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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Books

Defector At The Movies

Music

Arts And Culture

Kelsey McKinney

The Traitors cast arrayed around the round table.

‘The Traitors’ Is The Best Show On Television

Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

Drew Magary

A man walks on a pockmarked road, carrying another man across his shoulders, from the TV series 'Top Boy.'

I Am A ‘Top Boy’ Boy Now

David Roth

Handsome-ass Justin Hartley at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.

It’s Tracker

Israel Daramola

To Love ‘Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans,’ You Must Loathe It

Lauren Theisen

Stuck In The One-Woman Myth

Tom Ley

Justin Ellis

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

A bad guy reacts to having a grill thrown through his windshield by Jack Reacher

It Is Now Time To Discuss Jack Reacher Throwing A Grill At A Guy

Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.

Corey Atad

Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone in The Curse

‘The Curse’ Showed Just Enough To Unsettle

Sean T. Collins has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Decider, Pitchfork, and many others. He lives with his family on Long Island.

Sean T. Collins

How ‘The Wheel Of Time’ Made Great Art Out Of Great Pain

Andre Braugher in a black and white portrait taken in 2015.

The Good Guy

Soraya Roberts

Gary Oldman Is Gross And Loving It

Luis Paez-Pumar

Squid Game: The Challenge players take on Red Light, Green Light

The ‘Squid Game’ Reality Show Is A Brutal Adaptation Of Its Source Material

Alex Sujong Laughlin

The Golden Bachelor contestant looks out over a balcony

‘The Golden Bachelor’ Turns Grief Into Joy

Neal and Suit talking in what could honestly be any episode of the USA series "White Collar"

Background Television Isn’t As Easy As It Looks

Katharine Trendacosta writes about tech policy, the entertainment industry, pop culture, and where those things intersect. In her day job, she&#8217;s the Associate Director of Policy and Activism for the digital civil liberties nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (Her writing here reflects her views alone and not those of EFF.) In her spare time, she writes things like this.

A photo of the author, Katharine Trendacosta

Katharine Trendacosta

Members of WGA cheer at the end of their picket in front of CBS Television City on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023 in Hollywood, CA. Saturday marked the fourth straight day of talks, which kicked off Wednesday with the heads of four major studios participating directly. The union and studio alliance had not announced a deal as of early Saturday evening.

Capital

The Hollywood Writers Strike Proved That Collective Action Works

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

Diana Moskovitz

An image of a very young Krusty the Clown, wearing a kippah, standing in front of a store that sells comedy props. The store is called Yiddles.

The Best Part Of Krusty The Clown’s Judaism Is That It Doesn’t Need To Explain Itself

Libby Watson is a writer, <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/libtron">streamer</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/whatsallthisthen">podcaster</a>.

Libby Watson

A very weird TV, reflected in a wall-mounted mirror in a large British "sitting room."

I Am Obsessed With The Tiny TVs Of ‘Escape To The Country’

Only Murders In The Building -- "True Crime" - Episode 101 --Upper West Side neighbors Charles, Oliver &amp; Mabel bond over a shared love of true crime. When a fellow resident dies in their building, the trio determine to solve the mystery and record an accompanying podcast. Mabel (Selena Gomez), Oliver (Martin Short), and Charles (Steve Martin), shown.

It Takes More Than Fancy Clothes To Be The Best-Dressed Show On TV

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson next to each other in season two of HBO's series "Winning Time."

‘Winning Time’ Is Back And Still Ridiculous

Season 2 Of ‘The Bear’ Is About Rooting For Your Guys

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. Episode 302 of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. Cr.

“You Knew It Was Something Really Nasty”: How The Art Department Brings ‘I Think You Should Leave’ To Life

‘The Idol’ Isn’t Good Enough To Be Shocking

Helene Yorke and Drew Tarver in The Other Two

Why ‘The Other Two’ Is So Good

The ‘Succession’ Misery Index: A Meal Fit For A King

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Giri Nathan

Laura Wagner

Photo of Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho in a bright purple sweater.

Let Yam Yam Host ‘Survivor’

Actor and writer Daheli Hall, left, joins WGA members as they cheer on the first day of their strike in front of Paramount Studios in Hollywood on May 2, 2023.

TV