appears in the following:

Jon Hamm steals 'Your Friends and Neighbors'

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

In the Apple TV+ series Your Friends and Neighbors, a very rich guy reacts to becoming a bit less rich by turning to a life of crime. Played by Jon Hamm, in full charming-but-morally-compromised mode, he starts sneaking into people's and taking their stuff. Part drama and part dark comedy about rich jerks, the series also stars Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn.

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'Drop' is a bumpy, chaotic thrill ride

Friday, April 11, 2025

In the bonkers thriller Drop, Meghann Fahy plays a woman whose first date goes off the rails when she starts getting increasingly alarming message drops from someone nearby. And this potentially romantic dinner turns into a life-or-death situation, real quick.

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In 'Dying For Sex,' pleasure and grief collide

Wednesday, April 09, 2025

The premise might be a tough sell: a young woman attempts to finally own her sexuality following a terminal diagnosis. In the new show Dying For Sex, Michelle Williams stars as a cancer patient confronting the unsatisfying relationships in her life. The series is also a raunchy sex comedy that suggests it's never too late to insist on your own happiness. And it's got a stellar cast, including Jenny Slate, Rob Delaney, and Sissy Spacek.

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'The White Lotus' season 3 ends with several bangs

Monday, April 07, 2025

Season three of The White Lotus just wrapped up, but not before serving up a tropical buffet of sex, betrayal, violence, revenge, privilege, incest, drugs, death, and spirituality. We finally found out whose dead body was floating in the pond way back in the season premiere. From creator Mike White, this season stars Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Natasha Rothwell, Aimee Lou Wood, Parker Posey, and Lisa of BLACKPINK fame.

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'Daredevil: Born Again' delivers street level justice

Wednesday, April 02, 2025

In Daredevil: Born Again, Charlie Cox returns as everyone's favorite blind-but-with-heightened-senses Marvel superhero. This time out, he hangs up his horns and throws himself into his career as a lawyer. At the same time, the criminal mastermind Kingpin (played by Vincent D'Onofrio) decides to go straight and run for mayor of New York City. The two men declare a truce, but will it last?

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Seth Rogen and a fabulous cast highlight the satire 'The Studio'

Monday, March 31, 2025

In the very funny new satire The Studio, Seth Rogen plays a Hollywood studio head desperately trying to do a job he's afraid of failing at every single day. The Apple TV+ series features comedy MVPs like Catherine O'Hara, Bryan Cranston, and Kathryn Hahn, but also cameos from actors and directors playing themselves — including Anthony Mackie, Zoë Kravitz, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese and Ice Cube.

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Our 2025 Oscars Recap

Monday, March 03, 2025

This year's Oscars was a big night for Sean Baker's Anora, including wins for best picture and director. The film's star Mikey Madison scored one of the night's few upsets, winning best actress. Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña also took home acting wins. We also recap the hilarious bits from host Conan O'Brien, the long and discursive speeches, and show stopping musical numbers.

To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.

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In 'Zero Day,' a stellar cast struggles through a silly story

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

The Netflix series Zero Day begins with a terrifying moment in which everything in the United States goes briefly offline. Thousands of people die, and even after everything is restored, a widespread panic leads to a government investigation of who did it. With a cast headed by Robert De Niro and Angela Bassett, the show hopes to be a paranoid political thriller for our times.

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In 'The Monkey' the goring is never boring

Friday, February 21, 2025

In the new horror-comedy The Monkey, Theo James plays a pair of identical twin brothers who get saddled with a cursed wind-up toy monkey that causes people around them to die freakish, gory deaths. It's based on a Stephen King short story, and directed by Osgood Perkins, who made last year's Longlegs.

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'Paddington in Peru' puts a mild bear in the wild jungle

Monday, February 17, 2025

In the new movie Paddington In Peru, Paddington Bear and the Brown family fly across the globe, into the wilds of Peru, in search of Paddington's Aunt Lucy. Along the way, they meet a not-remotely-suspicious singing nun (Olivia Colman) and a boat captain (Antonio Banderas). The adventure that follows involves lost treasure and narrow escapes — and leads to new revelations about Paddington's past, and a new appreciation for what it means to be home.

In the run-up to the Oscars, Pop Culture Happy Hour is watching all 10 best picture nominees – and you're invited to join us! Sign up for the NPR Movie Club newsletter series and tell us what you thought of the movies you watched this week.

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'Captain America: Brave New World' is a major misfire

Friday, February 14, 2025

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's a new Captain America, played by Anthony Mackie. And with Captain America: Brave New World, he's finally got his own movie. Cap finds himself battling a literally monstrous president played by Harrison Ford whose rages threaten to destabilize the whole world.

In the run-up to the Oscars, Pop Culture Happy Hour is watching all 10 best picture nominees – and you're invited to join us! Sign up for the NPR Movie Club newsletter series and tell us what you thought of the movies you watched this week.

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We unpack the 2024 Emmy nominations

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

The nominations the Emmy Awards were just announced, and it was a good day for The Bear, which set a new record in the comedy category. And plenty of our favorites also got Emmy nods, including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shōgun, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. We'll help you unpack this year's the notable nominees and snubs.

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Need a new mystery or sci-fi book for the new year? Try one of these reads

Saturday, December 31, 2022

From NPR's Books We Love list, we hear reviews for several mystery and sci-fi books including "Nona the Ninth," "Birds of Maine," and "The Daughter of Doctor Moreau."

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Encore: New musical 'Bhangin' It' centers a competitive college bhangra dancer

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

A new musical at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse celebrates bhangra, one of India's traditional styles of dancing.

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New musical 'Bhangin' It' revolves around a competitive college bhangra dancer

Saturday, April 16, 2022

A new musical at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse celebrates bhangra, one of India's traditional styles of dancing.

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This 8-year-old's book is a hit at his library. He offers advice for aspiring authors

Saturday, February 05, 2022

Dillon Helbig wrote a book over winter break and slipped it onto a local library shelf in Boise, Idaho. After librarians found it, they entered it into their catalog. Now it's on a long waiting list.

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It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

Sunday, October 17, 2021

The first Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book was published in October 1979. Fans are looking back at how the series has endured in popularity and why it's still relevant.

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A California Town Has No Reliable Running Water During A Heat Wave

Saturday, July 03, 2021

Teviston is home to some 700 people, mostly farmworkers. Since early June, residents have been forced to use stored and bottled water after the pump in the town's only functioning well broke down.

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'It's Really Hard For A Younger Couple': Coronavirus, Policies Keep Families Apart

Wednesday, July 01, 2020

The Trump administration's move to limit green cards and reduced operations at consulates around the world have added to wait times for families trying to reunite in the United States.

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Celebrate API Heritage Month With 'Its Been A Minute'

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

'It's Been A Minute' shares episodes featuring Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.

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