Critic’s Notebook
Critic’s Appreciation: James Earl Jones, Voice of Unquestionable Authority, Titan of the Stage and Ideal Elevator Companion
The actor, whose rich baritone was as indelible a part of Darth Vader’s menacing power as the black helmet, mask and cloak, was also an absolute treasure of the American theater.
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Critic’s Notebook: Enthusiasm Waxed and Waned, but ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Played a Long Game
As Larry David’s 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' returns for its 12th and final season, THR’s chief TV critic reflects on a series that vacillated between inspired and tired but never lost its grumpy grip on small-screen culture.
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Critic’s Notebook: William Friedkin’s Towering ‘The Exorcist’ Redefined Horror
The 1973 blockbuster nominated for 10 Oscars leaves an unparalleled stamp on the genre and in popular culture, sending chills down countless spines to this day.
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Critic’s Appreciation: Paul Reubens and Pee-wee Herman Left a Timeless and Ageless Mark on the Culture
Paul Reubens took his eternally youthful and immature alter ego from improv comedy stages to the big screen to Saturday morning television and Broadway, because Pee-wee Herman was a character for all ages and all generations.
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Critic’s Notebook: Capitalism and TV Today, a Love/Hate Story
In an ironic twist, some of the biggest perpetrators of corporate ruthlessness in the entertainment industry are currently producing several of the most honest portraits of our bleak economic moment.
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Critic’s Notebook: Hopelessly Devoted to Olivia Newton-John
If you were raised in a house tuned to AM radio in the 1970s and early ‘80s, chances are that the crystalline vocals of Olivia Newton-John, who died Monday at age 73 at her Southern California ranch, were a big part of your childhood soundtrack. This was especially true if you grew up in Australia, […]
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Critic’s Notebook: Is Late Night on the Verge of a Diversity Downgrade?
With 'Desus & Mero' and Samantha Bee canceled — and James Corden’s slot up for grabs — late night is at a crucial representational crossroads, THR's chief TV critic writes.
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Critic’s Notebook: Is Summer TV’s Island Fever the Cure for What Ails Us?
Tapping into our collective need for a vacation, HBO's 'The White Lotus,' Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers' and Fox's 'Fantasy Island' offer varying levels of pandemic-era comfort and escape
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Critic’s Notebook: ‘I May Destroy You’ Finale Boldly Tackles the Challenge of Concluding a Rape Narrative
In the final episode of her boundary-pushing HBO series, creator-star Michaela Coel grappled with the difficulty of finding closure after trauma — and of ending a story about sexual assault.
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Critic’s Notebook: Apple, Disney and the Overwhelming Era of “Plus TV”
Apple TV+ and Disney+ have further flooded viewers with options, upping the ante in the seemingly endless streaming wars — but are the actual offerings worth all the fuss?
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Critic’s Notebook: Why Robert Evans Was Hollywood’s “Last Tycoon”
No matter how many scandals, divorces, drug charges, flop films and assorted other reversals the veteran studio executive and producer experienced — and survived — over his seven decades in Hollywood, Robert Evans always managed to stay in the picture.
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Critic’s Notebook: Biden Survives the Pile-On in Second Democratic Debate
The former vice president withstands a barrage of attacks from his fellow candidates, and this time manages to keep his head above water.
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