The New York Times
The New York Times top 100 TV shows and the always slippery TV canon
In: Exit Party, Forgotten Island. Out: the idea that it should be easy to build a TV canon!!
Episodes Book Club: Infinite Jest, Week Eight
Is Infinite Jest why we got prestige TV? Honestly, maybe!
What It's A Wonderful Life's George and Mary Bailey can say to us here in 2026
The fun things Emily and Lauren Theisen learned when working on their new It's a Wonderful Life book
Peacock's Ponies and when streaming enters crunch time
Plus: Damien McCarthy's horror movies, Some Like It Hot, and true fashion.
Submit your September mailbag questions!
It's that time again!
Angel Down, Whalefall, and the phantasmagoria of manhood
Why do people love Daniel Kraus' novels? Maybe it's because he's not afraid of a big metaphor.
Preorder Emily's next novel! Save big money! Now!
Plus: The e-book of Woodworking is on sale too? Remember Woodworking?
Episodes Book Club: Infinite Jest, Week Seven
This week: the enthralling and the exhausting kind of become one singular thing.
Atlanta saw America more clearly than nearly any TV show of its era (preview)
A preview of this week's premium Wednesday newsletter!
Atlanta saw America more clearly than nearly any TV show of its era
Watching the show's first season in 2026 is an exercise in seeing just how far Hollywood "progressivism" has fallen across a decade.
Is Coyote vs. ACME the perfect movie for the moment?
Also: Paranormal Activity on stage, the Furious finale, and a good comic about a cat.
The Invite, Obsession, and the runaway success of movies for straight people to argue about
Who is responsible for your own unhappiness? The answer may disappoint you.
Episodes Book Club: Infinite Jest, Week Six
We're talking irony, sincerity, and, of course, Randy Lenz.