David Simon’s brilliantly made new drama about the rise of the US porn industry is not on a mission to titillate

Freedom sometimes comes without liberation in new documentary ‘Fallout’

Alison Spittle’s new show; David Simon in NYC; and a doc on the most famous Irish person ever: Shergar

TV writer on decline of journalism, rise of Trump and bringing the Pogues to the stage

New president has sent the country’s morale soaring – but he must turn words into action

There are many things we could resolve to do this year – join a gym, fight fascism – but if the TV screen wins out instead, there are some promising shows to while away the hours

I now know male writers do not have to choose between family and work. Both feed each other

We all have the right to offend but not a licence to be coarse and vulgar

Baz Luhrmann breaks the bank with $10m an episode in Netflix’s hip-hop odyssey, while John Oliver has the last word

Megan Abbott delivers another intense thriller about the unknowable world of teenage girls

In 2014 I wrote that the legal drama was the best show around – the news of its demise, and a few dodgy seasons since, haven’t changed my mind

Despite complaints about collaborative art, there have been great examples this year

The ‘Game of Thrones’ star has had an extraordinary career but still likes to do low-budget Irish films

Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley praises Yes win in same-sex marriage referendum

Former reporter says novelists make a fetish of research – ‘it’s not that hard’

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a kaleidoscope of colour, exuberance and great noise, when the Big Easy lets the good times roll

The show teases out troubling issues of race, gender, class and privilege – underestimate it at your peril

Get an anti-hero. Hire Aidan Gillen. Don’t be episodic. These are some of the tricks RTÉ’s drama picked up from across the water

The more the next generation of games and TV series grab our attention, the more they confirm the power of cinema

Opinion: as journalists from 180 countries assemble in Dublin today, the mood is anxious but determined

Column: No politician ever lost his seat because he was too hard on drugs

There’s more music, films, TV and literature than ever. How can you tell which of it has staying power?