“A polo shirt, a white apron and a retro hairdo changed an actor’s life forever.”
television
Posted inEditor's Pick
Finding Los Angeles with Anthony Bourdain
“How Bourdain’s work reoriented one writer’s engagement with people and places around him.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How to Get on Survivor: Behind the Scenes of Casting Season 45
“We’ve got all the intel—and audition videos—showing the disparate journeys five players took to make it onto the new season.”
Posted inFeature
Who’s Afraid of Lorne Michaels?
Very rarely can we see an entire system reflected in one person. The creator and executive producer of “Saturday Night Live” is such a person.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Tim Robinson and the Golden Age of Cringe Comedy
“His sketch show, ‘I Think You Should Leave,’ zeroes in on the panic-inducing feelings of living in a society where we can’t agree on the rules.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘The Simpsons’ Is Good Again
“After 34 seasons, 750 episodes, and a decades-long funk, the show innovated its way back to popularity and relevance.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The True Power of ‘Succession’ Comes From Writing Inside the Box
“The HBO show was known for witty jabs and f-word-laden insults. But perhaps its biggest achievement was ending on its own terms—and its writing through lines along the way.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Lost Illusions: The Untold Story of the Hit Show’s Poisonous Culture
“The show was a groundbreaking smash, but behind the scenes it devolved into such toxicity that even co-showrunner Damon Lindelof now says of his leadership: ‘I failed.'”
Posted inReading List
Not Serious People: A ‘Succession’ Reading List
Great writing begets great writing — and the commentary around the HBO smash hit is some of the best around.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Search for the Lost ‘Jeopardy!’ Tapes Is Over. The Mystery Behind Them Endures.
“In 1986, Barbara Lowe Vollick won five games of ‘Jeopardy!’ in a row. Her episodes were then taken out of circulation. What followed was a nearly 40-year hunt for the missing tapes—and a quest to find out what really happened between the show and its most enigmatic champion.”