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Pop culture in high spirits
The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

Maisy Stella as Elliott in My Old Ass. Marni Grossman/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

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Marni Grossman/Amazon MGM Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

What would you do if you met your future self, who's a couple of decades older and maybe a little wiser? Would you freak out? In the delightful new movie My Old Ass, a teenager named Elliott (Maisy Stella) faces this very scenario. Her older self is played by Aubrey Plaza, and she's got some advice to impart. But her younger self may or may not take it.

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

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The movies, TV and music we're excited about this fall

Colin Farrell in The Penguin. Macall Polay/HBO hide caption

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Macall Polay/HBO

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this fall

Fall is beginning, and it's the perfect time to talk about all the great things we're excited to watch and listen to between now and the end of the year. Today, we're offering up a guide to spotlight some of the movies, TV, and music we are looking forward to this fall.

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this fall

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Our 2024 Emmys Recap

Jean Smart won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her performance in Hacks. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2024 Emmys Recap

Last night's Primetime Emmy Awards included big wins for Hacks, The Bear, Shōgun, and Baby Reindeer. And if you're nostalgic for shows like Schitt's Creek or Happy Days, the telecast had you covered.

Our 2024 Emmys Recap

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Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Hosts Eugene Levy and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

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Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

5 takeaways from the 2024 Emmy awards

The Bear, Shogun and Baby Reindeer split most of the major categories, while Eugene and Dan Levy did their best to move things along. There weren't many surprises and ... wait, didn't we just do this?

EMMYS TAKEAWAYS

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Never visit James McAvoy's house, and other lessons of 'Speak No Evil'

James McAvoy in Speak No Evil. Susie Allnutt/Universal Studios hide caption

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Susie Allnutt/Universal Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Never visit James McAvoy's house, and other lessons of 'Speak No Evil'

Never visit your weird new friends at their enormous isolated country estate. That's a basic rule that an American family fails to follow in the new horror thriller Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy. By the time they figure out they are in way over their heads, it's much much too late.

Never visit James McAvoy's house, and other lessons of 'Speak No Evil'

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'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

Aaron Pierre in Rebel Ridge. Allyson Rigg/Netflix hide caption

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Allyson Rigg/Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

In Netflix's new film Rebel Ridge, Aaron Pierre plays Terry, a young Black man who enters a small Southern town to post bail for his cousin. But when the local cops seize his money, he faces off against the corrupt chief of police (Don Johnson). Things escalate, and soon he uncovers a sinister conspiracy that threatens his life.

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

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Clockwise from left: How to Die Alone, Matlock, Leonardo da Vinci, Grotesquerie, Interior Chinatown, Somebody Somewhere

Clockwise from left: How to Die Alone, Matlock, Leonardo da Vinci, Grotesquerie, Interior Chinatown, Somebody Somewhere Ian Watson/Hulu, Brooke Palmer/CBS, PBS, Prashant Gupta/FX, Sandy Morris/HBO hide caption

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Ian Watson/Hulu, Brooke Palmer/CBS, PBS, Prashant Gupta/FX, Sandy Morris/HBO

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What to watch this fall: Here are the TV shows we're looking forward to

Our critics scour the streaming and broadcast horizons to find the best new fall TV. Here are 16 shows to look out for in the coming months.

Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

Brandy Norwood in The Front Room. A24 hide caption

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A24

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

Maybe you think you've seen every scary mother-in-law fiction has to offer — you absolutely haven't. In the new movie The Front Room, a pregnant woman (Brandy Norwood) allows her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) to move in. In a film that's part creepy and part very darkly funny, the two women square off for control of the house and the child on the way.

Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

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'The Perfect Couple' is your next addictive beachy mystery

Nicole Kidman in The Perfect Couple. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Perfect Couple' is your next addictive beachy mystery

We all love a fancy wedding. The music, the flowers — the body washing up on the beach. At least that's what happens in Netflix's fun new thriller The Perfect Couple. Based on the novel by Elin Hilderbrand, the series stars Nicole Kidman as the matriarch of a wealthy Nantucket family that suddenly finds itself in the middle of a whodunit. And in this family, it seems like almost anybody could be guilty.

'The Perfect Couple' is your next addictive beachy mystery

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Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Warner Bros Pictures hide caption

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Warner Bros Pictures

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

There's a reason Beetlejuice was a hit back in 1988: it delivered both the spectacle and big stars of a major studio film, and the hilarious, weird vision of director Tim Burton. Now he returns with the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — which stars Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Michael Keaton, and Jenna Ortega. But does Beetlejuice Beetlejuice capture any of the original's silly, surreal, singular magic? Should it even try?

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

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Songs to boost your confidence

The Spice Girls attending the 1997 MTV Video Awards at the Radio City Music Hall. Brenda Chase/Getty Images hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Songs to boost your confidence

Maybe you're going up for a promotion, or just got out of a bad relationship. Whatever it is, your mood needs a boost. Today, we're recommending three songs that make for great motivators and pick-me-ups when you need them most.

Songs to boost your confidence

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'Kaos' takes on the Greek gods, but is it a hit or a myth?

Jeff Goldblum plays Zeus in Kaos. Justin Downing/Netflix hide caption

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Justin Downing/Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Kaos' takes on the Greek gods, but is it a hit or a myth?

In the clever new Netflix series Kaos, the Greek Gods are a rich and powerful modern-day family. They're led by an impulsive and deeply insecure Zeus (Jeff Goldblum), who lives on Mount Olympus with his wife Hera (Janet McTeer). But there is a plan to overthrow Zeus that depends on a slew of gods, demigods and mortals working together, whether or not they are aware of the roles they each are playing.

'Kaos' takes on the Greek gods, but is it a hit or a myth?

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Reality TV, romance, and race
Jackie Lay/NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Reality TV, romance, and race

Some people may flinch at the genre of reality TV – it's full of tropes and manipulative editing and ridiculous premises. It's been referred to as a funhouse mirror of our culture. But it can reflect back to us new ways of understanding what we accept as a society – especially when it comes to things like gender, sexuality, class and race. Today we're bringing you an episode of NPR's Code Switch that zeroes in on the The Bachelor and Love Island.

Reality TV, romance, and race

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The 2019 Swedish drama series Quicksand begins with a school shooting. Above, Hanna Ardéhn as Maja.

The Swedish series Quicksand and the Mexican drama The Accident offer a reminder that justice plays out differently around the world. Above, Hanna Ardéhn as Maja in Quicksand. ‎/Netflix hide caption

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Tragedy feels all too familiar in these two international dramas

The Mexican drama The Accident and the Swedish series Quicksand offer interesting perspectives on difficult topics. They are also a reminder that justice plays out differently around the world.

Decoy, dog of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, delivered a ceremonial first pitch before a game at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 28, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Decoy, dog of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, delivered a ceremonial first pitch before a game at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 28, 2024 in Los Angeles. Harry How/Getty Images hide caption

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Harry How/Getty Images

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and gaming

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the shows Mrs. Davis and Disaster Autopsy and the card game Cockroach Poker.

'Afraid': A not-OK computer

John Cho in Afraid. Glen Wilson/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Glen Wilson/Sony Pictures

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Afraid': A not-OK computer

The new movie Afraid is latest in the well-established genre of "the computer is alive" stories. John Cho plays a dad who has a chance to try out a very advanced AI system at his home — and it does a lot more than talk back.

'Afraid': A not-OK computer

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