Episodes
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January 16, 2026 - Week in Review: Time Out Market, the National Portrait Gallery, and MTV Rewind
On this edition of The Culture Show, Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, who wrote a new poem for Renée Good — a Minneapolis poet and mother killed by a federal ICE agent — refusing to let her be reduced to a headline. Gorman’s poem turns grief into public witness, calling out power and insisting on accountability.Then Boston’s food scene is losing two very different kinds of hangouts. Time Out Market in Fenway is closing January 23, while UNO is shrinking again in Massachusetts, with locations in Dedham, Braintree, and Revere shutting down.Plus we dig into the latest James Bond casting buzz — with Callum Turner’s name in the mix as a possible next 007. What makes a convincing Bond now, and why do these rumors catch fire so fast?And from superspy shake-ups to superhero succession: we talk about the speculation that Damson Idris could play the next T’Challa in Black Panther 3. What would that kind of recasting mean for the franchise — and for the character’s legacy?Finally, Jared, Callie and Edgar share their recommendations for arts and culture events to take in. Jared’s pick: Company One Theatre’s “The Great Privatin.” Callie is looking forward to exploring “WINTERACTIVE” and Edgar’s heading to Scullers for John Coltrane and Miles Davis centennial shows. -
January 15, 2026 - Congressman Jim Clyburn, Scottish Fish, and To Be Read Conference
In “The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation,” Jim Clyburn revisits the lives of eight Black congressmen from South Carolina who served during Reconstruction, testing the meaning of representation in the aftermath of slavery. Drawing on history and his own decades in Congress, Clyburn reflects on their legislative ambitions, the backlash they faced, and why their brief moment in power still shapes American democracy today.Boston-based Celtic quintet Scottish Fish joins The Culture Show with music rooted in tradition and sharpened by years of playing together. Ahead of this year’s Boston Celtic Music Festival, the group talks about their shared history, their approach to arranging fiddles and cello, and what it means to be named the Brian O’Donovan Legacy Artist at this year’s BCMF. This festival is January 15–18, 2026. To learn more go here.Whitney Scharer is the co-founder of To Be Read (TBR), a new writing and publishing conference launching Saturday, January 17, at Lesley University in Cambridge. Co-founded with writer Sonya Larson, TBR brings writers together with agents, editors, booksellers, and publishing professionals for conversations about craft, careers, and the forces reshaping the literary world. Scharer also discusses Publishing Matchmaker, a new system designed to rethink how writers and literary agents connect by reversing the traditional submission process. Learn more here. -
January 14, 2026 - Chef Karen Akunowicz, Ali Noorani of the Barr Foundation, and hostile architecture w/ Mahesh Daas
January 15, 2026 - Chef Karen Akunowicz, Ali Noorani of the Barr Foundation, and hostile architecture w/ Mahesh Daas -
January 13, 2026 - "Breaking the Deadlock," Diane Paulus, and Pedro Alonzo
PBS’s Breaking the Deadlock drops former politicians, judges, and veteran journalists into staged constitutional crises and asks them to work from the same facts, limits, and scenarios. Moderator Aaron Tang, a UC Davis law professor, joins us to talk about what these simulations reveal about civil discourse and the power of reasoning amid deep disagreement. Their forthcoming episode, “A Matter of Life and Death,” airs on January 20, 2026. To learn more about “Breaking the Deadlock,” go here. Tony Award–winning director Diane Paulus, Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater, joins us to talk about “Masquerade,” an immersive reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.” Set in a five-story former department store on West 57th Street, the production turns the Paris Opera House into a candlelit maze of salons, staircases, and hidden rooms, bringing audiences in masks inches from the show’s spectacle and romance. To learn more go here.In our recurring feature “AI: Actual Intelligence,” independent curator and Culture Show contributor Pedro Alonzo takes us to Los Angeles by way of two museum exhibitions, The Brick’s Monuments and LACMA’s “Grounded.” -
January 12, 2026 - Damien Hoar de Galvan, "The Great Privation," and Paul Revere's Sons of Liberty Bowl
Damien Hoar de Galvan created one sculpture a day for an entire year, using discarded materials like scrap wood, jars, and household objects. His 365 works are now on view at the ICA, where he’s been awarded the 2025 Foster Prize. He joins us to talk about the project and why these everyday materials matter to him. The Foster Prize exhibition is on view through January 19. To learn more go here.“The Great Privation” spans two centuries to examine how Black Americans have been forced to survive systems built on taking — from labor to land to bodies. Summer L. Williams, Company One’s co-founder and Associate Artistic Director, joins us to discuss the production. “The Great Privation” is a co-production of Company One Theatre and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, now onstage through January 31. To learn more go here.As part of Countdown to 2026, we explore Paul Revere’s Sons of Liberty Bowl, crafted in 1768 to honor a Massachusetts vote rejecting new British taxes. Engraved with the names of lawmakers who opposed those measures, it’s a key artifact of early resistance. Ethan Lasser, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, joins us for an overview. To learn more about the Sons of Liberty Bowl and the MFA’s exhibitions and programming go here. -
January 9, 2026 - Week in Review: Heated Rivalry, Stranger Things, and BTS' return
On this edition of The Culture Show, Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, “Heated Rivalry,” the hockey romance that’s become an unexpected breakout hit. What began as a niche sports drama has grown into a word-of-mouth phenomenon, drawing praise for its explicit intimacy, emotional depth, and its nuanced take on masculinity, fame, and desire inside the high-pressure world of professional sports.Next, BTS is reuniting after completing South Korea’s mandatory military service. With all seven members back together for the first time in years, the group’s return marks a major moment not just for fans, but for the global pop industry — reigniting questions about longevity, fandom, and the scale of their cultural influence.And the British Museum is now hiring a specialist to help recover antiquities stolen from its own collection. The move follows a major internal security scandal and raises larger questions about how museums track objects once they disappear, and what it takes to recover cultural history in a global art market.Then we turn to Jim Beam. After more than two centuries as a pillar of Kentucky bourbon, the company is halting production at its flagship distillery amid changing consumer habits and ballooning stockpiles — a signal of broader shifts in the spirits industry.Finally, Jared, Callie and Edgar share their recommendations for arts and culture events to take in. Jared’s pick: the play “Is This a Room,” Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company, Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea. Callie is looking forward to watching “Can This Love Be Translated?”, a new K-drama on Netflix, and Edgar is gearing up to watch the NFL Playoffs. -
January 8, 2026 - Imari Paris Jeffries, Amani Willett, and Jackson Cannon's martini masterclass
As part of our recurring segment AI: Actual Intelligence, Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston and a co-chair of Everyone 250 joins us.. Jeffries shared original, human-centered insights on civic memory, public history, and the work of shaping a more inclusive narrative as Massachusetts approaches its 250th anniversary.Photographer Amani Willett joins us to discuss his latest book, “Invisible Sun.” His most intimate project to date, Willett discusses how the book confronts his childhood medical trauma and explores what it means to carry personal history in the body. Willett is an Associate Professor of Photography at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. To learn more about “Invisible Sun” go here.We wrap up the show with cocktail authority Jackson Cannon, Beverage Director for ES Hospitality and a longtime force behind Boston’s modern cocktail revival. Cannon broke down the enduring appeal of the martini — from dry to dirty to Vesper — and previewed his upcoming Martini 2.0 cocktail class, a deep dive into the technique, history, and style behind one of America’s most iconic drinks. To learn more about this January 24th event go here. -
January 7, 2026 - Joyce Kulhawik, Salem Poet Laureate J.D. Scrimgeour, and Alison Croney Moses
Joyce Kulhawik joins The Culture Show with highlights from the annual voting of the Boston Society of Film Critics, following their marathon session at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, which could be an indicator of this year’s Oscar contenders. The Boston Society of Film Critics awards crowned Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, as Best Picture, alongside honors for standout performances, documentaries, animation, and the repertory screenings that kept Boston’s movie houses buzzing. Joyce Kulhawik is a Culture Show contributor, an Emmy-award winning arts and entertainment reporter and President of the Boston Theatre Critics Association. You can find her reviews at Joyce’s Choices.Salem’s inaugural Poet Laureate, J.D. Scrimgeour, discusses writing about the “other Salem” — the daily, lived-in city beyond witch-trial lore and Halloween tourism. As part of the Salem 400+ celebrations, he talks about his new book “Poet in High Street Park: Prose & Poetry for Modern Salem.” On January 11, he’ll be at the Peabody Essex Museum for a PEM Reads event, reading from and discussing his new book as part of the official Salem 400+ celebrations. To learn more go here.Boston-based sculptor Alison Croney Moses is one of four artists featured in this year’s Foster Prize exhibition at Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, on view through January 19. She joins us to talk about her work, receiving the 2025 James and Audrey Foster Prize, and what it takes to carve out a life and career as an artist in Boston. To learn more about the James and Audrey Foster Prize and exhibition go here. -
January 6, 2026 - George Saunders, "Fight for America!" and Matthew Shifrin
Bestselling author George Saunders joins The Culture Show to talk about his forthcoming novel “Vigil.” Set over a single night, the book follows Jill “Doll” Blaine, a long-deceased guardian figure who keeps watch over a dying oil executive, returning Saunders to the moral and metaphysical terrain familiar from “Lincoln in the Bardo.” “Vigil” is out January 27, with a Harvard Book Store event on January 29 at the Back Bay Events Center; to learn more go here.“Fight for America!” is a large-scale interactive simulation that revisits the events of January 6, 2021. Produced by the american vicarious, the project takes the form of a live tabletop “megagame,” placing participants into opposing roles to examine how democratic norms can fracture under pressure. Christopher McElroen, the Founding Artistic Director of the american vicarious and the co-creator, writer, and director of “Fight for America!” joins us for an overview. “Fight for America!” is scheduled for presentations in Boston, spring 2026; to learn more go here.Matthew Shifrin, founder and CEO of Bricks for the Blind, returns for the recurring feature AI: Actual Intelligence. Best known for translating LEGO’s visual instructions into accessible text for people with vision loss, Shifrin discussed his latest work focused on making music more accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. -
January 5, 2026 - Samuel Barber's "Vanessa," Steve Sweeney's "Townie," and Jane Eaglen on Pavarotti
Samuel Barber’s Vanessa is a psychologically charged American opera centered on denial, obsession, and self-deception. Premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1958, the work earned composer Samuel Barber the Pulitzer Prize for Music. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with Boston Lyric Opera, will be performing Vanessa for the first time in BSO history, conducted by Andris Nelsons, with mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey appearing as Erika. Tony Fogg, BSO’s Vice President of Artistic Planning, and Samantha Hankey join us for an overview. “Vanessa” will be performed January 8 and January 10 at Symphony Hall. To learn more go here.Boston comedian and actor Steve Sweeney joins The Culture Show to talk about his new film “Townie,” which is drawn directly from his Charlestown upbringing. Known for comedy rooted in working-class Catholic culture, Sweeney uses the neighborhood as a lens on loyalty, memory, and what it means to stay put as a place — and a city — changes. You can catch a screening of “Townie,” on January 16 at The Cut in Gloucester. To learn more go here.Grammy-winning soprano Jane Eaglen returns for the Culture Show’s recurring feature AI: Actual Intelligence. A veteran of the world’s major opera stages, Eaglen is on the faculty at New England Conservatory and serves as President of the Boston Wagner Society, bringing a performer’s perspective to questions of tradition, audience, and the future of classical music.
