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      ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Was the ’90s Cartoon That Mattered

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      It doesn’t make best-of lists, but the series, then and now, was always much smarter than its characters, and it didn’t try too hard. Sorry, Bart Simpson.When “Beavis and Butt-Head” premiered in spring 1993, “The Simpsons” was finishing up what many now consider not just its greatest season, but perhaps the greatest ever. Beloved by critics and comedy nerds, it was producing classic episodes like “Marge vs. the Monorail” (written by Conan O’Brien), building a reputation that earned it second place on a recent Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest shows in history. “Beavis and Butt-Head” didn’t make the cut.Yet if you talked to me back then, I would have told you with sniggering teenage confidence that the critically ignored “Beavis and Butt-Head,” a crudely drawn cartoon about two idiots chuckling over music videos, was clearly better. This was no provocation but a considered take — one I don’t regret. Can I explain why Beavis pulling his T-shirt over his blond bouffant and declaring himself the Great Cornholio made me laugh louder than anything Bart Simpson has ever done? No, but it’s true. Sometimes life (and thus comedy) is stupid.Mike Judge, who created the cartoon along with directing cult movies like “Idiocracy” and “Office Space,” is a master of the moronic. It’s why Paramount+ made a major investment in his dormant animated creation, putting old seasons online while rolling out a solid new movie, “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe,” and an even better rebooted series that captures just enough of the original delirious spirit to make you want to imitate the old catchphrases. (“Are you threatening me?” “Fire! Fire!”)This is part of a broader corporate strategy playing on the nostalgic impulses of those of us raised on a steady diet of MTV and VH1. There’s a reunion of the original two casts of “The Real World” (takeaway: time heals few wounds) and a revival of “Behind the Music.” While the reality and music-documentary genres have grown plentiful enough to make those shows seem unnecessary, “Beavis and Butt-Head” remains singular. Its new version includes the title characters as teenagers, but also a few episodes depicting them in middle age, and they all hit comic notes ‌with moseying cadences you can’t find elsewhere.The film “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” is among the new Paramount+ offerings.Paramount+“Beavis and Butt-Head” was always much smarter than its characters, but it resonated with young people because it pulled this off without trying to appeal to their parents. Most ambitious animation, including Pixar movies, tries this trick of telling jokes for one generation layered with references for another. It can be done well, but there’s a price, because kids can tell when you’re talking over their heads. Mike Judge would never smuggle in a satire of Gilbert and Sullivan, as “The Simpsons” did, and his plotting was pointedly indifferent. What mattered to him was capturing the language and attitude of a specific kind of bored, nihilistic boy. As it happens, he also created one of the most memorable acerbic girls of the era, Daria, who started on “Beavis and Butt-Head” before getting her own show.When Butt-Head tittered at a vaguely sexual-sounding word (“He said ‘hanging’”), it was juvenile but familiar. So was the perspective that identified some things that were cool (explosions, lizards, breaking stuff), others that sucked (college, words, alt rock) and nothing in between. When television children were still speaking in zingers, these guys were defiantly inarticulate. In the rare moments that Beavis made a point eloquently, Butt-Head slapped him. But there was a catchy music to their stammering (the way Butt-Head said “hey baby” sticks in the mind), betraying an unmistakable love of the sound of words.Judge’s dialogue was most famous for its steady bass line of grunting laughter. This only seemed stylized. There’s much more laughing in the real world than in our entertainment, most of it not a response to a joke. “Beavis and Butt-Head” was the only show that reflected this.The series belonged to the last decade when sneering at television, and those who watch it, was a respectable prejudice. It’s tempting to say the show came about before the culture war politicized everything, but “Beavis and Butt-Head” was actually a magnet for criticism and moralizing. Controversies about viewers imitating the cartoon were of great interest to journalists but seemed ridiculous to fans. Who would want to be like Beavis, the sycophant forever trying and failing to “score” with girls? Or his alpha pal in braces?Judge satirized liberal teachers and hypocritical authority figures, but his primary source of mockery were the title characters, who spent entire episodes trying and failing to pull off the prank of ringing someone’s doorbell and running way. The heart of the show was them watching and commenting on music videos, a form no serious critic spent much time on. And while it was not the first pop culture product to regularly portray characters analyzing other pop culture products (“Mystery Science Theater 3000” premiered earlier), a big part of the humor of “Beavis and Butt-Head,” particularly for a budding critic like myself, was essentially watching the performance of criticism.The original series satirized authority figures and its own stars alike.MTV, via Everett CollectionThe boys could be withering, as when Butt-Head asked of an Amy Grant video, “Is this a Clearasil commercial?” And they could surprise you, as when they were won over by the Bee Gees. Judge realized years before Jon Stewart did on “The Daily Show” that showing something absurd, then making a face, is all you need for television comedy. Music videos matter less today, but certain themes from the show are only more relevant. In a running joke from the beginning of the series, nothing seemed real or important to these guys unless it was on a screen — even moments you would expect them to find hilarious, like walking in on the principal getting spanked.The reboot, now called “Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head,” drills down on this point and updates the content they critique to include TikTok videos, YouTube how-tos and A.S.M.R. footage.The new show’s look is a mite slicker and the comic situations are set up and executed better, including Episode 1 in which Beavis and Butt-Head mistake an escape room’s bathroom for the place they need to escape. When Butt-Head stares into a toilet, sticks a finger in the air and says: “Now why would someone put a turd in a toilet?” you know the rightful stupidity has been preserved. It’s also a nice surprise to see the new show understand that there are more laughs to be had from Beavis repeating the word “manslaughter” than from any clever joke.But the writers can’t help but jack up the ambition. Butt-Head takes antidepressants (his new gentle laugh is disconcerting) and imagines an alternative universe where Beavis and Butt-Head are smart. In a religion-themed episode, Beavis sees Jesus Christ in a nacho. Seeing what happens to these delinquents in middle age is perhaps inevitably dark, with Beavis, in pants (the horror), sounding like a MAGA fan, albeit one too clueless to vote. Shoehorning Beavis and Butt-Head into a “12 Angry Men” satire is an amusing premise but feels like something “The Simpsons” would do. There are signs of strain.One of the most telling moments in the original show came when Butt-Head spotted a guy in a video and asked, “Is that that Christian Slater dude?” Beavis tried a pun: “It’s like, uh, Christians? Later, dude.” Butt-Head responded with disdain: “Beavis, quit trying to be funny. It never works.”To Butt-Head, nothing sucks more than trying. On this point, teenage affectation and a certain philosophy of wit overlap. Mike Judge understood that while comedy is hard work, hard work isn’t funny. Butt-Head would probably agree, chuckle, then add, “You said ‘hard.’” More

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      Jimmy Kimmel: Superman Doesn’t Fit Trump

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      Kimmel joked that aides couldn’t find the right size of Superman ‘Underoos’ for the former president, who wanted to pull a Clark Kent after leaving Walter Reed in 2020.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.‘Just Like Superman Would Never Do’Maggie Haberman’s new book, “Confidence Man,” reveals that in 2020, President Donald Trump wanted to unbutton his shirt to reveal a Superman T-shirt upon his emergence from Walter Reed Hospital after being treated for Covid.“Unfortunately, they couldn’t find Underoos in a size triple-XL,” Jimmy Kimmel joked.“According to Haberman, the plan was Trump would be wheeled out of Walter Reed hospital in a chair, and, once outdoors, he would dramatically stand up, open his button-down dress shirt to reveal a Superman logo. Listen, the only thing Trump does faster than a speeding bullet is have sex. We know that from Stormy Daniels.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“When he was preparing to leave Walter Reed Medical Center in 2020 after being treated for the coronavirus, then-President Trump reportedly told aides he wanted to exit the hospital in a wheelchair and then stand up to reveal a Superman shirt. You know, just like Superman would never do.” — SETH MEYERSThe Punchiest Punch Lines (Go Fish Edition)“At a fishing tournament in Cleveland on Friday, a duo that had been declared winners were caught cheating. Of course, this was fishing, so after they were caught, they were released.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Now, it’s a lakeside fishing scandal so explosive, many are calling it ‘Watergate.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“I haven’t seen white dudes this mad about fish since Disney announced the ‘Little Mermaid’ thing.” — TREVOR NOAH“You 100 percent could’ve told me that was footage from Jan. 6, and I would have believed you.” — JAMES CORDEN“Honestly, in a million years, I would never be able to guess that professional fishermen’s trash talk would include the phrase, ‘Where’s your crown now?’” — JAMES CORDENThe Bits Worth WatchingTrevor Noah looked into a new dating app for conservatives called The Right Stuff on Monday’s “Daily Show.”What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightThe national touring company of “Oklahoma!” will perform on Tuesday’s “Late Late Show.”Also, Check This OutJack Webb in “Dragnet” and Amanda Warren in “East New York.”From left: NBC, via Getty Images; Scott McDermott/CBSPolice procedurals date back to the dawn of television, but the genre has evolved over the years. More

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      Cop TV Shows: A Brief History of the Police Procedural

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      The genre dates back to the dawn of television, but it has evolved over the years.Scripted television is all but unimaginable without the soothingly formulaic, reliably satisfying police procedural. But the genre has evolved with the medium, becoming grittier, more realistic and more sophisticated — up to a point. In the same way some argue that all war movies are pro-war movies, critics maintain that cop shows inescapably glorify police officers and denigrate perpetrators.Here’s a look at several important cop shows and how the genre has changed over the decades.‘Dragnet’ (debuted in 1951)Adapted from a radio program by its creator and star, Jack Webb, “Dragnet” was one of the most popular cop shows ever, rising as high as No. 2 in the ratings behind “I Love Lucy.”“Dragnet” set the genre’s resilient template: Each episode featured a new crime for the detective partners to solve. Made in extensive consultation with the real-life Los Angeles Police Department (which provided a steady supply of authentic cases on which to base episodes), it also introduced the trend of what critics characterize as an overly deferential view toward law enforcement.‘Hill Street Blues’ (1981)After “Dragnet,” popular cop shows like “Kojak,” “Columbo” and “Cagney & Lacey” injected additional personality into its crime solvers, according to the book “Cop Shows.” But it was “Hill Street Blues” that successfully depicted the sour tones of the job and the toll it could take on officers.Its critical acclaim, including five Emmys for outstanding drama, ensured its influence over the next generation of police procedurals. “With its serial structure, ensemble cast of characters, willingness to be dark and have the characters be unlikable on some level, it was a real stretch from ‘Dragnet,’” said Jonathan Nichols-Pethick, a professor of media studies at DePauw University.‘N.Y.P.D. Blue’ (1993)Along with “N.Y.P.D. Blue,” which brought the profession’s R-rated language and themes to the screen, “Law & Order” and “Homicide: Life on the Street” helped pave the way for the prestige television boom. Each show was brought to network television in the early 1990s with the help of “Hill Street Blues” alumni, building on that show’s realism and sense of place.“Law & Order” has lasted 22 seasons and spawned no fewer than eight spinoffs, while “Homicide: Life on the Street” used vérité-style camerawork to plumb race relations in Baltimore. “N.Y.P.D. Blue” tracked Detective Andy Sipowicz’s evolution to more enlightened racial views over a dozen seasons.The commitment to realism had a range of implications. Bill Clark, a former New York City detective who was a producer on “N.Y.P.D. Blue,” said melodramatic story lines were not always reflective of regular policing methods.“One of the things I was always offended by in other cop shows was in an interrogation room where cops beat the crap out of the guy,” he said.‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ (2000)The innovation that “CSI” provided the cop show was technology, with its investigators using the latest in forensic know-how to crack Las Vegas’s hard cases. In other ways, though, “CSI” was a throwback, relying heavily on the procedural structure that dates back to “Dragnet.”It worked: “CSI” was a top 10 show in each of its first nine seasons, peaking at No. 1. It resulted not only in three direct spinoffs but even more copycats.Some have theorized that the show also generated a “CSI Effect,” in which real-life jurors unrealistically expect compelling forensic evidence.‘The Wire’ (2002)There had never been a crime show quite like “The Wire.”It not only depicted problems with the aims and methods of policing, but at times placed the blame on fundamentally corrupted systems and initiatives like the war on drugs.The critically acclaimed show was created for HBO by Ed Burns, a former Baltimore homicide detective, and David Simon, a former Baltimore Sun reporter who had written for “Homicide: Life on the Street,” a series that was based on his 1991 book.The crime novelist George Pelecanos, who wrote for “The Wire,” said Simon’s pitch was not “a thought-provoking look at the issues in the inner city,” but a show about cops and drug dealers. But, Pelecanos added, “I knew where his heart was. This wasn’t going to be the usual thing where bad guys are pursued and caught.”‘East New York’ (2022)“East New York,” which debuted on CBS on Sunday, follows in the tradition of the police procedural. But its producers are hoping to highlight underemphasized aspects of policing, such as officers building relationships with the community.“Catching bad guys is what cops did in the days of ‘Dragnet,’ and it’s what they still do,” said William Finkelstein, a creator of “East New York” and a veteran of “Law & Order” and “N.Y.P.D. Blue.” “But how do they do it? And what’s their relationship to the people they’re policing?” More

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      What’s on TV This Week: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘The Real Love Boat’

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      The long-running medical drama on ABC begins its 19th season, and CBS airs a reality series inspired by the 1976 TV show.Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, Oct. 3 — 9. Details and times are subject to change.MondayMYSTERIES DECODED PRESENTS: SPIRIT SQUAD 9 p.m. on The CW. The team that includes a paranormal investigator and a psychic medium head to California to explore the Leonis Adobe residence, built in the 1840s. The house was owned by Miguel Leonis, an early settler in the San Fernando Valley who dubbed himself “The King of Calabasas.” Because it is one of the oldest standing residences in the Los Angeles area, the spirit squad is checking to see if any ghosts might exist there.Freddie Highmore in “The Good Doctor.”ABC/Jeff WeddellTHE GOOD DOCTOR 10 p.m. on ABC. Season 6 is starting moments after the last season dropped off — with a wedding interrupted by a traumatic crime. Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and Lea (Paige Spara) navigate their relationship as newlyweds and check on Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) and Nurse Villanueva (Elfina Luk), who survived a stabbing by Villaneuva’s ex-boyfriend and are (hopefully) starting their recovery process.TuesdayHOCUS POCUS (1993) 9 p.m. on Freeform. Once the leaves start to change, the air brings a chill and every grocery store stocks pumpkin-spice products, it’s time to get in the Halloween spirit. What better way than with the witchy Sanderson sisters? Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy star as the sister witches who are resurrected on Halloween night. This will also catch you up for the long-awaited sequel, now on Disney+.WednesdayTHE REAL LOVE BOAT 9 p.m. on CBS. Inspired by the 1970s scripted show, this reality series is “The Bachelor” meets “Below Deck.” Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell host 12 singles (including the boat’s own captain, bartender and cruise director) who mingle as they travel around the Mediterranean. To stay on the boat, couples need to keep pairing up as new contestants come aboard throughout the trip.ICONS UNEARTHED: THE SIMPSONS 10 p.m. on VICE. Last season, this documentary series dove deep into all things “Star Wars.” Now, they are back examining the history behind “The Simpsons,” one of the longest-running prime-time comedies. Throughout six-episodes some of the writers, animators and executives share details from the show and reflect on its 34 years on air.ThursdaySTATION 19 8 p.m. on ABC. This “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff follows a Seattle firehouse whose workplace conflicts often seep into firefighters’ personal dramas. Season 6 starts off as the Station 19 crew deals with the fallout of a tornado in the city, and Travis Montgomery (Jay Hayden) continues his mayoral campaign.Coby Bell, left, and Jared Padalecki in “Walker.”Rebecca Brenneman/The CWWALKER 8 p.m. on The CW. This series, a reimagined version of the 1990s “Walker, Texas Ranger,” is starting its third season. Jared Padalecki plays Cordell Walker, a father and widower, who returns to Austin after being undercover. In the first episode of this season, Cordell goes missing, and the other rangers step in to try to find him. “Walker: Independence,” a prequel of this show set in the 1800s, is premiering right after this at 9 p.m.GREY’S ANATOMY 9 p.m. on ABC. As this longstanding medical drama begins its 19th season, Ellen Pompeo, who plays the namesake lead, Meredith Grey, is only going to be in eight of the 22 episodes to star in Hulu’s upcoming limited series “Orphan.” Back at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, the focus will be on a new intern class as well as other recurring surgeons, including Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.).FridayTHE LINCOLN PROJECT 8 p.m. on Showtime. During the Trump Administration, this G.O.P. super PAC quickly grew in prominence and popularity, bringing in $87 million in donations from their catchy anti-Trump videos. Though they seemed successful from the outside, behind the scenes things were unraveling. The four founders — Steve Schmidt, John Weaver, Reed Galen and Rick Wilson — had created a financial agreement to pay themselves millions of dollars in management fees. Additionally, Weaver was accused of sexual harassment. Documentary cameras capture the rise and fall of the group.SaturdayMichael Rennie, left, and Patricia Neal in “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentTHE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) 8 p.m. on TCM. Klaatu (Michael Rennie), a humanoid alien, and his robot Gort (Lock Martin) hop off a spaceship that has landed in Washington, D.C., with one goal: to stop Cold War-era nuclear proliferation and restore peace on Earth. The premise is based on “Farewell to the Master,” a short story by Harry Bates. In 2008, Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly stared in a remake of the film.SundaySECRETS OF THE DEAD: ARCHAEOLOGY AT ALTHORP 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). This series, beginning its 20th season, uses modern forensic technology to dig deeper (literally) into historical sites. This episode focuses on Althrop, Princess Diana’s family estate where her brother Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, still lives. The site is rumored to be on top of a lost Anglo Saxon village.STANLEY TUCCI: SEARCHING FOR ITALY 9 p.m. on CNN. The actor is back in Italy doing what he does best: seeing the sights, learning the history and, most importantly, trying the food. This season he is eating his way through Puglia, Sardinia, Liguria and Calabria. The show recently won an Emmy for outstanding hosted nonfiction series. More

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      ‘S.N.L.’ Season Premiere Weighs in on Its Own Trump Sketch

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      The show kicked off its 48th year with a cold open that was also a commentary on the expectations it faces after big cast changes.If you have thoughts about the new season of “Saturday Night Live,” rest assured, so too does “Saturday Night Live.”In the first episode of its 48th season, “S.N.L.” went meta in the opening sketch, recruiting the host, Miles Teller, and cast member Andrew Dismukes to play the sibling sports commentators Peyton and Eli Manning as they offered their running criticism on a seemingly standard satire of former President Donald J. Trump.For the sketch-within-a-sketch, James Austin Johnson reprised his recurring role as Trump and Chloe Fineman played an adviser encouraging him not to stay at Mar-a-Lago during Hurricane Ian. “Actually it’s the safest place I’ve been in two years,” Johnson told her. “There’s no lawyers, no F.B.I. I’m in my happy place.”Teller and Dismukes mocked various (scripted) elements of the sketch, like an awkward entrance from new cast member Michael Longfellow and Heidi Gardner’s impersonation of Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota.“A political impression that no one asked for,” Teller said. “What about a fun impression, like Anthony Fauci or Lindsey Graham or Rudy Giuliani?”Dismukes replied, “Those were all Kate McKinnon.”The absence of several familiar faces was noticeable in this episode, which also featured the musical guest Kendrick Lamar. Eight veteran cast members left “S.N.L.” ahead of this weekend’s broadcast, starting with McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney, who all made their exit plans known before last May’s season finale. The departures of Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat and Aristotle Athari were announced at the start of September, and Chris Redd left later that month.Lorne Michaels, the “S.N.L.” creator and executive producer, hired four new featured performers over the summer and has said this new season would be “a year of reinvention.”As he told The New York Times in an interview last month, “We got to a point where we had a lot of people, and people weren’t getting enough playing time. The way the series has survived is by that level of renewal.”The opening sketch went on to poke fun at these expectations, as when Bowen Yang appeared as President Xi Jinping of China and (deliberately) mispronounced the word “corgis.”“It’s a surprising fumble from the veteran Yang,” Dismukes said. “He was supposed to take a step up this year, but you can tell the pressure is getting to him.”The sketch continued to pile up with cameos, including appearances from new cast member Devon Walker (as the viral celebrity Corn Kid) and snowboarder Shaun White.Meanwhile, Jon Hamm, the “Mad Men” alumnus and veteran “S.N.L.” host, joined Teller and Dismukes in their dismay over the segment.Responding to White’s appearance, Teller said, “That is just gratuitous stunt casting.”With an eye toward Teller, Hamm replied, “Sometimes they need to bring in a real celebrity when the host isn’t that famous.”Teller tried to rebut him: “Well, I heard they rarely put the host in cold opens, so when they do, it is special,” he said.Hamm replied, “Special or is it desperate?”Game Show Parody of the WeekHow much of a rebuilding year can it really be at “S.N.L.” if the show is still relying on the tried-and-true staple of the game show parody? Well, how’s this for a changeup: this time, Kenan Thompson played a contestant and not the host! Instead, the spoof — called “Send Something Normal” — was hosted by Teller, who offered the participants $100 million if they could provide a normal reply to a woman’s DM on Instagram. No easy feat when the panelists include Adam Levine (Mikey Day), Armie Hammer (Johnson) and Neil deGrasse Tyson (Thompson). The returning champion, Bowen Yang playing himself, explained the secret to his success at the game: “Being gay,” he said.Internet Education of the WeekThis filmed segment, in which Teller and Day play bank robbers whose heist goes awry, is not just a clever commentary on the popular photo-sharing platform BeReal — it’s also a helpful explanation of the site to anyone who hadn’t actually heard of it before. (Not us, of course.) As the inept criminals learn, the app sends users a notification once a day, at a random time, to post a picture of themselves. (“Oh, so there’s no posturing and it’s not status-oriented,” an understanding Teller says.) The catch is that neither the thieves nor their hostages can resist when a BeReal alert goes off during the crime in progress. Great, now who can help us make sense of cryptocurrency?Weekend Update Jokes of the WeekOver at the Weekend Update desk, the anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che riffed on a belligerent speech from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and a widely discussed gaffe by President Biden.Jost began:“In a speech after annexing sections of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin attacked the U.S. for Satanism and denounced the many genders in fashion in the West. It was a hateful unhinged speech which has many Americans calling him electable.”Che continued:“The Kremlin celebrated the illegal annexation of Ukraine with a night of entertainment in Red Square. Say what you will but a gig’s a gig.” [His screen showed a photo of Che standing in Red Square.]Jost also joked:At a White House event, President Biden asked if Representative Jackie Walorski was in the audience, asking, “Where’s Jackie?,” apparently forgetting she died last month. Worse, he keeps forgetting that this woman is still alive. [His screen showed a photo of Vice President Kamala Harris.]Weekend Update Desk-Side Segment of the WeekProlific “S.N.L.” impressionists Johnson and Thompson joined forces for this bit about Mitch McConnell (Johnson), the Republican Senate minority leader, and Herschel Walker (Thompson), the Republican candidate for Senate in Georgia. Thompson offered awkward defenses of past remarks that Walker has made, like his claim that “when China gets our good air, their bad air got to move.” By way of explanation, Thompson said, “We all know air, right? Air Bud. Air Jordan. Air-n Brockovich. You see, science don’t understand.” Johnson, as McConnell, read from a list of policy proposals Thompson gave him that included “Barbecue Tuesday”; “Let’s get a daytime moon — that way, no more rain”; and “Create a Department of Instagram Booty.”New Cast Member of the WeekThough he was taunted in the opening sketch, new hire Michael Longfellow made a strong showing in this Weekend Update segment in which he riffed on having different political views from his family in Arizona. Longfellow joked, “You shouldn’t cut anti-vax people out of your life. They could be dead tomorrow. Spend time with them. Call them. Get in the will.” He also said that when he learned his father was voting for Trump, “I sat him down and I told him, hey, if you keep going down this path, I might have to pay for my own car insurance next year. Then he told me how much it was and I said, well, I didn’t know that when I said that, so, I’m sorry.” More

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      ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,’ Season 1, Episode 6: Doom

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      Here are five takeaways from an exciting episode with a cruel twist.Season 1, Episode 6: ‘Udûn’Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” movies won raves for their lengthy combat sequences, filled with fantasy beasts and spectacular backdrops, unlike anything ever seen before in a multiplex. Those scenes in turn inspired some of the most talked-about episodes of “Game of Thrones,” which devoted entire hours to armies at war. Now “The Rings of Power” has its first “battle episode” with “Udûn,” in which roughly two-thirds of the running time is spent on the orcs’ two swarming nighttime invasions of the human strongholds, followed by the tide-turning daytime arrival of the Númenórean forces.The 45 minutes or so of nearly nonstop fighting stands up well to both “Game of Thrones” and the “Rings” films — though as was the case with those, it was also a little fatiguing. So far, each episode of this show has featured impressive action choreography, in scenes that stand out because they last for just a few minutes. The daredevil stunts and dynamic camera moves in this week’s episode are just as excellent; but when there are so many of them, they become less special.That said, it is always exciting to see the likes of Halbrand, Galadriel and Arondir fight with skill and valor. The time the writers have taken to establish each of these characters makes it easier to pick out who’s who in the middle of any melee. Plus, the stakes of their skirmishes are always perfectly clear … which makes the ultimate outcome of the fighting this week all the more devastating.Here are five takeaways from an episode that accelerated the plot in this series, before delivering a cruel twist.The forces of darknessPart of what made the action this week feel a little exhausting is that so much of it takes place either at night or indoors. This show has generally been refreshingly bright and colorful for a prestige drama, so the retreat into deep shadow didn’t just make the battles harder to see, it also felt a little like a disappointing fall back into a visual cliché, aping all the pitch-black “Game of Thrones” combat.Explore the World of the ‘Lord of the Rings’The literary universe built by J.R.R. Tolkien, now adapted into a new series for Amazon Prime Video, has inspired generations of readers and viewers.Artist and Scholar: Tolkien did more than write books. He invented an alternate reality, complete with its own geography, languages and history.Being Frodo: The actor Elijah Wood explains why he’ll never be upset at being associated with the “Lord of the Rings” movie series. A Soviet Take: A 1991 production based on Tolkien’s novels, recently digitized by a Russian broadcaster, is a time capsule of a bygone era. From the Archives: Read what W.H. Auden wrote about “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first volume of Tolkien’s trilogy, in 1954.Broken down into individual moments, though, there is a lot going during the night scenes, as the orcs and their minions first storm a mostly abandoned tower fortress and then, after a frustrating defeat (and a brief respite from all the fighting), make their way down to a nearby village where Bronwyn and her people have retreated to regroup and fortify. Arondir gets a well-deserved spotlight during much of this long sequence, showing off not just the archery skills we have seen throughout the series but also his brute strength when he has to fight hand-to-hand with the orcs.In classic “just when all seems lost” pulp-fiction fashion, the nighttime battles end in a series of seemingly insurmountable losses. Arondir almost gets his eye gouged out. Bronwyn, who saves Arondir, gets pierced by an arrow and nearly bleeds out. The villagers make the mistake of peeking under the helmets of their attackers and see that many of the “orcs” they killed were actually humans — likely their former neighbors, who joined up with Adar at Waldreg’s behest. And, worst of all, Theo tries to save the day by handing over his much-coveted evil sword-hilt … right when we hear the rumble of horses’ hooves, off in the distance.From left, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Córdova and Charlie Vickers in “The Rings of Power.”Matt Grace/Prime VideoThe cavalry rides in.Those horses, of course, belong to the Númenóreans, led by Galadriel, who have made it across the sea to the Southlands just in time to save the day. I could quibble with the timing of all this, but unlike in “Game of Thrones,” where travel took ages for the first few seasons and then just a blink of an eye by the end, in “The Rings of Power” we have been given no specific sense of where all these characters have been all this season in their respective timelines. In other words: Galadriel could have started her expedition months ago, long before the humans even took up residence in the elves’ tower.Anyway, the Númenóreans arriving when they do makes for better television. It makes for some more great action sequences too — and shot in daylight this time. Galadriel and Halbrand are especially impressive, dodging arrows and ducking off the sides of their horses to get a better slashing angle. It’s no wonder Theo gasps, “Who is that?” as Galadriel rides by.King me.Halbrand’s whole story arc so far has been one of my favorites of Season 1 — so much so that I now wish the writers had given him more screen time earlier. Still, I appreciate how he remains reluctant to embrace his place as the true king of the Southlands, even as he understands that the restoration of a ruler to a broken kingdom gives the humans a cause to rally around.This week he even gets to face his old tormentor when his armies beat the orcs and capture Adar. But here’s the bitter irony: For all the importance the humans have attached to Halbrand coming home and dispatching his mortal enemies, when the king looks Adar straight in the eyes and asks, “Do you remember me?,” the villain says, sincerely, “No.” The humans have their agenda; but as we will see in the episode’s closing minutes, this is of little concern to Adar and his orcs.The Adar questionAfter all the sword-fighting and archery in the first two-thirds of this episode, the long scene of Galadriel interrogating Adar was a welcome change of pace — and also a major advance of this season’s larger plot. Adar confirms that he is part of the race of elves who were transformed by Morgoth into the “sons of the dark,” becoming the first orcs. He also indicates yet again that he is not Sauron, and that Sauron abandoned his responsibilities to immerse himself in the study of “the power of the unseen world,” to heal Middle-earth and bring its ruined lands together. Adar even says that he, in fact, killed Sauron. (Perhaps he means this in a “Darth Vader killed Luke Skywalker’s father” way.)Adar is actually sympathetic throughout this conversation, as he talks about the loved ones killed by Sauron’s ambitions, and as he reminds Galadriel that even orcs “have names and hearts.” And Galadriel doesn’t exactly cover herself with glory when she says, “Your kind was a mistake,” and tells Adar she intends to eradicate every orc except him, so he can witness the end of his race. Galadriel was exiled from Lindon because Gil-galad felt she had become as much the cause of the elves’ problems as the solution. Adar echoes these sentiments when he tells her that he apparently is “not the only elf alive who has been transformed by darkness.”Joseph Mawle in “The Rings of Power.”Prime VideoAnd they lived happily ever … oh, wait.As I hit the one-hour mark of this episode, I wondered if I had been mistaken about Season 1 of “The Rings of Power” containing eight episodes. Even though there were no dwarves, Harfoots or Elrond this week, it sure seemed like we were reaching a natural endpoint. Adar had been captured and Halbrand had claimed the throne. Time to reset for Season 2.But remember when Arondir described Theo’s purloined sword-hilt as a kind of key? Well, in the closing minutes we find out what that means, as Waldreg plunges it into a lock in the ground, setting off a chain of events that involves avalanches and floods, forcing water through the underground tunnels the orcs have been busily building and causing a nearby mountain to spew lava and ash, blotting out the sun.Fans of the “Rings” movies may have noticed how the elves’ tower fortress in the Southlands looks a little like Sauron’s Dark Tower. Now the exploding volcano resembles Mount Doom, the central landmark of Sauron’s evil kingdom of Mordor. These may not actually be the same locations, just like Adar — or so he insists — is not Sauron. But it sure seems like the orcs have set in motion exactly what Galadriel has spent years trying to warn everyone would happen. In the episode’s final shot she stands still and silent as the ash engulfs her — consumed at last by the darkness she has spent her whole life hunting. More

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      Britain Wonders, Is It Too Soon to Dramatize the Pandemic?

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      A new Sky Atlantic mini-series, “This England,” depicts the early days of Covid-19 in the country, with Kenneth Branagh playing Boris Johnson.LONDON — In the final moments of the new mini-series “This England,” Boris Johnson, the exhausted and embattled British prime minister, stares bleakly out of a window at 10 Downing Street and falls back, as he often does, on Shakespeare.“This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,” says Johnson, who is played by Kenneth Branagh in the series, a six-part drama about Britain’s ordeal with the coronavirus pandemic.“We usually leave it there, you know,” he says, turning to his anxious wife, Carrie (Ophelia Lovibond), who is cradling their newborn child. “Forget the rest.”But Johnson goes on to recite the end of John of Gaunt’s deathbed soliloquy from “Richard II,” with its damning reproach of the king. “That England, that was wont to conquer others,” he says, “hath made a shameful conquest of itself.”It is a fitting coda to a much-talked-about show in Britain, a series that captures the everyday heroism of Britons during the pandemic, but also the failings of their leaders and how those failings contributed to a dilatory response that arguably deepened the nation’s suffering and led to needless additional deaths.“This England,” which debuted with solid ratings on Wednesday on Sky Atlantic in Britain, chronicles, almost day-by-day, how the first wave of the pandemic swept across the country. To many, the timing is curious, given that the latest wave of the virus hasn’t even ebbed yet.Work on “This England” began in June 2020, not long after the first Covid-19 wave had rampaged across the country.Phil Fisk/Sky AtlanticMichael Winterbottom, the British documentary filmmaker who wrote the script with Kieron Quirke, said that he viewed the show as a “mosaic of many people’s experiences,” from those of Johnson and his advisers to those of doctors and nurses — and, above all, of the dying — in the overwhelmed hospitals and nursing homes.“The goal was to be human and, I think, humane,” Winterbottom said in a joint interview with Branagh. “To honor and acknowledge this incredible, painful loss.” For all the government’s confusion and missteps, he added, “There was a sense that everybody was doing their best.”Yet inevitably, “This England” shows people falling short. Caught in the fog of a mysterious illness, some in government, like Johnson, initially underestimated the risk. Others were compelled to make bad personal choices, like the prime minister’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, who drove 260 miles, in breach of lockdown, to visit his family as the virus struck.Work on “This England” began in June 2020, not long after the first wave had rampaged across the country, and the desperate scenes in ambulances and hospital intensive care units have an anguished immediacy. Much of the commentary about the show in Britain has focused on whether it’s too soon to dramatize all of this.Nearly 300 people died of Covid-19 in England in the seven days ending on Sept. 17; more than 4,000 were admitted to hospitals. The government is still pleading with people to get their booster shots. Johnson was drummed out of office only two months ago after a scandal over parties at Downing Street that violated lockdown rules.The outcry over the parties does not figure in the film, which ends instead with the misbegotten road trip Cummings made to his parents’ house in the north of England after his wife contracted Covid. This abridged timeline led The Financial Times to declare that the show “pulls off the unusual feat of feeling simultaneously premature and dated.”When the series opens, Johnson’s girlfriend, Carrie Symonds (Ophelia Lovibond), is pregnant.Phil Fisk/Sky Atlantic“This England” has also had to contend with a torrent of other news. Sky pushed back the series by a week after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8, which plunged the country into 10 days of mourning. It premiered at a time when the government of Johnson’s replacement, Liz Truss, caused a run on the pound by announcing a plan to cut taxes despite double-digit inflation.Winterbottom acknowledged that the show was a first cut and that some might prefer the cooler perspective that comes with distance, which might be found in future books or films about the pandemic. But his goal was to make a kind of diary of a national trauma, he said. “By being close,” he noted, “you’re able to get a fresher view.”The other big debate is over Branagh’s performance as Johnson. The actor, a 61-year-old Oscar-winner, wore a blonde wig, prosthetics and padding to assume the 58-year-old politician’s shambling appearance.Some critics praised Branagh for nailing Johnson’s propulsive gait and peculiar diction. Another dismissed it as an impersonation that recalled the puppets on “Spitting Image,” a British TV show that satirized public figures of the 1980s and ’90s.Branagh, who has played real-life figures including Franklin D. Roosevelt and the German SS officer Reinhard Heydrich, said that he and the writers had debated how closely he should try to mimic Johnson. They concluded that the former prime minister was too vivid in people’s minds to stray far from the O.G.“With somebody so prominently in the public eye,” Branagh said, “I think it’s harder to serve to an audience something that is very, very different — that is stylized and abstract.”The series shows Johnson initially underestimating the risk posed by the coronavirus.Phil Fisk/Sky AtlanticTo plumb Johnson’s interior life, Branagh said that he had read all the former prime minister’s books, including his biography of Winston Churchill, as well as his newspaper columns for The Daily Telegraph. He came to see Johnson as a kind of “poet-politician,” ambitious and combative, but also emotionally separated from those around him by the crushing weight of his job.That translated to the production. “I didn’t really have small talk with other actors,” Branagh recalled. “It was as if there was already a sense that you must be burdened, and if you are burdened, you must be left alone.”Branagh watched footage of Johnson hustling through the House of Commons to capture his distinctive forward-leaning posture. He said that he had been especially struck by a video in which Johnson, then the mayor of London, runs down a 10-year-old boy while playing rugby during a visit to Japan. “This barreling-forward intensity, almost unstoppable, is just part of the propulsion,” Branagh said.But “This England” also offers a sympathetic portrayal of a harried man with a tangled personal life. Between crisis meetings and late-night awakenings to soothe his crying baby, Johnson is depicted as plaintively leaving voice mail messages for his adult children. It suggests a painful rift after Johnson divorced his second wife, Marina, and moved in with Carrie, who worked as a Tory Party communications aide.“This England” also captures the cramped, claustrophobic work environment in Downing Street, which doubles as the prime minister’s home and the headquarters of the British government. There are tracking shots of aides walking and talking about urgent matters of state, which recall the Aaron Sorkin series “West Wing.” The close quarters nearly became deadly after Johnson himself contracted Covid and wound up in an intensive care unit for three days.Dominic Cummings (Simon Paisley Day) is depicted as arrogant, entitled and contemptuous of his colleagues. Phil Fisk/Sky AtlanticTo the extent that there are heroes and villains, the show clearly puts Cummings in the black hat category. Played by Simon Paisley Day, he is depicted as arrogant, entitled and contemptuous of his colleagues. Winterbottom said that the producers had reached out to all the principals to gather their accounts.When the show takes the camera out of Downing Street, “This England” abruptly shifts from a political procedural to a tragedy. There are many scenes in hospitals and nursing homes, some of which were filmed in a real nursing home with actual residents and nursing staff, who were essentially re-enacting their experiences.“Our starting point was to make everything as accurate as possible, as authentic as possible,” Winterbottom said.It adds up to a heartbreaking depiction of the pressure on health workers, and the fear, pain and often lonely deaths of those hooked up to ventilators. By the final episode, it is easy to understand why a tormented Johnson would stand at a window, peer into a cold dawn and mourn how a disease had conquered his “sceptered isle.” More

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      After 7 Years on ‘The Daily Show,’ Trevor Noah Says ‘It’s Time’ to Depart

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      “It’s not instant. I’m not disappearing. Don’t worry. If I owe you money, I’ll still pay you,” Noah joked.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.Happy Anniversary, I’m Out of HereTrevor Noah announced his departure from “The Daily Show” on Thursday, almost seven years to the day since he took over from Jon Stewart.Noah expressed his gratitude to everyone who’d supported Comedy Central’s “crazy choice” to hire “this random African” whom “nobody knew on this side of the world.”“It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s something that I never expected. And I found myself thinking throughout the time, you know, everything we’ve gone through. The Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey of, you know, the more pandemic.” — TREVOR NOAH“And then I realized that after the seven years, my time is up. Yeah, but in — in the most beautiful way, honestly. I’ve loved hosting this show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories were particularly [expletive] on the worst days, you know? We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it’s — it’s time.” — TREVOR NOAH“I’ve never been good at goodbyes. It’s not instant. I’m not disappearing. Don’t worry. If I owe you money, I’ll still pay you.” — TREVOR NOAHThe Punchiest Punchlines (Frankie Lasagna Edition)“Frankie Lasagna sounds like a name you get from the Olive Garden witness protection program.” — JIMMY FALLON, on the name of the fan who missed the 61st home run ball from Aaron Judge on Wednesday night“[imitating Frankie] ‘Hey, I’m Frankie Lasagna. It’s Francis — it’s Francis Lasagna but my friends call me Frankie.’” Which is either the best name I’ve ever heard, or the worst alias in the history of the mob. ‘[imitating mobster] Hey, I’m Frankie Lasagna. These are my associates, Mikey Pizza, Sal Calzone, and his cousin, Bobby Unlimited Breadsticks.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Frankie Lasagna sounds like the name Robert De Niro checks into hotels to avoid paparazzi.” — JIMMY FALLON“Frankie Lasagna sounds like the name of Trump’s next lawyer.” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingOn the “Tonight Show,” Robert De Niro played a game of hot hands with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday’s cold open.Also, Check This OutLea Michele (with Ramin Karimloo) lights up like a light as the new Fanny Brice on Broadway. Matthew MurphyLea Michele is stupendous as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl.” More