Television

Paula Pell has "a very toned joke-writing muscle," says comedian Tina Fey. "She can just go and go and go."

Arts

Comedy Writer Paula Pell Says You Don't Have To Go Far For Good Material

1:36pm December 18, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

The longtime Saturday Night Live writer created the screenplay for the new Tina Fey-Amy Poehler movie Sisters. Pell says she wanted to explore how people carry their teenage identities into adulthood.

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Robin Wright's fictional character Claire Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards is a favorite of TV critics and fans. But the demographics of real U.S. women who have abortions are very different from the TV character's.

On TV, Women Who Have Abortions Are Younger, Whiter And Wealthier

11:38am December 18, 2015

by Lisa Aliferis

An analysis of TV shows finds that fictional characters getting abortions are better off than the average American who has an abortion, and are also less likely to already be raising children.

Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons star as Amy and Sheldon on CBS's The Big Bang Theory.

Arts

Baby Steps: Love And 'The Big Bang Theory'

8:33pm December 17, 2015

by Linda Holmes

How does The Big Bang Theory mark one of the biggest events in nerddom? Well, they thought of something.

The patriarch of F Is for Family, Frank Murphy (Bill Burr), is an angry dad and husband who manages an airport's baggage claim.

Arts

Dad Rage Fuels The Comedy Of 'F Is For Family'

5:34pm December 17, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

The animated Netflix series features an often-frustrated patriarch named Frank Murphy. Comic and co-creator Bill Burr says the show is inspired by his own childhood stories.

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Comedian John Mulaney in his new special, The Comeback Kid.

Arts

You're Never Too Young To Be A 'Comeback Kid'

7:19pm December 16, 2015

by NPR Staff

Comedian John Mulaney is only 33, but he's already had an Emmy nomination and a failed sitcom — so he decided it would be amusingly on-the-nose to name his new Netflix special The Comeback Kid.

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Jimmy Fallon, 'The Force Awakens' Cast Sing 'Star Wars' Medley

6:25am December 16, 2015

A young jedi named Jimmy Fallon gathered Star Wars cast members, the Tonight Show band, The Roots — along with Chewie and some droids. Their weapon: a capella.

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Queen Amidala addresses the Galactic Senate, calling for a vote of no confidence in the chancellor.

Politics & Government

Why The Politics Of The 'Star Wars' Universe Makes No Sense

8:53pm December 15, 2015

Seriously, do you understand how the Galactic Senate functioned?

Kenya Barris, the creator and writer of Black-ish, in his office on the ABC lot in Burbank, Calif., in December. Black-ish is now in its second season, airing on ABC.

Arts

Kenya Barris Creates An 'Absolutely Black' Family for Prime Time

3:48pm December 15, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

"We're kind of taught to give your kids more than you had. But in giving them more, what do they lose?" asks the creator of Black-ish.

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Science

Encouraging TV Binge Watching May Backfire On Advertisers

2:00pm December 15, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

Research finds that viewers who binge watch are less engaged with ads than viewers who watch TV shows periodically. We explore the psychological reasons why binge watchers are less interested in ads.

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Arts

Kenya Barris Creates An 'Absolutely Black' Family for Prime Time

1:47pm December 15, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

"We're taught to give your kids more than you had. But in giving them more, what do they lose?" Kenya Barris, creator, Black-ish

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