Aarcflick

 In his influential video essay “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” a definitive exegesis on the sprawling metropolis and its representation on screen, critic Thom Andersen takes issue with the city’s nickname. “People blame movies for all sorts of things,” Andersen argues. “I blame them for the habit of shortening the city’s name to ‘L.A.’” Andersen considers the nickname “a slightly contemptuous diminutive” that indicates “a city with an inferiority complex.” Worst of all, he laments, “When people say ‘L.A.,’ they often mean show business.” The HBO comedy “I Love L.A.” has an apt title, because it’s not a show about Los Angeles, a diverse and sprawling place that cannot be defined by a single industry. It’s a show about L.A., or even “L.A.” in quotation marks: a blank canvas for the projections of both detractors and dreamers. The stereotypes of superficial people in athleisure wear and the ambitions of fame and fortune are, in themselves, a form of fantasy.  Creator: Rachel Sennott...