I realized I should probably also keep track of stuff I write that doesn’t exclusively go here so here: This is a review I wrote on Sunday of the premiere episodes of Aqua TV Show Show (nee Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Squidbillies over at The A.V. Club.

I don’t love either of those shows, but considering how fluid critical taste can be and how quick we often are to make snap judgments (otherwise how would we get through our whole viewing queues?), it was really nice to have a carved-out opportunity to revisit something with a clearer head and fresh eyes. Other people should try taking stuff they would otherwise hate and try it (for a good, if extreme example of this read Nathan Rabin’s latest book on Insane Clown Posse and Phish).

One extra thought that isn’t contained in the review (so the post isn’t totally pointless). A couple of people in the comments expressed a view that “whining” or complaining about a 15-minute show like Squidbillies is worthless. To those people I say: First, do you understand the purpose of writing a review? “Oh yeah, this thing was boring but it was 15 minutes so I’m going to give it at least a B.” Second, just because something is short doesn’t mean it’s incapable of being bad. I’ve watched a lot of short-form television, and the limitations make it much easier to identify whether the show is worth watching. Some hour-long dramas can get away with a bad scene or two because the episode is going somewhere and I’m willing to find out where that is. A clunky scene in a 15-minute episode sinks the whole damn thing.