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.

Wizards of Waverly Place

UPDATED REVIEW: Selena Gomez has waved her wand for the last time as a teenage wizard trying to survive high school with a slouch and a shrug. What kind of spell has she cast?

The Middle

UPDATED REVIEW: The middle of what? Life? Trouble? Old-school sitcom yuks? Turns out it’s all of the above and more when Patricia Heaton’s average Midwest family tries to be … average.

Vegas

They say, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Unless, of course, you’re talking about CBS’ new drama, in which case what happens in Vegas lands with the thud of a mob hit right in our living rooms.

Shadowhunters

Hey, if it worked for Harry Potter, Bella Thorne and Percy Jackson, why not once again? But does it work? Should we want it to?

24

Jack Bauer will stop at nothing to save the world—even if he has to torture and kill most of the folks in it. Apparently we’ve updated our review in the nick of time.

Limitless

In a age when so many people already abuse drugs so they can feel better, Limitless’ premise feels pretty problematic.

Damages

Glenn Close has played some pretty nasty characters in her day. But all of ’em would be scared to death of Patty Hewes.

Hell’s Kitchen

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay does a whole lot more cursing than cooking as he berates, chides and abuses another cadre of aspiring chefs.

Big Brother

In 1984, Big Brother was watching you. In 2010, we’re watching Big Brother. It’s hard to say which is worse.

Sex Education

It’s almost impossible to overstate how much of the content in this new Netflix show is related to its title.

Cloak & Dagger

Freeform’s superhero soap offers some positive messages, but it takes a troublesome path to get to them.

The Grinder

This odd-couple comedy from Fox is a pleasant PG surprise, but there’s still some content that could grind the show’s gears a bit.

GLOW

The show’s flying chairs of content make this a difficult ring to climb into.

Bachelor Pad

ABC has channeled the worst elements of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette into this sleazy spin-off. Click for our review. (Or maybe that was our review.)

The Suite Life on Deck

Fresh from a three-year tour on Disney’s The Suite Life With Zack and Cody, twins Zack and Cody Martin strap on their life vests for another Disney sitcom.