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    ‘The Sticky’ Is a Taut and Tasty Heist Thriller

    Starring Margo Martindale, the six-episode Amazon series, based loosely on a true story, tells a gonzo tale of a maple syrup heist.“The Sticky,” available Friday on Amazon Prime Video, is the latest quirky crime dramedy to begin with a title card disavowing its veracity: “This is absolutely not the true story of the great Canadian maple syrup heist.” Indeed, “The Sticky” is inspired only loosely by the actual heist of 2011-12, in which thieves in Quebec stole $18 million worth of syrup over the course of several months. The clearer inspiration for the show is all the other shows it resembles, all the far-flung cousins at the “Fargo” family reunion.This is to the show’s advantage. “The Sticky” has learned from its predecessors’ mistakes, and like maple syrup itself has been reduced down into its most concentrated and tasty form: six half-hour episodes. There is one timeline, and the screws tighten precisely and constantly. Things move from “ … should we?” to “ack!” with a winning urgency. This tidiness, though, can sometimes feel like oversimplification, with lines that land as childish and pat. “Look at you and look at me,” the villain says to our hero. “What makes you possibly think you can win?” One yearns for the musical number that would follow this in a Disney movie.Margo Martindale stars as Ruth, a woman who has run afoul of the local syrup licensing rules but is desperate for money because her husband is in a coma. She teams up with an in-over-his-head mob underling (Chris Diamantopoulos) and the security guard at a syrup warehouse (Guillaume Cyr), and they form an imperfect but endearing trio. Hot on their tails are the warm local cop and the icy big-city cop.Martindale is the draw here, and she more than delivers, but Cyr is the highlight. His Remy is doofy, aggrieved, awkward, but more sweet than menacing — often underestimated, but also often vulnerable. Even the other characters call him “the Oaf.” The scenes between Cyr and Martindale are when the show feels fullest, like its best self.Central to the show are syrup taps and barrels, and the story itself overflows its container a bit: Some of the big twists and important developments happen in the codas, after the first moments of end credits. And few shows in living memory have set up their second seasons with such juicy dun dun dunnns, so much so that it feels like taunting the cancellation gods. More

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    Late Night Weighs In on Pete Hegseth’s ‘Teetering’ Nomination Prospects

    Hosts riff on Trump’s possible swap of his secretary of defense nominee amid excessive-drinking claims against Hegseth.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.‘Sobering News’President-elect Donald Trump is said to be reconsidering his choice of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary after allegations emerged of the former Fox News host drinking excessively while on the job.On Wednesday’s “Daily Show,” Ronny Chieng wondered who could have seen this coming — “other than Matt Gaetz, Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Cohen and everyone else Trump has ever come into contact with?”“Hey, anyone heard from Herman Cain lately? He’s dead — Google it.” — RONNY CHIENG“OK, before you judge — yes, his show starts at six in the morning, but he was still drinking from the night before, OK? So it’s not sad, it’s awesome.” — RONNY CHIENG“I mean, if Hegseth doesn’t get confirmed, this is really going to make people question Trump’s strategy of giving the most unemployable people on earth the hardest jobs that have ever existed.” — RONNY CHIENGThe Punchiest Punchlines (Plan D Edition)“Apparently, the reports of the drinky-drink are making Trump doing the thinky-think, because word is Trump’s support for Hegseth is teetering, much like Pete Hegseth at a staff meeting.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Instead, Trump is mulling replacing Hegseth with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. While DeSantis actually has some defense qualifications, the replacement isn’t a done deal, because some in Trump’s orbit strongly dislike Ron DeSantis. Wow, that is a weird way to find out I am in Trump’s orbit.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“And if you’re wondering what qualifications Ron DeSantis has to run the Pentagon, you are correct to wonder that.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“But at least Ron DeSantis is the governor of a state, and he does have military experience. He served in the navy as a JAG officer — he’s a real jag officer, this guy.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Bits Worth WatchingThe actress Isabella Rossellini discussed the revival of her film “Death Becomes Her” as a Broadway musical while on Wednesday’s “Tonight Show.”What We’re Excited About on Thursday NightThe “Saturday Night Live” alumna Kate McKinnon will appear on Thursday’s “Late Show.”Also, Check This OutGetting notes from the fellow actor Jesse Eisenberg, his castmate and director, threw Kieran Culkin off at first: “Literally, my chest would pop out, and I’d clench my fist and be in a defensive stance.”Sam Hellmann for The New York TimesKieran Culkin is an awards season front-runner for his role in “A Real Pain,” but his favorite part to play is father to his two children. More

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    ‘The Agency’ and ‘Black Doves’: Spy Dramas in Touch With Their Feelings

    ‘The Agency’ and ‘Black Doves’ are part of a new crop of espionage series whose biggest battles take place within the hearts and minds of their agents.Ukraine and Russia are at war. Political instability and civil war rage in Sudan. Iran is ramping up its nuclear capabilities. The world is basically a mess in “The Agency,” the new espionage series that inundates the viewer with rapidly intersecting story lines set on an increasingly complicated geopolitical playing field.The series, which premiered last week on Paramount+ (with the Showtime tier), is part of a surge in spy shows that also includes “The Day of the Jackal,” on Peacock; “Black Doves,” premiering Dec. 5 on Netflix; and “Slow Horses,” which wrapped up its fourth season on Apple TV+ this fall.True to the genre, these series jet all over the globe (though mostly Europe) and unfold in high-tech command centers and in dark urban alleyways, via thrilling shootouts and furtive meetups. Some operatives pursue sanctioned missions as others go rogue. Multiple cats chase multiple mice, and it’s not always clear who is which.The most pitched battles, however, happen within the hearts and minds of the individual players. Even as the new spy shows reflect a fraught, tangled and mercenary post-Cold War world, the existential threats and conflicts are more interior, intimate and, in many ways, timeless.“It’s the agency,” a Central Intelligence Agency honcho (Jeffrey Wright) tells a field agent (Michael Fassbender) in “The Agency.” “Nothing is personal.” Nothing, that is, except everything.Jeffrey Wright, right, with John Magaro, plays a C.I.A. boss in “The Agency,” based on the French series “The Bureau.”Luke Varley/Paramount+ with ShowtimeWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    ‘Let’s Make a Dance.’ At Nature Theater, the Body Rules.

    In “No President,” Nature Theater of Oklahoma creates its version of a story ballet, one burpee at a time.It started with a dance. For Nature Theater of Oklahoma, that’s not unusual. Pavol Liska, who directs the company with his wife, Kelly Copper, said, “Dance becomes a kind of cell that contains the full DNA of everything.”In “No President,” set mainly to Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” the dance that Liska and Copper made is not performed in its entirety until the very end. It’s a distillation of the movement and gestural material seen throughout the work, its “vocabulary,” Liska said. “You steal from the dance.”There is no Land of the Sweets or Sugarplum Fairy in “No President,” which has its North American premiere at NYU Skirball on Thursday and runs through Saturday. But the show, subtitled “a story ballet of enlightenment in two immoral acts,” is choreographed — humorously, violently, roughly, tenderly — within an inch of its life. For Nature Theater, a capacious, playful experimental theater company in New York City that is known for its risk and rigor, dance serves a distinct purpose.“I’m always nervous,” Liska said. “I’m always anxious, and the best way for me to just relax myself into the process is to make a dance. Even if we teach a class, the first thing I say is, ‘OK, let’s make a dance.’”Copper said, “Dance is like a way of insisting that the heart of the thing will be a kind of pleasure, because it is a pleasure for us to work in dance. It’s the most fun we have.”A scene from “No President”: “Dance becomes a kind of cell that contains the full DNA of everything,” Liska said.Heinrich Brinkmöller-BeckerWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Late Night Razzes Trump’s Upcoming Visit to Notre-Dame

    “If all goes according to plan, he would like to buy it and turn it into a casino,” Jimmy Kimmel said of the Paris cathedral on Tuesday.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Prayers Up for ParisPresident-elect Donald Trump will fly to France this weekend to attend the reopening of the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, five years after it was gutted by a fire.“If all goes according to plan, he would like to buy it and turn it into a casino,” Jimmy Kimmel joked on Tuesday.“When Notre-Dame was on fire five years ago, if you remember, Trump was very helpful. He tweeted, ‘So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out?’ Because before then, nobody had thought of using water to put out a fire. That’s why he’s a genius.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Trump plans to meet with French President Macron, who is one of the first world leaders smart enough to congratulate him on his victory last month. He wrote: ‘Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine.’ That’s right — between the two of them, they’ve got 34 convictions.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“And it’ll be interesting to see Trump and Macron interact. Trump is said to be jealous of the French president because he’s able to button his suit jacket without adding butter to his chest.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“But it’s expected to be a nice, very pleasant trip for the president-elect to enjoy Paris before he takes office, and, of course, for his wife Melania to enjoy wherever it is she will be this weekend.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (On Fire Edition)“I read that President-elect Trump is going to Paris this weekend to attend the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral after it was destroyed in a fire back in 2019. Yep, Trump’s going to take one step inside the church, and it’s going to burst right back into flames.” — JIMMY FALLON“The opening ceremonies are this Sunday, and the restored cathedral will be honored with massive pyrotechnics, a fire-eater and an exhibit of Europe’s most oily rags.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Bits Worth WatchingOn “The Tonight Show” the comedian Fortune Feimster shared the story of successfully introducing her wife to Madonna after 10 years of trying.What We’re Excited About on Wednesday NightBest buddies Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will stop by Wednesday’s “Late Show.”Also, Check This OutJulia Fox takes pride in being one of New York’s most out-there artists.Megan LovalloActress, writer and all-around It Girl Julia Fox shared her tips for being a freak in T Magazine’s Freak City issue. More

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    An Imaginative Treat for ‘Adventure Time’ Fans

    From the creator of that series comes “Mystery Cuddlers,” on Adult Swim, about a retired couple who have taken up private investigating.Today for your viewing pleasure: two Adult Swim one-offs, one newly birthed, the other sadly dead but still glorious. To be a TV fan is to know that sometimes 22 minutes is all you get.The new cartoon “Mystery Cuddlers,” available on the Adult Swim website and YouTube, follows a loving couple, Arthur and June Cuddler (voiced by Randall Park and Pam Grier), who’ve taken up private investigating in their retirement. “Cuddlers” has a bright, appealing oddness and fun character names like Helvetica Deathgurgle, but perhaps its biggest draw is its lineage: It was created by Pendleton Ward, the creator of “Adventure Time,” and Jack Pendarvis, an “Adventure Time” collaborator. “Adventure Time” and its spinoffs are among the most enchanting, dynamic shows of the 2000s, so even a glimmer of its greatness here is an exciting development. Adult Swim often posts pilots, many of which go no further, but in trying times, it’s good to practice hope. (The creators have called the cartoon a “pilot,” but a spokesperson for Adult Swim said it was a “special.”)As we turn our gaze to the future, we also honor those pilots that fared less well. “I’m the Mayor of Bimmi Gardens,” now on YouTube, was made in 2021 but not picked up. It’s a shame because “Bimmi” is filled with an ecstatic strangeness not currently present on television. (I’ll miss you forever, “At Home With Amy Sedaris.”) The show was created by and stars the comedian Chris Fleming and is set in the magical city of Bimmi Gardens, an island off the coast of Florida but technically “a territory of Maine,” whose primary crop is boba.“The boba crop grows when men stay virginal of mind and body,” the mayor reminds us. “Every year people have the same irrational fear: that the men of Bimmi Gardens will become horny and the moon will punish us by preventing our precious boba bushes from fruiting.”The mayor’s assistant (Victoria Pedretti, of “You”) is named RossandRachel, and the evil, alternative crop to boba is mojito, which the mayor fears will turn Bimmi into the worst imaginable place: Miami. Maybe it’s not that surprising that a pastel boba fantasia did not capture the hearts of TV executives, but that stinks for the rest of us.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    ‘How Did I Get Here?’: 7 Days in the Life of a Busy Arts Programmer

    Jay Wegman runs from rehearsals to lunches to shows for his job at N.Y.U. Skirball, then home for a “What We Do in the Shadows” episode or two.Jay Wegman, the artistic director of the N.Y.U. Skirball performing-arts center, likes to say that he lives in three time zones: “the present, a year from now and two years from now.”As far as the present is concerned, he monitors Skirball’s programming, with shows that in November included the Civilians docu-play “Sex Variants of 1941 — A Study of Homosexual Patterns” and “No President,” a wild experiment by Nature Theater of Oklahoma set to “The Nutcracker.”At the same time, Wegman, who moved from the Abrons Art Center to the N.Y.U. position in 2016, works out logistics for the following months and plans for events much farther in the future — a lead time of two or three years is not uncommon when bringing over the international productions that have become one of Skirball’s calling cards.Wegman, 60, kept a diary of his cultural diet during a late October/early November week. These are edited excerpts from phone and email interviews.Wegman joined Skirball as artistic director in 2016 from the Abron Arts Center.Graham Dickie/The New York TimesMonday: The 2 Best Shows on TV?I spent most of the day on emails. We were trying to nail down travel plans for Isabelle Huppert, who is doing “Mary Said What She Said” in February. I went out to dinner with her and Robert Wilson in May, and it freaked me out because I was so aware that I was sitting there with those people. It just was like, “How did I get here?”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More