Check out one critic's guide to the best Muppet movies, including 'The Great Muppet Caper,' 'The Muppets Take Manhattan,' and more.

Check out a list of some of the best Mel Brooks films, from 'The Producers' and 'History of the World' to 'Spaceballs' and 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights.'

Jim Henson and his creative team constructed several optical illusions to make the Muppets appear as though they walked through the real world.

Watch some of the best scenes from Mel Brooks' films, including 'Young Frankenstein,' 'Spaceballs,' 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights,' and more.

'The Muppet Show' debuted in the UK because it was rejected by every US network.

Check out a fan list of the best Pixar movies.

Jim Henson's 1986 film 'Labyrinth' was initially a commercial failure in the US, though it slowly gained an audience that now considers it a cult classic.

The best celebrity cameos on 'The Simpsons'

As the show became a pop culture sensation in the late '80s, it began attracting celebrities eager to get in on the fun. This list ranks some of the best of those appearances, including Meryl Streep, Paul McCartney, and Dustin Hoffman.

Watch episodes of 'Sam and Friends,' the earliest show featuring the Muppets.

The greatest satirical films of all time

This list of satires from the silver screen runs the gamut: There’s a send-up of the music industry (“This is Spinal Tap”), a zombie-filled treatise on consumerism (“Dawn of the Dead”), and an oft-misunderstood analysis of masculinity (“Fight Club”), among several other classic critiques.

An original review of the 1987 parody 'Spaceballs'

On June 24, 1987, Mel Brooks launched "Spaceballs" in theaters—a comedy starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, and Rick Moranis that spoofed the "Star Wars" trilogy and sci-fi tropes in general. The movie has remained a cult classic ever since. Read the Hollywood Reporter's original review of the film here.

Watch Jim Henson explain how to make a Muppet.

'Follow your enthusiasm. It's something I've always believed in. Find those parts of your life you enjoy the most. Do what you enjoy doing.'

- "Muppets" creator Jim Henson (1936-1990)

Jim Henson and his Muppets were part of the first season of 'Saturday Night Live' because NBC was hoping to tamp down Lorne Michaels' countercultural plans for the show.

Before 'The Muppet Show,' Jim Henson produced slapstick coffee commercials featuring the puppets.

Explore a critic's list of the most underappreciated TV shows of the 21st century, including cult hits like 'Detroiters,' 'The Corner,' and more.

Jim Henson's lone Oscar nomination was for an experimental short film he made in the '60s that features no puppets.

Although it's now considered a pivotal film in the history of American cinema, 'The Wizard of Oz' was initially panned by some of its contemporary critics.

Every ‘SNL’ season, ranked

This list gives an overview of the strengths, weaknesses, and nuances of every one of the 50 seasons of "SNL." Helpfully, it also includes plenty of great sketches, acting as a compilation of the legendary show’s definitive moments.

The best episodes of 'The Simpsons,' ranked

In its almost four decades on the air, "The Simpsons" has played a role in shaping the arc of American comedy. This list from The Ringer ranks the show's episodes that played the biggest role in that process, featuring exemplary scripts from Conan O'Brien, Greg Daniels, and more.

Critics rank the best movie franchises of all time

Franchises and sequels make up a growing percentage of annual films at the box office and aren't typically associated with critical acclaim. However, many franchises over the decades have achieved high praise from critics. This list compiled from...

The best Steven Spielberg movies

Spielberg's impact on Hollywood is massive—so is his filmography. This list from the Guardian ranks every one of his film's from the forgettable, like "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Always," to his essential flicks, including the science-fiction classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the first modern blockbuster, "Jaws."

Many critically panned cult classics did well at the box office

Franchise flops like 1997's "Batman & Robin," 1983's "Jaws 3-D," and 2015's "Fantastic Four" were panned, though that didn't stop them from selling hundreds of millions of dollars in tickets.

The best cult movies

Cult film followings develop for a number of reasons. Some admire a movie's unappreciated genius. Others believe the work was simply ahead of its time. And, yes, some cult classics gain their cult status because they're unbelievably, laughably bad. This list includes all of the above, ranking the films that have developed passionate, even obsessive, followings—for whatever reason.

A taxonomy of Mardi Gras' many krewes

There's more than one kind of krewe in New Orleans. This handy guide breaks down some of the most famous (such as the Krewe of Zulu and the Krewe of Rex) and explains the differences between a "super krewe" and a "walking krewe."

Explore a critic's list of the best Ingrid Bergman performances, including 'Casablanca,' 'Notorious,' and 'Autumn Sonata.'

The best adaptations of Dickens' books

There have been over 300 screen adaptations of Dickens' works, including 50 of "A Christmas Carol" alone. This list breaks down the best of the bunch, with nods to the Gen X "Great Expectations," the musical rendition of "Oliver Twist," and Dev Patel's take on "David Copperfield."

Watch the 'Star Wars Holiday Special,' a 1978 spin-off that became a cult classic

The CBS television special is a hokey variety show that was widely panned after it aired and, as a result, was never officially released on home video. George Lucas had little involvement, though it did feature the original cast alongside guest stars like Bea Arthur. Interestingly, it also features Boba Fett's first appearance.

The 1977 'SNL' Mardi Gras special is considered the show's biggest disaster

An on-location episode of the then-young sketch show featured drunken heckling from the audience, technical difficulties amid the broadcast, and beads being pelted at cast members.

The 100 greatest cinemas in the world

Sure, it's convenient to stream a movie at home, but we believe there's no better way to see a great film than at a great theater. This extensive list explores the best of the best, featuring profiles of a Pennsylvania drive-in, an Icelandic arthouse, and many other amazing venues.

'Plan 9 from Outer Space' gained an audience after it was trashed by critics

The science-fiction film went mostly unnoticed in its original theatrical run, often playing in double-features aimed at teenagers. It wasn't until 1980, when film critics Harry and Michael Medved dubbed it the "worst film ever made," that it began to attract a cult following. In 1994, Johnny Depp starred in a biopic about its director, Ed Wood.

The 31 best science fiction films ever

This list refreshingly starts off with the best first—1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey," Stanley Kubrick's cerebral, futuristic icon. Coming in at 31st is Disney's "Wall-E."

The story behind Conan O'Brien's most celebrated 'Simpsons' episode

"Marge vs. the Monorail," an episode from the show's fourth season, is widely considered not only one of the best 'Simpsons' episodes, but one of the best sitcom episodes in general. In this detailed history of it for The Ringer, writer Conan O'Brien, then a 28-year-old fresh off leaving "Saturday Night Live," explains how "The Music Man," disaster movies, and a strange billboard inspired the script.

A millennial's guide to American Hanukkah specials

The 1990s and early 2000s were a boom time for television specials, including dozens of Hanukkah specials. See classics like Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song" on "SNL" or the special "Rugrats" episode for the holiday.

100 of Broadway's best songs

From the pathos of "One Day More" from "Les Misérables," to the soaring "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked," this video showcasing 100 of Broadway's best songs will keep any musical theater lover quite busy. While the list trends toward modern pieces, there are still plenty of selections from classics and Tony Award winners like "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Miss Saigon."

'SNL' spinoffs have had mixed success

As “SNL” became more popular, Lorne Michaels sensed an opportunity to turn some of the show’s most popular sketches and characters into feature films. It’s a strategy that had mixed results: “Wayne’s World” and “The Blues Brothers” are modern classics, while others, like “It’s Pat” and “The Ladies Man,” performed poorly with audiences and critics alike.

‘The Substance’ is a great food film

"The Substance" has received numerous accolades, including five Academy Award nominations, for its satirical horror story about celebrity. This writer argues that it's also one of the best food movies in recent memory.

Why many critics and fans hated 'The Phantom Menace'

The 1999 film, and the first piece of the larger Skywalker storyline, was supposed to be a grand event. It did well commercially, but it was mocked by critics and fans, who felt the story, dialogue, and the off-putting comic relief of Jar Jar Binks were a disgrace to the franchise. This NPR retrospective unpacks that reaction, and how much has changed in the decades since.

Watch Christopher Nolan—director of 'The Odyssey' and 'Oppenheimer'—pick some of his favorite films from the Criterion Collection's closet, including works by Orson Welles, Spike Lee, and others.

Check out a list of the best Beatles songs, from 'Hey Jude' to 'A Day in the Life.'

Ranking the 50 worst decisions in TV history

Most shows bomb or never even get recorded; some that do are lost to history, having failed to impress the audience or critics. This list combs through six decades of TV production history and identifies some of the worst decisions made by management in network history. Dive into the 50 worst executive decisions here, from giving the Geico cavemen a show to Geraldo Rivera's live walkthrough of Al Capone's vault.

Cookie Monster evolved from the Wheel Stealer, a monster obsessed with a wheel-shaped cheese snack.

Explore a critics' list of the 100 best songs of the 1960s, featuring records by the Beach Boys, the Ronettes, Miles Davis, and more.

Broadway's 10 biggest flops

For every "Carousel" or "Cabaret," there's a "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark"—a show that never found its footing, sometimes in a public and disastrous way. Here are 10 Broadway musicals the producers and stars would probably rather we forget. Some, like "The Rocky Horror Show" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's," were eventually revived and relatively well received. Others, like "Into the Light"—which involved mimes, metaphysics, and the legend of the Shroud of Turin—have rightfully stayed buried.

Fascinated by the 1960s counterculture, Jim Henson tried to build a psychedelic nightclub.

A round up of the best Oscar-snubbed films of 2026

This year's snubs include Eva Victor's "Sorry, Baby", Bong Joon Ho's "Mickey 17," and Richard Linklater's "Blue Moon", all without nominations despite strong critical recognition and awards-circuit momentum. At the time of writing, these were also available to stream.

'Dr. Strangelove' is widely considered the best satirical film

Stanley Kubrick’s satire about nuclear war came just two years after the Cuban Missile Crisis and spoke to Americans still coming to terms with the possibility of nuclear annihilation. In 1989, the Library of Congress included it among the first 25 films preserved in the National Film Registry, a repository for the greatest achievements in cinema.

2 'Simpsons' producers break down the show's turning points

Longtime director David Silverman and showrunner Matt Selman walk you through some of the show's biggest turning points, from the early days on "The Tracey Ullman Show" through its biggest guest stars and eerily accurate predictions.

From 'Oh, Mary!' to 'Hamilton,' revisit 50 Broadway shows about a major American historical event or person.

Critics have debated 'the great American novel,' arguing which book best captures the spirit of American literature since the 19th century.

A comprehensive history of 'The Simpsons'

This documentary explores the wild trajectory of the show, from Matt Groening's early underground cartoons to its status as a groundbreaking pop culture phenomenon.