Mike Murphy
mmmmurf.bsky.social
Mike Murphy
@mmmmurf.bsky.social
Editor at MarketWatch, streaming columnist, San Francisco native, Giants fan, burrito enthusiast. Yes, that's a banana slug in my profile pic.
"It’s a Game of Thrones series for anybody who has ever wondered what, say, a Richard Linklater version of Game of Thrones would be."

OK, I'm in.
When it's just "The Meandering Adventures of Ser Jack Reacher and Aang from The Last Airbender," HBO's "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" is a charming delight. When it raises the stakes, it's still a FAR better "Game of Thrones" companion than "House of the Dragon."

My review:
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Review: HBO’s Charming New ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff Proves Smaller Can Be Better
Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), meet and prepare for a tournament in TV's latest George R.R. Martin adaptation.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:50 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
The Lowdown is the best damn show not enough people are watching. I can exclusively report that FX has ordered a second season of the delightful Ethan Hawke comic mystery series: www.whatsalanwatching.com/the-lowdown-...
The Lowdown, the best show you're not watching, is coming back for Season Two
FX has officially renewed the Ethan Hawke-led comic mystery series
www.whatsalanwatching.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Top: A well-reported story about how ChatGPT basically killed a kid giving him drug advice
Bottom: A desperate plea to help SFGate survive in the era of Google's AI summaries
In between: A GenAI ad for an impossible object that dispenses butter, and generates the money to pay for the reporting
January 6, 2026 at 2:01 AM
For those in need of a very nice news story (gift link):

www.wsj.com/business/aut...
The Genius Whose Simple Invention Saved Us From Shame at the Gas Station
On a rainy day in Detroit, a Ford engineer got confused, then soaked—and inspired. It took decades before he got any credit.
www.wsj.com
January 5, 2026 at 10:54 PM
A few days late, but here's a gift link to my latest streaming column. "The Pitt," "Tehran" and "A Thousand Blows" return this week! "Industry" and "The Night Manager" are back Sunday! Finally some good stuff to watch...

www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-...
Here’s what’s worth streaming in January 2026 on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and more
From returning favorites like ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Bridgerton’ to newcomers like ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ and ‘Wonder Man,’ there’s a lot on tap to kick off the new year
www.marketwatch.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Hopefully now the 49ers will burn those circus clown-ass uniforms.
January 4, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Whitlock made "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit" into more than a quippy catchphrase. It's Clay Davis' ethos, a justifiably incredulous reaction illustrating how he, and often the audience, viewed the machinations of Baltimore. It's a pillar for the whole fully realized, wonderfully played character. #RIP
Isiah Whitlock Jr., ‘The Wire’ and ‘Veep’ Actor, Dies at 71
He appeared in several films for Spike Lee, including '25th Hour,' 'BlacKkKlansman' and 'Da 5 Bloods.'
www.hollywoodreporter.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Tech Billionaires Threaten To Flee California Over Proposed Vest Tax https://theonion.com/tech-billionaires-threaten-to-flee-california-over-proposed-vest-tax/
December 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
11,000 homes in the Richmond and Presidio lost power again Sunday night.

A little over two hours later, power has been restored to most homes.

S.F. has now had three major power outages in the last eight days.

missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-p...
11,000 lose power in yet another S.F. outage in the Richmond and Presidio
Unplanned PG&E outage comes hours ahead of planned outage
missionlocal.org
December 29, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Finally put together my Top 25 of 2025 playlist, featuring Deep Sea Diver, The Beths, Wednesday, Sugar, Nation of Language, Fish Narc, Hibou, Jawdropped and more. Enjoy!

open.spotify.com/playlist/2XQ...
Top 25 of 2025
open.spotify.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Welp ... No power for about an hour and a half now. At least I'm not the only one.
December 20, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Terrifying headline if you don’t realize they are sports teams.
December 19, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Crazy story...
As the nation turns to the best college football programs in the country this weekend, we turn our attention to one of the worst: Lincoln University, a downtown Oakland school whose head coach, and athletic director, threatened me at the end of our interview. www.sfgate.com/collegesport...
For Calif.'s worst college football team, a 0-287 slump is the tip of a scandal
Are the Oaks an aspiring folktale or an ill-fated fantasy?
www.sfgate.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I wonder where San Yerk is in relation to New Yerk.
For anyone worried AI will replace all of us.

Courtesy of Gemini for the prompt “create an infographic of all the World Series winners since 1986”

I dare you to find 10 things that are right.
December 17, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Ahhh, a really nice story as a timeline cleanse...
Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa is the first consensus All-American in program history.

Such an unbelievable story. Taught himself football and English on YouTube living in Tokyo, went to a JuCo in Ohio, got to Hawaii, got on scholarship and now this.

✍️ My story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/659...
Kansei Matsuzawa is this season’s first underdog story. But it’s more than a viral sensation
The season's first walk-off hero pursued a journey that spanned years, continents, parks and steakhouses to realize an unshakable dream.
www.nytimes.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
"You study how that liquid comes out of the hose normally. But then sometimes you have to manipulate the opening on the hose to make the liquid look like it’s actually coming out of someone’s mouth."

Read our interview with the special effects foreman who unexpectedly went viral:
We talked to the guy running the Mad Men puke hose
“I had to watch a lot of videos of people vomiting.”
www.theverge.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Bloomberg's annual jealousy list is out! All the scoops and stories we wish we'd broken and written from our journalistic comrades, both independent and at rival publications: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
The Stories We Most Admired in 2025: Businessweek’s Jealousy List
The stories we admired most this year.
www.bloomberg.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
I wrote a bit for McSweeney's about Isaac Chotiner interviewing Santa Claus. Just a little something for the holiday season. Enjoy!
The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner Interviews Santa Claus
For several centuries, Santa Claus has been one of the most prolific mythical gift-givers in the world. Formerly known as Saint Nicholas of Myra, a...
www.mcsweeneys.net
December 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
#Brockmire — which stars Hank Azaria as a disgraced MLB announcer mounting a comeback in the minors, and a never-better Amanda Peet as the team owner he falls for — is now streaming on Netflix.

Four seasons aired on IFC. You probably never heard of it.

Watch and thank me later.
December 4, 2025 at 3:20 AM
No Candy Cane Jo Joe's this year -- Christmas is officially ruined.

www.sfgate.com/food/article...
'Didn't meet our standards': Trader Joe's axes beloved holiday treat
The popular item was pulled from stores this year due to a quality issue.
www.sfgate.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Hey EVERYONE who rides #bayarea #transit : you GOTTA read this 👇 for ME, it's GAME CHANGING!!
December 3, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Mike Murphy
Seriously everything, EVERYTHING about the RFK/Nuzzi/LIzza moment is an argument for a newsroom where you pitch stories in front of each other and editors who shield you from your own worst impulses.
November 26, 2025 at 11:26 PM
No.
November 26, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Credit where credit's due: Peacock called this with "Mrs Davis"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIOn...
November 26, 2025 at 8:30 PM