MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Vikram Murthi

  1. stand-up
    Kyle Kinane Says It’s Time to Burn Down the BanksA chat with the comedian about what the pandemic means for the future of stand-up.
  2. reunions
    Bob Odenkirk, David Cross Reunite the Mr. Show Gang for a Night of New SketchesFeaturing some breaking news from GloboChem.
  3. overnights
    The Plot Against America Finale Recap: That’s America to MeThe stunning conclusion to David Simon and Ed Burns’ miniseries plays like a slow-motion car wreck long in the making.
  4. overnights
    The Plot Against America Recap: An American ExperimentBoth Rabbi Bengelsdorf and Philip make deliberate choices, born from relative powerlessness, that end up hurting the people closest to them.
  5. overnights
    The Plot Against America Recap: The Great UndertakingAs the nation turns and people change into different versions of themselves, all the strife trickles into Philip’s mind like a leaky faucet.
  6. overnights
    The Plot Against America Recap: Just FolksAmerica’s love of Lindbergh’s brand of xenophobic populism has swept the nation, even so far as to infect the Levin family.
  7. overnights
    The Plot Against America Recap: A New Kind of WarLindbergh has infiltrated the Levin household quicker than any one of them could have anticipated.
  8. overnights
    The Plot Against America Series-Premiere Recap: The Man in the Little PlaneThe David Simon–Ed Burns adaptation of Philip Roth’s novel weaves together the personal and political amid the rising tensions of an alternate 1940.
  9. crossovers
    How High Maintenance Found Itself in Conversation With This American LifeFor its season premiere, the web series turned HBO anthology looked to another long-running series to find inspiration, and a path forward.
  10. vulture lists
    Every Original Bob’s Burgers Song, RankedFrom “BM in the PM” to “Electric Love,” these are the show’s best tunes.
  13. overnights
    Mr. Robot Series-Finale Recap: Hello, ElliotThe series casually and confidently reveals its final twist, destabilizing Mr. Robot’s reality without upending its emotional center.
  14. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: A World Worth Fighting ForAn often maddening, occasionally thrilling penultimate episode of the series opens up some new doors at the very last minute.
  15. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: Run Away With MeWhat does Dom and Darlene’s relationship look like now that they’re both on the other side of a hellacious threat?
  16. chat room
    Mr. Robot’s Michael Cristofer on How to Sell a Great Monologue“It has to feel like you might stop talking at any moment. Then a new thought comes to kick your ass into the next sentence.”
  17. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: Turning the TablesWith nothing left to lose, Price teams up with Elliot to ensure Angela didn’t die in vain.
  18. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: Fighting BackReeling from a traumatic revelation, Elliot must refashion what he perceives as cowardice into a version of strength.
  19. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: You Become the StormIt’s a terrifying new world, and Elliot’s emotional safety net might have finally unraveled.
  20. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: A True Xmas NightmareElliot’s has had blood on his hands before, but he’s rarely had to look his collateral damage in the eye.
  21. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: Do You Hear What I Hear?A nearly silent episode takes its cues from Rififi for a heist that makes up in style what it lacks in realism.
  22. close reads
    The Deuce’s Final Scene Leaves So Much Unsaid. That’s Why It Works.Every idea the show explored is percolating beneath that flash-forward, in which an old man confronts his past while surrounded by the future.
  25. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: The OutsidersThe best episode of this final season so far sends off a frequently sidelined character on the highest note possible.
  26. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: Russian RouletteOn the heels of another big twist, Mr. Robot pauses to tell a grounded story that succeeds on a simple premise and a compelling guest turn.
  27. overnights
    Mr. Robot Recap: Squeeze My HandAs Elliot re-enters the deep end of hacker terrorists and global crises, he suddenly has another person on his hands.
  28. overnights
    Mr. Robot Season-Premiere Recap: No ExitAfter an extended break, the series returns for its final season with a streamlined narrative and a return to its emotional core.
  29. lodge 49
    Lodge 49 Wants to Be the ‘Least Aspirational Show on TV’In the era of Peak TV, AMC’s beloved cult show stands out by being quiet.
  30. vulture recommends
    The Time Is Right to Rediscover RubiconThe short-lived 2010 AMC series, newly streaming after years of unavailability, may be the most paranoid show of the decade.
  31. overnights
    Catch-22 Finale Recap: … And ReleaseThe miniseries nails the most pivotal scene of Joseph Heller’s novel, then makes a confounding departure from the source in its final moments.
  32. overnights
    Catch-22 Recap: Balls in the AirYossarian’s mental state finally starts to crumble in a shit-hits-the-fan episode that packs in much of the novel’s darkest material.
  33. overnights
    Catch-22 Recap: Last Sane Man on BaseThe first George Clooney–directed episode features the miniseries’ first truly thrilling aerial sequence — and some major breaks from the novel.
  34. overnights
    Catch-22 Recap: When Your Number’s Up, Your Number’s UpChristopher Abbott excels at tapping into Yossarian’s moral complexity, but the series’ tonal confusion is starting to undermine the character.
  37. overnights
    Catch-22 Recap: Afraid But Not AshamedAs the mission count ticks upward, Yossarian does everything in his power short of going AWOL to keep from flying back up into the sky.
  38. overnights
    Catch-22 Premiere Recap: Straighten Up and Fly RightThe Hulu miniseries kicks off with some familiar moments from Joseph Heller’s classic novel, presented with an unfamiliar sort of tidiness.
  39. close reads
    High Maintenance and the Aspirational Kindness of The GuyHe’s a testament to thoughtful living through the sheer act of treating strangers with basic decency.
  40. vulture lists
    Every High Maintenance Episode, RankedFrom the web series to the HBO show, High Maintenance has told a ton of worthwhile stories.
  41. oscars 2019
    The 15 Actors Nominated by the Academy for Their Very First PerformancesOnly 15 actors have been nominated for their first-ever acting performances. What, if anything, do they have in common?
  42. movies
    How a 1970s Jeff Goldblum Film Predicted the Current Journalism CrisisJoan Micklin Silver’s Between the Lines will be eerily familiar to any journalist or writer working today.
  43. endings
    Let’s Talk About the Bonkers Twist in SerenityThe sun-drenched neo-noir starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway leans into its own madness so hard, it’s difficult not to be impressed.
  44. overnights
    The Good Place Season Finale Recap: Memories You May Have ForgottenThe show ends the season by hitting yet another reset button, to diminishing returns.
  45. vulture recommends
    In Praise of Corporate’s Refreshingly Pessimistic ComedyThe Comedy Central satire is a hilarious beacon for anyone who worries their cynicism is misguided or paranoid.
  46. deep dives
    How Barry Jenkins Brought the Experience of Reading James Baldwin to the ScreenThe Moonlight director on the challenges and rewards of adapting If Beale Street Could Talk.
  49. the girl with the dragon tattoo
    Catch Up On Lisbeth Salander Before Girl in the Spider’s WebAhead of Spider’s Web, in theaters this week, we’re breaking down the previous entries in the Millennium series.
  50. overnights
    The Deuce Season Finale Recap: No Fixing This WorldIn one of the best illustrations of David Simon’s humanist worldview, the triple effects of money, power, and desire conspire to damage and divide.
  51. overnights
    The Deuce Recap: Moments of BeingLori makes a decision about her career that has ripple effects.
  52. overnights
    The Deuce Recap: Breaking the ChainVincent considers a different sort of life while Officer Flanagan makes some awful choices.
  53. overnights
    The Deuce Recap: The Beasts Run WildCandy experiences some of the highs and lows of guerrilla filmmaking as her film directorial career kicks into gear.
  54. overnights
    The Deuce Recap: It All Belongs to HimRebellion and discontent ripples through the female characters throughout the show, while Abby confronts the moral compromises of her arrangement.
  55. new york film festival 2018
    Claire Denis on Zadie Smith’s High Life Exit: ‘We Were So Opposed on Every Idea’“She was beautiful and half from the Caribbean, and I thought yes! I was impressed by that.”
  56. overnights
    The Deuce Recap: Who Lights the Match?An unexpected death leads to some reflection on who’s to blame.
  57. overnights
    The Deuce Recap: Proud of Our PerversionsLori goes to L.A. as C.C. starts to realize his control won’t last forever.
  58. overnights
    The Deuce Recap: The Protection They DeserveCandy gets ambitious and Lori starts to imagine a life without C.C. in an episode focusing the series’ women.
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