The A.V. Club

It’s a testament to Cupertino‘s writers that the CBS drama has now brazenly dissected real-life issues for four consecutive weeks without getting monotonous or sanctimonious about it. “A.J. & Buddy” unpacks the ongoing crises of betting apps/“prediction markets” like Polymarket and Kalshi, particularly in terms of—timeliness alert—election interference. The case seamlessly acts as a jumping-off point to go deeper into its protagonists’ inner lives, particularly as Michael a

When it was announced, in the early afternoon of Thursday, October 29, that beloved actor Patrick Stewart had died at the age of 80, it took essentially zero time for the internet, as a whole, to go into mourning. Amid the various tributes, clips of his brilliant or silly moments, or simple outpourings of grief, though, there have also been messages from those that knew Stewart not just as an icon or a hero, but as a friend. Chief among them: Long-time X-Men co-star (and fellow theater vet)

For anyone who has ever been the sole voice of reason in a room set on ignoring you, Victor’s journey in The Traitors: New Blood has played like a slow-motion vindication fantasy. For weeks he has been right about nearly everything and believed by nearly no one, a man shouting “Fruitgate” into a void of people who’d rather follow a vibe than present a viable theory. “One Bad Apple Spoils The Whole Bunch” is the episode where the void finally listens. It is easily the most satisfying hour of the

A month or so back, we reported on a truly strange confluence of two well-known entertainment talents, seemingly united only by the fact that neither of them had had a hit in a minute or two: A new TV drama being set up at Peacock, starring Eddie Murphy, and being showrun by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. The series, apparently titled The Chairman, would be a comeback of sorts for both men, with Murphy making the latest pivot in what feels like an almost eternal “About to happen

The night sky has gone dark because Byron Allen has sold his stake in the Starz. Allen, the longtime host of the toothless late-night comedy show Comics Unleashed, went on a media shopping spree earlier this year, buying a controlling stake in BuzzFeed and Stephen Colbert’s late-night timeslot in a time-buy agreement with CBS. Today, he’s begun offloading some of those purchases. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Allen sold his 10.7% stake in the premium cable outfit, piecemeal th

Teasing fans about a possible return of The West Wing has become a recurring game for some of the show’s original creative team these days, including series creator Aaron Sorkin and star Bradley Whitford. But even Whitford—who A.V. Club News Editor Drew Gillis talked to on Thursday night, as he geared up to star in a new production of the stage version of Sorkin’s earlier A Few Good Men—says there’s some “wise reticence” about messing with the show&#8

We may look, occasionally, askance at the current trend of trying to shove as many video games into the mainstream movie and TV machine as possible, as studios desperate to recreate the financial successes of The Super Mario Bros. Movie or A Minecraft Movie instead stumble into the critical nadirs of a Street Fighter or a Mortal Kombat 2. Still, the one undeniably cool thing about the people who control The Money Gun deciding to point it at video games for a minute is that it

Whoopi Goldberg is one of the few Hollywood stars with the rare distinction of being an EGOT winner, but she stays on The View because she doesn’t think she’ll be paid as much as male actors for film roles. When W magazine recently asked what’s kept her on the daytime talk show for almost 20 years, Goldberg gave a frank answer: “A good check.” The View, currently in its 30th season, debuted on ABC in 1997. Over the years, the show has had a rotating cast of co-hosts

Wellness retreats fail another couple in need in the trailer for the upcoming horror movie Pendulum. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Patrick, a husband trying to love his wife in sickness, health, and healing after a traumatic event, Pendulum follows this devout spouse as he escorts his wife to one of those hippie-dippie retreats that are always more sinister than they appear—especially the ones run by an enigmatic leader played by Jacki Weaver. If we might be so bold, if Norman Reedus welcomes

Patrick Stewart has died. His death was reported on the actor’s Instagram page along with the following statement: “We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.” He was 86. “He has been held in the warm embrace of his family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laught

While Fortnite‘s legion of battle royale gamers await their moment in the TV adaptation sun, Netflix is moving forward with plans to bring PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, a.k.a. PUBG, a.k.a. PUBG: Battlegrounds, to the small screen. Per The Wrap, the streamer has hired Donald Glover to write, direct, and star in the project, which he’ll develop with his brother and frequent collaborator, Stephen. The Glovers previously worked together on Atlanta, Swarm, and Mr. And Mrs. Smith, a

James Gunn really, really wants Margot Robbie to reprise her role as Harley Quinn in the DCU, but if she’s not interested, he’ll have to bite the bullet and recast the role. In a special one-off podcast episode titled The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?, Gunn and Peacemaker stars Jennifer Holland (Emilia Harcourt) and Steve Agee (John Economos) discussed whether the 2021 movie The Suicide Squad, which was released as part of the DCEU, is canon in the new DC Comics ecosystem. Gunn acknowl

Taron Egerton, James McAvoy, and Alicia Vikander are teaming up on a new conspiracy thriller, Deadline reported today. According to the publication, Armando Iannucci wrote and directed the film, and it will be shopped at the American Film Market, an upcoming industry event for acquiring, developing, financing, and distributing independent film and TV. The film will reportedly be produced by Kevin Loader, who worked on a few of Iannucci’s movies, including The Death Of Stalin and The Person

People Inc. CEO Neil Vogel has sent a company-wide memo announcing layoffs, according to The New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin. “Today, we are making staffing reductions that affect 195 people across our offices. HR and business leaders have scheduled 1:1 meetings with those who are impacted, and we are committed to a smooth transition. We are grateful to those leaving the company for their contributions,” Vogel wrote in the memo sent Thursday. These cuts represent about 6% of

One of Duncan Sheik’s final creative endeavors before his death in September was working with director Danya Taymor, musical director Or Matias, and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall on putting together the new cast of the upcoming revival of Spring Awakening. The cast was assembled in part from an open casting call of thousands of hopefuls, and Sheik gave insight into crucial early creative decisions. The actors were publicly announced on September 16; Sheik died just one day later. &#8220

Akira and Ghost In The Shell can keep cyberpunk. Those more interested in the Gothic, gory romance of Bram Stoker have their own definitive anime classic: Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s impossibly picturesque upgrade of Toyoo Ashida’s more classically cartoony 1985 take on the material first screened in American theaters in 2001, where it played for a few weeks in a handful of movie houses in the direct aftermath of 9/11. It was dubbed in English and underseen; its

Welcome to The A.V. Club’s monthly comics preview, where we recommend new books to check out over the next few weeks. This month, we’ve got five noteworthy picks, including a history of modern public health, a spooky Alpine mystery, and an explosive sci-fi epic.   The Greater Good: People, Power, And Public Health by Whit Taylor and Joyce Rice (November 3) Comics are an excellent vehicle for educational content because creators can imbue information with visual personality and specif

“All I want is to live in a shit flat with my two best friends and make memories that would last a lifetime and just have, l don’t know, 10 years of my life where I wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I mean, is that really too much to ask?” That’s the plea from Leo Riech’s Ethan to his therapist (Elsinore‘s Andrew Scott) in the trailer for new British comedy series It Gets Worse. Sadly for post-graduates everywhere, the answer is a resounding and wor

Life magazine is getting a second life thanks to supermodel Karlie Kloss and her billionaire husband Jared Kushner. Two years after Kloss first announced plans to relaunch Life in print and digitally, the vision is finally coming together. In a letter from the editors shared Wednesday, the magazine reflected on Life‘s legacy, founded in 1936 by Henry Luce, and shared what to expect with the relaunch on November 23. The theme of the upcoming first issue is titled “Where Are We Now?&#8

A scorching hot Brooklyn 1980s movie set saw art imitating life, according to Do The Right Thing star Giancarlo Esposito. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Breaking Bad star says that the characters played by himself and fellow supporting actor John Turturro in Spike Lee’s classic 1989 film weren’t just acting in their intense scenes together.  “I hated him on Do the Right Thing, to be honest with you, and he probably hated me to a certain extent,” E