Television

Amid Backlash, Hallmark Channel To 'Reinstate' Same-Sex Wedding Ad

11:55am December 16, 2019

by Linda Holmes

Facing a barrage of criticism for pulling ads featuring a lesbian couple from its airwaves, the Hallmark Channel has reversed course, and says it will now work to "reinstate the commercials."

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The Hallmark Channel is embroiled in controversy after it pulled an ad by wedding site Zola, which shows a lesbian couple getting married and sharing a kiss.

Arts

Facing Backlash, Hallmark Channel Says It Will 'Reinstate' Ad Of Lesbian Brides

12:10am December 16, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

The ad for the wedding planning site Zola shows two women kissing after saying "I do." Hallmark had been pressured to drop the spot by a group that complained the ad promoted homosexuality.

Abby McEnany plays a version of herself in Work in Progress, a dark comedy series based on her own life.

Arts

In 'Work In Progress,' A Darkly Funny Coming-Of-Middle-Age

5:14pm December 13, 2019

by Ari Shapiro

Abby McEnany plays a version of herself — a mid-40s, queer, gender non-conforming woman — in a new Showtime comedy series. It's the first TV project for the Chicago improv stalwart.

Arts

Wanda Sykes Loves Stand-Up: That's Where 'I Can Be Free,' She Says

1:19pm December 13, 2019

by Terry Gross

Before Sykes became a comic, she worked at the NSA and had top security clearance. Now she takes on the president in her Emmy-nominated Netflix special Not Normal. Originally broadcast Aug. 1, 2019.

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Clockwise: Watchmen, Russian Doll, Los Espookys, The Crown, When They See Us and Documentary Now! made NPR critics' list of the best television of 2019.

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NPR's Favorite TV Shows Of 2019

10:30am December 13, 2019

Series such as Fleabag, Watchmen and Succession highlight our pop culture critics' list of the 19 best television and serial streaming programs of 2019.

Arts

'Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend' Is A Joke Name For A Podcast — Sort Of

1:38pm December 11, 2019

by Terry Gross

The late-night host says that hosting a podcast allows him to "mind meld" with guests in a way he can't on TV: "We can just go down a deep, deep, deep well." Originally broadcast Oct. 2, 2019.

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Critic Emily Nussbaum Weighs In On Best TV Shows Of The Decade

6:27am December 11, 2019

As part of Morning Edition's "Best of the Decade" series, New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum talks about her favorite TV shows of the 2010s.

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Letter-Turner Vanna White Hosts 'Wheel Of Fortune'

5:09am December 11, 2019

For nearly four decades, Vanna White has revealed the letters on the game show Wheel of Fortune. For three weeks, White will host the show while Pat Sajak is recovering from emergency surgery.

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Arts

Alex Borstein On 'Mrs. Maisel' And Being Her Family's 'Comic Relief' As A Kid

12:44pm December 09, 2019

by Dave Davies

Borstein's won back-to-back Emmys for playing a tough, street-wise talent manager on the Amazon series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She says the character reminds her of her mother and grandmother.

In Dolemite Is My Name, Eddie Murphy leads the star-studded biopic about Rudy Ray Moore, whose iconic alter ego became a blaxploitation legend.

Arts

Golden Globe Nominations: Netflix Cleans Up As Famous Faces Rule

11:46am December 09, 2019

by Linda Holmes

The Golden Globe nominations are always odd, but this year they may be even odder than usual, particularly on the TV side. But it must be said: The Globes love a star, and now they love Netflix.