American screenwriter and director best known for the hit films Chinatown, The Last Detail and Shampoo
November 2023
‘A recipe for blandness’: critic Peter Biskind on why quality television is in chronic decline
The author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls has turned his gaze from Hollywood to prestige television, arguing that a golden age of TV that began with The Sopranos has been ruined by corporate greed
June 2023
The end of the schlub: why the sharp-dressed man is back for summer
‘The end of peak television’: has the era of prestige TV just ground to a halt?
August 2022
‘At best it is brain-rotting’: Love Island will be banned in 50 years
As another toxic series of Love Island draws to a close, we ask: is it as lethal for our health as smoking?
July 2022
Mad Men at 15: how the genius advertising drama foresaw the death of the American dream
From the micro-aggressions toward Black, female and LGBTQ characters to its depiction of a worrying narcissist named Donald, this forward-thinking drama was a warning from history
April 2022
Robert Morse, star of Mad Men and Broadway, dies aged 90
The actor is best known for playing Bert Cooper in the hit drama, and twice won Tony awards for stage roles
December 2021
Cultural prescription
Sip, sip, hooray! Film, music, art and more about drinking
Whether your tipple is Mad Men, Roger Scruton or a game set in Satan’s afterparty, our critics toast the best culture about booze
September 2021
10 of the best ...
From The Sopranos to Fleabag: 10 of the best television finales
Demons, dinosaur attacks, an inspired advertising pitch … There are many ways to conclude a much-loved show. Here are the most memorable
June 2021
Christina Hendricks: ‘We were critically acclaimed – and everyone wanted to ask me about my bra’
The star of Good Girls discusses Mad Men, sexual harassment and squaring her glamorous reputation with her ‘weird, goofy’ personality
May 2021
‘Cliffhangers should be illegal!’: the most annoying things about TV
From shoddy subtitles to improbable accents and the fact that no one ever uses a toilet, our writers address the biggest bugbears on the small screen
September 2020
Pitfalls of the BBC using independent production companies
Letters: The corporation already works with independents and is highly innovative, but is hampered by government policies, writes Steve Elliot
March 2020
Alison Brie: ‘The effects of trauma spider-webbed through the whole family’
Even as a young girl, Alison Brie knew how to entertain a crowd. Now, the star of Mad Men and Glow is tackling the heartbreak of her grandmother’s struggles with mental illness
December 2019
The decade in TV
No more Mr Bad Guy – farewell for ever to TV's male antiheroes
At the start of the decade, the likes of Don Draper and Walter White loomed large on our screens. Now, they’ve been neutered – and made way for far more fascinating figures
November 2019
So long, 2010s: the decade in review
Luxury hoodies and unmissable bottoms: 10 looks that defined the decade
From feminist Ts to Love Island bodies, this is how fashion looked in the 2010s
October 2019
‘Golden age of TV’ gives boost to music industry
Proliferation of hit TV has led fans to stream soundtracks of their favourite Netflix and Amazon Prime shows
September 2019
Best culture of the 21st century
The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century
Where’s Mad Men? How did The Sopranos do? Does The Crown triumph? Can anyone remember Lost? And will Downton Abbey even figure? Find out here – and have your say
June 2019
Shortcuts
When TV audiences attack: why Julie from Friends and Betty Draper don’t deserve our venom
Lauren Tom has revealed she was booed during Friends tapings – but she is not the only actor to come up against unexpected and explosive fan fury
May 2019
Chernobyl's Jared Harris: My wife can't believe how I keep getting bumped off!
From Mad Men to The Crown, the actor is used to big exits. As new disaster drama Chernobyl launches, he talks about cover-ups, climate change shame – and his hellraising dad Richard
January 2019
From Buffy to Boardwalk Empire: your favourite boxsets ever
Vampire slayers, bootleggers, polygamists and the most evil villain since Satan ... readers respond to our critics’ list with more brilliant binge-worthy TV we missed
