Pop Culture

The 20-year-old songwriter is drawing pop fandom with a sound rooted in rock history. His love life, and career, have been dramatic.

By Olivia Horn and Daniel Weiss

In a new memoir and documentary, the actor known for “Two and a Half Men,” “Platoon” and a debauched life that nearly killed him puts it all out there.

By Dina Gachman

A new series from the creator of “Peaky Blinders” and another starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman are among the highlights this month.

By Noel Murray

A shriekathon in “John Proctor Is the Villain” is the latest in a wave of young women letting their pipes loose — and exhorting anyone to join in.

By Melena Ryzik

A Ken Burns documentary on the birth of the American Republic, the end of “Stranger Things,” a new series from Sterlin Harjo and much more.

By Mike Hale

The singer, rapper and provocateur pushes herself to the max. On her new LP, “Vie,” that means leaning into her pop roots and “doing what I know I know how to do.”

By Joe Coscarelli and Chantal Anderson

A crop of artists on the verge of what’s next are returning with new releases, and Taylor Swift is reuniting with some of her poppiest collaborators.

By Elena Bergeron, Caryn Ganz, Olivia Horn, Jon Pareles and Hank Shteamer

Please Don’t Destroy will stop making videos for the show as Ben Marshall joins the cast. Watch clips of him and the other new additions.

By Maya Salam

Dolly Parton in Vegas, a shrine to David Bowie, a new standup special from Kumail Nanjiani and other picks from our critics and writers.

By Dwight Garner, Jesse Green, Alexandra Jacobs, Gia Kourlas, Alex Marshall, Melena Ryzik, Maya Salam, Jennifer Szalai, Alissa Wilkinson and Jason Zinoman

In his first Off Broadway play, the artist and comedian behind “Fantasmas” and “Problemista” is bringing audiences into his off-kilter world.

By Alexis Soloski and David Billet

On “Short n’ Sweet” last year, the singer became one of pop’s new queens of quirk. On its follow-up, “Man’s Best Friend,” she’s hiding behind her characters.

By Jon Caramanica

The upcoming season of “Saturday Night Live” will feature five new faces. Departing are Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Devon Walker.

By Maya Salam

Cardi B’s long-awaited return, Jeff Tweedy’s low-key magnum opus, Silvana Estrada’s latest poetic release and more.

By Jon Pareles and Jon Caramanica

Inspired by a funny request from his children years ago, his new series teaches young viewers about clouds, thunder and the ingredients of a rainbow.

By Laurel Graeber

Our critic went to Las Vegas to see the immersive presentation of the classic 1939 film. What she saw defied easy categorization.

By Alissa Wilkinson

A stint on “The White Lotus” introduced this Italian actress to a new audience. She calls her starring role on the new “Office” spinoff an “incredible American dream.”

By Alexis Soloski and Kobe Wagstaff

The 1980s pop star, who tells her story in a new memoir, chats about how she stays connected to teen culture, the glorious artifice of Las Vegas and dancing her own way.

By Phoebe Reilly

A new Netflix series, with direction by Spike Lee, revisits the storm’s devastation and looks at what has changed in the 20 years since, and what hasn’t.

By Esther Zuckerman

The journeyman musician has played a pivotal role in a wide variety of acts. An unexpected recent exit from Foo Fighters briefly made him the center of attention.

By Bob Mehr and Sinna Nasseri

Directors use our canine friends to convey connection even as we’ve grown more disconnected from the animal world.

By Manohla Dargis

That eyeball monster is pretty scary. But maybe not as scary as the trillionaires running the world.

By Sean T. Collins

Another batch of excellent titles leaves for U.S. subscribers this month, including “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Good Place.”

By Jason Bailey

The 27-year-old singer’s new album is a faithful revisiting of a time when country music’s revivalists were sometimes rowdy.

By Jon Caramanica and Stacy Kranitz

After a messy season that had viewers rapt, the cast addressed relationship statuses, online rumors and whether apologies were coming.

By Shivani Gonzalez

The actress received an Emmy nod for her performance as a seasoned E.R. nurse, a woman who has seen it all and lived to keep fighting. So has LaNasa.

By Nicole Sperling and Kobe Wagstaff

The guitarist and frontman chat about their fraught partnership, earliest goals and (possibly) final shows on the road.

By Rob Tannenbaum

The singer and songwriter proved she’s operating at the peak of her powers during a two-and-a-half-hour set that drew sharp connections between her past and present.

By Lindsay Zoladz

Nelly’s “Tip Drill” video from 2003 was instantly controversial. It’s one of many stories explored in a new docuseries about Magic City in Atlanta.

By Jonathan Abrams

Handwritten journals, durable boots, tomato seeds: the country singer and songwriter on what fueled her latest album, “Hard Headed Woman.”

By Brian Raftery

Listen to tracks by Deftones, Lila Iké, Chance the Rapper and others.

By Jon Pareles

The cult rapper, who broke out at 16 as a member of Odd Future, spoke with Popcast about cutting his own path around fame and into fatherhood.

By Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica

The makers of “Bojack Horseman” return with a human and humane comedy about the power of memory.

By James Poniewozik

This animated film has been a box office phenomenon in China. As an English-language version opens in the United States, we provide an explainer.

By Esther Zuckerman

His role in the dramatic HBO comedy “Somebody Somewhere” earned him his first Emmy nomination. It was also, more or less, his first major role.

By Michaela Towfighi and Blaise Cepis

This episode goes behind the scenes of the 1995 documentary; new mixes of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” are coming out; and an updated book is due.

By Michaela Towfighi

“Long Story Short,” a new animated series from Raphael Bob-Waksberg with art by Lisa Hanawalt, trades the talking animals for kvetching humans.

By Robert Ito and Jeremy Paige

This ambitious sequel serves as a testament to the level of artistry in the Chinese animation industry right now.

By Maya Phillips

The country singer became the latest major artist to abandon the awards, declining to enter his chart-topping fourth album, “I’m the Problem,” for the 2026 ceremony.

By Julia Jacobs

The actor’s improv background makes him more comfortable in comedy, but his performance in this twisty sci-fi mystery brought his first Emmy nomination.

By Dave Itzkoff

The band emerged in the ’90s nu metal scene and quickly expanded its range. Now it sits at the nexus of heavy music and nostalgia that’s enticing new listeners.

By Mike Isaac

A lot of folks, human and otherwise, seem very interested in getting their hands on the newly crash-landed alien specimens. What could go wrong?

By Sean T. Collins

Trace the evolution of the genre over the decades via songs by Sister Nancy, Cutty Ranks, Super Cat and more.

By David Renard

The singer’s 12th album is being teased as a pivot back to pop bangers. On Popcast, we break down why (and why she announced it the way she did).

Over a decade, Duffy has played alongside a host of respected bands. On a new LP as Hand Habits, the musician emerges in love and more connected to their body.

By Grayson Haver Currin

Knox served as an executive producer on “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,” an ambitious new Hulu mini-series that recounts her infamous international crime saga.

By Maya Salam

For decades, “South Park” has been crude, cynical and childish. That may be what makes it perfect for this moment.

By James Poniewozik

The singer and songwriter was part of the beloved British girl group Little Mix. Her debut album on her own, “That’s Showbiz Baby!,” is a bold statement of self.

By Shaad D’Souza

The actress, who plays Wednesday Addams’s werewolf bestie in “Wednesday,” on hiking in mossy forests, revenge stories and her love of cheetahs.

By Sarah Bahr

Listen to tracks by Dijon, Woody Guthrie, iLe and others.

By Jon Pareles

The “Sex and the City” revival reached its bittersweet end this week. Does the actress like where Carrie Bradshaw landed? “Absolutely.”

By Alexis Soloski

The Dallas M.C. announced a country album on a whim. Luke Combs, Shaboozey and Ella Langley took him seriously.

By Jon Caramanica, Joe Coscarelli and Jason Nocito

The “Sex and the City” revival ended on an empowering but bittersweet note for Carrie and the crew … and also with Barry White.

By Ali Trachta

The two megastars recently sat for hourslong video conversations on streaming platforms, but took different approaches to what they revealed.

By Jon Caramanica

The last “Peanuts” musical on TV was over 35 years ago. An Apple TV+ special recalls the classics while taking a slightly different direction.

By Laurel Graeber

Artists like Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, the Creator are pulling in huge audiences on the road, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again is preparing for his first-ever tour.

By Ross Scarano

The pop superstar received a costume design award for her Netflix football halftime performance tied to her “Cowboy Carter” album.

By Derrick Bryson Taylor

Decades-old tracks by artists including Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, LL Cool J and Talking Heads are finding younger fans. Record labels hope new videos will feed their interest.

By Eric Ducker

Noah Hawley’s new expansion to the “Alien” franchise introduces a host of new characters and concepts — and some disgusting new monsters.

By Sean T. Collins

Let songs from Lorde, boygenius, Mitski and more help push through a sticky, sludgy August.

By Dani Blum

The new FX series went to Thailand to film a story that takes place in a hotter, wetter, more ominous world.

By Mike Hale