Hamilton is so much bigger than Hamilton
Being in the audience felt like a communal experience, almost a liturgical one.
J. K. Rowling’s wizards in the Jazz Age
Fantastic Beasts diagnoses how rising fear leads to demonizing others.
The Night Of and the nights after
On HBO's new series, a young Muslim is accused of murder. But whether he's guilty isn't the point.
A rebel mom and her nemesis
It’s too bad that Bad Moms sets up its conflict as one between women.
Redeeming lemons
Lemonade is a spectacular piece of visual theology. It offers hope for healing—not a generic healing, but the healing of black, female bodies.
Repeat testimony
In an era of partisan politics, it's difficult to tell the truth. The complaints about Confirmation reveal a lack of progress.
Women’s war stories
A new film and a hit podcast both feature women telling war stories—a role that’s usually reserved for male protagonists and male narrators.
Battling wills
In Jessica Jones, the superhero villain's control over people is chilling because we recognize it. It plays out in ordinary abusive relationships.
Magic on Normal Street
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street uses a combination of magic and realism that depicts real life far better than any other family television show I've seen.
Retelling the old, old stories
I just got back from Disney World with my kids. The trip set me thinking about how stories get told and passed on.
Rom-com in the flesh
Do Trainwreck and Catastrophe herald a resurrection of the rom-com genre? Or merely a grotesque reanimation?
Breaking the codes
Of all the violence on Game of Thrones, one scene from the fifth season stands out in public opinion as particularly horrific.
Policing and race
Scandal and New Girl are not ordinarily “about” race. But as national conversations on police violence intensify, they’ve stepped into the discussion.
Unlikely sage
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a strange combination: a relentlessly upbeat comedy about surviving abuse.
