Accessibility links
Television Television

Television

Friday

Valerie Harper, Who Played Beloved TV Sidekick Rhoda, Dies At 80

In her memoir, I, Rhoda, Harper (pictured here in 2013) writes that she was "determined to define [Rhoda's] style" and help soften her sharp edge. Kris Connor/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Kris Connor/Getty Images

Obituaries

Valerie Harper, Who Played Beloved TV Sidekick Rhoda, Dies At 80

Harper's Mary Tyler Moore Show character was the perfect foil for the sitcom's buttoned-up protagonist. "Rhoda had this wonderful quality of saying the unsayable," Harper told NPR in 2010.

Valerie Harper, Who Played Beloved TV Sidekick Rhoda, Dies At 80

Listen · 5:22
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/512035751/756255722" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Billy Eichner Makes A Career Out Of Love/Hating Celebrity Culture

Fresh Air

In his Emmy-nominated series Billy on the Street, Eichner roams the sidewalks of Manhattan, asking strangers open-ended questions about the entertainment industry. Originally broadcast Dec. 12, 2016.

Billy Eichner Makes A Career Out Of Love/Hating Celebrity Culture

Listen · 20:48
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755392724/755950909" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Politics

Satirist Randy Rainbow Uses Show Tunes And Pop Songs To Lampoon Trump

Fresh Air

The Emmy-nominated lyricist/performer used to consider song parody cheap humor: "But ... I've gotten [such a] response ... that I'm appreciating it as an art form." Originally broadcast July 17, 2019.

Satirist Randy Rainbow Uses Show Tunes And Pop Songs To Lampoon Trump

Listen · 23:48
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755014290/755951088" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance': Gorgeous, Multi-Faceted, Hollow At Its Center

The three sister-princesses of the Vapra clan await the apology they feel they are owed in the Netflix prequel series Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Kevin Baker/Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Kevin Baker/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance': Gorgeous, Multi-Faceted, Hollow At Its Center

Netflix's 10-episode series — a prequel to the 1982 film — is, like the original, breathtaking to look at, but its thinly-drawn characters can't carry their narrative weight.

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2019 Fall TV Preview

It's autumn again. And that means we're getting a wave of new television. So it's time for the annual fall TV preview. Whether you like superheros or detectives, broadcast or cable or streaming, we're here to share what we're excited to see.

Our 2019 Fall TV Preview

Listen · 26:47
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755039147/755545084" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday

After Fatal Crash, Loved Ones Remember Racer Jessi Combs: 'She Was A Badass'

Racer and TV host Jessi Combs died in a jet car crash on Tuesday attempting to break her own land speed record of 398 mph. James Lemke Jr/FilmMagic hide caption

toggle caption
James Lemke Jr/FilmMagic

Pop Culture

After Fatal Crash, Loved Ones Remember Racer Jessi Combs: 'She Was A Badass'

Harney County Sheriff's Office confirmed Jessi Combs was trying to break her record of 398 mph when she died. Her North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger crashed in Oregon's Alvord Desert.

'Dead To Me' Star Christina Applegate: Loss 'Lives In The Fibers Of Your Being'

Fresh Air

Applegate is nominated for an Emmy for her role as a woman mourning the sudden death of her husband in the Netflix series Dead to Me. Originally broadcast June 5, 2019.

'Dead To Me' Star Christina Applegate: Loss 'Lives In The Fibers Of Your Being'

Listen · 24:21
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755381267/755489035" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Natasha Lyonne On Being A 'Tough Guy' And Finding Herself Inside 'Russian Doll'

Fresh Air

Lyonne is up for an Emmy for her role as a woman who keeps dying and coming back to life on Russian Doll. It's a premise that she finds particularly resonant. Originally published March 27, 2019.

Natasha Lyonne On Being A 'Tough Guy' And Finding Herself Inside 'Russian Doll'

Listen · 20:31
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755383547/755489153" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

No Longer Omar: Actor Michael K. Williams On Lucky Breaks And Letting Go

Fresh Air

Nominated for an Emmy for his work in When They See Us, Williams made a name for himself playing memorable characters in shows like The Wire and The Night Of. Originally broadcast July 25, 2016.

No Longer Omar: Actor Michael K. Williams On Lucky Breaks And Letting Go

Listen · 24:34
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755021596/755104237" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Ava DuVernay Focuses On The Central Park 5's Perspective: 'Now People Know'

Fresh Air

DuVernay's When They See Us, which is up for 16 Emmys, chronicles five black and brown teenagers who were manipulated into falsely confessing to a brutal rape. Originally broadcast June 19, 2019.

Ava DuVernay Focuses On The Central Park 5's Perspective: 'Now People Know'

Listen · 19:50
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/755019513/755104213" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
NPR's Fall TV Preview: 19 Shows To Watch Out For

(Clockwise from upper left) Kennedy McMann in Nancy Drew, Forest Whitaker in Godfather of Harlem, Ruby Rose in Batwoman, TJ Atoms in Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Kathy Bates in American Horror Story: 1984, Ben Platt in The Politician. Robert Falconer/The CW, David Lee/Epix, Kimberley French/The CW, Courtesy of Hulu, Courtesy of FX, Courtesy of Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Robert Falconer/The CW, David Lee/Epix, Kimberley French/The CW, Courtesy of Hulu, Courtesy of FX, Courtesy of Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

NPR's Fall TV Preview: 19 Shows To Watch Out For

Whether they're watching sitcoms, prime-time dramas or something else altogether, our television and pop culture critics present a guide to the new programs and series coming out soon.

Tuesday

Actress Poorna Jagannathan: 'I Want To Portray The Mess Of My Life'

Poorna Jagannathan says that her part in the HBO series The Night Of, where she played the mother of a college student accused of murder, opened up new roles to her. Craig Blankenhorn/HBO hide caption

toggle caption
Craig Blankenhorn/HBO

Actress Poorna Jagannathan: 'I Want To Portray The Mess Of My Life'

Known for her work on series like The Night Of, Big Little Lies and Ramy, the actress says she's "come a long way" to where she — and South Asian women — are now offered complex, nuanced roles.

Actress Poorna Jagannathan: 'I Want To Portray The Mess Of My Life'

Listen · 7:57
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/754788350/754811344" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

'Fleabag' And 'Killing Eve' Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge Is Full Of Surprises

Fresh Air

Waller-Bridge is nominated for five Emmys for the Amazon series Fleabag, about a single, 30-something Londoner dealing with tense relationships, grief and love. Originally broadcast May 13, 2019.

'Fleabag' And 'Killing Eve' Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge Is Full Of Surprises

Listen · 19:48
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/754646299/754751025" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Ben Stiller Unlocks An 'Old-Fashioned' Prison Break In 'Escape At Dannemora'

Fresh Air

Stiller's Showtime series, which is up for 12 Emmys, centers on the true story of two convicted murderers who broke out of a maximum security prison in 2015. Originally broadcast Jan. 8, 2019.

Ben Stiller Unlocks An 'Old-Fashioned' Prison Break In 'Escape At Dannemora'

Listen · 16:28
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/754686095/754751112" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript