All upcoming Popular Culture programs

Pop culture is populated by plenty of fictional cephalopod and cephalopod-inspired characters, from Squidward of “SpongeBob SquarePants” to the heptapod aliens of Arrival. Whether these portrayals accurately represent the biology, anatomy, and behavior of the animals that inspired them is another question. Come find out how quickly Finding Dory’s Hank could regenerate his eighth arm and whether a kraken could really sink a ship as cephalopod expert Danna Staaf proves that truth can be stranger than fiction.

Step behind the silver screen with author and design historian Cathy Whitlock as she explores the artistry that brings movies to life. Based on her book Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction, Whitlock leads a journey through the sets, locations, and design stories behind films such as Gone with the Wind, The Great Gatsby, and La La Land.

For more than 125 years, filmmakers have been drawn to the vitality of New York City. Its dramatic architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, universally recognized landmarks, and 8 million stories have helped make the city a featured player in more than 17,000 movies. With more than 50 clips, media historian Brian Rose demonstrates the changing ways New York has been captured on film and why it remains a star attraction today.

In the wildly popular British series “Poldark,” Ross Poldark returns to Cornwall after the American War of Independence to find his estate in ruins, his finances exhausted, and his first love engaged to his cousin. Determined to rebuild, he reopens his copper mines, marries his former kitchen servant, and champions the working class, even risking his life in a duel. Historian Julie Taddeo examines the show’s topics—economics, religion, marriage, medicine, social customs, fashions, and the details of daily life in Cornwall and London—and explores what the series portrays accurately about the period and what its creators fictionalized.

The superhero burst onto the American scene in the late 1930s, offering readers of comic books a new kind of champion at a moment of profound national struggle. History professor Brian Puaca explores the origins and evolution of the superhero, spotlighting both well-known icons and less remembered crusaders. Puaca discusses how Jewish writers and artists played a foundational role in crafting the genre and how comic books urged the United States toward engagement in World War II.

Romance novelist Katherine Center, known for stories about resilience and joy, discusses why she believes love is good for you. Her new novel The Shippers follows JoJo Burton, who boards a cruise for her sister’s wedding hoping to fix her bad luck in love by pursuing an old crush—with help from childhood friend Cooper. Close quarters rekindle unresolved feelings, and they stumble into realizing they might be meant for each other. Center explores how love, humor, hope, and real-life lessons shape her work.

Walt Disney frequently adapted Victorian children’s literature, from Alice in Wonderland to Peter Pan. Literary scholar Patrick Fleming follows how works evolved from concept to franchise, examining how Disney’s writers engaged with original texts and historical contexts throughout long production cycles. Fleming also notes that Disney’s ties to the Victorians extend beyond adaptation: Walt Disney’s career parallels that of Dickens, and Disney’s princesses, musicals, theme parks, and marketing rely on Victorian cultural and legal frameworks.

For more than seven decades, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks made America laugh, through either their remarkable solo careers or their legendary partnership. These giants of American comedy conquered every medium they took on: television, films, Broadway, and recordings. Media historian Brian Rose takes a look at their extraordinary achievements, from their work together on comedian Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows” to their accomplishments as writers, directors, and performers.

Disneyland’s 1955 debut revealed the hidden world of automation by turning postwar industrial and military technologies into imaginative attractions. Historian Roland Betancourt examines how Disney engineers adapted tools like missile-testing magnetic tape and programmable logic controllers to animate experiences from the Enchanted Tiki Room to Space Mountain. He argues these innovations eased public anxieties about automation while reflecting broader technological shifts—from factory systems to emerging AI—tracing how Disneyland reshaped cultural understanding of machines and modernity.

Step into that turbulent city during the 18th century with Tim Dolan of Broadway Up Close and explore the places, people, and events that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking work Hamilton: An American Musical. The virtual tour traces Alexander Hamilton’s life and legacy through the streets that shaped him, examining how New York City functioned as a crucible for revolution, finance, politics, and ideas in the 1700s. Along the way, Dolan links memorable moments from the long-running musical to their historical foundations and reveals how Revolutionary-era history was transformed into a modern cultural phenomenon.