“The HBO show was known for witty jabs and f-word-laden insults. But perhaps its biggest achievement was ending on its own terms—and its writing through lines along the way.”
The Ringer
Not Serious People: A ‘Succession’ Reading List
Great writing begets great writing — and the commentary around the HBO smash hit is some of the best around.
The Search for the Lost ‘Jeopardy!’ Tapes Is Over. The Mystery Behind Them Endures.
“In 1986, Barbara Lowe Vollick won five games of ‘Jeopardy!’ in a row. Her episodes were then taken out of circulation. What followed was a nearly 40-year hunt for the missing tapes—and a quest to find out what really happened between the show and its most enigmatic champion.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This edition highlights stories by Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein, David Gauvey Herbert, Kit Chellel, Ashley Stimpson, and Nate Rogers.
Dril Is Everyone. More Specifically, He’s a Guy Named Paul
“Paul Dochney posted his way into the halls of internet lore. After 15 years of anonymity, can he emerge without compromising his act?”
The Making of Tom Wambsgans
“Before the final season of ‘Succession,’ Matthew Macfadyen and others explain the creation and expansion of the show’s most unlikely power player.”
All You Touch and All You See: “Dark Side of the Moon” at 50
“A half-century ago, Pink Floyd unleashed a classic that still lingers on the Billboard charts and in college dorms to this day. But what’s the legacy of the blockbuster album?”
Are We Having Fun Yet?!: The Oral History of ‘Party Down’
“As the Starz comedy makes an unlikely return to air, its creators look back on creating a unique inside-Hollywood workplace sitcom, scrapping through a difficult development period, and getting gold from Adam Scott, Ken Marino, and Jane Lynch.”
“Monorail!” How Conan O’Brien Came Up With an Iconic ‘Simpsons’ Episode
“Thirty years later, Conan O’Brien reflects on the making and legacy of ‘Marge vs. the Monorail,’ one of the best ‘Simpsons’—and sitcom—episodes of all time.”
