Nina Metz
@ninametz.bsky.social
TV and film critic for the Chicago Tribune
https://www.chicagotribune.com/author/nina-metz/
Newsletter: Nina Watches Everything
https://buttondown.com/NinaWatchesEverything
https://www.chicagotribune.com/author/nina-metz/
Newsletter: Nina Watches Everything
https://buttondown.com/NinaWatchesEverything
Pinned
Nina Metz
@ninametz.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Why is the reboot of “Law & Order” so bad?
It’s as if everyone forgot how to make the show.
buttondown.com
Why is the reboot of “Law & Order” so bad?
I get into it in this week’s newsletter
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I get into it in this week’s newsletter
Read! Subscribe! It’s free!
NYT often does these kinds of “lifestyles of the rich & demanding” stories but there’s never any actual analysis
It’s the journalistic equivalent of “The White Lotus”
archive.ph/X5XFK
It’s the journalistic equivalent of “The White Lotus”
archive.ph/X5XFK
February 13, 2026 at 1:13 AM
NYT often does these kinds of “lifestyles of the rich & demanding” stories but there’s never any actual analysis
It’s the journalistic equivalent of “The White Lotus”
archive.ph/X5XFK
It’s the journalistic equivalent of “The White Lotus”
archive.ph/X5XFK
OK I just learned about the existence of snowboard cross where, unlike ski racing where it’s one person at time racing against the clock, they all race down the hill together at the same time??
Jake Vedder edges out Cody Winters in snowboard cross quals | Winter Olympics 2026 | NBC Sports
It was a really tight contest, but Jake Vedder did just enough to edge out Cody Winter in the snowboard cross qualifications at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. #NBCSports #WinterOlympics #Snowboarding #TeamUSA » Subscribe to NBC Sports: https://www.youtube.com/nbcsports?sub_confirmation=1 » Live Olympic coverage on NBCOlympics.com: https://www.nbcolympics.com/schedule Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics on Peacock: https://smart.link/fs2ge7i8m3qlv Visit NBCOlympics.com: https://www.nbcolympics.com Download the NBC Olympics App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nbc-sports/id542511686 Find NBC Olympics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbcolympics Follow NBC Olympics on X: https://www.x.com/NBCOlympics Follow NBC Olympics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nbcolympics Find NBC Olympics on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcolympics Jake Vedder edges out Cody Winters in snowboard cross quals | Winter Olympics 2026 | NBC Sports https://www.youtube.com/nbcsports
m.youtube.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:34 PM
OK I just learned about the existence of snowboard cross where, unlike ski racing where it’s one person at time racing against the clock, they all race down the hill together at the same time??
I’m meh on this because you don’t hire David Boreanaz unless you plan on having him do some violence in the role (yuck; I want wit and smarts and style)
He’s a TV staple by this point but never more than serviceable imo! And I don’t think he can pull off a Rockfordian rakishness. Too clean cut
He’s a TV staple by this point but never more than serviceable imo! And I don’t think he can pull off a Rockfordian rakishness. Too clean cut
David Boreanaz to Star in NBC’s ‘Rockford Files’ Reboot
The former ‘SEAL Team,’ ‘Bones’ and ‘Angel’ star will take on a role first played by James Garner.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:42 PM
I’m meh on this because you don’t hire David Boreanaz unless you plan on having him do some violence in the role (yuck; I want wit and smarts and style)
He’s a TV staple by this point but never more than serviceable imo! And I don’t think he can pull off a Rockfordian rakishness. Too clean cut
He’s a TV staple by this point but never more than serviceable imo! And I don’t think he can pull off a Rockfordian rakishness. Too clean cut
I think “failed to load blob” is should become my standard response any inquiry from here on out
I’m in my “failed to load blob” era
I’m in my “failed to load blob” era
February 12, 2026 at 8:56 PM
I think “failed to load blob” is should become my standard response any inquiry from here on out
I’m in my “failed to load blob” era
I’m in my “failed to load blob” era
“That would be Will Lewis, the man whose two years of incompetent stewardship, editorial cowardice and less than ethical conduct brought The Washington Post to where it is today, a dreadfully diminished, professionally humiliated institution, drained overnight of nearly a third of its staff”
![I just was shown a government document listing the 2025 salaries of Washington Post employees who were immigrants temporarily admitted to the United States under H1B visas.
Their skills are considered "special." It lists their base yearly incomes, before bonuses, overtime, golden parachutes, or what have you.
I scanned the list. The base salaries ranged from $60,000 for a designer to $223,000 for a vice president.
Then I hit the outlier. It was $3 million. It went to a "CEO." There was only one of those in 2025, this guy [pictured is a photo of Will Lewis]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:iqtkxhjp3ler2i3kfcwukuie/bafkreihfkkzw6intx7i5v5ygseulecujuosyscuc3fwu774onzn2pycxi4@jpeg)
February 12, 2026 at 8:41 PM
“That would be Will Lewis, the man whose two years of incompetent stewardship, editorial cowardice and less than ethical conduct brought The Washington Post to where it is today, a dreadfully diminished, professionally humiliated institution, drained overnight of nearly a third of its staff”
Reposted by Nina Metz
Tis the season we're all sitting on our couches critiquing triple axels and lifts! This is such a fascinating conversation between @ninametz.bsky.social and UIC's Lindsay Hannigan on how science/data/AI is used to dissect the nuances of figure skating. I love nerding out about the Winter Olympics
A conversation with the UIC professor who heads up sports sciences for US Figure Skating
Lindsay Slater Hannigan, who is director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Human and Sport Performance Laboratory, talks about her work with Olympic skaters.
www.chicagotribune.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Tis the season we're all sitting on our couches critiquing triple axels and lifts! This is such a fascinating conversation between @ninametz.bsky.social and UIC's Lindsay Hannigan on how science/data/AI is used to dissect the nuances of figure skating. I love nerding out about the Winter Olympics
Reposted by Nina Metz
introducing my column about resistance in fiction for @aftermath.site. I’m calling it THE WORK
aftermath.site/oscars-revol...
aftermath.site/oscars-revol...
This Year's Oscar Nominees Have Real Fight In Them, Even If Hollywood Doesn't
An introduction to The Work, a column about resistance in fiction
aftermath.site
February 12, 2026 at 6:05 PM
introducing my column about resistance in fiction for @aftermath.site. I’m calling it THE WORK
aftermath.site/oscars-revol...
aftermath.site/oscars-revol...
Reposted by Nina Metz
The Olympics are supposed to be a time of global coming together and it's a huge life event for competitors but pretending that they are apolitical ignores the fact that for some athletes, their very existence is political. Look at the resource disparities between teams!
February 12, 2026 at 5:13 PM
The Olympics are supposed to be a time of global coming together and it's a huge life event for competitors but pretending that they are apolitical ignores the fact that for some athletes, their very existence is political. Look at the resource disparities between teams!
Reposted by Nina Metz
Disney World started doing this several years ago, and it not only resulted in attendance dropping but damaged the brand. Because as it turns out, most of its customers were the poorer folks who have now been priced out and are pissed about it.
"The dynamic reflects a deepening K-shaped recovery in the United States, with spending power concentrated at the top, and C-suites are keen on capturing that wealthier consumer...
The highest-earning 10% of households now account for nearly half of all U.S. consumer spending..."
The highest-earning 10% of households now account for nearly half of all U.S. consumer spending..."
US firms confront widening income gulf as wealthy spend, budget shoppers struggle
America's consumer economy is pulling in opposite directions, a gulf increasingly apparent in C-suite commentary, with premium brands profiting from well-off customers while value-focused firms battle...
www.reuters.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Disney World started doing this several years ago, and it not only resulted in attendance dropping but damaged the brand. Because as it turns out, most of its customers were the poorer folks who have now been priced out and are pissed about it.
Reposted by Nina Metz
A reminder that one thing that allowed Darwin to focus on science was a large team of servants that catered to his every need.
I've been thinking about how Victorian Era scientists accomplished so much work, until I came across this:
The Darwin family lived at Down House with a butler, cook, gardener, coachman, housemaid, two nursery maids, and a governess for the girls.
Never less than 8 servants lived at Down House.
The Darwin family lived at Down House with a butler, cook, gardener, coachman, housemaid, two nursery maids, and a governess for the girls.
Never less than 8 servants lived at Down House.
February 12, 2026 at 4:36 PM
A reminder that one thing that allowed Darwin to focus on science was a large team of servants that catered to his every need.
Reposted by Nina Metz
Shoutout Seth because there is growing animosity towards anyone who points this reality out
the distinction between “the dumbest, meanest asshole at the Klan meeting” and “‘race-science’-curious rich guy” is a nice suit and a thesaurus
“...he was having similar discussions with Joscha Bach, an AI researcher. In one exchange, Bach told Epstein that Black children in the United States “have slower cognitive development” and “are slower at learning high-level concepts.””
Why are people shocked everyone we don’t embrace this field?
Why are people shocked everyone we don’t embrace this field?
February 12, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Shoutout Seth because there is growing animosity towards anyone who points this reality out
Me focusing on something that DOES NOT MATTER:
I prefer figure the aesthetics of figure skates that have the wood heel+soul lololol
(I'm just realizing now that I'm staring at the closeup that it looks like these skaters are *taped* into their skates at the top? I never knew that)
I prefer figure the aesthetics of figure skates that have the wood heel+soul lololol
(I'm just realizing now that I'm staring at the closeup that it looks like these skaters are *taped* into their skates at the top? I never knew that)
February 12, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Me focusing on something that DOES NOT MATTER:
I prefer figure the aesthetics of figure skates that have the wood heel+soul lololol
(I'm just realizing now that I'm staring at the closeup that it looks like these skaters are *taped* into their skates at the top? I never knew that)
I prefer figure the aesthetics of figure skates that have the wood heel+soul lololol
(I'm just realizing now that I'm staring at the closeup that it looks like these skaters are *taped* into their skates at the top? I never knew that)
lolololol
Ryan Murphy’s interpretations of history really are vapid. I thought everyone praising the OJ one was out of their minds. Don’t get me started on the Monica Lewinsky one. The only one that worked imo was the one about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
Ryan Murphy’s interpretations of history really are vapid. I thought everyone praising the OJ one was out of their minds. Don’t get me started on the Monica Lewinsky one. The only one that worked imo was the one about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr. And Carolyn Bessette portrays her as a woman worried about maintaining her identity beyond her proximity to an uber wealthy and famous man and his family without actually giving her much of one. The lead performances are not especially remarkable outside of...
February 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM
lolololol
Ryan Murphy’s interpretations of history really are vapid. I thought everyone praising the OJ one was out of their minds. Don’t get me started on the Monica Lewinsky one. The only one that worked imo was the one about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
Ryan Murphy’s interpretations of history really are vapid. I thought everyone praising the OJ one was out of their minds. Don’t get me started on the Monica Lewinsky one. The only one that worked imo was the one about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
Reposted by Nina Metz
Trying to do more Old Hollywood videos — open to suggestions. Had to do a mini-review/recap of watching 1947’s THE BEGINNING OR THE END. #tcmparty
February 12, 2026 at 3:10 AM
Trying to do more Old Hollywood videos — open to suggestions. Had to do a mini-review/recap of watching 1947’s THE BEGINNING OR THE END. #tcmparty
Reposted by Nina Metz
Remember Hill Street Blues' dark riff on Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne moving into Cabrini Green? Mayoral candidate Ben Fisk wanted to move into the Dante Projects and...
February 12, 2026 at 2:26 AM
Remember Hill Street Blues' dark riff on Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne moving into Cabrini Green? Mayoral candidate Ben Fisk wanted to move into the Dante Projects and...
Obligatory reminder
February 12, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Obligatory reminder
“This gives me some hope, that even in 2026, being casually, overtly racist is enough to get a celebrity fired from a reality TV show … Also hopeful: the immediate backlash from viewers and her fellow Bravo reality TV stars”
Bravo reality stars' awful reactions to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance had actual consequences. In 2026! Amazing! #JillZarin #BethennyFrankel
Jill Zarin—and Bethenny Frankel—prove a line still exists, thankfully
Bravo reality stars' awful reactions to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance had actual consequences. In 2026! Amazing!
www.realityblurred.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:37 AM
“This gives me some hope, that even in 2026, being casually, overtly racist is enough to get a celebrity fired from a reality TV show … Also hopeful: the immediate backlash from viewers and her fellow Bravo reality TV stars”
Reposted by Nina Metz
Depending on your depth of knowledge, the Chicago Municipal Device — a “Y” inside a circle, representing the shape of the Chicago River — is either an obscure if delightful artifact that has an insidery “if you know, you know” quality to it … or something you were never aware existed
The Chicago Municipal Device is the city symbol few Chicagoans know about
The backstory of Chicago’s century-old symbol — a “Y” inside a circle — that can be found dotted throughout the city.
www.chicagotribune.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Depending on your depth of knowledge, the Chicago Municipal Device — a “Y” inside a circle, representing the shape of the Chicago River — is either an obscure if delightful artifact that has an insidery “if you know, you know” quality to it … or something you were never aware existed
“I want to become completely arboreal at some point and only eat bugs and fruit” is something I just read and …
🫡
🫡
February 12, 2026 at 1:01 AM
“I want to become completely arboreal at some point and only eat bugs and fruit” is something I just read and …
🫡
🫡
Something I think about every time a celebrity dies from an illness now:
Covid was perhaps not the immediate cause, but it's possible the illness was in some way the result of what a covid infection did to the body. Illnesses happen! But we KNOW covid increases the risk of cancer for example
Covid was perhaps not the immediate cause, but it's possible the illness was in some way the result of what a covid infection did to the body. Illnesses happen! But we KNOW covid increases the risk of cancer for example
February 12, 2026 at 12:17 AM
Something I think about every time a celebrity dies from an illness now:
Covid was perhaps not the immediate cause, but it's possible the illness was in some way the result of what a covid infection did to the body. Illnesses happen! But we KNOW covid increases the risk of cancer for example
Covid was perhaps not the immediate cause, but it's possible the illness was in some way the result of what a covid infection did to the body. Illnesses happen! But we KNOW covid increases the risk of cancer for example
Reposted by Nina Metz
“The concern expressed by the King & his heir —no matter how “deep” or “profound” —will not stop the outrage over Andrew’s conduct, which appears to have been taking place while he was paid from the public purse & acting against the interests of the British people.” www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-fam...
In a new era of transparency, the Palace needs to wake up
King Charles and Prince William will need to work together if the monarchy is to remove the tarnish left by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
www.thetimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:24 PM
“The concern expressed by the King & his heir —no matter how “deep” or “profound” —will not stop the outrage over Andrew’s conduct, which appears to have been taking place while he was paid from the public purse & acting against the interests of the British people.” www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-fam...
Because the internet is garbage, I couldn’t find a good history of how doubles luge came about … but this Reddit post offers a tantalizing hint. They originally went down sitting up maybe? And to increase aerodynamics, changed to lying down and therefore had to stack one person on top of the other?
February 11, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Because the internet is garbage, I couldn’t find a good history of how doubles luge came about … but this Reddit post offers a tantalizing hint. They originally went down sitting up maybe? And to increase aerodynamics, changed to lying down and therefore had to stack one person on top of the other?
Been trying to suss out why I don’t really respond to what Ilia Malinin does on the ice and saw this comment elsewhere and maybe this is why?
February 11, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Been trying to suss out why I don’t really respond to what Ilia Malinin does on the ice and saw this comment elsewhere and maybe this is why?
Reposted by Nina Metz
this is ACTING. we have abandoned this type of nonsense and i hate it.
February 11, 2026 at 8:17 PM
this is ACTING. we have abandoned this type of nonsense and i hate it.