getting better is television. From the return of David Lynch's Twin Peaks and NBC's Will & Grace (proving that some revivals do work), to the rise of Hulu series, through  the continuation of prestige dramas from HBO, the golden age of TV continues. Because there's such a vast array of shows out there we all have our blindspots so please know that this is but a personal list and you should definitely share yours.  To make room for all of the excellent work put out this year, here are favorite individual and duo performances but let's kick things off with a tribute to the ladies via Ensembles... 

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The Power of Pamela on "Better Things"

By Spencer Coile 

With the abundance of film festivals and the impending Oscar season, television may be sitting on the back burner for many. But with the Emmys coming and going (spectacularly, I might add), many favorite shows are on the way back.

One show has come back for its second season, stronger than ever. Created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K., Better Things is a semi-autobiograpical story of Adlon's career as working actress and single mother of three.

Sound like a well tread path? Fear not, because Adlon spices in very real, very intimate, very comical moments that help jettison Better Things into something incredibly complicated, but equally rewarding... 

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