This edition: Rob Reiner's Legacy; Behind the Obits
TweetEpisode Details
Original tape date: December 18, 2025. First aired: December 19, 2025.Host Sam Roberts talks with Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson about the shocking murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, what Reiner’s mix of hit filmmaking and hard-edged activism revealed about Hollywood’s politics, and why 2025 may be an inflection point for an industry grappling with AI, risk-averse studios, and a new generation of moviegoers heading back to theaters. Then, NYT obituaries editor Bill McDonald reflects on this year’s extraordinary losses, from cultural icons and political heavyweights to overlooked lives. He explains how Times obits are reported, why the section is rethinking whose stories get told, and what these lives say about the era we’re living through.
Guest List
Bill McDonald NYT Obituaries Editor, The New York Times
Alissa Wilkinson NYT Film Critic, The New York Times
- Mahmood Mamdani's Africa & the Politics of Belonging
- Saturday, April 11 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, April 12 - 7:30pm
- TBA
- Friday, April 17 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, April 18 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, April 19 - 7:30pm
- TBA
- Friday, April 24 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, April 25 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, April 26 - 7:30pm
- TBA
- Friday, May 1 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, May 2 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, May 3 - 7:30pm
- TBA
- Friday, May 8 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, May 9 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, May 10 - 7:30pm
- Mahmood Mamdani's Africa & the Politics of Belonging
- Friday, April 10 - 7:30pm
- Mamdani's Tax the Rich Plan; Is $500K "Middle Class" in NYC?
- Friday, March 27 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, March 28 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, March 29 - 7:30pm
- Friday, April 3 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, April 4 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, April 5 - 7:30pm
- Suing for Infrastructure; Behind the Mamdani Smile
- Friday, March 20 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, March 21 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, March 22 - 7:30pm
- Mamdani-Khalil Iftar; AI in NYC Schools
- Friday, March 13 - 7:30pm
- Saturday, March 14 - 7:30pm
- Sunday, March 15 - 7:30pm
