Culture | TV

As “Sesame Street” enters what may be its final season, a Monitor columnist reflects on losing shows for children that created a set of tenets rooted in love.

Mexican author Juan Rulfo helped invent magical realism and influenced a generation of beloved Latin American writers. His novel “Pedro Páramo” just received a twisty adaptation on Netflix.

Just as the Spanish women’s national team was celebrating its 2023 World Cup victory, it found itself embroiled in a fight with the soccer federation president over an unwanted kiss. A Netflix documentary looks at the scandal.

Women free divers in South Korea don’t view age as a limitation. The director of a new documentary discusses their determination, and how it helps them persevere in the centuries-old tradition they uphold. 

“Saturday Night Live,” which is celebrating its 50th season, launched the careers of scores of comedians. A diverting new film about the show’s premiere features frenetic creativity – and its toll.

The film, with more than 70 million views on Netflix, takes its cues from “Rambo” – and police reform.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” has become entangled in culture war sparring. Yet some say the text has universal qualities that transcend politics. 

What did the first Black Barbie mean to a generation of children? A director who says she “hated“ dolls draws joy and inspiration from an icon.

The last enslaved people to arrive in the U.S. from Africa tried to get home after they were emancipated. More than 150 years later, their descendants make the journey for them – and consider the legacy they left. 

“Reading Rainbow” remains a touchstone for generations of American children. But as a new documentary shows, it – and host LeVar Burton – means so much more than nostalgia.