On this week's episode, Chris, Hillary, and Richard discuss the first three episodes of the new HBO mini-series The Sympathizer, based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Later in the episode, series star Hoa Xuande stops by to talk about what makes the show so special and how it feels to be in his first lead role.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary didn't get a chance to analyze the sumptuous latest edition of FX's Feud episode by episode—so we're covering the whole series now, complete with an in-depth interview with showrunner and writer Jon Robin Baitz.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary unwrap the final four episodes of Ripley, while Andrew Scott joins to explain how at his core, Tom Ripley is just "somebody who hasn't been given access to the beautiful things in life."

Andrew Scott makes for a captivating killer in the first four episodes of Netflix's Ripley, streaming now. Richard, Chris, and Hillary dig into the sumptuously shot series, while Dakota Fanning stops by to talk about her new spin on Marge Sherwood and the simply ghastly experience of filming for months in gorgeous Italy.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down The Regime’s final episode, and reveal which of them correctly guessed who would be leading Genovia by the end of the series. Later, VF correspondent Miriam Elder drops by to reveal what The Regime got right about despots, and what it didn’t.

Terrible Christmas tidings hit Kate Winslet's autocracy in the penultimate episode of The Regime. Richard, Chris, and Hillary sift through the ashes, while Andrea Riseborough stops by to break down Agnes's tragic arc.

The show finally introduces Grant's Ed Keplinger, a liberal ex-chancellor whose democratic leanings may be less progressive than they seem. Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down his introduction to The Regime and chat with Grant about reuniting with Kate Winslet and what Keplinger really believes.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dissect Elena’s latest heal-turn, and what it means for Zuback's future. Plus, Guillaume Gallienne joins to discuss playing first husband Nicky: "He's a bit of a masochist. He likes to be her rug."

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dig into how Zuback's quick ascent has affected Genovia. Plus, Matthias Schoenaerts stops by to chat about playing the Butcher of Site 5 and rubbing mustard on Kate Winslet.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dive into The Regime, a satirical dramedy from the mind of Succession alum Will Tracey. Plus, star Kate Winslet joins to break down the similarities between her and autocratic chancellor Elena.

Kate Winslet returns to HBO but this time tries her hand at comedy with The Regime. Chris, Hillary and Richard discuss what they’re looking forward to in this six part limited series.

Night Country’s showrunner breaks down season four's most surprising Easter eggs, the backstories we didn't get to see, and what it's like to tangle online with passionate True Detective fans.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary discuss how Night Country reveals both what happened to the scientists and who really killed Annie K. Plus, Jodie Foster joins to dig into how the ending reinforces all of the show's themes, filming her big underwater scene, and why time, truly, is a flat circle.

As episode five premieres early on Max to avoid the Super Bowl, Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down Night Country's biggest twist yet, while John Hawkes stops by to talk about writing Hank's unbelievably bleak song and staging a very tense standoff.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary discuss Ennis's incredibly depressing holiday, complete with death, breakdowns, and a heart-wrenching romantic diss. Plus, Kali Reis joins to talk all things Evangeline Navarro, and how this episode's major tragedy will drive her going forward

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dig into the reason behind Danvers and Navarro's rift, Hank's hillibillies, and a theory that climate change could be responsible for the Tsalal deaths. Plus, Isabella LaBlanc joins to talk about bringing Leah Danvers to life.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary talk cliffhangers, Raymond Clark and Annie K's mysterious relationship, and season four's surprising connection to True Detective season one. Plus, Christopher Eccleston joins to chat about letting everything hang out in his sex scene with Jodie Foster.

Richard, Chris, and Hillary head north to break down our introduction to Jodie Foster's Liz Danvers, the dual mysteries driving this season, and that mind-boggling final image. Plus, Finn Bennett joins to discuss playing naive young cop Peter Prior and how True Detective gave him Covid (twice!).

Can a new showrunner and Jodie Foster reinvigorate one of prestige TV's most beloved franchises? Richard, Chris, and Hillary are about to find out with an all-new season of Still Watching dedicated to True Detective season four.

In the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Barbie, a literal doll, leaves the comforts of Barbieland and ventures into real-world Los Angeles, where she discovers the myriad difficulties of modern womanhood. This arc from cosseted naïveté to feminist awakening is a narrative throughline that connects some of the biggest cultural products of the year. In this episode of Critics at Large, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how 2023 became “the year of the doll,” tracing the trope from “Barbie” to Yorgos Lanthimos’s film “Poor Things,” whose protagonist finds self-determination through sexual agency, and beyond. In Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” a teen-age Priscilla Beaulieu lives under the thumb of Elvis at Graceland before finally breaking free, while in Emma Cline’s novel “The Guest,” the doll figure must fend for herself after the trappings of luxury fall away, revealing the precarity of her circumstances. The hosts explore how ideas about whiteness, beauty, and women’s bodily autonomy inform these works, and how the shock of political backsliding might explain why these stories struck a chord with audiences. “Most of us believed that the work of Roe v. Wade was done,” Cunningham says. “If that is a message that we could all grasp—that a step forward is not a permanent thing—I think that would be a positive thing.”Read, watch, and listen with the critics:“Barbie” (2023) “M3GAN” (2023) “Poor Things” (2023) “Priscilla” (2023) “The Guest,” by Emma Cline “The House of Mirth,” by Edith WhartonNew episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts.