Critics at Large | The New Yorker cover art
Podcast · 59 episodes

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

by The New Yorker · English

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.

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What Survival Stories Tell Us (and Should We Listen?)The episode asks what survival stories (films, novels, and reality TV) reveal about people—why we’re drawn to man-versus-nature narratives, what “realism” and detailed survival craft offer, and…24 Sep 2026 · 50 min · 17 chapters
Introducing: “The Journey,” from In the Dark“The Journey” (In the Dark) Episode 1 introduces Kayla Elliott, a Texas gestational surrogate, whose TikTok posts helped expose a surrogacy scandal involving intended parents Sylvia Zhang and Guojun…20 Sep 2026 · 57 min · 17 chapters
That Back-to-School FeelingBack-to-school feelings and how school can be work and pleasure—especially through literature and teaching—sparked by listener voicemails from teachers and students.17 Sep 2026 · 47 min · 20 chapters
Remembering Dolly PartonCritics at Large marks Dolly Parton’s death with a discussion of why her cultural impact felt immediate and universal, then breaks down her legacy through writing, music, and celebrity/image-making.3 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 18 chapters
What is Gen Z Afraid Of?Gen Z horror—how small, low-budget films built from online audiences (especially YouTube/TikTok creators) are striking younger viewers with fears about intimacy, meaning, and “structurelessness.”27 Aug 2026 · 54 min · 18 chapters
Critics’ Cult Classics: Emily Nussbaum on “Slings & Arrows”Emily Nussbaum discusses the cult TV series Slings & Arrows (2003–2006), a Canadian show set at the fictional New Burbage Theater Festival, structured around Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear.20 Aug 2026 · 41 min · 15 chapters
Critics’ Cult Classics: Hannah Goldfield on the Food World’s Secret TastemakersDefines “cult classics” in food culture—ingredients, restaurants, and cookbooks—how they form identity, and how the internet/TikTok erodes secrecy while still creating scarcity and hype.13 Aug 2026 · 39 min · 12 chapters
Critics’ Cult Classics: Hanif Abdurraqib on Camp Lo’s “Uptown Saturday Night”Hanif Abdurraqib discusses why Camp Lo’s 1997 album Uptown Saturday Night is a cult classic—its blaxploitation-inspired world-building, linguistic style, and how it was sidelined by the 1997 hip-hop…6 Aug 2026 · 46 min · 22 chapters
The Irony and the Ecstasy of Colson WhiteheadA Critics at Large episode on Colson Whitehead’s career and why his novels are both highly readable and “dead serious” ironies; it uses three books—The Underground Railroad, Sag Harbor, and Harlem…30 Jul 2026 · 50 min · 21 chapters
The Golden Age of the American IdiotThe episode argues that “idiocy” is having a “golden age,” driven by celebrity game-show culture, social media incentives, and a broader cultural slide toward willful anti-intellectualism and “brain…23 Jul 2026 · 52 min · 17 chapters
Who Owns the Odyssey?Critics at Large discusses Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (especially its IMAX spectacle and translation choices) and asks “Who owns the Odyssey?”—i.e., who gets to adapt/translate Homer, and why…16 Jul 2026 · 50 min · 21 chapters
An American PlaylistCritics at Large marks the U.S. 250th birthday by building a listener-and-host “American playlist” of songs that express feelings about America’s past, present, and hopes for the future, with heavy…2 Jul 2026 · 1 h · 25 chapters
From The Political Scene: The Politics of the Big GameHow three major sports events—Knicks’ NBA title run, UFC’s “Freedom 250” on the White House South Lawn, and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada World Cup—became political stages amid Trump-era controversies,…25 Jun 2026 · 37 min · 17 chapters
Steven Spielberg’s BlockbustersThe episode examines how Steven Spielberg’s early hits helped invent and perfect the modern summer blockbuster, then asks what that form means now—using Spielberg’s current release Disclosure Day as…18 Jun 2026 · 55 min · 24 chapters
Why We Cling to the Animal KingdomThe episode explores why humans “cling” to animal stories and relationships—how animals in culture (and online) help us process grief, violence, love, and empathy, while also revealing how humans…11 Jun 2026 · 51 min · 14 chapters
I Need a Critic: June, 2026, Edition“I Need a Critic” advice-column episode where Critics at Large (Nomi Fry, Vincent Cunningham, Alex Schwartz) answer listener questions with cultural recommendations across film, books, theater,…4 Jun 2026 · 52 min · 33 chapters
Our Modern Glut of ChoiceThis episode of Critics at Large, “Our Modern Glut of Choice,” argues that modern life equates endless options with freedom, but that abundance often produces overwhelm, dread, and even involuntary…28 May 2026 · 47 min · 21 chapters
Where Do Men Go from Here?The episode asks “Where do men go from here?” and argues that men are widely described as “in crisis,” backed by data like boys falling behind in grade school, lower college enrollment, worse career…21 May 2026 · 54 min · 14 chapters
How Romantasy Seduces Its ReadersThe boom of “romantasy” (romance + fantasy) and why it’s seducing readers now—driven by trope-driven wish fulfillment, social-media communities (BookTok/hashtags), and a “cozy” escape from modern…14 May 2026 · 55 min · 20 chapters
The Met Gala, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” and the State of StyleThe episode is about fashion as public spectacle and cultural power: the Met Gala’s “costume art” theme, the fashion-media industry shifts dramatized in The Devil Wears Prada 2, and how personal…7 May 2026 · 52 min · 15 chapters
What “Michael” Tries to Show—or HideCritics at Large discusses Michael Jackson’s cultural staying power and the new biopic Michael, using him as a prism for issues like child stardom, power, authenticity, and how audiences separate art…30 Apr 2026 · 51 min · 23 chapters
Why Earnestness is EverywhereThe podcast argues that “earnestness” (sincerity, sincerity without irony, clear priorities) is resurfacing across culture as a response to pervasive cynicism, misinformation, and profit-driven “fake…23 Apr 2026 · 50 min · 18 chapters
“Beef,” “The Drama,” and the New Marriage PlotModern attitudes toward marriage, framed through Netflix’s Beef season 2, the film The Drama, and cultural examples about “revelation” and class/power.16 Apr 2026 · 51 min · 18 chapters
The Guilty Pleasure of the HeistThe episode dissects why people obsess over heists, using the real-world Louvre crown-jewel theft (Oct 19; four thieves; over $100M; “Louvre” as the security password; thieves dressed as workmen; one…9 Apr 2026 · 50 min · 30 chapters