Act Four: Dragnets, Dirty Harrys and Dying Hard: A new Act Four series

A new series launches on Act Four.   Alyssa Rosenberg on culture and politics   (Illustration by Oliver Munday For The Washington Post) Longtime readers of this newsletter know that for quite some time, I’ve been working on a major project. And today, I finally get to share it with all of you. A year and a half ago, it struck me that to understand our current conversations about policing, I wanted to know more about the gap between our most powerful fantasies about cops and the realities of the work. And as someone who grew up without much exposure to popular culture, taking a deep dive into a hundred years of police stories would be an opportunity for me to immerse myself in some of the classics of American movies and television that I’d never had a chance to catch up on. The five-part series that begins publishing today is the result of that immersion. In this newsletter, you’ll find the first installment, along with some outtakes from the project that I hope you’ll enjoy. And at the end of the week, we’ll be holding a special installment of the Act Four chat and a Facebook Live event so I can answer your questions. Cop stories comprise one of the most important genres in American culture. I can’t wait to discuss them with you. ADVERTISEMENT   How police censorship shaped Hollywood, and how pop culture changed policing The police story is one of the elemental dramas of American popular culture. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   'The father of the modern police novel' Joseph Wambaugh on 'Dragnet,' police shootings and Hollywood's action addiction Wambaugh's "The New Centurions" helped usher in a new era in police storytelling. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Dragnets, Dirty Harrys and Dying Hard: A syllabus for 100 years of the police in pop culture Everything I watched and read for a series on the police in American pop culture. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘The Wire’s’ David Simon on the drug war and why he hates ‘Cops’ and ‘Law & Order’ Outtakes from two hours with David Simon. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s’ Dan Goor on cop comedy, community policing and NYPD history "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" does something rare: It praises good cops without being afraid to call out bad policy. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ‘Westworld’ Season 1, Episode 4 Review: “Dissonance Theory” Why try to solve a show when it's already anticipated you? By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Intersect The corner of the Internet and interesting, in your inbox weekly. Sign Up »         Share Act Four:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Act Four. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071