About Prime Time Takes
Prime Time Takes is an independent entertainment publication covering television, movies, comics and the stories behind them. Expect honest reviews, original analysis, strong opinions and the occasional creative detour.
One writer. No staff. No filler.
What We Cover
Prime Time Takes covers entertainment across three editorial sections:
- The Cape Beat — superhero television, Marvel, DC and comics.
- The Case File — crime, thrillers, mysteries and legal drama.
- The Punchline — comedy, sitcoms, satire and Saturday Night Live.
Alongside its regular coverage, Prime Time Takes occasionally explores original storytelling and creative projects, including The Digital Testament, a satirical novel inspired by the early internet, digital culture and the peculiar institutions that emerged around them.
At a Glance
- What: Independent reviews, recaps, analysis, commentary and occasional original fiction.
- Who: One writer, no staff, no filler.
- When: New articles appear as shows, episodes, comics and interesting stories warrant them.
- Support: No paywall. Voluntary reader contributions help keep the site running.
Why Prime Time Takes?
Much of today’s entertainment coverage falls into one of two traps: breathless hype that treats every premiere like a masterpiece, or lazy recap culture that simply restates what happened without offering anything worthwhile.
Prime Time Takes exists because there’s room for something in between.
The goal isn’t to praise everything, criticize everything or chase whatever happens to be trending. It’s to examine what works, what doesn’t and why.
Sometimes that means celebrating an exceptional performance. Sometimes it means questioning a creative decision. And sometimes it means imagining what a familiar fictional universe might look like if someone took it in an entirely different direction.
A good story deserves more than a summary.
Our Mission
To give readers takes they can trust — reviews, previews and analysis that treat genre television, comics and comedy with the same seriousness prestige dramas receive, without the pretension.
Whether it’s following a superhero show through its ups and downs, examining a legal drama’s latest twist or deciding whether a comedy pilot actually lands its jokes, the principle remains the same: clear opinions, supported by knowledge of the material, written for people who care about good storytelling.
Independence matters. So does having an opinion worth explaining.
About Manfred
Journalism and Editorial Experience
Before founding Prime Time Takes, Manfred spent years writing about movies, television, comics and video games for VULKK, where he began contributing around late 2017. His work includes Marvel and DC coverage, television reviews, episode breakdowns and entertainment analysis.
His journalism background also includes work for several tennis publications, including:
His professional experience also includes work with New Chapter Media and the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame.
Those years of writing, reporting and working with editorial publications helped shape the approach behind Prime Time Takes: knowing the subject, developing an independent perspective and giving readers more than a summary of events.
Web Development and WordPress
Beyond journalism, Manfred works in web development, including development work for the International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA).
He also develops WordPress plugins, including:
- Manny Wenas SEO — an SEO plugin built around natural writing, rewarding organic keyphrase placement without imposing mechanical keyword-density requirements.
- Manny Wenas Featured Slider — a lightweight featured-content slider for WordPress websites.
Both plugins are published in the official WordPress.org plugin directory. His work is available through his WordPress.org developer profile.
His approach to software development emphasizes practical functionality, simplicity and keeping unnecessary features and interruptions out of the user’s way.
From Oberon Pockets to Prime Time Takes
Manfred’s love of comics goes back to age six, when he first got his hands on his uncle’s old Oberon pocket comics.
Oberon was a Dutch publisher that brought Marvel comics to readers in the Netherlands during the early 1980s. Among those battered, glue-cracked pockets was a Dutch translation of The Incredible Hulk #180–181, featuring Wolverine’s earliest appearances.
He’s been hooked ever since.
Spider-Man became his lifelong favourite. The J. Michael Straczynski run, Brian Michael Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man, and the Conway, Andru and Stern-era Maggia stories from the late 1970s and early 1980s are among the comics he’d take to a desert island.
The X-Men aren’t far behind.
Over the years, his collection has expanded to include Spawn, just about anything written by Ed Brubaker, and a considerable amount of DC.
He’s also the kind of reader who values a good story over a good toy. And while he still enjoys superhero entertainment, he’s grown increasingly wary of modern Marvel movies relying on familiar formulas instead of the outside-the-box thinking that made the comics and films compelling in the first place.
That tension — between the safe, familiar product and the creative work willing to take risks — is a large part of what Prime Time Takes is built to explore.
Beyond the Page
Manfred is also an ardent gamer, having spent countless hours with Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and more recently Path of Exile 2 and Cyberpunk 2077.
When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s sitting beside the water fishing for anything that bites.
Alternatively, he may be somewhere in Amsterdam with a Starbucks in hand, plotting world domination.
Progress has been slower than anticipated.
Independent by Design
Prime Time Takes is a one-person publication. Its reviews, analysis and opinions reflect the independent editorial judgment of its writer, not the demands of a studio, network or publicity department.
The site is supported through voluntary reader contributions rather than a paywall. Readers are welcome to disagree with its conclusions — a well-supported disagreement is considerably more interesting than an opinion nobody is prepared to defend.
Above all, Prime Time Takes exists for people who believe that television, movies and comics are worth discussing seriously.
Just not solemnly.
FAQ
How often do new pieces go up?
New recaps, reviews, and deep-dives go up as episodes and comics land — usually the day after an episode airs, so takes are timely without chasing same-night hot takes.
Is Prime Time Takes ad-supported?
No. The site runs without ads or a paywall. If a piece was worth your time, optional reader tips help keep it going.
Where can I follow along?
Prime Time Takes posts on Bluesky and Facebook.
Keep the Takes Coming
Prime Time Takes is a one-person operation. If a review, recap, or deep-dive was worth your time, a small tip helps keep it going — no ads, no paywall.
Opens paypal.me/manfr3dw
Get in Touch
Got a tip, a correction, or a show you think we should be covering? — we read everything that comes in.