IT'S OUR NINE YEAR BLOGAVERSARY!
- Daniel Woodiwiss
- Aug 3
- 6 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
Hello loyal readers! It was nine years ago today that we launched The Couch, with goals of being: a chance for friends to participate in collaborative creativity, a great outlet for input from your peers regarding sports and pop culture, and becoming so expertly crafted and well-renowned that we catch the eye of investors and become the next Grantland. Almost a decade on, I'm happy to report that all but one of those things are true! (The Ringer kind of stole our plan to reheat Grantland's nachos.)
Just as has been the case every year since this blog's inception, and increasingly in the post-pandemic era and as we all grow older, these last 12 months have been pretty stop-start in terms of the content, as you loyal fans will surely have noticed.
Still, we were able to unleash over 100 pieces of Couch fury in the last 365 days, and nearing the end of a summer that has been filled with 'half-decade' reflections and multiple major movie releases, and with an eye towards the dawn of Emmy season, college football season, and Premier League season, we are more than ready to jump back on the horse. Year 9 of The Couch may have been every bit as (and even more so!) chaotic than the previous eight, but it truly was a ton of fun, and it wouldn't have really been that fun if it weren't for your continued interest, so I thought it might be fun to reward all of you by telling you our Top 10 most-read posts since this blog's last anniversary. There are, of course, hyperlinks on each listing in case you want to revisit its glory. Enjoy, and thank you!
As is often the case-- and perhaps even more so this year --our 'best of 2024' content dominated the Top 10 lists. If you like the year recap stuff, don't miss our recently-published "best of the 2020s thus far" pieces!
And yes, an extremely begrudging congratulations to Sierra Slaughter, who for the THIRD straight year has taken the crown with her year-end movie ranking.
Author: Daniel Baas
(December 2024)
"TV continues to be one of the centerpieces of pop culture. As the embers stoke from the apex of our Golden Age of Television, great stories continue to be made. But as streaming services fragment the types and amount of content we have access to, it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with everything that is produced. Some shows may find new life years from now, others never will"
Author: Daniel Woodiwiss
(August 2024)
"So today, which marks both the two-year anniversary of the game-changing RENAISSANCE and the four-month anniversary of the groundbreaking Cowboy Carter, Acts 1 and 2 of her self-proclaimed "renaissance" trilogy, I want to celebrate both albums in the best way I know how. Okay in the two best ways I know how: one, by once again listening to both albums in their entirety, and secondly, by ranking every single track of the Renaissance trilogy thus far. This is a daunting, perhaps even impossible, feat that I simulataneously finally feel comfortable doing and know will yield about 12 changes of heart from me by the end of the week, if not over the course of this article."
Author: Daniel Woodiwiss
(February 2025)
"The unexpected 'double duty' announcement was the epitome of a win-win for the show: it kept Chalamet front and center on the public conscience, but also got more eyeballs on SNL's 50th season, and hinted at the sort of original thinking that made this show great (and frankly, has largely been lacking in recent seasons). . . this last episode felt like a reminder of what makes Saturday Night Live truly unlike anything else on television. Not because it was the funniest episode of any-- it ranks pretty highly amongst this season, but I think there are plenty funnier even in recent memory. But rather because from the monologue to the musical performances down through every ensuing sketch, it felt like the most deeply original show we've had in years."
Author: Daniel Woodiwiss
(January 2025)
"At the same time, the closing of many favorite shows meant that I was required to actually seek out new shows, new series, and different programs this year. When I sat down to draft this piece, I was pessimistic that I even had enough to formulate a Top 10 ranking, but I surprised myself: when I actually put pen to paper (okay, finger to keyboard) and listed out all the television shows and programs I watched over the year, I realized I had enough to draft a full two-deep depth chart."
Author: Daniel Woodiwiss
(September 2024)
"Last summer, in anticipation of Season 3's release, I completed the daunting task of going through all episodes of the show's first two seasons and ranking every last absurd sketch against each other. But with the release (and ensuing multiple rewatches) of Season 3, as well as the persistence of certain bits from Season 1 and Season 2 in my daily lexicon, the ranking has changed somewhat, so I figured an updated list would be in order."
Author: Joshua Mangis With
(December 2024)
"I love how diverse and subjective music is. This year I am increasingly aware of how much my mood and life circumstances can change how much I enjoy an album - sometimes I push through and give another chance, other times I say “oh well, too bad” and move on. . . Fem pop queens were certainly the overarching story of music in 2024. The biggest names aren’t on my album list just due to personal taste, but I promise I listened to most of them and enjoyed many of their songs."
Authors: Catherine, Daniel, and Gabriel Woodiwiss
(November 2024)
"It's been one of the best years in pop music in a long time, and we have Pop's queens and princesses to thank! Older sister Catherine and younger brother Gabriel reunite with Daniel to craft their ideal 2024 Pop albums, fantasy-draft style."
Authors: Daniel Woodiwiss
(January 2025)
"In honor of the announced return of Saturday Night Live this weekend after a month away due to the holidays, I'm finding it fitting to do one more retrospective look at 2024: the best SNL skits (and a handful of Weekend Update appearances) from the year! After Seasons 45-47 were affected by COVID, Season 48-49 had a wrench thrown in it that we hadn't seen in over 15 years, with the double strikes of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Fortunately, both were ultimately resolved, and that meant the calendar year of 2024 was the first entirely 'normal' one we have had since before the pandemic."
Author: Daniel Woodiwiss
(December 2024)
"One year on from a year in music that I deemed "aggressively mid," I have to say 2024 was.... perhaps the greatest year in music in the 21st century. Exaggeration? No, I'm 100% serious. Accurate? Well, who knows. The first many years of this century I wasn't listening to any music that wasn't just played , and I only really became a more proactive music nerd a decade ago or so. But, at least in my 10-12 years of seriously listening to music, I can't remember a year quite like this."
Author: Sierra Slaughter
(December 2024)
"There is nothing I can say that hasn’t been said before. Be a hater all you want but this movie transformed me and moved me deeper than I ever thought possible. Watching this movie next to my best friend was so powerful. I’ve NEVER felt this way watching a movie. I felt elation and pure childlike joy and wonder. I choked back guttural cries and gasps for air between tears."
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