Fresh Air

Two popular TV series are beginning their second seasons: Yellowjackets on Showtime, and Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+. Ann Marie Baldonado spoke with Melanie Lynskey, one of the stars of Yellowjackets. It's the story of the members of a high school girls soccer team who survive a plane crash and must get by in the wilderness for over a year.

Schmigadoon! is a loving parody of musicals from years past, such as Oklahoma, The Music Man and Brigadoon...

Last month Samara Joy became the second jazz performer in Grammy history to win "Best New Artist." The 23-year-old also won for "Best Jazz Album." She joins us for a concert and conversation about growing up in a family of gospel singers and her musical influences.

Clint Smith's poems, which are addressed to his young children, describe what their ancestors endured and escaped. He also examines the joy and anxiety of parenthood, especially as a Black father. His book of poetry is called Above Ground.

Also, Justin Chang reviews A Thousand and One.

Public health professor Arline Geronimus explains how marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which damages their bodies at the cellular level. Her new book is Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society.

Also Maureen Corrigan reviews Biography of X by Catherine Lacey.

Brett Goldstein is a writer for Ted Lasso and plays Roy Kent, a gruff but lovable retired footballer-turned-coach. He says "Sport is there so men can say 'I love you' without saying 'I love you.'" He spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado about getting the role of Roy, the series ending, and also co-creating the series Shrinking.

Also, filmmaker Justin Chang reviews Tori and Lokita.

Ari Shapiro co-hosts NPR's All Things Considered, co-stars in a cabaret act with Alan Cumming, and sings with the band Pink Martini. Now, he's written a book, a memoir called The Best Strangers in the World.

Billy Crudup stars as a fast-talking salesman — selling timeshares on the moon to frustrated earthlings — in the Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow! We also talk about going to rock star camp for his role in Almost Famous and his iconic Mastercard commercials.

The final season of the HBO series Succession begins Sunday. We listen back to our interviews with Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy the patriarch in a family-owned business empire, Kieran Culkin, who plays Roman, the immature and jokey son, and Matthew Macfadyen, who plays the put-upon son-in-law Tom Wambsgans.

Linda Simpson performed in and chronicled the New York drag scene in the '80s and '90s, taking some 5,000 photos of performers. Her collection is called The Drag Explosion. She says Tennessee's anti-drag legislation is "ridiculous."

Also, we remember late Episcopal Bishop Frank Griswold. He presided over the ordination of the church's first openly gay bishop. He died earlier this month.

John Powers reviews the new Netflix thriller series The Night Agent.

Ari Shapiro co-hosts NPR's All Things Considered, co-stars in a cabaret act with Alan Cumming, and sings with the band Pink Martini. Now, he's written a book, a memoir called The Best Strangers in the World.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond says if the top 1% of Americans paid the taxes they owed, it would raise $175 billion each year: "That is just about enough to pull everyone out of poverty." His new book is Poverty, by America.

Also Ken Tucker shares three songs: Iris DeMent's "Goin' Down to Sing in Texas," Sunny War's "Love's Death Bed," and Margo Price's "Radio."