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.
Television
On Game of Thrones, Absolute Power Corrupts Daenerys Targaryen Absolutely
Breaker of chains, mother of dragons, and queen of the ashes
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.
Which Candidate Is Leading the Cable TV Town Hall Ratings Race?
While partisans freak out over Bernie Sanders doing Fox and Marianne Williamson getting air time, CNN is trying to catch some more Kamala Harris-type ratings magic
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.
TV Review: The Twilight Zone
Jordan Peele puts his nerdcore imprimatur on a classy reboot.
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
Trump Keeps Wondering Why People Are Allowed to Make Fun of Him on TV
The "equal time" rule does not mean what the president thinks it means.
Marcia Clark Demands an O.J. Simpson Redo in The Fix
Thinly veiled ABC drama blames the jury for flaws in the case.
Come of Age in the New Millennium with Teen Comedy Pen15
Is it already time to feel nostalgia over growing up less than 20 years ago? Maybe.
Now Apocalypse Blends Its Trashy Sex With Sincere Affection
Mind the dildos in Gregg Araki's latest.
This Is the World From Which Trump Emerged
A&E's Trump Dynasty explores the president's family and business history but doesn't do justice to the corrupt New York culture surrounding it.
You've Seen Whiskey Cavalier a Million Times Before, But There's Still Fun to Find
Throw another "Will they or won't they?" spy thriller show onto the schedule.
Tulsi Gabbard Pushes Back Against Meghan McCain's 'Assad Apologist' Accusation: Reason Roundup
Plus: Will Wilkinson on "abolishing billionaires," and what's really going on with YouTube?
Missing The Americans? Check Out The Enemy Within
NBC will save you from a drought in spy thrillers.
Predator Documents Child Sex Abuse—and the Lackluster Response—in Indian Communities
Rather than investigating claims against a pediatrician, he was shuffled around. Sound familiar?
Journalists Criticize CNN for Planning Journalism About Howard Schultz
Town hall pilloried because Schultz is undeclared, uninformed, unelectable...and because he might become the next-or help the current-Donald Trump.
I Am the Night Plunges into L.A.'s Rich Dark Noir
If only it weren't so dreadfully slow to dive in.
CBS Won't Air Medical Marijuana Ad During the Super Bowl
Blame misguided federal policies, not the network.
Seth Rogen Serves Up '80s Wall Street Dark Comedy with Black Monday
Cocaine! Lamborghinis! Don Cheadle!
Henry Hazlitt Meets Peter Kropotkin's Daughter
Friday A/V Club: A little chat about Stalin
At Least Trump's Dumb Space Force Is Giving Us a Steve Carrell Show
"Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica" goes intergalactic?
Vampires, Witches, and Aliens: Television's Winter Premieres Escaped from Halloween
Two book series adaptations and a sci-fi melodrama reboot launch next week.
Eight Minutes of Televised Trump Tonight Could Cause Chaos: Reason Roundup
Plus: Israel boycott bill divides Democrats, Cyntoia Brown gets clemency, and the "skills gap" was a lie.
The Best of Television (and Streaming) for 2018
How much longer will we even have a concept of "prime time" broadcasts?
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town Is the Most Libertarian Christmas Special
It's a parable about black markets, the nanny state, and the morality of resisting silly, arbitrary laws.
Spend Christmas Reminiscing About Hollywood's Golden Age
Documentaries explore film industry's history, Marilyn Monroe's past.
Sabrina Offers Up Christmas With Satan, Not Santa
A very witchy holiday special on Netflix
In The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Everyone Just Wants to Be Left the Fuck Alone
The series, which returns to Amazon Prime on December 5, depicts a burgeoning counterculture fighting for free speech.
Help Reason Talk Libertarian Ideas to Millions of TV Viewers
Your donations allow us to go wherever people are having televised conversations about politics and policy
Syfy's Adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Nightflyers Mangles a Ghost Story in Space
The show's derivative mimickry of time-skipping ruins the tension.
Adam Conover of Adam Ruins Everything on Seeking Truth in the Post-Truth Era
The host of TruTV's hit show has lost some faith in the power of rational discourse. And he has some ideas for how to fix the problem.
