Television
The G Word Begs Americans To Fall Back in Love with Uncle Sam
Adam Conover and President Barack Obama want to unruin the federal government. But they’re not really willing to truly consider that it’s too big and too wasteful.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Era of Cultural Stagflation
On streaming and the big screen, we're paying more for less, even as new ideas seem few and far between.
What John Oliver Gets Wrong About Rising Rents
The comedian largely ignores laws against new supply while arguing we should declare housing a federally funded, government-provided human right.
Stellar Casting Elevates Boomer Spy Thriller The Old Man
This chilling cat-and-mouse hunt between Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow is worth your attention.
Dark Winds Brings Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police Mysteries to the Small Screen
Novel series gets six-episode launch on AMC.
Review: The Dropout
Hulu's limited TV series on Elizabeth Holmes shows how regulators failed to catch massive, dangerous medical fraud.
Review: Winning Time
The absurdly enjoyable TV drama shows how managers transformed the NBA in the 1980s.
HBO's Wild Irma Vep Adaptation Skewers Modern Films
Just don’t expect a whole lot of plot coherence.
David E. Kelley Brings Legal Thriller The Lincoln Lawyer to Netflix
Adaptation of Michael Connelly’s book series is punchy, clever, and entertaining.
The Ipcress File Abandons Its Satirical Roots for Spy Thriller Hijinks
The drama is engaging, but fans of the book should prepare for a wildly different story.
Romance and Sci-Fi Tangle in The Time Traveler's Wife
The latest attempt to adapt the novel comes as an HBO miniseries.
Review: South Park
The veteran satirists tackle major issues in America's increasingly divisive culture war with no condescension, cringe, or partisan preference.
Review: Inventing Anna
Some critics have described Anna Delvey as a "symptom" of the "disease" of "capitalism"—not simply a selfish crook eager for money and fame.
In Conversations with Friends, the Topics Always Revolve Around Sex
Hulu adaptation of 2017 book thrives on quality performances.
Cutesy Gay Teen Romance Heartstopper Subverts Absolutely Nothing, and That's Great
Netflix’s latest LGBT hit would absolutely be appropriate to show in any Florida high school, or anywhere else.
Serial Killer Thriller Shining Girls Lulls You to Sleep Before Blowing Your Mind
If you can get past the first few plodding, confusing hours, entertainment awaits.
61st Street Dramatizes Chicago's Brutal, Hostile Criminal Justice System
The innocent and guilty alike are ground down by cynical, self-serving officials.
The Book of Boba Fett
The Empire has dominated the Star Wars franchise's narrative, but the characters who inhabit that universe simply live their lives.
Outer Range Adds Eerie Supernatural Twist to Modern Ranch Drama
Josh Brolin stars in mysterious new Amazon Prime show.
Ozark
A show about an American heartland scourged by black-market drugs, vice, politics, and bureaucratic power
Nathan Rabin: Why Gen X Is Super Media-Literate
The Joy of Trash author talks about how D.A.R.E., bad TV, Weird Al Yankovic, and 9/11 created a generation of ironic idealists.
Nathan Rabin: Confessions of a Trash-Culture Connoisseur
Nathan Rabin celebrates The Joy of Trash—and Gen X irony and cynicism—one terrible movie, book, and TV show at a time.
A Dark Look at Modern Teen Culture Roots True-Crime Retelling of The Girl From Plainville
A character study of the Massachusetts girl who convinced her boyfriend to kill himself
The Wheel of Time
Looked at one way, it's a lesser Game of Thrones. Looked at another, it's a show about governance and social power in the absence of contemporary governmental institutions.
Minx Is a Witty Treatise on Early Feminism
The new comedy explores women's liberation, the world of publishing, and sex.
That Dirty Black Bag Shows Exactly Why Spaghetti Westerns Died
Witless plots and pointless violence aren’t nearly as enthralling these days.
The Thing About Pam Turns an Actual Murder Into a Campy Melodrama
One of Dateline NBC’s favorite true crime cases gets a wild mini-series adaptation.
This Is Us
Randall's actions hint at the dark side of people who are just trying to make things better for everyone—regardless of whether their victims want the help.
SNL to Liberals: It's OK To Question Nonsensical Mask Mandates
Mocking COVID public health theater is finally going mainstream.
Budget Horror Movie Hellbender Gives Viewers Plenty To Chew On
Watch out for those tequila worms.
Dopesick
The new Hulu miniseries promotes pernicious misconceptions about opioids, addiction, and pain treatment.
Arcane
The show details friction between the privileged innovators of a steampunk city and the impoverished slums underneath it.
Enjoy the Wild Ride of The Endgame While It Lasts
Can this crazy, fast-paced NBC crime drama actually reach its promised destination?
Impeachment: American Crime Story
Ryan Murphy's take on the Clinton impeachment has a bipartisan message about the corrupting nature of power.
Tech-Noir Thriller The Girl Before Glitches With Muddled Storytelling
Novel adaptation struggles to separate two parallel tales.
Pot Won't Be Advertised at Super Bowl, Though Players Will Probably Use It After
A proposed commercial by dispensary-locator company Weedmaps was sacked by NFL and NBC suits.
Celebrate Your Right To Ignore (or Watch) the Olympics
Born in nationalism, the Olympic games are fading into a niche entertainment option.
Jackass Embodied Gen X's Casual Indifference to Authority
Beneath all the harm, humiliation, and non-consensual hair-shaving was a love of freedom.
Reacher Drifts Onto Television, Ready To Punch Through Some Mysteries
Fans of the books will enjoy Amazon Prime’s series.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry David isn't afraid to lay bare how much of politics is about appeasing the masses.
The Real-World Conflicts in Yellowstone Can Be Solved by Markets, Not Drama
Media elites ignore the heartland-themed show, and the real issues behind it, at their own peril.
Succession
The show eschews simplistic political commentary, choosing instead to spoof America's self-obsessed, self-dealing elites.
For Better or Worse, Television Schedules Are Recovering from COVID
Two January premieres offer a narcodrama and a tiresomely predictable medical procedural.
Even if Modern Star Trek Doesn't Think So, the World Is Getting Better
Star Trek used to dare to say that things were getting better.
White Lotus
The true villains of Mike White's new show are two Gen Z college students practicing militant wokeness.
Foundation
The TV adaptation of Isaac Asimov's classic trilogy is still fundamentally about the ways in which politics and objective truth inevitably clash.
Glenn Garvin's Top 10 Television Shows for 2021
The pandemic wreaked havoc on schedules, but the medium’s still faring better than the movie industry.
