All TV
- 鈥榃riting was Jane鈥檚 greatest love.鈥 In 鈥楳iss Austen,鈥 a sister looks back.The four-part series 鈥淢iss Austen,鈥 debuting Sunday on PBS, offers viewers a window on Jane Austen鈥檚 life during the 250th anniversary of her birth.
- A civil rights activist on what 鈥楨yes on the Prize III鈥 means at this moment鈥淓yes on the Prize鈥 was a landmark documentary about the Civil Rights Movement. Dream Defenders鈥 Phillip Agnew, who is part of a new six-part series, talks about what the documentary means at this time of political upheaval.
- Lia Block Q&A: Can F1 Academy pave the road for women in motorsports?Season 7 of 鈥淔ormula 1: Drive To Survive鈥 debuts March 7 on Netflix. The Monitor reached out to rising star Lia Block to ask about the direction she, and racing, are headed.
- After 鈥楽everance,鈥 will we ever see work-life balance the same way?Is 鈥淪everance,鈥 about workplace drudgery, the greatest exploration of work-life imbalance ever filmed?
- Touring Texas with 鈥楽omebody Somewhere鈥 star Jeff HillerActors often mine their pasts for material. On a recent trip to Texas, Jeff Hiller of 鈥淪omebody Somewhere鈥 reflects on the humanity 鈥 and humor 鈥 in his.
- No more sunny days? 鈥楽esame Street鈥 finds itself homeless after 55 years.As 鈥淪esame Street鈥 enters what may be its final season, a Monitor columnist reflects on losing shows for children that created a set of tenets rooted in love.
- Juan Rulfo helped invent magical realism. His 鈥楶edro P谩ramo鈥 is now on Netflix.Mexican author Juan Rulfo helped invent magical realism and influenced a generation of beloved Latin American writers. His novel 鈥淧edro P谩ramo鈥 just received a twisty adaptation on Netflix.
- An unwanted kiss shook Spanish soccer 鈥 and society. A new documentary explores why.Just as the Spanish women鈥檚 national team was celebrating its 2023 World Cup victory, it found itself embroiled in a fight with the soccer federation president over an unwanted kiss. A Netflix documentary looks at the scandal.
- 鈥楾he Last of the Sea Women鈥: How one director is documenting a South Korean traditionWomen free divers in South Korea don鈥檛 view age as a limitation. The director of a new documentary discusses their determination, and how it helps them persevere in the centuries-old tradition they uphold.聽
- Live, from New York, it鈥檚 the 鈥楽NL鈥 origin story 鈥楽aturday Night鈥鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥 which is celebrating its 50th season, launched the careers of scores of comedians. A diverting new film about the show鈥檚 premiere features frenetic creativity 鈥 and its toll.
- How Netflix鈥檚 鈥楻ebel Ridge鈥 turned 鈥榗ivil asset forfeiture鈥 into a No. 1 hitThe film, with more than 70 million views on Netflix, takes its cues from 鈥淩ambo鈥 鈥 and police reform.
- Politicians are embracing 鈥楲ord of the Rings.鈥 Tolkien had something different in mind.J.R.R. Tolkien鈥檚 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥 has become entangled in culture war sparring. Yet some say the text has universal qualities that transcend politics.聽
- How director Lagueria Davis brought out the joy and the legacy of Black BarbieWhat did the first Black Barbie mean to a generation of children? A director who says she 鈥渉ated鈥 dolls draws joy and inspiration from an icon.
- They came to the US against their will. Their descendants returned to Africa for them.The last enslaved people to arrive in the U.S. from Africa tried to get home after they were emancipated. More than 150 years later, their descendants make the journey for them 鈥 and consider the legacy they left.聽
- 鈥楤utterfly in the Sky鈥 review: LeVar Burton soars in 鈥楻eading Rainbow鈥 doc鈥淩eading Rainbow鈥 remains a touchstone for generations of American children. But as a new documentary shows, it 鈥 and host LeVar Burton 鈥 means so much more than nostalgia.
- 鈥楽teve! (Martin)鈥 review: The wild and crazy (and private) guy shares his storySteve Martin is known for turning high-style goofiness into an art form, the Monitor鈥檚 film critic writes. A new documentary offers the notoriously private entertainer an opportunity to consider what it takes for a funnyman to find happiness.
- 鈥榅-Men 鈥97鈥 is nostalgic and compelling, but its superpower is its inclusivityUltimately, 鈥淴-Men 鈥97鈥 is a blast from the past that resonates in this time, while retaining its ability to present difference in a humane way.
- 鈥楶ercy Jackson鈥 takes on the Greek gods 鈥 and HollywoodWith the Season One finale of 鈥淧ercy Jackson and the Olympians鈥 airing Tuesday, do fans think the Disney+ series has erased memories of two earlier movies?
- First LookEmmys: Classic TV reunions and 'Succession,' 'The Bear' win big鈥淪uccession鈥 won best drama series and acting nods for Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, and Matthew Macfadyen. 鈥淭he Bear鈥 won best comedy series along with every award it was nominated for in the first Emmys ceremony post-strike.
- Space, love, and poetry: 鈥楾he Nikki Giovanni Project鈥A new documentary offers a nonlinear, lyrical look at the activism and life of poet Nikki Giovanni. What our commentator comes away with is a sense of love and awe.