Pop Culture

The rising country star writes about disastrous love and learning big lessons with charm, wit and solid hooks. Her new LP, “Am I Okay?,” is due Friday.

This stylish sci-fi series, on Apple TV+, stars Rashida Jones as a grieving woman with an unexpected new companion.

Hear tracks by Shaboozey, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and more.

Cassandra Jenkins had been ready to quit music in 2020 when a record she was unsure of releasing became an unexpected hit. Then, she had to figure out how to follow it up.

Both “Fearless” and “1989” spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200, but the 11-week reign of “The Tortured Poets Department” has been uninterrupted.

Billie Eilish, Charli XCX and Lorde are among a group of young women who are revealing, in their music, the pressure they have felt to look thin.

A longtime “Freaks and Geeks” fan reconsiders what it means to be one of the cool kids.

The former “Glee” star turned a childhood fascination with game shows into a TV gig. “I could do it forever,” she says.

This month’s picks include a superhero adventure, a dark fantasy tale and films based on beloved television series.

After playing two very different lead characters in a horror franchise, she reflects on what it took to pull off the roles, as well as what’s ahead.

Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” was a 1999 hit that brought twerking and New Orleans bounce into the mainstream. Here’s the story of how it became a sensation.

Listen to songs by Martina McBride, Destiny’s Child, Kelly Clarkson and more.

The much-delayed case was halted indefinitely to determine whether the judge should recuse himself after meeting with an uncooperative witness.

His second album, “God Said No,” delves into a breakup with all its complications, transformed into pensive alt-R&B.

The Glastonbury Festival’s coveted “Legend’s Slot,” at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, was hers and she said she was ready for the “most extraordinary party of my career.”

Rhaenyra acts on a risky hope that cooler heads might prevail. But are there really any cool heads left?

With Andy Cohen, Hillary Clinton will do shots and Oscar-winners gush about reality stars — all savvy promotion for Bravo’s outrageous TV universe.

The actress stars in the new “Beverly Hills Cop” movie, but off-camera, she’s reading several books at once and streaming both YouTube and the Criterion Collection.

With two new albums from members of Fifth Harmony out now, a look back at other pop singers who took off on their own.

Hear tracks by Camila Cabello, Wilco, Xavi and others.

A bunch of major titles are leaving for U.S. subscribers this month, including films by George Lucas and Ang Lee. See them while you can.

A fantastical series about the very short-term 16th century queen Lady Jane Grey takes historical liberties in the name of reclamation — and fun.

The hit FX series about an upstart Chicago restaurant loves the pressures of tight quarters and close shouting. The new season serves up plenty more.

In a moment of success for newcomers like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, is there still a path to becoming a true cross-platform pop superstar?

The singer’s over-the-top sincerity and expressiveness were once seen as irredeemably uncool. In the new documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” they have become her superpowers.

Irene Taylor, director of the new documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” talks about the decision to include a grueling scene of the pop star in crisis.

Listen to Lorde tell her side of the story on a surprise remix with Charli XCX and more new songs.

The long-awaited fourth season of the cult-favorite German thriller takes place in 1931, with the Nazis not quite in power.

Ncuti Gatwa shined as the 15th Doctor. But the long-running show feels at a crossroads as it concludes its latest season.

After more than seven decades onstage, the gospel and soul great decided last year that it was time to retire. Then she realized she still had work to do.

The singer’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” now has the second-most weeks at No. 1 of any Swift album.

The pop songwriter’s sixth album is in some ways her most daring release yet. Improbably, it also yielded her best opening week.

Episode 2 pit brother against brother, in more ways than one. The two actors, identical twins, talked about the intensity of that climactic fight scene.

Aemond knows those assassins got the wrong prince. He says he feels flattered. He had also better watch his back.

In a three-decade career, he’s developed an impressive range without forgetting how to have fun.

“Maybe I can engineer it where I work with him, and then he makes me a drink and a bowl of pasta,” the “We Are Lady Parts” actress said.

The Showtime series gives audiences an intimate look inside real relationships. Its couples are still navigating the aftermath.

Lorde adds guest vocals to Charli XCX’s “Girl, So Confusing,” a song that muses on the complexities of female friendship, and helps create something revelatory.

Hear tracks by Mavis Staples, Jamie xx featuring Robyn, Rakim and others.

Hear a pick from each of the band’s first 10 albums.

The actor and director is turning his attention to his ambitious film series about post-Civil War America.

This warped Adult Swim animated series, streaming on Max, is so fast and feral it feels like its own highlight reel.

Our critics select 33 standouts from our weekly Playlists — and seven more tracks they had missed.

After unofficially winning a high-profile diss war with Drake, the rapper hosted a Juneteenth concert that celebrated local heroes — and his own sharp-tongued tracks.

The singer and songwriter who rose from the ’60s British folk-rock scene lost her vocals to a neurological disorder. So she wrote a batch of tracks for others to voice.

Paul Lynde, Charles Nelson Reilly and Rip Taylor get a cursory mention in a new documentary about queer stand-up, but they were groundbreaking.

“Elvis” and “Dune” established him as a chameleonic movie star. Now, with “The Bikeriders,” something closer to the real Butler is being revealed.

Matt Shultz is a rock ’n’ roll ringmaster known for pushing himself to the brink. After a period of psychosis and an arrest, he had to put his reality back together again.

Revisiting the event’s memorable set list, 57 years later.

A new tier of knights, monsters and freaks often exceeds the most demanding late-game adversaries of Elden Ring. Belief in yourself will be stretched to its limit.

He broke out in 2014 with “Take Me to Church.” Then listeners on TikTok found his passionate, dramatic songs and a new single made its way to No. 1.

Billie Eilish is No. 2, and Charli XCX debuts strong at No. 3.

Fans of the George R.R. Martin books know there are two words for that tense and slightly ambiguous ending to the Season 2 premiere: “Blood and Cheese.”

The second season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel opens with an illicit affair and a misguided act of revenge.

“She seems to approach the world with kindness and understanding,” said the actor, who has joined the Netflix series for its latest season.

They all have blond hair and the same name. Not really, but close. Behold, a rundown of the key players ahead of the Season 2 premiere.

What is dad rock? You know it when you hear it, so listen to 10 songs from Wilco, the Grateful Dead, Steely Dan and more.

Hear tracks by Zsela, the Decemberists, Khalid and others.

The second season of HBO’s very successful “Game of Thrones” prequel gets off to an earthbound start.

The actress in the hit superhero satire mulled her role in an age of online bullying and token feminism: “Thank God there are characters like this.”

The director Kelsey Mann narrates a sequence from his film, which pits Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) against Anxiety (Maya Hawke).

A four-episode role in Season 1 of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” made the actor a breakout star. This season, D’Arcy reigns at the top of the call sheet.

This three-part Netflix documentary examines the supposed scheme to exploit TikTok dancers — and proves why cult narratives shouldn’t be rushed.

In the best ways, this endearing and very bingeable British show feels as if “Breaking Bad” were happening to “Bob’s Burgers.”

An online art collective that spent $4 million on “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” is telling fans their purchases will accelerate the one-of-a-kind album’s 2103 release date.

A new documentary revisits the group of young actors that helped define the decade. Here are some of its most interesting moments.

Described by its showrunner as “definitely a fantasy,” the hit series relies on a team of historical consultants. Does the show take their advice? Mostly.

New songs from Eminem, Drake and J. Cole — plus Will Smith’s post-Slap “Bad Boys” comeback — demonstrate different paths for maturing (or not).

Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington are on their way to a happy ending — but Lady Whistledown is still a huge barrier in this “friends to lovers” story.

Hear tracks by the Strokes, beabadoobee, Normani and more.

Jake Gyllenhaal steps in for Harrison Ford in a new, highly strung adaptation of Scott Turow’s legal thriller for Apple TV+.

The director Richard Linklater narrates a pivotal sequence from his rom-com thriller.

Santana’s track featuring Rob Thomas turns 25 this week. Why is it still a rock blockbuster?

“Lady Marmalade,” her hit with Labelle, is turning 50. She’s nearing 80. But the singer, designer and technologist isn’t slowing down. She’s entering a new virtual world.

She just finished playing Flannery O’Connor and released a new album. Next up: “Inside Out 2” and a new season of “Stranger Things.”

The host thanked the show’s viewers and had special words for his co-star, Vanna White, before he signed off for the final time.

Hear tracks by Soccer Mommy, Tems, Floating Points and others.

Recent tracks from Charli XCX, A.G. Cook, Caroline Polachek and St. Vincent capture the producer’s philosophy and humanity, but not necessarily her signature sound.

Jenny Nicholson’s granular critique of Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser experience reflects the fraught relationship between studios and fans right now.

The host departs this week after more than four decades leading one of the most watched shows on syndicated American TV.

In an interview, he discusses “Fantasmas,” his new HBO show combining a fanciful quest and wild comic detours with a critique of modern bureaucracy.

He hates Mondays, he’s No. 1 at the box office and he’s been the subject of a lot of weirdness over the last 40-plus years.

High-profile cancellations from Jennifer Lopez and the Black Keys have armchair analysts talking. But industry insiders say live music is still thriving.

This smart and poppy British series melds the good parts of the semi-autobiographical sadcom with more predictable rom-com traditions.

Returning favorites include “The Bear,” “House of the Dragon” and “Only Murders in the Building.” Among the new arrivals? Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman.

In the comic fabulist’s dazzling new HBO series, sketch comedy meets sketch fantasy.

The actress, writer and New York icon discusses her post-Kanye career, what it’s like to see her past go viral and the history of “It Girl” pop songs.

Joe Berlinger’s six-part documentary for Netflix asks whether we should see our future in Germany’s past.

The band known for its raucous early ’90s records made with Steve Albini is returning with fresh music in September: “Rack,” a new LP that amps up its legacy.

Prep for the arrival of her new album, “Brat,” with 11 songs from her catalog (and 10 bonus tracks!).