Breaking Down the Action-Packed, Haunting Finale of 'Beef' Season 2 Creator Lee Sung Jin and cast members reflect on the unexpected places the characters end up at the end of a tense final episode.

For TIME, I broke down the Season 2 finale of Netflix's 'Beef'.

I spoke with creator Lee Sung Jin, Charles Melton, and Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-Jung about Austin’s final turn, Chairwoman Park’s worldview, and the meaning of that final scene...

time.com/article/2026...

The True Story Behind HBO's Extreme Climbing Documentary 'The Dark Wizard' The four-part series examines the life of Dean Potter, who died in a wingsuit BASE jumping accident in 2015.

HBO’s 'The Dark Wizard' revisits the life, myth, and contradictions of Dean Potter, one of climbing’s most fascinating and polarizing figures.

For TIME, I wrote about the true story behind the docuseries + spoke with filmmakers Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer.

time.com/article/2026...

Thank you so much, and thank you for reading!! 🙏

Dispatch • The Cast and Creative Team of 'Pluribus' on What Survives the End of the World At PaleyFest LA 2026's opening night on April 4, Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, and others reflected on the Apple TV sci-fi drama's existential questions

My latest newsletter dispatch is on 'Pluribus,' the eerie Apple TV sci-fi drama from Vince Gilligan…

Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, and the creative team weighed in on the show’s existential questions during a panel at PaleyFest LA 2026...

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Dispatch • 'Nobody Wants This' Cast and Creative Team on Love After the Easy Part At PaleyFest LA 2026, Erin Foster, her cast, and her writers reflected on two seasons of the Netflix hit, why lasting love is harder to capture, and what’s ahead in Season 3

I wrote about the 'Nobody Wants This' cast and creative team panel at PaleyFest LA 2026 where Erin Foster, her cast, and her writers reflected on 2 seasons of the Netflix hit, why lasting love is harder to capture, and what’s ahead in Season 3.

jpmanga.substack.com/p/dispatch-n...

The Star Trek Episodes That Changed the Franchise—And TV—Forever 1990's two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds" had an outsize impact on the franchise, and on serialized storytelling to come.

Proud to share my TIME feature celebrating Star Trek's 60th anniversary.

I spoke with the creative team + actors behind 'Star Trek: The Next Generation's' 'The Best of Both Worlds,' which marked a turning point for the franchise...

Its influence is still felt today.

time.com/article/2026...

Ryan Gosling Reaches for the Stars in the Warm, Wondrous 'Project Hail Mary' As a scientist racing to save Earth’s dying sun, Gosling leads a cosmic adventure that ultimately becomes a story about curiosity and connection

In 'Project Hail Mary,' Ryan Gosling leads a sprawling cosmic adventure that becomes a story about curiosity, connection, and finding humor even in the darkest places.

I reviewed his latest...

jpmanga.substack.com/p/ryan-gosli...

The True Story Behind 'Twisted Yoga' Apple TV’s three-part docuseries follows several people whose search for wellness and community gave way to mounting concerns about the organization they'd joined

For TIME, I explored the true story behind Apple TV’s 'Twisted Yoga' and the network built by Romanian guru Gregorian Bivolaru.

Across nearly 30 countries, yoga schools promised spiritual growth and enlightenment—but what some followers found was something darker.

time.com/article/2026...

The ‘Scarpetta’ Finale Reveals the Lie Threatening Kay’s Legacy Nicole Kidman’s Kay Scarpetta can’t outrun the truth forever.

'Scarpetta’s' season 1 finale is an ambitious collision of Kay Scarpetta’s past and present.

For ELLE, I unpacked the climactic episode beat-by-beat and what it means for the iconic forensic pathologist.

www.elle.com/culture/movi...

Sliding Doors: ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and the Indiana Jones That Almost Was How honoring a network contract and a carpenter-turned-actor’s second chance gave us one of cinema’s most enduring heroes

The Indiana Jones we know almost looked very different.

Tom Selleck had the role… until a TV contract got in the way. One of Hollywood’s great “what if” stories.

I revisited that moment in history in my most recent post:

jpmanga.substack.com/p/sliding-do...

Here for a screening + reception of Taylor Sheridan’s ‘The Madison,’ starring Michelle Pfeiffer, joining the event in person.

Caught a screening of 'Project Hail Mary' last night...

It's a thrilling and heartfelt sci-fi film about connection and sacrifice, with Ryan Gosling bringing warmth and gentle humor to the role. Visually stunning throughout.

The ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Finale Asks: What Is a Good Man Worth? The emotional season 1 finale poses what is, perhaps, an impossible question.

'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' ends its first season on a deeply satisfying note, with the road ahead open and unknowable

For ELLE, I explored the finale and the seemingly impossible question it poses...

www.elle.com/culture/movi...

Catching the premiere for Michelle Yeoh's new short 'Sandiwara,' directed by Sean Baker ('Anora').

Here for the premiere + afterparty for Hulu’s ‘Paradise’ Season 2

Breaking Down the Ruthless Series Finale of 'Tell Me Lies' The series creator and stars on bringing the dark drama to an end with Season 3

I interviewed 'Tell Me Lies' creator Meaghan Oppenheimer, Grace Van Patten, and Jackson White about the series finale.

“Women have come up to us and said that the show has helped them get out of a toxic situation,” Van Patten shared. “I just hope it continues to do that."

time.com/7379246/tell...

Dispatch • Inside ‘Adolescence’ Star Erin Doherty’s Unbroken TV Hour During a screening and Q&A in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, the Emmy winner reflected on building Episode 3’s single-take confrontation—and what it demanded of her and her young scene partner

I attended an 'Adolescence' screening and Q&A where I learned about the making of Episode 3 from Emmy-winning actress Erin Doherty.

She spoke candidly about building that 52-minute confrontation opposite Owen Cooper and staying present.

jpmanga.substack.com/p/dispatch-i...

'Adolescence' actress and Golden Globe winner Erin Doherty discussed working on the Netflix show during a Q&A in L.A.

"The work just explodes when people are solely concerned with making something real and being open to whatever that dynamic is," she said. "Owen [Cooper] is the epitome of that."

James Van Der Beek’s Unguarded Heart The 'Dawson’s Creek' star, who died at 48 on Feb. 11, helped make sensitivity a strength on TV

James Van Der Beek, who died on Weds. at age 48, gave an entire generation—sensitive boys, included—permission to feel out loud.

With his passing, TV loses a performer who influenced what male vulnerability could look like on the small screen…

jpmanga.substack.com/p/james-van-...

How Alexander Skarsgård’s BDSM Scenes Were Crafted for ‘Pillion’ Introducing: the dom-com.

My newest for ELLE Magazine: an in-depth chat with 'Pillion' intimacy coordinator Robbie Taylor Hunt about his work on the queer BDSM romance.

We discussed how he shaped the film's most vulnerable moments with Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling...

www.elle.com/culture/movi...

Thanks, Substack!!

Breaking Down the Cathartic Ending of Marvel’s 'Wonder Man' The eight-episode Disney+ superhero dramedy stars Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Ben Kingsley in a Hollywood meta-narrative.

'Wonder Man' may be Marvel's best TV show yet.

The eight-episode series follows one struggling superpowered actor's journey of self-realization.

It's quietly moving, and with half-hour episodes, an easy recommendation for binge-watching.

time.com/7357773/wond...

Josh Charles' 'Best Medicine' Is the Cozy TV Show We Need Right Now Fox's small-town dramedy offers comfort viewing without apology

I’ve been watching the small-town TV drama 'Best Medicine' and realized how hungry I am for comfort TV...

Josh Charles is beautifully restrained work here: prickly, lonely, quietly human.

I wrote about the show feels almost defiant in 2026.

jpmanga.substack.com/p/josh-charl...

The True Story Behind Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s 'The Rip' The real criminal raid that inspired the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck-starring thriller 'The Rip'

I interviewed 'The Rip' writer-director Joe Carnahan about the real raid behind the Matt Damon–Ben Affleck film, and how it became a movie.

A $24 million cash seizure. Hours trapped inside a house.

The true story proved stranger than fiction.

time.com/7346935/the-...

Weekend Watch: 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Drives the Franchise Into New Emotional Territory From first lessons to final hands, a Weekend Watch duo that links 'Starfleet Academy' with 'The Next Generation’s' enduring last bow

Having viewed the first 6 episodes of 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,' I can say the show successfully moves the Star Trek franchise forward while not forgetting its roots.

My thoughts on this exciting new chapter for Trek:

jpmanga.substack.com/p/weekend-wa...

Screening Claire Foy’s new drama ‘H is for Hawk,’ an exploration of love, loss, and how nature can alter the way we grieve.

Dispatch • Lucy Liu Asks How Far Love Should Go in 'Rosemead' During a screening in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, Liu and the filmmakers discussed the movie's devastating questions about love, responsibility, and moral limits

Lucy Liu’s newest film Rosemead asks a devastating question: how far should love go before it crosses a moral line?

At a screening, Liu and the filmmakers spoke about the real-life story + the impossible choice her character believes is an act of protection.

jpmanga.substack.com/p/dispatch-l...

Thrilled to see my film and TV Substack land at #57 Rising in Substack’s Film & TV category.

It’s not Top 10 or Top 30—or even Top 50—but it still feels like a small, meaningful win.

It’s exactly the bit of momentum I needed this week to keep going.

One TV Moment From 2025 That Moved Me: 'The White Lotus' Friends Dinner Three women, a bottle of wine, and a shared truth about friendship and love

As 2025 winds down, I reflected on one TV moment that moved me: the dinner scene from The White Lotus’ finale, with Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, and Michelle Monaghan.

The scene hinged on 3 women, a bottle of wine, and a shared truth about friendship and love.

jpmanga.substack.com/p/the-one-tv...

The One TV Performance From 2025 That Haunts Me: Stephen Graham in 'Adolescence' As the year winds down, I’m pausing to honor a performance that deserved more attention—a quiet standout in a year full of remarkable TV

As 2025 winds down, I’m reflecting on a remarkable year for TV and film.

One of my favorite performances?

Stephen Graham in Netflix’s 'Adolescence,' a quietly devastating turn that explores a man caught in a heightened version of questions that haunt many parents.

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