26 Episodes
The Sopranos finale could have been made yesterday
Whatever happens to Tony Soprano in the series finale, we're still living in his world.
Emily St. James
Emily St. James is a writer and critic whose work has appeared in Vox, The A.V. Club, and the New York Times. She is the co-creator of the podcast Arden and a writer on the TV series Yellowjackets.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown April 27–May 3 2026
This week: Charlie Kaufman, Martin Scorsese, Spike Jonze, and a gorgeously melancholic kids' show.
interview
Want a romcom that goes to some very real, complicated places? Try Girl Next Door.
Rachel Meredith, author of Emily's favorite romance novel of 2025, discusses wedding ridiculous premises to real psychological heft.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown April 20–26 2026
This week: The Drama, Project Hail Mary, and some true classics of literature.
26 Episodes
How I Met Your Mother is one last message from a pre-Recession world
And other theories on why this once-beloved sitcom hasn't quite endured
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown April 13–19 2026
This week: Faces of Death, Exit 8, and the new Olivia Rodrigo!
Mailbag
April mailbag!
This month: books that need reissues, songs that belong to one director, and the Buffy Big Bad ranking you've been waiting for.
Max Richter
The biggest danger of over-licensed music in movies and TV
Maybe the song doesn't need to do all the feeling for the audience!
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown April 6–12 2026
This week: The Testaments, The Subtle Knife, and an album that hints at the end of a beloved show.
Mailbag
Submit your April mailbag questions!
It's that time again!
Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen
Not every story should be two hours or 10 hours
Netflix's Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen shows the limits of "this should have been a movie" as a criticism
26 Episodes
We don't respect Grey's Anatomy enough
2005's 26 Episodes pick reveals the very gendered way we talk about "great" television