The New Normal

25 Half-Hour Shows to Watch Now

If your attention span is frazzled, explore the compact joys of the 30-minute format.

• Sophie Gilbert
• May 24, 2020

The Advice That Most 2020 Commencement Speakers Won’t Give

Here’s the speech that graduates need to hear.

• James Parker
• May 24, 2020

What The Great Reveals About Trump’s Pandemic Denial

Hulu’s new satire may be set in 18th-century Russia, but it understands the theatrical and nearsighted politics of the current moment.

• Shirley Li
• May 21, 2020

Athletes During the Pandemic Are Learning What Fans Have Always Known

As players return to empty arenas, they are discovering a basic truth: Live sports is an act of social imagination.

• Danny Chau
• May 20, 2020

Charli XCX Captures the Weird Intimacy of Quarantine

The pop star’s daring album How I’m Feeling Now tries to make online hedonism match the real thing.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• May 19, 2020

Singles and Couples Are More Divided Than Ever

In quarantine, I’m living my peak singlehood while romantic cohabitators have ascended into the most heightened form of coupledom—and it’s causing tension.

• Ginny Hogan
• May 19, 2020

20 Books to Read in Quarantine This Summer

Our picks for immersive, escapist, or nostalgic reading—wherever you are

• The Atlantic Culture Desk
• May 15, 2020

The 1798 Poem That Was Made for 2020

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is taking on new meaning during the coronavirus pandemic.

• James Parker
• May 13, 2020

The Day the Live Concert Returns

I don’t know when it will be safe to sing arm in arm at the top of our lungs. But we will do it again, because we have to.

• Dave Grohl
• May 11, 2020

Good Riddance to the Handshake

A terrible custom is gone for good. Hallelujah.

• Megan Garber
• May 11, 2020

The SNL Season Finale Doesn’t Sugarcoat Pandemic Anxiety

Unlike its previous at-home episodes, last night’s show embraced the existential crisis of the moment.

• Shirley Li
• May 10, 2020

The Melancholia Postulate

What the 2011 apocalyptic film has to say about peace of mind in the face of annihilation

• Mallika Rao
• May 9, 2020

Don’t Fight the Boredom

Monotony may be one of the hardest things about living in lockdown, but it has its upsides.

• Mary Mann
• May 9, 2020

Sarah Cooper Has Mastered the Trump Joke

The comedian had used TikTok only a handful of times before her impersonation of the president garnered 15 million views. Now it’s making her rethink her routine.

• Shirley Li
• May 8, 2020

The Times Have Changed. Seinfeld Hasn’t.

There’s something soothing about watching a comedian who has been telling the same jokes for decades.

• David Sims
• May 7, 2020

Foodie Culture as We Know It Is Over

A wave of culinary experts is responding to the pandemic with an accessible and empathetic approach to home cooking—and audiences can’t get enough.

• Hannah Giorgis
• May 5, 2020

A Strangely Comforting Quarantine Album

The Mountain Goats’ latest release is authentically a product of this pandemic, but it’s also nicely indifferent to it.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• May 2, 2020

All the Things We Have to Mourn Now

Six experts explain how to recognize the many new faces of grief during a pandemic.

• Joe Pinsker
• May 1, 2020

8 Films to Watch Right Now, According to Barry Jenkins

“Right now, there are no movie theaters. The screens are on our walls, in our pockets, on our monitors.”

• David Sims
• April 29, 2020

Friends Are Breaking Up Over Social Distancing

When one friend takes prevention guidelines more seriously than the other, suspicion, fear, and shame can drive them apart.

• Ashley Fetters
• April 29, 2020