The best, and worst, TV series and films of 2026 (so far) Our suggestions of what to watch, and what to avoid, on your summer holiday June 4th 2026 “Amandaland”Amanda is back—as pretentious, dishonest and delusional as ever in the second season of this sitcom. Her pitiable attempts to make it as an influencer are extremely entertaining, thanks to the sharp script. “Babies”This show is heart-wrenching and beautifully acted. It explores how isolating infertility can be and reveals the cold and unsympathetic manner that couples encounter from doctors as they navigate the medical system.“The Boroughs”A widower discovers that otherworldly creatures are stealing precious years from the residents of a retirement community. The most unsettling thing about this series is not supernatural: it is the normal, natural process of ageing. “The Christophers” The greedy children of Julian Sklar (Sir Ian McKellan), an artist, want to forge the last series of his renowned paintings and sell them for a fortune. For all its talk of fakes, this film—about ageing, inheritance and artistic taste—is a real masterpiece.“Dreams”A wealthy female philanthropist (Jessica Chastain) has a secret affair with a young ballet dancer from Mexico, who crosses the border illegally to be with her in San Francisco. This film is a taut, chilling morality tale about passion and power. “Half Man”Niall and Ruben grow up together and develop an intense and twisted sort of brotherhood. This series is a nerve-shredding exploration of obsession, masculinity and trauma from Richard Gadd, the creator of “Baby Reindeer”.“Henry David Thoreau”This three-part documentary from Ken Burns explores why the American naturalist is so alluring today. In an era when many are searching for meaning, Thoreau’s life and writing offer succour. “I Swear”A biopic that is funny and full of heart. Robert Aramayo
deservedly won awards for his performance as John Davidson, a Scottish campaigner who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome as a boy. “Kokuho”This historical drama about kabuki, traditional Japanese theatre, has the compressed intensity of a story told in verse. Lush and painstakingly shot, the film follows the orphaned son of a gangster in his effort to become an actor. “Legends” In the early 1990s Britain was losing its war on drugs, so the government turned to an unusual bunch of fighters: civil servants. This is a thrilling and pacy series about little-known British heroes.“Love Story”This controversial hit series imagines what happened beyond the public eye, as John F. Kennedy junior, America’s most eligible bachelor, wooed an elegant outsider before their deaths in a plane crash in 1999. A doomed fairy tale that is enthralling to watch.“No Other Choice” After a year of humiliating unemployment, a middle-aged man hits on a plan: he will murder everyone who is qualified for the job he is applying for. Ingenious, grisly fun, this film is the best South Korean satire since the Oscar-winning “Parasite”.“The Pitt”This popular medical drama about an overworked, underfunded emergency room in Pittsburgh celebrates not brilliance or glory, but the simple act of being dedicated to your job. The show may remind older viewers of “ER”, but it is grittier and more addictive than its long-running predecessor. “Ponies”The KGB surveils any Americans of any influence in Moscow. But Bea and Twila, as women, are classified as “persons of no interest”. Thanks to a cold-war setting and ample skulduggery, this satirical comedy series is a lot of fun. “Project Hail Mary”This film is both a science-fiction caper and a buddy comedy about an astronaut and an alien. Though the film is too long, it stands out for its cinematography and droll script; Ryan Gosling is brilliant in the lead role.“The Sheep Detectives”This charming family-friendly film is a love letter to farm animals and golden-age murder mysteries. The script delivers both big laughs and unexpectedly moving moments, as it explores loss and memory.“The Stranger”A sumptuous and rich adaptation of Albert Camus’s classic existential novel. This black-and-white film boasts beautiful cinematography, but also captures the ennui and despair of the book. To save you time, we wasted ours “The Bride!”In this frightfully bad film, a dead woman is reanimated to marry a lonely monster. The movie mixes too many genres, from sci-fi and
Gothic noir to “Bonnie and Clyde”-style capers. This remake of a film from 1935 never fully comes to life.“Imperfect Women”This show is like buttered popcorn: bingeable but unsatisfying. Its big ideas—of how well you know your partner and what women hide from their closest friends—are handled simplistically. “Ladies First”A man whacks his head and wakes up in a world where gender roles are flipped. This over-the-top film offers endless scenes of men being sexually harassed and getting cosmetic surgery, while women eat burgers and pass wind. “Michael” This nauseating biopic is a sanitised and sanctified version of Michael Jackson’s life story. For a movie about an oddball megastar who befriended a chimpanzee, much of it is also surprisingly dull. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” This video-game- inspired film is already the year’s highest-grossing movie worldwide. It is also a gross misuse of your time. The plotless film carries you on a hallucinogenic and frenetic journey that only nostalgic gamers will enjoy.“Wuthering Heights”Emerald Fennell turns a haunting tale of class, obsession and revenge into a bodice-ripper. She rounds off the sharpest edges of the story and focuses on the erotic awakening of Cathy and Heathcliff.“Your Friends & Neighbours”Coop (Jon Hamm), a financier- turned-thief, does not know when to quit stealing from his neighbours. The writers of this show also don’t know when to quit. The new season has all the flaws of the first, plus another: redundancy.■ All shows and films were released in America or Britain in 2026 and are available to watch in cinemas or on streaming platforms. This article was downloaded by zlibrary from https://www.economist.com//culture/2026/06/04/the-best-and-worst-tv-series-and- films-of-2026-so-far
Travel is becoming a competitive sport Growing numbers of people are country counting June 4th 2026 Tuvalu, made up of nine tiny islands in the South Pacific, is not your usual holiday destination. The former British colony, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, is a haul to get to, served by only a few flights a week. Tourism barely exists. The main attractions are the airport runway in the capital, Funafuti, which transforms into a picnic spot and football pitch most afternoons, and the sleepy post office, which attracts enthusiastic stamp collectors. It is one of the least visited countries in the world. None of that was enough to dissuade Ted Nims, an American who recently spent a week there and, in the process, checked off another country on his list: his 191st. The UN has 193 member states. Mr Nims is among a growing number of “country counters” trying to visit them all. Last year a record 82
people claimed to have achieved the feat of travelling to all 193 countries, according to NomadMania, an online hub for obsessive adventurers. When the Travellers’ Century Club launched in 1954, only a fortunate few could boast of having been to 100 countries, the minimum required to join. Today the social group is nearly 2,000-strong, having enjoyed what it calls a “pretty significant upswing” in recent years. Serious travellers are whiling away hours on platforms such as NomadMania and Most Travelled People, where there are leaderboards and debates about what counts as a visit. (An airport transit is acceptable to some but dismissed by the most hardcore as too easy.) So much time on the road may sound like solitary play. But hostels and homestays offer a lot of fun and social contact, says Carol Wong, a Malaysian who recently visited Samoa (her 142nd country). It is the “fancy hotel” that is “very lonely”, she says. Online, travel addicts share tips and socialise. Some destinations are so obscure that visitors seek advice from Facebook groups such as Every Passport Stamp, where questions range from the mundane (“Is the ferry from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan operating?”) to the unusual (“Has anyone ever explored Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands?”).
Seeing new places is all the rage, even if you do not want to fill your whole passport with new stamps. About half of Brits polled last year by ABTA, a travel industry association, planned to visit a new country, compared with 18% a decade earlier. “There’s a braggadocious element,” says Seth Borko of Skift, a travel-news website, who points to the impact of social media. The scourge of overtourism plays a part, too, as travellers want to skip packed piazzas. Rising numbers of Americans travelling to Europe are opting for small towns or the countryside, according to Skift. The world’s top ten most visited countries saw their share of international arrivals decline from about 60% in 1980 to 40% in 2024. “I like to see places that aren’t as touched by tourists,” says Shang Qian Song, a 34-year-old Singaporean visiting Tuvalu, which may become one of the first countries to disappear because of rising sea levels. If you’re counting on becoming a country counter, better pack your bag. ■ For more on the latest books, films, TV shows, albums and controversies, sign up to Plot Twist, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter This article was downloaded by zlibrary from https://www.economist.com//culture/2026/06/02/travel-is-becoming-a-competitive- sport
Economic data, commodities and markets
Economic & financial indicators | Indicators Economic data, commodities and markets June 4th 2026
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Sonny Rollins believed that jazz was all there was The saxophone colossus died on May 25th, aged 95 June 4th 2026 Though he lived a mere two blocks away, Sonny Rollins hadn’t noticed those steps on Delancey Street before. One summer day in 1959, he climbed up. There, at the top, he found himself on the Williamsburg Bridge above New York’s East River. Subway cars and traffic were rattling over, hooting boats passing underneath. All around him were pillars and abutments in which he could hide. Close above him was the open sky. Corny or not, it gave him a spiritual feeling to be there. This was the ideal place to practise his music, which was not just any music. His tenor saxophone, endlessly inventive, seamlessly melodic, percussive or romantic, was already famous. Since 1953 he had been cutting records as the leader of small bands, but in 1956 came “Saxophone Colossus”, which put