The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Is Taking Its Sweet Time
Amazon’s new TV series is ethereal, expensive, and not all that concerned with an actual plot.
The Strange Audacity of Faking a Big Life Moment
In Diary of a Void, an impulsive decision grows into a personal rebellion against society.
This Is How the Hollywood Comeback Cycle Works
Johnny Depp’s appearance at MTV’s Video Music Awards was at once bizarre and frustratingly predictable.
House of the Dragon Is Cruel, Messy, and Fascinating
The best part of Game of Thrones was the palace intrigue, and HBO’s new series embraces that.
15 Underseen TV Shows That You Should Watch Now
A lot of great television slips through the cracks these days.
The Whimsical, Intellectual Chemistry of Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton
Three Thousand Years of Longing gives the genie-in-a-bottle formula a fresh update and a deeply romantic spin.
Seven Books Where the Setting Exposes the Characters
Unchanging environments are a useful narrative tool to show readers just how much a protagonist has grown.
The Guilt-Free Pleasure of Airplane Movies
Amid the endless tiny indignities of air travel, only one true retreat remains.
The Atlantic Presents: Shorter Stories
Fiction is often described as a mirror through which we see the world. What happens when a shard of glass must tell the entire story?
The Glaring Flaw at the Heart of House of the Dragon
In the lavish Game of Thrones prequel, no one is immune to the toxic dynamics of the Targaryen family.
Eight Books That Will Lead You Down a Rabbit Hole
Making any kind of art can be an obsessive pursuit, but literature is uniquely suited to depicting monomania.
Don’t Judge I’m Glad My Mom Died by Its Title
The actor Jennette McCurdy’s memoir is a confessional feat that asks what, if anything, adult children owe an abusive parent.
What We Gain From a Good-Enough Life
A new book challenges us to abandon greatness in favor of more attainable goals.
Gen Z Has Found Its Guitar Hero
Steve Lacy’s genre-blending hit, “Bad Habit,” taps into a wistful, online-inflected vibe.
Desus & Mero Brought the Block to Late-Night TV
The show’s cancellation is a loss not only for the duo’s avid fans but for television as a whole.
What Makes Industry the Most Thrilling Show on TV
Prestige television is getting very intense.
The Unlovable, Irresistible John Donne
The Elizabethan poet was a mystic in bed and a mystic in the pulpit.
What W. E. B. Du Bois’s Forgotten Romance Novel Taught Me About Writing
Dark Princess showed how the genre can open our minds to fantastic possibilities.
How Should Feminists Have Sex Now?
A new memoir on the unfinished sexual revolution explores the difficulty of enacting one’s political beliefs in intimate spaces.
That’s It. You’re Dead to Me.
Suddenly everyone is “toxic.”
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