Cindy White
The Bear S1
The Bear is a fast-tempo character study set behind the scenes of a family-run Chicago restaurant. It invites you in to pull up a chair and watch the drama unfold, but never lets you get too comfortable.
Derry Girls
Like the community and era they represent, the Derry Girls bring a feisty resilience to their teenage troubles, and in spite of the larger Troubles surrounding them, they’re unafraid to speak their minds and stand up for themselves.
The Mandalorian Refresher
If the notoriously fractious Star Wars fandom can agree that The Mandalorian is a worthy torchbearer as the franchise heads into an uncertain future, it’s got to be worth checking out.
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy is a wildly imaginative take on the superhero genre, but it works mainly because of the strong characters and dysfunctional family at its core.
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Cha Cha Real Smooth is a sweet, intimate antidote to all the noisy summer blockbusters out there. Filmmaker Cooper Raiff proves he’s someone to keep a close eye on.
What You Need to Know about Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi has had a long and epic journey, but you don’t need to know it all before watching the show. Just use our handy cheat sheet.
The Essex Serpent
Like the mythical creature of the title, The Essex Serpent slowly draws you out to sea and before you know it you’re in deep, totally immersed.
Moon Knight
The first Disney+ series to introduce a character we haven’t already met in the MCU, Moon Knight throws everything at the wall, and most of it sticks thanks to a diligent and dedicated creative team.
Bridgerton Season 2: The Best Bits from the Book
Every adaptation makes changes to the source material, but here our some of our favorite things from the Bridgerton books they kept for the series.
Cindy White
A New Mystery Series Has Some Fun with True Crime Obsessions
It arrived without much fanfare, another offbeat “true crime” mystery set against the stormy clouds of an eerie small town. But Bodkin, the new Netflix series set in Ireland, has something deeper going on. Both a revelation and a lighthearted indignation, Bodkin has something to say about conspiracy theorists, disinformation rabbit holes, the people making
A Watercooler Guide to Shōgun
An immersive must-watch embraced by critics, the new Shōgun brings a new perspective on the epic historical drama about the battle between East and West in 17th century Japan.
Rising Star: Our Interview with Dune & The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare‘s Babs Olusanmokun
He is best known for his recent breakout sci-fi roles – from the fierce fighter Doctor M’Benga in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to Jamis – the Freman and best friend to the protagonist Paul – in Dune Parts One and Two. But Babs Olusanmokun has been acting for two decades. A Nigerian-American who speaks
The Classic Film Education in Colin Farrell’s Sugar
The classic film education in Colin Ferrell’s Apple TV+ detective series “Sugar” has something to tell us. Our writer Felipe Patterson breaks them down and sheds light on their cultural significance.
The Sympathizer
Told through the perspective of a conflicted hero with contradicting loyalties, The Sympathizer is an ambitious examination of a spy who can’t help but sympathize — hence, the title of the series — with the enemy. It might make you rethink everything you were taught about the Vietnam War too.
A Career Reinvention Watchlist
As layoffs continue in the wake of a year of ominous headlines about the bots who are replacing us, a recent EY report found that over 70% of employees are reeling from AI anxiety. That actually sounds low. The idea of having to concoct a new livelihood – one that won’t be taken over by
What Franklin Can Teach Us About Diplomacy
As conflicts rage on across the world and the need for diplomacy rises, the new Apple TV+ series Franklin — about America’s first diplomat — offers lessons for our times, as a former speechwriter for the US Ambassador to the UN explains.
From Aristocrat to Waiter in a Grand Hotel: A Gentleman in Moscow
It’s 1920s Moscow, four years after the start of the Russian Revolution. The aristocracy has been put on trial, staring down their inevitable doom. Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat, is sentenced by a Bolshevik tribunal for “social parasitism” — the crime of living off of the efforts of others. His fate is surely death,
The Big Door Prize
A fresh, lighthearted comedy that doubles as a philosophical sci-fi mystery, The Big Door Prize’s biggest question is that regardless of how much we have, are we ever truly satisfied? And that’s a poignant query in our consumer-driven, must-document-every-moment-on-social-media world.
Dash & Lily
If all the usual formulaic holiday movies are starting to blend into each other, this YA Christmas love story is refreshingly different.
My Octopus Teacher
A stunning, often magical and emotional documentary that inspires awe and empathy, My Octopus Teacher brings a personal narrative to a nature documentary and captures the brilliance of a familiar sea creature like nothing before it.
Why are We So Obsessed with the NXIVM Cult?
As you might have heard, this year has seen the premiere of not one but two premium cable series focused on the rise and fall of NXIVM, the cult (or self-help organization, or pyramid scheme, depending on your point of view) at the center of an ongoing criminal investigation and court battle. First there was
The Women Who Make The Queen’s Gambit Worth Watching
There’s a scene in the new Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit when a Life magazine reporter asks teenage chess prodigy Beth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) why the game appeals to her so much. Are the King and Queen pieces stand-ins for the parents she lost? No, she says, it was the board. “It’s an
The Social Dilemma
This doc will make you think twice before picking up your phone to check Twitter for the hundredth time in a hour, and that’s a good thing.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Within the realm of Sacha Baron Cohen-level absurdity is this coming-of-age story of a young woman who breaks out of a patriarchal cocoon to find that female free will does exist.
Roadkill
Political leaders dedicating their waking hours to dodging scandals are not native to the U.S., but they’re more fun to watch when playing out in a fictional version from the other side of the pond.
Eddie Pepitone – For the Masses
Pepitone helps us see the humor and light in all of this moment’s frightening and confusing nature.