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Monday

Parents share what they learned from watching 'Bluey'

Bandit (left) with his daughters Bluey (center) and Bingo (right). Disney+ hide caption

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Disney+

Main Character of the Day

Parents share what they learned from watching 'Bluey'

The anthropomorphic cattle dog has been captivating the attention of her target audience and then some.

Parents share what they learned from watching 'Bluey'

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Pee-wee Herman was more than a boy who never grew up

Paul Reubens poses after a performance of The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway in October 2010. Charles Sykes/AP hide caption

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Charles Sykes/AP

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pee-wee Herman was more than a boy who never grew up

Pee-wee's creator, Paul Reubens, died Sunday of cancer. He was 70. Pee-wee was a petulant man-child and a trickster spirit, a burst of joyous id that snuck his brand of anarchy into the mainstream.

Pee-wee Herman was more than a boy who never grew up

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Leanne Morgan, the 'Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia,' jokes about motherhood and menopause

A Tennessee native, Leanne Morgan refers to herself as the "Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia." Joseph Llanes/Netflix hide caption

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Joseph Llanes/Netflix

Leanne Morgan, the 'Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia,' jokes about motherhood and menopause

Fresh Air

"It took me a long time to find my audience ... but I always knew they were out there," says Morgan, who started doing stand-up as a mom in her mid-30s. Her new Netflix special is I'm Every Woman.

Leanne Morgan, the 'Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia,' jokes about motherhood and menopause

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Friday

Viral dating screenshots and the absurdity of 'And Just Like That'
Craig Blankenhorn/Max

It's Been a Minute

Viral dating screenshots and the absurdity of 'And Just Like That'

Screenshots of dating apps are making the rounds online and what feels like mundane exchanges are generating lots of ire and discourse. As these screenshots become more common in our feeds, how does it impact the search for love? And what happens when people use the apps to swipe for content? We talk to Rolling Stone culture reporter Miles Klee about modern dating expectations and if the apps have changed them.

Viral dating screenshots and the absurdity of 'And Just Like That'

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Thursday

Back for Season 2, 'Dark Winds' is a cop drama steeped in Navajo culture

Zahn McClarnon plays Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Jessica Matten is Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito in Season 2 of Dark Winds. Michael Moriatis/AMC hide caption

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Michael Moriatis/AMC

Review

TV Reviews

Back for Season 2, 'Dark Winds' is a cop drama steeped in Navajo culture

Fresh Air

Set in New Mexico in the 1970s, Dark Winds stars, is written by, and is largely directed by Native Americans. The resulting series treats Navajo culture not as sociology but as lived experience.

Back for Season 2, 'Dark Winds' is a cop drama steeped in Navajo culture

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Actors take to the internet to show their residual checks, with some in the negative

Mandy Moore, who starred in NBC's This Is Us, said she has received streaming residual payments of less than a dollar. She has been on the picket line as part of the actors strike. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP hide caption

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Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Actors take to the internet to show their residual checks, with some in the negative

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers rejected the SAG-AFTRA union's request for a separate type of residual payment that actors would get once their programs hit streaming services.

Monday

The streaming model is cratering — here's how that's hurting actors, writers and fans

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies was recently nominated for two Emmys but it was canceled after one season and has been removed from Paramount+. Above, Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy Nakagawa, left, Marisa Davila as Jane Facciano, Cheyenne Wells as Olivia Valdovinos and Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia Zdunowski. Eduardo Araquel/Paramount hide caption

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Eduardo Araquel/Paramount

Culture

The streaming model is cratering — here's how that's hurting actors, writers and fans

Streamers have been removing content from their platforms lately — and they're canceling series after just one season. "It's soul-crushing," says one creator. "There is nothing we can do."

The streaming model is cratering — here's how that's hurting actors, writers and fans

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Thursday

A 'Barbie' v. 'Oppenheimer' Game

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie as Ken and Barbie in Barbie and Cillian Murphy as Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer. Warner Bros. Pictures/ Universal Pictures hide caption

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Warner Bros. Pictures/ Universal Pictures

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A 'Barbie' v. 'Oppenheimer' Game

In honor of the upcoming clash between the same-day releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer, we asked our listeners to weigh in on some of pop culture's most contentious matchups. And boy, did you deliver. We've got NSYNC versus Backstreet Boys. Superman versus Batman. And most importantly, who is the best Chris?

A 'Barbie' v. 'Oppenheimer' Game

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Wednesday

Netflix shows steady growth amid writers and actors strikes

Netflix announced steady growth in its Q2 2023 earnings report. Above, the Netflix logo appears on a TV remote in July 2022. Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Netflix shows steady growth amid writers and actors strikes

The streamer said it added 5.9 million customers during the second quarter. Its share price has almost doubled over the past year.

Netflix shows steady growth amid writers and actors strikes

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3 lessons past Hollywood strikes can teach us about the current moment

Dogs trained for movie roles get ready to march in a SAG picket line around Disney Studios in Los Angeles on Aug. 21, 1980. Lennox McLendon/Associated Press hide caption

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Lennox McLendon/Associated Press

History

3 lessons past Hollywood strikes can teach us about the current moment

Hollywood actors and screenwriters are on strike simultaneously for the first time since 1960. When — and how — might things resolve this time? Experts tell NPR what recent history can teach us.

Michelle Buteau's winsome 'Survival of the Thickest' is a natural selection

Michelle Buteau as Mavis in Survival of the Thickest. Vanessa Clifton/Netflix hide caption

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Vanessa Clifton/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Michelle Buteau's winsome 'Survival of the Thickest' is a natural selection

The delightful Netflix series Survival of the Thickest is about an up-and-coming stylist whose professional and personal ambitions go sideways when she finds herself newly single. It stars comedian Michelle Buteau as Mavis who leans on her best friends Marley (Tasha Smith) and Khalil (Tone Bell) for emotional support and sound advice. Buteau co-created the series with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (New Girl, My Name Is Earl).

Michelle Buteau's winsome 'Survival of the Thickest' is a natural selection

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Tuesday

TV reboots have to answer one question: Why now? Just look at 'Justified'

FX's limited series revival Justified: City Primeval offers the return of a beloved character — Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant). But that alone isn't enough. We take a look back at reboots that worked ... and those that didn't. Chuck Hodes/FX hide caption

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Chuck Hodes/FX

Review

TV Reviews

TV reboots have to answer one question: Why now? Just look at 'Justified'

FX's limited series revival Justified: City Primeval offers the nostalgic return of a beloved character. But that alone isn't enough. We take a look back at reboots that worked, and those that didn't.

TV reboots have to answer one question: Why now? Just look at 'Justified'

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Monday

We break down the actors and writers strikes

Members of the Screen Actors Guild picketing outside of Netflix in Los Angeles. Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We break down the actors and writers strikes

Actors and writers are on strike, and it looks like it could last a while. Production of TV and film has largely stopped, and there are deep divides in Hollywood over issues including how creative people should be compensated in the streaming era, how work is structured, and how artificial intelligence will be used. Today, we unpack everything you need to know and expect about the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

We break down the actors and writers strikes

Listen · 22:52
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Friday

Michelle Buteau is creating the empowering TV series she wanted to see growing up

Michelle Buteau at the premiere of her new show, Survival Of The Thickest. Cindy Ord/Getty Images hide caption

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Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Main Character of the Day

Michelle Buteau is creating the empowering TV series she wanted to see growing up

In her new Netflix series Survival of the Thickest, Buteau's character tackles life as a fat and fabulous New York stylist after a messy breakup.

Michelle Buteau is creating the empowering TV series she wanted to see growing up

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