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'Baby Reindeer' has got everyone talking, including us

Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in Baby Reindeer. Ed Miller/Netflix hide caption

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Ed Miller/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Baby Reindeer' has got everyone talking, including us

The new Netflix series Baby Reindeer has a lot of people talking, including us. It tells the haunting semi-autobiographical story of a man (Richard Gadd) who becomes the romantic obsession of a mentally ill woman (Jessica Gunning) who proceeds to stalk him. Eventually, her threatening actions force him to address a past trauma in his own life that leaves him shaken and confused.

'Baby Reindeer' has got everyone talking, including us

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The movies, TV and music we're excited about this summer

Glen Powell stars in the new movie Hit Man. Brian Roedel /Netflix hide caption

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Brian Roedel /Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this summer

Today, we're offering up a guide to spotlight some of the movies, TV, and music we are most excited about this summer.

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this summer

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In 'Dead Boy Detectives,' two best mates reject their deadly fates

George Rexstrew as Edwin Payne in Dead Boy Detectives. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Dead Boy Detectives,' two best mates reject their deadly fates

The new show Dead Boy Detectives is a spinoff of Neil Gaiman's beloved series The Sandman – both the comic and the Netflix series. It's about a pair of detective ghosts (played by George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri) who refuse to move on to the afterlife. Aided by a young psychic (Kassius Nelson), they stick around and solve mysteries that will resolve the unfinished business of other ghosts.

In 'Dead Boy Detectives,' two best mates reject their deadly fates

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Bon Jovi docuseries 'Thank You, Goodnight' is an argument for respect

Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in 2013. David Bergman/Hulu hide caption

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David Bergman/Hulu

Review

Music

Bon Jovi docuseries 'Thank You, Goodnight' is an argument for respect

The new Hulu show takes a close look at the struggle by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi to overcome vocal problems which nearly led him to quit the band.

Bon Jovi docuseries 'Thank You, Goodnight' is an argument for respect

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'Mary & George' is full of schemes, schisms, corsets, and collars

Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine in Starz series Mary & George. Rory Mulvey/Starz hide caption

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Rory Mulvey/Starz

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Mary & George' is full of schemes, schisms, corsets, and collars

In the new Starz series Mary & George, Julianne Moore plays a low-born, scheming woman who recognizes that her handsome son George (Nicolas Galitztine) could seduce the king and become his favorite. Inspired by the true story of King James I, the series is packed with seduction, vicious dialogue, and ruthless political intrigue.

'Mary & George' is full of schemes, schisms, corsets, and collars

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Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

Love on the Spectrum US participant Dani Bowman on a date. Courtesy of Netflix hide caption

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Courtesy of Netflix

It's Been a Minute

Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

One of Brittany's latest TV obsessions has been Netflix's Love on the Spectrum. It's a reality series that follows several autistic adults as they wade through the dating pool, guided by relationship coach Jennifer Cook. Brittany sits down with Jennifer to unpack how her own experience with autism informs the advice she gives.

Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

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'Shōgun' banked on authenticity. It became one of 2024's most successful shows

Hiroyuki Sanada plays in the FX miniseries Shōgun the role of Yoshii Toranaga, a fictionalized version of Ieyasu Tokugawa, who ultimately founded Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate. Katie Yu/FX hide caption

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Katie Yu/FX

'Shōgun' banked on authenticity. It became one of 2024's most successful shows

Hiroyuki Sanada, lead actor and producer of FX miniseries Shōgun, says authenticity was a "lifeline for this show."

'Shōgun' banked on authenticity. It became one of 2024's most successful shows

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So far, the biggest mystery of the new 'Jinx' is: What's the mystery?

The Jinx was interesting because murderer Robert Durst was a gruesomely fascinating interview subject. The Jinx – Part Two falters without his involvement. HBO hide caption

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HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

So far, the biggest mystery of the new 'Jinx' is: What's the mystery?

Nearly a decade ago, HBO's The Jinx helped kick off the true-crime boom, and played a role in the arrest of suspected murder Robert Durst. Now, its follow-up series is grasping for revelations.

The first 'Jinx' ended with a hot mic murder admission. 'Part Two' shocks as well

Robert Durst was arrested in 2015, the night before HBO televised the final episode of The Jinx. He was later convicted of murder, and died in prison in 2022. HBO hide caption

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HBO

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TV Reviews

The first 'Jinx' ended with a hot mic murder admission. 'Part Two' shocks as well

Fresh Air

The Jinx ended with Robert Durst, a wealthy man suspected of multiple murders, making self-incriminating statements on a hot mic. Part Two picks up where the original left off: arrest and conviction.

The first 'Jinx' ended with a hot mic murder admission. 'Part Two' shocks as well

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'Fallout' is bleak but funny science fission

Ella Purnell stars as Lucy in Fallout. Prime Video hide caption

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Prime Video

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Fallout' is bleak but funny science fission

The new show Fallout is based on a hugely successful video game series known for its sardonic, very dark comedic sensibility, and its violence. It's set in the game's post-apocalyptic world – an America divided into factions wrestling for control of an irradiated wasteland. When the hopeful Lucy (Ella Purnell) steps out of the comfortable life she's known in an underground vault, the world she's confronted with is harsh, brutal, merciless – and kinda funny.

'Fallout' is bleak but funny science fission

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How 'Hot Ones' took wing(s)

Comedian Conan O'Brien at TBS Night Out in 2016. He recently appeared on YouTube show, Hot Ones. Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for TBS hide caption

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Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for TBS

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

How 'Hot Ones' took wing(s)

Hot Ones is the YouTube show where famous people answer questions while eating increasingly hot chicken wings. Hosted by Sean Evans, the series is a phenomenon. And Conan O'Brien is its most recent high achiever, and possibly the best guest ever. What exactly makes a good Hot Ones guest?

How 'Hot Ones' took wing(s)

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'X-Men '97' validates your nostalgia while looking to the future

Jean Grey and Cyclops in the new Disne series X-Men '97. Marvel Animation/Disney hide caption

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Marvel Animation/Disney

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'X-Men '97' validates your nostalgia while looking to the future

For millions of kids, the popular 1990s X-Men animated series served as a gateway drug into the world of the X-Men and comics in general. Now, the new Disney+ series X-Men '97 picks up right where the original ended. But changes are also taking place: secrets get revealed, the team roster gets shuffled, and characters meet shocking fates. What hasn't changed is everything fans expect from the X-Men: big fights, big powers, and lots of mutant melodrama.

'X-Men '97' validates your nostalgia while looking to the future

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A first date turns into a whodunit in 'Diarra from Detroit'

Diarra Kilpatrick stars as a school teacher-turned-mystery solver in Diarra from Detroit. BET Network hide caption

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BET Network

A first date turns into a whodunit in 'Diarra from Detroit'

Fresh Air

Growing up, when Diarra Kilpatrick watched murder mystery shows with her grandmother, she never saw Black women driving the narrative. She seeks to change that in her new new BET+ series.

A first date turns into a whodunit in 'Diarra from Detroit'

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Colin Farrell unravels mystery of the missing woman and himself in neo-noir 'Sugar'

Colin Farrell patrols Los Angeles in style as private eye John Sugar in new series, Sugar. Sugar/Apple TV+ hide caption

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Sugar/Apple TV+

Colin Farrell unravels mystery of the missing woman and himself in neo-noir 'Sugar'

NPR's Scott Simon talks with the Oscar-nominated actor about his new Apple TV+ series, Sugar. Like his character, Farrell says he used to play film clips in his head.

Colin Farrell unravels mystery of the missing woman and himself in neo-noir 'Sugar'

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Netflix's 'Good Times': An explicit revival which feels calculated to offend

The Evans family in Netflix's Good Times: Jay Pharoah as Junior, Marsai Martin as Grey, Yvette Nicole Brown as Beverly, Gerald Anthony "Slink" Johnson as Dalvin and J.B. Smoove as Reggie. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

TV Reviews

Netflix's 'Good Times': An explicit revival which feels calculated to offend

The new animated TV show is packed with the kind of stereotypical characters and imagery that seem sure to anger fans of the original, groundbreaking series.

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