Television

Jerry Lewis holding a microphone

The Disabled Community Doesn’t Want Your Pity The Disabled Community Doesn’t Want Your Pity

Why former telethon participants are protesting the return of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s most famous fundraising effort.

Oct 22, 2020 / Sara Luterman

The Tangle of Desire and Class in ‘Normal People’

The Tangle of Desire and Class in ‘Normal People’ The Tangle of Desire and Class in ‘Normal People’

The television adaptation of the Sally Rooney novel depicts how people can fall in love in a world structured by power.

Jul 28, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

John Early Is the Left’s Funniest Comedian

John Early Is the Left’s Funniest Comedian John Early Is the Left’s Funniest Comedian

We talked to Early about his socialist heroes, the latest season of HBO’s Search Party, and how comedy is facing the politics of the moment.

Jul 15, 2020 / Q&A / Rima Parikh

On the Record’s Act of Witness

On the Record’s Act of Witness On the Record’s Act of Witness

Telling the stories of three women who accused Russell Simmons of sexual assault, the documentary is a powerful case study in how institutions have failed Black women.

Jul 14, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

The Many Lives of Catherine the Great

The Many Lives of Catherine the Great The Many Lives of Catherine the Great

A new Hulu show presents the life of the Russian empress as a narrative of lean-in empowerment. But was it?

Jul 13, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Sophie Pinkham

‘God Friended Me’ Was the Strangest Show on TV

‘God Friended Me’ Was the Strangest Show on TV ‘God Friended Me’ Was the Strangest Show on TV

Each episode of the CBS comedy-drama functions as a morality play for a peculiar worldview.

May 14, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly

Why Did the ERA Die? FX’s ‘Mrs. America’ Has Some Answers. Why Did the ERA Die? FX’s ‘Mrs. America’ Has Some Answers.

Phyllis Schlafly, the subject of a new nine-part mini-series, teaches feminists never to underestimate their political enemies.

Apr 30, 2020 / Column / Katha Pollitt

Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas

Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas Watching Hong Kong Cop Movies After 10 Months of Tear Gas

The genre that propelled Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat to stardom has been tainted by real-life police brutality during protests.

Apr 16, 2020 / Jaime Chu

John Turturro stands at a podium with microphones, playing a rabbi in The Plot Against America

Philip Roth’s Dystopia Hits Awfully Close to Home Philip Roth’s Dystopia Hits Awfully Close to Home

HBO’s adaption of The Plot Against America is set in an alternative reality with the same anxieties as our own.

Apr 10, 2020 / Jeet Heer

The Beautiful, Baffling Mysteries of Paolo Sorrentino’s Vatican

The Beautiful, Baffling Mysteries of Paolo Sorrentino’s Vatican The Beautiful, Baffling Mysteries of Paolo Sorrentino’s Vatican

His television series, The Young Pope and The New Pope, tell us a story bigger than one focused on just church or state.

Mar 23, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

x