Mary McNamara is a culture columnist and critic for the Los Angeles Times. Previously she was assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment following a 12-year stint as television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing. She is the author of the Hollywood mysteries “Oscar Season” and “The Starlet.” She lives in La Crescenta with her husband, three children and two dogs.
Latest From This Author
We often see cataclysmic events as having two parts: crisis and aftermath. But sometimes, as we’re learning now, the aftermath is an even bigger crisis.
Feb. 27, 2024
Join The Times for our live coverage of the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards as we offer analysis of the Netflix telecast and report from the ceremony at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium.
Feb. 24, 2024
When ‘The Sopranos’ premiered on HBO in January 1999, critics treated it like any other series. Then the fifth episode, ‘College,’ upended the history of American television.
Feb. 7, 2024
Patti Davis has spent a lifetime chronicling her life with parents Ronald and Nancy Reagan. In a new book, ‘Dear Mom and Dad,’ she reckons with them as people, not parents.
Feb. 6, 2024
After three kids’ and 20 years’ worth of youth sports, columnist Mary McNamara reflects on the real reason parents yell at the refs and other lessons she’s learned along the way.
Jan. 30, 2024
‘Barbie’ is one of the most successful and well-reviewed female empowerment films in history. So, of course, its director and star weren’t nominated for Oscars.
Jan. 23, 2024
Despite our seeming addiction to hydration, kidney stones — one of the most painful low-hydration-related conditions — are increasing in every segment of the population. And if you think this isn’t a big problem, you haven’t had one yet.
Jan. 23, 2024
Steeped in TV history, the delightful, touching 75th Emmy Awards were also a clear-eyed acknowledgment of all the medium has left behind.
Jan. 16, 2024
For two decades, a ‘Golden Age’ and then ‘Peak TV’ supercharged the Emmys. Now TV’s top prizes must batten down the hatches for a major contraction.
Jan. 11, 2024
Films based on real-life events are often criticized by the people who lived them. But Vili Fualaau’s reaction to ‘May December’ should give filmmakers, and audiences, pause.
Jan. 7, 2024