Television

Jenji Kohan, seen here on the set of Orange Is the New Black, began her writing career on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Arts

'Orange' Creator Jenji Kohan: 'Piper Was My Trojan Horse'

1:32pm August 13, 2013

Orange Is the New Black's showrunner explains how a story about a privileged white woman and criminality allows her to tell "really fascinating tales" of black women, Latinas, old women and criminals. Kohan also created the Showtime series Weeds.

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David Tennant plays Detective Inspector Alec Hardy alongside Olivia Colman as Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller, investigating the murder of a young boy in the BBC crime drama Broadchurch.

Arts

Murder, Secrets And Lies By The Seaside In 'Broadchurch'

7:43am August 11, 2013

by NPR Staff

Guest-host Celeste Headlee speaks with Scottish actor David Tennant about his role as brooding detective in Broadchurch. The moody BBC crime drama follows a mismatched cop duo investigating the murder of a young boy in a British seaside town.

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Peter Capaldi is the latest actor to play the Doctor on the long-running British sci-fi show, Doctor Who.

The Doctor, An Utterly Millennial Hero

7:43am August 11, 2013

by Celeste Headlee

Doctor Who fans waited with bated breath this summer for the announcement of the latest actor to play the Doctor. But the Doctor is more than a character on a show that millions love, he's arguably the chosen hero of the millennial generation.

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Why Hasn't The Internet Blown Up Cable TV's Business Model?

6:56pm August 08, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

The Internet has a history of blowing up business models. Now we buy music by the song, and who needs the newspaper for classifieds? But cable television hasn't budged much. You're still forced to buy a bundle of channels, whether you watch them or not.

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Poor Donna Reed: Her Mary would have ended up working in a library — shudder — if not for the matrimonial intervention of Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey. Happily, 1946's It's a Wonderful Life isn't the only lens through which pop culture assesses the w

Books
Arts

Libraries' Leading Roles: On Stage, On Screen And In Song

4:04pm August 08, 2013

by Bob Mondello

In the latest installment of our library series, NPR's Bob Mondello visits some notable libraries in popular culture: Jorge Luis Borges' Library of Babel; Lucien's Library in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman; and the stacks in Buffy, Hogwarts, Doctor Who and Fahrenheit 451.

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Bob Odenkirk plays sleazeball lawyer Saul Goodman on AMC's Breaking Bad. The show is in its final season, but creator Vince Gilligan has talked about doing a spinoff series for Saul that would star Odenkirk.

Arts

Bob Odenkirk Brings Some Laughs To 'Breaking Bad'

12:01pm August 06, 2013

Fast-talking, sleazeball lawyer Saul Goodman knows how to bend the law, or break it, depending on his clients' needs. Odenkirk tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about playing the AMC drama's most comedic character, and the origins of Saul's comb-over.

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BBC Announces Peter Capaldi Is The Next Dr. Who

5:40am August 05, 2013

The BBC has chosen the 12th actor to star in Doctor Who, the show about a traveler in time and space. Veteran actor Peter Capaldi is taking over from Matt Smith, who will take his leave in the Christmas special. For more on the show, Linda Wertheimer talks to BBC arts and entertainment correspondent Tim Masters.

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Mild-mannered teacher by day, masked superhero by night, the Burka Avenger fights corruption and oppression, and aims to empower the girls of Pakistan.

Lady In Black: 'Burka Avenger' Fights For Pakistan's Girls

6:05pm July 31, 2013

by NPR Staff

Burka Avenger is a new Pakistani kids' show about a mild-mannered teacher who moonlights as a burqa-clad superhero. The show aims to empower and educate children, especially young girls — but has drawn criticism from feminists for its use of the burqa.

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In Season 2 of The Newsroom, Jim Harper (John Gallagher Jr.) goes on the 2012 campaign trail.

Arts

John Gallagher Jr. On 'Newsroom' Dialogue And Staging Green Day

2:28pm July 29, 2013

In addition to playing a cable news producer on Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama, Gallagher is a Tony Award-winning Broadway performer. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about starring in a punk rock musical and rehearsing Sorkin's Newsroom scripts.

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The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is the first in a straight line of teen comedies from the teen point of view. It starred Dwayne Hickman (right) as Dobie and Bob Denver as his best friend, Maynard.

Arts

This Summer, Vintage TV Shows Thrive On DVD

2:27pm July 29, 2013

by David Bianculli

The stack of recent DVD releases of old TV series keeps getting higher. Fresh Air critic David Bianculli picks four that he believes are the TV equivalent of a fun summer read.

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