Accessibility links
Television Television

Television

Wednesday

Comedian Richard Lewis, who recently starred on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' dies at 76

Comedian Richard Lewis attends an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Dec. 25, 2012. Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes, has died at age 76. Alex Gallardo/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Alex Gallardo/AP

Obituaries

Comedian Richard Lewis, who recently starred on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' dies at 76

Lewis was an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname "The Prince of Pain."

In the mood for a sweet, off-beat murder mystery? 'Elsbeth' is on the case

Carrie Preston stars an an astute but unconventional attorney in Elsbeth. Elizabeth Fisher/CBS hide caption

toggle caption
Elizabeth Fisher/CBS

Review

TV Reviews

In the mood for a sweet, off-beat murder mystery? 'Elsbeth' is on the case

Fresh Air

Carrie Preston revives her eccentric Good Wife character in a new CBS series featuring delightful guest stars and clever mysteries that are resolved at the end of each episode.

In the mood for a sweet, off-beat murder mystery? 'Elsbeth' is on the case

Listen · 7:23
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1234210203/1234557671" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A new Wendy Williams documentary raises more questions than it answers

The four-part docuseries Where is Wendy Williams? is streaming on Lifetime. Calvin Gayle/Lifetime hide caption

toggle caption
Calvin Gayle/Lifetime

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A new Wendy Williams documentary raises more questions than it answers

The new and unsettling Lifetime docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams? documents the former daytime talk show host as she struggled with alcohol addiction, serious health ailments, and financial issues. Days before the documentary aired, we learned that Williams had been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. The four-episode series raises many ethical questions related to celebrity, privacy, and perceived exploitation.

A new Wendy Williams documentary raises more questions than it answers

Listen · 24:56
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197962217/1234270716" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Sex, violence, 'Game of Thrones'-style power grabs — the new 'Shōgun' has it all

Anna Sawai plays translator Toda Mariko in the new FX series Shōgun. Katie Yu/FX hide caption

toggle caption
Katie Yu/FX

Review

TV Reviews

Sex, violence, 'Game of Thrones'-style power grabs — the new 'Shōgun' has it all

Fresh Air

In 1980, NBC's Shōgun miniseries told the story of an English sea pilot's adventures in Japan in the year 1600. Now, FX's remake is even more thought-provoking and stunning than the original.

Sex, violence, 'Game of Thrones'-style power grabs — the new 'Shōgun' has it all

Listen · 6:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1233992898/1234232746" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
She missed out on 'Mean Girls' 20 years ago — but Busy Philipps got a second chance

Busy Philipps attends the Mean Girls premiere in New York City on Jan. 8, 2024. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Movie Interviews

She missed out on 'Mean Girls' 20 years ago — but Busy Philipps got a second chance

Fresh Air

Philipps plays Mrs. George, a "cool mom" seeking the approval of her teen daughter in the new movie musical version of the 2004 film. Philipps got her start as a teen on the series Freaks and Geeks.

She missed out on 'Mean Girls' 20 years ago — but Busy Philipps got a second chance

Listen · 29:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1234006757/1234233262" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Is 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' fire, or all wet?

Kiawentiio as Katara, Gordon Cormier as Aang and Ian Ousley as Sokka. Netlfix hide caption

toggle caption
Netlfix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' fire, or all wet?

The animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is regarded as a classic. Now, it's gotten a live-action adaptation on Netflix. The series tells the story of a boy named Aang (Gordon Cormier) who must learn how to harness the power of air, water, earth, and fire — and ultimately save the world. But how does the new show hold up to the beloved original?

Is 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' fire, or all wet?

Listen · 20:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197962204/1233954272" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Returning characters revive 'The Walking Dead' in 'The Ones Who Live'

Danai Gurira as Michonne on The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. AMC hide caption

toggle caption
AMC

Review

TV Reviews

Returning characters revive 'The Walking Dead' in 'The Ones Who Live'

Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln are back as Michonne and Rick Grimes in the new spinoff. But will a new audience show up for a franchise that is nearly 14 years old?

Returning characters revive 'The Walking Dead' in 'The Ones Who Live'

Listen · 3:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1233827237/1233925716" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Sunday

Shane Gillis struggles in a 'Saturday Night Live' monologue that avoids the obvious

Shane Gillis returned to host Saturday Night Live five years after he was fired from the show. Above, Gillis performs at the Stand Up For Heroes Benefit in November 2023 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bob Woodruff Foundation hide caption

toggle caption
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bob Woodruff Foundation

Analysis

Shane Gillis struggles in a 'Saturday Night Live' monologue that avoids the obvious

Gillis didn't spend much time joking about the controversy that got him fired from the show. Instead, his opening monologue felt like an attempt to insulate himself from criticism and avoid backlash.

Oppenheimer movie dominates SAG Awards, while Streisand wins lifetime prize

Cillian Murphy accepts the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for "Oppenheimer" during the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Movies

Oppenheimer movie dominates SAG Awards, while Streisand wins lifetime prize

Oppenheimer dominated at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Saturday, as several winners paid tribute to last year's actors' strike. Barbra Streisand was given a lifetime achievement prize.

Friday

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and reading

Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) and Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) in The Taste of Things. Stéphanie Branchu/IFC Films hide caption

toggle caption
Stéphanie Branchu/IFC Films

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and reading

Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The show Homicide: Life on the Street, the film The Taste of Things and the novel Poor Things is based on.

Thursday

Wendy Williams is diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia

Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), her medical care team announced Thursday. Here, Williams attends the world premiere of Apple TV+'s The Morning Show in New York on Oct. 28, 2019. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Health

Wendy Williams is diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia

News of the former TV host's medical diagnosis comes days ahead of the TV premiere of Where is Wendy Williams? — a two-part documentary detailing her health battles.

Wednesday

Disaster follows an astronaut back to Earth in the thriller 'Constellation'

Noomi Rapace plays an astronaut on the International Space Station in the Apple TV+ series Constellation. Apple TV+ hide caption

toggle caption
Apple TV+

Review

TV Reviews

Disaster follows an astronaut back to Earth in the thriller 'Constellation'

Fresh Air

Watching this Apple TV+ series takes commitment and attention, but you'll be rewarded for that effort with a haunting story that, at its center, is about the love between a mother and a daughter.

Disaster follows an astronaut back to Earth in the thriller 'Constellation'

Listen · 8:03
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1232664419/1232945087" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

I asked about race on reality shows at the TV critics press tour. It didn't go well

The Bachelor producers Jason Ehrlich, Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner answered questions at the TV Critics Association's winter press tour. PictureGroup/Disney hide caption

toggle caption
PictureGroup/Disney

Analysis

I asked about race on reality shows at the TV critics press tour. It didn't go well

What's ahead for the TV industry in 2024? Original series are down 14% but it still feels like too much TV. Executives and streaming services are feeling the squeeze post strikes. Race issues persist.

We try to untangle 'Madame Web'

Dakota Johnson in Madame Web. Columbia Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Columbia Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We try to untangle 'Madame Web'

Madame Web, the latest Spider-Man-adjacent film that stakes out its own corner of the Spider-Verse. Dakota Johnson plays a New York paramedic who sees glimpses of the future. She bonds with three young women who are being hunted by a mysterious and remorseless supervillian. It has gotten pilloried by critics and has been ruthlessly mocked by a series of memes. But is it as bad as all that?

We try to untangle 'Madame Web'

Listen · 16:42
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197961992/1232471024" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

The first Black 'Peanuts' character finally gets his origin story in animated special

An Apple TV+ animated special shows how Franklin, the first Black Peanuts character, meets Charlie Brown and friends in Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin. Apple TV+ hide caption

toggle caption
Apple TV+

Black History Month 2024

The first Black 'Peanuts' character finally gets his origin story in animated special

The origin story of the first Black Peanuts character is streaming on Apple TV+.

The first Black 'Peanuts' character finally gets his origin story in animated special

Listen · 2:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1231913808/1232011704" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">