Ben Travers
Indiewire
Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Past articles by Ben:
‘The Big Door Prize’ Infuses Soft Science-Fiction with a Strong Heart
Chris O’Dowd stars in an Apple TV+ comedy about a small-town husband and father who’s happy life is upended by a mysterious machine. → Read More
Amid a Rising Tide of Reboots, ‘Perry Mason’ Season 2 Raises the Bar
Matthew Rhys returns for a second season of the HBO adaptation that subtly improves on its strong initial outing. → Read More
‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Questions the Way in a Curious, Cuddly Return
Across two very different episodes, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) wrestles with his purpose and Grogu (Baby Yoda) accepts greater responsibilities. → Read More
Amazon’s ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ Series Is a Cacophony of Bad Choices
A documentary that doesn’t make sense, a star-crossed romance with anemic chemistry, and a rock n’ roll story built on cliches — but hey, the music is OK. → Read More
SAG Awards Glimpse the Future of Awards Shows: Streaming, Swearing, and Surprises
Next year, Netflix. This year, the Screen Actors Guild Awards moved to streaming and carried on with business as usual — save for a few key twists. → Read More
‘The Last of Us’ Isn’t Playing the Game You Think
HBO’s hit series continues to be judged against the heralded video game it’s based on, but that approach often misses the point of adaptations. → Read More
‘Party Down’ Season 3 Struggles to Recapture Its Cavalier Spirit
Adam Scott’s cursed catchphrase “Are we having fun yet?” lingers over a revival caught between forced nostalgia, absurd comedy, and inescapable despair. → Read More
Billy Crudup’s ‘Hello Tomorrow’ Shoots for the Moon and Gets Lost in the Stars
The Emmy-winning actor plays a traveling salesman whose long con — hocking houses on the moon — is challenged by a moral epiphany. → Read More
‘The Last of Us’ Episode 5 Is a Stunning Depiction of What Lost Love Has Wrought
A devastating rebuttal to Episode 3’s beautiful romance, “Endure and Survive” puts its protagonists through the wringer — for good reason. → Read More
7 New Netflix Shows in February — and the Best Reasons to Watch
Netflix knows what time of year it is, and its February releases reflect the bleak, sorry state of a sludgy, sad winter. → Read More
What Makes Harrison Ford’s Comedic Turn in ‘Shrinking’ So Damn Good
What makes the iconic movie star’s latest grumpy loner so endearing? Time, talent, and TV — but let’s break that down a bit, shall we? → Read More
‘Shrinking’ Is Too Cute for Its Own Good, but Harrison Ford Saves the Day
“Ted Lasso” teammates Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein join Jason Segel for an Apple TV+ sitcom about a therapist who goes rogue. → Read More
New ‘Night Court’ Keeps It Old School in NBC’s So-So Reboot
John Larroquette finds his groove, while the rest of “Night Court” wastes its promising premise by playing it safe. → Read More
2023 Golden Globes Review: Jerrod Carmichael Soars, but This Ship Is Still Sinking
There were fine speeches and finer gowns, but those can be found at any old awards show. The HFPA needed more in its haphazard comeback bid, and came up empty. → Read More
HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Is an Astounding Survival Story — and a Major Moment in TV
Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin's HBO adaptation of the acclaimed video game, "The Last of Us," will inspire and devastate in equal measure. → Read More
‘Koala Man’ Wastes Sarah Snook and Hugh Jackman in Hulu’s Un-bear-able Superhero Spoof
Created by Michael Cusack, the animated comedy about an unwanted Aussie superhero is superficially strange but inherently familiar. → Read More
After ‘Tulsa King,’ Sylvester Stallone Might Stop Acting in His Own Projects
A dual threat since “Rocky,” the executive producer and star of Paramount’s hit crime comedy often contributes on both sides of the camera. But, as he tells IndieWire, those days … → Read More
Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Copenhagen Cowboy’ Is a Beautiful Redundancy
The “Drive” and “Neon Demon” director revisits his favorite motifs in a Netflix series that’s too slow to divulge any fresh ideas. → Read More
4 Dark Horse Directors Who Deserve DGA Award Nominations
Bill Hader, Ben Stiller, and Lucia Aniello should be DGA Award locks — and deservedly so — but these directors demand recognition, too. → Read More
17 HBO and HBO Max Original Series to Get Excited About in 2023
New seasons of “Succession” and “True Detective” highlight HBO’s returning class, while freshman series like “The Last of Us” look to leave their mark. → Read More