Our Imaginary Brother Only Watches PBS
How one family schemed to be the best TV-watchers in America.
media
A collection of 13 issues
The Accidental Actor
Stumbling onto a movie set in Los Angeles—and then staying there for as long as humanly possible—offers lessons in acting and reality.
Kiss From a Mall Cop
Your party-conversation brief on the most important stories that no one’s talking about anymore—the plight of the Segway, internet child exchanges, Ebola, the current fortunes of Seal, and more.
The T-Word
Media depictions of trans culture seem more prevalent than ever, but off-key representations sensationalize and injure their subjects. It’s time to change that. Five transgender people discuss how.
Sarah, You Can Drive My Car
Updates to news stories that have slipped off the front page. This week: male birth control, Sarah Palin, hydraulic fracking, the Beatles, and more.
Some Facts About the Listicle
The bread and butter of online journalism, epitomized by lists like “The 25 Most Kimye Things That Have Ever Happened,” got its start in a 19th-century column in the New York Times.
Lean Into a Croissant Doughnut
Brief updates to news stories that have slipped off the front page. This week: schoolgirls in Nigeria, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, Josh Hartnett’s career, and more.
An Unthinkably Modern Miracle
In today’s health care system, medicine often comes with a strange, Faustian bargain—including a plan for almost everything except the price.
Adjusting the Picture
Some of the best TV shows these days, whether we’re watching them on television sets or online, are being compared to novels—and even sonnets. A chat with some of the leading thinkers in TV writing to find out what comes next.
From Here You Can See Everything
Our current era of on-demand television series does more than facilitate binge-watching—it encourages it. David Foster Wallace already told us what happens next.
Entertainment for Women
When it launched, Playboy was a literary power, nude photos or not. Its offices also happened to be an interesting place to work—for women.
Don’t Leave Me
World War II had veteran parades. Vietnam War vets were often ignored, if not shunned. For the current generation of war-weary Americans, solace comes on YouTube.
Interlude by the Bay
With his old life again behind him, The Golem returns to looking ahead to what’s next—or at least trying—and finally gets around to answering some reader email.