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Good Company

Let’s talk about the new and old shows we’ll be watching this winter.
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Catherine O’Hara Was Always a Delight

The Emmy-winning actress was especially adept at playing women who had been cast off but maintained an inflated sense of self, always with a great comedic payoff.

© 20th Century Fox

Catherine O’Hara in “Home Alone,” the movie in which many first saw her comic gifts.
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The Muppet Show: this thrilling return is so great I can’t even count how many times I laughed

Sabrina Carpenter fangirling Miss Piggy, Beaker losing his eyes … yes, Kermit and co are back for a trip down memory lane – and it’s a perfect, saucy joy

The Muppet Show is back! We need this, don’t we? We need them. The TV show ended in 1981, yet decades later, memes of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal et al still circulate. We give their movies Oscars. Their version of A Christmas Carol is a non-negotiable tradition for anyone with sense. Jim Henson’s furry anarchists bring us together like few things can. As a beady eyed fun-sponge, I can’t help but wonder – why?

In an 1810 essay, German poet Heinrich von Kleist argued that puppets demonstrate pure grace: a weightless unself-consciousness that humans long for but never achieve. He was talking about marionettes, suspended from strings. Yet Muppets are hand puppets; extensions of a body. They have weight. As for grace, have you seen how Kermit moves? His arms flap, and he bounces vertically, while moving forwards. It’s hard to imagine a less efficient walk. That frog, he silly.

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© Photograph: Disney+

© Photograph: Disney+

© Photograph: Disney+

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Catherine O’Hara: A Life in Pictures

The Canadian actress’s career spanned decades and genres, including memorable roles in “Home Alone” and “Schitt’s Creek.”

© Bonnie Schiffman/Getty Images

Catherine O’Hara photographed in 1986 in Los Angeles.
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