Nina Metz

Nina Metz is a Chicago Tribune critic who covers TV and film. Before joining the Tribune she was a freelance writer and theater critic. She also worked as a news radio producer in Chicago and New Orleans.

Specialists Tim Roby, left, and Chris Shepherd install Norman Rockwell’s painting “The Dugout,” featuring the Cubs on Feb. 10, 2026, at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

How (and why) pop culture has painted the Cubs as ‘lovable losers’

July 1, 2026 at 4:07 p.m.

Northwestern professor and Cubs fan Bill Savage explores the team's portrayal as lovable losers in pop culture.

From left: Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu, Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Will Poulter as Luca and Sarah Ramos as Jessica in Season 5 of "The Bear." (FX)

‘The Bear’ final season: Cloudy with a chance of cornballs

June 26, 2026 at 10:59 a.m.

Season 5 closes out this Chicago story of a humble Italian beef sandwich shop turned fine dining restaurant.

Laura Nogueira, left, and Steve Thompson look at Shane-Jahi Jackson’s exhibit "Pullman Porters & Maids: Invisible Labor, Visible Legacies" at the Block House Gallery in Pullman on June 5, 2026. (Troy Stolt/for the Chicago Tribune)

Exhibit of paintings in Pullman features the legacies of the porters and maids that worked the railroads

June 17, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

Artist Shane-Jahi Jackson's paintings are displayed in "Pullman Porters & Maids: Invisible Labor, Visible Legacies" at the Block House Gallery in Pullman.

A view of the Wrigley Building clock and Chicago skyline from the 31st floor of Tribune Tower, June 7, 2018. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago’s public clocks are the physical heartbeat of the city

June 16, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

From the Wrigley Building's clock tower to the clocks at the old Marshall Fields (now Macy's), public clocks shaped Chicago.

Pokémon’s Tyrantrum, based off of the prehistoric Tyrannosaurus rex, is seen on display at the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago on May 21, 2026. The cast of the skull belonging to SUE the T. rex is on display behind Tyrantrum. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

When paleontology meets Pokémon, at the Field Museum

May 23, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

Pokémon fossils and real fossils are displayed side-by-side in a new exhibit at the Field Museum

From left: Larry David and Barack Obama have teamed up for the TV series “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America.” (Art Streiber/HBO)

TV for summer 2026: Larry David teams up with Barack Obama, ‘The Bear’s’ final season and the return of … ‘Ted Lasso’?

May 21, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

"The Bear" concludes and “Little House on the Prairie” comes back. Plus the return of AMC's underrated "Interview with the Vampire," now retitled as "The Vampire Lestat."

From left: Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) and Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) in "Toy Story 5." (Pixar)

10 movies for summer 2026: Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi and a slew of comedies

May 20, 2026 at 9:29 a.m.

Along with Matt Damon as Odysseus and Brendan Fraser as Eisenhower, there's the return of "Toy Story" with its latest entry in the Pixar franchise.

Family Sundays at Facets Film Forum is a monthly screening series designed for children and families. (Facets Film Forum)

Facets is keeping moviegoing alive for the youngest audiences

May 13, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

Facets has a monthly screening series for children and families that expands the idea of what a moviegoing experience can be.

From left: Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri in "The Bear." (FX)

‘The Bear’ final season gets a premiere date

May 6, 2026 at 11:55 a.m.

The series has been remarkably consistent in maintaining its spot on the calendar. Season 5 will premiere on June 25.

Will Quam talks about brick bungalows during one of his neighborhood tours in Albany Park, April 19, 2026. Quam, who runs the Instagram account Brick of Chicago, has a new book called "Fire and Clay: How Bricks Reveal the Hidden History of Chicago." (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago is a city made of its own brick: A new book says that was a stroke of luck

May 6, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

Brick expert Will Quam's book "Fire and Clay" details the ways in which bricks "reveal the hidden history of Chicago."

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