Charles Johnston
@charlesjohnston.bsky.social
Emmy Award winning screenwriter. "Detentionaire" co-creator. Writer for Spectrum Culture. charlesjohnston.ca
Pinned
Autism Awareness Month: Interview with Children's TV Writer Charles Johnston - Skwigly Animation Magazine
2023 marks the third year of our series of interviews for Autism Awareness Month, where we speak with those who have made stories and characters in
www.skwigly.co.uk
An interview I'm featured in on 'Skwigly': www.skwigly.co.uk/autism-aware...
It was a privilege to reminisce about all things Detentionaire in a long form interview with S.B for the Detentionaire community on Reddit. A very sensitive interviewer with lots of insightful questions! www.reddit.com/r/Detentiona...
From the Detentionaire community on Reddit: Charles Johnston Interview reupload
Explore this post and more from the Detentionaire community
www.reddit.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:08 PM
It was a privilege to reminisce about all things Detentionaire in a long form interview with S.B for the Detentionaire community on Reddit. A very sensitive interviewer with lots of insightful questions! www.reddit.com/r/Detentiona...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
if you need a moment of zen, or a moment of inspiration, or just a moment of righteous escape, here's Ryan Coogler in the Criterion Closet, explaining why his favorite movies are his favorites
youtu.be/V_wzBKheKEE?...
youtu.be/V_wzBKheKEE?...
Ryan Coogler’s Closet Picks
YouTube video by CRITERION
youtu.be
January 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM
if you need a moment of zen, or a moment of inspiration, or just a moment of righteous escape, here's Ryan Coogler in the Criterion Closet, explaining why his favorite movies are his favorites
youtu.be/V_wzBKheKEE?...
youtu.be/V_wzBKheKEE?...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Somebody please get started manufacturing these
For all you PTA fans out there.
A worthy companion to the only funny thing Kevin James ever did: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kaz...
A worthy companion to the only funny thing Kevin James ever did: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kaz...
Toy Commercial - SNL
YouTube video by Saturday Night Live
www.youtube.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Somebody please get started manufacturing these
Reposted by Charles Johnston
World's Gone Wrong, while plenty angry, turns out to be less a protest album and more a mix of reportage and a call for resilience, all written in a style that allows it to be a timeless piece of resistance, born from its moment but not beholden to it.
Lucinda Williams: World's Gone Wrong - Spectrum Culture
World's Gone Wrong, while plenty angry, turns out to be less a protest album and more a mix of reportage and a call for resilience, all written in a style that allows it to be a timeless piece of resi...
spectrumculture.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:32 PM
World's Gone Wrong, while plenty angry, turns out to be less a protest album and more a mix of reportage and a call for resilience, all written in a style that allows it to be a timeless piece of resistance, born from its moment but not beholden to it.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
I find this unbearably beautiful as an expression of the joy that comes from making art together as human beings.
This is what the AI dickheads will never understand and never feel.
This is what the AI dickheads will never understand and never feel.
The cast and crew of ‘HAMNET’ dance to “We Found Love” by Rihanna to celebrate the end of production.
January 21, 2026 at 9:13 PM
I find this unbearably beautiful as an expression of the joy that comes from making art together as human beings.
This is what the AI dickheads will never understand and never feel.
This is what the AI dickheads will never understand and never feel.
This movie totally sucks (blood - it's actually pretty good). My review of Night Patrol for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Night Patrol - Spectrum Culture
Exhilarating in its presentation, especially at the beginning, but steadily loses narrative drive due to a strange inability to ever commit to a main character.
spectrumculture.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:17 PM
This movie totally sucks (blood - it's actually pretty good). My review of Night Patrol for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
At first the premise for The Beast in Me seemed a bit generic to me but wow, what an excellent series! Superbly entertaining.
January 19, 2026 at 8:50 PM
At first the premise for The Beast in Me seemed a bit generic to me but wow, what an excellent series! Superbly entertaining.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Empathy isn't a weakness, it's a strength. It's you putting the needs of others before yourself, putting yourself in their shoes, wanting them to have as good as you have it. Princess Diana had empathy. We all need more of that today.
www.amazon.com/Princess-Dia...
www.amazon.com/Princess-Dia...
I am Princess Diana (Ordinary People Change the World)
I am Princess Diana (Ordinary People Change the World) [Meltzer, Brad, Eliopoulos, Christopher] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I am Princess Diana (Ordinary People Change the World)
www.amazon.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Empathy isn't a weakness, it's a strength. It's you putting the needs of others before yourself, putting yourself in their shoes, wanting them to have as good as you have it. Princess Diana had empathy. We all need more of that today.
www.amazon.com/Princess-Dia...
www.amazon.com/Princess-Dia...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
I like this even better?
I was today years old when I learned that THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN is called “The Nuclear Man” in Spanish-speaking markets.
January 17, 2026 at 1:51 AM
I like this even better?
This week on The D'Ascenzo Zone Podcast, the guest is Alex Ganetakos. Insightful, inspiring tales from a prolific career writing for television! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo6W...
How an Intern Ended Up Writing for Paw Patrol, Hotel Transylvania, Total Drama Island, & More
YouTube video by The D'Ascenzo Zone
www.youtube.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:44 PM
This week on The D'Ascenzo Zone Podcast, the guest is Alex Ganetakos. Insightful, inspiring tales from a prolific career writing for television! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo6W...
You can sleep on this one. My review of Sleepwalker for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Sleepwalker - Spectrum Culture
A hodgepodge collection of scenes dealing with a family tragedy through the use of a sleepwalking device that fails to ever make much sense, especially by the film’s denouement.
spectrumculture.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:19 PM
You can sleep on this one. My review of Sleepwalker for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
🎉🎉
Congratulations to the incredibly talented WGC members who have been nominated for the 2026 WGC Screenwriting Awards!
www.wgc.ca/awards
Winners will be announced on April 27 at the 30th annual awards gala in Toronto, hosted by Ali Hassan, and written by Kurt Smeaton!
Tickets on sale February 9!
www.wgc.ca/awards
Winners will be announced on April 27 at the 30th annual awards gala in Toronto, hosted by Ali Hassan, and written by Kurt Smeaton!
Tickets on sale February 9!
January 13, 2026 at 8:38 PM
🎉🎉
My wife, Alex Ganetakos, was nominated for a WGC Award! I'm so proud of her, and delighted that two of our dear friends, Lienne Sawatsky and Emer Connon, are nominated, too! 🥳🍾🎉
January 13, 2026 at 7:19 PM
My wife, Alex Ganetakos, was nominated for a WGC Award! I'm so proud of her, and delighted that two of our dear friends, Lienne Sawatsky and Emer Connon, are nominated, too! 🥳🍾🎉
Reposted by Charles Johnston
You can now watch glorious 4k restorations of these two amazing films via Criterion. Have you seen these??
Rediscover: Jean De Florette/Manon of the Spring - Spectrum Culture
Based on Marcel Pagnol’s 1962 two-part novel L’Eau des collines, Berri’s films are a gorgeous meditation on rural life, cruelty, fate, revenge and redemption.
spectrumculture.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:18 PM
You can now watch glorious 4k restorations of these two amazing films via Criterion. Have you seen these??
Reposted by Charles Johnston
We've gotten a lot of hateful comments suddenly for a review we published back in 2018. The commenters all have different names but the emails attached have a word in common. So does the syntax of each comment. We think the lady doth protest too much. Enjoy reading how much we suck!
The Vanishing of Sidney Hall review - Spectrum Culture
There’s a lot of mysteries to solve here, but the most important one is whether or not anyone will find a worse film released in 2018.
spectrumculture.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:22 PM
We've gotten a lot of hateful comments suddenly for a review we published back in 2018. The commenters all have different names but the emails attached have a word in common. So does the syntax of each comment. We think the lady doth protest too much. Enjoy reading how much we suck!
Reposted by Charles Johnston
The Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: I Am Full of Possibilities movie is out now! You can view it online! And, as always, it's brought to you by viewers like you! pbskids.org/videos/watch...
January 12, 2026 at 3:31 PM
The Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: I Am Full of Possibilities movie is out now! You can view it online! And, as always, it's brought to you by viewers like you! pbskids.org/videos/watch...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
For my American friends watching Heated Rivalry, yes, it’s a real school. Class of ‘92 baby!
January 11, 2026 at 12:38 AM
For my American friends watching Heated Rivalry, yes, it’s a real school. Class of ‘92 baby!
Reposted by Charles Johnston
In all seriousness, I enjoy writing about older movies and I think this essay came together well. I hope you read it, then maybe check out Red Beard on Criterion Channel!
In my ongoing "I understand the zeitgeist" series, I wrote 1,000 words about Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard.
I will say you can see the DNA of The Pitt in this film, insofar that it depicts dogged healthcare professionals who are often more like social workers and clergy, rather than care providers.
I will say you can see the DNA of The Pitt in this film, insofar that it depicts dogged healthcare professionals who are often more like social workers and clergy, rather than care providers.
Oeuvre: Kurosawa: Red Beard - Spectrum Culture
Parts of his drama can be slow, but the film turns out to be Kurosawa's deepest, most complete showcase of his humanitarian values.
spectrumculture.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:38 PM
In all seriousness, I enjoy writing about older movies and I think this essay came together well. I hope you read it, then maybe check out Red Beard on Criterion Channel!
Actors making directorial debuts is all the rage, with mixed results. Kate Winslet's is rock solid. My review for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Goodbye June - Spectrum Culture
Kate Winslet’s assured directorial debut is a life-affirming holiday drama that is somehow almost completely saccharine-free.
spectrumculture.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Actors making directorial debuts is all the rage, with mixed results. Kate Winslet's is rock solid. My review for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
You can't put Tom Waits in a sequence and then expect to come back from it.
Father Mother Sister Brother - Spectrum Culture
The first vignette of Father Mother Sister Brother works well, but the following stories are far inferior in their quality.
spectrumculture.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:02 PM
You can't put Tom Waits in a sequence and then expect to come back from it.
Where's Wally? (aka Where's Waldo? in Canada and the US) but it's my new cat, Snowball.
January 8, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Where's Wally? (aka Where's Waldo? in Canada and the US) but it's my new cat, Snowball.
DOWN CEMETERY ROAD is superb: electrifying performances, delicious writing, virtuoso direction. HIGHLY recommended.
January 7, 2026 at 8:56 PM
DOWN CEMETERY ROAD is superb: electrifying performances, delicious writing, virtuoso direction. HIGHLY recommended.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
The Viper book tour kicks off at the New York @barnesandnoble with @therealmurr hosting (plus the world premiere of the punishment we filmed for the new season of Impractical Jokers, coming soon).
See you tomorrow Annapolis!
Buy The Viper here: bit.ly/TheViperIsHere
See you tomorrow Annapolis!
Buy The Viper here: bit.ly/TheViperIsHere
January 7, 2026 at 3:45 AM
The Viper book tour kicks off at the New York @barnesandnoble with @therealmurr hosting (plus the world premiere of the punishment we filmed for the new season of Impractical Jokers, coming soon).
See you tomorrow Annapolis!
Buy The Viper here: bit.ly/TheViperIsHere
See you tomorrow Annapolis!
Buy The Viper here: bit.ly/TheViperIsHere