The Most Important Thing Dave Chappelle Ever Did Was Walk Away
On fearlessness, the limitations of any one narrative, and what a history of Black comedy can and can’t show
Culture
Why Can’t Euphoria Grow Up?
On the teen drama’s third season, adulthood brings only more misery.
The Profound Comedy of Outer Space
A goofy sketch captured the grandeur of the Artemis II mission, but also something bittersweet.
Steven Soderbergh’s Strange, Surprising Heist Movie
The Christophers starts as the tale of a forgery, but ends as an intimate meditation on art.
Masterpieces of the New Deal
Critics wrote the work off as kitsch for the masses. But a set of murals celebrating Social Security—now threatened with destruction—show that such sweeping judgments went too far.
The Artemis Astronauts Are Studs
Strength, courage, expertise, wonder: NASA’s moon-mission crew has reset the bar for greatness.
Maybe You’ll Never Really Know Who You’re Marrying
The fear of commitment transforms The Drama from a romance into a horror story.
The Literary Job AI Can’t Replace
Ghostwriting is good, actually—when it’s done by humans.
Scrubs Has a Sneakily Radical Vision of Male Friendship
The return of TV’s best bromance comes at an uncertain time for relationships between men.
The NBA Isn’t the Same for Everyone
Jaden Ivey’s split with the Chicago Bulls was a brutal reminder of how professional sports often work.
Who Is Black Comedy For?
A new book is nostalgic for the ’90s. But the era of crossover success was not necessarily the pinnacle of Black comedic achievement.
What the Astronauts See That Trump Cannot
Pictures of the Earth from the Artemis II mission offer a sense that humans are united. If only a bellicose president could feel the same.
The Feeling of Becoming Less and Less of a Person
In Ben Lerner’s new novel, technology divides us further from one another, and ourselves.
Savannah Guthrie and the Hard Truth About True Crime
Everyone wants a happy outcome. But sometimes, the greatest relief is any ending at all.