Still Watching

Vanity Fair

Join Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson, Chris Murphy, and Hillary Busis as they recap and analyze the most exciting series on TV and streaming, and get the inside story on how these shows come together through exclusive interviews with the stars and creators.

read less

Our Editor's Take

Still Watching: by Vanity Fair is a pop culture recap show. The podcast hosts discuss series like White Lotus, Succession, and House of the Dragon. The Sex and the City reboot And Just LIke That gets discussed as well. The show also reviews American Crime Story, Loki, and Under the Banner of Heaven. Seasons of the podcast often feature more than one TV show. Listeners hear the hosts go over major plotlines and details of each episode. In the process, the podcast makes a point of going beyond the obvious. It provides a thorough examination of scenes, story arcs, and characters. Conversations on the podcast are humorous, witty, and knowledgeable. This is a podcast by television fans for television fans.

Vanity Fair writers Richard Lawson and Chris Murphy cohost the podcast. Lawson works as a TV and film critic for Vanity Fair and is the longest-running host on this podcast. Before joining Vanity Fair in 2013, Lawson worked at Gawker and The Atlantic Wire. Cohost Chris Murphy combines his writing duties at Vanity Fair with standup comedy. He also used to work at New York magazine. Hillary Busis, Joanna Robinson, Anthony Breznican, Katey Rich, and Sonia Saraiya have also cohosted.

Since Still Watching: By Vanity Fair debuted, cast and crew of popular shows have appeared as guests. One guest was The White Lotus creator Mike White. Others are Succession director Lorene Scafaria and Harriet Walter. Harriet plays Caroline Collingwood in Succession. Listeners will also hear excerpts of the recapped shows. The discussions offer a better perspective and depth to the programs. HBO's Succession is one example of a show with many layers and subplots. Still Watching: by Vanity Fair provides exceptional context and background. Plus, the hosts' and guests' energy is contagious, making for an exciting show.

read less

ArtsArts

Play Trailer

Next on Still Watching: The Regime

Next on Still Watching: The Regime

Kate Winslet returns to HBO but this time tries her hand at comedy with The Regime. Chris, Hillary and Richard discuss what they’re looking forward to in this six part limited series.

Episodes

Ripley, Part 2: How to Get Away With Murder

Ripley, Part 2: How to Get Away With Murder

Richard, Chris, and Hillary unwrap the final four episodes of Ripley, while Andrew Scott joins to explain how at his core, Tom Ripley is just "somebody who hasn't been given access to the beautiful things in life."

Ripley, Part 1: Cons, Italian Style

Ripley, Part 1: Cons, Italian Style

Andrew Scott makes for a captivating killer in the first four episodes of Netflix's Ripley, streaming now. Richard, Chris, and Hillary dig into the sumptuously shot series, while Dakota Fanning stops by to talk about her new spin on Marge Sherwood and the simply ghastly experience of filming for months in gorgeous Italy.

The Regime Episode 6: Long Live the Queen?

The Regime Episode 6: Long Live the Queen?

Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down The Regime’s final episode, and reveal which of them correctly guessed who would be leading Genovia by the end of the series. Later, VF correspondent Miriam Elder drops by to reveal what The Regime got right about despots, and what it didn’t.

The Regime, Episode 5: The Fall of Genovia

The Regime, Episode 5: The Fall of Genovia

Terrible Christmas tidings hit Kate Winslet's autocracy in the penultimate episode of The Regime. Richard, Chris, and Hillary sift through the ashes, while Andrea Riseborough stops by to break down Agnes's tragic arc.

The Regime, Episode 4: Hello, Hugh Grant!

The Regime, Episode 4: Hello, Hugh Grant!

The show finally introduces Grant's Ed Keplinger, a liberal ex-chancellor whose democratic leanings may be less progressive than they seem. Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down his introduction to The Regime and chat with Grant about reuniting with Kate Winslet and what Keplinger really believes.

The Regime, Episode 3: This Means War

The Regime, Episode 3: This Means War

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dissect Elena’s latest heal-turn, and what it means for Zuback's future. Plus, Guillaume Gallienne joins to discuss playing first husband Nicky: "He's a bit of a masochist. He likes to be her rug."

The Regime, Episode 2: "A Little Chokey-Tuggy"

The Regime, Episode 2: "A Little Chokey-Tuggy"

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dig into how Zuback's quick ascent has affected Genovia. Plus, Matthias Schoenaerts stops by to chat about playing the Butcher of Site 5 and rubbing mustard on Kate Winslet.

The Regime, Episode 1: Palace Intrigue

The Regime, Episode 1: Palace Intrigue

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dive into The Regime, a satirical dramedy from the mind of Succession alum Will Tracey. Plus, star Kate Winslet joins to break down the similarities between her and autocratic chancellor Elena.

Next on Still Watching: The Regime

Next on Still Watching: The Regime

Kate Winslet returns to HBO but this time tries her hand at comedy with The Regime. Chris, Hillary and Richard discuss what they’re looking forward to in this six part limited series.

True Detective: Night Country, Bonus Episode: Going Deep with Issa López

True Detective: Night Country, Bonus Episode: Going Deep with Issa López

Night Country’s showrunner breaks down season four's most surprising Easter eggs, the backstories we didn't get to see, and what it's like to tangle online with passionate True Detective fans.

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 6: So, Who Killed the Tsalal Scientists?

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 6: So, Who Killed the Tsalal Scientists?

Richard, Chris, and Hillary discuss how Night Country reveals both what happened to the scientists and who really killed Annie K. Plus, Jodie Foster joins to dig into how the ending reinforces all of the show's themes, filming her big underwater scene, and why time, truly, is a flat circle.

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 5: Let's Get Oedipal

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 5: Let's Get Oedipal

As episode five premieres early on Max to avoid the Super Bowl, Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down Night Country's biggest twist yet, while John Hawkes stops by to talk about writing Hank's unbelievably bleak song and staging a very tense standoff.

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 4: The Worst Christmas Ever

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 4: The Worst Christmas Ever

Richard, Chris, and Hillary discuss Ennis's incredibly depressing holiday, complete with death, breakdowns, and a heart-wrenching romantic diss. Plus, Kali Reis joins to talk all things Evangeline Navarro, and how this episode's major tragedy will drive her going forward

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 3: What Really Happened in the Wheeler Case

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 3: What Really Happened in the Wheeler Case

Richard, Chris, and Hillary dig into the reason behind Danvers and Navarro's rift, Hank's hillibillies, and a theory that climate change could be responsible for the Tsalal deaths. Plus, Isabella LaBlanc joins to talk about bringing Leah Danvers to life.

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 2: All Aboard the F--k Trailer

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 2: All Aboard the F--k Trailer

Richard, Chris, and Hillary talk cliffhangers, Raymond Clark and Annie K's mysterious relationship, and season four's surprising connection to True Detective season one. Plus, Christopher Eccleston joins to chat about letting everything hang out in his sex scene with Jodie Foster.

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 1: What's Really Haunting Ennis, Alaska?

True Detective: Night Country, Episode 1: What's Really Haunting Ennis, Alaska?

Richard, Chris, and Hillary head north to break down our introduction to Jodie Foster's Liz Danvers, the dual mysteries driving this season, and that mind-boggling final image. Plus, Finn Bennett joins to discuss playing naive young cop Peter Prior and how True Detective gave him Covid (twice!).

Next on Still Watching: True Detective: Night Country

Next on Still Watching: True Detective: Night Country

Can a new showrunner and Jodie Foster reinvigorate one of prestige TV's most beloved franchises? Richard, Chris, and Hillary are about to find out with an all-new season of Still Watching dedicated to True Detective season four.

The New Yorker: The Year of the Doll

The New Yorker: The Year of the Doll

In the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Barbie, a literal doll, leaves the comforts of Barbieland and ventures into real-world Los Angeles, where she discovers the myriad difficulties of modern womanhood. This arc from cosseted naïveté to feminist awakening is a narrative throughline that connects some of the biggest cultural products of the year. In this episode of Critics at Large, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how 2023 became “the year of the doll,” tracing the trope from “Barbie” to Yorgos Lanthimos’s film “Poor Things,” whose protagonist finds self-determination through sexual agency, and beyond. In Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” a teen-age Priscilla Beaulieu lives under the thumb of Elvis at Graceland before finally breaking free, while in Emma Cline’s novel “The Guest,” the doll figure must fend for herself after the trappings of luxury fall away, revealing the precarity of her circumstances. The hosts explore how ideas about whiteness, beauty, and women’s bodily autonomy inform these works, and how the shock of political backsliding might explain why these stories struck a chord with audiences. “Most of us believed that the work of Roe v. Wade was done,” Cunningham says. “If that is a message that we could all grasp—that a step forward is not a permanent thing—I think that would be a positive thing.”Read, watch, and listen with the critics:“Barbie” (2023) “M3GAN” (2023) “Poor Things” (2023) “Priscilla” (2023) “The Guest,” by Emma Cline “The House of Mirth,” by Edith WhartonNew episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts.

The Crown Season Six Episode 10: Inside The Crown’s Three-Queen Farewell

The Crown Season Six Episode 10: Inside The Crown’s Three-Queen Farewell

Richard, Chris, and Hillary break down the series finale of The Crown, while producer Suzanne Mackie goes deep on the scene that united Imelda Staunton, Olivia Colman, and Claire Foy for the first time.

The Crown Season Six Episode 9: All About the Fashion Show Where Kate Snared William

The Crown Season Six Episode 9: All About the Fashion Show Where Kate Snared William

Richard, Chris, and Hillary go deep on episode 9 of The Crown season 6, "Hope Street," while VF staffer and royals expert Julie Miller stops by to explain whether Carole Middleton was as devious in real life as she is on the show.