Are You in a Quasi-Cult?

By Preet Bharara

Dear Reader,

I spent some time watching the Emmy awards on TV last Sunday night. I don’t always watch award shows, and I’m rarely rooting for any particular contenders because I’m unfamiliar with too many of the actors and artists. This time, though, I was rooting a little bit. I had seen, and loved, The Queen’s Gambit and Ted Lasso, both up for a host of Emmys. The first was a limited series that follows the progress of a precocious female chess champion. I loved the arc of the plot; I loved the acting; I loved the way it was shot.