MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Kathryn VanArendonk

Staff Writer
@kvanaren
kathryn.vanarendonk@nymag.com

  1. but is it good?
    A Debate About Tiger King Between Me and MyselfNetflix’s buzzy true-crime series about big cats and the criminal weirdos who keep them is undeniably absorbing. Is that enough?
  2. stand-up
    79 Comedians to Check Out Based on Ones You Already LikeWhether you’re a Mulaney, Chappelle, or Bamford fan, we know who you should check out next.
  3. tv review
    One Day at a Time Is Back and Helping Me Process the WorldThe family sitcom returns on a new network but otherwise unchanged, making it perfect for a time when the world is full of frightening unknowns.
  4. bachelor nation
    We Need to Talk About BarbPeter Weber may have been the Bachelor, but his mother Barb turned out to be the real driving force of this season.
  5. comedy review
    Marc Maron at the End of the WorldIn End Times Fun, an amazing stand-up comedian does his version of the Book of Revelation.
  6. coronavirus
    Why Is Pandemic Fiction So Comforting Right Now?The coronavirus crisis is terrifying. Contagion is a surprisingly soothing way to grapple with that fear.
  7. vulture recommends
    Babylon Berlin Is the Best Show You’re Not WatchingIf you’re not already obsessed with Netflix’s stylish, seductive German noir series, its third season will change that.
  8. best of 2020
    The Best TV of the Year (So Far)Cheer, McMillions, and High Fidelity are some of the brightest bright spots among 2020’s televisual offerings.
  9. the future
    What Comes After TV?Snapchat is making hypercondensed shows specifically to watch on a smartphone. It’s harder than you’d think.
  10. spoilers
    For Better and for Worse, Love Is Blind Will Never Be This Messy AgainThe Netflix reality dating series’s perfect, disastrous climax is a distinct kind of magic that future seasons won’t be able to replicate.
  13. comedy review
    Pete Davidson’s New Comedy Special Is Alive, BarelyAlive From New York is proof the SNL star is still a comedian and not a punch line. It’s too bad it still feels like a rough draft.
  14. explain yourselves
    Sanditon’s Creators Know You’re Devastated About That EndingCharlotte and Sidney’s fate is not the ending any Austen fan would’ve hoped for, nor is it the ending producers wanted for the show.
  15. close reads
    Every Good Show Needs a Good Stand-alone EpisodeIn different ways, High Fidelity and Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet show how taking a break from the main characters can make a series stronger.
  16. chris harrison would never
    What’s the Bare Minimum of Reality-TV Hosting?Because Nick and Vanessa Lachey don’t clear that bar in Love Is Blind.
  17. performance
    Put a Mustache on It: Working Out the Genre-Bending in NateTwo critics try to get at the core of Natalie Palamides’s comedy-theater-clowning-drag hybrid.
  18. tv review
    A Show Called Briarpatch Shouldn’t Be This SlickThe new USA mystery crime series from Andy Greenwald and Sam Esmail boasts a proudly weird, stylish exterior that obscures a hollow center.
  19. close reads
    The Good Place’s Final TwistEverything ends, we don’t know exactly what that looks like, and that’s okay.
  20. comedy review
    For Maria Bamford, Weakness Is GreatnessIn her new special, the comedian refuses to slice away at others without also turning the knife back on herself.
  21. close reads
    The Weekly’s Endorsement Episode Was a FailureAnd not just because the Times endorsed two candidates.
  22. tv review
    We’re Lucky to Have Little AmericaThe new Apple TV+ anthology series about the immigrant experience in America is a small, modest show that packs a big emotional punch.
  25. comedy review
    Leslie Jones, Ebullient Time TravelerIn her Netflix special, the SNL alum makes a careful performance feel wildly combustible.
  26. close reads
    How Can The Witcher Be So Fun and So Incoherent?This show makes absolutely no sense, which is why it’s so enjoyable.
  27. tv review
    Does AJ and the Queen Know It’s Terrible?The new Netflix series starring RuPaul might be aiming for high camp. Or maybe it’s just really bad.
  28. tv review
    Sanditon Delivers Everything You Expect of an Austen Adaptation—Until it Doesn’tPBS Masterpiece’s miniseries version of Austen’s unfinished novel is exquisite, thoughtfully adapted, and, in its final moments, extremely perplexing.
  29. coming attractions
    50 TV Shows We Can’t Wait to See in 2020From BoJack Horseman and Schitt’s Creek to The New Pope and Succession.
  30. the gold rush
    The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of the 2020 Golden GlobesFrom Stellan Skarsgård’s lack of eyebrows to Phoebe Waller-Bridge thanking Obama to Quentin Tarantino thanking himself.
  31. close reads
    The Mandalorian Doesn’t Care About DiapersA series uninterested in the details of parenting indulges a very particular image of fatherhood: the guy who doesn’t have to sweat the small stuff.
  32. gif recap
    Just the Baby Yoda Parts of The MandalorianA GIF recap of the cutest li’l baby in the galaxy.
  33. what were the 2010s?
    The Literal Peaks of Peak TVFrom mountains to cliffs to steep hills, peaks were all over TV this decade.
  34. comedy review
    Why Did John Mulaney Make a Children’s TV Special?In his new Netflix special, the comedian is his truest self.
  37. tv review
    10 Things You Won’t See in The WitcherNetflix doesn’t want us talking about what happens in The Witcher, so here’s some stuff that definitely doesn’t happen in The Witcher.
  38. what were the 2010s?
    What Did We Just Watch?A 257-show guide to Prestige, Peak, and every other kind of TV from the past decade.
  39. kids and tv
    Which Streaming Services Do Parents Really Need? What has better original kids’ stuff, Hulu or Prime? Where the heck is Sesame Street?
  40. kids and tv
    What Should Your Kids Be Watching?The streaming wars are coming for children, which means more minefields — and more excellent television.
  41. close reads
    Watchmen Gave Us All the AnswersDid we need them?
  42. toys
    We Demand a Real Plush Baby Yoda Toy, DisneyAnd we want it now.
  43. comedy review
    Michelle Wolf Plays the ClassicsIn Joke Show, Wolf takes familiar premises and chips away at them until she creates something legitimately new.
  44. best of 2019
    The 10 Best Comedy Specials of 2019Our favorite hour-long specials of the year featuring Wanda Sykes, Anthony Jeselnik, Julio Torres, and more.
  45. tv review
    The L Word Returns As the More Inclusive, Less Radical Generation QShowtime’s revival of the early-2000s series feels less daring and more familiar than its predecessor, and that’s its own form of achievement.
  46. stand-up
    Should Comedians Have Audiences Sign NDAs?We dive into the Hot Take Vortex created by Pete Davidson’s recent decision.
  49. emergency discussion
    Is His Dark Materials Finally Getting Good?Philip Pullman hive, activate!
  50. comedy review
    The New One Buries Mike Birbiglia, and It Will Bury You, TooThe comedian’s new special is a gorgeous longform piece of storytelling. It’s also very funny.
  51. star wars
    An Illustrated Guide to Baby Yoda in The MandalorianThe cutest li’l baby in the galaxy.
  52. politics
    Congrats to Whomever Had A$AP Rocky on Their Impeachment Bingo CardThe latest confirmation that we live in the strangest, most confusing time.
  53. behind the scenes
    Meet The Crown’s Royal Protocol AdviserFondly referred to as “Major Dave,” Royal Household veteran David Rankin-Hunt is on hand to ensure the series’ ceremonial details are spot on.
  54. acting
    Gaze Upon Olivia Colman’s Single, Perfect Tear on The CrownNot only did she summon Elizabeth’s glorious tear without any makeup or SFX cheats, she timed it perfectly on multiple takes.
  55. encounter
    Tobias Menzies Can Tell a Story Without a WordThe Crown star once dreamed of being a mime. Onscreen, he speaks mostly with his face.
  56. the mandalorian
    Just a Whole Bunch of Questions About Baby YodaAnd what it means for the Star Wars universe.
  57. tv review
    High School Musical Swallows Itself WholeThe Disney+ original High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is as absurdly referential as its convoluted title suggests.
  58. vulture festival 2019
    Hang In There One Day at a Time Fans, The Show Will be Back Soon!On its new home, Pop TV.
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