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New York magazine / RogerEbert.com
Matt Zoller Seitz is the television critic for New York magazine and Vulture, and editor-in-chief of RogerEbert.com. He is the author of The Wes Anderson Collection.
PROFILE
Matt Zoller Seitz
Guest
FROM Matt Zoller Seitz
To the Point
TV in the age of covfefe Russian spies in Washington, an unpredictable and controversial President sitting in the White House and a dystopian version of America, isolated from the world. Is this fact... or fiction? We talk about television in the age of Trump. Screen shot from a video by Huy Parkinson There once was a time when television offered us a fictional, over-the-top president capable of surprising schemes, surrounded by a dangerous team of loyalists whose sole ambition was the pursuit of power. But now, reality seems to have overtaken fiction. This presents an interesting challenge for writers and producers. How can scripted television compete with the un-scripted presidency. Matt Zoller Seitz, television critic for New York Magazine and Vulture, considers TV in the age of covfefe.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What's the best TV show ever? Photo: dailyinvention Hundreds, if not thousands, of shows have been made for the small screen since the advent of television – not all of them high quality. But there have been enough great American TV shows by now to cause intense debate over which are the best. Two critics created a comprehensive ranking system to compare hundreds of shows. They came up with a canon of the 100 greatest American shows of all time. It’s a new book titled “TV (The Book).”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What's the best TV show ever? A debate Hundreds, if not thousands, of shows have been made for the small screen since the advent of television – not all of them high quality, of course. But there have been enough great American TV shows by now to cause intense debate over which are the best of all time. Well, two critics have engaged in a spirited debate and have narrowed it down. Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall created a comprehensive ranking system to compare hundreds of shows, and came up with a canon of the one hundred greatest American shows of all time. It’s a new book titled, “TV (The Book).”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Oliver Stone still wants to 'outrage people, wake them up' The new film “Snowden,” which stars Joseph Gordon Levitt as NSA leaker Edward Snowden, is out Friday . To coincide with the premiere, as well as filmmaker Oliver Stone’s seventieth birthday, TV and film critic Matt Zoller Seitz has put out a 480-page coffee-table book on Oliver Stone. The book is based on 100 hours of interviews, and it includes parts of Stone’s screenplays, storyboards, personal photos and correspondence. The title is “The Oliver Stone Experience,” and Zoller Seitz joins Press Play to talk about how, after four decades making films, Oliver Stone still wants to “outrage people, wake them up.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Decline of the Serial TV Drama, Rise of the Anthology The Season 6 finale of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” set up a possibly epic showdown between houses next season, and left fans immediately theorizing about what will happen next. But Game of Thrones is that too-rare great serial drama these days that leaves fans on pins and needles in anticipation for next season. That’s why many shows now are trying different models and anthology series are on the rise .
To the Point
How to End a Modern Drama like AMC's 'Breaking Bad'? Spoiler alert for those who've never watched Breaking Bad , the AMC TV series that started five seasons ago. Episode one: chemistry teacher Walter White discovers he has cancer with only two years left to live. To provide security for his wife and a son with cerebral palsy he begins making and selling methamphetamine. As he descends into the Albuquerque drug trade, segments explore the questionable morality of the anti-hero. With just two episodes remaining, here's the question: is there any way to write a satisfying ending? Matt Zoller Sietz is TV critic for New York magazine, editor in chief of RogerEbert.com and author of The Wes Anderson Collection .
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Trump says goodbye Paris Accord: What does it mean for U.S. and the planet? President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, the landmark international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Trump was to renegotiate a new deal, but will that happen?
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”
The Business
Revisiting showrunner Steven Bochco on his memoir Steven Bochco, the writer-producer behind record-breaking Emmy winners Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, fought battles with everyone from out-of-control actors to network censors in his long career. He isn’t afraid to tell those tales in his memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense. This week we revisit the conversation where he shared some of his favorite stories with us.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?