Pop Culture

Arts

Fall TV Preview: 'Gotham,' 'Scorpion' And 'Black-ish'

2:39pm September 22, 2014

by David Bianculli

For major broadcast networks, Monday is the official start of the 2014-15 TV season. Fresh Air's critic has a not-very-long list of new shows you should make an effort to sample.

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Shonda Rhimes speaks onstage at the How to Get Away with Murder panel during the Television Critics Association summer press tour.

Arts

The Only One: A Talk With Shonda Rhimes

2:02pm September 22, 2014

by Linda Holmes

On Friday night, Shonda Rhimes spoke about her hugely successful television career, her love of the National Spelling Bee, and the New York Times article that called her an "angry black woman."

The Cosby Show starred Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad as Cliff and Clair Huxtable, an upper-middle-class couple in New York. Tempestt Bledsoe, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Lisa Bonet and Keshia Knight Pulliam played four of their five children.

Arts

Examining Bill Cosby's Legacy As 'The Cosby Show' Turns 30

6:59pm September 19, 2014

by Eric Deggans

On the anniversary of the iconic series, NPR's Eric Deggans talks with the author of a new Bill Cosby biography about how the show and the comedian have shaped perceptions of black families.

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This human-scale lab rat cage is parked near a skate park in Denver, Colo., to make a point about the lack of science on marijuana.

Colorado Tries Hard To Convince Teens That Pot Is Bad For You

10:29am September 19, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

Do you want to be a lab rat? That's what teenagers are doing when they smoke marijuana, the state of Colorado says. But since hard evidence of marijuana's harms is scanty, it may be a tough sell.

Arts

'Madame Secretary' Pales In Comparison To 'The Good Wife'

5:39pm September 18, 2014

by David Bianculli

The CBS dramas about women juggling family lives and high-intensity jobs showcase excellent acting. But while The Good Wife is one of the best shows on TV, Madam Secretary's writing is disappointing.

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In Metástasis, Diego Trujillo (center) plays Walter Blanco, a chemistry teacher who sells crystal meth with his former student José Miguel Rosas, played by Roberto Urbina.

Arts

'Breaking Bad' Fans Get Their Fix In Spanish

7:50pm September 17, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

Metástasis, the Spanish-language remake of the AMC series, ends this week on UniMás. The show is set in Colombia instead of New Mexico, but the story of a teacher-turned-drug dealer stays the same.

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Ian Glomski outside his home in Charlottesville, Va., where hops grow in his garden. He quit an academic career in microbiology to start a liquor distillery.

National

A Scientist's Journey From Beer To Microbiology To Bourbon-Making

2:18pm September 16, 2014

by Richard Harris

When his home-brew tasted bad, a college student decided to pursue microbiology. After more than a decade as a scientist, he's going back to brewing — but this time, he's moving up to bourbon.

Arts

Australian Comic Finds Humor In Humiliation For His Sitcom 'Please Like Me'

2:19pm September 15, 2014

Josh Thomas, 27, stars in the show geared toward 20-somethings on the new cable channel Pivot. He talks about coming out to his dad via text message and dealing with his mom's suicide attempts.

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Daily Show correspondent Michael Che will become the first black co-anchor of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update.

Arts

Why Michael Che's New Role Could Change More Than 'SNL'

1:27pm September 13, 2014

by Eric Deggans

The Daily Show correspondent will become the first black co-anchor of Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update." NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says his hire could help diversify comedy well beyond NBC.

On Boardwalk Empire, Steve Buscemi's character, Nucky Thompson, is modeled after Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, the corrupt county treasurer of Atlantic City during the Prohibition years. The HBO show started its fifth and final season Sunday.

Arts

As 'Boardwalk Empire' Comes To A Close, Creator Reminisces About Its Start

8:26am September 12, 2014

The HBO show began its final season Sunday. Terence Winter says he wrote the Prohibition-era drama in part to work with Martin Scorsese. It was "something I couldn't possibly ... pass up," he says.

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