Television

Maggie Gyllenhaal says she had some reservations about taking on the role of Nessa Stein in the SundanceTV original series The Honorable Woman. Middle East conflicts are so sensitive, she says, "It's really complicated and it goes back so far."

In 'The Honorable Woman,' There's No One You Can Trust

8:39pm December 30, 2014

by Elizabeth Blair

Maggie Gyllenhaal says she had reservations about taking on the role of Nessa Stein in the Sundance series. The conflict in the Middle East is "really complicated and it goes back so far," she says.

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Arts

Louis C.K. On His 'Louie' Hiatus: 'I Wanted The Show To Feel New Again'

1:38pm December 30, 2014

The comic tells Fresh Air that after Season 3, he "aggressively forgot the show existed for a few months." Then he got back to work — for Louie's fourth season. Originally broadcast May 19.

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Patricia Arquette (clockwise from left), Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Amy Adams, Felicity Jones, Julianne Moore and Hilary Swank on the Nov. 28 cover of The Hollywood Reporter.

Sony Hack Reveals Hollywood's Acceptance Of White Privilege

1:00am December 27, 2014

by Eric Deggans

While some leaked Sony emails seemed racist, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says they hint at a wider issue: an acceptance of practices, habits and perceptions that limit diversity in Hollywood.

Allison Tolman plays Deputy Sheriff Molly Solverson in the FX TV series Fargo. It's a breakout role for the actress who had done only theater and commercials.

Arts

Bianculli's Top 10: 2014 Was A 'Good Year For Programming'

2:47pm December 24, 2014

by David Bianculli

TV critic David Bianculli says that he's encouraged by how far TV has come. He picks The Good Wife as the best show of 2014, having "the deepest roster of really strong regulars and guest stars."

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Protesters in Boston during a December demonstration against the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers in New York City and Ferguson, Mo.

Videos Of Ray Rice, Eric Garner Among Biggest Media Moments Of 2014

1:08pm December 23, 2014

by Eric Deggans

Some of the most interesting things on TV in 2014 weren't actually made for TV. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans lists the moments in television, viral video and social media that changed us all this year.

"Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" first aired in 1978 and won an Emmy Award for outstanding children's program the following year.

National

A Very Code Switch Christmas TV Special

5:21pm December 22, 2014

by Charles Pulliam-Moore

It's that time around Christmas, when all we can see are a handful of stories on our TV screens. Frosty, and Charlie, and Ralphie, and Kevin, but there's not too much brown in this mostly white canon.

Why Does It Take A Movie Robot To Show What Nurses Really Do?

3:13pm December 22, 2014

by Kelli Dunham

If TV and movie nurses took care of us when we're sick, we'd be in a heap of trouble. Those images of nutty, slutty and clueless nurses are bad news for the profession, and for patients.

J.K. Simmons On Playing A Neo-Nazi On HBO's 'Oz'

1:48pm December 19, 2014

Simmons was a regular on the HBO drama, which depicts the brutality of life in a maximum security prison. He spoke to Terry Gross in 1998.

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Boundary-Pushing Late Night Hosts Move On — Colbert Up, Ferguson Out

6:32pm December 18, 2014

by Eric Deggans

Both Stephen Colbert and Craig Ferguson end their late-night TV shows this week. Colbert is getting a boatload of attention as he moves to succeed David Letterman, but Ferguson deserves some too.

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Stephen Colbert will host his final episode of The Colbert Report Thursday after nine years on air.

Arts

A Tribute To Stephen Colbert, A Self-Proclaimed 'Junkie For Exhaustion'

3:24pm December 18, 2014

Ahead of The Colbert Report's last episode, Fresh Air listens back to interviews with Colbert. "I didn't realize quite how liberal I was until I was asked to make passionate comedic choices," he said.

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