Television

A recreation of a royal family portrait photo.

Arts

'The Crown' ends as pensive meditation on the most private public family on Earth

10:37am December 14, 2023

by Eric Deggans

The Crown brought us six seasons of high-quality, royal melodrama. The final episodes strain under the weight of that legacy — they are a quiet finish to the show's final season.

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Andre Braugher as Det. Frank Pembleton of Homicide: Life on the Street

Arts

Andre Braugher was a pioneer in playing smart, driven, flawed Black characters

5:30pm December 13, 2023

by Eric Deggans

Braugher, who starred on Homicide and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, died Tuesday at age 61. Trained at Juilliard and adept at stage work, the actor had a steely authority that undergirded most of his roles.

André Braugher, star of 'Brooklyn 99' and 'Homicide', has died at age 61

4:38pm December 13, 2023

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

André Braugher, an Emmy Award-winning dramatic actor who translated his studied deadpan into comedic genius as Capt. Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died at age 61.

The show had a distinctive opening tune, but that's not the mystery fans were looking to solve.

People have been searching for this song from 'The X-Files' for 25 years. Until now

4:38pm December 13, 2023

by Erika Ryan

A song playing in the background of one episode has fascinated and eluded fans for more than two decades as they sought to track it, and the musicians, down. Now that mystery has finally been solved.

Tony Shalhoub returns as lead investigator Adrian Monk in Mr. Monk's Last Case.

Arts

'Monk' returns for one 'Last Case' and it's a heaping serving of TV comfort food

1:35pm December 13, 2023

by David Bianculli

Tony Shalhoub slips back into his Adrian Monk character after nearly 15 years with assurance and precision, nailing the comedy while still making room for somber themes of loss and depression.

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André Braugher, who won Emmys for his roles on Homicide: Life on the Street and Thief, played a cherished police captain on Brooklyn Nine-Nine in recent years.

Arts

André Braugher, star of 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' and 'Homicide,' dies at 61

11:23pm December 12, 2023

by Alina Hartounian

Braugher was known for his strong dramatic presence before he shifted gears and worked in comedy.

A new documentary examines the 'Star Wars Holiday Special' and asks: Why?

6:57pm December 09, 2023

by Linda Holmes

A new documentary called A Disturbance in the Force looks back on how the special happened and why it's been locked away ever since.

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Arts

Opinion: Norman Lear shocked, thrilled, and stirred television viewers

11:29am December 09, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon remembers television producer Norman Lear, who died this week at age 101.

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Murder in Boston is a three-part docuseries about the 1989 murder of Carol Stuart by her husband Charles Stuart. But it wisely focuses not on the murder itself, but on the police investigation — both its origins and the deep scars it left.

Arts

'Murder in Boston' is what a docuseries should look like

5:00am December 09, 2023

by Linda Holmes

In 1989 Charles Stuart killed his wife in what he claimed was a carjacking by a Black man. A series about that murder and the police investigation that followed is more than another true-crime story.

Books
Arts

'SNL' actor Kenan Thompson says, 'I am definitely an ensemble-minded individual'

1:24pm December 07, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

In his new book, When I Was Your Age, Thompson shares stories from his life and career, including his early days at SNL and his estrangement from his longtime Nickelodeon co-star Kel Mitchell.

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