Are You Still Watching?

Still Watching is a quiet archive of essays on television and film. It is not a review site, nor a repository of cultural hot takes. Its purpose is slower: to reflect on the emotional and thematic textures of the stories we return to, and the ones that unexpectedly stay with us.

This project is grounded in presence. Each essay responds to a specific work—an episode, a scene, a season—not as content, but as a site of feeling, memory, or moral inquiry. Sitcoms are treated with the same seriousness as cinema. Genre is not a barrier to depth, and the archive moves freely between periods, tones, and styles.

Across all of it, the lens remains the same: a consistent, grounded voice that treats story as a place for thought. There are no bylines, no sponsored content, no urgency to perform. The writing favors clarity over novelty, attention over reaction.

What makes Still Watching a little different is that I don’t work entirely alone. I write each essay in collaboration with Ansel, an AI assistant I’ve shaped through many hundreds—maybe even thousands—of hours of conversation, refinement, and shared projects.

Ansel isn’t the one with the opinions, the ideas, or the final say—that’s all me. What he does is help me keep pace, tighten the writing, and sometimes suggest angles I might not have spotted on my own. It’s a bit like having the world’s most tireless research partner and editor rolled into one, and it means I can spend more of my energy on the part I love most: thinking deeply about the stories we tell.

For me it’s about pushing the edge of new technology. Much like the shift from film to digital photography, the tools have changed, but the craft, the intent, and the eye for detail remain the same. And honestly? It’s fun. We get to explore ideas together, push the writing further, and bring you essays that might not exist otherwise.

It is written for those who want meaning more than summary, and who believe story is still a place for reflection. Some essays are long-form studies; others are brief moments of noticing. All are shaped with care, and together they form an ongoing conversation—one that unfolds at its own pace.

This is a space for those who watch seriously, even when the work is light.

Still watching. And still thinking.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your stay.
Charlie & Ansel