TV/Pop Culture Critic, The Boston Globe. Concerned citizen. Ally.
Black and Jewish America traces an interlocked history of hope, cooperation and contention. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is good at this stuff, and he gets good help here from Tony Kushner, Cornel West and many others. Highly recommended.
In ‘Black and Jewish America,’ Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores a rich, complicated relationship - The Boston Globe
The PBS series airs on Tuesdays throughout February.
One video shows New York police officers handcuffing an agent in a subway station as bystanders cheer. This, and others like them, are fake. And this is a problem, as so much other video of citizens fighting back is very real, and very important. Yes, AI slop has come for the resistance.
Anti-ICE AI slop videos fulfill fantasy — and distract from reality - The Boston Globe
As video proliferates on social media claiming to depict current events in Minnesota and beyond, it gets harder to know what’s real.
Tina Fey thought the 30 Rock pilot was sweaty. I love it. So I featured it in this week’s Autopilot.
Tina Fey thought ‘30 Rock’ started off ‘sweaty’ - The Boston Globe
Fey's view of the pilot in her memoir may be a bit self-deprecating, but the DNA that would make "30 Rock" a success was there.
Me and Tom Brady, we have stuff in common. For instance: we both grew up rooting for the ‘80s 49ers of Joe Montana. Brady’s new documentary series, Rise of the 49ers, is a return to the sports nirvana of my youth. Hard for me to be objective here, but I had a blast watching.
In ‘Rise of the 49ers,’ a look at the NFL’s other dynasty through the eyes of someone who’d know: Tom Brady - The Boston Globe
Brady, a 49ers superfan in his youth, executive produced the docuseries, which examines the Niners' championship runs, quarterback controversies, and '80s milieu.
I dug the Oscar-nominated Arco, an imaginative time travel fantasy about loneliness and connection.
In Oscar-nominated ‘Arco,’ future worlds have lonely fears, wild imagination — and a tender heart - The Boston Globe
The film tips its hat to a variety of animated forebears, including the works of celebrated director Hayao Miyazaki.
Wrote about the excellent new Elie Wiesel doc on PBS, and the importance of bearing witness — which feels quite relevant right now.
New Elie Wiesel documentary reminds us why we must bear witness - The Boston Globe
Wiesel is the focus of a new "American Masters" documentary, "Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire," airing Tuesday on PBS.
To quote Game of Thrones, winter is coming. As we prepare for Snowpocalypse ‘26 I put together a little streaming guide to get you through the next few days. Everything from the excellent Seymour Hersh doc on Netflix to Prime Video’s cheeky look at the DeAndre Jordan free agency drama of 2015.
How to survive the snowpocalypse, one show or movie at a time - The Boston Globe
Take some viewing advice from TV critic Chris Vognar to occupy your hours during Boston's biggest snowstorm in several years.
Among the Melvillians: I spent a weekend in New Bedford, where they “portion off their nieces with a few porpoises a-piece,” for the Moby-Dick Reading Marathon. Call me inspired. To finish the book.
At the Moby-Dick Reading Marathon, the greatest American novel still draws a crowd - The Boston Globe
For the last 30 years, fans of Herman Melville's 1851 novel have gathered for a live, 25-hour reading of the whole book.
The new HBO doc Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! is loving but not fawning, exhaustive but never exhausting. A treasure of deftly structured archive material and new interviews, and a real mitzvah from directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio.
A superb HBO documentary spotlights Mel Brooks, ‘The 99 Year Old Man’ - The Boston Globe
Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, the two-part series, which premieres Jan. 22, is loving but not fawning.
Woke up this morning (OK, yesterday morning) and wrote about the pilot episode of The Sopranos, the first shot in the revolution of prestige television.
Watching the first episode of ‘The Sopranos’ was like finding an undiscovered country - The Boston Globe
The therapy session, the ducks, the narcissistic mother, the pummeling of the gambler. They all played a role in the launch of prestige TV.
Miles Davis and John Coltrane were both born 100 years ago. Few musicians have meant more to me. I wrote about the centennial and the special tribute shows at Scullers Jazz Club this Friday.
A 100th birthday show for Coltrane and Miles comes to Scullers - The Boston Globe
Together, Davis and Coltrane redefined what was thought possible for jazz. Two special shows at Scullers this Friday celebrate the centennial of both artists' birth.
I am a mere Game of Thrones fan, not a hardcore fanatic. So keep that in mind as I enthuse over the charming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which I enjoyed writing about largely because it let me use the word “Rabelaisian.” Score one for English majors.
Less is more in the jocular ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ - The Boston Globe
The first season of the new series is only six episodes long, with each episode clocking in under 40 minutes.
The Comeback is coming back. So is Paradise. And Tracy Morgan. Ryan Murphy and Taylor Sheriden — shocker — have some new series. I look ahead at the next coupla months on the tube.
10 new and returning shows to watch this winter - The Boston Globe
There's plenty of exciting TV to check out this winter, including a new show from Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan, and Bill Lawrence teaming up with Steve Carell.
See BS News: Wrote about the verve of Nikki Glaser, the appeal of drunk celebs, and the frivolous, compromised Golden Globes.
At the frivolous Golden Globes, an open bar goes a long way - The Boston Globe
The annual awards show works best as a chance to watch some stars have a party together.
Warning: MTV Rewind is a highly addictive reminder of when MTV focused on music videos. And we have a heroic, industrious coder to thank for it.
Want your vintage MTV? There’s an app for that. - The Boston Globe
The new MTV Rewind offers the chance to see more than 35,000 videos.
The Pitt returns with compassionate intensity, staking its claim as the greatest hospital show ever.
Why TV loves hospital shows — and why ‘The Pitt’ is the best one ever - The Boston Globe
The Noah Wyle drama returns for its second season.
He’s Chevy Chase. You’re not. And for that you should be grateful.
A new doc reveals that Chevy Chase is still a, er, not very nice guy - The Boston Globe
The CNN documentary “I‘m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” delves into the comedian's history of clashing with colleagues.
Not every great pilot leads to a great series. In this week’s Autopilot I look at the blazing beginning of Brooklyn South.
The blazing beginning and unfulfilled promise of ‘Brooklyn South’ - The Boston Globe
Sometimes, a great pilot leads to a great TV show, but not every time.
In the wake of Stranger Things I wrote about the plague of TV bloat. Overlong episodes, overlong seasons, overlong series.
The overlong ‘Stranger Things’ is just one sign of the larger TV bloat plague - The Boston Globe
The new series proves that longer seasons are leading to worse television.
One of the many things I love about my new gig is that I get to write about music. I checked in on the recent albums by De La Soul and Nas with DJ Premier, both from Nas’ Mass Appeal label, both reminders of ‘90s hip-hop glory.
Legends live: Old-school giants De La Soul, Nas & DJ Premier bring new beats and rhymes - The Boston Globe
All-time greats Nas (working with producer extraordinaire DJ Premier) and De La Soul dropped lively, sonically eclectic albums that stood out in 2025.
Wrote a bit about the internal conflict that drove the first season of Pluribus, between the necessities of individualism and communion (lower case).
‘Pluribus’ lessons: It’s about individualism, loneliness...and us - The Boston Globe
One season in, "Pluribus" has developed into a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human.
You are Number 6: In my Autopilot series I look back at the uncanny, Orwell-by-the-sea vibe of The Prisoner. Be seeing you.
Autopilot: ‘The Prisoner’ remains one of the coolest, strangest series in TV history - The Boston Globe
It lasted 17 episodes and went off the air almost 58 years ago. It feels as sleek, modern, and foreboding now as it did then.
An honor as always contributing to The Boston Globe’s best books of the year package. I chose 12 nonfiction titles, on subjects ranging from the slam dunk to the U.S. Constitution (remember that?)
The 75 best books of 2025 - The Boston Globe
From fiction to nonfiction, discover the best books of 2025 with our curated list of 75 titles.
Wrote a little appreciation for the late James Ransone’s stellar work on season 2 of The Wire. His Ziggy was a tragic character who gave his pet duck too much whiskey.
Appreciating James Ransone’s great tragic character in the wake of the actor’s tragic death - The Boston Globe
On ‘The Wire,’ Ransone imbued a necessary note of sadness into a character we knew was doomed.
Got a little granular and tallied my favorite TV scenes of the year. I will never look at a rotisserie chicken the same way.
‘The White Lotus,’ ‘The Beast in Me,’ and more: the best TV scenes of 2025 - The Boston Globe
No one devoured a rotisserie chicken onscreen quite like Matthew Rhys did this year.
Fallout has always thrived on a simple concept: vintage jazz and other mid-century sounds carry an ironic zing when paired with images of gore and desolation. I looked at five songs from the new second season, from Roy Orbison to Peggy Lee.
‘Fallout’ is still all about the retro-cool tunes. Here’s what to know about five songs that open the season - The Boston Globe
The show has always thrived on a simple concept: vintage jazz and other mid-century sounds carry an ironic zing when paired with images of gore and desolation.
Here’s my top, er, 11 TV shows of 2025, plus some thoughts on a weird year off the screen (Kimmelgate, Netflix flex, etc.). I can’t believe Adolescence came out this year. Seems like ages ago.
I wrote the words “This one goes to 11” shortly before hearing of Rob Reiner’s death. I’m glad I did.
The top 10 (ish) television shows of the year - The Boston Globe
Dread, joy, and off-screen news made for a memorable 2025 in TV.
Wrote a few words about reconsidering the late Stuart Scott, who I didn’t appreciate enough when he was alive. He’s the subject of the new 30 for 30 doc Boo-Yah: A Stuart Scott Portrait. Stay cooler than the other side of the pillow.
A new ESPN ‘30 for 30’ documentary shows how the world wasn’t ready for Stuart Scott - The Boston Globe
The sportscaster faced resistance when he joined the network.
I watched Being Charlie, the movie Nick Reiner co-wrote and Rob Reiner directed. A troubling experience for obvious reasons; also a jarring portrait of a young addict as a raging narcissist.
‘Being Charlie,’ the movie Rob Reiner made with his son, is a portrait of an addict as a young narcissist - The Boston Globe
The film reads very differently in the aftermath of the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner.
RIP Anthony Geary, whose death got me thinking about how much the Luke and Laura rape/wedding storyline on General Hospital weirded me out as a little tyke.
Luke and Laura became a soap super couple, but the origins of their connection were far darker - The Boston Globe
The notorious “General Hospital” plotline left viewers, and especially young ones, shocked.
Hamlet is less a play than a universe in which to roam. I wrote about our current Hamlet moment, including Hamnet, and why the melancholy Dane will always have a place in culture.
Our current ‘Hamlet’ moment is merely one of many bows for the melancholy Dane - The Boston Globe
Between Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley's "Hamnet" and Riz Ahmed's upcoming modern take, it's another big moment for the Shakespeare tragedy.
I’ve been digging Adult Swim’s “Smalls” block of short-form animation. I particularly like Haha You Clowns, an oddly tender project about three bull-necked teen boys trying to cheer up their grieving father.
Adult Swim’s ‘Smalls’ programming offers compelling short-form animation, and a new show from a Boston animator - The Boston Globe
"Haha, You Clowns" and "Blue World" prove brevity is the soul of wit.
The liaisons, they’re still dangerous. I checked in with HBO’s saucy The Seduction, a series with a notable lineage. Because cruel intentions never go out of style.
The liaisons remain quite dangerous in HBO Max’s saucy ‘The Seduction’ - The Boston Globe
A new take on the material from "Dangerous Liaisons" proves the story still has more to offer.
Wrote about how TV and movies play with our conspiracy-mad “truthiness” times. Remember: Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. Also: Watch The Chair Company.
‘The Chair Company’ and ‘Bugonia’ mirror the conspiracy mania of our times - The Boston Globe
We're in a thriving new era of conspiracy thrillers in both television and movies.
Had some thoughts on Netflix’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. I like Netflix. I don’t like monopolies. But: If the film industry is so worried about the sanctity of the moviegoing experience, perhaps it should consider making the moviegoing experience suck less.
Colleague or colonizer? Netflix swallows Warner Bros. Discovery, and the film industry has feelings - The Boston Globe
The streaming giant announced it had struck a deal to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery.
Netflix’s new series The Abandons got me thinking about westerns that put women high in the saddle, including two of my favorites: Johnny Guitar and The Furies. Mess with Barbara Stanwyck at your own risk.
Netflix’s ‘The Abandons’ adds to the long list of fierce women in Westerns - The Boston Globe
Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey join a long line of fierce female protagonists in westerns.
Had the pleasure of speaking with bass maestro Ron Carter, the rhythmic dynamo of the second great Miles Davis Quintet. He’s still very much active at 88. Carter brings his New Foursight Quartet to Regattabar in Cambridge this weekend.
Jazz bass giant Ron Carter brings his ‘crown jewel’ quartet to Regattabar - The Boston Globe
Carter remains a dynamo as he prepares to bring his New Foursight quartet to Cambridge’s Regettabar for four shows.
Have some Salami. And some Coolidge. And some Thorpe. In this week’s installment of Autopilot we look back to the start of The White Shadow, as self-aware as white savior stories come. This show was 10-year-old Vognar’s jam. It also turned out to be a future directors factory.
The hardwood lessons and self-aware white savior complex of ‘The White Shadow’ - The Boston Globe
A '70s teen basketball series offered a sly look at race relations.
I’m not here to start no trouble.
I’m just here to write about The Super Bowl Shuffle. Or at least the new HBO doc The Shuffle, which tells the story of the ‘85 Chicago Bears novelty rap hit and video. I didn’t realize they taped the video the day after getting beat down by the Dolphins on MNF.
A new HBO doc shows how the 1985 Chicago Bears did the Super Bowl Shuffle - The Boston Globe
The video was recorded the day after the Bears suffered a humiliating loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Everyone is doing TV these days — including the great Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai. His first-ever series, Blossoms Shanghai, premieres tonight on The Criterion Channel. It’s set amidst the Chinese stock market boom of the ‘90s, and boasts the same stylish sensuousness as his movies.
Wong Kar-wai is the latest movie master to go TV with ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ - The Boston Globe
The series, from the director of "In the Mood for Love," begins streaming on the Criterion Channel on Nov. 24.
Just one more thing: In this week’s Autopilot installment I revisit the glorious first episode of Columbo. Directed by some guy named Spielberg.
When Steven Spielberg helped launch ‘Columbo’ - The Boston Globe
The Peter Falk series had all its trademark characteristics from the start.
Vognar to readers: Watch Drop Dead City, a good doc about the story behind the headline.
A city on the brink and a headline for the ages take center stage in ‘Drop Dead City’ - The Boston Globe
President Gerald Ford didn’t actually tell the city of New York to drop dead.
John Edgar Wideman’s essays read like poetry and flow like great jazz. And nobody writes better about basketball. I reviewed his new collection, Languages of Home: Essays on Writing, Hoop, and American Lives.
John Edgar Wideman writes about life with the lively rhythms of jazz - The Boston Globe
Yes, it's an essay collection but this is like a written form of jazz, a musical genre to which Wideman returns frequently.
Documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud was the first American journalist killed in the war in Ukraine. Armed Only with a Camera, now streaming on HBO Max, spotlights his compassionate tenacity.
‘Armed Only with a Camera’ spotlights the first American journalist killed in the war in Ukraine - The Boston Globe
The short documentary, now streaming on HBO Max, tells the story of Brent Renaud.
A few months ago my editor suggested we might send our readers into a frenzy by ranking the ten best Ken Burns projects. Our readers really like Ken Burns. And I am not one to pass up a healthy frenzy.
‘The Civil War’? ‘Baseball’? Ranking the 10 best Ken Burns documentary series - The Boston Globe
How does "The American Revolution" land among other Ken Burns projects? Read on to find out.
This week in my Autopilot series, I try to conjure what it was like to first watch Twin Peaks. A damn fine pilot episode.
The damn fine ‘Twin Peaks’ began with deeply earnest strangeness - The Boston Globe
The series is unlike any other primetime soap opera.
You say you want a Revolution: Ken Burns’ 12-hour deep dive into the American Revolution should be savored, not binged. It’s a reminder of how rich, unwieldy, and brutally violent the country’s founding was.
‘The American Revolution’ is the answer to the binge-watch - The Boston Globe
In its ambitions and scope, the latest docuseries from co-director Ken Burns rewards slower viewing.
Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, in an acting league of their own in the new Netflix thriller The Beast in Me.
Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys match wits in Netflix’s stellar ‘The Beast in Me’ - The Boston Globe
Two of television's best actors unite in a psychological thriller.
Spoke with Rakim as Berklee College of Music prepares to induct him into its hip-hop Hall of Fame. A singular presence on the mic, he helped make hip-hop a modern art form. “I was trying to make my name in the game, but I had no idea it would resonate with people the way it did,” he told me.
‘It’s very humbling’: Rakim reflects on being inducted into Berklee’s Hip-Hop Hall of Fame - The Boston Globe
The emcee, best known as one-half of Eric B. & Rakim, joins the ranks of past inductees like Roxanne Shanté and Edo.G this Thursday.
My Autopilot series returns with an appreciation of Arrested Development. One of those moments when you immediately knew you were looking at something special.
The quicksilver pacing of ‘Arrested Development’ created comedy gold - The Boston Globe
The Bluth family, introduced in speedy order, stands out for the distinctive reasons they're all a bit craven and bumbling.
