Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
Beautifully acted 'Shardlake' brings 500-year-old Tudor intrigue into the present day
by John Powers
A London barrister in Henry VIII's England finds himself investigating a murder in a monastery. Hulu's new four-part series, based on C.J. Sansom's 2003 novel, feels strikingly contemporary.
Part satire, part tragedy, 'The Sympathizer' will reward your full attention
by John Powers
A new HBO series based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel takes a surreal look at the Vietnam war, the costs of colonialism and the disillusionments of revolution and immigration.
Michael Douglas stars as a flirty Ben Franklin in this Apple TV+ series
by David Bianculli
Franklin is worth watching — not only for what it reveals about how the U.S. won independence from England then – but also about the complexities of war, and international politics now.
Contrarian Lionel Shriver deftly satirizes anti-intellectualism in 'Mania'
by Maureen Corrigan
Shriver's new novel is one of her best. It takes place in an alternative America, where the last acceptable bias — discrimination against people considered not so smart — is being stamped out.
What's a 'Soundie'? A new collection revisits this little known 1940s phenomenon
by Lloyd Schwartz
Soundies were 3-minute musical films which you could watch at a bar or club on a large jukebox with a screen. Film historian Susan Delson has curated a selection in Soundies: The Ultimate Collection.
A 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' appreciation, as the series comes to an end
After 25 years and 12 seasons, Curb wraps April 7. We mark the occasion with archival interviews with Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Robert B. Weide, Timothy Olyphant, Ted Danson and others.
Abortion opponents push for 'fetal personhood' laws, giving rights to embryos
by Tonya Mosley
The Guardian's reproductive health reporter Carter Sherman says efforts are underway in a number of states to assign fetuses "some kind of rights that we would generally ascribe to a human person."