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  1. Photo
    CreditFatinha Ramos

    Critic’s Notebook

    What Shouldn’t Change About Classical Music

    Our chief classical music critic bids farewell with some thoughts about what should be preserved in the field he’s covered for decades.

    By Anthony Tommasini

    2. PhotoFrom left, a scene from Tig Notaro’s HBO special “Drawn,” Susie Essman in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Tiffany Haddish in Netflix’s “Bad Trip.”
      CreditFrom left: HBO; John P. Johnson/HBO; Dimitry Elyashkevich/Netflix

      Best Comedy of 2021

      The return of indoor shows brought comedy closer to normal, and there were plenty of specials from Bo Burnham, Tig Notaro, Roy Wood Jr. and others.

      By Jason Zinoman

  2. Last Chance

    PhotoArtemisia Gentileschi, with “Self-Portrait as a Lute Player,” c. 1615–18, and other paintings, headlines a show of women of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
    CreditWadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

    The Renaissance Women Who Painted Against the Odds

    The Wadsworth Atheneum spotlights female artists from Italy in the 16th through 18th centuries, and asks: Who got left out of the canon?

    By Jason Farago

  5. Photo“If you hold the mirror up to the world and reflect it back accurately, who cares what other people think?” Sheridan says.
    CreditSaeed Rahbaran for The New York Times

    With ‘1883,’ Taylor Sheridan Expands His Western Empire

    Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” is an enormous hit, and its success has positioned him to become one of TV’s most prolific creators. Next up is a prequel series premiering Sunday.

    By Noel Murray

Best of 2021

More in Best of 2021 ›
  1. PhotoOlivia Rodrigo, members of the cast of “Reservation Dogs” and a scene from “Sanctuary City.”
    CreditClockwise from left: Mat Hayward/Getty Images; jeremy Dennis for The New York Times; Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

    The Breakout Stars of 2021

    In a year that offered glimmers of hope across the world of arts, these performers and creators rose to the occasion.

    By Maya Salam

  2. PhotoBenedict Cumberbatch in “The Power of the Dog,” left, Kristen Stewart in “Spencer” and Ariana DeBose in “West Side Story.”
    CreditFrom left: Kirsty Griffin/Netflix; Pablo Larrain/Neon; Niko Tavernise/20th Century Studios

    Best Movies of 2021

    Even when a film wasn’t great, filmgoing was. But there were some truly wonderful releases, ranging from music docs and musicals to westerns and the just plain weird.

    By A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis

  3. Photo“The White Lotus,” Pose” and “Laetitia” (with from left, Murray Bartlett, Mj Rodriguez and Marie Colomb) were among television’s best in 2021.
    CreditFrom left: Mario Perez/HBO; Eric Liebowitz/FX; Jerome Prebois/HBO

    Best TV Shows of 2021

    From Bo Burnham to “We Are Lady Parts,” the best in television this year offered ingenuity, humor, defiance and hope.

    By James Poniewozik, Mike Hale and Margaret Lyons

  4. PhotoLizzo, Lil Baby and Cardi B made some of our critics’ top songs of the year.
    CreditFrom left: NDZ/Star Max, via Getty Images; Rose Marie Cromwell for The New York Times; Francois Durand/Getty Images

    Best Songs of 2021

    Sixty-six tracks that tell the story of the year: a posthumous political statement, a hyperpop star finding his footing, an emerging force’s debut smash and a superstar’s 10-minute redo.

    By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz

  5. PhotoClockwise from left: the violinist Jennifer Koh, the composer Tyshawn Sorey and the pianist Igor Levit.
    CreditJingyu Lin for The New York Times; Dominic M. Mercier; Georg Hochmuth/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images

    The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2021

    Classics by Bach, Mozart and Brahms and new works by Andy Akiho, Angélica Negrón and Tyshawn Sorey were among our favorite recordings this year.

  1. What’s on TV This Week: Kennedy Center Honors and ‘Insecure’

    A recording of this month’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony debuts on CBS. And HBO’s “Insecure” airs its final episode.

    By Gabe Cohn

  2. ‘Insecure’ Recap, Season 5, Episode 9: Confession Time

    In the penultimate episode of the series, several characters let out what they have been holding inside.

    By Sandra E. Garcia

  3. How Dasha Nekrasova Is Calling the Shots

    The “Succession” star and co-host of the podcast Red Scare has directed her first feature, “The Scary of Sixty-First,” about a house once owned by Jeffrey Epstein.

    By Erik Piepenburg

  4. Drakeo the Ruler, West Coast Rapper, Is Killed at a Los Angeles Concert

    The rapper, whose real name was Darrell Caldwell, was to perform at a festival on Saturday night when he was fatally stabbed during an altercation, officials said.

    By Eduardo Medina

  5. Essay

    As a Black Bard of the South, Randall Kenan Toppled Monuments

    Through his fictional North Carolina town of Tims Creek, the author brought his buried lineage front and center.

    By Lauren Christensen

  6. Richard Rogers, Architect Behind Landmark Pompidou Center, Dies at 88

    A Pritzker Prize winner, he altered the skylines of Paris and London with colorful and striking designs that turned architecture not just inside out but also on its head.

    By Penelope Green

  7. Baghdad Dispatch

    Reveling in the Joys of Books, and Reading, at a Baghdad Book Fair

    Iraq is home to literary traditions ancient and modern, and to legions of avid readers who find a new book more meaningful to them than a new government.

    By Jane Arraf

  8. read like the wind

    A Stylish Art Dealer and a Trip to Italy

    Our critic recommends old and new books.

    By Molly Young

  9. The Year in Stars

    Today’s celebrities found a way to keep shining in a dark year.

    By Danya Issawi and Shane O’Neill

  10. Rosalie Trombley, Who Picked Hits and Made Stars, Dies at 82

    As music director for CKLW, a major radio station in the Detroit market, she furthered the careers of Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, the Temptations and many others.

    By Neil Genzlinger