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Eric Deggans Eric Deggans is NPR's first full-time TV critic.
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Eric Deggans

This Time, 'Dear White People' Is Not So Much About Them

Actresses Logan Browning (left) and Ashley Blaine Featherson appear in a scene from the Netflix show Dear White People. Adam Rose/Netflix hide caption

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Adam Rose/Netflix

Code Switch

This Time, 'Dear White People' Is Not So Much About Them

Netflix's hit show, with its incessant and incisive look at race at a fictional Ivy League college, doesn't really focus much on white people at all.

This Time, 'Dear White People' Is Not So Much About Them

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Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' Is Compelling — And Chilling

Elisabeth Moss and Alexis Bledel as the Handmaids Offred and Ofglen in Hulu's new limited series, The Handmaid's Tale. George Kraychyk/Hulu hide caption

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George Kraychyk/Hulu

Television

Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' Is Compelling — And Chilling

The adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian 1985 novel is a horror show revealed in slow motion — and the true horror of its brutal, patriarchal future theocracy is how possible it seems today.

Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' Is Compelling — And Chilling

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5 Films Look At The Los Angeles Riots From (Almost) Every Angle

Scenes from Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992. ABC Press hide caption

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ABC Press

Review

Code Switch

5 Films Look At The Los Angeles Riots From (Almost) Every Angle

The documentaries attempt to complete the picture of what transpired in LA in 1992 after Rodney King was beaten by police, showing how the riots affected a wide swath of Angelenos.

5 Films Look At The Los Angeles Riots From (Almost) Every Angle

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Arts & Life

LA Riot Documentaries Show Dehumanizing Black People Enables Abuses in Policing

A slew of new documentaries look back on the Los Angeles riots, 25 years after the city erupted in protest. But why are so many being made and why now?

LA Riot Documentaries Show Dehumanizing Black People Enables Abuses in Policing

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Television

TV Movie Review: 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'

In the HBO movie, Oprah Winfrey stars as the daughter of Henrietta Lacks who, with help from a reporter, finds out that her mother's cells are being used as the basis for medical research.

TV Movie Review: 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'

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Television

'Fargo' Serves Up Double Dose Of Ewan McGregor In Season 3

The critically acclaimed anthology show, Fargo, returns to FX for its third season on Wednesday night. This season stars Ewan McGregor playing two brothers.

'Fargo' Serves Up Double Dose Of Ewan McGregor In Season 3

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Television

A Review As 'Veep' Returns To HBO For A Sixth Season

The hit HBO comedy Veep returns Sunday for its sixth season. At a time when real-life Washington seems more absurd than any TV show, Veep succeeds by satirizing the venality of political culture.

A Review As 'Veep' Returns To HBO For A Sixth Season

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Television

Hulu's 'Harlots' Follows Prostitutes In 18th Century London

Set in 18th century London, Hulu's new drama, Harlots, is about a group of women who work and live in brothels. The show is told from the point of view of the women and has an almost entirely female production team.

Hulu's 'Harlots' Follows Prostitutes In 18th Century London

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Seeking Empathy, 'Shots Fired' Creators Flip The Script On Police Shootings

Stephan James and Sanaa Lathan star as federal investigators looking into a racially charged shooting in Fox's new limited series Shots Fired Fred Norris/FOX hide caption

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Fred Norris/FOX

Television

Seeking Empathy, 'Shots Fired' Creators Flip The Script On Police Shootings

The new Fox show Shots Fired follows two investigators looking into a police shooting where a black cop kills an unarmed white man. It's one of a handful of new network shows that are about policing.

Seeking Empathy, 'Shots Fired' Creators Flip The Script On Police Shootings

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Television

Netflix's 'Iron Fist' Stumbles In Depiction Of Asian Culture

Netflix releases another Marvel superhero series, Iron Fist. This one features a white martial arts expert who fights bad guys, most of whom are Asian. After successful shows like Jessica Jones, this one misses the mark.

Netflix's 'Iron Fist' Stumbles In Depiction Of Asian Culture

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'This Is Us' Creator Dan Fogelman Says He Didn't Mean To Make You Cry

Dan Fogelman is the creator of the breakout NBC family drama This Is Us. Producer Kevin Falls, who has worked with Fogelman on previous shows, has coined a term for the twists and monologues that Fogelman sprinkles into scripts: "Fogeldust." Maarten de Boer/Getty Images hide caption

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Maarten de Boer/Getty Images

Television

'This Is Us' Creator Dan Fogelman Says He Didn't Mean To Make You Cry

Fogelman says he was genuinely surprised to learn that his NBC family drama has a reputation for making audiences teary. "It was not the intent, nor something I expected," he says.

'This Is Us' Creator Dan Fogelman Says He Didn't Mean To Make You Cry

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Television

Reality Show Networks Getting Into High Quality Scripted TV

Emerging TV outlets once used cheap reality TV shows to define their brands. Now, they're among those using high quality scripted shows to redefine themselves and build new audiences.

Reality Show Networks Getting Into High Quality Scripted TV

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Television

Anthology TV Series Undergo Renaissance With 'American Crime,' 'Feud'

The third season of American Crime debuts this week on ABC. It's one of a number of interesting anthology series on TV now. NPR takes a look at the pros and cons of anthology series.

Anthology TV Series Undergo Renaissance With 'American Crime,' 'Feud'

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