Culture

'Vienna Blood' Recap: Season 3 Episode 4

Max enlists Clara to write a story to help with a case, turning also to his father and sister to play a role as he and Oskar set a trap for a burglar searching for hidden treasure who may also be a murderer.

Hip-Hop at 50: A Q&A with a History Professor in a New Four-Part Documentary on the Art Form

Hip-hop turns fifty this year. A history professor and advisor to the new documentary series Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World discusses the music's context and impact. "Hip-hop is still here because it has had this transformative impact on the way youth engage with the world around them," he says.

WTTW News Director Jay Smith on the Chicago Tonight set

A Q&A with WTTW News Director Jay Smith as Changes Come to 'Chicago Tonight'

As Chicago Tonight prepares to move to 10:00 pm weeknights beginning January 23, we sat down in WTTW’s Crown Studio with news director Jay Smith to talk about the local news business and plans for Chicago Tonight and WTTW News.

Robin Rue Simmons, right, sits at a table leading a discussion.

New Documentary Follows Local Reparations Debate in Evanston

A new documentary follows the reparations debate in Evanston, which became the first town in the country to pass an official government reparations program for Black residents. The filmmakers share the challenges in making the film, as well as its optimistic message about making change happen on a local level.

James and Helen walking through a field in All Creatures Great and Small

What to Watch in January

January abounds in new seasons, from dramas and mysteries to food shows, Antique Roadshow, and Finding Your Roots. Plus, a documentary about Evanston's reparations program and the debate over it.

The exterior of Johnnie's beef, looking through the window with blurred figures behind the counter and ordering food.

Food, Nostalgia, and Drama: Here are the 10 Playlist Stories You Read the Most in 2022

The most-read stories of the year on Playlist cover food, drama, and history with a dash of nostalgia mixed in. Revisit those stories.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Little-Explored Welsh Roots and His Green Architecture

The Welsh architect Jonathan Adams believes that the proud Welsh heritage of Frank Lloyd Wright's maternal family influenced his philosophy and architecture, a claim Adams explores in a documentary and book. Plus, he discusses Wright's ahead-of-its-time attention to nature.

Chicago skyline looking South from Lincoln Park

Take a Look Back at Chicago’s Headlines With Our Year-End News Quiz

Take a look back at Chicago’s headlines with our year-end news quiz.

Saul Bellow in his portrait from his book 'Herzog'

From the Archive: Chicago Author and Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow

"I am an American, Chicago born," Saul Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March famously begins. Watch Bellow discuss winning the Nobel Prize and the sudden overwhelming media attention it brought in a segment from a 1977 WTTW show.

Deana Martin, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra

Some Holiday Specials to Stream This December

The nights are long, the air is crisp, holiday lights are up: it's time to snuggle into your home with a mug of cocoa, a cookie, and some joyful holiday specials. We've collected some favorites that are available to stream by WTTW Passport members, from concerts to holiday episodes of our dramas and mysteries.

Elisabeth Greer holding a sign reading Black Students Matter

‘We’re Not Just a School. We’re a Community’: New Documentary Highlights Battle to Save Chicago Elementary School

A new POV documentary Let the Little Light Shine shows the battle to save the National Teachers Academy from being transitioned into a new high school as the South Loop neighborhood grows and changes. Kevin Shaw, the film's director and producer, discusses how issues like race, class, and gentrification emerge from the story in which average citizens become activists in their community.