​I have never been one to binge-watch shows. Life is just so hectic, and it takes something special, thrilling and gripping to keep me coming back for more and more as soon as possible. The only shows I can honestly say I binge-watched within a couple of days are “Bridgerton,” “The Woman Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” and “Squid Game.” When I found out the second season of “Squid Game” would be released on December 26th, I was full of anticipation. The first season of the South Korean survival thriller series was some of the best television I have ever experienced. It had a lot to live up to ... but did it? 
 
The first season of “Squid Game” had many things going for it. Seong Gi-hun (SAG Award winner Lee Jung-jae) entered into a series of games with 456 contestants for a chance to win billions of dollars. Contestants are sequestered onto a mostly deserted island to participate in these games. However, things are not as they seem. This led to the first season having the element of surprise. When the players go to play “Red Light, Green Light,” they have no idea that losing this game will result in death. I remember being in complete disbelief at what I was watching. As the games continued, viewers saw that there was no remorse. You lose, and you die. You cannot appeal to the good graces of the guards. Also, the show set up so many relationships with all of the characters and left you with such a sense of uneasiness. You do not know if these characters you are growing to care about will even be alive in the next couple of minutes. That sense of uneasiness made for truly compelling television. Finally, at the end of the season, we learn the bad guy's identity. It turns out he was hiding in plain sight. As season one ends, we are left on a cliffhanger as to what Seong Gi-hun will decide to do. Will he move on with his life or dedicate his life to bringing these horrible people down? 

Unfortunately, everything going for this series in season one is also part of the problem for season two. The element of surprise is almost completely gone. We all know the stakes as Seong Gi-hun re-enters the game as a way to try to bring the people behind this cruel operation down. When the first game played is the same as in the first season, you begin to wonder if there will be any surprises in the season. Ultimately, the contestants do have different games to participate in. While most of the cast died in the first season, we are introduced to new characters. My favorites are the Mom and Son duo, Geum-Ja (Kang Ae-sim) and Yong-ski (Yang Dong-Geun). The dynamic of having family members made this season a little more interesting.

Finally, The Front Man, the main “manager” of the operation (Lee Byung-hun), somehow ends up playing the game alongside Gi-hun. As their friendship grows, it is compelling to see why the Front Man is doing what he is doing. What are his intentions? Does he see this whole enterprise as evil as Gi-hun does? However, with viewers knowing his true identity, it does not contain the same excitement as the surprise unveiling of the villain in the first season.   

The show still thrills and entertains fans of the show – just definitely not on the same level as the first season. There were several things I admired about the second season. It had more time to open up this whole world. We see how there is black-market organ trafficking with the dead bodies, we see behind the scenes of a soldier’s life, and we see people recognizing other people within the game. This all helped us understand the crazy world that the “Squid Game” takes us to. While I admire this, everything does not fit together as seamlessly as in the first season. However, with the second season ending in the middle of the games, there is definitely time for the third season to bring everything together like the first season.  
 
Season two still delivered an entertaining and compelling season but pales dramatically compared to the stellar first season.  

by Julian Spivey
The 50th-anniversary special for “Saturday Night Live” aired on Sunday, Feb. 16. It was a star-studded event featuring legendary cast members from the show’s past and former hosts and musical guests throughout a three-and-a-half-hour comedy marathon.

There was much great stuff throughout the evening, which I will get to below. Still, I also had one major criticism: the show didn’t focus much on the first half of its legendary 50 years, with most sketches done throughout the evening from the last 25 years.

That didn’t sour the night much, but it was certainly noticeable and likely a con of the evening for many who’ve followed the show throughout the majority or entirety of its run.
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Here were my 10 favorite moments from the evening in the order they appeared on the show:
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Paul Simon & Sabrina Carpenter Perform “Homeward Bound”
Paul Simon is probably the first musical guest most folks who’ve been watching ‘SNL’ for many decades would think of is asked about frequent musical acts on the show. He appeared on the show's second episode in the fall of 1975 and has been on episodes in every decade and era of the show. The 50th-anniversary special was a homecoming for numerous cast members who returned to the famed Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, and it made for an excellent opening performance. Sabrina Carpenter is one of the more notable musical guests of the recent seasons, though she’s only made one appearance on the show thus far. Though seeing Simon perform alone certainly would’ve been great, the duo made for a nice passing-the-torch moment. 

Goulet Meets Dooneese
When I saw the image of Fred Armisen as Lawrence Welk, I admit I flinched a bit because I knew it meant Dooneese, Kristen Wiig’s significantly foreheaded, tiny-hands character that was one of my least favorite recurring characters in the show’s history, was coming. But my all-time favorite cast member, Will Ferrell, saved the bit with his wild impression of lounge singer Robert Goulet. It was a mixture of Ferrell’s Goulet interacting with Wiig’s Dooneese that, for the first time, had me chuckling at Dooneese’s antics, as Ferrell’s lusty Goulet played off them so well. 

Tina & Amy Answer Questions
The questions segment is a holdover from past ‘SNL’ anniversary shows, and it makes for a fantastic bit – especially when in the hands of legends like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, whom I’m sure wrote it together. In the segment, Fey and Poehler field questions from the star-studded audience members, which included modern stars like Quinta Brunson and Ryan Reynolds, as well as a legend like Keith Richards, who wondered if anybody had seen a scarf he left at the show in the late ‘80s. My favorite part of the segment was Jon Lovitz having to be seated in the American Doll store across the street as Julia Louis-Dreyfus needed the seat for her service dog, who is blind and helping it. Fey played a hand in writing parts of the special, but frankly, there wasn’t enough of her on screen. 
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Digital Short: Anxiety
Even though Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island cohorts have gotten a couple of Digital Shorts onto the show in its 50th season, there was still expected to be one on the 50th anniversary, as there had been 10 years ago for the 40th special. There was, and it was about the anxiety experienced by cast members and crew alike on the show on a weekly basis featuring Bowen Yang. It wasn’t the best digital short to appear on the show this season, but still a highlight of the evening. 
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Weekend Update
Weekend Update was my most anticipated part of the show, and though it was one of the best parts of the special, it was also a bit disappointing. The good parts were guest appearances by a couple of Update Hall of Fame correspondents in Cecily Strong’s The Girl Who Talks Too Much at a Party and Bobby Moynihan’s Drunk Uncle, an appearance by Seth Meyers (my second all-time favorite Update anchor behind Norm Macdonald) with Vanessa Bayer and Fred Armisen playing childhood friends of ‘SNL’ creator and producer Lorne Michaels. It also found a spot to use Bill Murray on the show. However, for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, not appearing in this segment was a shocker.  It was also disappointing not to see other Update anchors of the past like Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller, Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin. Some of the biggest laughs of the evening were in this segment, but it also felt like one of the more significant misses of the show. There not being much of a Macdonald tribute was also disheartening. 
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Colleen Rafferty
The greatest recurring character on ‘SNL’ over the last decade has been Kate McKinnon’s alien abductee Colleen Rafferty. It was nice to see the return of Rafferty on the ‘SNL’ 50 special, even if Ryan Gosling – a frequent co-abductee in the sketches wasn’t available. Pedro Pascal and Woody Harrelson stepped in as Rafferty’s co-abductees, who got the better end of the alien’s treatment while she was once again pantsed and sexually harassed by those blasted gray aliens. The sketch featured the debut of Rafferty’s mom, played by Meryl Streep in her ‘SNL’ debut. 
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Adam Sandler's Musical Tribute to SNL
The most touching moment of the evening was Adam Sandler’s musical tribute to ‘SNL,’ which didn’t necessarily start that way, but certainly ended that way with tributes to his former castmates and friends, Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald. The song wasn’t as funny as many of Sandler’s songs have been over the years, but this special needed more tear-watering moments and it was nice to see Sandler supply one. 
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Mulaney Musical
John Mulaney’s many hosting stints over the last half-decade-plus on ‘SNL’ have been notable for his musical parodies, some better than others over the years. His trip through the decades of ‘SNL’ featuring musicals of each decade was one of the better ones he’s done. It began in 1975 when Pete Davidson and David Spade arrived from their small hometowns in the Big Apple. It featured comedic parodies of “The Lion King,” “Les Miserables,” “Hamilton” and more with a large ensemble that included former cast members Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Alex Moffat, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Cecily Strong, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Taran Killam, Will Forte and Kate McKinnon. It also featured current cast members, most notably Sarah Sherman, and former hosts of the show, most notably Scarlett Johansson and Paul Rudd. Seeing former ‘SNL’ band leader G.E. Smith and band member Paul Schaffer was a nice touch, too. 
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Debbie Downer
One of the funnier bits of the evening came late in the show when Rachel Dratch brought back her memorable Debbie Downer character, who was employed at the bar for the celebration and shared some devastating factoids with Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, Ayo Edebiri and Robert De Niro, who got so fed up with the depressing facts attempted to strangler her at one point. The most shocking aspect of this sketch was that Fallon held it together, even when Dratch’s character tried to poke him with a recurring bit about how she can’t have children.  
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Scared Straight
The special’s very last sketch was the one I laughed the most at all night, and I think it’s because it’s one I’ve missed so much. I loved Kenan Thompson’s recurring Scared Straight sketches that appeared on ‘SNL’ eight times from 2008-2012 and then disappeared, I thought forever. I wasn’t surprised to see Colleen Rafferty, Dooneese, Debbie Downer or really anything else that appeared on the special during the night but was almost knocked out of my seat by the return of Scared Straight, and the fact that it featured Eddie Murphy alongside Thompson was priceless. Thompson and Murphy were side-bustingly hilarious doing their best to scare some teens into acting right. When Will Ferrell showed up as Big Red it upped the ante even more. 
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by Julian Spivey
February is a HUGE month for some of the most significant moments in pop culture. The biggest events in music, the NFL, and NASCAR are all happening on consecutive Sundays this month!

Here are the events and shows you shouldn’t miss in February… 

Grammy Awards – Sunday, February 2 on CBS @ 7 p.m. (CST)
Hailed as music’s biggest night, the 67th annual Grammy Awards are broadcast live from Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 2, at 7 p.m. (CST). The broadcast will be telecast on CBS and available to stream on Paramount+. For the fifth consecutive year, the telecast will be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. Performers at the Grammy’s will include Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, and more. The night’s most nominated artists include Beyonce, Taylor Swift and the previously mentioned performers.

9-1-1: Lone Star Series Finale – Monday, February 3 on Fox @ 7 p.m. (CST)
Fox’s best active drama series, “9-1-1: Lone Star,” says goodbye on Monday, February 3, after five seasons and 72 episodes. The series, which stars Rob Lowe as the captain of a fire station, has maintained a consistency of solid and almost always wild drama and nice performances from its supporting cast, most notably Jim Parrack. At times, the sequel to “9-1-1,” which now airs on ABC, has been more entertaining than its predecessor. I haven’t begun the final season, so I’m not sure how solid it’s been (especially after the departure of Sierra McClain), but hopefully, it’s kept up its solidly wacky and entertaining pace.

Super Bowl LIX: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Sunday, February 9 on Fox @ 5:30 p.m. (CST)
The most watched television event annually in America is the Super Bowl, and this year’s matchup is a rematch of the one two years ago when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a hard-fought, tight game. Viewers should expect an equally entertaining and exciting game this year with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes trying to make the Chiefs the first NFL franchise in the Super Bowl era to win three straight titles. The Eagles are attempting to win the second Super Bowl in franchise history behind a great ground game led by running back Saquon Barkley. There are also dozens of highly anticipated commercials and a Super Bowl halftime show featuring arguably hip-hop’s brightest star, Kendrick Lamar, with a guest appearance by SZA.

Daytona 500 – Sunday, February 16 on Fox @ 1:30 p.m. (CST)
The Daytona 500 is often called NASCAR’s Super Bowl, even though it begins the racing season instead of ending with it and comes just one week after the NFL’s big game. The sport’s biggest race sees 40 cars bunched together in a pack at speeds nearing 200 mph, where any small mistake can lead to a crash known as the “big one,” and whichever driver wins will be remembered forever in the sport’s lore.

Saturday Night Live: 50th Anniversary Special – Sunday, February 16 on NBC @ 7 p.m. (CST)
NBC’s long-running sketch show “Saturday Night Live” is celebrating a half-century on television with a three-hour primetime special on Sunday, February 16 at 7 p.m. (CST), which will also include a one-hour red carpet preshow at 6 p.m. (CST). There isn’t a whole lot known about the star-studded event featuring current and former cast members and legendary hosts from the show’s past, but if you’ve seen the show’s previous 25th and 40th-anniversary specials, you’ll know it’ll be a must-see-event for ‘SNL’ fans. The live event will also be streaming on Peacock. 

The White Lotus – Sunday, February 16 on HBO @ 8 p.m. (CST)
HBO’s anthology series “The White Lotus,” created by Mike White, debuts its third season on Sunday, February 16 at 8 p.m. (CST) and can be streamed on Max. The satire always features different characters and storylines in a different locale, with the fictional White Lotus resort as the setting. Season three is set in Thailand and features a cast of Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey and more. “The White Lotus” has won 15 Emmy Awards for its first two seasons and will undoubtedly be one of the most talked about shows of 2025. 

Zero Day – Thursday, February 20 on Netflix
Robert De Niro stars in “Zero Day,” dropping on Netflix on Thursday, February 20. The six-episode series, created by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim and Michael Schmidt, is a political conspiracy thriller centering on a global cyberattack. De Niro plays a former U.S. President who is called out of retirement to find the source of the attack, which sounds incredibly far-fetched but, honestly, pretty badass. The talented supporting cast includes Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton, Dan Stevens and Angela Bassett.