3 April 2026
Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post) and Noreen Malone (The New Republic)
On Critic Proof, Alyssa and Noreen compare New Girl creator Liz Meriwether with Girls creator Lena Dunham, especially in terms of their presentation of sex on TV. Alyssa describes how New Girl has grown on her despite her apprehensions about star Zooey Deschanel. She also discusses Mindy Kaling’s show The Mindy Project. Why are the breakout characters on the new crop of female-centric comedies mostly male? Is charm on the decline among men? Is the “unromantic comedy” on the rise? Are traditional romantic comedies bad for women? Turning back to New Girl, they suggest that romcoms could succeed by becoming more realistic about love and life.
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Alyssa Rosenberg
Noreen Malone
Noreen’s profile of Liz Meriwether in TNR
Emily Nussbaum on Lena Dunham in NY Magazine
Benjamin Schwarz’s piece on the decline of charm in The Atlantic
NY Magazine piece on the decline of movie stars and rise of pop stars
Tina Brown’s biography of Princess Diana
Jezebel post on the decline of romantic comedies
Alyssa on the rise of the unromantic comedy
Megan McArdle’s case for getting married young
Critic Proof | Jun 3, 2013 | Alyssa Rosenberg & Noreen Malone
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Conservative Case Against the Iran War
Curt Mills and Andrew Day of The American Conservative join Robert Wright to discuss the state of the war, hopes for ending it, Trump’s psychology, the Israel lobby’s role, the future of MAGA, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Averting a Superintelligence Takeover
Robert Wright and ControlAI founder and CEO Andrea Miotti discuss the dynamics propelling us toward artificial superintelligence and how we can keep control of our future.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Iran War and the Singularity
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov connect the Iran war to the AI crisis: If tribal psychology keeps launching stupid wars, how will we coordinate globally on superintelligence? Plus: Trump’s hypnotic confidence, $20k drones vs. million-dollar missiles, Russia’s sovereign internet, Spanish cannabis clubs, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Israel, America, and the Iran War
Robert Wright and journalist Ron Kampeas discuss the (il)logic of the Iran war, Joe Kent’s resignation, the MAGA rift over the Iran war, whether anti-antisemitism efforts are backfiring, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Allure and Danger of Agentic AI
Robert Wright and AI pause advocate (and Doom Debates host) Liron Shapira discuss Claude Code, OpenClaw and other AI developments—and whether they’ve brought us closer to doom. Plus: A civil(-ish) debate on Israel-Palestine.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
What’s Israel Thinking?
Robert Wright and British–Israeli Middle East expert Daniel Levy discuss Bibi’s aims for the Iran war—and how he’s using the Trump moment to pursue them. Plus: Iran’s strategy, Israel’s ongoing radicalization, the Gulf States’ dilemma, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Iran’s War for a New Middle East Order
Hooman Majd, author of the memoir Minister Without Portfolio, joins Robert Wright to discuss Iran’s strategic goals, the prospects for regime survival, and the US’s missed opportunities for entente with Iran.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Israel, Iran, and Antisemitism
Robert Wright and Peter Beinart, publisher of The Beinart Notebook, discuss how Trump and Bibi’s war with Iran risks fueling antisemitism. Plus: Tucker vs Fuentes on Israel, the ADL’s counterproductive speech policing, the Epstein effect, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Trump’s Gulf War
Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner of the American Prestige podcast join NonZero’s Robert Wright to discuss evolving US war aims and their chances of success.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Will the Iran War Spiral Out of Control?
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