from dusk till bedtime
Sept. 26, 2023
A Field Guide to the Anarchic and Experimental World of Spy Kids Only one Hollywood franchise features Alan Cumming as a deranged Willy Wonka–esque TV host and an army of giant CGI ninja thumbs.
opening titles
Mar. 4, 2021
How WandaVision ’s Pitch-Perfect Title Sequences Channeled TV’s Past Director Matt Shakman walks us through what went into creating the era-specific homages you definitely recognized, and a few you may have missed.
special effects
May 29, 2020
Baby Yoda Wasn’t Always So Cute, Huh? The early concept art for The Mandalorian ’s breakout star was … different.
Phil From Somebody Feed Phil Is So Grateful for Takeout Right Now “I’ve had some of the best meals I’ve ever had sitting at my kitchen table.”
Rick and Morty Is an Animation Challenge Like No OtherThe series’s gleeful exploration of its own logical and visual limits is basically the opposite of how every other animated TV show works.
seinfeld with swords
Dec. 3, 2019
Whit Stillman Has a Plan to Save The Cosmopolitans “We’ve been jokingly calling it Seinfeld with swords or Friends against fascism.”
behind the scenes
Nov. 22, 2019
How See ’s Blindness Consultant Helped Demystify a Sightless World Accessibility advocate Joseph A. Strechay was instrumental in the Apple TV+ production’s comprehensive approach to accurately depicting a blind world.
special effects
Oct. 1, 2019
hardest things
Sept. 16, 2019
The Hardest, Strangest, Most Unforgettable Jobs In Hollywood TV and movie craftspeople share their stories (and a great dip recipe).
hardest things
Sept. 10, 2019
The Hardest Effect I Ever Pulled Off 42 filmmakers, cinematographers, and effects artists on making the impossible happen.
Big Brother Recap: Big Hogg EnergyThe week featured some of the most surprising, provocative, and satisfying game moves of the season.
Big Brother Recap: Chaos Is a LadderIn the course of about three days, and for no better reason than gossip, this season’s strongest alliance was rendered effectively obsolete.
Big Brother Recap: Gossip GirlWill Isabella’s ill-advised gossip spree make her the next major household target? Our weekly Big Brother power ranking says yes.
Big Brother Recap: Ovi and OutWell, Christie couldn’t have had a more tumultuous HOH rule if she’d tried.
Big Brother Premiere Recap: Notes on CampThis season might have a touch of Lost about it.
game of thrones
May 16, 2019
Why Game of Thrones Had to Shoo Away Its Direwolves Even on a show that set the gold standard for TV visual effects, the Stark wolves represented a unique — and ultimately unsustainable — challenge.
How Chef’s Table Turned Food TV Into Mouthwatering Art The Netflix show launched a generation of spinoffs and imitators. But making food look delicious on-screen isn’t easy.
How Chef’s Table Turned Food TV Into Mouthwatering Art The Netflix show launched a generation of spinoffs and imitators. But making food look delicious on-screen isn’t easy.
Celebrity Big Brother Season Finale Recap: InterceptionSome astoundingly bad strategy from a player who should have known better leads to a rare unanimous Big Brother victory.
Celebrity Big Brother Recap: Love and WarAn inevitable yet enormously disappointing elimination leaves us with an unusual bunch of contestants heading into the finale.
Celebrity Big Brother Recap: Et Tu, Tamar?Kato Kaelin was too good at this game, and it was only a matter of time before he was punished for it.
Celebrity Big Brother Recap: Trust the ProcessRyan Lochte inadvertently devised a master class in how not to rule the Big Brother house.
special effects
Jan. 22, 2019
True Detective ’s Old-Man Makeup Was Inspired by The Nutty Professor and Amadeus The makeup artist behind True Detective season three reveals the secrets of a special-effects feat.
Celebrity Big Brother Recap: Fame GamePresenting a power ranking of the the sterling fraternity of that-guys and what’s-her-names who have entered this season’s household.
the industry
Dec. 13, 2018
How TV Finally Got Its Own Blockbuster Special Effects In recent years, groundbreaking VFX work has transformed the TV landscape. But it’s not easy making monsters and dragons like ones on the big screen.
