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Leslie Jones Reinvigorates 'Supermarket Sweep'

Leslie Jones is the host of ABC's Supermarket Sweep. Eric McCandless/ABC hide caption

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Eric McCandless/ABC

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Leslie Jones Reinvigorates 'Supermarket Sweep'

The game show Supermarket Sweep has run in the '60s, the '90s and the aughts. This fall, it's been revived for a fourth iteration — this time in primetime on ABC. While the previous two versions of the show were hosted by the affable David Ruprecht, the new Supermarket Sweep is hosted by the delightfully amped-up Leslie Jones. She helps a new generation of shoppers as they run around a fake grocery store and attempt to fill their shopping carts with high-priced hams, fancy olives and anything else that adds up to big money.

Leslie Jones Reinvigorates 'Supermarket Sweep'

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In 'The Crown,' Gillian Anderson Explores Thatcher's 'Powerplay' With The Queen

Gillian Anderson portrays British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown. Des Willie/Netflix hide caption

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Des Willie/Netflix

In 'The Crown,' Gillian Anderson Explores Thatcher's 'Powerplay' With The Queen

Fresh Air

Anderson plays the former British prime minster in the new season of The Crown. She says Thatcher, who grew up working class, could be both obsequious and combative around Queen Elizabeth II.

In 'The Crown,' Gillian Anderson Explores Thatcher's 'Powerplay' With The Queen

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In 'Fargo,' Everything's Up To Date In Kansas City

Chris Rock plays Loy Cannon, a crime boss in Kansas City in the 1950s in the fourth year of Fargo. Elizabeth Morris/FX hide caption

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Elizabeth Morris/FX

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Fargo,' Everything's Up To Date In Kansas City

The fourth season of Fargo stars Chris Rock as Loy Cannon, a ruthless Kansas City crime boss battling an Italian-American gang for power in the 1950s. In order to keep the peace while doing business, Loy and his rival swap their youngest sons as hostages. The series is both an immigrant tale and a migrant tale viewed through the familiar lens of a gritty mobster saga. Though true to the Coen Brother's sensibilities, creator Noah Hawley injects it with darkly oddball humor and characters.

In 'Fargo,' Everything's Up To Date In Kansas City

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Here's The Deal, Folks: A POTUS Impression Is Harder Than It Looks
Will Heath/NBC

Here's The Deal, Folks: A POTUS Impression Is Harder Than It Looks

As Jim Carrey works on his best Joe Biden for Saturday Night Live, we ask other impressionists how they've done it. Darrell Hammond says he wishes people understood how tough impressions really are.

Here's The Deal, Folks: A POTUS Impression Is Harder Than It Looks

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How 'Ted' Lassoed His Way Into Our Hearts

Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard and Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

How 'Ted' Lassoed His Way Into Our Hearts

Ted Lasso knows football, but not, you know, football. He is an American football coach who finds himself in the U.K. coaching soccer in the Premier League. Jason Sudeikis originated the character in a promotional campaign for NBC's soccer coverage back in 2013. Now, Apple has given Ted his own ten-episode underdog sports series, called Ted Lasso. The show follows Ted's first season of play, which begins as a doomed campaign masterminded by an embittered team owner who's trying to tank her own team. But as the story continues, Ted turns out to have a surprisingly warm heart, and maybe even some valuable insights.

How 'Ted' Lassoed His Way Into Our Hearts

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The Meaning Of 'SNL' in 2020

Jim Carrey as Joe Biden and Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images hide caption

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NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Meaning Of 'SNL' in 2020

When the country went on lockdown earlier this year, Saturday Night Live was forced to end their 45th season earlier than expected. After producing three shows remotely, SNL returned to Studio 8H in October with COVID-related precautions. So far, SNL has brought on a deep bench of A-list hosts like Issa Rae and Dave Chappelle, and they've had plenty of election commentary with a fair share of social distancing jokes.

The Meaning Of 'SNL' in 2020

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Season 4 Of 'The Crown' Introduces Princess Diana — And More Juicy Drama

Emma Corrin plays Princess Diana in the latest season of The Crown. Des Willie/Netflix hide caption

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TV Reviews

Season 4 Of 'The Crown' Introduces Princess Diana — And More Juicy Drama

Fresh Air

The latest season of The Crown pulses with glamour and sizzle, as Elizabeth II greets the arrival of two women who threaten her preeminence: Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana.

Season 4 Of 'The Crown' Introduces Princess Diana — And More Juicy Drama

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Checking In With HGTV And Home Makeover Shows

Drew and Jonathan Scott are the hosts The Property Brothers and a number of spinoffs, including Brother vs. Brother. Paul Ladd/Discovery/AP hide caption

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Paul Ladd/Discovery/AP

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Checking In With HGTV And Home Makeover Shows

Whether you live in a big house or a tiny apartment, on a beach or in a bustling city, television is full of opportunities for you to ruminate on your living space. And nowhere is that impulse more prevalent than on HGTV. One of basic cable's most basic networks, HGTV has been handing out advice and house-envy for a long time. We're revisiting our discussion of HGTV and home makeover shows.

Checking In With HGTV And Home Makeover Shows

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Cyberthriller Or Cybersnoozer? Fox's 'Next'

Fernanda Andrade and John Slattery in FOX's neXt. Sandy Morris/FOX hide caption

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Sandy Morris/FOX

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Cyberthriller Or Cybersnoozer? Fox's 'Next'

On the vaguely unsettling, but satisfyingly pulpy FOX techno-thriller series Next, John Slattery plays a genius billionaire who blows the whistle on an artificial intelligence he created called "neXt." When people who know too much about the AI start dying in mysterious, tech-adjacent ways, the FBI Cybercrime Unit takes notice, and teams up with Slattery to stop it.

Cyberthriller Or Cybersnoozer? Fox's 'Next'

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Remembering 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek at a press conference on January 13, 2011. Ben Hider/Getty Images hide caption

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Ben Hider/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Remembering 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek

The game show host Alex Trebek died Sunday following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek hosted Jeopardy! for 36 years — his last episode airs on Christmas Day. Trebek hosted a number of game shows dating back to the early '70s. But he'll be forever known for his work on Jeopardy! — both for his steady demeanor and for moments when he couldn't bring himself to suffer fools gladly.

Remembering 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek

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What Is The End Of An Era? 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Dies At 80

Trebek said he hated to see contestants lose for forgetting to phrase their answers as questions. "I'm there to see that the contestants do as well as they can within the context of the rules," he told Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 1987. Above, Trebek poses on the set in April 2010. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images hide caption

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What Is The End Of An Era? 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Dies At 80

"I love spending time with bright people," said the longtime game show host. Trebek began hosting the trivia show in 1984 and continued for nearly four decades, even through bouts of chemotherapy.

What Is The End Of An Era? 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Dies At 80

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We Talk 'Queen's Gambit' With Chess Expert And Tiny Desk Winner Linda Diaz

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Beth in the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit. Phil Bray/Netflix hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We Talk 'Queen's Gambit' With Chess Expert And Tiny Desk Winner Linda Diaz

Linda Diaz, who won this year's Tiny Desk Contest at NPR Music, is a chess expert and international chess champion. She sat down to talk with us about the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit.

We Talk 'Queen's Gambit' With Chess Expert And Tiny Desk Winner Linda Diaz

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2020 Comedy Special Recommendations

Comedian Sarah Cooper in her new special, Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine. Lacey Terrell/Netflix hide caption

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Lacey Terrell/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

2020 Comedy Special Recommendations

Comedy specials come in many forms. Stand-up, sketch, improv — and there are times when they really come in handy. But there are also so many of them circulating right now that it can be tough to find the ones that are worth your time. We're here to help. We want to share a few specials that have managed to make us laugh in 2020, despite 2020, so that when you have a moment when you can really use one, you'll have one on hand.

2020 Comedy Special Recommendations

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Comparing The NXIVM Docuseries 'The Vow' And 'Seduced'

Sarah Edmondson in HBO's The Vow. HBO hide caption

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HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Comparing The NXIVM Docuseries 'The Vow' And 'Seduced'

NXIVM gained mainstream attention when several high-ranking members were charged with crimes, including racketeering, forced labor conspiracy and sex trafficking. The group called itself a self-help organization while a lot of other people called it a cult. HBO and Starz both have documentary series about the organization, and they're a little different, but pretty shocking nonetheless.

Comparing The NXIVM Docuseries 'The Vow' And 'Seduced'

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Does 'The Queen's Gambit' Cut It With A Real Champion?

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. Phil Bray/Netflix hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Does 'The Queen's Gambit' Cut It With A Real Champion?

The new Netflix series The Queen's Gambit finds its story in the equally intense if less obviously bruising world of competitive chess. Based on a 1983 novel, it stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a young woman whose brilliance at chess is threatened by trauma and addiction as she goes from child prodigy to international star. We're joined by this year's Tiny Desk Contest winner Linda Diaz, who also happens to be a chess expert.

Does 'The Queen's Gambit' Cut It With A Real Champion?

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2020 Election Day Distractions

Ellen Pompeo, as Meredith Grey, in a season 16 episode of Grey's Anatomy. Kelsey McNeal/ABC hide caption

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Kelsey McNeal/ABC

Pop Culture Happy Hour

2020 Election Day Distractions

Election Day is stressful. It's full of news that might or might not mean anything. The stakes are high, and the consequences are serious. And whatever you do from that point forward, first, you have to get through today. So we want to offer you some ideas for things you can use purely to manage Election Day itself. To stay away from the incremental updates and the high anxiety until you actually know what's happened. Which might take a while.

2020 Election Day Distractions

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