I-85, which collapsed in a fiery blaze last week Thursday, has received an expedited timeline for its repairs.

In a news conference this past Tuesday, Georgia Department of Transportation officials said they plan to complete I-85 bridge repairs and reopen it by June 15.

That estimate means that if repairs stay on schedule, Atlanta commuters will have to manage reroutes and delays for 10 weeks.

The I-85 bridge collapse has placed a tremendous strain on Atlanta’s road infrastructure, according to Michael Hunter, associate professor of transportation systems engineering in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“You’ve got 240,000 cars a day driving through that part of 85,” Hunter said. “That’s a lot of folks who are going to have to find new paths through the city or around the city.”

Hunter says two effects might help mitigate some of the congestion over the months when I-85 is down: the increased usage of alternative transportation modes, such as riding MARTA, biking or walking; and the use of GPS and other travel software to find less-known but more efficient routes to drive through the city.

“There’s a system utilization that in past examples [of transportation infrastructure crisis] did not occur, because drivers, cyclists … didn’t have available at their fingertips the ability to do what can be a fairly complicated route through the city. Now they have [that ability],”
Hunter said.

According to several reports, MARTA has already seen a large uptick in ridership as some commuters attempt to avoid road traffic. For the past weekdays, MARTA’s Twitter page has been alight with alerts about full parking lots as parking space at stations fill up.

In addition to funding to rebuild I-85, Gov. Nathan Deal is seeking federal financial assistance for MARTA and the Georgia Regional Transit Authority (GRTA) to cover costs of increasing their capacity and services to meet increased demand over the upcoming months.

Hunter says the key to improving Atlanta transit is not building more lanes and more roads, but to continue to diversify modes of transportation: pedestrian, cyclist and public transit.

However, Hunter says it’s an “open question” whether any changes in travel behavior are going to stick after I-85 comes back online.

“Clearly over the next three months when they’re fixing this, travel behavior is going to change a lot,” Hunter said. “The question is, as part of that, are some people going to discover: hey, I really like taking the train. … Will they keep that [as] a permanent change?”

“Boss Baby” is one of those movies that could have had some sort of real potential if it had been directed by a creative powerhouse, like the Pixar of the late 2000’s. Instead, it feels like a short movie extended to 97 minutes of aggressively mediocre Hollywood drivel. It joins a long list of films that run on the belief that children are, at their core, willing to buy anything shiny enough.

The film has a fun and lighthearted premise: the protagonist, an unreliable narrator, must deal with a ruthlessly corporate new baby brother. The problem is that the writers of “Boss Baby” came up with what basically any person would come up with in about 15 minutes, given the premise as a writing prompt.

The writers seem to be just a single step above the types of people who recite memes in real life instead of coming up with their own jokes. As a rule of thumb, if every joke of the movie has the same punchline, it is not a good movie. Everyone knows he is a baby and a businessman, and yet that is as far as the comedy goes.

There is one fantastic part to this movie though, and that is Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”). His role as the baby himself is basically a parody of his now legendary role in Glengarry Glen Ross, and the writers knew this. He provides every meager chuckle “Boss Baby” had to offer and seems to have been the only comedic mind involved with the project.

The supporting cast provided various levels of disappointing performances. Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) gave a lukewarm but passable impression as a zany mother. Jimmy Kimmel (“Jimmy Kimel Live”), on the other hand, somehow found a way to sound even more annoying than usual within just a couple minutes.

The film also had one scene that was skillfully executed in which a classic “Tom and Jerry” style chase takes place. Along with a couple other physical gags sprinkled throughout the movie, this situational comedy scene is the only effective source of humor outside of Baldwin’s performance. Perhaps the film could have been a wonderful silent feature in another reality.

Animated movies from big studio names like Dreamworks, Disney and, unfortunately as of late, Pixar have started falling into a pit of extreme predictability. Some have even reached the point of following tropes more than bad romantic comedies.

Critics seem to have been worn down by and have accepted the fiction that children simply cannot understand more complex plot structures. The irony, of course, is that children are then expected to feel and understand more complex emotions.

Just because of how babies and the real world work, it should not be a spoiler that in the end, the “Boss Baby” is just a baby that is actually the protagonist’s  younger brother.

Throughout the film, he has the mind of a grown man, so the film’s climax is his decision about whether or not to stay with the family. Since the decision is literally a guarantee by the premise of the film and clearly evident to anyone watching the movie regardless of age, “Boss Baby” actually managed to achieve a new level of predictability.

Having added zero nuance, complexity or anything interesting at all, the film can in its entirety be described by the joke “Imagine if you made Alec Baldwin a baby.” There is no punchline either, just as this movie has no humor or intrigue. Neither satisfied audiences nor awards seem to be in the future of “Boss Baby.”

Though“Boss Baby” is now showing in major theaters, such as Regal Atlantic Station, it premiered as part of the Atlanta Film Festival, which took place from March 23 to April 2,

The Atlanta Film Festival is an international festival that showcases a highly diverse set of narrative and documentary films. The Oscar-qualifying festival takes place in different theaters around the neighborhoods of the metro-Atlanta area.

The annual event has hosted award winning films, big blockbusters and darling indies alike. The conferences also act as a key component of the festival, creating a space where aspiring students and fans of the medium can learn more about the art and craft of filmmaking. “Boss Baby,” however, likely did not make a lasting impact to viewers at this festival.

This year, the Tech baseball team got off to a hot start behind the hitting it has historically been known for under coach Danny Hall. An unexpected flag bearer has come through to lead that charge at the plate: sophomore catcher Joey Bart.

As a freshman, Bart appeared in 43 games for the Jackets, putting up 47 hits in 157 for a .299 batting average. He finished with one home run that came in a game against UConn at the NCAA Gainesville Regional.

This year, Bart has already matched or surpassed his totals from last year in just over half as many games. He is currently batting .339 with a team-leading 11 home runs, 31 RBIs and .704 slugging percentage. Bart attributed this to the time he spent in the Cape Cod league this past summer.

“I met a guy up [at Cape Cod] who kind of cleaned my mind,” Bart said. “I just took the game from a different perspective, and now I just try to come out here and have fun.”

While he may be on a hot streak right now, Bart is anything but complacent.

“[I need to work on] my pitch selection. I’m an aggressive hitter,” Bart said, acknowledging that he still has work to do.

Bart currently sits at 25 strikeouts on the season. While hitters who hit more home runs also tend to strike out more often, Bart is still sitting above two other starters in the stat. As the season wears on, pitchers will give him more respect, meaning that he will also have to adjust accordingly.

“[I can’t] miss any pitches because I’m not going to get too many,” Bart said.

Bart may be a presence behind and at the plate right now, but a few years ago, he was unsure of what sport he would be playing. He is grateful to his role model, a man who coached him at age 14.

“Michael Barrett, he was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs for like 10 years. … I think that’s when my career made a turnaround,” Bart recalled. “I was between [baseball] and football. Then I wound up with him and grew a little bit. Things started to click, and I cleared my mind out. He showed me the right perspective of how to take the game in.”

After he was set on the sport, he still had to make a choice on a school.

“My three schools were Tech, Georgia and Clemson. At the time, [their] coaching staffs were kind of shaky.”

But the decision soon became clear to him.

“I remember one day, I was hanging out at school, and it just hit me. I was wondering why I hadn’t already committed.”

He soon did.

Bart’s value at Tech is clear now that he is halfway through his second season. Having a leader in a position such as catcher is highly important for successful baseball teams.

“I made the [pitch] decisions in high school,” Bart said. “I’m making the decisions here now, and thankfully I can do that. I feel like the catcher is the most important guy out there, and I like to put myself in that position.”

The mindset that he possesses is ideal for the position he plays. If a quarterback is a game controller in football, the catcher is the game controller in baseball.

Finally, Bart discussed what he thought the team needed to do to bring their performance to as it was earlier in the season.

“We just need to be consistent,” Bart said plainly. “[Tuesday] night, we played a good game, but we had one crazy inning. We just have to eliminate those big innings, and if we can do that we’ll be fine.”

Bart’s relaxed tone and friendliness belie his fierce competitive nature. That will be crucial to Tech baseball winning key games as the competition gets tougher and the season wears on.

Inclement weather on Monday and Wednesday could not keep the Jackets from spring football practices. Tech normally practices on Rose Bowl Field, but a wet field caused them to move indoors to the John and Mary Brock Football Practice Facility.

Practice on Monday featured the Jackets in pads for the second time this spring. Full contact was allowed, and there were 21 periods of 11-on-11 drills. The Jackets are returning several impact players on both sides of the ball, but there was a general focus on fundamental drills throughout the practice, courtesy of myAJC.com.  Presumably, this allows for the younger players to keep up, and it helps the veterans focus on their basic skills.

On offense, the biggest departure comes with the graduation of quarterback Justin Thomas. Tech fans will not soon forget his tremendous contributions to the program, and he has left some huge shoes to fill. Luckily for the Jackets, the soon-to-be redshirt junior and presumptive starter Matthew Jordan is not shy on confidence.

Jordan has rushed 65 times for 243 yards and six touchdowns in his career, and arguably his best moment came in an upset over No. 18 Virginia Tech last season. He started while Justin Thomas was injured, and he rushed 32 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns. During Monday’s practice, Jordan also flashed much improved passing abilities. Jordan found running back Qua Searcy for deep passes, courtesy of ramblinwreck.com.

The rest of the offense features an assortment of upperclassmen and younger players. While center Freddie Burden and tackle Eason Fromayan are gone, Parker Braun, Will Bryan and Shamire Devine look to be more than ready on the interior offensive line. At tackle, Andrew Marshall, Kenny Cooper and Jahaziel Lee are all competing to start, the first and last of whom were impressive last year.

Leading rusher Dedrick Mills and A-backs Clinton Lynch and Qua Searcy are returning as well. At wide receiver, Ricky Jeune and Brad Stewart are back and will look to be reliable targets for their new starting quarterback.

Although Tech will return eight starters on defense, it will no doubt be challenging to replace the production of players like defensive tackle Patrick Gamble and linebacker P.J. Davis. Antonio Simmons, who led the team in quarterback hurries last season (12) is penciled in to start at defensive end. On Monday, Simmons rushed from the left side and came down with two key sacks in the 11-on-11 period. Rising sophomore defensive tackle Brandon Adams also stood out in the padded practice sessions. At linebacker, Tech will likely count on Vic Alexander, Brant Mitchell and Terrell Lewis to take on a much larger workload. All three played in most games last season.

In the secondary, the Jackets return all players. Lance Austin, A.J. Gray, Lawrence Austin, Step Durham, Corey Griffin and Shaun Kagawa will all return to their cornerback and safety spots. Kagawa has notched three interceptions in the last week, and Lance Austin added another interception of his own on Monday.

So far, the Jackets look to be on the right track in their preparation for the 2017 Spring Game on April 21, a chance to showcase their progress to fans.

If nothing, a Tech education teaches its recipients to strive for more. This season, that effort has paid off for women’s tennis. Championship competition is drawing nearer.

Though the season is coming to an end, there’s not much room for melancholy feelings at the top of the ACC leaderboard. Currently first in the conference, the Jackets have been victorious in every conference match this season.

Not far removed from their recent victory over UNC, the Jackets have five matches left before the ACC Championship Tournament at the end of this month.

Tech’s victory over UNC broke a 36-match ACC victory streak for the Tar Heels. Thought by many to be the toughest match-up of the year, the UNC match is now history.

Tech will not lose its focus as the team prepares for ACCs and the NCAA championship beyond. Their success throughout the rest of the season will require maximum effort from each and every team member.

With half the lineup in their debut season, there may have been some worries about inconsistencies throughout the season. However, there is not one freshmen in the lineup who did not enter her debut season without a history of success on the court. That success has been carried through the season to bring the Jackets to their 19-2 overall record.

The success Tech has had this season is not all that surprising, despite the number of young players thrust into major roles. The four incoming freshmen were all ranked in the top 40 recruit rankings by Tennis Recruiting Network. With the help of more experienced collegiate tennis players, they have become a nearly unstoppable force on the court.

“I would say my teammates. The upperclassmen on my team really helped me adjust,” freshman Kenya Jones said when asked about the transition she had to make from high school to collegiate tennis. “Of course, going in, I knew the schoolwork was going to be hard, but just like with tennis, they told me to balance it out and not put as much emphasis on it in the fall. So, just kind of focus on my schoolwork first and then get in to the tennis.”

Whether it is the support system that helped them adjust or the natural skill that they possessed well before stepping foot on a collegiate court, Jones and her freshmen teammates have helped to make Tech tennis into a team to watch on the national scene.

The ascension of Tech tennis will depend on Jones’ continued development. Ranked first in the state of Tennessee and third in the southwest region as a high schooler, Jones has continued to improve throughout the season. Similar to Christopher Eubanks, Jones entered her collegiate career with a blue-chip prospect from the Tennis Recruiting network.

Just like Eubanks, Jones has become an important part of Tech’s line up. This week she was named ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week after going an unblemished 3-0 last weekend against UNC and Wake Forest, both quality opponents.

Jones plans to push herself in a specific direction. Though she is young, her aspirations are clear.

Describing her goals, Jones said, “Well, I would like to not lose another match. That’s definitely my goal. Especially playing at fourth spot and playing doubles with Paige [Hourigan], I would like to not lose another match in the ACCs and NCAAs. I know it’s tough, but that’s what I would like to accomplish. As a team, making it to NCAAs and doing pretty well at ACCs [is the goal].”

Perhaps it is setting achievable goals that has done so much good for the Jackets this season, but it is more likely that positive attitude and grit that has made their goals easily achievable and not the other way around. Either way, Tech is on the road to ACC and NCAA championship competition, the goal for virtually every team as the season nears its critical point.

The end of the semester is the most stressful time of year for all Tech students. Yet, this season the Jackets have proven that they will not bend under strain. With a 13-match winning streak already in the bag and a roster full of athletes that have no intention of losing a single match for the rest of the season, five more matches shouldn’t be too taxing for Tech.

However, it seems the best has been saved for last this season. Three of the five remaining opponents are ranked in the top five of the ACC standings, which means the Jackets will not get any reprieve this month. Such is life in the Atlantic Coastal Confernce, one of the most difficult gauntlets any team must face nationally.

Before beating UNC and Wake Forest, Tech was stuck in the middle of the ACC standings, below many of their remaining opponents. They must fight tenaciously every match if they want to defend their position in the standings. If Tech can continue their winning streak, they will be formidable contenders for an ACC Championship title and even an NCAA title.

There is still a long way to go to reach that point. An unfortunate injury or an untimely slump can be the difference between holding a championship trophy and watching another team hoist it, particularly when the level of competition is so high.

But there is something special about this team. Demonstrating wisdom and patience beyond their years and keeping expectations simultaneously ambitious and measured will ensure that Jones and the rest of Tech’s women’s tennis team are prepared for the most rigorous, trying stretch of the season. It begins now.

The women’s basketball team’s season ended in a slugfest against Michigan in the Women’s NIT finals on April 1. Early in the season, Tech faced the Wolverines at home in the ACC/Big Ten challenge. The game was extremely one-sided with Michigan taking the impressive 92-52 win.

Five months later, the Jackets went to triple overtime with the Wolverines, eventually falling 89-79. It was the culmination of five previous impressive postseason performances by the Jackets.

Their road in the WNIT started March 16 against Jacksonville with a 71-55 win. Sophomore Kaylan Pugh led the team with 13 points, with two others finishing in double figures. The Jackets would then get lucky enough to host their remaining games in McCamish until the finals. That home support helped carry them through to the finals.

Their second-round game pitted Tech against the UCF Knights, a game they won 63-51. ACC Freshman Player of the Year Francesca Pan put up 21 points, also leading the team with four three-pointers.

Tech then faced Middle Tennessee State and Alabama, beating them 70-57 and 76-66 to set up a semifinal matchup against Washington State. The Jackets had never faced the Wildcats in the history of both programs, yet the game played out like a classic rivalry game.

With 3:49 left in the third quarter, Washington State’s Alexys Swedlund made a layup to give Washington State a 54-43 lead. But Tech’s defense clamped down. Moving into the fourth quarter, the Jackets continued to hold the Cougars scoreless until 3:48 left in the quarter. Ivana Kmetovska scored to finally break the Washington State scoring drought.

Overall, in the fourth quarter, the Jackets outscored the Cougars 20-7, cruising to a 69-61 victory and a spot in the WNIT finals. The finals took place in Callihan Hall in Detroit, Mich.

Even before the teams could go to overtime, the game was neck and neck. The teams traded leads throughout the game. Heading into the first overtime, the teams were tied at 67 points.

Those first two overtime periods were low-scoring, with the teams scoring three points each in the first and six points each in the second one. The third period saw a valiant Tech team finally tire, with the Jackets ending at a 22-15 mark, with plenty of optimism thanks to young talent.

To an outsider, Quinton Stephens seems to be two people. Is he the outside-scoring threat who served as a leader in Tech basketball’s improbable National Invitation Tournament run? Is he the budding investment banker with a resume and immaculately selected wardrobe to boot? The answer, it seems, is both.

Yet Stephens has not segregated these aspects of his life: each has influenced the other. With his collegiate athletic career at its end, graduation nearing and questions as to what might be next for the charismatic senior, it is worth recognizing the progress he has made in his four years at Tech.

Through his first three seasons, Stephens was a role-player. He would play minutes off the bench against opponents’ second units. A credible threat from beyond the three-point arc and a high-energy defender, Stephens was the type of athlete former head coach Brian Gregory could count on to spell his starters, game after game.

After Gregory was fired after one underperforming season too many and a number of his key starters graduated, the Jackets could not afford to let Stephens sit any longer. The Marist School graduate was Tech’s leading returning scorer, with five points per game in the 2015–16 campaign.

Then-athletic director Mike Bobinski hired Josh Pastner to replace Gregory, precisely the type of coach who would appreciate Stephens’ style of play. While Stephens identifies Gregory as an excellent tactician, he commends the approach that Pastner brought to the team.

“From his first day, [Pastner] made it a lot about energy,” Stephens said. “He knew that we would have to adjust to him. As an athlete, it’s easiest when a coach tells you exactly what he’s expecting from you, and you’re either doing your job or you’re not.” Those expectations meant changes for Stephens, a gangly forward who often struggled to keep up his weight during the season.

“Once I realized the way we were going to play, I said, ‘Man, we’re going to do a lot of running,’” Stephens said with a laugh. “We didn’t know who would be playing the most minutes. But I knew that my body would have to be fueled for the amount of running we were going to be doing. Nutrition was huge.”

As much as Stephens was fueled, he fueled his team. Along with guards Corey Heyward and Josh Heath, Stephens was expected to serve as a leader for the team. He did. While Heyward was more vocal, Stephens was a pillar, helping the team through tough stretches in games and during the season. The key was learning to accept his new role.

“You almost have to take a step back. It’s like, ‘Man, I may not like my role, but I believe in my coach and his system.’ I feel like if I’m fulfilling my role, I’ll be helping my team.”

Stephens’ role was not that of a dynamic scorer — those shoes were ably filled by All-ACC freshman Josh Okogie. Stephens’ season-high was a 23-point outburst in his final game at McCamish Pavilion against Belmont. His seven double-doubles were crucial, especially for a team that lacked big men.

If there is one mark that defines Stephens’ contributions, it is this: he is Tech basketball’s all-time leader in games played. Through streaks and slumps, he has always done his part. Characteristically, he downplays it.

“I guess when I first heard it, I was like, ‘How?’ I was joking around with the guys that maybe it just takes me that much longer to get to the NBA.”

There is no doubt that “the guys” will miss Stephens, the wily veteran who has been a source of inspiration and levity for his team. But Stephens is confident that leaders will step up.

Josh Okogie, he said, is ready for more responsibility. Ben Lammers is not the most talkative but will make himself heard when it matters. Looking for an enforcer in the mold of Heyward? Look no further than redshirt freshman Sylvester Ogbonda, who will no doubt see more time on the court.

The next steps are uncertain. Stephens is currently choosing an agent to represent him at the professional level. While his name has not generated significant buzz in NBA circles, there is recent precedent for talented Tech players joining the NBA. Guard Marcus Georges-Hunt showed significant promise with the D-League’s Maine Red Claws and was recently signed by the Orlando Magic for the remainder of the season, courtesy of myAJC.com.

Stephens said he is ready and willing to continue his career abroad. Perhaps China or Japan, he said. Maybe Europe.

It is entirely possible that Stephens’ career will veer away from athletics. His boss at Morgan Stanley last summer urged him to treat his senior year as a time for networking, advice that inspired him to reach out to donors at the Alexander-Tharpe Fund and attend career-focused social events at Tech.

A quick glance at his LinkedIn profile is a reminder that Stephens is keeping busy, from completing internships to volunteering in the Atlanta community. He is looking to build on a fall semester that saw him make Dean’s List while simultaneously balancing training, practice and games. His ability to understand motivations, he said, makes him a compelling candidate for a number of positions.

But no matter which path Stephens chooses — basketball or business — the other will remain a key part of him. Perhaps that is his greatest strength.

As he finished the interview and headed out, a GTAA writer approached him, saying, “We can’t wait to do a feature on you when you come back to campus one day.”

Whether that feature will cover sports, corporate America or perhaps both is entirely in the hands of Quinton Stephens.

DanceTech, a Georgia Tech dance company, held their Spring Showcase at the Ferst Center on April 2. The event was a chance for DanceTech to perform new choreography from this semester, as well as a chance to celebrate dance at Tech overall.

Invited groups included Seoulstice, Tekstyles and Impact ATL. Of the performing groups, two, DanceTech and GTDC, are companies that have a number of styles in their repertoire while the others are all hip-hop groups.

The show had 13 dances choreographed by DanceTech. The dances all averaged to a minute; the performances were short. They cut songs to shorter lengths to accommodate the brief choreography routines. A lot of their pieces incorporated red background lighting and black costumes. It seemed to be a favorite as the contrast is quite dramatic. However, the overuse of this powerful combination lessened the emotional impact.

DanceTech had dances that were based in modern, hip-hop, tap and ballet. The stamina and energy the dancers exhibited for the hip hop dances was comparable to some of the other pieces by solely hip-hop groups.

Two of the company’s dances were solos, and while they were done well, did not really stand out. Many of the dances utilized popular songs, such as “Seven Nation World,” “Disturbia” and “Run the World.”

In the show this semester, GTDC had three pieces: modern, ballet and tap. The modern piece was the best dance in the show because it utilized a fast paced tempo that the large number of dancers managed to keep up with. The dance, choreographed by Emily Miller, was set to Coldplay’s “Every Tear Drop is a Waterfall.”

Both GTDC and DanceTech had tap pieces, but sadly, due to the volume of the music, the tapping was not quite audible. The brief moments that were clear made the dances much more enjoyable and light hearted.

Impact ATL aims to spread the word of God through dance. The dance group tries to do this by dancing a story. “L.I.G.H.T,” the dance, told a story of three patients with different ailments that all get cured. The dance pieces multiple song clips together, making it quite long.

The dance came off as corny  because they tried too hard to tell the story with unnecessary props like a doctor’s lab coat and a clipboard. It was disappointing since the dancers had the most hip-hop skill as a whole, and so much energy was lost in their story.

Seoulstice had the best hip-hop dances of the night. The length of the dances were a few minutes, and they clearly enjoyed dancing.

The last group to dance before intermission was Tekstyles. They had multiple songs, ranging from Latin beats to hip-hop. The dancers formed a dance circle, letting each other show off their skills to the music. The dancers were clearly having fun as they jumped up and down and poppedand locked.

Overall, the showcase was  an upbeat and fun experience. From the joyous hip-hop to the pumped up modern dances, this was a comprehensive snapshot of Tech’s versatility. These dancers spent the semester learning, choreographing and practicing while studying for classes. Performances like this  are a great way to let students to indulge their creative sides while working towards technical jobs.

From “Serial” and “This American Life,” the new podcast “S-Town” investigates the town of Woodstock, Alabama, through the lens of its disgruntled life-long resident John B. McLemore. Brian Reed, the veteran “This American Life” producer who has won a Peabody Award for his work, acts as the host and executive producer of the podcast, which took over three years to develop. Julie Snyder, who was the co-creator of “Serial,” is the other executive producer of “S-Town.”

As the most listened-to podcast in history, “Serial” was instrumental as a revival of audio broadcasting, especially drawing in listeners of younger generations. Its first season, which focused on the death of Maryland teen Hae Min Lee and the person in prison for her death, Adnan Syed, was a deep dive into a complicated situation that engaged listeners week to week with suspense, uncertainty and fundamental moral questions.

The second season took the show in a different direction, investing a figure who had already received national attention: Bowe Bergdahl. While the story of this American soldier, who walked off into Afghanistan and was a prisoner of the Taliban for years before arrangements were made to bring him home, had many complications and judgement calls like the previous season, many listeners did not receive it as well. The focus more on the character of a single person and less on a traditional crime made it less engaging to those who appreciated the suspense of the first season more.

By breaking away from the name of “Serial,” “S-Town” has carved its own space to form a unique identity. While incorporating elements of both seasons of “Serial,” the podcast is free to deviate from the former structures without constant comparisons.

“S-Town” begins with Reed responding to a request for an investigation of an unpunished murder in John’s small town, which he refers to as the eponymous “Shittown.” The podcast spirals outward, turning into a character study of John, a survey of rural Southern life, and an exploration of issues both universal and deeply personal.

While suspense was built about the original murder case, a surprising early reveal causes the theme of the show to pivot. While pressing questions remain throughout the rest of the season, “S-Town” becomes less of a true crime show and more of a personal narrative. This shift, however, was positive as the murder case was harder to get invested in without the interviews of those directly involved.

Reed succeeds in building a concrete sense of place but also squarely positioning “Shittown” within the larger picture, exploring ideas of globalization, climate change and widespread apathy through conversations with and about John. As Reed said, “all the world was a ‘Shittown’ to John, and he had every disgrace of that world in his heart.”

Interviews with a wide cast of characters and extensive research flesh out a well-developed and constantly evolving story; listeners feel as if they are discovering more about and connecting emotionally with the subjects as Reed is. Occasionally, the out of order presentation of segments of the narrative could be confusing, but other times references across time were used to effectively show changing perspectives.

As was done in “Serial,” different facets of the subjects were presented, often revealing back story later and casting them in entirely different light, and ultimately listeners are left to come to their own conclusions and judge which interviewees are reliable narrators. Reed as a host effectively summarized conversations when necessary and weaved together interviews in a cohesive way.

With heavy subject matter, the release of the seven episode season all at once was ill-suited. The week-by-week release of “Serial” would have worked better for “S-Town,” as binging this podcast is emotionally overwhelming, and building interest over time could have garnered a wider audience.

The music brought the story to life from the theme by Daniel Hart to songs explicitly referenced in the show, which ranged from country to opera. The imagery of clocks, referencing John’s long time job as a horologist and the frequent subject of the passage of time, is perfect for the one visual most listeners associate with “S-Town”: the image that accompanies the podcast in listening apps.

The podcast succeeded when it explored many big issues, including mental health, race and sexuality, through the engaging case study of John and his world. Questions from what is a meaningful life to the nature of relationships may leave listeners reflecting not only the citizens of “Shittown” but also reflecting on their own lives. Ultimately, as Brian Reed said, “trying to understand another person is a worthwhile thing to do,” and “S-Town” delivers seven captivating hours of this worthwhile endeavor.

On March 29, the pilot episode for Melissa McCarthy (“Mike & Molly”) and her husband Ben Falcone’s (“Tammy”) new sitcom “Nobodies” premiered on
TV Land.

The show follows Hugh Davidson (“Robot Chicken”), Rachel Ramras (“Mike Tyson Mysteries”) and Larry Dorf (“The Looney Tunes Show”) as three unsuccessful comedians.

These titular “nobodies” attempt to make a film script they have written more attractive by pitching it to Melissa McCarthy, with whom they have a loose friendship.

The premise is promising: a show which follows three comedians as they struggle to gain recognition should be funny on the strength of its dialogue alone. Unfortunately, the show falls short in translating a strong premise into strong writing. While there are a handful of funny moments in the pilot, most of the jokes that the writers probably expected to be home runs generate cringes, not laughs.

In the pilot, the writers do little more than recycle classic clichés. From Larry Dorf’s fictionalized version of himself, who fits the incompetent but groundlessly optimistic archetype found in many sitcoms, to a cringe-worthy basketball scene that drags up from the depths the motif that nerdy comedians cannot play sports, it seems that every tired sitcom staple is represented in the show.

The dialogue between the three central comedians, while smooth and natural, is simply not as funny as it should be. The dialogue between the comedians and other characters, on the other hand, is downright awkward — and still not funny.

The show does show some promise in the strength of its cast. Hugh Davidson’s performance is excellent, and his character, who is probably the least absurd of the three, is quite funny.

While Larry Dorf’s character is the weakest aspect of the show, this shortcoming is due purely to the way in which he is written. The writers devote far too much effort to getting him into awkward situations and not enough on developing him. Dorf’s performance, however, is solid, and his delivery strong; if the writers can tone down his character’s absurdity, he might prove to be an asset to the show.

Rachel Ramras’ character is plagued by similar problems as those that sink Dorf. The character is painfully awkward when interacting with characters outside the central trio, and Ramras does not shine as a comedian in these situations.

Still, Ramras is much funnier when bantering with the other main characters, and if the writers start putting her in these scenarios more often rather than filling most of her screen time with clumsy exchanges, she too could become a highlight of the show.

While the pilot indicated that the show needs serious improvement as a sitcom, it also provided glimmers of hope that the show may transcend its genre and deal with the concept of celebrity in a fresh way. In the pilot, the writers placed great emphasis on how celebrity seems to
corrupt friendships.

The episode opened with a group of the main characters’ former friends, all of whom are more successful comedians, mocking the trio for their lack of success. Throughout the rest of the episode, the comedians try to legitimize their movie script by attempting to get it to celebrities.

They first leveraged their friendship with Melissa McCarthy and her husband to try to convince her to join the cast of the would-be film. McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone (played by himself) stymied this effort when he complained that writers are always pitching movie scripts to him during social events.

Later, the trio tried to gain access to Jason Bateman through a friend who plays a weekly pickup basketball game with the star. This effort is doomed from the moment Bateman realized that they were simply there to ask him for favors.

These scenes illustrate just how difficult it can be for celebrities to develop true friendships. Bateman could not even play basketball without being intruded on by people who wanted something from him, and even friendships that McCarthy had for years were corrupted by her stardom. McCarthy and Falcone are attempting to communicate to audiences that life as a celebrity, while often romanticized, can be lonand frustrating.

This message is made even more acute by the juxtaposition of true stars (McCarthy and Falcone) with aspiring comedians (Dorf, Ramras and Davidson).

The three want celebrity more than anything else, and in their blind ambition they fail to appreciate the true friendships they have with each other.

If the writers of “Nobodies” can continue to build on this theme, and if they can distance themselves from the tired clichés that ruin the pilot, they might create something much greater than a sitcom.