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Orna Gurlanik is the therapist at the center of the documentary series Couples Therapy.

Orna Gurlanik is the therapist at the center of the documentary series Couples Therapy. Paramount+ with SHOWTIME hide caption

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Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

Interview highlights

TV series 'Couples Therapy' gives viewers a rare look into real life therapy sessions

Psychotherapist Orna Gurlanik, star of the documentary series Couples Therapy, is challenging the idea that couples therapy is a last-ditch effort for people.

TV: COUPLES THERAPY S4

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'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. Disney Plus hide caption

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Disney Plus

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

The venerable British science fiction series Doctor Who is back with a new season. Ncuti Gatwa — who is Black and openly queer — brings a vibrant energy to the story of an alien who travels through space and time in a blue box. The series, now streaming on Disney+, also features the return of showrunner Russell T. Davies, who birthed the modern era of Doctor Who. But what does this mix of new and old mean for the sci-fi institution?

'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

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Ed O'Neill as former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling in Clipped.

Ed O'Neill as former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling in Clipped. Kelsey McNeal/FX hide caption

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Kelsey McNeal/FX

Review

TV Reviews

'Clipped' finds bigger questions in the scandal of ex-Clippers owner Donald Sterling

The new miniseries dramatizes the 2014 fallout when racist comments by former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling were recorded and leaked.

'Clipped' dramatizes the 2014 leak of former L.A. Clippers owner's racist comments

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'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

Laurence Fishburne as Doc Rivers in Clipped. Kelsey McNeal/FX hide caption

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Kelsey McNeal/FX

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

The new FX limited series Clipped tells the story of Donald Sterling, the then-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who was outed as a racist. Sterling's girlfriend – who was Black and Mexican – secretly recorded their conversations. When those tapes leaked, he was embroiled in a scandal that upended the NBA – an industry that profits off the star power of its majority Black players. The series stars Ed O'Neill and Laurence Fishburne as the owner and the head coach who clashed as it all went down.

'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

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Clockwise from top left: Industry, My Lady Jane, The Bear, The Umbrella Academy, Clipped and House of the Dragon

Clockwise from top left: Industry, My Lady Jane, The Bear, The Umbrella Academy, Clipped and House of the Dragon Nick Strasburg/HBO, Jonathan Prime/Prime Video, Chuck Hodes/FX, Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix, Kelsey McNeal/FX, Ollie Upton/HBO hide caption

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Nick Strasburg/HBO, Jonathan Prime/Prime Video, Chuck Hodes/FX, Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix, Kelsey McNeal/FX, Ollie Upton/HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

What to watch this summer: Here are the TV shows we're looking forward to

Our critics scanned the broadcast and streaming horizons to find the shows you should check out in June, July and August. There's some great new TV — plus, House of the Dragon and The Bear are back.

Looking back at 'The Sopranos,' the godfather of prestige TV

James Gandolfini and Edie Falco in The Sopranos. HBO/Getty Images hide caption

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HBO/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Looking back at 'The Sopranos,' the godfather of prestige TV

The Sopranos changed television. The HBO series was centered on mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a deeply flawed male antihero. That then- innovative approach cast a long shadow on television, but what really set The Sopranos apart was the fact that Tony was in therapy — a genius touch that granted viewers special access to his inner conflicts. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the show's premiere, so we're revisiting our conversation about the series.

Looking back at 'The Sopranos,' the godfather of prestige TV

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The chemistry between Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) has simmered for three long seasons on Abbott Elementary.

The chemistry between Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) has simmered for three long seasons on Abbott Elementary. Gilles Mingasson/Disney hide caption

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Gilles Mingasson/Disney

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Will they? Won't they? And ... why do we care?

Janine and Gregory. Jim and Pam. Sydney and Carmy? Critic Aisha Harris, a self-described will-they-won't-they grinch, explores our obsession with simmering sexual tension ... even when there is none.

We debate the best fictional bands

Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, and Rachael Leigh Cook in Josie and the Pussycats. Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo hide caption

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Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We debate the best fictional bands

Sometimes, our favorite musical artists are too good to be true because they're sprung from the imaginations of Hollywood screenwriters. But what makes a fake band great? Today, we are debating the best fictional bands in TV and film — including from Mamma Mia!, Josie and the Pussycats, It's Your Move, and Miami Connection.

We debate the best fictional bands

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'We Are Lady Parts' rocks with bracing honesty and nuance

Sarah Kameela Impey as Saira in We Are Lady Parts. Peacock hide caption

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Peacock

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'We Are Lady Parts' rocks with bracing honesty and nuance

The Peacock series We Are Lady Parts is a bold and very funny comedy about an up-and-coming London punk band called Lady Parts. The members of Lady Parts, and its manager, are all young Muslim women, from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Over the course of its first season, each member experiences triumphs and setbacks – including its lead guitarist, who strives to overcome stage fright. The show is about to return for a new season, so today, we are revisiting our conversation about it.

'We Are Lady Parts' rocks with bracing honesty and nuance

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Terrible but bingeable TV shows

Kiefer Sutherland in Designated Survivor. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Terrible but bingeable TV shows

What is it about a show that turns you into a bitter-ender, that keeps you dutifully watching every last episode, long after the train has jumped the tracks? Even when you know it's not good, but, for you anyway, it's just good enough to muddle through, all the way to the finale? Today, we're talking about terrible but bingeable TV shows.

Terrible but bingeable TV shows

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Kristen Wiig plays a former pageant queen in Palm Royale.

Kristen Wiig plays a former pageant queen in Palm Royale. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

Years ago, a psychic told Kristen Wiig to move to LA. She left the next day

Fresh Air

The SNL alum co-stars with Carol Burnett in Palm Royale, an Apple TV+ series about a former pageant queen who wants to break into high society. Wiig says the show was a chance to work with "a legend."

Years ago, a psychic told Kristen Wiig to move to LA. She left the next day

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The sexy sex is back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The sexy sex is back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

The Netflix series Bridgerton is back, as gossipy and over-the-top as ever. Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and her crush on childhood best friend Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) take center-stage. When Penelope is determined to find a husband, Colin wants to help her and they start spending extra time together. But where will this lead? Well, you know the answer to that. It's all about the journey, and the clothes, and the nudity, and obviously, the Queen's hair.

The sexy sex is back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

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This new show gives a little heard perspective on the Vietnam War

Robert Downey Jr. (left) and Hoa Xuande (right) in the HBO adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer. Beth Dubber/HBO hide caption

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Beth Dubber/HBO

Consider This from NPR

This new show gives a little heard perspective on the Vietnam War

Hollywood depictions have long helped inform America's understanding of the Vietnam War.

This new show gives a little heard perspective on the Vietnam War

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Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington.

Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington. Liam Daniel/Netflix hide caption

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Liam Daniel/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

What took him so long? Colin finally likes Penelope back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

The Netflix show's third season takes on the "friends to lovers" romance trope.

What took him so long? Colin finally likes Penelope back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

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From child star to 'Abbott,' Tyler James Williams pays it forward to the kids on set

Tyler James Williams and Quinta Brunson co-star as teachers on Abbott Elementary. ABC hide caption

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ABC

From child star to 'Abbott,' Tyler James Williams pays it forward to the kids on set

Fresh Air

Williams was young when he was thrust into the public eye as the star of Everybody Hates Chris. Now a teacher on Abbott Elementary, he works to help his child actor colleagues feel comfortable.

From child star to 'Abbott,' Tyler James Williams pays it forward to the kids on set

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