The final episode of ‘Stranger Things’ reminded me that evil is never one and the same with any human being.
Television
Posted inTelevision
‘Pluribus’ asks big questions about human freedom. It’s must-think TV.
‘Pluribus’ asks: Would we be willing to give up the struggles of the human condition for life in a friction-free bubble of contentment?
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The extraordinary life of Carlo Acutis—directed by Martin Scorsese’s daughter
By choosing to highlight Carlo, whose life was relatively short and simple in comparison with his fellow saints, the series offers an insightful—and perhaps counterintuitive—reflection on what it truly means to live an exceptional life.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
The Catholic stories Ken Burns left out of his new American Revolution documentary
Ken Burns’s new documentary achieves a tone that is unmistakably Burns: measured, atmospheric, at times elegiac and always attentive to nuance.
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The long-awaited spin-off to ‘The Office’: ‘The Paper’ is a mockumentary with heart
In the first episode of Peacock’s new sitcom, “The Paper,” Ned Sampson, played by Domhnall Gleeson, declares, “I love a challenge. That’s why I’m so good at Lent.” And indeed, the show itself did have a few challenges to tackle. “The Paper” has been touted as the long-awaited spinoff of the 2005 sitcom “The Office,” […]
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‘Nobody Wants This’ is no ordinary rom-com. It’s a study in what it means to be faithful.
While the show’s depiction of religion isn’t exactly robust, it is sincere, and—just as importantly—belief is never the punchline.
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HBO’s ‘Task’ is tense, exciting, dark—and the most Catholic TV show of the season
The most Catholic TV show of 2025 is a gritty crime drama set outside of Philadelphia. HBO’s “Task,” which recently concluded its seven-episode run, was a tale of cops and robbers, with a gang of vicious bikers thrown in for good measure. It was, as you might expect, tense and exciting and often very dark. […]
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Patricia Routledge of ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ taught us how to age assertively
In “Keeping Up Appearances,” Patricia Routledge served as a mirror to middle-class society and its petty preoccupations and mores.
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Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire ‘The Studio’ is (mostly) worth the hype
“The Studio,” Seth Rogen’s new creation for Apple TV that has garnered 23 Emmy nominations in its inaugural season, gives us a new version of affable stoner-next-door.
Posted inTelevision
The Penguin as the anti-hero (or the anti-villain?)
General audiences might be familiar with the character of the Penguin from Danny DeVito’s campier portrayal of the supervillain character in 1992’s “Batman Returns,” with Michael Keaton as the caped crusader. In the new TV show “The Penguin,” however, Oz Cobb feels less like a supervillain and more like a typical Hollywood mobster.