Survivor Season 33 - 2016

This is another Olds vs Youngs season, with the much more provocative “Millenials vs Gen X” subtitle. The producers boil this distinction down to some bullshit “millennial don’t want to work hard and Gen X does” thing, which doesn’t ring true at all irl or in the game, but at least the cast is stacked.

Family Guy writer David has the best arc, growing from a neurotic nerd who is scared of everything to a neurotic nerd who is scared of most things but also a master strategic player. A shaky set of alliances make for a great endgame, and Adam, whose mom cancer story is devastating, sweeps the finals. Adam’s relationship with rival Jay is illustrative of the more modern show finding its form: these two guys are on opposite alliances and gunning for each other, but they also discover and nurture a deep respect for each other. I’ve always been icked out by interpersonal strife on camera, and it’s very gratifying to see that we’re largely leaving that era behind.