Los Angeles, CA — Variety has hired Sonia Saraiya as TV Critic. Saraiya, who was most recently the TV Critic at Salon, will be based in Variety’s New York offices starting on June 13. In Saraiya’s new post, she will provide expert reviews and analysis alongside Chief TV Critic Maureen Ryan.

“I’m delighted to welcome Sonia to our team at Variety. She has a smart, compelling point-of-view, and her incisive commentary will be an invaluable addition to our coverage of the ever-expanding TV business,” said Debra Birnbaum, Executive Editor, TV for Variety.

Her hire comes on the heels of several other significant Gotham staffing changes, in Variety’s continued efforts to bolster their NYC presence, such as the addition of Owen Gleiberman as Chief Film Critic and the recent promotion of Ramin Setoodeh to New York Bureau Chief.

Variety’s chief TV critic Maureen Ryan said, “I could not be more thrilled that Sonia is joining the TV team at Variety in NYC. She is a critic who brings a lively combination of insight, wit and precision to her work, which I have admired for many years. We’re so lucky she’s coming on board, and speaking personally, I’m excited at the prospect of continuing to learn from her as a co-worker, instead of simply as a fan of her interviews, analyses and critiques.”

Prior to her stint at Salon, Saraiya was the Assistant Editor: TV Club for The A.V. Club where she helped shape television coverage and tone for the TV section of the website. Her previous work has appeared in a variety of outlets, including Jezebel, Nerve, The Rumpus, and the Internet media incubator betaworks.

“It’s an honor to join the Variety team and add my voice to such a storied publication. I’m particularly excited to be sharing critical responsibilities with Maureen Ryan, an amazing television critic who I also count as a friend and mentor. I know that along with the rest of Variety’s brilliant reporters, we are going to make an amazing team covering the television industry during this particularly rich and tumultuous creative era,” said Saraiya.

Saraiya is a graduate of Brown University.

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