Episodic Announcement: Donna Bowman fights The Good Fight and a Call for Contributors
Plus, discount on yearly subscriptions extended through 9/16
It seems like just last week that I was writing my introductory post to Episodic Medium and gesturing to the idea of introducing additional contributors as a “stretch goal,” and it feels like just yesterday that I was welcoming Donna Bowman, Zack Handlen, and Noel Murray to continue their criticism here at the site.
In her reflection on completing her coverage of Better Call Saul, Donna wrote about how writing in this environment—with a dedicated but manageable group of commenters, who are all paying to be here—had enriched her experience of criticism and the show she was covering.
I hope you all know how astounding this community has been, far beyond my wildest dreams and, I imagine, Myles’ too. Not just the numbers of subscribers and commenters, but much more important, the type of conversation that started happening -- people posting about their responses, theories, and character interpretations, along with mini-essays about thematic resonances and mentions of episodic moments for which I hadn’t found space…We keep saying that this site is shaping up to recapture those glory days of early TV Club, and probably more than anything else I’ve done in these 14.5 years of TV writing, I’m proudest of being a part of that.
Accordingly, when I talked with Donna as Saul was winding down, giving her a space to “complete” her career as a critic had clearly turned onto a new opportunity to watch along with that community. And when she proposed covering the final season of another spinoff that carried baggage from the show that spawned it, I was totally onboard. Admittedly, I never found time to stick with Paramount+’s The Good Fight—which, like Better Call Saul, debuted just as I was starting my job1—but I know Robert and Michelle King’s spinoff is beloved for its extension of their very distinct take on “ripped from the headlines” storytelling, and for Christine Baranski’s now 13 years as Diane Lockhart.
I’m thrilled to provide space for both Donna and fans of the show to come together to see it off starting on Friday morning—it airs on Thursdays, but there’s a pileup of shows late in the week, and I’m trying to move us to a “morning after” model for some shows to spread things out in your inboxes. I look forward to following along with the conversation knowing full well I am never going to catch up with the show.
And as we enter the fall TV season, there’s yet more shows premiering and returning, and as I was mapping out the remaining months of 2022 I realized it was officially time to move onto the next stage of Episodic Medium’s team of writers. Initially, inviting additional voices to Episodic Medium was about inviting fellow contributors to The A.V. Club to be able to write the type of criticism we had helped the site build its brand around a decade ago. And while there are still other former A.V. Club contributors that I’d love to have contribute to Episodic Medium, I also want to ensure that this can serve as a space for young, diverse voices to enter the critical conversation around television.
Accordingly, I am now taking submissions for future contributors to Episodic Medium. I’ve set up an email address for the site, episodicmedium@gmail.com, which you’ll use for your submissions. Here is what I am asking for specifically:
A sample (published or unpublished) of your writing, covering a television show
I don’t want you to send me 5000 words, but I always write too much, so I can’t be strict about length. Aim for 1200-2000. I’m more interested in your writing and point of view than I am about you emulating any particular style.
An ongoing/returning series that you would be interested in covering, and why
Shows we’re covering this fall that don’t officially have a writer assigned include Andor, Mythic Quest, Abbott Elementary, and The White Lotus, but we will likely be adding additional coverage in those months, along with shows early in 2023.
Choose one of the new broadcast dramas premiering this fall (listed below) and offer a “pitch” for why you would be able to write about it and how you would intend on covering it—what kind of things could you see yourself writing about? I don’t know that we will be adding coverage of these shows, but it’s a good exercise, trust me.
Monarch (Fox, September 11)
Quantum Leap (NBC, September 19)
The Rookie: Feds (ABC, September 27)
So Help Me Todd (CBS, September 29)
East New York (CBS, October 2)
Alaska Daily (ABC, October 6)
Walker: Independence (The CW, October 6)
Fire Country (CBS, October 7)
The Winchesters (The CW, October 11)
Lopez vs. Lopez (NBC, November 4)
While I am certainly looking to offer opportunities to young writers as well as writers from marginalized communities, all applications are welcome, experienced or not. I will be going through the initial applications through September 16, but if you have stumbled onto this post, I will continue to accept submissions on a rolling basis.
And speaking of September 16, I am also extending the ongoing deal for 20% yearly subscriptions through that date. After that, they will return to the still extremely good deal of $50 a year, so if you’re on the fence and are in a financial position to support Episodic Medium, now is absolutely the time to do so. You can see our full Fall 2022 schedule on our About page.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing from some of you in the weeks ahead.
Best,
Myles McNutt
Editor, Episodic Medium
I actually assigned the pilot in my TV class to talk about television as a cultural forum, but never watched past it.
This is wonderful news! I love The Good Fight but have never been crazy about the coverage it gets on review sites. I know Donna will do it justice (no pun intended).
The Good Fight coverage in Episodic Medium?! I've been really bad at following the conversations here because I've been really bad at watching shows in time, but I *love* that I'll be able to engage with that show here week after week. EM feels more and more like the TV Club of old the more shows it covers and I love that so much.