Jason Reitman’s new film about the origins of ‘Saturday Night Live’ forces a consideration of how the show turned into comfort food for its scared, self-satisfied liberal audiences.
Television
Posted inPolitics
Democrats Lost the Propaganda War
The party used up about $5 billion on political ads in 2024. There’s a better way.
Posted inPolitics
Our Cults, Ourselves
Is the best way to understand the MAGA movement to binge-watch docuseries about charismatic leaders sending their acolytes to ruin? Tune in and find out.
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Broken Cords
We’re moving toward replacing cable TV with a bundle of streaming networks. Will local and news programming get lost in the transition?
Posted inThe Good Life
Labor & Culture: Beyond Jimmy Hoffa Movies
Positive depictions of unions are hard to find in the culture. Progressives should focus on elevating them.
Posted inPolitics
An Implausible Mr. Buckley
A new PBS documentary whitewashes the conservative founder of National Review.
Posted inPolitics
The In-Flight Magazine for Corporate Jets
The Economist has channeled the concerns of elites for decades. It sees the Biden administration as a threat.
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
A Cultural Artifact That Meets the Moment
Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome’ nails how Trumpism functions at the most elemental of levels.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Unmasking the Local TV Station Monopolies
Deregulation has rendered station ownership caps meaningless. But a federal antitrust case and a new FCC majority offer one last chance to unwind broadcast consolidation.