Ken Burns’s new documentary achieves a tone that is unmistakably Burns: measured, atmospheric, at times elegiac and always attentive to nuance.
TV
Posted inTelevision
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.
Posted inTelevision
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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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.
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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.
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‘The Bear’ and the importance of imperfect institutions
‘The Bear’ depicts how institutions, despite their sundry flaws, can foster revolutions in moral feeling and valuing.
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I’ve never loved medical shows. ‘The Pitt’ is different.
“The Pitt” often feels like it’s aiming to be the medical show to end all medical shows.
Posted inArts & Culture, News Analysis
A requiem for Stephen Colbert, the most subversive Catholic voice in late-night TV
I felt two things when Stephen Colbert announced last Thursday that in nine months, CBS would be ending his top-rated “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” I felt uncomfortable. And I felt old.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Star Trek’s Gene Roddenberry rejected religion. But he was searching for a god.
Gene Roddenberry’s son said his father was an atheist. But documented evidence tells a different, more nuanced story about the creator of “Star Trek.”