Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

The crime drama Furious follows two women: a serial killer targeting powerful men from her past and the FBI agent tasked with tracking her down. TV critics Roxana Hadadi and Alison Herman join Commotion guest host Amil Niazi to discuss why this show about female rage has turned into such a hit.

Plus, when a trove of art popped up at Value Village in Penticton, B.C., people quickly discovered it had been donated by the Penticton Art Gallery. It was all art that had been donated to the gallery for fundraising purposes. Art critic and curator Charlene K. Lau talks about the backlash to the gallery's decision to drop it off at Value Village where it says it would get "maximum exposure."

Commotion guest host Amil Niazi is joined by music critic Pablo The Don, and culture critics Scaachi Koul and Syrus Marcus Ware to discuss ‘Petal,’ the brand new album from Ariana Grande, along with the polarizing debate around Ariana’s body and health, and where a celebrity’s right to privacy sits within that conversation.

We've known for a while now that reading for pleasure has been on the decline. But in her essay for The Atlantic, Rose Horowitch argues that we are entering into an age of post-literacy, with enormous implications for life as we know it. Rose Horowitch joins Commotion guest host Amil Niazi to explain what she now understands about why reading matters as much as it does – and what happens when we stop.

Plus, ever since the pandemic, an emerging genre of multiplayer video games has taken off: Friendslop. These are games made by small independent studios working on smaller budgets, and they focus on cooperation and socialization rather than combat. Today on Commotion, digital journalist Jonathan Ore talks with guest host Amil Niazi about Big Walk, a game that seems to be taking the genre in a different direction.

'Ted Lasso' started out strong – winning awards, massively loyal audiences, and critical acclaim. But later seasons struggled to capture the same magic. Now season 4 is here, with Ted, played by Jason Sudeikis, taking on the challenge of coaching a women's football team. Commotion guest host Amil Niazi chats with TV critic Roxana Hadadi and sports journalist Signa Butler about the legacy of 'Ted Lasso,' and if this latest season recaptures the show's glory days.

Plus, BTS have decided they won’t submit their comeback album, ARIRANG, for the 2027 Grammy Awards. They released a statement that said, “We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” Many critics saw this as a rejection of the Grammys newest category: Best Asian Pop Music Performance. Professor Michelle Cho talks about the delicate identity politics surrounding this story, and why fans are standing behind the seven-member K-pop group.

With each summer comes the race to crown the definitive song of the season. But when you look at the songs dominating the discourse this year—from Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” to Olivia Rodrigo’s “the cure” to Charli xcx’s “SS26”—the vibe is not very fun-in-the-sun. Music journalists Emilie Hanskamp, Carl Wilson, and Reanna Cruz explain why, in the world of pop music, this summer has been a real bummer.