Chris Vognar
@chrisvognar.bsky.social
TV/Pop Culture Critic, The Boston Globe. Concerned citizen. Ally.
Welcome to The O.C. bitches: In this week’s Autopilot I look back at a guilty pleasure that actually isn’t that guilty.
‘The O.C.’ was a teen fable of fun, sun, and affluenza - The Boston Globe
The series is a standout for its savvy examination of class and wealth.
bostonglobe.com
Been writing this story in my head for about a year, ever since I saw Ross McElwee’s soul-baring doc Remake when I was in Venice. It’s a remarkable film, about love, loss (McElwee’s 27year-old son Adrian died of a drug overdose in 2016), time, and the redemptive power of the moving image.
‘And then suddenly, you’re gone’: With the searing ‘Remake,’ Cambridge documentary giant Ross McElwee grapples with the death of his son - The Boston Globe
What started as a conversation about turning his film "Sherman's March" into a narrative feature turned into something else entirely.
bostonglobe.com
Hulu’s “Furious” is one of the best shows of the year, a richly layered and sneakily funny crime thriller for the Epstein age. Great acting everywhere you look, especially from Emmy Rossum and Lola Petticrew.
Hulu’s ‘Furious’ is a riveting crime thriller for the age of Epstein - The Boston Globe
Emmy Rossum and Lola Petticrew star as an FBI agent and the female serial killer she's pursuing.
bostonglobe.com
I’ve grown fascinated by the viral online animal stars of 2026 (full disclosure: I get excited every time I see a turkey or bunny on the streets of Cambridge). The orb-like raccoon Jimothy is the hot new critter, but as a Bay Area guy I gotta roll with Chonkers the sea lion.
Jimothy the raccoon is just the latest attraction in the year of the internet animal star - The Boston Globe
Here on the East Coast, at least we have our turkeys.
bostonglobe.com
TV tunes: Wrote about shows that tap pop stars for title sequences, including Fiona Apple (I love her “Horns of a Bull,” which plays over the Lucky title sequence) and Mick Jagger (Slow Horses).
Recognize that voice singing the opening credits? It might actually be a rock star. - The Boston Globe
A number of popular streaming shows have enlisted well-known names to either write or license a theme song.
bostonglobe.com
A New Era is a lively new play about conflicts and coalition building in Boston’s 1890s Black suffragist movement. Yes, it has contemporary echoes. I reviewed Company One’s world premiere production.
In ‘A New Era,’ a lively look back at Boston’s Black suffragist past - The Boston Globe
The play places a historical movement and moment in the service of a story crackling with ideas and conflict.
bostonglobe.com
Rapture and rupture: In this week’s Autopilot column I look at The Leftovers, in which supernatural occurrence is used to spotlight human frailty.
HBO’s ‘The Leftovers’ brought fear and wonder to a selective end-times event - The Boston Globe
The adaptation of Tom Perrotta's 2011 novel debuted in 2014.
bostonglobe.com
I found The Westies addictively entertaining, with J.K. Simmons leading the way as an Irish American crime boss ruling Hell’s Kitchen in the early ‘80s. Though I prefer Chris Brancato’s previous series, Godfather of Harlem.
In ‘The Westies,’ an upstart Irish-American crime family takes on the Mafia - The Boston Globe
Review of limited series "The Westies," on MGM+.
bostonglobe.com
Hey, it’s my first piece for the Boston Globe Magazine, about what it’s been like living in Boston (ok, Cambridge) after 50 years in Cali and Texas. Though I would never presume to call myself a Masshole, much less a Bostonian, I already feel less like an outsider here than anywhere else I’ve lived.
Goodbye, affordable Houston. Boston, you’re my home. - The Boston Globe
After 30 years in Texas, the move east came with some culture shock. And some revelations about what home means.
bostonglobe.com
A few weeks back I wrote about my ten favorite actors on TV. I soon realized I would be writing many addendums. Here’s the first of those, spotlighting Sarah Paulson, Nick Offerman, Marin Ireland and Jon Hamm.
Nick Offerman! Sarah Paulson! And more of the best actors on TV today - The Boston Globe
Which performers do you think deserve to be on the list?
bostonglobe.com
In this week’s Autopilot: It’s impossible to look at the start of Breaking Bad the same way after you know what follows, when Mr. Chips slowly becomes Scarface. But some hints were there all along.
Before Walter White was a killer, he was just a desperate man with a plan - The Boston Globe
In the first episode of Vince Gilligan's "Breaking Bad," we got glimpses of the man he'd become.
bostonglobe.com
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into… more consideration of “The Great Gatsby. Because let’s face it: There’s always another occasion to explore the eternal pull of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s sophomore novel. The Broadway musical hits Boston this week.
Why we’re borne back ceaselessly into ‘The Great Gatsby,’ on stage and film - The Boston Globe
As Broadway in Boston brings "The Great Gatsby" to town, critic Chris Vognar looks back at how other adaptations have fared.
bostonglobe.com
Reading and writing about more fiction these days, which has been a great pleasure. Returning to my English major roots. Here’s my review of Daniel Mason’s wonderfully dry, intellectually frisky new novel Country People, about a California academic family finding new adventures in Vermont.
In Daniel Mason’s ‘Country People,’ newcomers to small-town New England find a fantastical conspiracy - The Boston Globe
Academic spouses Kate and Miles are the heart of Daniel Mason’s wonderfully dry, intellectually frisky novel about a California family finding new adventures and learning new tricks in rural New Engla...
bostonglobe.com
The hits (Half Man, Widow’s Bay). The sleepers (Portobello, The Listeners). Here’s my rundown of the best new TV of the year so far.
‘Widow’s Bay,’ ‘Half Man,’ and more of the best TV of the year so far - The Boston Globe
There's a lot to watch out there, but these are the shows most worth your time in 2026 (so far).
bostonglobe.com
Wrote a few words on Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, which takes a blistering approach to a theme that always feels ripe this time of year: the wide chasm between American ideals and American reality.
With ‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’ Frederick Douglass challenged American hypocrisy - The Boston Globe
The speech, given at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society, stands as one of his major achievements.
bostonglobe.com
Fishes, no sleeping: As The Bear winds down, I looked back at one the best (and most anxious) TV episodes I’ve ever seen.
A Christmas for the (dark) ages: As ‘The Bear’ winds down, ‘Fishes’ remains a chaotic TV milestone - The Boston Globe
Season 2's flashback episode showcased the series at its best.
bostonglobe.com
Not a big fan of Larry David’s new U.S. history sketch comedy romp Life, Larry and the pursuit of Unhappiness. And yet, given the current national spirit as the big 250 approaches, pettiness does seem more appropriate than piety.
‘Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness’ gives Larry David a bigger canvas, but he’s still Larry - The Boston Globe
A sketch comedy show about American history offers a parade of celebrity guest stars and some hit or miss concepts.
bostonglobe.com
Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector’s uproarious, contentious word salad of a play, gave me a jolt of recognition as a native Berkeleyan. The play isn’t just set in Berkeley; it ~is~ Berkeley, in all its passive-aggressive, more-righteous-than-thou glory. I love my hometown. Which means I can laugh at it.
As a Berkeley native, ‘Eureka Day’ made me feel seen (but not othered) - The Boston Globe
The Huntington's latest show satirizes a certain kind of overbearing parent.
bostonglobe.com
In the hothouse of anxiety that is TV in the streaming age I’ve noticed a particular strain: messed up teens in a state of numbed-out crisis amid deeply flawed parenting. And I’m not just talking about Euphoria. Happy Father’s Day!
Sex, drugs and cyberstalking: On TV, the kids are definitely not all right - The Boston Globe
In "Adolescence," "Euphoria," and others, youth misbehavior runs rampant, and seems to reflect our ongoing anxiety about kids.
bostonglobe.com
Some words of appreciation for James Burrows, Cheers co-creator and remarkably prolific sitcom director, who died today at age 85.
In the sitcom world, everyone knew ‘Cheers’ co-creator James Burrows’s name - The Boston Globe
It’s not hyperbole to say we won’t see the likes of Burrows again.
bostonglobe.com
Now that that the season 1 secret is out of the bag (he’s an alien!) Sugar can get down to the business of doing private eye stuff and providing a platform for a crafty Colin Farrell performance. I like this show. It lets us see contemporary L.A. through the eyes of an interplanetary outsider.
Colin Farrell and ‘Sugar’ are back for a second season, the big secret out of the bag - The Boston Globe
Now, the show can just be a private eye series with its own distinct sensibility.
bostonglobe.com
Hall hears a hum: I liked The Listeners, starring Rebecca as an English suburbanite who joins a cult of people who claim to hear the same noise. It’s really about belief and the need for belonging.
Rebecca Hall hears a hum and joins a cult in the unnerving ‘The Listeners’ - The Boston Globe
The show, a British import making its debut on Starz on Friday, takes its time peeling back the layers of its central mystery.
bostonglobe.com
Had some fun coming up with my ten favorite TV actors working today. This idea started with my admiration for Claire Danes and my interest in whatever Matthew Rhys does, then grew from there through conversations with my editors.
Claire Danes. Matthew Rhys. Who are the best actors and actresses working on TV today? - The Boston Globe
Sure, movie stars are appearing on TV these days. But here's a list of the actors who have made a home on the small screen.
bostonglobe.com
Let’s be careful out there: In this week’s Autopilot I look at the dawn of Hill Street Blues, which was also the dawn of a new era in television. Now try to stop humming the theme song.
‘Hill Street Blues’ helped rewrite the rules of network television - The Boston Globe
The series changed our thinking about the kind of storytelling that would be possible on TV.
bostonglobe.com
The new Cape Fear series doubles down on the dysfunctional family angle of the Scorsese movie, and amps it up for the age of social media, cyber-stalking, and impure drugs. I tracked 69 years of Cape Fear, which has gone from novel to movie to movie to TV with a Max Cady-like refusal to go away.
‘Cape Fear’ has changed names, locales, and formats. Now, it’s an Apple TV series. - The Boston Globe
How does the new Javier Bardem series compare with two prior movies and the original novel?
bostonglobe.com
In this week’s Autopilot feature I wrote about HBO’s Perry Mason, set in a ‘30s California of bad dreaming, of race and class divisions, dirty cops, and have and have-nots. It burned brightly for 18 episodes, then faded into the hazy Los Angeles sunset.
HBO’s ‘Perry Mason’ was a reboot steeped in noir, complete with a bedraggled LA antihero - The Boston Globe
Matthew Rhys starred in a new take on the classic PI that was more radical reimagining than traditional remake.
bostonglobe.com
Wrote about Spider-Noir, and how noir is flexible and commodious enough to include the super hero genre.
‘Spider-Noir’ slings a shadowy and indelible film style for a favorite superhero - The Boston Globe
Even a superhero TV series can fit under the noir umbrella.
bostonglobe.com
A pleasure as always contributing to The Boston Globe’s summer books preview. Among the titles I’m looking forward to is Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark’s American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump.
Ready to get into summer reading? Here are 75 books to keep you reading all season long. - The Boston Globe
Our annual summer reading guide, just for you.
bostonglobe.com
In this week’s One Special Thing feature: Victoria Wasylak provides a smart look at how the 2014 movie Frank — starring Michael Fassbender as a troubled rocker in a giant papier-mache head — pokes holes in tortured artist tropes. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05
The myth of the tortured artist comes to a head in ‘Frank’ - The Boston Globe
The 2014 dark comedy is a takedown of the “tortured artist” trope, although its legacy is often reduced to “that movie with the kooky guy and the fake head.”
bostonglobe.com
Every now and then I’ll stay up til 2:30 a.m. to write about something. Like Colbert’s heartfelt and surrealist goodbye. I was not anticipating the interdimensional wormhole.
Stephen Colbert bids farewell to ‘The Late Show’ with help from Paul McCartney and surprise guests. See highlights. - The Boston Globe
It was wacky, cerebral, and touching. And a TV loop was closed.
bostonglobe.com