The Government Has Made College an Overpriced Scam
Thankfully, you don't need fancy dining halls or a college degree to have a good life or get a good job.
Television
The Battlefields of Cable
How cable TV transformed politics—and how politics transformed cable TV
Why Stripping Fox's Broadcast License Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: A listener inquires about the potential positive effects of ranked-choice voting reforms.
Rob Long: Welcome to the Age of Blunder in Public Health, Foreign Policy, and…Hollywood
The former Cheers producer explains why the studios are failing, the writers and actors are missing the big picture, and creators fear their audience.
Hollywood Must Change—But How?
Join Reason on YouTube Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion about the Hollywood strikes with television writer and political commentator Rob Long.
Review: Did the Waco Siege Inspire More Violence? Showtime Series Explores the Question
The assault on Mount Carmel was meant to bolster the ATF's reputation. It failed.
When the Hollywood Strike Is Over, What Will be Left?
Between A.I. and TikTok, the actors and writers will be returning to a changed industry.
Review: Jury Duty Offers a (Fake) Look Inside the Justice System
A supposedly sacred duty devolves into much ado about ordering lunch.
Review: Ash Ketchum Was a Free-Range Kid
In the Pokemon universe, there's no central government and vital social services are provided by informal clubs.
How Pat Robertson Shepherded His Flock Into Politics
Farewell to the senator's son who pioneered a TV genre, helped create the Christian right, ran for president, and earned the grudging respect of Abbie Hoffman
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Celebrated Selfishness as a Virtue
The show's final season boldly declared that success requires putting yourself first and accepting the trade-offs.
Succession Is a Darkly Comic Warning About the Transfer of Generational Power
The old guard titans might have been monsters. But, the HBO series warns, the young wannabes vying for power might be even worse.
Review: Animal Control Pokes Fun at Real-World Policing Problems
Asset forfeiture isn't funny—but what if it involves tripping bunnies and psychedelic mushrooms?
Review: Poker Face Puts a Modern Spin on Old-School Detective Shows
Knives Out director Rian Johnson offers a twisted vision of the American economy as one populated by makers and moochers.
A Bonus Reason Roundtable. Live From New York City!
Enjoy a special video episode recorded live from New York City’s illustrious Comedy Cellar at the Village Underground.
Hollywood Strike: Writers Demand More Pay, New Limits on ChatGPT
Their last strike previewed the struggles of the streaming era. This one might be giving us an early taste of the age of artificial intelligence.
Review: The Last of Us Humanizes Libertarian Survivalists
Human bonds transcend ideology in the HBO series.
Why Is Tucker Carlson Leaving Fox News?
The network has abruptly parted ways with one of its biggest stars.
Succession's Logan Roy: Not Actually an Anarcho-Capitalist
For perhaps the first time in television history, one character describes another as a "paleolibertarian" and "practically an anarcho-capitalist." But the terms don't fit.
Review: Nothing, Forever Is Funny, but Not the Way Seinfeld Is Funny
In one sequence, the Jerry Seinfeld stand-in stood onstage at a comedy club for minutes without saying a word.
Elizabeth Warren Wants the Government To Save Batgirl
Companies make decisions all the time, some of them regrettable and unfortunate, that shouldn't be any of the government's business.
Review: The White Lotus Explores the Misery of Wealth
The HBO series features what Ayn Rand would call "second-handers."
The Defiant Individualism of The Last of Us
Like the video game, the HBO series makes the case for the morality of an individual who refuses to sacrifice for the collective.
The Mandalorian, Troops, and the Fan-Filmification of Star Wars
Today's Star Wars fulfills the promise of the late '90s internet.
PredictIt Helps Forecast Election Results. Bureaucrats Are Trying To Kill It.
Election betting markets are often more reliable than pundits. Did the site steal user funds? No. Did they lie to people? No. Harm anyone? No.
Electric Truck Manufacturer Featured in Super Bowl Ad Got $186 Million in Taxpayer Subsidies
Stellantis, one of the largest automakers on the planet with billions in cash on hand, got a generous handout from the state of Indiana for choosing to build its battery manufacturing plant there.
Review: Knock at the Cabin and To Leslie
Shyamalan’s latest twist and a most unexpected Oscar nom.
Review: The Crown Pits British Tradition Against Reform
The lightly fictionalized historical drama shows that it’s hard for staid institutions to grow and change with the times, especially when they aren’t forced to.
Review: Inside Job Reinvents the Workplace Comedy
The Netflix show ostensibly satirizes government control, but it is not made for anyone truly suspicious of government power.
Hulu's 1619 Project Docuseries Peddles False History
The first episode paints an enslaver, plantation master, and Royalist autocrat as a leading and even celebrated agent of emancipation.
Review: Even in Tolkien's Middle Earth, You Can't Escape Immigration Restrictions
Elves need not apply.
Review: Time Meddling Becomes Altruism in Amazon's The Peripheral
It's the story of a distant future where rich denizens meddle in the affairs of the past.
Cameras Should Stay in Place After the House Picks a Speaker
C-SPAN has shown House proceedings since 1979 but only what the House chooses to let it show. That needs to change.
Review: God Forbid Chronicles Jerry Falwell Jr.'s Fall From Grace
Falwell and his wife engaged in extramarital trysts with a younger man and introduced him to powerful friends, such as future president Donald Trump.
'The Hypocrisy Hurts': Enes Kanter Freedom on Standing Up to China in the NBA
"When it comes to problems happening in America, [the NBA is] the first organization saying, 'This is wrong,'" says the former professional basketball player. But then they're silent for victims of torture.
5 New Studies That Challenge Conventional Wisdom About Kids and Tech
A slew of recent research suggests parents should relax a bit about screen time.
Against Game of Thrones Christianity
To truly care about virtue is to recognize that it matters how you win: Ends don't justify means.
Review: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation on The Great British Baking Show
For the first time, The Great British Baking Show's three best bakers are immigrants to the U.K.
Review: Is Andor the Most Political Live-Action Star Wars Release?
Star Wars remains an epic tale of good vs. evil, but underneath the myth are ordinary human motivations.
Review: The Libertarianism of Firefly
What if our interplanetary future involved train heists, legal sex work, and a lot of running from the feds?
The Fractal, Fractious Politics of The Expanse
Taking humanity from Earth to the stars isn't easy.
Review: When Homer Simpson Went to Space
"Deep Space Homer" aired only eight years after the real-life Challenger disaster.
This Court Case Could Make It a Crime To Be a Journalist in Texas
Priscilla Villarreal found herself in a jail cell for publishing two routine stories. A federal court still can't decide what to do about that.
The Lincoln Project Demonstrates How Anti-Trump Fixation Can Lead to Lousy Policy
Reflexive opposition to the 45th president was terrible for Covid policy and basic ethics.
This Election Day, Listen to the Betting Market Instead of Pundit Predictions
Over time, betting has been a better predictor than polls, pundits, statistical models, and everything else.
Violence Begets War on the House of the Dragon Finale
Who doesn't want Rhaenyra to go full Targaryen?
Review: Better Call Saul Could Only Happen Under Drug Prohibition
The black market for drugs empowers bad actors while imposing serious burdens on innocents.
Review: The Sandman and the Joys of Being Human
The series deals with themes of fate, freedom, and choice.