Television

The New Yorker Presents: Quirky, Eclectic, Fascinating

The new Amazon show offers an uneven but intriguing mix of investigative journalism and whimsical storytelling.

• David Sims
• February 16, 2016

Better Call Saul: The Fable Continues

Season two of the Breaking Bad prequel starts slowly but promises a descent into high drama.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• February 15, 2016

Vinyl: Forrest Gump, but for Classic Rock

Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger’s HBO series complicates the myths of the ’70s but doesn’t make them interesting.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• February 12, 2016

Samantha Bee: The Natural Heir to Jon Stewart

The Daily Show correspondent’s new weekly TBS series, Full Frontal, made a stellar debut Monday.

• David Sims
• February 9, 2016

The Super Bowl Ads That Aren't on TV

What happens when the big game’s primary cultural spectacles get translated into emoji?

• Megan Garber
• February 5, 2016

Maurice White, Michael Jackson, and the Excellence of Disco

Spike Lee’s new film Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off The Wall spotlights the same sort of work ethic that drove Earth, Wind & Fire’s success.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• February 5, 2016

ABC’s Madoff Is a Bad Investment

The miniseries delves into the story of history’s biggest Ponzi scheme, but doesn’t justify its four-hour length.

• David Sims
• February 3, 2016

You, Me and the Apocalypse: Yawning Toward Mass Extinction

NBC’s new 10-episode event series, co-produced with the British TV company Sky, explores the days leading up to the end of the world.

• David Sims
• January 28, 2016

The Triumph of Soap-Box Comedy

Whitney Cummings’s new HBO special, I’m Your Girlfriend, often sounds like a TED Talk. It’s in good company.

• Megan Garber
• January 26, 2016

Chelsea Does: An Awkward Marriage of Documentary and Reality TV

Chelsea Handler’s new four-part Netflix series can’t decide what to do with its biggest asset.

• Sophie Gilbert
• January 25, 2016

The Magicians: Sex, Drugs, and the Supernatural

The SyFy adaptation of Lev Grossman's trilogy aims to be a grown-up version of Harry Potter.

• David Sims
• January 25, 2016

Dana Scully and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuit

From frumpy, high-’90s blazers to sleek, modern pencil skirts, the clothing The X-Files’ doctor chose for herself reflected her character—and the era she lived in.

• Megan Garber
• January 24, 2016

The Remarkable Influence of David Lynch

The legendary director will be back on television next year, returning to a genre he helped transform.

• Mike Mariani
• January 23, 2016

The X-Files Returns: Inconsistent, Messy, and Promising

The seminal sci-fi classic is as patchy as ever, but proves it can still be brilliant television.

• David Sims
• January 22, 2016

London Spy: The Great Gay Espionage Story, Almost

The BBC miniseries starring Ben Whishaw is gorgeous, terrifying, insightful, and way too slow.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• January 21, 2016

Younger and the Age of Agelessness

The perky sitcom, now entering its second season on TV Land, embodies the current confusion about what it means to be an adult.

• Megan Garber
• January 20, 2016

The Promising Case of a Non-White Nancy Drew

A new CBS series will have an actress of color play a grown-up version of the beloved teenage sleuth.

• Lenika Cruz
• January 13, 2016

What Makes a Joke ‘Transphobic’?

Ricky Gervais doesn’t understand why people are peeved at him. It’s pretty simple, though.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• January 12, 2016

​The Tao of the Reaction Shot

At the Golden Globes on Sunday, a feather-ruffling host and some expletive-laden speeches elevated an awards-show standby.

• Megan Garber
• January 11, 2016

The 2016 Golden Globes: Messy, Drunken, Absurd

The Revenant and The Martian were the big winners at a cacophonous ceremony hosted by a grimly unfunny Ricky Gervais.

• David Sims
• January 11, 2016