How ‘House of the Dragon’ Turns Fiery Fantasy Into TV Reality
For the “Game of Thrones” prequel series, the producers had to figure out how to make the title beasts believably bigger, badder and more prominent.
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‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ Puts a Teen on the Case
Based on the book series by Holly Jackson, the Netflix series is a British murder mystery with a greener-than-usual detective.
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CreditNetflix A New Batman Is Less a Dark Knight Than a ‘Weird and Creepy’ One
“Batman: Caped Crusader,” a new animated series, is not concerned with making its hero likable — either to the citizens of Gotham or to its audience.
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CreditAmazon Prime Video - Critic’s Notebook
Opening Ceremony Misses the Boat
The Paris Games began with a new look and sparkled with Celine Dion. But the show suffered from bloat similar to TV’s other spectacles.
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CreditGabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times
How to Make Two Reality Stars Fall in Love? Cue a Tropical Beach
Reality TV staples like “Love Island” and “Bachelor in Paradise” often take place in luxury resorts to set the mood. But not all resorts love the attention.
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CreditCraig Sjodin/ABC ‘The Decameron’ Review: They Take a Holiday. Death Doesn’t.
A loose Netflix adaptation turns Boccaccio’s story cycle into a gleeful satire of class war in plague times.
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CreditGiulia Parmigiani/Netflix ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 7 Recap: Soothing the Savage Beasts
Not everyone gets to have a dragon. But maybe more people get to have dragons than everyone thought?
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CreditTheo Whiteman/HBO House of the DragonLisa Kudrow Brings Her Daffy Charm to ‘Time Bandits’
The actress dialed up the zaniness in the TV reboot of a Terry Gilliam fantasy classic, created by the team behind “What We Do in the Shadows.”
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CreditAmy Harrity for The New York Times Saying Goodbye to the Messy, Murderous World of ‘Elite’
A diverse cast of characters and a murder to solve each school year have helped make this teen drama one of Netflix’s longest-running original shows.
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What’s on TV This Week: ‘Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes’ and ‘House of the Dragon’
HBO airs a new documentary. The “Game of Thrones” spinoff wraps up its second season.
By Shivani Gonzalez
Warner Bros. Discovery Sues N.B.A. Over Rights Deal
The company is trying to make the league accept its match of Amazon’s bid to broadcast games starting with the 2025-26 season.
By Tania Ganguli
The Best of Late Night This Week
The head-spinning pace of U.S. political news continues to give the hosts plenty to talk about.
By Trish Bendix
Scandal Hits U.K.’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing,’ the Original ‘Dancing With the Stars’
The BBC said it would add chaperones to rehearsals after allegations of abusive behavior at a hugely popular dance show that inspired international versions.
By Isabella Kwai
Best of Late NightStephen Colbert Mocks Trump for Recycling His Old Insults
Colbert said the ex-president was “focused on the real issue gripping the country: desperately workshopping a new nickname for Kamala Harris.”
By Trish Bendix
The Watching Newsletter‘Playground’ Is Throwback Reality TV, in More Ways Than One
The new Hulu series, set at a prestigious Los Angeles dance studio, harks back to the vibes of an earlier age.
By Margaret Lyons
critic’s notebookWhy the Olympics’ Parade of Nations Is the World’s Costume Party
When the athletes march in — or float in, as they will in Paris on Friday — you can enjoy the illusion that it’s a small world after all.
By Jason Farago
Best of Late NightStephen Colbert Wants a Kamala Harris-Glen Powell Ticket
“I guarantee he will attract suburban women, and I already have his slogan: ‘Yes, We Glen!’” Colbert said.
By Trish Bendix
N.B.A. Announces Lucrative Rights Deals With Disney, Comcast and Amazon
The league rejected a bid by Warner Bros. Discovery to match Amazon’s offer.
By Tania Ganguli, Kevin Draper and Nicole Sperling
On ComedyIf A.I. Is Coming for Comedy Writers, Simon Rich Is Ready
The author of humorous short stories finds emotional connections in tales that engage with tech. But he’s more interested in the ties between humans.
By Jason Zinoman
Sympathy for the Diva: Why We Love ‘Difficult’ Stars
A new Faye Dunaway documentary wants to turn us from gossips into cheerleaders.
By Dina Gachman
Best of Late NightLate Night Breaks Down ‘Kamala Is Brat’
The Harris campaign’s embrace of the Gen Z term puzzled cable news analysts of a certain age, but Stephen Colbert was glad to clear things up.
By Trish Bendix
‘Time Bandits’ Review: A Flatter Adventure
An adaptation of the 1981 film on Apple TV+ gives us time-traveling bandits of greater height and lesser amusement.
By Mike Hale
Reality Show Contestant Apologizes After Eating Protected Bird
A contestant on the reality show “Race to Survive: New Zealand” killed and ate a weka during filming. The contestant, who said he was hungry, has apologized for “disrespecting New Zealand.”
By Isabella Kwai
‘Veep’ Is Re-elected
After news broke that President Biden would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, the internet was rife with clips and memes from the show.
By Alexis Soloski
Best of Late NightStephen Colbert Retires His Joe Biden Sunglasses
The “Late Show” host is putting his aviators on a shelf, now that the president has ended his re-election campaign.
By Trish Bendix
The Watching Newsletter‘Two American Families’ Is a Knockout Documentary
This latest installment in a long-term Frontline series is an intimate look at two American families, who work hard but struggle to make ends meet.
By Margaret Lyons
‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Will Finally Be Available to Stream
The celebrated 1990s police procedural is coming to Peacock in August.
By Maya Salam
Critic’s NotebookOne Night of TV Canceled a President
President Biden’s decision to bow out after a disastrous debate confirms that in a TikTok era, TV is still the biggest political arena.
By James Poniewozik
A New Era for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Begins
As a comic book series to honor the Turtles’ 40th anniversary debuts, here’s a look back at their milestones.
By George Gene Gustines
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