TV Reviews

Barry Jenkins served as showrunner, executive producer, writer and director to the 10-part Amazon series, The Underground Railroad.

'Underground Railroad' Is A Hard But Beautiful Reflection On Black Pain

3:43pm May 14, 2021

by Eric Deggans

Barry Jenkins' adaptation of Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad reaches us at a time when we are most prepared for its message, but severely challenged by its delivery system.

What To Watch: New Shows Are Coming To The Small Screen

7:36am May 14, 2021

During the pandemic, you may feel like you've seen every show worth watching. With a lot of new shows debuting, we have some suggestions for what to watch in the coming weeks.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

'Hacks' Captures The Career Intersection Of 2 Funny Women Who Suffer No Fools

2:20pm May 13, 2021

by David Bianculli

The sharp new HBO Max series stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder as comics of two different generations who need each other to survive the cutthroat, often sexist, world of standup comedy.

Queue Listen Now

L to R: Legendary comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) performs while her reluctant assistant Ava (Hannah Einbinder) literally waits in the wings on Hacks.

Arts

'Hacks': A Comedic Generational Divide Gets Bridged, (Jean) Smartly

6:46am May 13, 2021

by Glen Weldon

Two women attempt to reconcile their respective approaches to comedy in HBO Max's smart, sharp (but not too sharp), warm (but not too warm) series.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk strikes a pose at a December 2020 awards ceremony in Germany. This weekend, he hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live.

Arts

Elon Musk Takes An Awkward Turn As 'Saturday Night Live' Host

5:01pm May 09, 2021

by Eric Deggans

The Tesla CEO got to cement his image as a celebrity with pop culture cachet, appearing with the SNL cast in silly sketches that promoted his pet projects and dressing up as a video game character.

Arts

'Attenborough's Journey' Salutes The Broadcaster With A Passion For Nature

1:25pm May 07, 2021

by David Bianculli

Sir David Attenborough is TV's longest-running nature host with credits than span 70 years. A new BBC America special follows his path, from a nature-obsessed kid to a world-renowned broadcaster.

Queue Listen Now

L to R: Walter/Brainwave (Ben Daniels) and Sheldon/The Utopian (Josh Duhamel) agree to table their discussion in Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy.

Arts

'Jupiter's Legacy' Decodes The Superhero Genre Without Subverting It

8:05am May 07, 2021

by Glen Weldon

There are lots of familiar trappings in Netflix's latest "realistic superheroes" series, but the way it grapples with the moral code at the heart of the superhero genre sets it apart.