Overview of Cannonball with Wesley Morris
Cannonball is a new weekly podcast from The New York Times hosted by Wesley Morris, launching June 26. Morris — a Times critic known for candid, emotionally attuned conversations — brings studio-based, long-form talks with writers, artists, and other guests to "sort out" how culture makes people feel. Episodes drop every Thursday and cover everything from films and music to sports oddities, with a conversational, often surprising and personal tone.
What to expect
- Format: In-studio conversations between Morris and a guest; free-flowing, digressive, emotionally honest.
- Tone: Warm, conversational, funny, sometimes tearful; criticism mixed with personal anecdote and cultural context.
- Focus: Culture broadly defined — TV, movies, music, documentaries, sports, cultural moments and small details that reveal bigger feelings.
- Frequency: Weekly; new episodes every Thursday starting June 26.
Typical episode ingredients
- A cultural object or topic as a starting point (e.g., a documentary, musician, TV show).
- Deep feeling-based criticism — Morris and guests articulate what works, what fails, and why it matters to them personally.
- Tangents and surprises — conversations may begin on one subject and meander into unexpected personal stories or cultural observations.
- Emotional honesty — laughter and tears are both expected.
Example topics mentioned in the trailer
- Pee-wee Herman documentary
- Reflections on loving and losing musician Roberta Flack
- The series Sinners and its depiction of "white vampires"
- A tongue-in-cheek cultural note about the New York Yankees growing facial hair
- Personal anecdotes that illuminate critical reactions (e.g., being caught stealing at a 7‑Eleven — a story referenced as part of the conversational unpredictability)
Why listen / Key takeaways
- If you like culture criticism that foregrounds feeling and personal response rather than just summary or evaluation, this show aims to do that well.
- Good for listeners who enjoy long-form, human conversations that connect pop-culture artifacts to broader emotional and social questions.
- Expect unpredictability: the show values where the conversation goes, not just where it starts.
Notable quotes from the trailer
- "I spend a lot of time thinking about how culture and art make me feel."
- "For me, the talking is how I start to figure out how I really feel about something."
- "Everybody's got feelings about everything. And we're just going to let those feelings out every week."
Who should subscribe
- Fans of Wesley Morris or The New York Times cultural coverage
- Listeners who enjoyed Still Processing or similar culture-podcasts that blend criticism with personal conversation
- Anyone curious about how critics think through feelings about art and everyday cultural moments
Action: Subscribe ahead of the June 26 launch and expect new episodes every Thursday.