Book Review: I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution

(Bought at the Strand Book Store for $10): Pulitzer Prize winning critic Emily Nussbaum's collection of reviews and profiles from the New Yorker forms a fascinating history of the evolution of TV in the early 21st century. From the rise of cable to the current state of streaming, Nussbaum digs deep into the meaning of such cult and pop hits as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Americans, Law and Order: SVU, Jane the Virgin, and many others. Her take on David Chase's love-hate relationship with his audience in The Sopranos brings up several interesting points like the moral ambiguity of Dr. Melfi helping Tony not to be a better man but a more efficient gangster. She says Chase makes us love Tony but then makes us hate ourselves for loving him and watching him every week.  I haven't watched ALL of these shows, but Nussbaum makes me want to. 

Her extended profiles of prolific show-runners Kenya Barris (black-ish), Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange Is the New Black) and Ryan Murphy (Glee, Pose, Feud, etc.) offer a glimpse into the shifting power struggle in entertainment as these black, female and gay voices become more powerful. There are also views of the past with ruminations on Norman Lear, Joan Rivers, and Sex and the City.

Nussbaum recently was reassigned to cover theater for the New Yorker and I'm looking forward to her perspectives.

Bowl EP and David Greenspan Among Obie Winners

Oghenero Gbaje and Essence Lotus in Bowl EP,
Obie Award winner for Best New Play.
Credit: Carol Rosegg

Bowl EP, Nazareth Hassan's play about two wanna-be rappers set in an empty swimming pool made into a skateboarding park, and performer-playwright David Greenspan were among the winners of the 69th annual Obie Awards, announced on NY-1 by Frank DiLella and Michael Urie on Jan. 31. Bowl EP was named Outstanding New Play and won for its three-person Ensemble Cast and Greenspan won two awards--for his performance as part of the ensemble of Prince Faggot and for the solo show I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan. He previously won six Obies.

Originally presented by the Village Voice newspaper, the Obies are now presented by the American Theater Wing who also co-presents the Tonys. The Obies honor excellence in Off and Off-Off-Broadway theater. Instead of a ceremony, the Wing presents winners with cash grants totaling more than $250,000. A private reception for the winners will be held on Feb. 23. 

David Greenspan in I'm Assuming You Know
David Greenspan.
Credit: Ahron R. Foster

This year's judging panel comprised Stephanie Berry, Modesto "Flako" Jimenez, Jonathan McCrory, Santiago Orjuela-Laverde, Aya Ogawa, Barbara Samuels, and Whitney White, led by co-chairs Wilson Chin and Ryan J. Haddad. More than 300 productions were evaluated.

Drama Desk and Outer Critics Announce 2026 Dates

Two major theater award dispensing groups, the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle, have announced their dates for nominations and ceremonies. The 70th annual Drama Desk Awards will be held on Sun. May 17 at Town Hall. The ceremony will celebrate the organiztion's 70-year history. This marks a return to the venue for the first time since the 2020 theater shutdown. The DDs had been presented at NYU's Skirball in recent years. The nominations will be announced on April 29. This year’s awards will be produced by Drama Desk Awards Productions, a venture of Scene Partners in partnership with the Season. Chaired by the Martha Wade Steketee (UrbanExcavations.com), the 2026 nominating committee includes Linda Armstrong (Amsterdam News), Daniel Dinero (Theater Is Easy), Peter Filichia (Broadway Radio), Kenji Fujishima (freelance, Theatermania), Margaret Hall (Playbill.com) and Raven Snook (TDF).  Charles Wright and David Barbour are co-presidents. The Drama Desk considers Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway in each of its multiple categories. The acting categories are not gender-specific and the top two vote-getters are the winners. Multiple awards may be presented in the case of ties. The awards are voted on by about 100 DD members who are NY-based theater critics, reporters, and editors.

Nominations for the Outer Critics Circle Awards will be announced on April 21. The winners will be made public by press release on May 11 with a ceremony to be held on May 21 at a venue yet to be announced. Previous OCC presentations have been held at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts' Bruno Walter auditorium and before that at Sardi's restaurant where a meal was included. The OCCs honor on and Off-Broadway. Some of their categories are divided between Broadway and Off-Broadway while others put them together. Like the DDs, the OCCs have eliminated gender-specific acting categories. The Outer Critics Circle is an organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town, national, and digital publications. Led by President David Gordon (Theatermania), the OCC Board of Directors which is also the Nominating Committee includes Vice President Richard Ridge, Recording Secretary Joseph Cervelli, Corresponding Secretary Patrick Hoffman, Treasurer David Roberts, Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson and Doug Strassler. Simon Saltzman is president emeritus and a non-nominating board member, and Stanley L. Cohen serves as financial consultant and a non-nominating board member.