Critics at Large | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
Critics at Large is a weekly culture podcast from The New Yorker. Every Thursday, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss current obsessions, classic texts they’re revisiting with fresh eyes, and trends that are emerging across books, television, film, and more. The show runs the gamut of the arts and pop culture, with lively, surprising conversations about everything from Salman Rushdie to “The Real Housewives.” Through rigorous analysis and behind-the-scenes insights into The New Yorker’s reporting, the magazine’s critics help listeners make sense of our moment—and how we got here.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 7, 2026 • 50min
The Met Gala, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” and the State of Style
A lively chat about this year’s Met Gala as spectacle, sponsorship, and social-media theater. A look at the darker, click-chasing world of the new Devil Wears Prada sequel and how billionaires shape fashion institutions. Personal stories about dressing, memory, and gender punctuate a bigger conversation about fashion’s changing power and pleasures.
9 snips
Apr 30, 2026 • 49min
What “Michael” Tries to Show—or Hide
Kelefa Sanneh, a New Yorker staff writer and pop-music critic, unpacks Michael Jackson’s rise and the new biopic. He discusses why Jackson still draws crowds. He explores how the film’s scope was shaped by the estate and how it sidesteps abuse allegations. He considers the emotional power of early footage and the dissonance with more critical portrayals.
48 snips
Apr 23, 2026 • 48min
Why Earnestness is Everywhere
They trace a cultural shift away from irony toward earnestness across film, TV, books, and real life. Conversations span sincere space‑flight reflections, warm sci‑fi and medical dramas, and vulnerable dating shows. Two recent memoirs and novels are read as midlife turns toward feeling. Generational forces and public moments that normalize big feelings are explored.
Apr 16, 2026 • 49min
“Beef,” “The Drama,” and the New Marriage Plot
A lively conversation about cultural skepticism toward marriage and why rates keep falling. They dig into Beef’s look at couples, class, and rivalry, and The Drama’s chaotic wedding unraveling. Memoirs and debates about polyamory and open relationships get attention. The panel traces how 19th-century ideals shaped today’s romantic expectations.
14 snips
Apr 9, 2026 • 45min
The Guilty Pleasure of the Heist
A playful dive into why we love heists, from the viral Louvre break-in to on-screen capers. They compare slick competence in films like Ocean’s Eleven with botched, desperate thefts. Conversations trace the thrill of outsmarting institutions, the aesthetics of heist memes, and why glamour and chaos both satisfy our curiosity.
Apr 2, 2026 • 48min
“DTF St. Louis” and the New Story of the Suburbs
A suburban whodunnit and its simmering resentments set the frame. Critics trace midcentury unease from Cheever and Sirk to 1980s nostalgia and teen-movie culture. They probe material anxieties, contested property, gendered blame, and how loneliness and surprising tenderness surface in modern neighborhood dramas.
17 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 46min
The Soft Power of BTS
A deep dive into BTS’s long-awaited return, their new Korean-rooted record, and the Netflix concert and documentary accompanying it. Conversation touches on the group’s crafted image, intense ARMY practices like coordinated streaming, and how K-pop functions as global soft power shaping tourism, beauty, and national image. They also probe monetized parasociality and the industry pressures behind fandom.
10 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 51min
“Love Story” and Why We Cling to the Kennedy Myth
A lively talk about Ryan Murphy’s Love Story and its glossy recreation of 1990s style. The conversation probes how the Kennedys became a politics-meets-fashion myth and how aesthetics can mask darker history. They compare cultural portrayals from paparazzi photography to films like JFK and Jackie. The critics debate ethics of fictionalizing real lives and why the Kennedy story keeps captivating America.
18 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 49min
The Hall of Fame—and of Shame—of Oscars Hosts
Michael Schulman, New Yorker staff writer and author of Oscar Wars, provides historical context on Oscars hosting. He and the panel revisit classic triumphs and cringe-making flops. They discuss why hosting is so hard, the insider-outsider comedy balance, and how celebrity culture and changing tastes shape who succeeds on the Oscars stage.
Feb 26, 2026 • 49min
Critics at Large Live: “Wuthering Heights” and Its Afterlives
A live conversation about why Emily Brontë’s strange, intense novel keeps inspiring bold retellings. They debate Emerald Fennell’s polarizing film and what gets cut or doubled down in adaptations. The panel traces race, class, narrative framing, eroticism, and memorable screen versions from Olivier to Andrea Arnold. They also riff on Kate Bush, pandemic resonance, and imagining modern casting.
