The Politician Trashes All Sociopathic Office-Seekers, Even High School Ones
Rigged elections, sham marriages, and a faked cancer diagnosis make Ryan Murphy's new series worth a watch.
Television
Ellen DeGeneres Refuses To Be Shamed for Watching Football With George W. Bush
"When I say, 'Be kind to one another,' I don't mean only the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn't matter."
China Banned South Park After the Show Made Fun of Chinese Censorship
"You gotta lower your ideals of freedom if you want to suck on the warm teat of China."
Batwoman and Nancy Drew Get Their Gritty TV Reboots
Fall network premiere rollouts end with a weak burst of remakes.
Almost Family Wrings Good Drama Out of Fertility Clinic Scandal
Network primetime premiere week ends with a jump in quality.
Thursday's Cavalcade of Unfunny New 'Comedies' Will Make You Fear the Death of Humor
Did they run out of budget for the jokes?
Look to Tuesdays for New Primetime Shows Actually Worth Watching
Stumptown may be the best new television offering of the season.
Fall's New Primetime Shows Launch with an Inconsequential Whimper
The crumbling remains of network premiere season tumble out of the gate Monday.
V.I. Lenin, Psychedelic Mushroom
Friday A/V Club: A prank from the final days of the Soviet Union
Ken Burns Delves into the Hardscrabble History of Country Music
You don’t have to enjoy the genre to find this 16-hour PBS docuseries fascinating.
Netflix's Unbelievable Turns True Crime Story into Fascinating Character Drama
A police procedural about rape cases that focuses on details without getting tedious
Teen Witnesses to 9/11 Reminisce About the Horrors They Saw That Day
New HBO documentary is moving … until it wanders into our current politics.
The Lavender Scare
In 1953, President Eisenhower ordered a purge of gay federal employees, who were deemed security risks. A new documentary delves deeper into this executive order.
Documentary About Harvey Weinstein More Unsettling Than Any Horror Movie
Hulu's Untouchable is a relentless accounting of the mogul's sexual misdeeds.
Watch Dave Chappelle Eviscerate Cancel Culture
The comedian's new Netflix special deftly skewers woke scolds.
Like the Best of Motown Songs, Hitsville Rises to the Top
This Showtime documentary sings. You should listen.
Fear the Surfing Dead!
Wave of zombie apocalypse stories reaches a very literal—and absurd—destination.
Summer Television Serves Up Some Femmes Fatale
Reviews of campy Why Women Kill and documentary Manson: the Women
New Woodstock Documentary Should Make Boomers Question Their Accomplishments
If a chaotic concert that nearly failed "defined a generation," what does that actually mean?
Kevin O'Leary Talks Shark Tank, Capitalism vs. Socialism, and Trump vs. Trudeau
TV's "Mr. Wonderful" says that the president has deregulated the economy.
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary Explains Donald Trump's Success
TV's "Mr. Wonderful" says that the president has deregulated the economy in a powerful way and "is a great entertainer."
Veronica Mars Is Back and as Scrappy as Ever
Fourth season of iconic murder mystery show is on Hulu.
HBO's Terse Share Confuses as Much as It Illuminates
An original movie about sexual trauma doesn't take the easy route.
Pearson Flops as a Sequel to USA's Wild Suits
How can a show about Chicago's squalid corruption have so little to actually say?
She Told Him to Kill Himself. He Did. Should She Be Held Responsible?
HBO documentary explores teen’s culpability in boyfriend’s suicide.
How Vietnam Gave Us C-SPAN
Brian Lamb, the network's founder, is stepping down as CEO after 40 years of putting cameras on Congress, hosting in-depth interviews, and creating an enduring home for diverse civil discourse.
The Loudest Voice Turns Roger Ailes into a Cartoon
There was a lot more to the Fox News boss than just vicious villainy.
When They See Us Is Compelling Storytelling, but Not All Rings True
A meticulous re-enactment of the misbegotten prosecution of the Central Park Five gets a lot right.
City on a Hill Is Boston's Answer to The Wire
Crime, dysfunction, and corruption in Beantown
Big Little Lies Returns with Bigger Lies, Stars
Meryl Streep adds more comic menace to the over-the-top HBO drama.
Chernobyl Is About What Happens When Citizens Believe Telling the Truth Is Futile
The HBO series is a powerful portrait of the political and social rot that occurs in authoritarian regimes.
Deadwood Returns for More Violence, Cussing, and Mayhem Amid a Changing World
Movie treads the familiar grounds of the beloved, abruptly canceled HBO show.
Game of Thrones Finale: Daenerys Vows to Make a Hell of Earth
"The Iron Throne" is exciting for 40 minutes, and then a huge letdown.
Hulu Doesn't Grasp Catch-22's Deep Anger
Joseph Heller's opus is drained of power in this tepid adaptation.
Game of Thrones, Like Politics, Is About Violence and Fear
A pre-finale podcast about the HBO series that taught America to love death and dragons.
The Kids Are All Forgettable in Netflix's The Society
Pack of abandoned teens don’t seem to care what happened, and neither will you.
No, 13 Reasons Why Is Not Making Tons of Teens Commit Suicide
Surprise: A viral study is junk science.
Game of Thrones Makes Daenerys Into a Villain, Veers Suddenly Toward Libertarianism
"The Last of the Starks" suggests that "the best ruler might be someone who doesn't want to rule."
HBO's Chernobyl Presents Catastrophic History as Horror
A miniseries about the deadly nuclear disaster that marked the doom of the Soviet Union
That Time Bernie Sanders Interviewed Some Punk-Rock Kids in a Mall
Friday A/V Club: Back in the '80s, Bernie Sanders had a public-access TV show. The archives are now online.
The Long Night Is Over on Game of Thrones, but the Real Villain Is Still Coming
This is a show about politics, and the big bad isn't the Night King. It's Cersei Lannister.
Teen Heart Transplant Leads to Broody Chills in Chambers
Netflix show gives an old horror trope new life. Also, there’s Uma Thurman.
The Abortion Divide Shows a Fight Growing Ever More Bitter
PBS documentary illustrates two sides pushing even further apart.
The Politics of Game of Thrones Revisited
The imminent start of the final season of Game of Thrones is a good time to consider the series' political message, and reprise some of my work on that subject. Plus, a discussion of the political economy portrayed in George R.R. Martin's recently published prequel to the series.
A Tangled, Toxic Dance Brings Fosse/Verdon to Life
Sam Rockwell, Michelle Williams star in FX miniseries about troubled life of famous choreographer.
The Highwaymen Tells the Bonnie and Clyde Story from the Deputies' Perspective
Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson lead a brutal chase across Texas.
Derry Girls
Set in 1990s Northern Ireland, the comedy series is frequently laugh-out-loud funny but also backdropped by historical intrigue and heightened stakes.
Netflix's Love, Death and Robots Is a Sci-Fi Demo Reel For the Untapped Potential of Animation
An anthology series about sad salesmen, space marines, super-intelligent yogurt, and the national debt
