Essays
'The Last Dance' Is the Best Thing We've Got Until Basketball Comes Back
The ESPN documentary turned its attention away from Michael Jordan to his Bulls cohorts Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson Sunday night. It's no substitute for the NBA playoffs, but we'll take it.
Coronavirus Could Finally Pop the Influencer Bubble
As brands drop sponsored content and suspend product delivery, the influencer economy is going back to the basics. That may not be the worst thing.
I Nursed His Elderly Mum. He Posted Islamophobic Memes
I was always happy to help June, my elderly neighbour and friend. When she passed away, I realised her son didn't feel the same way.
Why Am I Haunted by the Need to Go to Latte Larry's?
Larry David's strip-mall "spite store" is a comforting reminder of a time when we had the luxury of caring about trivial things. And it's exactly what we need when this is all over.
Millennial Culture Isn't Youth Culture Anymore
As TikTok and Billie Eilish hijack the conversation, it feels like culture is accelerating faster than we can keep up. Am I supposed to feel like this at 25?
Getting Surgery? Your Doctor Is Probably Making a Playlist for the OR
I was worried my cancer surgeon would get distracted by Hall & Oates' "Maneater," but it turns out, most doctors crank a playlist.
How the 'I'm Baby' Meme Became a Cultural Obsession
From scrunchies, to Baby Yoda, to plushies for grownups, retreating to childhood can be enticing—especially when it feels like everything is falling apart.
'The Plot Against America' Is the Most Sobering Post-Trump TV Show Yet
The HBO miniseries imagines the terrifying alternate history if Charles Lindbergh, the famed pilot and Nazi sympathizer, defeated FDR in 1940.
Alex Garland's 'Devs' Is a Terrifying Take on Silicon Valley's God Complex
Nick Offerman and Sonoya Mizuno star in the cerebral new FX on Hulu miniseries from the ‘Ex Machina’ writer/director.
'Dispatches From Elsewhere' Is 2020's Weirdest New Show
Jason Segel's AMC drama finds life-affirming power in its many quirks.
In 'Hunters,' Revenge Against Nazis Is Messier Than You'd Think
Amazon's new Jordan Peele-produced series is a clunky meditation on the nature of evil.
Is Grimes Really Making 'Silicon Valley Propaganda'?
She says 'Miss Anthropocene' is about making "climate change fun"—and she can't stop talking about her hopes for an AI-driven future. But she might just be playing with our perceptions.