Contributor: Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

The Last Czars

Netflix’s new hybrid drama-documentary fails in multiple ways: historically, narratively and morally.

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Mary + Jane

I wonder if the edgy content in MTV’s marijuana-focused series paradoxically illustrates just how far the former music network has fallen behind the times.

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Army Wives

No one ever claimed military life was easy. But who knew it could be so sudsy?

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Justified

Raylan Givens is like Vic Mackey with a southern drawl, Jack Bauer without the time constraints. He may be a good guy, but he sure seems to do some mighty bad things.

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Harper’s Island

Henry and Trish wanted their wedding to be picture perfect. A killer turns it into a TV show.

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Grey’s Anatomy

A whole lot has changed in the medical-comedy world since a gaggle of fresh-faced interns first lusted over “McDreamy” in 2005. (But not when it comes to the sexualized, over-the-top plotlines.)

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Jesus: His Life

Any time the Gospel makes its way to secular television in a reasonably coherent, respectful fashion, that’s good news indeed.

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The Gates

Most gated communities are built to keep the bad guys out. But is it a problem if you’re also locking vampires, werewolves and at least one succubus in?

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Jane the Virgin

If this CW show seems like a bad telenovela, well, that’s the point.

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

If the Coen brothers, the members of Monty Python, the cast of Jacka–, the screenwriters for Seinfeld and The Three Stooges teamed up to make a sitcom, it would look something like this FX show.

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Castle

Technically, Richard Castle’s a mystery writer. So why doesn’t he publish a book about why he does so little writing and so much crime fighting with a beautiful NYC detective?

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Designated Survivor

Designated Survivor is back … on Netflix. And it’s bringing more problems into the Oval Office than it had on ABC.

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Fear Factor

There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Unless, of course, it’s gulping down flies, hornworms and stink bugs.

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American Gods

Simply put, American Gods is the worst show on television. And it’s not even close.

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I Am the Night

This TNT crime drama’s whole appeal, beyond the big names involved, is its tawdry, tantalizing setup.

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