The pop culture branding explosion
From to Shrek eyeshadow to Squid Game whisky, nothing is left untouched by IP.
ByNetflix
As the literary novel fades from relevance, James Graham is the writer for our era
The author of Dear England has channelled the people and events that made modern Britain.
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The complaint that could change reality TV
The National Labor Relations Board’s case against Netflix series Love is Blind could have significant impacts across the industry
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The conservative fantasies of Bridgerton
The Netflix series promised to radicalise romance. Instead, it delights in old-fashioned patriarchy and class systems.
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Timothée Chalamet is a sweeter – but weaker – Wonka
The Warner Bros origin story for the chocolatier adds songs and removes nastiness from Roald Dahl’s tale – for the…
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Netflix’s The Crown turns tawdry
Peter Morgan’s royal epic concludes with ghosts and banalities in a touchy-feely sixth series.
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How streaming ate itself
The Hollywood strikes were just one symptom of a media model consumed by its own greed.
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Jake Paul’s cynical self-promotion
A Netflix documentary promises to show us the man beyond the boxing ring and the pranks. But it’s just another…
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Why Richard Ayoade’s Submarine still feels fresh
Now on Netflix, the coming-of-age film encapsulates the pain of adolescence in a small town.
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The erotic thriller has lost its sex appeal
Recent attempts to revive the genre, from Netflix’s Obsession to Paramount’s Fatal Attraction, are neither erotic nor thrilling.
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The Windsors is the most painfully accurate depiction of the royals on TV
Forget The Crown – the uncanny veracity of this wild satire rings out like the dinner gong at Balmoral.
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How the streaming wars are shaping culture
Today, almost every household subscribes to a streaming service; the typical US household has five. The battle for our attention…
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Netflix doesn’t understand why people watch porn
The documentary Moneyshot grapples with the adult industry’s biggest problems – but not those who consume its content.
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Netflix is moving into live TV – and the BBC should be worried
This ambitious move by Netflix is sure to make its broadcast television rivals rather nervous.
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Netflix’s Ozark is overstuffed – not to mention tonally weird
Could the channel use a hit? Every time my subscription leaves my bank account, I think again that it could.
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When did The Crown get so boring?
The new series of the Netflix show is more Hello! magazine than history – and no more exciting for it.…
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The degradation of Marilyn Monroe
In death as in life, the actress has been used, abused and commodified. Netflix’s film Blonde is just the latest…
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The deep realism of Better Call Saul
This Breaking Bad spin-off was a high point in television drama: never has a series better conveyed the complexities of…
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The cheap trend of sensationalist docudramas
Colleen Rooney? Boris Johnson? Prince Andrew? All have gone through the pop culture scandal to prestige TV pipeline.
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Netflix can’t stop cancelling its best shows – 1899 is proof
The most ambitious shows on the platform are axed before they reach their peak, frustrating writers and viewers alike.
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