The comic book genre has been going through some big changes lately, thanks to the los of the DCEU and the inception of the newly formed DCU (both of which are streaming with a HBO Max subscription). Co-CEO James Gunn is the architect behind the new shared universe, and fans are curious about what characters might pop up in upcoming DC movies. Some epic fan art has turned Cobra Kai actor Jacob Bertrand into Flash Wally West, and he's totally pulling off the costume. Let's break it all down.

The first slate of of DCU projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and so far we've been treated to two TV shows and a movie. Fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order are wondering about which actors will play various superheroes as we get deeper into the cinematic universe. Case in point: some art that imagines what Bertrand could look like as Speedster Wally West. Check it out below:

I mean, how cool is that? It's currently unclear if/how Speedsters will factor into the DCU, but comic fans would likely love to see this design for Flash if/when Wally West joins the new shared universe. The cowl looks pretty epic, complete with his hair hanging outside of it. Hopefully James Gunn offers some clues about the character's possible role in the franchise sooner rather than later.

Bertrand is primarily known for playing Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz in Cobra Kai, which put him in a ton of thrilling action sequences. Ever since Xolo Maridueña debuted as Blue Beetle, fans of the Karate Kid spinoff have been hooping to see more of the actors follow suit and join the DCU. And you can't deny that Bertrand looks awesome in the above piece of fan art.

While there's no telling how James Gunn is planning The Flash in the DCU, Speedsters have been adapted into film a number of times in recent years. That includes Grant Gustin's Flash series on The CW, Ezra Miller famously played Barry Allen in the DC Extended Universe. In addition to cameos in Suicide Squad, and Batman v Superman, Barry was a main character in both versions of Justice League as well as (obviously) Andy Muschietti's Flash movie.

As previously mentioned, we're still very young into the life of Gunn's newly formed DC Universe. Things first kicked off with Creature Commandos, before we got Superman in theaters and Peacemaker Season 2 on HBO Max.

Whenever The Flash joins the DCU, I'm eager to see how James Gunn and company will bring his powers to life. Showing super speed on camera can be a challenge, and we've seen some examples of this in projects like Eternals and the X-Men movies. We'll just have to wait for casting news, and if Bertrand actually gets to play the role.

The DCEU and DCU are both streaming now on HBO Max, while The Flash TV series is streaming on Netflix. The next DC movie hitting theaters is Supergirl on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list.

One Piece Season 2 is coming in 2026 to those with a Netflix subscription, and as the year ends, we're getting nonstop reveals about what to expect. Now, after getting fresh looks at the giant whale Laboon, I'm back to speculating about what we haven't seen thanks to the recently released episode titles.

The live-action anime adaptation has gone Hollywood, specifically in regard to its episode titles. It's a strange development, but I'm not complaining, especially after seeing one clue that might be another clue about a major casting rumor that keeps getting denied.

One Piece Season 2's Episode Titles Are Mostly Puns On Movie Titles And Quotes

In a surprising turn of events, One Piece decided to use a bunch of movie references for its episode titles for Season 2. Each title is either a pun of a popular movie, a quote, or the title of an actual movie. Check the sequential list out below, thanks to @WhatOnNetflix:

• Big Trouble in Little Garden
• Deer and Loathing in Drum Kingdom
• Good Whale Hunting
• Nami Deerest
• Reindeer Shames
• The Beginning of the End
• Wax On, Wax Off
• Whisky Business

I won't parse through all the puns, because I think most movie fans are going to get the references on that end. I'm zeroing in on one episode in particular, though. "Wax On, Wax Off" is a clear nod to The Karate Kid franchise, and those following One Piece rumors the past year may already know where I'm going with this.

Does "Wax On, Wax Off" Confirm Xolo Maridueña's Casting As Ace?

It's been rumored for quite a while that Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña was cast in One Piece to play Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace. Ace is a key character in the story, with limited appearances, so it made sense the show would tap a rising star like Maridueña to play the role.

Despite Netflix featuring Maridueña for One Piece content, the actor recently went on the record and refuted the claim that he's playing Ace. Of course, right after he goes and says that, yet another reference loosely tying him to the franchise pops up.

Is it possible that "Wax On, Wax Off" is a clue that Xolo Maridueña will appear as Ace in that episode? In the anime, Ace didn't cross paths with Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates until after Whisky Peak, which is teased after that episode. Of course, we've seen the live-action adaptation make various tweaks to the plot, like giving Koby and Helmeppo larger storylines than they had in the manga and anime at that point in the story.

Given that, I think it's entirely possible that he could show up before, and we have yet another clue that Maridueña is playing Ace. So I'm 100% here for it, if that's the case.

One Piece is coming to Netflix in 2026, though we're still waiting on an official release date. The sheer amount of reveals as of late has me thinking it'll happen earlier in the year rather than later, but we'll have to wait and see.

This year is coming to a close, which means we're that much closer to One Piece Season 2's release date. Pretty soon, we'll get to see new Straw Hats like Chopper join the crew, learn about new villains, and maybe even see if one popular rumor surrounding a Cobra Kai star is true. It's been rumored for a while that Xolo Maridueña is playing Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, but the star pretty openly shot that down.

For those who haven't read One Piece's manga or binged the anime series with a Netflix subscription, Luffy's brother Ace plays a pretty meaningful part in the first leg of this long story. While we know Ace is going to pop up in the live-action adaptation, Maridueña is denying that he is involved in that. Here's what he had to say, and why I don't believe him.

Xolo Maridueña Claims He's Not Playing Portgas D. Ace In One Piece

The former Cobra Kai and Blue Beetle star appeared on Get Rec'd with Straw Hat Goofy and was asked about the rumors (started by another actor last year) that he'll be playing Ace in the upcoming episodes of One Piece. Xolo Maridueña deflected, claiming that it's all a rumor that even Netflix had a part in substantiating:

Now, this could be true. Maybe it was just a rumor. However, I can't help but think that Xolo Maridueña might be doing the classic actor's denial, which, to be fair, is about all he can do. If he is in One Piece, he likely signed a contract that prevents him from explicitly confirming or denying anything until it's officially announced. Obviously, he's not going to admit anything even if it is true, but I don't buy it.

As Someone Following This News For A While, I Don't Buy It

As someone who started following this rumor when it was first announced, I fully think that Xolo Maridueña could be playing Ace. Not only does he have a connection to Netflix through Cobra Kai to easily make this role happen, but he went through a bunch of fight training on that show that would make it easier to play Luffy's brawling brother. Netflix even highlighted this when they made a video with Maridueña doing some martial arts training with One Piece's lead Iñaki Godoy.

I should also point out that Jacob Bertrand, whose name the actor mentioned in his response to also being present at Geeked Week, talked about wanting to be a part of the One Piece cast. He's also participated in videos where he toured the set. If Maridueña thought lumping himself in with his former Cobra Kai co-star was going to throw people off the trail he was involved in One Piece, I'm not buying it.

I'll round this all out by confirming that while Xolo Maridueña is a rising star in Hollywood, likely entertaining other offers, playing Ace in One Piece is a pretty low-commitment role. Luffy's powerful brother is only in the Alabasta adventure momentarily, and only appears sporadically throughout the rest of the story. Unless the series changes the character's storyline to where he's heavily entrenched in the Straw Hat crew, and I don't think it would, his scenes will be fleeting and far between. For that reason, I think it's a no-brainer he'd take the gig.

However, that has not been confirmed, and the actor has denied the rumors. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see if Netflix officially announces it.

One Piece Season 2 is coming to Netflix in 2026. I'm hyped to see it finally, and hoping that the wait for the already-confirmed Season 3 won't be as long as we've had to wait for these upcoming episodes.

A situation involving two members of the Cobra Kai cast made headlines just a week ago. Alicia Hannah-Kim accused co-star Martin Kove of biting her while they were both present at Summer Con in Puyallup, Washington. After that occurred, authorities arrived and Kove was asked to leave the premises. Since then, Kove has issued an apology for his actions. Now, Hannah-Kim is breaking her silence on the “serious incident” that transpired.

Just recently, Alicia Hannah-Kim took to social media to open up about her recent encounter with her former co-star from Coba Kai (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). The actress shared a video to Instagram and included a caption that read, “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to send love and support.” In the video itself, Hannah-Kim discussed her enthusiasm over getting to mix it up with the fans on occasion, though she also denounced any kind of inappropriate behavior:

According to Variety, Martin Kove and Alicia Hannah-Kim were in the midst of a VIP Meet-and-Greet when the situation occurred. Hannah-Kim told authorities that after she tapped Kove on the shoulder in order to say hello, he grabbed her arm and bit it “so hard he nearly drew blood.” Kove the allegedly began to kiss the spot he bit into after his co-star cried out in pain. Both Hannah-Kim and her husband (who was present at the convention) later confronted Kove, who reportedly claimed he was being “funny” but also “exploded” at the couple before being asked to leave.

The Minx alum ultimately opted not to press charges against her former co-star, though she apparently said she “wished to have a report filed in case this continues.” During her IG video, the star discussed the need to stand up for herself during this situation:

Alicia Hannah-Kim joined Cobra Kai as Kim Da-Eun during Season 5 and remained with the series until it ended after six seasons amid the 2025 TV schedule. Martin Kove returned as John Kreese, the character he originated in the OG Karate Kid film. Throughout the show’s run, the cast seemed quite close, bonding over fight scenes and behind-the-scenes hijinks. With that, Hannah-Kim also said in her video that the reported biting incident “does not represent [her] experience with the show at large.” Check out her video:

Martin Kove, for his part, released a statement that was shared with TMZ, through which he referred to Alicia Hannah-Kim as a “genuinely kind and wonderful person who didn’t deserve to be put in this position.” Kove also said he “was being playful in the moment but went too far and there is absolutely no excuse for my behavior.” Hannah-Kim didn’t specify in her video whether she’s had any further contact with Kove since the incident.

Cobra Kai is finished, and while The Karate Kid spinoff managed to pull a bunch of legacy stars into the series, there was one that evaded them the entire run. Despite requests to see Hilary Swank reprise her role as Julie Pierce, you can't see her in any episode of the series now available with a Netflix subscription. Now, a showrunner on the project has explained why they weren't able to get her, and also got my hopes up that we may see her character again someday.

Josh Heald spoke to EW about Cobra Kai being unable to secure The Next Karate Kid star for an appearance. He and the other showrunners ( Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg) told CinemaBlend in 2020 they had spoken about having Hilary Swank join the show. Now, we have a little more context as to what their plan was, and how they tried to bring her in for the final season:

Of course, Hilary Swank confirmed ahead of the final season that she wouldn't be appearing, and while we saw a satisfying end to Johnny and Kreese's story, there was no Julie Pierce storyline to tie in. It's a bummer we never got that, but it's good to hear the showrunners made an honest attempt to make it happen.

Josh Heald was also quick to say that while the actress turned their pitch down, it wasn't a snub of any kind. In the end, it really just came down to timing, and with so much on her plate, she wasn't even able to take a meeting with the team:

What is interesting about this story is that following the conclusion of Cobra Kai Season 5, Hilary Swank claimed that the show never contacted her. Perhaps there was some miscommunication, and the news of this attempt to get her never reached the actress, or the interview happened before the phone call.

The big takeaway here, especially if you were a fan of Karate Kid: Legends and other attempts to keep the franchise going post-Cobra Kai, is that Josh Heald hasn't given up on the idea of working with Hilary Swank. If there is a story to what's going on with Julie Pierce these days, he and the rest of the co-showrunners would like to tell it:

Nothing would thrill me more than a chance to see The Next Karate Kid star back in action as Julie Pierce in an upcoming Netflix series. I also think there's still an appetite for these stories, even though there might not have been before Cobra Kai.

Right now, it doesn't seem there are any immediate plans for a follow-up series or spinoff to Cobra Kai. That said, it was well-loved by many, and one might wonder if fans would be upset about seeing a new series centered around Hilary Swank's character if other actors from the previous series aren't involved. Perhaps there is a pitch out there that brings her into the story, while still bringing back characters we love?

For now, we'll just have to cross our fingers that someone has a pitch for another series in The Karate Kid universe, and that Hilary Swank is in the mix. In the meantime, maybe I'll give Cobra Kai another watch, especially with some spare time during the down months of Summer television.

Spoilers for Karate Kid: Legends lie ahead, so read on at your own discretion.

Karate Kid: Legends hit theaters amid the 2025 movie schedule weeks ago, and its release marks the end of a journey that began several years ago. Like other fans of the franchise, I was aware of that the film was announced in 2022 and of course, later learned that it would include both Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han. What I wasn’t aware of, however, was just how much back-and-forth there was about the film’s release date in relation to Cobra Kai. Macchio himself recently recalled that bit of drama.

It was revealed relatively early on that Legends would take place sometime after the events of Cobra Kai, which was likewise delayed by the 2023 Hollywood strikes. (More recently, it’s been specified that the film picks up three years after the show.) Ralph Macchio served as an executive producer on the movie, and he explained to THR that he wanted the flick to hit theaters after the aforementioned TV show finished its run. Given that the film was originally slated to hit theaters in 2024, Macchio spoke up and let the execs know his feelings:

Legends actually held onto a June 2024 release date before shifting to December of that year. The franchise’s spinoff TV series (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription) ultimately ended in February 2025. Ralph Macchio’s reasoning for wanting the film to release afterwards is that he didn’t want fans to be confused about the Karate Kid timeline. The situation, as Macchio describes it, sounds somewhat tense and, while this is a major IP we’re talking about, I never would’ve guessed the star and EP would’ve had to keep reiterating his feelings as he did.

Ultimately, I’d say that the actor was definitely correct in advocating for a 2025 spot that came after the final episodes of Cobra Kai. It just makes sense logistically, as fans don’t have to do any kind of homework to determine where the movie falls within the KK universe. Also, as the Outsiders star mentioned, it made sense from a character standpoint, considering where viewers find Daniel and even Johnny Lawrence (who appears in the post-credits scene):

There are still finer details that I would’ve liked addressed in Karate Kid: Legends, though. I would’ve liked a legitimate mention of Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker from the (still-loved) 2010 film. Also, I would’ve loved some deep-cut details regarding about Mr. Han, specifically how he went from handyman to revered sensei. Of course, those nitpicks are quite minor compared to the more important matter of ensuring that the release strategy aligned correctly with the timeline.

If anything, Ralph Macchio’s insistence is a true testament to his commitment to this franchise. He’s been one of the driving forces behind it for years now, and he certainly deserves his flowers. It’s yet to be confirmed if fans will see Macchio reprise his role as Daniel LaRusso in another film or TV show but, whatever the case, I hope he remains involved behind the scenes. For now, check him out in Karate Kid: Legends, which is playing in theaters.

SPOILERS ahead for Karate Kid: Legends, now playing in theaters.

Karate Kid: Legends has been high on my list when it comes to 2025 movie releases, but since I first heard about it, I’ve been curious about how it may or may not affect things after the Cobra Kai finale earlier this year. Now that it’s in theaters (with its own popcorn bucket too), I can officially confirm that it doesn’t conflict with or really reference Cobra Kai… that is, until Ralph Macchio and William Zabka show off their amazing chemistry as Daniel and Johnny during the post-credits scene!

After six seasons of Cobra Kai, I think Karate Kid: Legends made the right decision to not get into the series’ lore. I loved seeing Macchio interact with Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han – who told us he still does his own stunts, by the way. But I was also totally geeking out when Zabka showed up at the end to give the best dad joke. He suggested Daniel Russo open a pizza place called “Miyagi Dough”, and it had me wondering if the reason there’s a pizza place in Legends at all was for that joke. Here’s how Jonathan Entwistle responded:

There you have it! The joke is so funny that I wouldn’t have blamed the production if ig inspired the whole plotline regarding Ben Wang’s Li Fong forming a relationship with a family-owned New York pizza place. However, Entwistle said the joke came out of some quality time between Macchio and Zabka when they went ahead and filmed the scene between the two of them.

As the director shared, when he put them together for the scene where Macchio receives a pizza from the other side of the U.S., he didn’t even know exactly what the two would say to each other, but was looking for a “zinger” to end the movie on. Those two definitely delivered! Get it… delivered? And the post-credits scene definitely feels like a nice little nod to Cobra Kai fans, who have been tuning into the Karate Kid spinoff for years, but have never seen the original fighters from the first of the Karate Kid movies on the big screen since then.

It’s a fun little moment that gives fans a little taste of the pair’s chemistry, especially after the finale of Cobra Kai finally had them becoming friends rather than having yet another rematch. Aside from that, it feels like the ending decides to keep things light and open-ended for both Ben Wang’s Li Fong, Daniel and Johnny and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han without specifically teasing anything.

This past February marked the end of an era, as Cobra Kai came to an explosive end after six exhilarating, hilarious and heartfelt seasons. Its finale installments provided closure for the principal characters (including a mind-blowing final scene between John Kreese and Terry Silver). As for the series finale, it not only wrapped up the story in a lovely bow but also featured a gag about a TV spinoff of another famous film franchise, Back to the Future. Now, the trilogy’s main screenwriter is reacting to the nod, and he’s not mincing words.

Cobra Kai (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription) ends with Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso meeting at a restaurant to discuss their students’ training. Before the camera pans over to them, though, viewers see and subsequently hear two producers (played by CK creators Josh Heald and Jon Hurwitz) pitching a Back to the Future spinoff. The pitch is a series set within the alternate 1985 introduced in the film trilogy’s second installment. Franchise lead Michael J. Fox is also named as a potential director for the show.

The quick moment is a funny and meta joke that pokes fun at the influx of reboots, revivals and sequels that’s present within the Hollywood landscape right now. After the fact, some fans seemed to express interest in such a production. Bob Gale, who has writing credits on all three BTTF films, is now aware of that nod and, while speaking with People, he threw a massive bucket of water on the concept or any kind of sequel for that matter:

Over the years, Bob Gale has been quite vocal about opposing any kind of formal continuation of the (highly quotable) Back to the Future franchise. This past February, Gale dropped an f-bomb while shooting down the notion of another film in the Robert Zemeckis-helmed series. Gale doubled down on those sentiments during this more recent interview and quoted Zemeckis when making his case for the trilogy to stand as it does now:

Fans seem to have strong feelings about an addition to the science fiction franchise – besides the game developed by Telltale over a decade ago and the musical that adapts the original 1985 film. While some would seemingly entertain the idea of a follow-up, others would rather the IP be left alone. Even Emmett "Doc" Brown actor Christopher Lloyd is skeptical of a sequel or spinoff of sorts.

Nevertheless, it seems like the creators of Cobra Kai are at least a tad more bullish about the concept. The producers spoke with THR months ago after the series finale debuted amid the 2025 TV schedule and addressed that BTTF scene. John Hurwitz confirmed that it was meant to be meta, given their show is also based on an ‘80s IP, The Karate Kid. However, Hurwitz also dropped an intriguing comment while mentioning Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis:

Well, it sounds like the trio of producers would be down to move forward with such a project, if the Back to the Future OGs are game for it. As mentioned, the chances of that happening are probably slim. Fans of one of the best Netflix shows, however, can at least find excitement in the prospect of Cobra Kai spinoffs coming sometime in the future.

While I was initially hesitant about Karate Kid: Legends because it seemingly excludes any reference to Cobra Kai, the latest trailer makes it one of my most anticipated upcoming movies in 2025. I'm psyched to see new Miyagi-Do pupil Ben Wang kick some ass, and the latest trailer in addition to the first one and what CinemaBlend saw at CinemaCon has me thrilled for Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio to team up.

Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han (from The Karate Kid reboot with Jaden Smith) are joining forces to teach a young teen to blend Miyagi-Do with his knowledge of kung-fu. That much we see in the trailer, but what readers didn't see is the exclusive footage rolled out at CinemaCon. Fortunately, we were on the scene and have a breakdown of the two scenes shown during Sony's presentation to those in attendance.

Ben Is Attacked In An Apartment By A Familiar Face

Ben enters his apartment looking for his mother, but she's nowhere to be found. He notices an open window, and then is attacked by an unknown assailant shortly after. During the scuffle, Ben discovers his attacker is none other than Mr. Han, who wishes to train him in the art of karate. Quite a way to make an introduction, but totally in line with the wildness we expect from The Karate Kid franchise.

Mr. Han Convinces Daniel To Come To New York

While part of the scene of Mr. Han visiting Daniel at the Miyagi dojo is seen in the trailer, an extended cut was shown at CinemaCon. There, we see Mr. Han arrive and pay respects to a photo of the departed karate master, and Daniel appears to tell Mr. Han that Mr. Miyagi has passed.

Han knows this and states that he came to see Daniel for help training Ben. Daniel is against the idea and tries to resist, but as we saw, he'll show up in New York and hopefully help get Ben in shape for the big karate tournament.

Overall, it seems Karate Kid Legends continues the classic formula of a struggling teen finding confidence in karate, finding love, and inadvertently pissing off the kung-fu champion of the local region. Hey, it's a formula that had audiences glued to their Netflix subscription for years, and hopefully, it will continue to do so with this movie.

What I think sells me the most on this movie is the action, which looks to be even a step above what we saw in Cobra Kai. Unsurprisingly, it looks like movies get a little more money than streaming shows to build up those fight scenes, or maybe actor Li Fong just sells it all better. Either way, I'm hype and hoping for the happy ending where he gets the girl and wins the tourney.

Karate Kid Legends is coming to theaters on May 30th, and I'm thrilled to see more high-flying action from everyone involved in this cast. Here's hoping it's as great as what we got with Cobra Kai, and if it is, we get some sequels out of it.

Coaches inspire so many of us, even fictional coaches (or fictionalized versions of real coaches like Herb Brooks in Miracle). The coaches on this list make us want to believe, like Ted Lasso, or fight for every inch on the field like Tony D'Amato. We want to do our best because we want us to be the best. So without wasting any more time on this, let's get into the most inspiring coaches we can think of from movies and television.

Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." What else really needs to be said about Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) from Friday Night Lights? He's the kind of guy that doesn't need to get you to run through a wall with intimidation, he just wants everyone to work their hardest together, as a team. He's what every high school coach should be, when far too many aren't.

Gordon Bombay (The Mighty Ducks)

Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) might not have wanted to be on the bench at first, but like any great coach, he's as inspired by his players and they by him. You don't always need to be the best to get the best out of your team, and when you are as excited as they are, the world is your oyster, just like Coach Bombay in The Mighty Ducks.

Hayden Fox (Coach)

Hayden Fox (Craig T. Nelson) on Coach didn't have a knack for hiring brilliant assistant coaches, but he must have been able to inspire his players because he moved from a struggling college team to a successful one, and then onto the pros.

Herman Boone (Remember The Titans)

Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington in Remember The Titans, but based on a real person, was put into an impossible position as the first Black coach of a high school football team in a school's history. On top of that, he was replacing a popular white coach. But he made it work. He won with his players and he won his way.

Mr. Miagi (The Karate Kid)

You might not think of Mr. Miagi (Pat Morita) when it comes to coaches, as most people think of coaches of teams. Mr. Miagi is so much more than simply a sports coach to Daniel (Ralph Macchio). He not only makes him a great fighter, he makes him a great person. Daniel's entire life is informed by what he learned from Mr. Miagi.

Herb Brooks (Miracle)

Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell in Miracle) was the kind of coach who inspired his team by making himself the villain. When he took the job as the coach of the US Hockey Team before the 1980 Olympics, he knew that the disparate groups of players needed to come together. He succeeded by getting them to bond in their collective hatred of him. It's a hard line to walk, Brooks did it brilliantly.

Tony D'Amato (Any Given Sunday)

If for no other reason, Tony D'Amato in Any Given Sunday is on this list for that amazing speech he gives: "On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the fuckin' difference between winning and losing! Between livin' and dyin'!"

Richard Williams (King Richard)

While Will Smith's Oscar-winning performance in as Richard Williams in King Richard was overshadowed by his infamous slap during the ceremony, it's still an amazing bit of acting. Williams went against the grain in every way to raise two champion daughters with Venus and Serena and it's all up on the screen.

Lou Brown (Major League)

The manager of the Indians in Major League is Lou Brown, a washed-up tire salesman who is coaxed into coaching the team. Once he gets to the club though, he knows exactly what buttons to push for each player. It's not about rah-rah speeches, it's about connecting with every player in a different way.

Mickey Goldmill (Rocky)

Without Mickey (Burgess Meredith), Rocky never makes it to the end of the fight in Rocky. From his training to his tough love to his inspiration during the fight, Mick is everything to Rocky. One of the best boxing trainers in film history, if not the best.

Ted Lasso (Ted Lasso)

Is there any doubt that Ted Lasso would be on this list? He may be out of his depth with the Xs and Os of football (or soccer), but he is so good at inspiring his players that it doesn't really matter. He can rely on his assistants for the nitty gritty, he'll take the high road and get everyone to play as hard for him as any coach ever.

Morris Buttermaker (The Bad News Bears)

Things don't start all that great for Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) in The Bad News Bears, but by the end of the movie, he's not only coached up his team of misfits, but he gets them to do things the right way. He may be a drunk, but he's our drunk.

Norman Dale (Hoosiers)

It's really hard to believe that the late Gene Hackman didn't win an Oscar for Hoosiers where he played Coach Norman Dale. There are so many moments that stick with you from his coaching style, but it's really summed up when he measures the height of the net and the free throw line in the giant arena, and shows it's the same as their little gym back home. Such a unique way to calm down his team.

Molly McGrath (Wildcats)

Girl Power! Wildcats is a movie that flies under the radar, even when discussing Goldie Hawn's amazing career. It's far from a perfect movie, but as a coach, she is spectacular. How often do you see a female coach succeed, especially in a sport like football? It's not common, that's for sure.

Johnny Lawrence (Cobra Kai)

At the beginning of Cobra Kai, no one would have guessed that Johnny Lawrence would turn into an inspiring coach. There is literally nothing inspiring about him. In the end he turned into an amazing coach.

Reggie Dunlop (Slap Shot)

There is only one player-coach on this list: Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) in Slap Shot. On the surface, he's not the most inspiring character, but like other coaches on this list, he knows exactly how to read each player and what he needs to do to get them to put forward their best foot - or skate, as the case may be.

Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (Cheers)

We don't know how good Coach from Cheers was because we only know him as a bartender. But he must have been inspiring because he inspired Sam Malone (Ted Danson) to hire him at the bar.

Annie Savoy (Bull Durham)

At first, you might think of Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) as a coach, but that's exactly what she is. She does a better job inspiring the Bulls than their manager does, that's for sure. She works with the two most important players on the team and gets them both to exceed their own expectations.

Jimmy Dugan (A League Of Their Own)

Some other coaches on this list were just as inspired by the players as the players were by them. Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) is more inspired by his team than they are by him, but in the end, it's the combination of both that puts the Peaches over the top and gets them to that last out.

George Knox (Angels In The Outfield)

As a coach, you have to know when to pick your moments, and George Knox (Danny Glover) is great at Angels In The Outfield. He has a lot to deal with on the team and he knows just when to unload and inspire.

Patches O'Houlihan (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story)

Just when they needed him most, Patches O'Houlihan was there for the Average Joes. At least, in spirit he was there. Dying may not be the best way to inspire a team, but it worked, so for that he's on the list.

Gary Gaines (Friday Night Lights)

Before Coach Taylor took over in the TV show Friday Night Lights, Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) was the coach in the movie that inspired the show. He's a different kind of motivator, but he feels the pain in all his players and empathizes in a way that completely inspired everyone who played for him.

Jack Lengyel (We Are Marshall)

We Are Marshall is one of the most inspiring movies in a long time because the story it is based on is just so tragic. The movie isn't perfect, but Matthew McConaughey nails it as Coach Jack Lengyel, a man with the impossible task of completely rebuilding a football program after it is destroyed by a plane crash.

Ken Carter (Coach Carter)

Samuel L. Jackson inspires people in almost every role he plays. Playing a coach based on the real Ken Carter in Coach Carter, he is as inspiring as ever. The real Carter (as shown in the movie) made the impossible decision to suspend his all-star basketball team for their poor academic performance. Sometimes it's about inspiring kids to be better people, not just better players.

Stanley Sugerman (Hustle)

Adam Sandler takes a lot of heat for a lot of his movies for being silly and juvenile, but then every once in a while he puts in a performance like he does as a basketball scout and coach in Hustle. He is inspiring because he never gives up, no matter what is thrown at him, and his players (or player in this case) respond the same way.

Irv Blitzer (Cool Runnings)

Like the other movies on this list, Cool Runnings is based on a true story. However, it's a lot looser than the others, as much of the movie isn't historically accurate. Irv Blitzer (John Candy) deserves to be on this list because he was so inspiring in the movie, no matter his motives. He believed in the team.

Pop Fisher (The Natural)

Pop Fisher isn't always about being the loudest or the most gregarious coach, but all you really need from Wilford Brimley in The Natural is his knowing look and his infectiousness. He's a great manager and the kind of manager the Knights needed in the moment. That's all you can really ask for when you are as good as the players on that team.

Jimmy McGinty (The Replacements)

Gene Hackman played so many amazing roles over his incredible career, it's hard to remember each one, and one that often gets overlooked is as Coach Jimmy McGinty in The Replacements. Few coaches on this list had a harder job than McGinty, trying to coach up a bunch of washed-out players, and yet he knew exactly what he needed to do to make it all work

Chester Lee (Ladybugs)

Ladybugs isn't Rodney Dangerfield's best movie and it doesn't have any of his funniest one-liners, but still, Chester was an inspiring coach. Sure, he cheated to get there at first, but he redeems himself by the end.

Bud Kilmer (Varsity Blues)

Before Friday Night Lights, there was Varsity Blues. Okay, that they aren't the same, they aren't on the same level, and Coach Bud Kilmer is such a nut that he inspires all his high school players, just all in the wrong way. He's actually embarrassing, but it works and they win.

Ken Reeves (The White Shadow)

It's fair to criticize White Shadow as being the quintessential example of a "white savior" story, but coach Ken Reeves is still incredibly inspiring.

Jock Delaney (The Fish Saved Pittsburgh)

Jock Delaney isn't the reason that the team wins in The Fish Saved Pittsburgh, that would be Moses Guthrie, but Jock is still important and let's Moses be Moses.

The following article contains spoilers for Cobra Kai's six seasons. If you're not caught up, you can check out the complete series with a Netflix subscription.

After years of kicking its way into our hearts, Cobra Kai has officially come to an end. While the series may have aired its final season on the 2025 Netflix schedule, Ralph Macchio's involvement in the Karate Kid franchise is far from over. In honor of his continued work, he gave me the best piece of Mr. Miyagi's advice ever – and I'm totally loving it.

I actually had the chance to speak with the Karate Kid: Legends star about what he feels is the best piece of advice Mr. Miyagi ever gave. It's advice anyone could honestly apply to their lives (and I plan to do so soon). Without further ado, here's what Macchio had to tell me, and it had to do with that "walk left side" commitment.

Macchio also commented that while you can "adjust" what choices you make if you choose the path down the middle, you'll never discover "who you are" and what you genuinely want to do in life. Which is maybe one of the fundamental purposes of being human. He went on to talk about how that ownership piece is so important too, telling me:

I mean…yes. I totally get it. Without getting personal, I feel like this is the kind of advice I could have used way back in college and in life in general. I certainly have not always done this in the past. But when advice is presented on a silver platter like this, I have to admit that I've honestly been mulling over it for days and days.

Really, the phrase makes a lot of sense in the course of Cobra Kai, as well. You rarely see any of these characters backing out of their decisions. In fact, they pretty much double-down, whether it's during the cast's epic fight scenes or the rivalry between dojos, or even working together to bring down a greater evil like Kreese and Terry – who, of course, got their explosive ending in Season 6.

Even when there was drama between Johnny and Daniel throughout the series, they always found ways to work together and come to common ground – and by the end, they are friends. Talk about an adjustment to a choice, but a great one.

With this kind of advice, I wonder where Daniel is going to go next in the world of Karate Kid? While I know Cobra Kai will remain one of the best shows to binge on Netflix, I can't help but get excited for the next part in Daniel's journey in Karate Kid: Legends, which comes out later this year -- and for the new Miyagi-ism's that I can apply to my own life (because goodness knows I need them).

Major spoilers for the Cobra Kai finale are down below! If you're not caught up, be sure to check out the finale with a Netflix subscription right now.

It feels like I have been waiting years for Cobra Kai to come back. Now, it's finally returned to the Netflix schedule, fans have gotten the finale that we've all been aching for—including a rather explosive finish for two of the series' main antagonists, John Kreese and Terry Silver. But why did it lead to that conclusion, of all things? The creators of the series explained it to me perfectly.

Prior to the show finishing up, I had the chance to speak to Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg about the incendiary conclusion for Kreese and Silver – meaning they literally blew up together on a yacht when Kreese threw his lighter at alcohol and took them both out. I often wondered if their violent relationship was always meant to end this way – in an ultimate act of violence. All three agreed, saying that the moment Kreese was arrested, Silver's destiny was set in stone:

The relationship between Silver and Kreese has always been strained at best. From Cobra Kai, we really discover how they met and got to become allies thanks to their shared time in the Vietnam War. However, it was a violent beginning for them, and that only increased as time passed.

By the end of Cobra Kai, we saw a change in Kreese (who was one of my favorite TV villains at one point). We know he had faced his demons, but he was still Kreese and would do anything to get Cobra Kai to the top. After his emotional conversation with Johnny in Episode 13, we saw how he ultimately gave up his position and went on to take out Silver. Through the new series, he became a very complex character and much different from the one we knew in the original Karate Kid films.

It's really what made Cobra Kai one of the best shows to binge on Netflix for its six-season run. I never thought I'd find myself cheering for Kreese in the end, but here we are, and the violent way the show ended both him and Silver was the best way to do it. Obviously, it was kick-ass – the old Cobra Kai way. Kreese really said, "No mercy," and he meant it.

While there won't be any more epic Cobra Kai fights or explosions, at least we know there's some peace in the Karate Kid world. Kreese found his own before he took out Terry, and so did Johnny. With that, I can leave this series with a smile on my face – and an itch to learn karate now. Just… not with someone like Silver, please.

So I totally agree – Cobra Kai for life and all that. But I have to admit that my love of the show has changed over time.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a massive lover of the Karate Kid movies and have been a fan of Cobra Kai for many years now. With the last part of the final season releasing on the 2025 Netflix schedule, it was only a matter of time before I decided to binge the entire series to prepare for the show's finale.

Of course, the series is fun. Honestly, it had been a while since I had seen the first episodes, and I still enjoyed watching them. But truthfully, I found myself connecting to a character this time around that I’m actually not that surprised about, and I knew I needed to talk about it.

When I First Watched The Show, I Was Here For The Drama

When Cobra Kai first came out, I was still in college, which is hard to believe at this point.

But of course, I was here for the drama. I still am, but there was something about the first few seasons that just got to me in the best way because it felt like there was something dramatic happening at every moment.

We went from former rivals turning to reluctant allies to past enemies and more showing up. Teenagers were going from person to person and dating new people each season. It was an endless drama fest.

For someone like me, it’s what keeps us watching, which isn’t that surprising. It's a great series and one of the best shows to binge on Netflix, but a big reason why is totally because of the drama, and I recognize that. But, there is someone who I found myself connecting to in a certain way that I need to talk about.

But Now, I’m With Amanda LaRusso – Why Is Everyone Fighting About EVERYTHING?

Yeah, I’m sorry. Can we all take a breather?

I remember when I first watched the series. I chuckled at her reactions to everything but always said, “Oh, she doesn’t understand. This is how rivalries work. It makes sense that everyone would get so heated.”

Now, I totally agree with her. In more ways than one.

There are so many moments on this show that make me wonder how more things didn’t get destroyed. Amanda, at so many points, has said that this kind of stuff shouldn’t run so deep and truthfully, it really shouldn’t. For example, during the Season 3 finale with all the kids fighting in that house – that shouldn’t have happened.

Like, at all.

I don’t care how you want to spin it or in which direction, but at the end of the day, the kids were literally breaking and destroying valuable property over what? KARATE?

I’m sorry, but trying to be the sole dojo in the Valley should never be that intense. I know that most of the time, this stuff is played up for drama and to keep people watching, but I can’t help but agree with Amanda. At a certain point, when does it become enough? When can people finally stop fighting? It’s too much, and I’m honestly surprised that more people weren't seriously hurt, like Miguel in Season 2.

The Karate Fights Are Still Fun, But Everything Could Have Been Solved Differently

I’m not trying to say that a show about karate shouldn’t have fights. Obviously, it should. This is Cobra Kai we’re talking about. I myself have written a list of the best Cobra Kai fights. I love the choreography.

I’m one of the first who is looking forward to the next Karate Kid movie that’s releasing later this year on the 2025 movie schedule. I even asked Ralph Macchio what he loves about this franchise because I adore it so much.

But, there’s fighting…and then there’s too much.

By the time the series came to a close, without spoiling anything, some conflicts were resolved with words rather than fists, which is really what I wanted to see. We all need some closure and character development instead of just middle-aged men punching each other until they’re near-death.

Even so, the idea that most of the issues in this show have translated into fights that have literally destroyed so many lives is problematic. I’m all for a good tussle, but come on – can we please have some civility before someone is killed?

Honestly, I feel like a buzzkill, but I just needed to express my opinion. Maybe there are others who completely disagree with me (and Amanda). That’s alright, but at least I said what I wanted to say, and now I can watch the end of this series with a clear conscience.

Spoilers are down below for Cobra Kai! If you're not caught up, you can catch the completed series now on with a Netflix subscription.

After seven years, Cobra Kai has officially come to an end. Kicking its way onto the 2025 Netflix schedule, the series dropped its last five episodes of Season 6 on February 13. Through all of these seasons and stories, there have been plenty of epic fights, but Mary Mouser, who played Samantha LaRusso, gave me a great answer when I asked her what she thinks is the best fight scene.

Cobra Kai's karate fights are honestly some of the most entertaining aspects of the show, and when I spoke to the cast prior to the last episodes premiering, they had various answers when it comes to the best of the best. Some mentioned the school hallway fight during the Season 2 finale or the fight that took place in the LaRusso house. However, Mary Mouser, after commenting on her time sparring and training with the cast, picked one of the ultimate fights between her and Peyton List (Tory):

The fight took place at the All-Valley Tournament at the end of Season 4. It felt like the ultimate matchup between the two girls, especially after both Sam and Tory had gone through a lot the last few seasons, from their fight in the hallway that left Sam with PTSD to their multiple times butting heads.

However, not that long after, Mouser actually picked another scene – one that is maybe a lot deeper and is just as meaningful as the Sam vs. Tory fight:

The Sam Vs. Sam Showdown

What Mouser is referring to is the fight that Sam literally has in her head. During Season 3, she goes into a sensory deprivation tank to help with her anxiety about what happened with the school fight, Tory, and figure out who she's trying to be. While in there, she quite literally is fighting against her shadow self in her mind, against her own demons, and against her fear.

Now, that is a great pick.

There was so much that went into this fight in general. According to Netflix Tudum, Mary Mouser even broke down the scene to show that they really went all out to show the difference between the dark version of Sam and the light version of her, even down to the nail color.

The fights in this show are some of the best-choreographed fights out there – it's truly what makes Cobra Kai one of the best shows to binge on Netflix. Yet, there is just something about this fight that Mouser picked that means so much to me. It's more than just a fight – it's the personification of the unknown and fear itself, and from the way Mouser speaks on it with Tudum, it clearly meant so much to her that she got it right.

While I doubt we're going to be seeing more of Samantha LaRusso now that Cobra Kai has come to an end (unless she suddenly shows up in the new Karate Kid: Legends movie), it's so enlightening and incredible to hear Mouser pick a fight I personally find so awesome. Now I really need to go back and binge this series just to see that scene again. At least she won't have to be a LaRusso anymore – the pressure is officially off; no more fighting shadow-selves!

We’re midway through February and that means love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is here and while the best streaming services aren’t entirely devoid of romantic options, what’s new on new on Netflix and other platforms this week aren’t exactly your standard love stories.

While there is one straight romantic story in a new Bridget Jones film, the rest of what’s streaming this week is full of monsters, suspense, and more than a little karate.

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep - February 11 (Netflix)

It’s still going to be a while before we get The Witcher Season 4 but if your Netflix subscription is collecting dust waiting for it to arrive, there’s some good news. A new animated Witcher movie Sirens of the Deep arrives this week, and while it doesn’t include Henry Cavill or Liam Hemsworth, it does include the voice of Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt of Rivia in the Witcher video game series.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - February 13 (Peacock)

It’s been a decade since the last Bridget Jones movie starring Renée Zellweger and nearly 25 years since the rom-com franchise got started. The last installment isn’t in theaters but requires a Peacock subscription. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy sees our titular heroine as a widow raising two children and trying to find a way to start her romantic life back up.

Cobra Kai, Season 6, Part 3 - February 13 (Netflix)

It’s sort of amazing that a bizarre spinoff of the Karate Kid that started on YouTube somehow became such a hit, but here we are, six seasons later, and Cobra Kai is as popular as anything the franchise has ever done. A lot of fans will be said to see the final episodes arrive on Netflix this week, but certainly, they will be watching.

The Gorge - February 14 (Apple TV+)

If you’re interested in something a bit different than your standard romance this holiday season, then take advantage of your Apple TV+ subscription and check out The Gorge, Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller play two soldiers standing guard on opposite sides of a massive chasm, to prevent whatever is inside from getting out. It’s an old-fashioned love story.

SNL50: The Anniversary Special - February 16 (Peacock)

Over five decades Saturday Night Live has produced some of the best comedy, the best comedians, and the best music, on television. The show celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special broadcast that will see many of the show’s most popular current and former stars along with a host of musical guests.

The White Lotus Season 3 - February 16 (Max)

Since its debut, The White Lotus has been a remarkable anthology series. This season will include talents like Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, and Jason Isaacs. It's a great reason to have a Max subscription.

As we roll into the back end of February and early March there’s still plenty of upcoming great streaming content on the way. Come back next week to see what else you won’t want to miss.

As the back end of the 2025 TV schedule starts to fill up with premiere dates for both new and returning series for Fall TV and beyond, that means we're thankfully beyond the biggest batch of widespread cancellations tied to May upfronts, at least for broadcast networks. But the boob tube's Grim Reaper waits for no one.

June 2025 was privy to quite a few disappointing cancellation announcements that finally cleared up the bubble shows left over after the May TV bloodbath, with a few additional disappointing surprises also making headlines. So while it doesn't please me to address any amount of bad news, let's shine a light on the most disappointing chopping-block decisions from the start of the summer, followed by a more comprehensive list of series facing bad news this year.

The Most Disappointing TV Cancellations In June 2025

Éoile (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino's ballet dramedy appeared destined for multi-season glory like the creators' Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls, but sadly suffered a Bunheads-esque fate when Amazon reversed its original two-season order and canceled Étoile after its single season dropped all at once in late April. (Like The Bondsman, this series didn't follow the platform's usual weekly episode drops.) Despite critics and audiences being won over by the charms of Luke Kirby, Charlotte Gainsbourg and others, it was canceled six weeks after it first arrived.
• Final Episode: April 24, 2025

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: It's somewhat hard to slot this as a disappointment, considering Paramount+ confirmed the genre-mashing series' fifth season even before Season 3 premiered. (That's happening July 17.) Still, the prequel to the original Trek series delivered so much fun in the first two seasons that it's easier and better on the psyche to just pretend that the final-season announcement never happened and wait until just before the shortened six-episode Season 5 arrives to start getting emotional.
• Final Episode: TBA

Gross Pointe Garden Society (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Created by Grey's Anatomy writer/producer Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs, Grosse Pointe Garden Society centered on the classic hook of suburbanites with secrets (and bodies) to hide, with a talented cast of TV vets bringing the goods. Unfortunately, the drama got off to a bad ratings start with its late February debut, and that was the only episode that brought in more than 1.5 million viewers, with one episode falling below a million. Without a massive streaming audience to bolster those numbers, broadcast networks can't afford to stick with that level of succes, and NBC canceled it on June 27, 2025, around six weeks after its cliffhanger-y finale.
• Final Episode: May 16, 2025

Doctor Odyssey (ABC)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: With Ryan Murphy as a co-creator, and a seemingly endless number of oddball at-sea plotlines to explore, Doctor Odyssey never quite seemed to settle its footing with critics or audiences, leading to fluctuating stats that likely played into the medical drama's "on the bubble" status for so many weeks after ABC's other cancellations were unleashed. Technically speaking, the network didn't officially cancel the show; rather, the cast's contracts were allowed to expire without renewal, meaning that ABC will need to work with the cast and crew on new negotiations should execs eventually decide to make Season 2 a reality.
• Final Episode: May 15, 2025

Shows Set For Planned Endings In 2025

Andor (Disney+)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: While the original plan for the upcoming Star Wars project was for a five-season run, the massive scope involved (and thus the enormous budget reported) meant that showrunner Tony Gilroy was limited to just two seasons to tell the entire prequelized story of Gabriel Luna's Cassian Andor.
• Final Episode: TBA to follow Season 2 premiere on April 22, 2025.

Bel-Air (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: It's unclear exactly why Peacock chose to make Season 4 the final one for its dramatized Fresh Prince reboot, but given the lower episode count (eight instead of ten) and three-month stretch between the Season 3 finale and the final season renewal, it's likely the lower viewership combined with rising budgets to force execs' hands.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Big Mouth (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 8
• Reason For Ending: Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg's animated adult comedy will be Netflix's longest-running original non-kids series when Season 8 arrives, and there doesn't appear to be any straightforward reason for it to be ending, beyond the fact that its characters have been in middle school for seven years now.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Billy The Kid (MGM+)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Though Billy the Kid was touted as being one of MGM+'s three biggest shows for its second season, the burgeoning streaming service decided in October 2023 to make the impending third season the finale one. Historically speaking, Billy the Kid didn't exactly live to a ripe old age, so it makes sense for the show to be somewhat limited in season number.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Blood Of Zeus (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Netflix's epic-scale animated action-adventure Blood of Zeus has been a critical darling for its sharp animation and effective voice actors, but never quite became as much of a mainstream hit as some of the streamer's other American anime, and the creators announced at SDCC 2024 that the series was ordered for a third and final season to debut in 2025.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Bosch: Legacy (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Titus Welliver's now-retired Harry Bosch is getting his swan song in the third season of Bosch: Legacy ahead of the Maggie Q-starring spinoff set to debut in the back half of 2025. The series' end coincided with the confirmation that Amazon Freevee was going away in light of Prime Video launching its ad-based tier, and while no hyper-specific reasons have surfaced for why the series is ending with Season 3, it's theorized that the show's questionable value for advertisers played into it.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Cobra Kai (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 6
• Reason For Ending: The Karate Kid franchise follow-up Cobra Kai was revealed to be ending with Season 6 back in January 2023, when creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg released a Netflix-emblazoned letter to fans that addressed their goal to end Johnny, Daniel, and other characters' stories on their own terms, possibly implying the streaming service did not show interest in continuing with a seventh season.
• Final Episode: The final 8 episodes comprising Season 6 Part 3 will drop on Thursday, February 13.

The Conners (ABC)

• Number Of Seasons: 7
• Reason For Ending: The Conners wasn't originally intended to go beyond a single season clearing up Roseanne issues, yet John Goodman & Co. are returning for their eighth year, which will officially be its final one due to a combination of salaries, schedules and dwindling viewership, with only six episodes ordered up to close out this beloved sitcom universe.
• Final Episode: TBA in Spring 2025

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

• Number Of Seasons: 6
• Reason For Ending: Hulu ordered up the sixth and final season of The Handmaid's Tale ahead of Season 5's heavy cliffhanger ending, with creator Bruce Miller saying he was given the opportunity to close out June's story on his own terms. That announcement, which coincided with development confirmation on adapting Margaret Atwood's sequel tale The Testaments, happened back in September 2022, with strikes and other factors delaying the production's start until Summer 2024.
• Final Episode: TBA in Spring 2025

9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: With flagship drama 9-1-1 having previously shifted from Fox to ABC, Rob Lowe's 9-1-1: Lone Star spinoff was immediately theorized as a future goner, and such rumors persisted ahead of its strike-delayed premiere, right up until the point in September 2024 when it was confirmed ahead of the Season 5 premiere that it would serve as the final season. Drooping ratings from year to year likely meshed with budget issues to inspire this particular cancellation.
• Final Episode: February 3, 2025

Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: The second successful spinoff from 50 Cent's Power franchise, the Mekai Curtis-starring crime drama was renewed for Season 5 back in March 2024, with the "final season" confirmation happening in May 2025. Showrunner Sascha Penn shared a statement saying it was always his goal to tell Kanan's backstory in five seasons, with the final season focusing on the introduction of Breeze, as portrayed by Spider-Verse's Shamiek Moore.
• Final Episode: TBA

The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: Just a week before its long-awaited fourth season's premeire date was finally revealed, The Righteous Gemstones' creator Danny McBride broke the news that it would be the Gemstone family's final outing, telling GQ in January 2025 that it felt like a natural decision to send the show to the choir invisible after this cycle, given the way the season was crafted to bring "all these themes and these ideas and these characters to a conclusion, to something that felt like completion." No word yet on whether a Baby Billy Freeman spinoff will ever get prayed into existence.
• Final Episode: May 4, 2025

Solar Opposites (Hulu)

• Number Of Seasons: 5 currently, will end with Season 6
• Reason For Ending: Hulu announced Solar Opposites' Season 6 renewal at SDCC 2024, ahead of Season 5 and its folllow-up special. But it wasn't until mid-March 2025 that fans learned it would be the final batch of misadventures for Korvo, Terry, Yumyulack, Jesse,The Pupa, and everyone in and outside The Wall. No specific reasons were laid out, but it does appear as if this will serve as a proper conclusion for the animated hit.
• Final Episode: TBA Late 2025

Squid Game (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Months ahead of the premiere of its globe-conquering second season, Squid Game Season 3 was ordered up in July 2024, with series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirming in the announcement that it would be the final outing. Though he didn't even originally plan for Season 2 to happen, Hwang has spoken since about seeing a third season as the natural conclusion for the characters and games.
• Final Episode: TBA late 2025

Stranger Things (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Since their earliest days working on the project, Matt and Ross Duffer envisioned that Stranger Things Season 5 would likely be the time to conclude things, assuming (correctly) that four wouldn't be enough. The duo confirmed that to be reality in June 2022, well before the Hollywood strikes pushed back filming and premiere plans.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: The Summer I Turned Pretty was secured for its third outing a month after Season 2 concluded in 2023, with plans to wrap up Jenny Han's novel trilogy. In May 2024, Amazon MGM delayed new episodes until 2025 while also revealing an expanded episode order. So all the signs were there for this to be the final season, and the streaming platform confirmed this to be the case when the final season's premiere window was finally announced.
• Final Episode: TBA Summer 2025

Upload (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: The tech-afterlife comedy Upload was initially conceived for a four-season arc, according to creator Greg Daniels, and while that number wasn't always guaranteed, the quirky satire has proven successful enough for Amazon execs to take the characters to their natural conclusions with a final season.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

You (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Ahead of the 2023 strikes, Netflix put the word out that Penn Badgley's killer thriller You was getting a fifth and final season. Though no reasoning was given, it's possible that part of the decision stemmed from co-creator and showrunner Sara Gamble exiting the series (amicably) and being replaced by a pair of EPs taking her spot to tell Joe Goldberg's swan song.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Shows That Were Straight-Up Canceled For 2025

After Midnight (CBS)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: After two seasons of helping usher in CBS' most random late-night comedy in years, After Midnight host Taylor Tomlinson announced in March 2025 that she would be vacating the series to focus more on her stand-up comedy. After that, CBS reversed its previous Season 3 renewal decision and canceled the show outright, with low ratings no doubt a factor. It's believed that the panel show's time slot will revert back to local affiliates post-finale, which will mark the first time in 30 years that CBS isn't programming the 12:30 a.m. ET hour.
• Final Episode: TBA June 2025

Alert: Missing Persons Unit

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: One of Fox's pair of bubble shows that survived the May cancellations, Alert: Missing Persons Unit stayed on the table as a potential renewal due to network execs' faith in Hawaii Five-0 vet as a lead, as well as positive feelings about the third season highlighting more buddy-cop vibes. But the series didn't top 1.5 million nightly viewers beyond its Season 2 premiere, and the cancellation decision was revealed less than two weeks later.
• Final Episode: May 27, 2025

Based On A True Story (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Lovable TV mainstays Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina made for a winning team in the mystery-laden dark comedy Based on a True Story, with two seasons of well-received thrills and kills. Out of the blue in mid-April 2025, news broke that it was canceled, without any initial sign of a motivation on Peacock's part to wrap up after that game-changing Season 2 finale.
• Final Episode: November 21, 2024

The Bondsman (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Kevin Bacon's gory horror dramedy The Bondsman might have had a bigger impact on Prime Video subscribers had Amazon promoted it beyond the front page of its streaming site. But the series arrived largely out of nowhere in April 2025, made quite a few horror fans giddy with excitement, and then got axed six weeks later. Despite making a showing on Nielsen's streaming charts during its first week of release, The Bondsman's impact wasn't enough for a second round of demon-destroying mayhem.
• Final Episode: April 3, 2025

Bookie (Max)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Sitcom creator extraordinaire Chuck Lorre made the jump to Max by teaming with stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and voice-actor Nick Bakay for a closer look at the financially irresponsible world of sports betting and bookies. Perhaps it’s saying something that more attention went to Lorre’s reunion with Charlie Sheen after their Two and a Half Men feud than Bookie itself, and news spread in February 2025 that the dramedy was axed.
• Final Episode: January 30, 2025

Citadel: Honey Bunny (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: The breakout success of spythriller Citadel sparked two spinoffs, with Honey Bunny taking the prequel route with Varun Dhawan's Bunny and Samantha's Honey, the parents of Priyanka Chopra's Nadia in the flagship series. The Indian-Hindu series was a hit in its native countries, but did not take hold of global audiences in the way its predecessor did. But in announcing that it would not return for Season 2, Amazon confirmed that the characters' stories will be woven into Citadel Season 2 when it finally arrives.
• Final Episode: November 26, 2024

Citadel: Diana (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: The sequel-ish Citadel: Diana was Amazon's Italian set spinoff of its hit spy-action series Citadel, starring Matilda De Angelis as an undercover Citadel agent trying to make her way back to safety after getting stuck behind enemy lines. As it went with Honey Bunny, Diana did not garner enough of a global impact to warrant a second season, though its storyline will be worked into the second season of Citadel when it arrives in Q2 2026.
• Final Episode: October 10, 2024

The Cleaning Lady (Fox)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: The fact that Élodie Yung's mob cleaner Thony De La Rosa was able to survive four seasons on Fox is a feat in and of itself, considering its third season's dip in viewership. Despite bringing in Dexter vet Daniel Cerrone as a new showrunner for the fourth season, the numbers didn't go upwards at all, although debuting during the last week of March probably didn't help its chances. That said, Fox execs clearly waited until after it ended to go forward with the decision, rather than ending it pre-finale along with the other cancellations.
• Final Episode: June 3, 2025

Cruel Intentions (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Starting in 2015, NBC attempted to get a Cruel Intentions TV show off the ground, based on the hit 1997 movie, and Amazon swooped in years after those initial attempts were given up on. Unfortunately, neither general audiences nor critics felt very strongly about the series and its focus on Greek life. Four months or so after its eight-episode season dropped, the studio dropped the show altogether.
• Final Episode: November 21, 2024

The Equalizer (CBS)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Fans of Queen Latifah’s The Equalizer had to wait until CBS made decisions for all of its other shows to learn that it was canceled. Addressing this decision and others, one exec pointed to financial issues as a cause, though BTS reports allege the cast and crew agreed to accept budget cuts to acquire a smaller episode order. It’s unlikely the series will be shopped to other studios, but that could depend on how star and EP Queen Latifah herself wants to move forward.
• Final Episode: May 4, 2025

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Despite its breakout success as a post-strike premiere in 2023, Found’s fate was sealed for a trifecta of reasons. 1. The first season’s dynamic changed when Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s Sir escaped. 2. The sophomore season’s larger than average drop in viewership. 3. NBC’s upcoming NBA coverage, which required a major decrease in scripted primetime offerings. But as of this writing, Warner Bros. TV is reportedly shipping the thriller around to other platforms for a potential third outing.
• Final Episode: Airing May 15, 2025

FBI: International (CBS)

Number Of Seasons: 4

Reason For Ending: Similar to its weeknight roomie Most Wanted, FBI: International had its fate sealed without any of the usual motivational factors popping up, such as a drop in viewership or generally low ratings. At the moment, the going idea is that both dramas were folded to make room for the in-the-works CIA spinoff, but that project has not yet been ordered to series.

Final Episode: TBA Spring 2025

FBI: Most Wanted (CBS)

Number Of Seasons: 6

Reason For Ending: When the news first dropped that CBS had pulled the plug on its currently airing (and timeslot-winning) FBI spinoff Most Wanted, the going theory was that the network had to make room for another impending spinoff, FBI: CIA, which fans are not exactly happy about. No official reasons have sprung up just yet, but some viewers are hoping for the Dylan McDermott-starring drama to be saved by a streaming service or by NBC, where Dick Wolf's Law & Order and One Chicago franchises have thrived.

Final Episode: TBA Spring 2025

Found (NBC)

The Franchise (HBO)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Five or so weeks after wrapping its highly chaotic chronicling of superhero blockbuster Tecto: Eye of the Storm, the abundantly satirical comedy The Franchise faced its somewhat ironic cancellation after a single, non-franchising season, albeit a well-received one. While the HBO spokesperson who confirmed the cancellation to Deadline in early January didn't explain the reasoning, the show's seemingly limited viewership likely didn't justify its budget.
• Final Episode: Aired on November 24, 2024

Frasier (Paramount+)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: In January 2025, Paramount+ announced that Kelsey Grammer’s largely enjoyable return to the Frasier universe was ending after two seasons, largely due to the show’s inability to breakout as a hit across the full audience spectrum. Grammer has since gone public confidently stating that he believes Season 3 is still going to happen, but it’s unclear where or who would be paying for it.
• Final Episode: November 14, 2024

Harlem (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Fans only learned the Meagan Good-starring comedy Harlem would be ending when Prime Video released the first trailer for Season 3 on January 8, 2025, more than a year after the third batch of episodes was ordered with no hint that they would conclude the series. But neither that reveal, nor the follow-up from creator Tracy Oliver, addressed a reason for the surprise decision.
• Final Episode: The final two Season 3 episodes will stream on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

How To Die Alone (Hulu)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: The White Lotus breakout star Natasha Rothwell tapped into a vaguely similar mix of drama, comedy and romantic entanglements for her streaming series How To Die Alone. Though the eight-episode first season largely won over both critics and audiences, Hulu opted not to move forward with the show for a second season, a choice that shocked Rothwell, who is reportedly shopping the series around to other platforms.
• Final Episode: September 27, 2024

The Irrational (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Though Season 1 was a hit for NBC in the dregs of post-strikes TV, earning a renewal just a few months in, the Jesse L. Martin-starring drama The Irrational fell short of maintaining its initial audience when Season 2 arrived, perhaps due to a shift from Mondays to Tuesdays. Due to its sizable dips in viewer stats, the series didn’t have an advantage where renewal convos were concerned, especially with the uptick in NBC’s NBA games on the way.
• Final Episode: Aired March 25, 2025

Lopez Vs. Lopez (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Comedian George Lopez and daughter Mayan Lopez’s eponymously titled sitcom was never big with critics, and never delivered huge audience totals, which is likely why it was an on-the-bubble decision for NBC in each of Lopez vs. Lopez’s three seasons. But while its familial charms earned last-minute renewals in years past, the choice was made to pull the plug after Season 3, despite a small-but-present uptick in audience numbers during its post-midseason run.
• Final Episode: Aired February 7, 2025

Mr. Throwback (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Co-starring one of the oddest TV comedy pairings with Happy Endings vet Adam Pally and NBA icon Steph Curry, Mr. Throwback was met with a warm enough reception when it landed on Peacock, but didn't spark much beyond silence in the months that followed. The streaming service's decision finally went public in April 2025, without a second season on the way.
• Final Episode: August 8, 2024

Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur (Disney+)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Cancellation: In October 2024, several of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur's excellent cast members confirmed Disney+ canceled the animated Marvel Comics adaptation following executive producer Steve Loter's cryptic online hints. No specific reasons have been confirmed, but there's a silver lining in that fans will still get to see more episodes, as the animation team was still working on nine episodes when the cancellation news dropped.
• Final Episode: TBA in 2025

Mythic Quest (Apple TV+)

• Number Of Seasons: 4
• Reason For Ending: Apple was confident enough to order up a third and fourth season of Mythic Quest back in October 2021, with Season 4 arriving at last in January 2025. Unfortunately, just two weeks after the finale hit streaming, Apple pulled the plug on Mythic Quest, GrimPop and any future expansion plans. The cancellation appeared to come as a surprise to co-creators Rob McElhenney, Megan Ganz and David Hornsby, who were granted the opportunity by Apple to adjust the finale's ending to account for its sealed fate.
• Final Episode: March 26, 2025 (original), TBA April 2025 (updated version)

Night Court (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: Melissa Rauch’s major Big Bang Theory follow-up, NBC’s Night Court revival also boasted O.G. fave John Larroquette and (occasionally) Marsha Warfield, and the evolving sitcom played up its TBBT ties with Simon Helberg and Young Sheldon’s Raegan Revord guesting in Season 3’s cliffhanger finale. Unfortunately, the show’s loyal viewership fell with each season, and while there’s potential for it to get shopped around (per Deadline), NBC canceled Night Court without an official wrap-up.
• Final Episode: Aired May 6, 2025

The Recruit (Netflix)

Number Of Seasons: 2

Reason For Ending: Alexi Hawley has enjoyed extended runs with ABC procedurals Castle and The Rookie, among others, but his initial jump to streaming was cut short when Netflix spy canceled its spy dramedy The Recruit just over a month after its second season debuted in January. Early numbers indicate more critical acclaim and a higher completion rate for streamers, albeit with a smaller overall audience (per Deadline), and fans angered by the cancellation news have theorized that the sophomore season’s premiering a week after the sorta-similar Night Agent’s second season played a part in the decision.

Final Episode: January 20, 2025

Rescue Hi-Surf (Fox)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Rescue Hi-Surf’s troubled existence began in COVID-striken 2020 as a project for then-branded HBO Max, and after stagnating for 2-3 years, was picked up by Fox and retitled from Ke Nui Road to the punctuation-friendly Rescue: Hi-Surf. The lifeguard drama enjoyed an NFL lead-in for its September 2024 preview, but immediately lost half of its audience with its Monday night timeslot, and its nightly viewership dipped below 2 million by Episode 4 and never looked back. The fandom’s pulled together for an online renewal campaign, but no updates so far.
• Final Episode: Aired March 31, 2025

The Sex Lives Of College Girls (Max)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: After two successful seasons, The Sex Lives of College Girls bid farewell to co-star Reneé Rapp early in its third-season, and the series never quite reached the levels it had in earlier years, despite two new characters being introduced to help fill the voice. While Max didn't give a specific reason for cancelling the LGBTQ+-friendly comedy, it's believed that dips in viewership accounted for part of the decision.
• Final Episode: January 23, 2025

Star Trek: Prodigy (Netflix)

• Number Of Seasons: 2
• Reason For Ending: Despite the creators' hopes for a seven-season run, the youth-skewing Star Trek: Prodigy's fate was first tested by Paramount+'s cancellation as the already ordered Season 2 was still being made. Netflix stepped in to give the second season a home, but presumably due to lower than expected viewership numbers, the streaming service opted out of going forward with a third season, though without making that decision known until May 2025.
• Final Episode: July 1, 2024

The Sticky (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Despite having the power of stars such as Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos, the darkly comedic heist caper The Sticky didn’t appear to draw the kinds of crowds most deserving of its fairly universal critical acclaim. Without a huge viewership to lean on, Prime Video chose not to renew the syrup-covered series for a second outing.
• Final Episode: December 6, 2024

Suits LA (NBC)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Ending: Brought to life entirely due to Suits’ shockingly massive streaming success at Netflix, Suits LA was heavily promoted with lead Arrow vet Stephen Amell, who was soon joined by O.G. vet Gabriel Macht’s Harvey. Unfortunately, the spinoff’s viewership and ratings paled in comparison to Netflix’s stats, and NBC overruled any hopes for a second season both ahead of the upfronts, and ahead of the hopefully conclusive Season 1 finale.
• Final Episode: Airing May 18, 2025

S.W.A.T. (CBS)

Number Of Seasons: 8

Reason For Ending: Most shows need to change networks to survive multiple cancellations, but S.W.A.T. never had to leave CBS to experience getting canceled three different times. Its first came in 2023, and was reversed two days later, while its second pink slip was issued in Feb. 2024, only for CBS to conjure up a surprise renewal for an eighth and now-final season. Despite its star’s hopes for another go, network execs canceled the Shemar Moore series for a third time in March 2025, choosing to forego the usual contractual talks.

Final Episode: TBA May 2025

Teacup (Peacock)

• Number Of Seasons: 1
• Reason For Cancellation: Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman's horror thriller Teacup, based on author (and EP) Robert McCammon's novel Stinger, debuted as a Peacock exclusive in October 2024, two years after it was first ordered. Unfortunately, the show failed to make impactful waves with either critics or streaming audiences, and Variety reported the cancellation news without any additional insight from the streaming service's side.
• Final Episode: October 31, 2024

Tiana (Disney+)

Number Of Seasons: 0

Reason For Ending: A rather standalone entry in the world of canceled TV shows, Disney's episodic The Princess and the Frog spinoff was first announced all the way back in December 2020 (alongside other defunct projects like Armor Wars and Swiss Family Robinson). And despite attempts by multiple creative teams to expand the world of Anika Noni Rose's Tiana, the project was officially scrapped in early March 2025, with production costs cited as a reason alongside the creative issues.

Final Episode: No episodes were aired

Tyler Perry's Young Dylan (Nickelodeon)

• Number Of Seasons: 5
• Reason For Ending: Tyler Perry's Sistas-verse may be growing, but the mega-producer's family-friendly fare at Nickelodeon took a hit as Dylan Gilmer's Young Dylan sang its hip-hop swan song. The unfortunate news came via series director Carl Payne on Instagram, just two days after the final episode went live, and the cable network followed up a few days later and confirmed it wouldn't be moving forward with a Season 6 order. No specific reasons were alluded to.
• Final Episode: Aired April 30, 2025

The Wheel Of Time (Prime Video)

• Number Of Seasons: 3
• Reason For Ending: As an expensive fantasy series, The Wheel of Time earned its first two renewals due to both critical acclaim and the size of the audience streaming the weekly episodes. Unfortunately, even with Prime Video's worldwide audiences in the mix, the numbers for the Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson adaptation's third season weren't quite enough to justify the budgetary costs for a fourth season. Just over a month after the Season 3 finale released, the platform pulled the plug.
• Final Episode: April 17, 2025

The following is going to get into spoilers for the ongoing final season of Cobra Kai, so you might want to stop reading if you haven’t caught up on the Karate Kid spinoff show, available with a Netflix subscription.

We knew going in to the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai that the show would be broken up into three segments. Currently, we’re able to watch parts one and two, consisting of 10 episodes that have brought the Miyagi-Do fighters to Barcelona, where they are competing in the global Sekai Taikai tournament. This means that they are facing old foes in Cobra Kai, and new ones in The Iron Dragons. At the same time, there are plenty of personal issues for the kids – and the adults – to work through.

Behind the scenes, Cobra Kai did right by one of its legends. Ralph Macchio, who has been playing Daniel LaRusso since day one of The Karate Kid franchise, stepped behind the camera for Episode 3 of Cobra Kai Season 6, and it gave him a great opportunity to pay tribute to the legends who came before him. While interviewing Macchio for his work on Season 6, I asked him about directing, and the influences of the original The Karate Kid director John G. Avildsen (who also helmed Rocky with Sylvester Stallone). And Macchio informed CinemaBlend:

It’s sweet to hear that Ralph Macchio continues to carry the influence of the storytelling giants that came before him as he brings the story of Cobra Kai to a close. What started as a clever satirization of the original The Karate Kid has grown into a show that a whole new generation has come to appreciate, changing the lives of the young actors cast to star in the show, and also setting the stage for more stories in the Karate Kid universe.

Next summer, an upcoming 2025 movie is going to pair Ralph Macchio with Jackie Chan, who toplined a successful Karate Kid remake, for a story that’s expected to modernize the mythology of the franchise. And, the Cobra Kai showrunners have talked at length about figuring out how to explore the backstory of Mr. Miyagi in a way that honors the work done by Pat Morita. Something tells me that even though Cobra Kai is drawing to an end, the stories told in the world of The Karate Kid are just beginning.

Major spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 lie ahead, so read on at your own discretion.

Amid the 2024 TV schedule, fans were recently treated to the second third of Cobra Kai’s sixth and final season, and to say the episodes were collectively a doozy would be an understatement. The five installments saw the Miyagi-Do crew travel to Barcelona for the Sekai Taikai tournament. Miguel Diaz, Samantha LaRusso, Robby Keene and co. faced off with some stiff competition, before the entire event ended with a serious tragedy. As a fan of the show, I thoroughly enjoyed Part 2, but I really need to discuss how it does right by Kenny Payne.

What Was Going On With Kenny Leading Up To Season 6, Part 2?

One could definitely argue that amid the Karate Kid spinoff show’s ensemble, Kenny (portrayed by Dallas Dupree Young) is among the characters who’s had a tough time as far as his personal life and martial arts career go. Introduced early in the fourth season, Kenny faces bullies during his first day of school, with Daniel LaRusso’s son, Anthony, being one of the participants. Following that verbal abuse, Kenny seeks to learn karate and eventually meets Robby Keene, who takes him on as a mentee of sorts at Cobra Kai.

Eventually, Kenny becomes quite good at karate but, as his skills improve, his tendency to show kindness and mercy decreases. That fact disappoints Robby, especially after he personally cuts ties with his dojo – where Kenny keeps training under the watchful eye of the maniacal Terry Silver. However, by the end of CK Season 5, Kenny and the others leave following Silver’s arrest. The sixth season opens with a bit of hope for Kenny, as he’s convinced to join Miyagi-Do and finds himself in contention for a spot in the Sekai Taikai.

However, while competing for the position in the tournament, Kenny experiences a serious case of diarrhea (unknowingly because dojo mate Devin spiked his water with a laxative). Kenny is subsequently embarrassed, and that development caps off a series of unfortunate events for young Mr. Payne. Don’t get me wrong, Kenny has seen some wins on one of Netflix’s best shows but, in many cases, he’s been sidelined, led astray or humiliated. It’s been sad to see at times, which is why his shining moments in Season 6, Part 2 are so gratifying.

How Did Kenny Shine During The Latest Episodes Of The Show?

During the second part of the sixth season, Kenny is called upon to replace Miguel after he and Johnny leave Barcelona to attend to the former’s mother, Carmen. Payne is initially hesitant to go due to the embarrassment he still feels but opts to do so after he makes amends with Anthony and Devin calls to tell him about the laxative. The producers still throw a bit of a hurdle at the teen once he’s in Barcelona, as they’re convinced that he’s going to throw his fights in order to appease Silver, who even tries to recruit Payne to his Iron Dragons.

Kenny gets his show, however, when Robby finally tags him in during a match, and the result is glorious. Not only does Payne manage to resist the temptation to throw a match and join the Iron Dragons but he also helps Miyago-Do score a major victory against a Brazil-based dojo. What truly made me smile, though, was the sight of him flipping off Silver after his major victory. You can check out the amazing moment yourself in the X post below:

Before Part 2, I hopeful that Kenny was going to get his time to shine after all the adversity he faced. Needless to say, I was so thrilled to witness the scene above and his reconciliation with Anthony. Yes, the heartbreak associated with some of the character’s stumbles may still nag at me (and possibly even some fans) but, for this payoff, I’d say it was all worth it. To be quite honest, as an African American viewer, I feel a somewhat additional sense of pride in watching Kenny succeed. Kudos to Cobra Kai for delivering some Black excellence.

Now that Kenny’s situated, there are plenty of other concerns to address when it comes to this karate dramedy. That includes the fact that Cobra Kai competitor Kwon died amid the massive brawl at the Sekai Taikai after accidentally impaling himself with John Kreese’s eunjangdo dagger. Surely, one plot thread will involve everyone dealing with the repercussions of that. I’m not sure what lies ahead in these final episodes of the show, but I’m hopeful that they’ll close out the series on a high note and continue to highlight Kenny as well.

Cobra Kai is now streaming for Netflix subscription holders, and be aware that Season 6, Part 3 is set to premiere on February 13 amid the 2025 TV schedule.

Very minor spoilers for the latest episodes of Cobra Kai lie ahead.

It’s hard to believe that Cobra Kai – one of the best shows on Netflix – is nearing the end of its run. Following the release of Season 6, Part 2 on the 2024 TV schedule, there are only five episodes left. As the action-packed series hurdles towards what should be an explosive conclusion, the cast has been reflective. CinemaBlend recently had the opportunity to speak with the show’s lead young actors, including Samantha LaRusso actor Mary Mouser. Amid the chat, she told us the advice that she wishes she could give herself at the start of the show.

Our own Sean O’Connell spoke with Mary Mouser and her co-stars Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Peyton List, Jacob Bertrand and Gianni DeCenzo. When O’Connell addressed Mouser, talk turned to her beginnings on the series, which debuted on YouTube back in 2018. After being asked about what she’d tell herself before signing on for the Karate Kid spinoff, the actress joked about getting into martial arts sooner. Yet Mouser then seriously recalled what her audition process was like and how that informed her approach to the show:

It’s easy to understand just why the Fosters alum felt so nervous when joining the project. She was going to be a part of a franchise that’s firmly embedded within the framework of pop culture and, on top of that, she’d be playing a crucial role on the action dramedy series. A number of people who’ve watched all the Karate Kid movies hold them in high regard, and I probably would’ve felt the same way had I been in the actress’ shoes. But she eased into comfortably, and that’s a lovely sentiment that she could share with her younger self.

Mary Mouser has seen the character of Samantha LaRusso through a number of obstacles, including family drama, relationship issues, bullying and of course, karate-based activities. Sam has had an interesting arc, which has seen her transform from a spoiled kid from Encino Hills to a determined and formidable young woman who’s sure of herself. Mouser’s tenure on the show hasn’t been totally perfect, as she admitted to CinemaBlend years ago that the downside of playing Sam is that some fans share not-so-nice comments, due to viewing the LaRussos as the show’s true antagonists. But, all in all, based on what Mouser just shared, it seems that she’s grateful to have gone on this ride.

The question now is what lies ahead for Sam, her friends and teachers (father Daniel and Johnny Lawrence). During Season 6’s second part, Miyagi-Do Karate competed in the international Sekai Taikai tournament, facing off with the likes of Cobra Kai and the formidable Iron Dragons. The tournament reached an explosive conclusion on the midseason finale, and it all ended with a major tragedy (one that was enough to leave me speechless).

Following what went down, I’m curious as to how Samantha as well as those in her orbit will process the situation. Those final five episodes can’t come soon enough, and I’m pumped to see how this show goes out. Until then, I’m more than happy to hear Mary Mouser and her colleagues share their memories of working on this truly special series.

Stream Cobra Kai, Season 6, Part 2 using a Netflix subscription now! Also, stay sharp, as Part 3 hits the 2025 TV schedule on February 13.

When last we saw the cast of Cobra Kai, as the show continued to work its way through a sixth and final season, the young fighters and their trainers had arrived at the Sekai Taikai, a global tournament that’s expected to push every warrior to his or her limit. Given the fact that Cobra Kai Season 6 is being divided up into three segments, this can be considered the Empire Strikes Back of the final season. And there are a lot of questions still lingering after Cobra Kai Season 5, which we expect to be addressed. But first, there’s a new threat that’s about to enter the dojo. Get ready for The Iron Dragons.

Obviously, the final scene in Cobra Kai Season 6 Episode 5 teased the return of John Kreese (Martin Kove) at the head of the Cobra Kai team. And then, on top of that, we learned that Tory (Peyton List) had fled to Kreese after she felt betrayed by her friends in Miyagi-Do. That will cause serious drama. We couldn’t help but notice, however, that when Netflix revealed Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan was joining the show, he’d be leading a new team known as The Iron Dragons. And that got us curious.

Naturally, the California kids from Miyagi-Do are going to face new fighting styles, and harsh combat techniques, when they get in the ring of the global Sekai Taikai. During a Cobra Kai press day, though, I asked Chozen actor Yuki Okumato what karate fans can expect out of this new danger presented by the Iron Dragons. Okumoto knows a thing or two about entering The Karate Kid series as a villain. He made things very hard for Ralph Macchio way back in The Karate Kid: Part 2. And when asked about The Iron Dragons, Okumoto told CinemaBlend:

And then, perhaps in a nod to the upcoming Wicked movie that’s about to reach theaters, Ralph Macchio chimed in with this spot-on analogy for The Iron Dragons.

This is a big part of the reason why I love Cobra Kai as much as I do. The show has been relying on familiar storytelling cliches throughout its run. You can’t quite call Cobra Kai unpredictable. So when you get to a global tournament like the Sekai Taikai, there has to be a moment when the kids you have been following realizes they are in over their heads, from a skillset point of view. That happens for Daniel (Macchio) in the All-Valley in the original The Karate Kid. Again, we’re not reinventing the wheel.

But in Cobra Kai, it matters because we care about the people in the fights. We have become invested in Samantha (Mary Mouser), Miguel (Xolo Mariduena), Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and the young fighters. So we will tune in to see if and how they prevail.

The middle five episodes of Cobra Kai will be available on Friday, November 15, for those with a Netflix subscription. Then, we expect the final season to come to a conclusion in 2025. Stay tuned!

Sometimes, you see a movie, leave it, and you don’t think it needs a sequel. Or maybe you want a sequel, but it never gets made, and unexpectedly, a legacy sequel comes out decades later. All of this and more have led to some great films, so here are over 30 sequels that no one really asked for but are actually beloved.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

One year after the release of the fourth Shrek film in 2010, we got Puss in Boots. At the time, I think it's safe to say many of us weren’t looking for a spinoff of the sequels. However, we got it. Then, in 2022, we got its sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Between its unique animation style, its existential questions about death, a truly horrifying villain and all the humor we know and love from the Shrek films, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish will stay with you for a long time after watching it, and I can’t say that’s typically expected from a film that’s sequel to a spinoff.

Twisters

Back in 1996, after the release of Twister, there was talk about making a sequel. However, nothing came of that, and we all moved on. Then, almost 30 years later, stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones and director Lee Isaac Chung came flying onto the scene to make the legacy sequel Twisters, and boy did it work!

Top Gun: Maverick

Yes, there had been chatter about a Top Gun sequel for years and years and years after its release in 1986. However, we got nothing for literal decades. Then, 36 years later, Tom Cruise and co. came zooming back into theaters with Top Gun: Maverick, and it dominated.

The film raised the bar for aviation action, and it somehow managed to not just live up to Top Gun, but exceed it in a lot of ways. Overall, the film by Joseph Kosinski was an epic and wild ride that came out three decades after the original, proving that the need for speed was still there.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (And Everything That Followed)

Let’s be real, they could have stopped at three if they wanted to. However, the Mission: Impossible movies didn’t end there, and thank goodness. After the releases of M:I 1, 2 and 3, they switched up the naming trend and revamped with the release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in 2011.

Since then, we’ve gotten so many wild stunts from Tom Cruise and so many seemingly impossible missions, and it’s not stopping there either. That’s because if there’s a mission, we will always choose to accept it.

Toy Story 3

The first two Toy Story movies were all about Buzz, Woody, and co.’s adventures in Andy’s room. These two films came out in 1995 and 1999, and they are beloved by so many. Then, in 2010, eleven years after 2 came out, they returned again with Toy Story 3, which saw the toys donated to a childcare center.

While the film wasn’t exactly asked for, it was made and it blew audiences away. It also left them crying their eyes out.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

Did we need a legacy sequel to Jumanji that saw the board game turned into a video game? No. But did we get it? Yes. And did it blow audiences away? 100%.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, this film was a super fresh take on the classic starring Robin Williams as the kids ended up in the jungle rather than the jungle ending up in their homes. And it was so well received, that now there are two more films based on the video game adaptation of the classic board game.

Cobra Kai

There’s always been a demand for more Karate Kid, however, no one asked for or quite frankly deserved the goodness that is Cobra Kai. Rather than following Daniel LaRusso, the show flips the script and follows his original rival Johnny Lawrence as he works to start his own dojo and turn his life around.

After starting out on YouTube, the show found great success, and eventually wound up on Netflix. Now, Cobra Kai is one of Netflix’s most bingeable and beloved shows.

Creed

After six Rocky movies that came out across four decades, you’d think another one or a spinoff wasn’t necessary. However, then Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan came in swinging with the story of Apollo Creed’s son Adonis, and to mix my sports metaphors, they knocked it out of the park.

Blade Runner 2049

Folks were apprehensive about returning to the universe of Blade Runner 35 years after the original’s release. However, Blade Runner 2049 received good reviews and a positive response from audiences in the time since its release in 2017. Although, should we be surprised by that? It was directed by Denis Villeneuve and starred Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.

The Incredibles 2

Admittedly, there was always a want for an Incredibles sequel. However, the one we got was not what we expected. After ending the first film on a cliffhanger, there was a 14-year break and then we got The Incredibles 2 which took the story in a new, refreshing and exciting direction.

Mad Max: Fury Road

After making three Mad Max movies between 1979 and 1985, the prospect of the franchise returning with such force in 2015 was unexpected. However, it ended up being incredible, because not only is George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road a hit, it’s now widely considered one of the best action movies of all time.

Fast Five

Fast Five is the film that definitively changed the Fast and Furious franchise. While the previous Fast movies were rooted in street racing and did up the ante every time, the fifth installment took things to a whole new level. Following the team’s heist in Brazil, this film proves that sometimes a fifth movie can be the best one, because, to this day, Fast Five is one of if not the best Fast and Furious movie.

Prey

The Predator franchise began in 1987, and each decade since, we’ve gotten a new film. However, in 2022, I don’t think many asked for or expected Prey. The film was widely well-received, and the prequel introduced many to the wildly talented actress Amber Midthunder. It went over so well with audiences, in fact, that it’s now considered one of the best Predator movies.

Toy Story 4

If you thought Toy Story 3 seemingly came out of thin air, then you likely really weren’t ready for Toy Story 4. Released nine years after the third film, this project is quite different from the others as it sees the toys with Bonnie and Woody specifically struggling with his life as a toy. It’s a thoughtful and fun film, and one that I was surprised I loved so much since the bar was sky high for it.

Scream (2022)

While each Scream movie features a new ensemble of side characters, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette were always leading the films. However, 2022’s Scream – which is notably the first project in the franchise not directed by Wes Craven – acted as a changing of the guard. While Sidney, Gale and Dewey were there, the film was led by Melissa Barrera’s Sam, Jenna Ortega’s Tara and their set of friends, giving us a fresh yet fitting addition to this beloved horror franchise.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Yes, there was a want for Mamma Mia! 2, however, I don’t think anyone asked for them to go this hard! The film flashes back and forth between the present and the past, adding new ABBA songs and bringing back fan favorites, meaning the vibes were so high in this sequel and it's a worthy successor of its beloved predecessor.

T2: Trainspotting

In 1996, Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting was met with a lot of love. Then, 21 years later, in 2017, Ewan McGregor and co. got back together for the sequel T2: Trainspotting.

Shrek 2

Shrek was a cultural phenomenon, and honestly, it still is. However, Shrek 2 came onto the scene swinging, and the story that included the antagonistic Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother is widely considered the best Shrek movie.

Paddington 2

I’m not being dramatic, Paddington 2 is a masterpiece. As you will note if you look at its many five-star reviews, Paddington 2 is a wonderful, wholesome and deeply beloved film that is also a sequel that no one expected to love this much.

Before Sunset

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy put a wonderful love story to screen in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. Typically, romances don’t get sequels. However, in 2004, the crew got back together again to make Before Sunset, which is also a deeply loved film.

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit – which is a wonderful title – was the surprise sequel to Whoopi Goldberg’s beloved Sister Act. While it’s not as beloved as the original, it is heaps of fun and filled with magical musical moments.

John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick was an action-packed new film that blew people away. Then, after its success Chad Stahelski got to make more of these movies with Keanu Reeves, spawning one of the great action franchises.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

After the first Suicide Squad film, I don’t think anyone needed or really wanted another one. However, then James Gunn got his hands on the property and saved it with ease as he brought back characters like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and introduced new ones, like John Cena’s Peacemaker.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Six years after the release of Gremlins, we got another story about these little monsters. And like its predecessor, it’s a spooky and fun film that audiences really love.

Halloween (2018)

In 1978 we saw Jamie Lee Curtis lead the iconic slasher Halloween, and we were introduced to the legendary horror villain Michael Meyers. After that, we got movies in 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2007 and 2009. In fact, 2018’s Halloween is the third movie to just go by the singular name. So, it’s safe to say there were questions about if we needed an eleventh film in the franchise. However, this entry from David Gordon Green was a welcome one that breathed new life into the franchise.

Magic Mike XXL

Magic Mike XXL is one of those movies that has no right to be as good as it is. I don’t think many thought Channing Tatum’s movie about strippers would get a sequel, however, Magic Mike ended up being quite the success. A few years later we got its great sequel that takes the beloved strippers on the road so they can go to a stripper convention.

Thor: Ragnarok

If you’ve watched the Marvel movies in order, you know that Thor: The Dark World is a dark spot in the franchise. So, going into the threequel about the God of Thunder, apprehension is the word I’d use to describe many viewers' thoughts about it. However, under the direction of Taika Waititi, the third Thor movie took a hard turn into comedy, leaned into Chris Hemsworth’s comedic sensibilities and brought this franchise based on the Norse hero back to life.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

You know, The Terminator did say “I’ll be back,” and he was right. In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned as the titular character, and he did so with a bang. To this day it's considered one of the great sequels, and The Terminator came back a few more times after that.

Psycho II

It might not be as critically acclaimed as its predecessor but Psycho II has quite the cult following. The film follows Norman Bates 20 years after the events of the first film, and offers an interesting look into what happened two decades after those infamous events at the Bates Motel.

Predator 2

Predator 2 is a cult classic. While it’s not as acclaimed as its predecessor, the 1990 sequel led by Danny Glover has many fans who adore it.

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

The first Home Alone became a fast favorite and one of the best Christmas movies. Then, two years later, Kevin McCallister didn’t get left home alone, he got lost in New York, and the shenanigans that ensued made this sequel just as classic as the original.

Aliens

After Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic Alien, James Cameron took over to helm the sequel, Aliens, in 1986. Not only is it a great sequel, it’s one of the best sequels ever. And, not only is it a fantastic sequel, it’s also just flat-out one of the best movies of the ‘80s.

From cult classics to critically acclaimed flicks, there’s a whole swath of sequels we didn’t really ask for. However, I’m oh so happy they happened, and I think a bunch of viewers are too.

The final season of Cobra Kai continues to roll along, and by the looks of the latest trailer for Cobra Kai Season 6: Part 2, we’re going to get closure on a number of serious grudges that have been in development for decades. This has been the point of the show (or one of the points, anyway). We started this journey when Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) renewed a rivalry that dates back to the original The Karate Kid. But one man has been pulling the strings on the evil of Cobra Kai since the beginning, and it looks like he might finally get what he has coming to him.

I’m talking about John Kreese (Martin Kove), who we finally see fighting Daniel in the trailer for Cobra Kai Season 6: Part 2 that just arrived. Watch it above.

The battle tease is brief, but I managed to capture a shot of it. We can only hope it's a long sequence, because these two have serious beef:

Up until this point in the series, Daniel (Macchio) has done as much as he could to take the high road. He has preached the wisdom of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, and fought to have his teachings be the guiding light in The Valley. However, as we have seen in Cobra Kai Season 6 so far, Daniel has new reason to doubt Mr. Miyagi, And the reality of that situation might be enough to push LaRusso over the edge. When he snaps, if Kreese is in front of him, it might be a lifetime of repressed anger bubbling up and powering that fight.

At the same time, as you can see in the trailer for Cobra Kai Season 6: Part 2, there’s still PLENTY of drama that needs to be addressed by all of the kids of the dojo. They’ve officially entered the global Sekai Taikai tournament, and the competition from around the world is going to be lethal. When Xolo Mariduena had the opportunity to sum up Season 6 of the long-running Netflix series, he used the term “back-breaking.” So look for members of the Miyagi-do team to take quite the beating at the hands of their new competition. And it might sting all the more if and when it comes from the hands of Tori (Peyton List), someone they used to call a friend.

During New York Comic-Con, Karate Kid fans learned more about the upcoming Karate Kid movie, which will pair Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan for an original movie not tied to the Cobra Kai series. Which means that Cobra Kai has the latitude to land its plane any way that it sees fit. This story is all that matters, and I think that’s the right way to take care of this.

Look for Part 2 of the expanded Cobra Kai Season 6 when it arrives on Netflix beginning November 15. And then prepare to wait for the anticipated conclusion to this final season, which will arrive some time in 2025.

Worlds collided recently when fans waiting for the final episodes of Cobra Kai were able enjoy a video alongside those waiting for One Piece Season 2. Iñaki Godoy dropped by the set of the The Karate Kid tie-in series to hang out with Xolo Maridueña and learn the ropes of what all goes into the intense fight scenes the show pulled off. It's a great video, but if Netflix is trying to throw people off the rumor that Maridueña is joining the cast of One Piece in Season 2, this isn't helping.

You can feel Iñaki Godoy's Luffy energy coming out as he walks through set of some of Cobra Kai's biggest scenes. What's even better to see is that Xolo Maridueña is matching Godoy's energy quite well, and if people didn't know any better, they might mistake them for brothers. Check out the sibling vibes between these two and how it may further factor into the big rumor surrounding Maridueña joining One Piece:

It feels like this video was specifically created to make people think, "Wow, it would be great to see these two fight alongside each other in an actual series," and it turns out that might happen. A friend of Xolo Maridueña was on a podcast not long ago, and while it's still not confirmed, he might've leaked the Cobra Kai star will be playing Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace.

Xolo Maridueña joining the show and playing the role of Ace would be another A+ casting for One Piece, which has already knocked it out of the park for Season 2. It brought in Marvel actor David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3 and Katey Sagal to play Dr. Kureha after plans fell through with Jamie Lee Curtis. While Ace doesn't have nearly as much screen time in this portion of One Piece as the other Straw Hat Pirates, he's ultimately vital to the story and will play a larger role in future seasons should Netflix continue making the series.

The only reasons that could justify Netflix continuing to hide Xolo Maridueña's involvement are that it's waiting to make the big reveal for a future convention appearance or they'd rather wait until Season 2 is out. If these upcoming episodes play out like the anime, Ace is not a major character throughout most of the story and only briefly appears before striking off on his own. As such, I could see Netflix not wanting to reveal his appearance now, knowing that some might think he'll be in the season much more than he is.

As someone who has binged both shows with my Netflix subscription, I hope we get confirmation of this casting before too long. I also wouldn't mind if we learned Hawk actor Jacob Bertrand will also join, seeing as he recently gushed about what a huge fan he was of One Piece. In fact, let's get the entire cast of Cobra Kai involved considering their show is ending soon anyway.

We're still waiting for new One Piece episodes, which will presumably be available on Netflix in 2025. Cobra Kai fans can expect to see the next batch of episodes drop in November. To stay more on top of these types of things, our new and upcoming Netflix list is a great resource for those looking for shows.

One Piece Season 2 is currently in production, and it feels like the franchise is only getting more popular as the wait for new episodes continues. Of course, the series has always had fans across its twenty-five-year history, including some who are now stars on other shows we can watch with a Netflix subscription. An actor from the Cobra Kai team hopes to be welcomed onto the cast for Season 2 or beyond, and I'm so on board with the idea of them being hired!

The casting choices for One Piece Season 2 have been wild. Marvel star David Dastmalchian is playing Mr. 3, and Katey Sagal was announced as well, after fans sussed out she was playing Dr. Kureha. So could this notable cast member from Cobra Kai end up joining them down the road?

Which Cobra Kai Actor Wants To Appear In Netflix's One Piece?

Jacob Bertrand plays Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz on Cobra Kai and is a big anime fan. The actor spoke to our sister site, GamesRadar, about potentially joining Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation if given the opportunity. The actor seemed thrilled about the question and, after saying he'd be down to play "literally any role," he made good on that statement by saying the following:

It's good to hear that the One Piece cast is just as kind as their Straw Hat counterparts, according to Jacob Bertrand. The actor has been a part of some of Cobra Kai's most intense fight scenes, so I think he'd be a great fit for the show. I'm unsure which character he'd be best suited to play. My only request would be that he keeps the mohawk, because that hair naturally lends itself to the aesthetic of a show this anime adaptation.

It seems like Netflix actors tend to find their way into a few shows on the streamer, so I think the Batwheels alum has a decent chance of being cast at some point. Whether he'd play a major character or a minor can't be said, but I'm hoping for the former. And, while I can't think of a perfect role for him off the top of my head, I'm sure the casting directors could.

A Cobra Kai Star Is Already Rumored For One Piece

The news that Jacob Bertrand is interested in joining One Piece is interesting, especially considering the popular rumor that another Cobra Kai star has already joined the cast. A friend of Miguel Diaz actor Xolo Maridueña alleged that the celebrity was tapped to play Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, which would be very exciting if Netflix ultimately confirms that.

On the off chance that's true, the streamer may be keeping the lid on the casting, because Ace's presence in the upcoming episodes of One Piece is fleeting. After all, the producers probably wouldn't want to overhype an appearance only for fans to complain later because he isn't in the season all that much. It's also possible the rumor is false, and we won't see Xolo Maridueña in the role, though I do hope that's not the case.

In any case, I hope Jacob Bertrand's dream of joining the hit fantasy show come true. So please join me in helping him to manifest a role.

As for right now, we'll have to wait and see how everything pans out with Netflix's One Piece Season 2. Those who are waiting anxiously should check out the anime, especially if they need a show to binge. With 1000+ episodes to watch before getting current, it'll keep even the most vigilant binge-watchers occupied. Also, know that Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 is set to arrive on November 15 amid the 2024 TV schedule.

It is a rivalry that has been brewing for 40 years now. And we assume one day, it’s going to come to a head. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) met his bully, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) on the mats at the All-Valley Karate Tournament, and took him out with a legendary crane kick. Since then, there has been serious beef. The rivalry has been explored, and picked apart, as part of the ongoing Cobra Kai series, available to anyone with a valid Netflix account. But do these guys need one more head-to-head match, to settle things once and for all?

We knew going into Cobra Kai Season 6 that this would be the final season… and the longest season. The creators agreed to break Season 6 into three chunks, the first of which is available to watch right now. We will see how things continue when the next batch of five original episodes will arrive. But we spoke with the cast and crew of Cobra Kai during a press day, and realized that Ralph Macchio and William Zabka have different opinions about one last bout between the legends.

When we posed the question to Macchio, he admitted:

This has been a driving narrative force of Cobra Kai Season 6, with Daniel, Johnny, and Chosen trying to settle which dojo is the right one to lead the fighters into the Sekai Taikai. Is it Miyagi-Do? Eagle Fang? Or a combination of the value systems of all of the above? We know that Danel’s faith in Miyagi-Do has been rocked by some hurtful revelations regarding his former mentor, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). That might factor into his decisions as the Sekai Taikai plays out.

But William Zabka couldn’t fully commit to turning down a rematch with Ralph Macchio before Cobra Kai is finished. As Zabka told CinemaBlend:

Classic Johnny Lawrence response. He’s not going to back down, if the chance to battle his forever foe, Daniel LaRusso, presents itself. And it will have to happen during the final episodes of Cobra Kai, for even though we know there will be another Karate Kid movie, the characters from Cobra Kai are not expected to be involved in that storyline at all beyond the presence of Daniel LaRusso.

What do you think? Are Daniel and Johnny done? Will they leave the fighting to their students now? Or might they team up one last time to finally put an end to John KReese (Martin Kove), the threat that has tormented each of them for decades? Cobra Kai returns in November with five more episodes, and then concludes its epic story in 2025.

If not absorbing storylines and appealing characters, what is it that keeps us coming back to tune into our favorite TV shows week after week, season after season? It could be the way some episodes end with a shocking final moment right before fading to black, leaving us in eager anticipation to see the mystery revealed or, at least, what comes next. Let’s take a look back at some of television’s most iconic cliffhangers that had the world buzzing.

The Finale (The Sopranos)

One of the most controversial series finales of all time is the final episode of The Sopranos, “Made in America,” which ends with the titular family meeting at a diner where Tony (James Gandolfini) looks up to see who has entered the restaurant right as it cuts to black. This non-ending, so to speak, launched countless fan theories regarding what happens next — such as, did the patron who entered the restaurant kill Tony? — but creator David Chase has never conceded to provide a concrete explanation.

Hank Discovers Walt Is Heisenberg (Breaking Bad)

The jaw-dropping ending to one of the best episodes of Breaking Bad, Season 5’s “Gliding Over All,” sees Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) using Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Skyler’s (Anna Gunn) restroom, where he comes across a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass given to Walt by Heisenberg’s one-time partner, Gale Boetticher (David Costabile). The look on the DEA agent’s face, when he realizes the elusive criminal he had been chasing for so long is his own brother-in-law, is priceless, but it would be another year before viewers could see the hunt really begin.

The Mother Of Dragons (Game Of Thrones)

One of the most memorable moments from Game of Thrones occurs in the first season finale, “Fire and Blood,” in which Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) emerges from the embers of a burning pyre, accompanied by three infant fire-breathers. This ends the first season of the prestige drama on a captivating note and marks the beginning of the fan-favorite character’s reign as the Mother of Dragons.

Ross Says Rachel's Name At His Wedding (Friends)

The Friends cast endures a few amusing plot twists in the Season 4 finale — such as the start of Monica and Chandler’s romance — but the biggest surprise occurred at the very end during Ross’ (David Schwimmer) nuptials to Emily (Helen Baxendale). When the officiant asks him to repeat, “Take thee, Emily…” he instead says the name of ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), who had initially appeared at the venue last minute wanting to ruin the wedding. This, of course, marks the beginning of the end of his second marriage.

Dale Cooper’s Doppelganger (Twin Peaks)

No cliffhanger from creators David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks perplexed and unsettled audiences like the Season 2 finale, when it is revealed that Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) is still lost in The Black Lodge and has been replaced with an evil look-alike. Just as Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) foretells the real Cooper in the episode, it would be another 25 before fans got to see the story continue in Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival in 2017.

"Resistance Is Futile" (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

One of the most iconic moments in the Star Trek franchise comes from the Season 3 finale of The Next Generation when the U.S.S. Enterprise-D crew discovers Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) has been transformed into a Borg named Locutus. Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) then orders an attack on the enemy's ship before the scene cuts to a caption reading, "To be continued..."

Who Did Negan Kill? (The Walking Dead)

The Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead introduced the most fearsome villain from Robert Kirkman's comic, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who establishes his dominance by choosing one series regular to kill by use of "Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe." Before it fades to black, we see the murder occur from the perspective of the victim, who is revealed to be Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) in the Season 7 premiere, in which Glenn (Steven Yeun) is also fatally bludgeoned by Negan's barbed baseball bat, Lucille.

"We Have To Go Back!" (Lost)

Many believe Season 3's "Through the Looking Glass" is the best episode of Lost, primarily for the way it ends the season. It is revealed that the supposed flashbacks of Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox) off the island were really flash-forwards when he tells Kate (Evangeline Lilly) that they must return to the place they had seemingly escaped at some point.

Dexter Discovers Rita's Body (Dexter)

Many fans agree the best season of Dexter is its fourth, especially for the upsetting way it ends when Michael C. Hall's titular, homicidal anti-hero discovers he did not get rid of his worst enemy, The Trinity Killer (John Lithgow), soon enough. He returns home to find his wife, Rita (Julie Benz), dead in their bathtub and their infant son, Harrison, sitting in a puddle of her blood.

Who Shot J.R.? (Dallas)

When it comes to TV cliffhangers, there is absolutely nothing more iconic than the Season 3 finale of Dallas (one of the top-rated TV shows of its time), which ends with Larry Hagman's double-crossing oil baron, J.R. Ewing, getting shot by an unknown assailant. For the entire summer of 1980, audiences all over the country obsessed over who shot J.R. before it was revealed to be Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby) in the Season 4 premiere.

The Upside Down Spills Into Hawkins (Stranger Things)

Every season of Stranger Things has ended with a hint at the Hawkins Crew's next adventure, but none has been more epic than Season 4's final moment. The gang realizes that their war against Vecna is far from over as the cold, dusty world of the Upside Down begins to mend with their dimension.

Addison Is Introduced (Grey's Anatomy)

In its first year, one of the most appealing elements of Grey's Anatomy was Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek's (Patrick Dempsey) blossoming romance, which was derailed by an amusing reveal in the season finale. Meredith discovers that she is McDreamy's mistress when she meets his wife, Addison (Kate Walsh).

Buffy Sacrifices Herself (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

The title of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Season 5 finale (and 100th episode overall), "The Gift," refers to the titular hero (Sarah Michelle Gellar) giving her life to save Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) and the world by jumping into a portal and stopping a release of demons. The final shot of her tombstone left fans heartbroken until the Season 6 announcement convinced them that they had not seen the last of the Slayer after all.

"Who's Been Hit?" (The West Wing)

The first season of Aaron Sorkin's hit political drama ended with a shocking assassination attempt, leaving viewers in the dark over who from the West Wing cast may have succumbed to the violence. The Season 2 premiere revealed that President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) were shot but, thankfully, both survived.

Rachel's Pregnancy Is Revealed (Friends)

The most shocking Friends cliffhangers seem to happen in season-ending wedding episodes, like in "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding," during which Pheobe (Lisa Kudrow) assumes the bride (Courteney Cox) is pregnant after finding a pregnancy test in her apartment. However, after Monica assures Chandler (Matthew Perry) that she is not with the child, a final close-up of a visibly concerned Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) hints she is the expectant mother.

Marissa Shoots Trey (The O.C.)

The second season of The O.C. ends with Marissa (Mischa Barton) shooting Trey (Logan Marshall-Green) to prevent him from killing his brother, Ryan (Ben McKenzie), after he confronts him about trying to take advantage of Marissa. The buzzed-about cliffhanger served as the inspiration for a hilarious SNL Digital Short that especially took aim at the scenes use of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek."

Jim And Pam’s First Kiss (The Office)

One of the most epic moments in Jim and Pam's relationship timeline on The Office takes place in the Season 2 ender "Casino Night." We would have to wait until Season 3 to learn the aftermath of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fisher) sharing a kiss after he reveals his true feelings for her.

Blowing Open The Hatch (Lost)

The mysteries surrounding the island from Lost only got more intriguing by the end of its first season when Locke (Terry O'Quinn), Jack, Kate, and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) finally got the hatch open with a bundle of dynamite. However, Hurley tried to stop the explosion after noticing his unlucky lottery numbers etched on the side of the hatch, suggesting that only more trouble might be brewing underneath.

Sherlock Jumps From A Building (Sherlock)

In the second season finale of the modern reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes' (Benedict Cumberbatch) rivalry with Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) comes to a head when the foe takes his own life and the detective seemingly does the same by jumping from the roof where their showdown took place. Of course, as the final shot of the episode confirms, the reports of Sherlock's death are greatly exaggerated, but how he survived the fall is not revealed for another year and and half.

Who Shot Mr. Burns? (The Simpsons)

The Simpsons (one of the all-time greatest animated TV shows) would take aim at Dallas' most iconic cliffhanger when the sixth season finale ended with Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) getting shot by an unknown assailant. After a summer break, the following episode revealed that Homer and Marge's infant daughter, Maggie, was the culprit, and may have done it intentionally.

The Abrupt Finale (Pushing Daisies)

A cliffhanger that never received a proper resolution was at the Season 2 finale of Pushing Daisies, which sees Ned (Lee Pace) and Chuck (Anna Friel) show up at her aunt's doorstep to reveal she is alive. After ABC canceled the fantasy dramedy after two seasons, showrunner Bryan Fuller was forced to add a brief epilogue to provide some closure to the characters' arc, but it still left fans unsatisfied.

Rory Reveals She Is Pregnant (Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life)

In 2016, Netflix revived Gilmore Girls for a four-episode limited series event called Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which follows the further experiences of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), over the course of four eventful seasons. The final line of the final episode comes from Rory, confessing to her mother that she is having a baby.

The Death Of Jon Snow (Game Of Thrones)

Out of all the many deaths on Game of Thrones, one of the most shocking and devastating comes at the end of the Season 5 finale when Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is assassinated by his own men. However, Fans would be delighted to see him resurrected the following season.

Jesse Shoots Gale (Breaking Bad)

One of the most mind-blowing Breaking Bad moments occurs at the end of Season 3 when a doomed Walt (Bryan Cranston) tricks Mike (Jonathan Banks) into letting him call Jesse (Aaron Paul), alerting him to kill Walt's intended replacement, Gale. While the act would save Walt's life, this was the first time the young man had ever killed someone and it would haunt him for a long time.

Helly Tells The Truth (Severance)

The Apple TV+ original TV show Severance takes place at a tech company that surgically separates its employees' personal memories from their memories at the office. In the Season 1 finale, Helly (Britt Lower), after discovering she is the daughter of Lumon's CEO, decides to reveal the miserable truth behind this process at a business gala at the same time Mark (Adam Scott) discovers that his supposed dead wife is the company's wellness counselor, Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman). Just then, they reverted back to their "innie" form before the episode cuts to black.

Kima Greggs Gets Shot (The Wire)

In the final moment from the 10th episode of The Wire's first season, a bust gone wrong results in Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) getting shot. That would have been the end of the character who was meant to have a smaller role had HBO executive Carolyn Strauss not convinced creator David Simon to keep her around longer.

Zoey Gets Kidnapped (The West Wing)

In the penultimate episode of The West Wing's fourth season, it is discovered that First Daughter Zoey Bartlet (Elisabeth Moss) went missing at her graduation party. The season ended with Zoey still missing and President Bartlett stepping aside temporarily. The event echoes a premonition from the first season in which President Bartlet tells his daughter that no crisis would be worse than her kidnapping.

Mulder Vanishes From The Boxcar (The X-Files)

In the Season 2 finale of The X-Files, "Anasazi," Mulder (David Duchovny) finds a box car buried under a quarry full of alien bodies with smallpox vaccine scars, which he discovers right as the roof hatch is closed. When the Smoking Man arrives, he discovers Mulder is somehow gone and then orders for the boxcar to be destroyed, leaving fans wondering if and how the FBI agent managed to get away safely.

Logan's True Intentions Are Revealed (24)

As a series told in real-time, just about every episode of 24 ended with some sort of a cliffhanger, and one of the best comes at the end of the 16th episode of Season 5. A phone call with Christopher Henderson (Peter Weller) reveals that President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) was the true orchestrator between the deaths of David Palmer and Michelle Dessler.

Who Shot Agent Cooper? (Twin Peaks)

At the very end of the first season of Twin Peaks, Special Agent Dale Cooper returns to his room at the Great Northern Hotel and, after answering a knock at the door, is shot by an unknown shooter. Thankfully, he survives and it is later revealed that the assailant was Josie Packard (Joan Chen).

Junior Shoots Tony (The Sopranos)

The Season 6 premiere of The Sopranos ends with Tony (James Gandolfini) being shot by his own uncle, Junior (Dominic Chianese), who mistook him for a long-dead mobster who robbed him years earlier. Tony struggles to call 911 but, as soon as he gets ahold of them, he passes out before the screen fades to black.

Miguel’s School Fight Injury (Cobra Kai)

In the Season 2 finale for Cobra Kai, a fight breaks out between several rival high school students from the rival dojos but ends when Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) is kicked by Robby (Tanner Buchanan) over a balcony and lands on a stairway guardrail. It would be revealed later that the injury left him paralyzed but, luckily, only for a few episodes of Season 3.

Netflix's second season of One Piece is currently in production, and on the heels of disappointing news that Jamie Lee Curtis will not be in the season, we have another exciting rumor to follow. There's chatter claiming the star of a major show available with a Netflix subscription is going to play Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, and I'm desperately hoping it pans out.

Amidst exciting castings like David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, we allegedly have a member of the Cobra Kai family coming in to play one of the most powerful pirates in One Piece. Here's what we're hearing so far and why it would be so cool if this ends up being the person who plays Luffy's fire-throwing sibling.

Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña Has Allegedly Been Tapped To Play Portgas D. Ace

There's a rumor that Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña is playing the significant One Piece role of Portgas D. Ace, otherwise known as Ace. News about the casting first came via the web series OUKE, who was speaking to actor Mario Cortijo about struggles people face when playing different ethnicities in projects (via Comicbook.com). The actor used his friend Maridueña as an example of this when talking about it, but he might've said too much:

When the hosts brought up that it was not known Maridueña was in One Piece, the actor apologized and said he shouldn't have said that. Mario Cortijo may get an email from Netflix if this rumor pans out, but it is worth noting we've heard nothing official about this casting happening.

So, it is possible Cortijo is mistaken, but just like the actor who claimed Season 3 was being filmed after Season 2, I think some information might've slipped out that fans weren't supposed to hear.

Why Xolo Maridueña Is Perfect To Play Ace

For those who haven't seen him in Cobra Kai or slept on his starring role in Blue Beetle, Xolo Maridueña is a great choice for One Piece. To start, he's a big name that will add even more star power to the popular series, and I would wager there's some solid crossover between the Cobra Kai and One Piece fandom. I know that I have watched both and know a few others, so I could believe that factored into the alleged casting.

Both those roles have shown the young actor's physical abilities, and he has the right energy to fit in perfectly with Iñaki Godoy and the One Piece cast.

Now, some people may worry about Xolo Maridueña's blossoming Hollywood career now that Cobra Kai is ending, but that's not really a factor here. While Ace is a huge part of the story of One Piece, he rarely appears in the anime. Of course, one of the big differences between the OP live-action and anime was how much screen time Kobe and Helmeppo got in Season 1, so it's possible Ace could be a greater part of the story.

As a reminder, all of this is speculative. I think there's good odds we'll see Ace pop up in Season 2 of One Piece, but whether or not Xolo Maridueña will play him remains pure speculation at this point. With that said, I'm very excited by this latest rumor and will be counting the days until the premiere if it gets confirmed.

That said, I'm pretty eager to see One Piece Season 2 whenever it is set to arrive on Netflix. They'll have to finish production first but keep an eye out for more updates on the series with each passing month.

It’s been about a month since Sunrise on the Reaping -- the Haymitch Hunger Games prequel -- was announced, and the fancasting hasn’t slowed down. People are throwing all sorts of names into the ring to play Woody Harrelson’s character, including House of the Dragon’s Tom Glynn-Carney, and now a Cobra Kai star is being championed by some of the fans. While this notion of Tanner Buchanan playing the younger version of the District 12 mentor is already great, his reaction to learning that fans see him as the character makes it even better.

For a bit of context, Season 6 of Cobra Kai just premiered on the 2024 TV schedule, and Tanner Buchanan – who plays Johnny’s son, Robby – was asked about the upcoming Hunger Games project at the premiere. He really perked up when asked about the fancast and the potential of playing the beloved character. He said:

Now, you can read the enthusiasm in this quote. However, seeing the Cobra Kai cast member’s facial expressions makes it even better, take a look at THR’s video:

Honestly, I think Tanner Buchanan would be a great choice for this character. While I am a big fan of Glynn-Carney’s fancast, he’s a bit old for the role. This movie will follow Haymitch’s games, and he’ll be a teen. While the Designated Survivor actor is 25, he’s been playing a high schooler on Cobra Kai for years now, and he can pull it off.

Plus, he has the look for it. Across Cobra Kai he’s been rocking a long-ish hairdo that is reminiscent of Haymitch’s look in The Hunger Games. Also, he recently went platinum blonde, and that showed me that he could for sure pull off the look of the District 12 tribute:

When The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came out, we saw Tom Blyth transform into President Snow, and kill his performance as the character Donald Sutherland played in the OG trilogy. I could see Tanner Buchanan taking on the part of Haymitch just as successfully.

Of course, we don’t know who will actually play Haymitch in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel. However, fans have been fancasting the lead character nonstop, loudly noting that Kiefer Sutherland should play President Snow in it, and fantasizing about Finnick getting a prequel next. Readers and viewers can’t wait for this long-awaited story, and they’ve thrown some fantastic casting and story ideas out there. It’ll be interesting to see if any of them actually come to fruition.

Clearly, Tanner Buchanan is excited about the prospect of playing the character, and so am I!

As we learn more about who will play Haymitch Abernathy, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. For now, you can stream Cobra Kai (which is one of Netflix’s best shows) with a Netflix subscription to draw your own conclusions about whether he’d be a good choice for the character.

It’s another week in the heat of summer. If you’re trying to keep cool by staying indoors, there’s plenty to enjoy on the best streaming platforms, but finding the highlights can often be tough. When there is so much upcoming on Netflix and even more new to Hulu, how do you decide what to watch?

Well, we have you covered with some of this week's streaming highlights. Whether you’re looking for your favorite movie or a brand new movie, some great options are coming this week. From what’s new on Disney+ to the best new movies and shows on Max, here’s what’s worth looking at over this week. 

New TV

 Simone Biles Rising 

Three years ago Simone Biles did the unthinkable and took herself out of the Summer Olympic Games (and garnered praise from Taylor Swift and more but jeers from others). Now, a new documentary series will take a look at the gymnastics phenom, her decision to do that, and the events that have followed since, leading to her return as part of Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

With the new documentary arriving just a week before the Summer Games start up, it should be a great way for fans to get pumped up for the two weeks of events that will be launching next week, though on another streaming service. 

Simone Biles Rising premieres July 17 on Netflix.

Star Wars: The Acolyte, Season Finale

While fans are still waiting for several promised upcoming Star Wars movies, the franchise has done well on streaming and made a Disney+ subscription worthwhile for a lot of people. The latest series, The Acolyte has broken new ground by setting a live-action Star Wars adventure far away from the characters and worlds that are closely associated with the Skywalker Saga. The show has had numerous twists and turns along the way so fans won’t want to be late to check out the final episode when it debuts on the evening of July 16.

At this point, it’s unclear whether there are any plans for an Acolyte Season 2, or when such a thing might happen. As such, we can’t even guess what the ending of the current season will look like, if it might be mostly definitive, or leave lots of open questions for future seasons to explore. 

Watch Star Wars: The Acolyte on Disney+.

Cobra Kai Season 6: Part I  

The Karate Kid spawned sequels, reboots, and remakes, but its most successful incarnation may be Cobra Kai, the series that picked up the story of Daniel and Johnny decades later. Every season of the show has been a hit, since even before it was available with a Netflix subscription. The first batch of episodes from the show’s final season are arriving this week.

This is only part one of the final season, so fans won’t need to be ready to say goodbye just yet but any new fans who want to get caught up should probably do so quickly.

Cobra Kai Season 6 premieres July 18 on Netflix.

Kite Man: Hell Yeah!

One of the more popular pieces of Batman-related media of the last few years hasn’t been about the caped crusader, but one of his villains. The Harley Quinn animated series, in all its foul-mouthed violent glory, has been incredibly popular. And, while fans are still waiting for Quinn Season 5, among many other upcoming DC TV shows, they will get something that we hope will be as good this week.

Kite Man: Hell Yeah! follows the titular, and overlooked, Batman villain in a spinoff series that picks up from the character’s introduction in the Harley Quinn series. Odds are the new show will be just as wild as its predecessor, and possibly even more ridiculous, considering the protagonist of the series is… Kite Man.

Kite Man: Hell Yeah premieres July 18 on Max.

Those About to Die 

It’s a pretty good year to be a Sword and Sandals fan. A lot of people are looking towards the release of Gladiator 2, the sequel to the Oscar-winning movie from Ridley Scott. But that's not the only new media surrounding gladiators in the coliseum that we’ll get this year, assuming you have a Peacock subscription.

Those About to Die stars Anthony Hopkins as the Emperor overseeing the combat in the Coliseum during Ancient Rome. Considering the series is produced and directed by Roland Emmerich, a man who knows a thing or two about spectacle, it seems likely the new show will at least look amazing. 

Those About to Die premieres July 18 on Peacock.

NFL Flag Football Championship  

In an era where streaming has taken over from traditional television in many ways, live sports is one area where traditional TV tends to still rule. Disney+ has occasionally played around with unique live sporting events on the platform, and that will happen again when two live flag football championship games, one for boys and one for girls, are carried live.

Kids flag football as a TV event may be a bit unusual but, with several entertainment companies currently working on a live sports streaming platform, it may be an early look at what is to come, and with no other football to watch right now, why not?

NFL Flag Football Championship premieres July 21 on Disney+.

New Movies

My Spy: The Eternal City  

Back in 2020, an action/comedy starring Dave Bautista as a CIA agent who gets entangled with a young child, My Spy, was supposed to open in theaters. A global pandemic had other plans, and the movie ultimately debuted on Prime Video. Ultimately, it must have been quite popular, as Prime Video subscribers are now getting a sequel.

My Spy: The Eternal City sees Dave Bautista’s special agent coming out of retirement to chaperone a school trip for young Sophie. The duo is off to Europe, where there just so happens to also be a terrorist plot unfolding. 

My Spy: The Eternal City Premieres July 18 on Prime Video.

Fifty Shades Darker/Fifty Shades Freed 

One of the benefits of streaming is that usually entire franchises end up on the same streaming platform and fans can watch everything in one big marathon if they so choose. Unfortunately for Fifty Shades of Grey fans with a Netflix subscription, when the first movie arrived on the platform last month, it did so alone. But, now, it'll be joined by the other two movies, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, which arrive alongside the original.

The Fifty Shades of Grey movies aren’t exactly beloved by everybody. However, they were box office hits, so it's clear the movies have fans. And, now, you can watch the entire trilogy at home where nobody will be able to judge you for your choices. 

Stream all three Fifty Shades movies beginning July 16 on Netflix.

 Love Lies Bleeding

One of the best parts of having a Max subscription is the fact that you have access to most of the great films of A24. Love Lies Bleeding wasn’t a massive hit at the box office and may not get a great deal of awards consideration, but it’s arguably one of the strangest movies of 2024 so far, and that makes it worth a watch.

What appears to be a noir queer love story, and is that, is also a great deal more. As such, Love Lies Bleeding is a movie worth checking out. It may not be for everybody, but you won’t know if it’s for you unless you watch it, and the right audience is going to be very happy they found it. 

Love Lies Bleeding premieres July 18 on Max.

All this should certainly keep fans glued to their television for the next week. One can only hope that there will be as much left to keep us going for the resort of the summer. 

The creators of the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai – which is heading into its sixth and final season – have been respectful of the legacy of the original films… while also expanding on the mythology and taking it places fans probably never thought possible. The show has introduced so many new characters who have become as important to the overall story as the founding, core characters of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). The show quickly brought back chief antagonist John Kreese (Martin Kove) to drop his hammer on the duo. But the one character they could not bring back was Mr. Miyagi, played by the inimitable Pat Morita.

After portraying Mr. Miyagi in multiple Karate Kid feature films over the years, Pat Morita died in 2005 and has cast a gentle shadow over the entirety of Cobra Kai. The series constantly dwells on Miyagi’s influence on Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), with the New Jersey native frequently fighting to maintain Miyagi’s core values in the dojo as he trains the next generation of karate students in the Valley. And even though Cobra Kai has brought back previous cast members like Elisabeth Shue, Thomas Ian Griffith, and Yuji Okumoto, there hasn’t been any effort to replicate Morita. 

That doesn’t mean that Nariyoshi Miyagi, the character, is completely off the board, though. 

There’s a right way to bring back Mr. Miyagi

Recently, CinemaBlend got the opportunity to travel to Georgia and visit the set of Cobra Kai during filming on the sixth and final season. And during that visit, we spoke with series co-creator Josh Heald about their plans for Cobra Kai Season 6, and where they might want the characters to go after the series wraps. But I was genuinely surprised to learn that they had considered how to bring Mr. Miyagi back into the creative umbrella of Cobra Kai storytelling, with Heald explaining to us:

I’m not sure that anyone in Hollywood thinks about The Karate Kid and its legacy more than Josh Heald and his fellow Cobra Kai showrunners. They have proven over the years that they hold all of the original Karate Kid movies in high esteem, and would never do anything to tarnish the memories of someone as special as the late Pat Morita. 

But they believe – and I tend to agree – that you could tell a story from Miyagi’s earlier days, and cast a different actor to play the part. It would have to be separate from the events of The Karate Kid, and probably even The Karate Kid: Part 2… which explored Miyagi’s history on the Japanese island of Okinawa. We have seen other franchises that have recast younger versions of classic movie characters. I think that Karate Kid fans would be willing to follow Miyagi through a new story, with a new actor. 

At the same time, there are ways that are unacceptable, and the Cobra Kai team knows this. 

The wrong way to try and bring Miyagi back

The biggest issue with trying to tell more stories focused on Mr. Miyagi is that he’s so closely associated with Pat Morita, Karate Kid fans would consider it a disservice to use CG or any type of modern camera trickery to make it seem like Morita was contributing in any way. That could be grotesque. Which means there are specific moments As Josh Heald went on to explain to us: 

And in that sense, I totally agree. Franchises that have used CG to bring back popular characters – I’m looking at you, Star Wars – have run into issues by trying to replicate new versions of a classic character who is still very fresh in our memory. We know that’s not Carrie Fisher in Rogue One, and it’s jarring.

So it’s encouraging to hear from the Cobra Kai creatives that they know it’d be too hard to try and tell a Miyagi story set in the time period that’s very near and dear to our hearts. You can’t explore more with Miyagi in any timeframe connected to The Karate Kid or its sequels. That would require Pat Morita at a very specific age. And since you can’t have that, don’t even try. 

But with Cobra Kai coming to an end, I’m genuinely curious where the showrunners want to go with the series. By all accounts, the Cobra Kai story is going to end. But there are ways for these storytellers to continue, and just hearing the fact that they discussed more stories with Mr. Miyagi is fascinating. We’ll see what stems from it in the years to come. 

Look for Cobra Kai to begin its final season on Netflix beginning on July 18.

For as long as I can remember, The Karate Kid has been part of my movie-going memories. The original film, released in 1984, was one of the first films that I can remember seeing in a theater. I have been invested in the saga of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) ever since, following him to Okinawa, through the various All-Valley Tournaments, and finally to Netflix, where Cobra Kai has expanded the Karate Kid universe. Ironically, Macchio now plans to bring Daniel LaRusso back to theaters for a new Karate Kid movie that will team the actor with Jackie Chan, star of the 2010 remake that also included Jaden Smith. But how will Macchio’s involvement in Cobra Kai lead to the story of the new Karate Kid movie?

As of right now, The Karate Kid 6 (which is what we have been calling it) is set to arrive in theaters on May 30, 2025, which means that it likely will arrive after the conclusion of Cobra Kai Season 6. The final Cobra Kai season is going to be divided up into three chunks, the first of which arrives on July 18. So it makes sense that the final season of Cobra Kai would set up the next story in Daniel LaRusso’s journey. But that’s not the case. While traveling to the Georgia set of Cobra Kai to speak with the show’s creator, I specifically asked them how this final season will establish the movie. And co-creator Josh Heald told me:

That’s interesting to me. And on a certain level, it makes sense. If you are going to bring a new Karate Kid movie into theaters, you might not want to create a scenario where audiences who – for whatever reason – didn’t stay up to date on Cobra Kai might feel isolated. The cast has no bleed-over from the Netflix series. Let Cobra Kai be its own thing. And that “thing” very much happens to be the evolution of Johnny Lawrence from the kid who got beat at the All-Valley to an honorable sensei, a good father, and a cherished husband. 

So, it looks like you will only have to have passing knowledge of The Karate Kid series to plug back into the world  when The Karate Kid 6 (or whatever it ends up being named) reaches theaters in May 2025. Until that happens, plan a trip to the movies for one of the many upcoming 2024 films that are on the calendar. 

Get ready to memorize this phrase, Cobra Kai fans: Sekai Taikai. As we head into the sixth and final season of the Karate Kid spinoff Cobra Kai, available to anyone with a Netflix subscription, we are going to be hearing it a lot. For the uninitiated – or maybe just because it’s been a while since you watched Cobra Kai Season 5 – the Sekai Taikai is a global tournament that will help this show expand the universe far beyond the Valley. And that much is evident in the first full trailer for Cobra Kai Season 6, which is going to be divided into three distinct segments, the first of which arrives on the streaming service on July 18. Watch the Cobra Kai trailer right now:

At the beginning of Cobra Kai Season 6, we are going to find our main characters in a strange state of contentment. By the end of Season 5, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and their students had successfully dethroned the vile Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), bringing an end to Cobra Kai’s influence on the California neighborhood. This is very unusual for Cobra Kai, which tends to end its seasons on massive cliffhangers, and rarely lets its characters – the adults, or the teenagers – enjoy a moment’s peace.

Recently, CinemaBlend traveled to the Georgia set of Cobra Kai Season 6. And while we visited it at a time when they were deep into filming on episodes for the third block of programming (which won’t reach Netflix until 2025), we did speak to the showrunners to get some insight into how they approached this season. And it was during that conversation where we learned the most about the Sekai Taikai. As co-creator Josh Heald told us:

It’d be a pretty boring season of Cobra Kai if they couldn’t find out some excuse for the karate-trained teenagers to head back into confrontations, likely driving a wedge between characters like Miguel (Xolo Mariduena) and Robby (Tanner Buchanan), or Samantha (Mary Mouser) and Tory (Peyton List). I’m also holding out hope, given the amount of training that Billy Zabka has been doing for this final season, that we get one more rematch between the original The Karate Kid icons Daniel and Johnny. Look for the first five episodes of the new and final season of Cobra Kai, landing on Netflix on July 18.

With a part in the Fantastic Four cast, the starring role in the new Chris Farley biopic, and so many other things on the way, Paul Walter Hauser is about to be everywhere. But, before one of the most interesting and talented actors on the planet kicks off the next stage of his career, which will hopefully include more wrestling appearances, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of his best film and TV appearances from over the years.

From some of the best Spike Lee movies to a couple of great Apple TV+ original series, and so much more, there was a lot to choose from, but we think we covered all the bases in terms of comedy, drama, and some downright terrifying characters. Here are the best Paul Walter Hauser movies and TV shows and how to watch them. 

Black Bird (2022) 

Paul Walter Hauser won a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy for his take on convicted serial killer Larry Hall in the 2022 Apple TV+ limited series, Black Bird, a show so good and twisted even Stephen King was a fan. At times terrifying and others sympathetic, Hauser’s performance brings so much out of the story about Jimmy Keane (Taron Egerton) a convicted drug dealer sent to prison in hopes of getting Hall to confess to committing some heinous crimes. But, it proves to be much more complicated than that.

Stream Black Bird on Apple TV+.

I, Tonya (2017)

Though Hauser had been around a while by the time he appeared in Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya, his portrayal of Shawn Eckardt helped take the actor to the next level. Tonya Harding’s (Margot Robbie) bodyguard and one of the ringleaders of the plot to take out Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver), Eckardt is both a menacing figure and an overconfident and bumbling fool, a dynamic that is pulled off masterfully by Hauser’s command and versatility.

Stream I, Tonya on Max.
Rent/Buy I, Tonya on Amazon.

Richard Jewell (2019)

If Shawn Eckardt was one of Paul Walter Hauser’s most detestable characters, his titular performance in Richard Jewell has to be one of his most sympathetic. This 2019 Clint Eastwood biopic centers on the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia, and how Richard Jewell (a hero who saved countless lives) was treated like a criminal by the FBI and media outlets around the world. One of the best 2019 Oscar snubs, this movie is made all the better thanks to Hauser’s touching and empowering performance. 

Rent/Buy Richard Jewell on Amazon.

Cobra Kai (2019 - Present)

Throughout the middle portion of Cobra Kai’s run, Paul Walter Hauser took on the role of Raymond "Stingray" Porter, one of the most complicated characters on the Netflix original series. From his days of trying to join Cobra Kai as an escape and doing everything he can to win to help save the day during the Cobra Kai Season 5 finale, Stingray was part of some major moments. 

Stream Cobra Kai on Netflix. 

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman features electric performances from the likes of John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace, but one that shouldn’t be overlooked is Paul Walter Hauser’s portrayal of Ivanhoe. A caricature of a stereotypical KKK member more than an honest character, Ivanhoe is an over-the-top, unapologetic, moronic, and dangerous racist who is at the center of some of the movie’s most memorable scenes, including his last.

Stream BlacKkKlansman on Prime Video.

Orion And The Dark (2024)

Before showing off his skills in Inside Out 2, Hauser lent his voice to one of the titular characters in the 2024 Netflix animated movie, Orion and the Dark. The incredibly moving film follows a young boy named Orion (Jacob Tremblay) as he's taken on an eye-opening and life-changing journey through the night with Hauser’s Dark, the embodiment of the 11-year-old’s fears. Great voice acting, animation, and lessons make this a family-friendly movie you won’t want to miss.

Stream Orion and the Dark on Netflix.

Kingdom (2014 - 2017)

A couple of years before he became one of the most interesting big-screen actors, Paul Walter Hauser landed a recurring role on Kingdom, an Audience Network drama series about a Venice, California, MMA gym and the people caught in its gravitational pull. Hauser took on the role of Keith, a former convict trying to change his life for the better while also overcoming his past. Though not the star of the show, the actor made a name for himself here.

Stream Kingdom on Peacock.
Buy Kingdom on Amazon.

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Hauser worked with Spike Lee again in the director’s 2020 drama, which is one of the best Vietnam war movies, Da 5 Bloods. He comes into the picture kind of late in the game as Simon, a LAMB volunteer clearing old landmines in the jungle when he meets the core group looking for their long-lost treasure. The role again allowed Hauser to show his on-screen talent and rub shoulders like the likes of Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, and Jean Reno.

Stream Da 5 Bloods on Netflix.

Cruella (2021)

If you want to see a Paul Walter Hauser performance that blurs the line between good guy and villain, look no further than his take on Horace in Cruella. The lifelong friend and accomplice of Emma Stone’s Estella/Cruella, Horace is a fun and lovable petty thief, who, despite being rather unsavory, has a heart of gold with shades of Bob Hoskin’s Smee from Hook.

Stream Cruella on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Cruella on Amazon.

The Afterparty (2023)

When The Afterparty came back for a second season, and a completely new story, fans of Hauser’s work were stoked to see his involvement in the hilarious Apple TV+ murder mystery comedy. He plays Travis Gladrise, a “citizen detective” and ex-boyfriend of the season’s prime suspect, and it’s just great. Hauser, who excels in these types of roles, is especially on point throughout this mystery.

Stream The Afterparty on Apple TV+.

Beats (2019)

Netflix’s 2019 coming-of-age music drama, Beats, follows Romelo Reese (Anthony Anderson), a struggling producer who takes a high school student and hop-hop prodigy under his wing in hopes of turning both of their fortunes around. Paul Walter Hauser comes into the picture as Terrence, a label owner who shares a rocky past with Romelo. Hauser does a masterful job of wearing pain, resentment, and animosity, and makes the character feel like a real person.

Stream Beats on Netflix.

Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm (2022)

The actor also appeared in Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm, a 2022 movie based on the OG Adult Swim series. In this wild home video release, he takes on the role of Elmer, a scientist working under Neil (Peter Serafinowicz), the main antagonist. In typical Aqua Teen Hunger Force fashion, this movie is wild and full of strange humor, which works really well for someone like Hauser. 

Stream Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm on Max.
Rent/Buy Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm on Amazon.

With Paul Walter Hauser set to appear in several of the biggest films on the 2024 movie schedule, there’s a good chance we’ll be making some changes to this run-down of his best movies and TV shows in no time at all. 

The Netflix series Cobra Kai taught audiences the importance of striking first, and striking hard. But who will strike last? We should find out once the Karate Kid spinoff show – easily one of the best programs available with your Netflix subscription – delivers its sixth and final season. And as we are learning in this announcement video that just dropped from Netflix, the final season is going to deliver a whopping 15 episodes, and will be broken up into three segments.

So, what are we seeing in the teaser trailer for Cobra Kai Season 6? Following the arrest of Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) and the disbanding of Cobra Kai, the main players of Samantha (Mary Mouser), Tori (Peyton List), Hawk (Jacob Bertrand), and Demitri (Gianni DeCenzo) are practicing karate at Daniel LaRusso’s Myagi-Do Karate. We see snippets of main fights between characters who have unresolved beef, be it Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young), or the main character in the show, Miguel (Xolo Mariduena). 

But here’s the biggest reveal. Netflix plans to make the rest of this year a full frame dedicated to Cobra Kai’s final season, which is being labeled as “a three-part event.” The teaser confirms 15 episodes, so we’ll assume 5 episodes for each segment. And here’s when they will arrive:

And here is the official synopsis provided for Cobra Kai Season 6. 

Based on this information, let’s run some speculation on what we are able to see in the first look photos for Cobra Kai Season 6, and what it means for our all-important main characters. 

Picking a Team

In seasons past, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) have been at odds over which dojo would be the host school for kids in the Valley who want to learn karate. Johnny, raised on Cobra Kai, preaches offense through Eagle Fang. Daniel is all about defense, and the methods preached by Miyagi-Do. Unless all the teams plan to enter The Sekai Taika, they’ll need to unify under one banner for the global karate event, and I think Johnny and Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) are duking it out for the right for their Dojo to represent at Sekai Taikai.

Alliances are Forged

There’s no common enemy for the time being. Terry Silver has been vanquished. So we see Daniel and Johnny stepping in to fill a void, training the girls and the boys at the Miyagi-Do location, and keep their skills sharp. You can see longtime rivals such as Samantha and Tori, Robbie and Miguel, and Hawk working out together. Teams are forming. Which is good, because…

The Master is Back

John Kreese (Martin Kove) is back in the game. When last we saw Kreese, he had faked his own death and escaped from prison. This is going to have to be addressed, especially as we see in the teaser trailer, he’s claiming that Cobra Kai is back, and we assume he is the head of the snake. 

GIven that this is the final season of Cobra Kai, we anticipate all of the remaining “hanging chads” to be resolved. We do know that the story of Ralph Macchio’s Karate Kid will continue in a recently confirmed Karate Kid movie that also will include Jackie Chan from the reboot movie. We have updated information on that film, and will continue to add details as the start of production gets closer. But we have come a very long way since Cobra Kai was first announced, to where it’s ending. And now we know that the first part of Cobra Kai Season 6 will drop on Netflix on July 18, so circle that date on the calendar.

The person you are right now might bear very little resemblance to who you were before, either due to a life-changing event or even just by some natural progression. The same could also be said about many of your favorite characters from the big and small screen as personal evolutions often tend to serve as a major plot point or just happen to occur over time when the writers take one appealing behavioral trait and make that the crux of the role. See if you remember any of these movie and TV characters behaving a different way from how they were first introduced.

Jack Torrance (The Shining)

One of Stephen King’s biggest gripes with Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of his book, The Shining, is the casting of Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, who already boasts a somewhat unsettling disposition the moment he first enters the frame. However, fans of the horror flick find The Overlook’s murderous and maniacal influence over the husband and father to be quite effective.

Walter White (Breaking Bad)

In the first episode of Breaking Bad, high school teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) describes chemistry as the study of "transformation." The same could be said about his story, going from a mild-mannered family man diagnosed with lung cancer to a ruthless criminal over the course of five captivating seasons.

Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars Movies)

We could do a whole list of characters from the Star Wars franchise who changed dramatically overtime, but the most legendary instance of this is, without a doubt, Anakin Skywalker. Jake Lloyd portrayed the Tattooine native as a precocious, but good-natured young man with the potential to be a great Jedi Knight, but Hayden Christensen's performance revealed a latent darkness within him that would eventually lead to his destiny as Sith lord, Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones).

Elaine Benes (Seinfeld)

For the first few years of Seinfeld, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) served as the gang's default voice of reason, with only the occasional lapse of judgment or angry outburst amidst her mild-mannered persona. In the sitcom's latter years, angry outbursts and lapses in moral judgment became some of her more definitive traits.

Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare On Elm Street)

To us, what makes Robert Englund's burned boogeyman one of the all-time greatest horror movie villains is the brutal, menacing nature he exhibited in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street from 1984. The sequels, however, made Freddy Krueger’s dark sense of humor his defining character trait, resulting in deaths of increasingly ridiculous sort.

Eric Matthews (Boy Meets World)

Will Friedle landed the role in the Boy Meets World cast of the "cool" older brother to the central protagonist, Cory Matthews (Ben Savage). However, at one point, Eric seemed to completely and inexplicably lose his mind, adopting a dim-wit, but a high energy that, essentially, made him the TGIF sitcom's resident cartoon character.

Ash Williams (The Evil Dead Franchise)

Fans of the Evil Dead movies are the first to note that the Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) they know and love is not quite the same person from the 1981 classic that started it all. After suffering the Deadites’ further taunting and being forced to replace his right hand with a chainsaw in Evil Dead II, he turns into the iconic wise-cracking and bumbling, but also resourceful horror movie character from Army of the Darkness and the spin-off series, Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Sansa Stark (Game Of Thrones)

One of the most fascinating character arcs from the Game of Thrones cast is that of Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner). After suffering abuse at the hands of her husband, Bolton Ramsay (Iwan Rheon), the meek, young woman learns that she can only look out for herself in her kill-or-be-killed world, becoming a fierce, vengeful warrior.

Steve Harrington (Stranger Things)

The first season of Stranger Things introduced Steve Harrington (Joe Kerry) as the archetypal '80s high school bully and, in fact, the Duffer Brothers originally wrote him to be even worse. By the end of Season 2, he found friendship with the younger children he looked down on, accepted Nancy's new relationship with Jonathan Byers, and became a favorite among fans of Netflix's smash hit sci-fi series.

Shrek (Shrek)

In 2001's Oscar-winning animated classic, Shrek, Mike Myers' title character owns his reputation as an ogre with his ceaseless grumpiness and preference to be alone. That is, until he meets someone he would like to spend his life with in Fiona (Cameron Diaz), who brings the lovable man out of this monster.

Joey Tribbiani (Friends)

Joey Tribbiani is often referred to as the "dumb" one in the Friends cast but, as real fans should recall, that was not always the case. In the first few seasons, he is depicted as merely naive, only to evolve into a helplessly, but lovably, childlike dolt by the hit NBC sitcom's curtain call.

Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight)

Die-hard Batman fans immediately knew that idealistic Gotham DA Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhart) philosophy about dying a hero or living long enough to become the villain was foreshadowing his own destiny as Two-Face in 2008's The Dark Knight. Losing the love of his life, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and half of his face drives him to the opposite side of the law, leaving his moral judgment, literally, to the flip of a coin.

Thor (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Chris Hemsworth's Thor undergoes one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most transformative character arcs, boasting a godly eloquence and wisdom in his first few appearances. However, Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame made the God of Thunder a bit funnier, and to much acclaim, but 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder took that schtick even further, resorting him to something of a dim-witted, egotistical jock.

Ned Flanders (The Simpsons)

Voiced by Harry Shearer, Ned Flanders' arc on The Simpsons from being Homer Simpson's complete opposite — an intelligent, hard-working, devoted family man — to an absurdly conservative, religious fundamentalist is a quintessential example of extreme or merely exaggerated TV character changes. In fact, this exact phenomenon has been nicknamed "Flanderization" as a result.

Beast/Prince Adam (Beauty And The Beast)

Disney's animated 1991 favorite, Beauty and the Beast is just one version of an age-old, signature tale of drastic character growth, namely that of the titular Beast, who used to be a selfish human royal named Adam. A witch cursed him to look like a ferocious creature, only to be turned back when he could find someone (Belle) to love him, which was only possible when he learned to love someone other than himself. 

Michael Scott (The Office)

In the first season of NBC's American update of The Office, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) was, essentially, made to be a carbon copy of the uproariously rude and self-absorbed David Brent, played by Ricky Gervais in the original British version. However, Dunder-Mifflin's Scranton branch Manager was later reinvented as a kindhearted soul cursed with social awkwardness and hopeless incompetence.

Michael Corleone (The Godfather)

At the beginning of the first half of Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) reveals to his girlfriend, Kay (Diane Keaton), his family’s mafia history, but assures her, "That’s my family... that's not me." However, a rival mob's attempt to murder his father (Marlon Brando) awakens a coldness within him and, eventually, he is put in charge of the family business.

T-800 (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

To be clear, we are not counting Arnold Schwarzenegger's role in James Cameron's sci-fi franchise for his evolution from killer in The Terminator to protector in the 1991 sequel, because he is playing a different copy of the same model in each film. However, the cyborg begins to take on some surprising human-like characteristics in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and may have even developed some capacity for emotion, evidenced by when he tells John Connor (Edward Furlong), "I know now why you cry," before saying farewell.

Jen (Revenge)

In just one night, Jen (Matilda Lutz) was no longer a naive, carefree young woman and was reborn into a fierce warrior of the desert. All it took was a horrifying assault and subsequent murder attempt by her boyfriend and his business partners, on which she deservedly exacted revenge — hence the title of Coralie Fargeat's 2018 adrenaline-pumping thriller.

Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter Movies)

Never could Harry Potter fans been able to guess that Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) would turn out to play a pivotal and courageous role in the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. During his first year at Hogwarts, the young wizard was one of the school's most helplessly clumsy students.

Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld)

Michael Richards' role in the Seinfeld cast — Jerry's eccentric, high-energy neighbor — is not the person he was in the pilot episode, and not just because he was called "Kessler" then. At that time, the man who would be known as Kramer was a slow-witted, meandering oaf who never even left his apartment.

Marcus Brody (The Indiana Jones Movies)

Despite having a much smaller role in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, it is clear that Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) was intended to be a competent authority figure who may have even been more like Harrison Ford's daring archeologist in his youth. However, in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he is portrayed as the absent-minded comic relief who "got lost in his own museum once."

Drax (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Although Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) is unable to recognize sarcasm or any non-literal language, he boasts an intimidating stoicism that, in addition to his heft and strength, makes him the most fearsome member of the Guardians of the Galaxy in their 2014 cinematic debut. In later MCU installments, however, his stoicism is thrown completely out the window in favor of comically exaggerating his social shortcomings, making him more of a lovable man-child.

Winston Bishop (New Girl)

When Lamorne Morris joined the New Girl cast as Winston, he did not seem like much more than a basic fill-in for Coach, boasting some of the same characteristics as Damon Wayans Jr.'s role. Over time, however, Winston really came into his own, proving to be one of the loft's most sincere and multi-layered residents.

Carol Peletier (The Walking Dead)

Early on, fans of The Walking Dead probably would have bet that Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) was the least likely to survive in a world overrun with the dead. However, it was clear by Season 3 that the apocalypse and other tragic circumstances — most notably the death of her daughter, Sophia — only made her a stronger person who would even go to unimaginable lengths to survive.

Cady Heron (Mean Girls)

After initially conspiring against Regina George (Rachel McAdams) by infiltrating her clique, Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) begins to act more and more like the self-absorbed popular girl and even becomes the Plastics' default replacement leader. Luckily, the mathlete rediscovers her true self by the end of Mean Girls after learning some much-needed lessons about the high school social scene.

Sandy Olsson (Grease)

Grease is a coming-of-age musical classic about two people who could not be more different trying to rekindle their summertime romance by being more like the other. Ultimately, it is Australian-born Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) who sheds her "good girl" reputation for greaser Danny Zuko (John Travolta), who mostly stays the same by the end.

Topanga Lawrence (Boy Meets World)

There are quite a few notable examples of Boy Meets World characters undergoing dramatic changes, but one of the more drastic and sudden is that of Topanga Matthews (née Lawrence). Danielle Fishel's character was introduced as an eccentric flower child, but evolved into a perfectly average (but also highly motivated) student by her freshman year of high school.

Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation)

On Parks and Recreation, Leslie Knope's bubbly, kindhearted personality almost convinces you that there are career politicians worth trusting and even having as a friend. However, when the mockumentary series first debuted, she was more like the kind of career politician that SNL (speaking of Amy Poehler) loves to mock.

Eli Moskowitz (Cobra Kai)

On Cobra Kai, Eli Moskowitz (Jacob Bertrand) is first introduced as a shy kid who is regularly bullied for his cleft lip, which is what inspires him to take martial arts lessons in the first place. As his skills begin to develop, so does the confidence of this formidable fighter, who also later goes by the nickname Hawk.

Luke Hobbs (The Fast And Furious Movies)

When Dwayne Johnson joined the Fast and Furious franchise as Luke Hobbs, he played the DSS Agent with an earnest, no-nonsense demeanor that perfectly juxtaposed the series’ increasingly absurd tone. Over time, however, the character seemed to swerve into the skid and played along with the jokes with a sense of humor that resembles most of the wrestler-turned-actor's roles since.

Derek Vinyard (American History X)

In American History X, the murder of his firefighter father (William Russ) by a Black man inspires Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) to become a murderous skinhead, eventually leading him to incarceration. When he is released, he has thankfully let go of his prejudices but then must prevent his younger brother, Danny (Edward Furlong), from going down the same violent, hateful path.

While some of these characters changed for the better, there are quite a few that we might say changed for the worse. Either way, for the most part, it made for some great entertainment at the movies or from your television screen.

As we wait for Cobra Kai Season 6, we're still looking to gather as much info as possible about the final season. Thankfully, the co-showrunners are being about as open as they can about the upcoming episodes, and Jon Hurwitz recently made a comment that has me even more hopeful for spinoffs. Apparently, the characters will go to many places in the upcoming episodes that'll be streaming with a Netflix subscription, and that sounds like good news for the future of the Miyagiverse. 

Hurwitz was active on Twitter over the weekend and answering fans' questions on X about Cobra Kai. When one asked about whether or not some of The Karate Kid's most vicious villains, John Kreese and Terry Silver, would return. The co-showrunner didn't necessarily answer the question, but I'm stoked anyway about what he said: 

Expanding the Miyagiverse in the final season makes it sound like Cobra Kai is laying the groundwork for potential spinoffs, which has been hinted at in the past. Ralph Macchio spoke to CinemaBlend about the potential spinoff ideas that he had, and I was excited about what he had to say. Could Season 6 set up a story that ultimately sets the stage for a prequel about the story of Mr. Miyagi? 

The future of Cobra Kai on Netflix remains unclear in 2024 as we await the next film in The Karate Kid universe. We know that Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan's starring roles will combine the world of the original films and reboot movies, but Cobra Kai's connection is still unknown. Macchio's Daniel LaRusso is in the movie, so there's an argument to be made the movie is connected, but the showrunners clarified the show's connection shortly after its announcement by saying they don't know much about it. 

Whether The Karate Kid 6 is tied into Cobra Kai or not, I hope there are stories left open in the finale for Netflix or other streamers to pursue for a spinoff series. This show has been such a delight from start to finish, and let's be honest, it's probably why there's enough interest in the market for another movie to be made. 

It would be a shame to see the Miyagiverse fade away after the finale, especially if the movie has nothing to do with the show's events. I've already been disappointed by the fact that Hilary Swank won't be in the final season, I don't want to be further upset by the fact that there are no avenues for the story to continue after the finale. 

Cobra Kai's final season is expected to be released in 2024, possibly towards the end of the year rather than the coming months. The series is still available to binge on Netflix, and I would highly recommend doing so ahead of what sounds like an epic final season.

Cobra Kai's sixth and final season is on the way, and considering that the Netflix series has been wonderful about finding ways to work with past actors from The Karate Kid franchise, fans are hoping that Hilary Swank will play a role in the upcoming episodes. However, those curious about if she will be in the final season needn't wonder any longer, because she has responded, and I'm shocked. 

We learned about the star's status for Season 6 thanks to an interview with Collider, in which Hilary Swank was asked if she'd reprise her role as Julie Pierce for Cobra Kai. She gave about as definitive of an answer as she could, perhaps knowing that Season 6 is back to filming, saying:  

I have to say I'm shocked to hear this given Cobra Kai's track record. The series, now available to watch with a Netflix subscription, has brought back so many notable and obscure characters from The Karate Kid, and yet no one from the lesser-appreciated movie The Next Karate Kid. To exclude Julie Pierce is a smudge on the series' otherwise perfect legacy, though we don't know the full scope of what's happening behind the scenes. 

What we do know is the showrunners told CinemaBlend years ago they discussed bringing Julie Pierce to the show. Despite that, Hilary Swank later revealed that no one contacted her about being on Cobra Kai. When CinemaBlend spoke to Ralph Macchio about that, he felt there was room for the character in the series. 

As someone who personally advocated for Julie Pierce to appear in Cobra Kai, it's a little hard to reconcile with the idea that the stars didn't align. The series has justified finding room in the story for characters as obscure as Johnny's sidekicks from the first movie. In fairness, however, Swank did welcome twins back in 2023, so there is a possibility that that factored in her being unable to commit to any Cobra Kai plans if they did reach out to her. 

As Cobra Kai Season 6 continues with production, I do have growing questions about how the Netflix series will bring this story to a satisfying end. With so much happening between the characters and an international tournament potentially taking center stage, I do hope fans will be satisfied with the ending, given that it has been an incredible ride so far. 

It's never a bad time to binge Cobra Kai, and anyone who wishes to do so knows Netflix is the place to do it. Once I get through some of the other exciting shows on the 2024 TV schedule, I plan to set aside a weekend to work through it all again and get extra psyched for the final season. 

Cobra Kai's final season is in production, and Xolo Maridueña is making it sound like a pretty incredible experience so far. The actor did a wild amount of pushups to prepare for the upcoming episodes, and that might not have been enough. Being on the set of this Netflix series is an experience, and his choice of words to describe it sounds pretty painful. 

As we wait to binge Cobra Kai's final season with our Netflix subscriptions, Xolo Maridueña was on hand at the Saturn Awards to give a brief statement to Entertainment Tonight about working on it. It sounds like Maridueña is putting in some hard work on the set, and honestly, his comments make me wonder if he's going a little too hard: 

If it wasn't clear from William Zabka's intense workout video, the Cobra Kai cast is putting in some work to deliver a wild final season of the series. The final season will follow the teens as they prepare to put their karate skills to the test on the international stage. We're still waiting on specific details on what the story will be about exactly, though we have put together what to know about Season 6 ahead of the new episodes. 

As for what Xolo Maridueña thinks about the final season, the actor shared his thoughts about that as well. To work on the set of the long-running series, the actor shared what a great privilege to work on a season with so many legends of The Karate Kid franchise: 

It seems like the movie will be the end of the story for William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence and other characters, but maybe not Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso. It's confirmed that Macchio will reprise his role in a new movie in The Karate Kid franchise alongside Jackie Chan, presumably unifying the Jaden Smith-led reboot film and the other stories in the franchise. 

As of writing, it's unclear what role Cobra Kai plays in the upcoming movie, if any. With so many franchises embracing the ideas of a multiverse and alternate timelines, there is a possibility that this movie exists without mentioning the series at all. 

I would think that would be the wrong path to go but I have a bias as a fan of Miguel and other beloved characters who would be left out if Cobra Kai is ignored. It would also feel a little weird as a fan to jump into a new movie that doesn't reference the series at all given it's largely responsible for the renewed interest in The Karate Kid. At least we'll have this final season to still look forward to, which will give the franchise an opportunity to get a proper ending and close out the story fans have followed for years.  

As the cast works hard on the final season of Cobra Kai, readers can rewatch the entire series thus far over on Netflix. It's home to the biggest and most intense fight scenes of any Netflix original, and is worth a second look for anyone who believes otherwise. 

The 2024 TV schedule is in the early days of the always anticipated fall schedule, with a few months left to go in one of the most cancellation-heavy years in recent memory. Which means there's plenty of time for studios, networks and streaming platforms to pull the plug on even more favorites.

Here’s a rundown of all the big TV series that were suddenly canceled or ended their already doomed runs this year, as well as everything that came to more of an amicable and pre-planned conclusion. (This article will be updated regularly as announcements are made.)

That ‘90s Show (Netflix)

Fans were happy to start "hanging out down the street" with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp's Red and Kitty Foreman for Netflix's sequel series That '90s Show, which brought back nearly all the '70s Show characters that made logical sense. But it seems as if not enough former generations were tuning in, as Netflix pulled the plug on the multicamera comedy in October 2024.

Final Episodes: Aired August 22, 2024

The Serpent Queen (Starz)

Starz's historical drama The Serpent Queen spent two seasons exploring the life and accomplishments of French Queen Catherine de' Medici during her 16th century reign. Though Season 3 was expected, with the cast options already locked down, the network canceled the show in October 2024. However, the creative team is developing a potential spinoff with Minnie Driver as Queen Elizabeth I.

Final Episode: Aired August 30

Parish (AMC)

Following Better Call Saul's ending, Giancarlo Esposito reteamed with AMC for the crime drama Parish, based on the UK series The Driver, about a former criminal who returns to the underworld after his son is brutally murdered. But while the star earned some priase for his performance, Parish itself was deemed to be middling, likely leading to its cancellation in October 2024.

Kaos (Netflix)

Initially making waves for being the show where Jeff Goldblum plays a Greek god, Kaos' wild plotting was enjoyed by enough people to keep the show in Netflix's Top 10 for a month or so. Unfortunately, the service made the call in October 2024 to cancel the big-budget project, spite the finale ending on a cliffhanger.

Final Episode: Aired August 29

Chucky (Syfy/USA)

Despite gaining mostly universal acclaim from horror fans of all ages, Don Mancini's gory small-screen horror Chucky was put back into the Good Guys Doll box and placed back on the shelf. At this point, it's unclear where Macini will attempt to produce Season 4, but he definitely seems keen on making it happen, based in part on the strength of fans' #RenewChucky social media campaign.

Final Episode: Aired May 1, 2024

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix)

First developed for Max, Dead Boy Detectives was brought into the Netflix fold as part of a shared universe with Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, and premiered to acclaim in April 2024, remaining in the streamer’s Top 10 list for a few weeks before falling out. Netflix dropped the bomb in August that the supernatural mystery series was canceled, with the slight chance for characters to pop back up in Sandman Season 2.

Final Episodes: Aired April 25, 2024

Pretty Little Liars (Max)

The fourth TV series adapting the world of author Sara Shepard’s hugely popular YA novel thrillers, Pretty Little Liars aired for two seasons on Max under the respective subtitles Original Sin and Summer School, with a couple of O.G. actors helping the familiarize audiences with the quasi-rebooted story. Though it wasn’t “A” who was to blame, the streaming spinoff was canceled in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired June 20, 2024

Time Bandits (Apple TV+)

The TV show that paired up Friends vet Lisa Kudrow and What We Do in the Shadows’ co-conceivers Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, Apple TV+’s episodic adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s ‘80s classic Time Bandits caused all kinds of timeline shenanigans in July and August 2024. Unfortunately, none of those actions secured the series a second season, and the streaming service confirmed its cancellation in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired August 21, 2024

Velma (Max)

Despite initial excitement for Scooby-Doo entering the adult animation realm, Max's Velma went over with audiences about as well as monsters' scheme go when Mystery, Inc. is on the case. Mindy Kaling's creative path struck a raw nerve with many who just wanted to see Scooby-Doo, and following two seasons and a Halloween special, Velma was canceled in October 2024.

Final Episode: Aired October 3, 2024

The Boys (Prime Video)

Creator Eric Kripe’s initial goal of a five-season run is becoming a prophecy realized, as it was revealed ahead of the bonkers Season 4 finale that The Boys Season 5 will be the hilariously dark and twisted superhero hit’s final run. The showrunner told us it will be the “colliding between Butcher and Homelander” that fans have been waiting for.

Final Episodes: Airing TBA 2025

Unstable (Netflix)

Beacon 23 (MGM+)

Based on the short stories written by author Hugh Howey, Beacon 23 was in development for years ahead of its eventual 2023 streaming debut, where it impressed audiences with its imaginative scope, if not its characters. After two seasons, the Lena Heady-starring sci-fi drama was canceled by Amazon MGM Studios in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired May 26, 2024

9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox)

When the Rob Lowe-fronted spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star didn’t follow its predecessor to ABC, many fans suspected the worst, and reports about stalled contract negotiations only stoked those flames. Less than a month ahead of its Fall TV return, Fox confirmed that the Texas-set drama’s fifth season will be its final outing.

Final Episode: Airing February 3, 2025

Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC)

The fan-fave sci-fi series Orphan Black returned to the zeitgeist with the Krysten Ritter-led spinoff Orphan Black: Echoes, which dropped its entire season exclusively in Australia back in November 2023, seven months before it landed on AMC in June 2024. But for all that diehard fans were pumped to return to this clone-filled universe, the lone season was considered inferior to the O.G. series, and was canceled in September 2024.

Final Episode: Aired August 25, 2024

Wicked Tuna (NatGeo)

Since 2012, Wicked Tuna has given cable viewers an in-depth look at the trials, tribulations and financial windfalls of the fishing industry surrounding Gloucester, Massachusetts; even its Outer Banks spinoff aired for eight seasons. But the NatGeo series became a victim of parent company Disney’s stricter budgeting decisions for its linear TV networks, with the network announcing the cancellation in August 2024.

Final Episode: Aired May 26, 2024

Life & Beth (Hulu)

Amy Schumer’s first scripted TV creation following Inside Amy Schumer (and her stand-up specials, obviously) was Hulu’s introspective dramedy Life & Beth. Its first season was a hit with critics and with viewers upon its 2022 release, earning a second season from the streamer. That second effort, which dropped in February 2024, didn’t match the buzz of the first, and Hulu canceled several months later.

Final Episodes: Aired February 16, 2024

The Acolyte (Disney+)

Disney+ took Star Wars fans to the High Republic era with The Acolyte, which spent nearly its entire run on Disney+ caught between a fervent fandom and absolute vitriol. But despite all of the overtly strong opinions on both sides of the aisle, the overall viewership for the streaming original apparently didn’t justify its massive budget. Disney+ waited until after SDCC and D23 to announced The Acolyte’s cancellation in August 2024.

Final Episode: Aired July 16, 2024

The Conners (ABC)

While it technically wasn’t meant to last longer than a season, The Conners managed to join its predecessor Roseanne in making it beyond 100 episodes. The cast’s contracts are renewed each and every year, making renewals an annual concern for viewers, and it amicably agreed by all involved this time around that Season 7 would be the final run, with six “very big event” episodes set to debut in early 2025.

Final Episode: Airing TBA Early 2025

Power Book IV: Force (Starz)

Power’s third spinoff, Book IV: Force, furthered the criminal dealings of Joseph Sikora’s Tommy Egan, with a third season order coming from Starz in December 2023, around a month after the second season concluded. During the midst of its hiatus, Starz’s CEO Jeffrey Hirsch revealed the network’s cost-saving tactics included ordering more new shows instead of keeping expensive ones on the air. Three months later, in June 2024, the news dropped that Season 3 would be Force’s last one.

Final Episodes: Airing TBA 2024/2025

Station 19 (ABC)

Even after prior showrunner Krista Vernoff exited the role at the end of Season 6, Station 19’s fate didn’t seem to be in jeopardy. But after the firefighter drama returned to post-strike production in December 2023, ABC announced that the seventh season would be the final stretch for Jaina Lee Ortiz, Jason George and the rest of the actors comprising the firestation’s crew.

Final Episode: Aired May 30, 2024

Bosch: Legacy (Amazon Freevee)

Titus Welliver reprised the role of author Michael Connelly’s beloved investigator Harry Bosch for the Legacy spinoff, which was renewed for a third season ahead of its Season 2 debut in 2023. In September 2024, Amazon MGM Studios confirmed that this spinoff will be concluding following its Season 3 arrival in 2025. Fans can still look forward to the currently untitled spinoff starring Maggie Q, which is set to arrive in Fall 2025.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025

Walker (The CW)

Amid all the big cancellations that have gone down at The CW since it was bought out by Nexstar, Jared Padalecki’s Walker seemed to be a safe bet for renewals, but that streak of luck ended on May 21 when the network made it official that the western-tinged drama would be ending with its ongoing fourth season, a little over a year after its spinoff Walker: Independence was canceled after a single season.

Final Episode: Aired June 26, 2024

Arcane (Netflix)

Spinning out of League of Legends to become the first streaming series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, Netflix’s Arcane instantly became a darling for both critics and fans with its nine-episode debut season. First renewed in November 2021, the highly anticipated second season is set to arrive in November 2024, but its creators shook the fanbase with the June 2024 reveal that Season 2 will conclude the Riot Games production.

Final Episodes: Airing November 2024

Tokyo Vice (Max)

First ordered to series in 2019, Max’s crime drama Tokyo Vice finally debuted in 2022, with Ansel Elgort portraying journalist Jake Adelstein (who wrote the memoir source material), and Ken Watanabe as his guiding light of a Toyko detective. The second season aired from February-April 2024, concluding its story with the finale “Endgame.” In June 2024, via THR, the show’s producers confirmed that the show would not be returning for Season 3, and that it was always envisioned for a two-season run, with Elgort only having signed on for two years.

Final Episode: Aired April 4, 2024

UnPrisoned (Hulu)

The stellar duo of Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo headed up Hulu's UnPrisoned, which centered on the daughter-father relationship following the latter's release from prison, but remained a fun time despite the heavy issues. Washington herself revealed in September 2024 how "super duper disappointed" she is that Season 3 would not be happening, and that Hulu had canceled the Onyx Collective project.

Final Episodes: Aired July 17, 2024

Extended Family (NBC)

Despite having Mike O’Malley as a creator and a star trio in Jon Cryer, Donald Faison and Abigail Spencer, the NBC sitcom Extended Family was one of many shows whose production was sidelined right in the middle of production due to the Hollywood strikes, and though it was able to start filming again relatively quickly, the network gave it an arguably ill-timed pre-Christmas premiere, but that still ended up being its largest audience and demo rating, with neither rising to the same heights at any other point.

Final Episode: Aired March 26. 2024

The Winter King (MGM+)

The UK historical fiction adaptation The Winter King, based on Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles novels, arrived on MGM+ in 2023 and won over critics and quite a few fans with its action-packed take on Arthurian legend, with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. vet Iain De Caestecker as the fabled king. The long wait for any Season 2 updates wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence, and the decision was made to cancel it in September 2024, though being a co-production with ITV could mean a potential return if another studio steps in.

Final Episode: Aired November 5, 2023

The Brothers Sun (Netflix)

Fronted by Michelle Yoeh, Justin Chien, Sam Song Li and more, The Brothers Sun high-kicked its way onto Netflix with audience-pleasing verve, telling the story of a Taiwanese mobster attempting to keep his mother safe in the aftermath of his father’s assassination. Despite positive reviews from critics and fans, and despite having Ryan Murphy’s producer partner Brad Falchuk as co-creator, Netflix canceled The Brothers Sun and sent it into the sunset in early March 2024.

Final Episode: Aired January 4, 2024

The Witcher (Netflix)

In December 2022, Liam Hemsworth was announced to be replacing Henry Cavill in Netflix's fantasy adaptation The Witcher Season 4 and beyond. Then in April 2024, as the fourth season's production start was revealed, Netflix officially put in the order for a fifth and final season, confirming that the final three novels in the series will be brought to live-action in those seasons.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025/2026

The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+)

Based on M.O. Walsh’s novel of the same name, Apple TV+’s comedy The Big Door Prize charmed many viewers with its cozy tale of a small town turned upside down by a mysteriously prophetic machine. Its second season was ordered in April 2023 soon after the first premiered; on the opposite end of fortune, the streaming service canceled the Chris O’Dowd-starring show two weeks after its second season wrapped.

Final Episode: Aired June 12, 2024

Death and Other Details (Hulu)

Despite our efforts to not allow Death and Other Details to fall victim to Hulu’s cancellation spree, the streamer announced that the Mandy Patinkin-led murder mystery would not return for a second season, continuing the frustrating practice of canceling shows after just one season. This is especially upsetting, as creators Mike Weiss and Heidi Cole McAdams had originally hoped for five to seven seasons, and had built the potential for longevity into the show’s DNA.

Final Episode: Aired March 5, 2024

That Girl Lay Lay (Nickelodeon)

It’s been a rough time over at Nickelodeon with the airing of the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV and amidst the fallout, the network has quietly canceled two series, including That Girl Lay Lay. The show, which ran for two seasons, featured Sadie getting into some pretty wild situations with Lay Lay, the AI avatar who Sadie wished to life.

Final Episode: Aired March 20, 2024

NCIS: Hawaii (CBS)

The fourth series in the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Hawai’i debuted in 2021 to decent numbers, and though the average stats dipped in Season 2, they rose back up for the strike-delayed third season. Unfortunately, those ten episodes now serve as the unplanned final season, as CBS canceled it weeks before the finale aired, much to the surprise and chagrin of the cast and crew. Making matters worse is the idea that CBS’ already filled schedule was more the cause than anything wrong with NCIS: Hawai’i itself.

Final Episode: Aired May 6, 2024

The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

Fans have had quite a while to anticipate Elisabeth Moss’ swan song as June Osborne in The Handmaid’s Tale. Hulu ordered up the sixth and final season of the popular dystopian drama back in September 2022, just ahead of the Season 5 premiere. Since then: a lot of waiting for more details.

Final Episode: Airing Spring 2025

American Rust (Prime Video)

Showtime originally ordered up American Rust, an adaptation of Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel, with Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney leading the cast during its Season 1 run in 2021. The network dropped the cancellation axe after Season 1 ended, though Amazon stepped in with a Season 2 order months later. Those episodes hit Prime Video starting in March 2024, but not long after Tierney joined Law & Order’s upcoming season, American Rust’s second cancellation was reported.

Final Episodes: Aired March 28, 2024

Renegade Nell (Disney+)

Veteran UK screenwriter Sally Wainwright created a fictional 18th-century England for the action-adventure fantasy Renegade Nell, centering on a highway bandit who is framed for murder and then teams with a magical sprite to save her future. However, it appears the impressively produced series did not move the viewership needle quite enough on Disney+ to convince execs to order a second season, per Deadline, and it was canceled in July 2024.

Final Episodes: Aired March 29, 2024

My Lady Jane (Prime Video)

Novelist Gemma Burgess adapted the Jodi Meadows alt-history romance My Lady Jane for Amazon MGM Studios, and viewers were eagerly transported to the 16th century across the eight-episode debut season. Unfortunately for the fanbase, the streaming service revealed My Lady Jane’s cancellation news just six weeks after it premiered, sparking the creator to set up a petition to save the show.

Final Episodes: Aired June 27, 2024

Black Cake (Hulu)

Having Oprah Winfrey as an executive producer helped bring eyeballs to Hulu’s adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s same-named novel, and critics and fans alike appeared to adore it. Unfortunately, the streaming service offered zero updates for the show across much of 2024 before confirming its doomed fate in September, with Deadline reporting that Netflix was in contention to pick the drama up for second season and ultimately chose not to.

Final Episode: Aired December 6, 2023

Reginald The Vampire (Syfy)

Spider-Man trilogy and Tarot star Jacob Batalon brought his jovial talents to the small screen in 2022 to sink his fangs into the vampire horror-comedy Reginald the Vampire, an adaptation of Johnny B. Truant’s Fat Vampire book series.The second season arrived in May 2024, but sadly didn’t inspire a third season, with Syfy pulling the plug less than a week after its Season 2 finale.

Final Episode: Aired July 10, 2024

Erin & Aaron (Nickelodeon)

The second series that got the ax from the kids network was Erin & Aaron, a one-season show that starred Ava Ro and Jensen Gering as step-siblings with different personalities who bond over music after their parents get married. Its 12-episode season concluded last June.

Final Episode: Aired June 29, 2023

CSI: Vegas (CBS)

The CSI-verse was resurrected in 2021 for CBS' follow-up crime drama CSI: Vegas, with several O.G. actors (William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Marg Helgenberger) returning during the three-season run. The Season 3 viewership was notably higher than in the second, but the network backed itself into a cancellation over a reported lack of space in its upcoming primetime schedules.

Final Episode: Aired May 19, 2024

Obliterated (Netflix)

Amidst the streaming success of Cobra Kai, creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg co-created a completely different kind of action dramedy with Obliterated, in which Nick Zano, Shelley Hennig and more tried to stop a nuclear attack while under the influence of all manner of booze and drugs. Less than three months later, Netflix put a stop to the mission and canceled it.

Final Episode: Aired November 30, 2023

Our Flag Means Death (Max)

Max’s pirate-tastic original Our Flag Means Death debuted to much acclaim with both seasons, winning over fans with its mix of comedy, swashbuckling, and relationships between characters played by Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby and more. Max execs did not share any specific reasons for the early January cancellation news, but given all the critical attention, its fate likely came down to a limited audience.

Final Episode: Aired October 26, 2023

Uncoupled (Showtime)

After Showtime saved Neil Patrick Harris’ rom-com series Uncoupled from Netflix cancellation, that network too has decided not to go forward with a second season. It’s the latest example of a series getting canceled, uncanceled, then canceled again.

Final Episode: Aired July 29, 2022

What If...? (Disney+)

Though part of Marvel’s animated universe of alternate timelines and stories will continue with the upcoming series Marvel Zombies, What If…? proper is set to wrap up its run with the upcoming third season, which will reportedly feature an Agatha Harkness musical number and more. Executive producer Brad Winderbaum more or less confirmed the animated anthology’s fate in May 2024, referring to the third season as the culmination of a trilogy, with Jeffrey’s Wright’s The Watcher getting a suitable conclusion.

Final Episodes: Airing TBA

HouseBroken (Fox)

A more mature and nuanced take on the Secret Lives of Pets approach, HouseBroken followed a group of neighborhood animals who met for a therapy group, with Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Tony Hale and more TV vets in the voice cast. The show ran for two seasons, with the second ending in August 2023, and it wasn’t until May 2024 when Fox officially confirmed the animated comedy was canceled. According to Animation Magazine, network reps cited low ratings as the reason behind the ax dropping.

Final Episode: Aired August 6, 2023

La Brea (NBC)

Natalie Zea and Eoin Macken’s super-bonkers sci-fi drama La Brea has faced an uphill battle critically, but developed a fanbase with its unpredictable twists. Though NBC wasn’t willing to keep the show going for much longer, the network ordered a shortened third season in January 2023 that was revealed to be the final run.

Final Episode: Aired February 13, 2024

Scavengers Reign (Max)

Based on their 2016 short film Scavengers, Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner’s adult-skewing animated sci-fi tale Scavengers Reign quickly won over fans and critics upon meeting its cargo ship crew in October 2023, and it continued gaining word of mouth in the months that followed. So it was somewhat surprising in May 2024 when Max suddenly canceled the series without a second season. There may be good news coming, however, as Netflix acquired the first season, and will choose whether or not to produce a second season after its debut.

Final Episode: Aired November 9, 2023

Squid Game (Netflix)

Netflix debuted its biggest series ever, the high-octane stressfest Squid Game, all the way back in September 2021, and it’s become both highly influential and highly merchandisable in the years since. Surprisingly, months ahead of the second season’s streaming premiere, the company revealed that Squid Game will end at a later date with Season 3. (The competition series Squid Game: The Challenge will be back for a second season as well.)

Final Episodes: Airing TBA 2025

Raven’s Home (Disney Channel)

In a rare case of a cancellation with good news attached, Disney Channel execs announced Raven-Symoné’s sitcom spinoff Raven’s Home would not be returning for Season 7, and the sixth season that ended in September 2023 would be its swan song. However, Disney also set up a new overall creative deal with Raven-Symoné that includes a pilot order for the new spinoff Alice in the Palace, with Mykal-Michelle Harris set to reprise the role.

Final Episode: Aired September 23, 2023

Hightown (Starz)

Starz’s crime drama Highland took Monica Raymund’s state trooper Jackie Quiñones to some dark places in its first two seasons, and she’ll have one more shot at bringing justice to Cape Cod’s endangered sex workers. The premium cabler ordered up a third season for Hightown in March 2022, and only revealed during the lead-up to its release that Season 3 will be the final one.

Final Episode: Aired March 8, 2024

Outer Range (Prime Video)

Josh Brolin and Imogen Poots won over viewers as Outer Range’s Royal and Autumn across two seasons of the oddball sci-fi mystery western. Despite any critical acclaimed earned by its two seasons, the Amazon-owned Prime Video canceled Outer Range in July 2024, two months after that second batch of episodes dropped all at once, unlike Season 1’s weekly releases.

Final Episodes: Aired May 16, 2024

Young Sheldon (CBS)

Though The Big Bang Theory lasted for 12 seasons on CBS, it wouldn’t have been so logical for its prequel Young Sheldon to match that span, given its ever-aging star Iain Armitage. So even though co-creators Chuck Lorre and Steve Molaro have stated the story could have gone on, CBS revealed the previously ordered seventh season would be the final one, and that its storyline would continue in a Georgie and Mandy spinoff.

Final Episode: Aired May 16, 2024

Pretty Freeking Scary (Disney Channel)

Disney went dark with the horror-tinged comedy Pretty Freeking Scary, which starred Eliana Su'a as a 14-year-old who died in a manhole accident and returned from the dead as the Grim Reaper’s second banana. Fans of the series, which was legitimately based on an American Greetings accessory line, had to wait nearly an entire year for the House of Mouse to confirm that Season 2 wasn’t coming back to life.

Final Episode: Aired August 18, 2023

Evil (Paramount+)

One of TV’s most unpredictable series, the supernatural genre-masher Evil majorly flourished upon moving from CBS to Paramount+, and was able to take its tag team of science and religion to some dark and bizarro places three seasons so far, with the upcoming fourth season set to serve as its final romp. The show was officially released canceled in mid-February, though with four additional episodes ordered to help close out the story, though Katja Herbers still jokingly attempted to get Netflix’s attention for a possible renewal, but nothing shook out from that.

Final Episode: Aired August 22, 2024

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+)

Though not the most vital of all the Star Wars shows on Disney+, the action-filled animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch has still been a core part of the franchise’s small-screen success. And the Dave Filoni-created series will wrap up its clone-heavy story with a 15-episode third season.

Final Episode: Aired May 1, 2024

What We Do In The Shadows (FX)

Quite possibly one of the greatest movie-to-TV adaptations/spinoffs, FX’s gore-soaked and award-winning comedy What We Do in the Shadows was initially ordered for its fifth and sixth seasons back in June 2022. It was only in December 2023 that the network fully confirmed that Season 6 will be the last one, likely due in part to a steady decline in linear viewers.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2024

The Good Doctor (ABC)

To the shock of TV viewers and industry insiders alike, 2024 was less than two weeks old when ABC canceled The Good Doctor, despite it being ratings-consistent, and despite the reported interest from cast members about continuing on. It’s unclear exactly what went into the decision, from strike delays to financial wariness, but fans will at least have the chance to say goodbye via the 10-episode Season 7.

Final Episode: Aired May 21 2024

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

Larry David’s cringe-centric HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm has been around since 2000, but with spaced-out seasons for the bulk of its run, based on when its creator was inspired enough to return to Faux Larry’s world. And after years of speculation about when the always hilarious series could actually end, David made the pretty-pretty-pretty good decision to make Season 14 the last one.

Final Episode: Aired April 7, 2024

My Dad The Bounty Hunter (Netflix)

Co-starring Laz Alonso, Yvonne Orji and Priah Ferguson, My Dad the Bounty Hunter gave viewers a lot to enjoy with its all-genre tale of a father and his kids who discover that he’s a bounty hunter of otherworldly entities. Both of its seasons debuted on Netflix in 2023, despite critical acclaim, its creator confirmed with WhatsOnNetflix in June 2024 that the streaming giant opted not to order a third season.

Final Episodes: Aired August 17, 2023

Halo (Paramount+)

After a long trip through development hell, the live-action video game adaptation Halo finally arrived on Paramount+ in 2022, earning much critical and viewer praise. The second season, which aired from February to March 2024, was generally perceived as being even more engaging and easy to follow. Shockingly to many, the streaming service canceled Halo in July 2024, four months after Season 2 ended, though producers were actively seeking out a new home in the aftermath.

Final Episode: Aired March 21, 2024

So Help Me Todd (CBS)

As one of the more unique original series in CBS' primetime lineup, So Help Me Todd won over audiences with its offbeat mother-son relationship and non-procedural storylines, and was drawing in 4+ million viewers with nightly episodes, with millions more watching in delayed viewing. But with its upcoming programming slate already filled to the brim, the network pulled the plug on the Wright family's investigations.

Final Episode: Aired May 16, 2024

Life & Beth (Hulu)

Amy Schumer’s first scripted TV creation following Inside Amy Schumer (and her stand-up specials, obviously) was Hulu’s introspective dramedy Life & Beth. Its first season was a hit with critics and with viewers upon its 2022 release, earning a second season from the streamer. That second effort, which dropped in February 2024, didn’t match the buzz of the first, and Hulu canceled several months later.

Final Episodes: Aired February 16, 2024

Clone High (Max)

First existing on MTV from 2002-03, Clone High was brought out of cryogenics by Max, which ordered up two follow-up seasons of the historical figure-filled comedy. Unfortunately, the creative team set up a similar cliffhanger situation as the O.G. series, and the streaming service confirmed it will remain unresolved by canceling the revival in July 2024.

Final Episodes: Aired February 1, 2024

Superman & Lois (The CW)

As the CW’s final DC Comics outing in the wake of the Arrowverse, Superman & Lois Season 4 will follow up on Season 3’s overarching clash between Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark and Michael Cudlitz’s Lex Luthor. The fourth season was ordered in June 2023, months after The CW was taken over by Nexstar, which jettisoned the majority of the network’s original series after the acquisition, with quite a few casting changes being necessary for the renewal.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025

This Fool (Hulu)

Spearheaded by Corporate’s trio of Matt Ingebretson, Jake Weisman and Pat Bishop, as well as stand-up comedian Chris Estrada, This Fool hilariously puts its spotlight on L.A.’s cholo culture, centering on Estrada’s goal-minded Julio and his just-out-of-prison cousin Luis (portrayed with A+ gusto by Frankie Quiñones). With Sopranos vet Michael Imperioli also co-starring, This Fool lasted two seasons before Hulu pulled the plug in Feb. 2024, seven months after Season 2 debuted.

Final Episode Aired July 28, 2023

Rap Sh*t (Max)

Issa Rae’s second series created for Max through her overall deal, which sparked by the success of HBO’s Insecure, Rap Sh*t followed the hilarious and often intense journey of Aida Osman and KaMillion’s Miami rappers Shawna and Mia. Its strike-delayed second season was released in November 2023 to widespread acclaim, though they couldn’t seduce and scheme their way into a third season, and Max canceled the series in January 2024.

Final Episode: Aired December 21, 2023

Blue Bloods (CBS)

One of TV’s most under-discussed and most-watched series, Blue Bloods was revealed by CBS to be ending with its 14th season, giving fans one more year of Reagan family dinners to appreciate. Unlike most series facing strike-hampered final seasons, Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg’s legal-minded drama is in the midst of its 18-episode swan song that was split across 2024.

Final Episode: TBA

The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)

There are only so many times a group of powered-up misfits can save the planet for apocalyptic devastation, so perhaps it makes sense that The Umbrella Academy is capping its run on Netflix at four seasons, with the final year set to give the Hargreeves siblings their biggest challenges yet. Netflix revealed back in August 2022 that the show only had one batch of eps left to wrap things up. The Umbrella Academy Season 4 has yet to reveal any concrete info about what to expect.

Final Episode: Aired August 8, 2024

Dave (FXX)

Considering some of the ridiculously risqué moments that went down on FXX’s Dave, it’s kind of amazing we got three full seasons of the coming-of-race comedy centered on co-creator Dave Burd’s rapper persona Lil Dicky. And while the musician’s fictionalized universe could return in the future, Burd made the call in early February to step away from the series to focus on his music career and other opportunities.

Final Episode: Aired May 31, 2023

Secrets Of Sulphur Springs (Disney Channel)

Soap opera writers Tracey Thompson and Charles Pratt Jr. brought their talents to The Disney Channel for missing-person mysteries, ghosts and more paranormal fun in Secrets of Sulphur Springs. The show aired for three seasons, with its third suffering a fairly noteworthy drop in viewership, which is possibly what influenced execs to cancel the series in January 2024.

Final Episode: Aired on May 5, 2023

Chad (Roku Channel)

Created by Saturday Night Live vet Nasim Pedrard all the way back in 2016 for Fox, the high school comedy Chad later shifted to TBS, where its first season aired. Before the pandemic-stalled Season 2 could arrive, the cable channel axed most of its original content, Chad included. Months later, Roku Channel stepped up as the new home for the already filmed season, confirming no more were on the way.

Final Episode: Aired January 19, 2024

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)

In its first three seasons, Star Trek: Lower Decks delivered more than enough canon-skewing sci-fi comedy to rank among the best animated series of all time, and it seemed like there was enough creative energy to keep the crew in space for many years. But it was when announcing Strange New World's Season 4 renewal that Paramount+ revealed Lower Decks' fifth season will be its last. No word on whether characters will make the jump to live-action.

Final Episode: Airing Late 2024

The Flight Attendant (Max)

Big Bang Theory vet Kaley Cuoco jumped from broadcast sitcoms to streaming thrillers with Max’s The Flight Attendant, whose first season garnered awards buzz. The second run seemingly wasn’t on the same level of popularity or success, and it took Max until January 2024 to confirm the show wouldn’t be back for Season 3. Kaley Cuoco’s response to the news drew attention to the fact that the show was envisioned as more of a limited series anyway.

Final Episode: Aired April 21, 2022

Wolf Pack (Paramount+)

It seemed like a dream pairing for Teen Wolf and Criminal Minds creator Jeff Davis to team with Buffy vet Sarah Michelle Gellar for a new drama about a town affected by werewolf attacks. Alas, its first and only season didn’t move the meter too drastically when it arrived on Paramount+ in 2023, and it wasn’t wildly surprising when Paramount+ revealed in January 2024 that the show wouldn’t return for Season 2.

Final Episode: Aired March 16, 2023

Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS)

After four steady seasons on CBS’ Monday night schedule, the network ordered up Season 5 in January 2023, with April bringing the surprising update that 11 of the sitcom’s 13 series regulars were being demoted to recurring roles, and that none of them would appear for more than 5 episodes each. Seven months later, in November, CBS made the call to cancel the show’s forward progress after Season 5.

Final Episode: Aired May 13, 2024

The Other Black Girl (Hulu)

Based on the 2021 novel by Sakiya Dalila Harris, who co-developed the show with Rashida Jones, The Other Black Girl starred Sinclair Daniel as a book editor caught up in a potential conspiracy involving her bosses and co-workers, including Ashleigh Murray, Bellamy Young and Eric McCormack. Hulu made the call in May 2024 to cancel the dramedy without a second season.

Final Episode: Aired September 13, 2023

Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)

With Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon!, co-creators Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio checked all the right boxes for episodic musicals, even winning the 2022 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. But Season 2’s focus on Chicago didn’t create quite the same rhythmic buzz, and in January 2024, Paul shared on Instagram that despite Season 3 being written, with 25 songs planned out, the streaming service wouldn’t be going forward with it.

Final Episode: Aired May 3, 2023

Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix)

A sequel to Michael Hirst’s cable hit Vikings, Jeb Stuart’s streaming sequel Vikings: Valhalla was seemingly always destined for at least a three-season run, with reports of Netflix granting it a 24-episode order in November 2019. The final eight eps were filmed between May and October 2022, and it was only after they were filmed was it confirmed that they'd serve as the final season, which aired in Summer 2024.

Final Episode: Aired July 11, 2024

Minx (Starz)

As Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond’s comedy about an erotic magazine, Minx, was in the final stages of finishing up Season 2, Max pulled the plug, with Starz stepping in to help pay for the production to be completed. Unfortunately, the premium cable channel made it clear in early January 2024 that a third season isn’t on the horizon.

Final Episode: Aired September 8, 2023

Constellation (Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is arguably the best streaming service for original sci-fi TV shows, even if promising projects such as Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks’ psychological thriller Constellation don’t always get to make it beyond a single season. The series, which followed the aftermath of a deadly collision involving the ISS, debuted to largely acclaim in February 2024, but it was quietly canceled by the streaming service just six weeks after the season concluded.

Final Episode: Aired March 27, 2024

Bunk'd (Disney Channel)

One of The Disney Channel’s longest-running live-action series, the Jessie spinoff Bunk’d has given viewers going on seven seasons of misadventures at Camp Kikiwaka (and later at Kikiwaka Ranch), with Miranda May and more. Following the first batch of strike-delayed episodes airing, Disney announced that Season 7 was being extended to 22 episodes, and that the series would wrap afterward.

Final Episode: Aired August 2, 2024

Primo (Freevee)

Co-executive produced by The Good Place and Parks and Rec creator Michael Schur, Primo was a coming-of-age comedy created by (and based on the Texas upbringing of) writer Shea Serrano, which was first pitched to ABC back in 2017. It took five years to get the Latino-fronted series into production — it eventually landed on Freevee — and the show earned widespread acclaim with its eight-episode season. Unfortunately, Freevee canceled the series in May 2024, though Serrano claimed at the time that the series would be shopped around at other studios.

Final Episode: Aired May 19, 2023

High School (Freevee)

Oddly enough, High School first arrived on Freevee back in October 2022, with Clea DuVall helping musician duo Tegan and Sara adapt their memoir of the same name for TV. Following its critically acclaimed eight-episode run, fans heard relatively zero news about the show’s future until May 2024, when THR reported its cancellation. At one point, the Amazon-owned network reportedly tasked DuVall with setting up a mini writers room for Season 2 scripts, which were reportedly finished at the time the cancellation was confirmed.

Final Episode: Aired October 28, 2022

Quantum Leap (NBC)

For two seasons, Quantum Leap fans watched the reboot's Ben and Addison play out their love story amidst jaunts across space and time. Their ability to start leaping together is perhaps the silver lining when it comes to NBC canceling the sci-fi drama in April 2024 without a third season.

Final Episode: Aired February 20, 2024

grown-ish (Freeform)

Freeform’s grown-ish didn’t quite make it to the eight-season mark set by its predecessor black-ish, but has still enjoyed a lengthy run for a network-shifted spinoff. The dramedy’s sixth season was ordered up in January 2023, with the news dropping two months later that those episodes would wrap up Zoey and Junior Johnson’s stories. The first half of the season aired in the summer months of 2023, with the back half closing out the show's run in Spring 2024.

Final Episode: Aired May 22, 2024

SEAL Team (Paramount+)

With the military drama having shifted to Paramount+ from CBS ahead of its fifth season, SEAL Team’s cast and crew first got the good news in January 2023 that Season 7 was ordered up, and then ten whole months later, the streaming service affirmed that those episodes would be SEAL Team’s final tour. The strike-delayed production kicked off in January 2024, so fans can expect it to be a late-year arrival.

Final Episode: Airing October 6, 2024

Tacoma FC (truTV)

Co-created by Broken Lizard troupe members Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme, Tacoma FD did for the firefighter profession what the sketch group’s Super Troopers films did for cops. Co-starring Hassie Harrison, Eugene Cordero, Marcus Henderson and Gabriel Hogan, the comedy mixed hilarious professional ineptitude with surreal and silly humor, and earned itself a four-season run in the process. Unfortunately, none of the show’s captains or commissioners could pull enough weight to make Season 5 happen, as truTV canceled it in February 2024.

Final Episode: Aired October 5, 2023

My Brilliant Friend (HBO)

One of HBO’s most acclaimed and under-discussed originals in recent years, the coming-of-age drama My Brilliant Friend was first developed in 2016 with the goal of adapting the popular Neapolitan Novels attributed to the writer pseudonym Elena Ferrante. With the first three season having aired in 2018, 2020, and 2022, the stage is set for the final eight episodes to take viewers to the last era in the lives of BFFs Elena and Raffaella.

Final Episode: Airing November 11, 2024.

Big Mouth (Netflix)

One of the relatively rare scripted Netflix Originals to extend all the way to eight seasons, the Nick Kroll-starring animated hit Big Mouth has presumably earned its consistent renewals, with seemingly no limit to the amount of pubescent and hyper-hormonal chaos in the teen characters’ lives. The streaming service revealed in April 2023 that Season 8 will cap off Nick and Andrew’s masturbatory adventures, which outlasted the two-season run of spinoff Human Resources.

Final Episode: Airing TBA 2025

Good Trouble (Freeform)

The spinoff of the fan-favorite drama The Fosters, Freeform’s Good Trouble made it through four-and-a-half ratings-challenged seasons so far. In December 2023, around seven months after the first half of Season 5 aired, the Disney-owned channel confirmed that Good Trouble would be done-zo after the back half of the fifth season dropped in early 2024. Freeform was reportedly interested in continuing the drama, but budget issues forced the execs’ hands.

Final Episode: Aired February 27, 2024

American Born Chinese (Disney+)

Based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name, the fantastical action-comedy American Born Chinese won over audiences with its stacked cast (including Oscar winners Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh) and embrace of various cultures, albeit with some criticism sprinkled throughout. Despite its popularity, Disney canceled the show after the cast members’ contract options expired.

Final Episode: Aired May 24, 2023

Magnum P.I. (NBC)

Few TV dramas, network or otherwise, went through quite the same year that Magnum P.I.'s cast and crew did in 2002, when it was canceled by CBS and then subsequently saved with a 20-episode order from NBC. While that gave the Jay Hernandez character more time to build into a better close-out, the network didn’t take that long before dropping its own axe, canceling Magnum P.I. anew in June 2023.

Final Episode: Aired January 3, 2024

World On Fire (PBS)

Created for BBC One in the U.K., the war drama World on Fire made its way stateside as part of PBS’ Masterpiece, debuting its first WWII-set season back in 2019, nearly four years before the start of its second and final season. Despite a stacked cast that included Helen Hunt, Sean Bean and more, World on Fire’s numbers dropped in its second season, and it was canceled without fanfare in Feb. 2024, before creator Peter Bowker could deliver on a third season that depicted the U.S.’ entry into the war.

Final Episode: Aired November 19, 2023

Julia (Max)

Led in part by the stretch of star Sarah Lancashire as the titular culinary legend Julia Child, Max’s biographical dramedy Julia earned creator Daniel Goldfarb mostly compliments and lauding with its pair of eight-episode seasons. Max reps didn’t share any reasoning behind the show’s cancellation news that dropped in January 2024, but a smaller-than-desired viewership is likely a big factor.

Final Episode: Aired December 21, 2023

Still Up (Apple TV+)

Several top-notch UK comedy actors joined forces for the Apple TV+ dramedy Still Up, which followed the late-night bonding between The Good Doctor’s Antonia Thomas and Red Oaks’ Craig Roberts as Lisa and Danny, respectively. It debuted in September 2023 to largely positive reactions, if quiet ones, and all remained fairly quiet until May 2024, when the streaming service canceled the series without a second season.

Final Episode: Aired October 27, 2023

Bupkis (Peacock)

Pete Davidson’s semi-autobiographical dramedy Bupkis will not see a second season on Peacock after all. Despite the series receiving a new order and production set to begin this summer, the comedian appears to have put the kibosh on the project. In a statement, the former SNL cast member called the show the part of his career that he’s “most proud of,” however, he said, “I do also feel that this part of my life is finished.”

Final Episode: Aired May 4, 2023

LA Fire and Rescue (NBC)

Dick Wolf has found a lot of success with his fictional procedurals, but his unscripted offering for NBC, LA Fire and Rescue, didn’t have the longevity of some of his other projects. The reality series that showed the daily life of firefighters protecting their communities was canceled after a single eight-episode season.

Final Episode: Aired August 9, 2023

Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge (NBC)

Another single-season casualty over at NBC is Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge. This competition series pit its contestants against each other, tasking them with giving Hot Wheels-inspired makeovers to cars that held sentimental value in hopes of nabbing a $25,000 grand prize.

Final Episode: Aired August 8, 2023

The Upshaws (Netflix)

The family comedy from co-creators Wandy Sykes and Regina Y. Hicks has enjoyed a sporadic run on Netflix, with Mike Epps and Kim Fields leading the fray as the parental figures for the Upshaw clan. Ahead of the sitcom’s fourth season (which is being dubbed Part 6), the streaming service ordered a fifth and final season on June 7, 2024, which will run for 12 episodes.

Final Episode: Airing TBA Early 2025

All American: Homecoming (The CW)

The CW is down to just a single scripted original series leftover from the pre Nexstar buyout, All American, following the network’s execs making the call to end the follow-up drama All American: Homecoming after its third season, which is set to premiere on Monday, July 8. While the series is popular among younger demographics, that crowd wasn’t big enough to justify a new season as the network continues transitioning to content that draws in older viewers.

Final Episode: Airing September 30, 2024

The Girls On The Bus (Max)

Based on Amy Shozick’s 2018 memoir Chasing Hillary, with the author serving as co-creator alongside Julie Plec, the political drama The Girls on the Bus debuted on Max in March bolstered by talents such as Melissa Benoist (who also produced), Carla Gugino and Christina Elmore. Unfortunately, the 10-episode first season’s impact on critics and audiences wasn’t overwhelming enough to secure a second season, and Max’s execs canceled it outright in late May, just two weeks after the finale aired.

Final Episode: Aired May 9, 2024

Ratched (Netflix)

Sarah Paulson reteamed with her American Horror Story boss Ryan Murphy to take on the iconic literary character Nurse Ratched for a standalone Netflix series that predated Jack Nicholson'a flight over the cuckoo’s nest. Though it was given a two-season order from the start, and though its viewership numbers were nothing to sneeze at, Netflix quietly reversed plans for Season 2, and Paulson herself let the cat-ched out of the bag in early February 2024 (via X).

Final Episode: Aired September 18, 2020

We’re Here (HBO

Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and several other RuPaul’s Drag Race vets came together for the HBO reality TV series We’re Here, and spent four seasons spreading the good word about drag shows as entertainment in a variety of cities and small towns around the country. The Emmy-winning series wrapped its latest season in May, and the cable network revealed the cancellation news in September.

Final Episode: Aired May 31, 2024

The total number of projects facing their endgames in 2024 continues to grow from week to week, and will no doubt expand even more as the May finale season hits. Stay tuned for more updates.

After some delays in production during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA writer's strikes, Netflix has revealed Cobra Kai is officially back in production. The beloved action-comedy's cast members are getting back to work on the final episodes so that fans can watch it as soon as possible with their Netflix subscriptions. As filming gets underway, though, there's still one big question looming large for me in regard to the final outing.

While it's unfortunate that my questions won't be answered in the latest video from the Cobra Kai squad, I have zero complaints about learning the show is back in action. Those who love The Karate Kid series should check it out below to see all their favorite actors absolutely stoked to finally get back to creating this final season after months of delays.

It's all well and good to see the cast members returning to form, but the video is definitely light on clues about what's coming. So I'm still sitting here wondering what the other older characters will be up to in the final episodes, and whether there will be chances for them to fight as the teens gear up for the international tournament. 

Will The Older Characters Fight In Season 6?

In past seasons of Cobra Kai, the path to the older characters fighting was always clear. Whether it was Daniel vs. Johnny, that duo vs. Kreese, or Terry Silver's crew against all the good guys, there was always a plotline that justified the older characters of the series throwing fists. Now, with Terry Silver behind bars and the teens prepping for the international karate tournament, will we see the older characters fight? 

While I'm not sure, there is some evidence that has me hoping this will happen. William Zabka uploaded an absolutely badass video of him training, and I wouldn't imagine he'd be doing that if Johnny Lawrence is going to sit around all season and prepare for his new baby on the way. 

One potential avenue for the older heroes is another showdown with Kreese, who escaped prison at the end of Season 5. Kreese is one of the best villains in all of pop culture, so it's hard to imagine he's not in the mix in some way. Granted, it'll probably be hard to travel overseas when you're wanted for a prison break, but I think one of the most resourceful and vicious villains in The Karate Kid franchise can pull it off. 

What I don't want is for the adults of Cobra Kai to take a backseat in the final season, especially when it might be the final time we see them. Sure, there's another Karate Kid franchise movie on the way, and Ralph Macchio is involved and teaming up with Jackie Chan. Unfortunately, we're still in the dark on how much, if at all, that will address Cobra Kai. This could be our last chance to see Chozen, Johnny, and others kick some ass, so I do hope it happens in the final season.

Cobra Kai's final season is in production, and the rest of the series can be found on Netflix. There's still some time before the new season will be ready for watch, so fans can revisit all of the past episodes and some of the biggest and most intense fight scenes all over again. 

The final chapter is upon us, and while we know Cobra Kai Season 6 will likely arrive on the 2024 TV schedule, we're still waiting on an official release date. While I like to spend my wait speculating on where the final episodes will leave our characters, William Zabka took a more active approach. And the Johnny actor did this by getting into the gym to kick off the new year, and his wildly impressive workout video has me stoked for the final season of the Netflix hit. 

When I heard that William Zabka broke his toe during a fight scene in Cobra Kai and kept going, I assumed he was tough. However, nothing could've prepared me for the minute-long workout video he dropped on X, which is a montage of him throwing hands to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Carol of the Bells." For those that haven't seen it, take a look and be amazed: 

William Zabka is 58, and he's doing kip-ups better than most people decades younger can do. Not only that, he's throwing punches and kicks just as well as Johnny Lawrence does in the show, which I guess shouldn't be surprising given the story mentioned above where even a broken toe wouldn't sideline him from filming. It's fantastic to see the real-life Johnny Lawrence kicking ass, especially since Zabka is more successful than his character counterpart. 

I also think it's great to see William Zabka staying in as shape like his co-star Xolo Maridueña did over the strikes, and now I'm hoping to see Johnny and Miguel share some fight scenes before the series ends. I'm assuming that's possible, though I'm not sure who the adults are to fight now that Terry Silver, one of The Karate Kid's most vicious villains, is out of the picture. 

There's also the growing question of what's going on after Cobra Kai, as it's growing more likely the adventure will expand beyond the boundaries of a Netflix subscription. There's a new movie coming that will blend the original franchise with the reboot that featured Jackie Chan, but it's still not 100% clear what role Cobra Kai plays in it. 

We know Ralph Macchio will be involved in the theatrical future of The Karate Kid, but what about William Zabka? If this workout video is any indication, he's undoubtedly in good enough shape to continue to play Johnny Lawrence, though time will tell if he's brought into the new adventure. After all, the story of this franchise lies primarily in Miyagi-Do, so it may be that Sony wishes to leave Cobra Kai and its legacy behind in the acclaimed Netflix series. 

In the meantime, we still have much to look forward to, as Cobra Kai's final season will hopefully arrive at some point this year. Here's hoping for some excellent fight scenes for Johnny Lawrence and that we'll get some more opportunities to see him kick ass beyond the series ending. 

Conventional wisdom says that “when one door closes, another door opens.” In the case of the 32 TV shows we’re about to discuss, that saying isn’t just blowing smoke. Rather, when these titles saw change or cancellation staring them down, shows like Futurama and Buffy The Vampire Slayer jumped ships -- and kept on sailing. Behold, these conquering heroes. 

Futurama

Starting life as a Fox network original, Futurama’s shiny metal lifespan was initially cut short due to being canceled after four seasons. Years down the road, Comedy Central would revive Matt Groening’s irreverent fan favorite, and Hulu would later save it from cancelation as well. As a result, Planet Express’ doors were kept open… with some gaps of time, and a couple of direct to DVD movies in between. 

The Great British Baking Show

The cozy comfort that is The Great British Baking Show switched channels in both the UK and the US, though not as often as its swapped co-hosts. In its home nation (where it’s still allowed to be called The Great British Bake Off), the program started at the BBC in 2010 and eventually moved to Channel 4 after seven seasons. Meanwhile, the rights to that show in the US were first with PBS in 2014 but are now scattered between The Roku Channel and Netflix. 

Gilmore Girls

A show like Gilmore Girls doesn't always make a switch because of being canceled. Rather, in the final season of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s pop culture touchstone, The WB became The CW, after merging with fellow defunct network UPN. As for the miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the LIfe, it did originate at Netflix but eventually received a homecoming of sorts when it aired on The CW in 2020.

Arrested Development

One of, if not the first network series revived through the powers of streaming, Arrested Development seemed to constantly struggle through its three seasons at Fox. And then, the good folks at Netflix revived what seemed to be one of the Internet’s favorite shows for two additional seasons. They were even nice enough to recut Season 4 into traditional episodes, once the initial character-centric installments were met with a less than stellar reception.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

The story of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s broadcast history is rather interesting to follow. Starting out as The WB’s big Tuesday night hit in 1997, it transferred to fellow upstart network UPN in 2001. After two more seasons, Buffy would go off the air…just a couple years shy of the merger that turned The WB and UPN into what we now know as The CW.

Cobra Kai

Hey folks: remember when YouTube had original series? That’s exactly how Cobra Kai started, as YouTube Red/Premium was where the Karate Kid legacy-quel first got its legs. After two seasons aired, and with YouTube apparently not interested in anything past season 4 (according to Deadline), Netflix opened its doors and let Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) bring his dojo over to its streaming paradise. 

Last Man Standing

As Last Man Standing was sitting at six seasons, ABC canceled Tim Allen’s sitcom in 2017. That decision was supposedly due to some disputes between the network and the series’ production company, 20th Television. Which made it all the more interesting when Fox revived the series that it was already producing, for two more seasons. 

Supernatural

Just how long was Supernatural on TV? Well… it started in 2006, as a show on The WB; and then became a flagship title of its next parent, The CW, once WB merged with fellow fledgling network UPN. So while you’d know the Winchester brothers’ adventures for playing on The CW for 14 of its 15 seasons, that first aired under the house that Michigan J. Frog built. How’s that for magic?

A.P. Bio

For its brief lifespan of four seasons, A.P. Bio kicked things off at NBC and was revived as a potential Peacock subscription driver and aired two more seasons as such. Alas, the streaming reaper came for the series in 2021, ending Whitlock High’s time on our screens all too early. And what’s even sadder is we never did learn about what happened to Devin (Jacob McCarthy) after he mysteriously disappeared following Season 1? 

Family Matters

TGIF had a bit of an interesting shakeup in its later years, thanks to series like Family Matters and Step by Step defecting from its original home. Jumping from ABC after providing eight seasons of Urkel (Jaleel White) and his antics with the Winslow family, the former wrapped up on the CBS network with one final season. And depending on who you talk to, Season 9 is probably best forgotten by the world.

Archer

Archer’s 14-season run was both a hilarious parody of the James Bond movies, while also being funny and bittersweet in its own ways. While it was never canceled, and blew past the original plans to end in Season 10, a network shift did come after Season 7 aired in 2016. And that was thanks to FX Networks creating a new imprint for comedy and soccer programming, FXX. 

Babylon 5

In the beginning, Babylon 5 was a syndicated TV show that, much like Star Trek: The Next Generation before it, had no singular network home. Distributed through the Prime Time Entertainment Network for its first four seasons, creator J. Michael Strazynski didn’t think the show would get a fifth season. With a series finale already filmed, TNT stepped in to grant one last round of episodes (and a new Season 4 finale), for 1998. And according to Strazynski’s blog post from when it all happened, “Sleeping In Light” would have played just as fine at the end of Season 4. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Here’s a fun scenario to ponder: what do you do when a series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine wants to keep existing, but home network Fox doesn’t want to go past Season 5? Well, you send the series to its true home: NBC! As the Andy Samberg-led ensemble was one of several shows saved from cancellation in 2018, the final three seasons could be chalked up to production company Universal Television saving one of its own.

Manifest

After Manifest’s wild Season 3 cliffhanger, the series’ cancellation by NBC left creator Jeff Rake, as well as the show’s fandom, all hoping for closure. While it wasn’t the full second half that Rake took to Twitter to mourn in 2021, streaming provider Netflix did step in for one final season, after finding great success with past seasons being available on its platform. 

Columbo

Detective Colombo (Peter Falk) ran through two pilots and seven seasons on NBC, between 1968 and 1978, looking to solve his cases with “just one more thing” he needed to ask about. But when it came to his eponymous series’ own fate, it received “just” three more seasons on ABC, from 1989 to 2003. 

Community

If it was up to NBC, Dan Harmon’s Community would have never gotten to the six seasons it called out for in its own universe. With that final, prophecy-fulfilling season airing on the now defunct Yahoo! Screen platform, part of a prophecy, that involves "a movie," has been fulfilled.

Everybody Hates Chris

With Chris Rock’s semi-autobiographical sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, the network shift came from a natural place: a merger. Beginning its life in 2005 on UPN, the sitcom Rock co-created with Ali LeRoi would become an original series on The CW in the 2006-2007 TV season. It would continue to air until 2009, as it would then be canceled after its fourth season. 

The Expanse

The Expanse came to an end after six seasons, with the first three airing on Syfy and the last batch going to Amazon’s Prime Video platform. But apparently, in an interview with Polygon, authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (collectively known as James S.A. Corey),said  they don’t even see the show as cancelled, but rather “paused” after Season 6. If a show can be renewed after a fan campaign draws in the likes of Wil Wheaton, George R.R. Martin, and Patton Oswalt, who are we to doubt there’s still gas in the tank? 

American Dad!

Fox ran Seth MacFarlane’s topically inclined animated comedy, American Dad!, for 11 seasons, before pulling the plug on the Family Guy originator’s co-creation with Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman in 2013. However, it didn’t take long for cable station TBS, which had been airing reruns for some time, to snag itself a new original program. So just under a month after the series “ended” on Fox, it came roaring back to life in its second healthy home. 

Friday Night Lights

Most people probably remember Friday Night LIghts as an NBC series, and considering its first two seasons aired there, that would make sense. However, if we’re going by season count, you’d technically call Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton’s ensemble drama a 101 Network series; thanks to the last three of its five seasons airing on that platform between 2008 and 2011.

The Critic

For a two-season wonder like The Critic, you’d think it would have been easy to keep it in one place for the whole run. That couldn’t have been further from the truth, as the first season aired on ABC in 1994, followed by the second season going to Fox in 1995. It’s something that would be joked about in the Jon Lovitz’ comedy’s third and final revival, as a series of webisodes on AtomFilms/Shockwave distributed between 2000 and 2001.

Matlock

Lawyer Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) broke a lot of cases over six seasons on NBC, between 1986 and 1992. And before anyone could ask if we’d see Ben again, the fall of that very last year saw Matlock jumping over to ABC, for its final three seasons. While cast members may have changed, the iconic theme song and the public’s love for this series did not.

JAG

Here’s something fun to consider: JAG technically has two network shifts. The major one saw David James Elliott’s Lt. Harmon Rabb, Jr. go from NBC to CBS, right after Season 1’s conclusion in 1996. At its second home, the series would run for nine more seasons and spawn the hit spinoff NCIS; which is basically the procedural world’s version of Cheers and Frasier. However, the 22nd episode of Season 1, the true season finale “Skeleton Crew,” wouldn’t air on TV until 1999 on the USA Network. 

Longmire

Neo-noir/western detective series Longmire began its life as a pretty popular title on the A&E Network back in 2014.. Three seasons in, despite being a strong performer, the cable channel axed the Robert Taylor-starring series, with no rhyme or reason. Of course, that didn’t stop Netflix from reviving the series, giving it another three seasons that ran from 2015 until its second and final cancellation in 2017. 

Lucifer

After three seasons, and a finale that was specifically designed to keep the show running, Lucifer was canceled due to a “pretty narrow” audience. That, and the series was made by an outside studio, which only made the decision apparently clearer. It was Fox’s loss though, as Netflix not only brought Tom Ellis’ demonically good time back from the grave,but  the streamer gave it three more seasons to finish up. 

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Was it ever important for Mystery Science Theater 3000 to stay at one network? Not totally, though there were some hiccups in how films were chosen in later seasons because of such switches. Starting life in 1988 as a public access show for KTMA-TV, MST3K would move to Comedy Central for the bulk of its run between 1989 and 1996. One last broadcast move would happen in 1997, giving this show its final TV-bound home… before it went to Netflix for two seasons between 2017 and 2018, and then to its own indie platform, The Gizmoplex, in 2022. 

One Day At A Time

The reboot of Whitney Blake and Allan Manings’ sitcom, One Day at a Time, gave the world a new perspective on a very familiar formula. This Latinx-flavored version only lasted for four seasons sadly, with three of those seasons streaming on Netflix. After being canceled by the big red streamer in 2019, the series would be revived by Pop TV for one final abbreviated season, which aired in 2020.

Girls5Eva

Girls5Eva was a series that had a pedigree that seemed destined to last more than two seasons at Peacock. Yet the Tina Fey co-created/Sara Barellies-led ensemble found itself out the door after Season 2 ended. Though that’s not where the music stopped, as Netflix resurrected the show, proving that the cancellation reaper doesn’t always have the last word.

Doug

Most people remember Doug as a four-season Nicktoon that delved into the inner mind of Doug Funnie (Billy West) as he navigated his teenage years of crushes and bullies. But if you’re a true die-hard, then you, of course, remember Disney’s Doug…It was Doug but an ABC-tweaked incarnation that ran as part of the One Saturday Morning block. 

Cougar Town

Over four seasons of Courteney Cox’s ensemble sitcom Cougar Town, there were things that could change and things that couldn’t. While co-creator Bill Lawrence’s Twitter crusade to rename the show never came to be, the former ABC series eventually became a TBS original in the back half of its life span. And no, the network change didn’t help the case to rename the series at all.

Damages

Through 2007 to 2011, FX had a hit legal drama on its hand with Damages, starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. When it came to the end of the third season, EW reported that the costs of the series weren’t worth the viewership to the network. Which lead The 101 Network to enter talks and eventually pick up the series, for its final two seasons. 

Clueless

Can one network alone hold the charisma of Cher Horowitz (Rachel Blanchard)? As if! While original network ABC wasn’t sold on Clueless until reruns had proven them wrong, UPN kept the series adaptation of the ‘90s movie classic going for another two seasons. If only ABC had taken a little more time to feel things out. 

Whether it’s because of cost issues, audience demand, or just good old-fashioned mergers, sometimes you’ve got to move to another network to keep the party going. These series did just that, and for better or worse, fans got more time to hang out with some of their favorite TV characters as a result. 

Other than the creators being the same, Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz and Josh Heald’s new show Obliterated couldn’t be more different from their hit series Cobra Kai. However, one thing these two shows do have in common is their intense and incredible action sequences. So, when CinemaBlend traveled to Las Vegas to speak with the co-creators of the aforementioned shows, we had to ask about their experience filming action on both, and it was revealed that while their experience on the Karate Kid spin-off “came in handy,” they also had to “unlearn” what they knew to make their latest series. 

While we’ve been seeing the cast of Cobra Kai do incredible martial arts for five seasons, when Obliterated premieres on the 2023 TV schedule, we’ll get to see a special ops team attempt to disarm a nuclear bomb using their military training. Both groups are highly trained in combat, and when Schlossberg and his collaborators started working on their latest project, having the experience from their martial arts show really paid off. During our interview about Obliterated, Hayden Schlossberg said:

However, while all this was super helpful, especially when it came to shooting Obliterated’s hand-to-hand combat, the team also had to “unlearn” some of their action expertise. That’s because, unlike in Cobra Kai – which is a family-friendly show – Obliterated’s cast is totally, for lack of a better term, obliterated when they’re trying to take down the enemy. That means all the stunts are a lot sloppier, sillier and R-rated. With that in mind, Schlossberg told me:

He makes such a great point. When you tune into Season 1 of Obliterated, you are going to get action that is totally different from Cobra Kai on so many levels. Yes, the hand-to-hand combat is comparable in some ways, but this show is not about kids and martial arts. It’s about a special ops military team who is highly trained, but also very drunk, high, and hungry. The weapons are different, the tactics are different, and the state of mind is very different in a super fun way.

So, while we know what to expect action-wise for the upcoming sixth season of Cobra Kai, when it comes to Obliterated, you’re guaranteed stunts at the same level of excellence, but it will 100% be very different. If you want to compare the action of both shows, you can stream both Cobra Kai (which is one of Netflix’s best series) and Obliterated (which premieres on November 30) with a Netflix subscription. 

Over the last five years, the Karate Kid franchise has thrived thanks to Cobra Kai, the TV show that originally started out as a YouTube Red/YouTube Premium offering, and has been exclusive to Netflix subscribers since Season 3. However, remember that in 2010, a remake/reboot of the original Karate Kid movie was released starring Jackie Chan, but we never followed up on that corner of the franchise. Well, that’s now changed, as it’s been announced that these two corners will come together in the upcoming Karate Kid movie, but what does this mean for Cobra Kai?

Let’s get what we know for sure out of the way first. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio are set to respectively reprise Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso in this 2024 movie release from Sony Pictures that has previously been described as “the return of the original Karate Kid franchise.” Jonathan Entwistle is directing the feature, Rob Lieberman is writing the script and Karen Rosenfelt is producing. Chan and Macchio also got together to announce a global casting search for who will play the young title protagonist in the new Karate Kid movie, as seen below (more details can be found at the Karate Kid casting website):

So that’s the big secret behind this movie: 2010’s The Karate Kid resides in the same universe as the original film series rather than in a separate continuity. Now I can’t wait to see how Daniel reacts when he learns that Mr. Han’s training techniques are awfully similar to the ones used by his late master, Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi. Shortly after this new Karate Kid movie was announced, Macchio said he had no information to share about the project, and by the following November, he still had a lot of questions about what this next Karate Kid chapter would entail. A year later, now we know he worked out a deal to star opposite Jackie Chan in this next movie, and according to THR, their paths will cross as part of the story chronicling a teen from China on the East Coast “who finds strength and direction via martial arts and a tough but wise mentor.”

It’s nice to have a clearer picture about what to expect from the new Karate Kid movie, but what does all this mean for Cobra Kai? Well, in the time since the movie was announced, the Netflix show was renewed for Season 6, but this will also be the final batch of episodes. So whether another Karate Kid movie was happening or not, the Cobra Kai saga was going to be wrapping up. 

Still, I can’t help but wonder if Cobra Kai’s final episodes will somehow lay the groundwork for this cinematic tale. If that’s the case, hopefully it’s not done in too cliffhanger-y a way, as no doubt the show’s fans would still live Cobra Kai’s ending to feel conclusive enough rather than simply as a tease for what’s coming to theaters. Furthermore, are Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio the only familiar Karate Kid franchise faces who will appear in this movie? Could people like William Zabka, Jaden Smith and even Hilary Swank show up too?

It may be a while until these questions and more are answered, but for now, just remember that the new Karate Kid movie opens on December 13, 2024, the same date that The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim comes out. You should also look over everything we know about Cobra Kai Season 6 so far.

In early November, a historic labor battle between actors and Hollywood studios ended after 118 days of SAG-AFTRA members taking to the picket line. Among them was Cobra Kai and Blue Beetle’s Xolo Maridueña, whom we spoke to on Tuesday. The action star shared with us how he stayed fit over three months despite not having a set to go to. 

CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell talked to Xolo Maridueña just ahead of Blue Beetle heading to those with a Max subscription on Friday, November 17. O’Connell shared he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Cobra Kai with its upcoming sixth and final season. Maridueña shared the sentiment, exclaiming “Me neither!” before saying the following: 

Cobra Kai’s final season was initially set to film over the summer before premiering on Netflix this December, but the series’ filming schedule and release date have been shifted back due to the strikes. Per Deadline, the series is expected to resume filming in early 2024. When Maridueña hit the Cobra Kai set over summer, he of course didn’t know that he’d be out of work for months and needing to keep in the shape of the character for an extended period of time, but the actor kept up with training with “so many pushups” to stay ready to resume work on the series. 

Maridueña’s Cobra Kai journey began in 2018 when the series first premiered on YouTube Red/Premium in 2018. A huge new wave of fans were introduced to the series in 2020 when Netflix brought the series to the streaming platform. The actor has played a key role to The Karate Kid offshoot as Miguel Diaz, a student of martial arts who becomes the first new student to William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence before an entire karate empire takes shape in the Valley. 

Along with the actor getting ready to resume the role of Miguel Diaz for the last time next year, this year he debuted a DC role in Blue Beetle. However, Xolo Maridueña’s first leading movie role came out in the middle of the SAG-AFTRA strike and he wasn’t able to promote it himself until now. Despite the movie becoming a box office bomb for Warner Bros, the character has been confirmed to return by DC Studios’ co-CEO and chairman James Gunn. 

During our chat with Maridueña, the actor called the news “validating” along with sharing his excitement for what “the future holds.” While we don’t know what upcoming DC movies the actor will pop up in as Blue Beetle, it sounds like the actor’s relationship with the gym isn’t going to let down anytime soon. 

Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña ultimately joined the DC universe and became Jaime Reyes in Blue Beetle, but making the decision to join the franchise wasn't as easy as one might think. The star recently confessed in an interview that there was one element about playing a superhero that made him more nervous, and it tied back to something he loves about being a part of his Netflix series. 

As people continue to brainstorm ways Jaime Reyes can remain involved in the DC Universe despite the Blue Beetle's disappointing box office numbers, Xolo Maridueña explained why he felt nervous about taking the role in the first place. The actor told Variety that he worried about the amount of work he'd have to do in front of a green screen, and he explained how that wasn't something he had to do on the set of Cobra Kai: 

Fortunately, Xolo Maridueña didn't have to work with a green screen all that often on the DC movie. This allowed him to lean into the more physical aspects of playing Jaime Reyes and, as he said, feel more "immersed" in the world of Blue Beetle. It's good to hear he was comfortable in the role, and he was able to work in a practical way, like they do on Cobra Kai. 

For Blue Beetle and Cobra Kai fans who aren't aware, the actors on the show do karate training and their fight scenes on the series. Doing so has inadvertently led to some injuries, but as Xolo Maridueña said, it helps him and others stay immersed in the story. I could see how that works if I was taking kicks and chops that feel like I'm in a real fight! 

Unfortunately, the ride for Cobra Kai fans with a Netflix subscription will be coming to an end soon. The series is preparing for its final season and wrapping up its story in a way that will bring its biggest characters to the grand stage of an international karate championship. It's looking like a major setup for the series to go out with a bang, at least on Netflix. 

As of writing, there are still plans for a new Karate Kid movie, though it seemingly has no connection to the successful Netflix series. Ralph Macchio and others have had plenty of questions about the upcoming movie, but thus far, we haven't gotten a lot of answers as to what it will be or what it's connected to. The project was recently delayed until December 2024, so we'll have to wait for more answers on that, and who may be involved. Considering Maridueña's new role in the DC Universe, it will be interesting to see if he comes back for the Karate Kid film as Miguel. 

Cobra Kai is available to stream on Netflix right now, and Blue Beetle will arrive on VOD Tuesday, September 19. Be ready to see Xolo Maridueña in a new way, and keep your fingers crossed his character fits into DC's future. 

SPOILER WARNING: This retrospective of rivals-turned-right-hands gives away the endings of several movies and crucial details from various TV shows, so we recommend you proceed with caution as you read on. 

Is there anything more satisfying in a movie or TV show than when the hero catches the villain? How about when the foes, instead, join forces?

We looked back on some of our favorite examples of when a “good guy" (or at least the main protagonist) combined efforts with a rival they were pitted against (or personally despised) to amazing effect. While many of these epic enemy team-ups come from classic action movies or in great superhero movies, for instance, some come from more surprising genres, but are no less thrilling. 

Ah Jong And Li Ying (The Killer)

In 1989’s The Killer, hitman Ah Jong (Chow Yun-Fat) takes one more assignment to afford an operation for a lounge singer he accidentally blinded in a shootout, while Inspector Li Ying (Danny Lee) is hot on his trail. However, after discovering the assassin’s moral character, the cop chooses to help him fight off the gangsters who want him dead, costing him his job, but earning our approval in John Woo's intense action thriller.

Batman And Catwoman (The Dark Knight Rises)

The live-action Batman movies have depicted the vigilante's relationship with Catwoman as -- in addition to flirtatious -- either adversarial (Batman Returns) or advantageous (The Batman), but 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises gives us a mix of both. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) initially catches Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) robbing him, but would have never prevented Gotham’s destruction at the end of Christopher Nolan’s finale without her help.

Billy Butcher And Homelander (The Boys)

Antony Starr’s Homelander may be just the worst and Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher is a bit reckless, but both look pretty good when compared to Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, whom Butcher initially recruits to kill Hoemlander. But, when he harms Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) -- Homelander’s son with Butcher’s late wife -- the end of The Boys Season 3 turns into a stand-off with Soldier Boy at the receiving end of their laser blasts, whose brief alliance puts Solider Boy back in cryo-sleep.

Blade And The Bloodpack (Blade II)

Blade (Wesley Snipes) was born with abilities similar to a vampire, but also an intense grudge against them that he would be forced to set aside in director Guillermo del Toro’s second installment of the Blade movies from 2002. The Marvel character begrudgingly collaborates with a crew of vampires originally formed to kill him called the Bloodpack in order to stop a worse threat feeding on both humans and bloodsuckers known as Reapers.

Blondie And Tuco (The Good, The Bad And The Ugly)

In, arguably, Sergio Leone’s best western movie, 1966's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the “good” refers to Clint Eastwood’s Blondie; the “ugly” refers to Tuco (Eli Wallach), whom Blondie personally delivers to a sheriff at the beginning; and the “bad” is a hitman known as Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef). Each wants to get their hands on buried loot first, but the lawman and the outlaw come out on top after forming an uneasy alliance against the sadistic killer.

Butch Coolidge And Marsellus Wallace (Pulp Fiction)

In the second segment of, arguably, Quentin Tarantino’s best movie -- 1994's Pulp Fiction -- Marsellus (Ving Rhames) chases Butch (Bruce Willis) after he wins a boxing match he promised he would lose, until they both find themselves at the mercy of rapists Zed (Peter Greene) and Maynard (Duane Whitaker). Butch manages to escape, but soon returns with a samurai sword to kill Maynard and interrupt Zed’s violation of Marsellus, making things “cool” between them again.

Clarice Starling And Hannibal Lecter (The Silence Of The Lambs)

In the terrifying Best Picture Oscar winner, 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is certainly intimidated and often intentionally belitted by cannibalistic former psychologist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), but I would not necessarily called them “enemies." In the end, he is cooperative in assisting with her search for Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) and even she admits he would consider it “rude” to come after her when she learns about his escape.

Daniel LaRusso And Johnny Lawrence (Cobra Kai)

It took decades for Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) fierce rivalry in the Karate Kid movies to end. The third season of the acclaimed sequel series, Cobrai Kai — also its first as a Netflix exclusive — saw the martial artists’ common foe, John Kreese (Martin Kove) join the titular dojo, which eventually led them to become partners and even friends.

Danny Ocean And Terry Benedict (Ocean's Thirteen)

Even after stealing $160 million from him, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) convinces Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) to finance his latest scheme in Ocean’s Thirteen. Yet, the casino magnate conspires to do some double-crossing of his own, which Danny, luckily, anticipated from the beginning, leading to a comical twist ending with Danny donating Benedict’s cut of the loot to charity.

Darth Vader And Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi)

The sixth movie in the Star Wars franchise (in order) is less a story of enemies becoming allies, but a family reuniting — namely Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. At the climax of 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Darth Sidious’ (Ian McDiarmid) cruel abuse of the young warrior (Mark Hamill) convinces the Sith Lord to renounce the Dark Side, remove his helmet (revealing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker), and have one moment of peace with his son before his death.

Willis Davidge And Jeriba Shigan (Enemy Mine)

In one of the most underrated sci-fi movies of the ’80s, Dennis Quaid is a futuristic space explorer stranded on a dangerous planet with a member of an alien race his people have been at war with for years, played by Louis Gossett Jr. But, Davidge and “Jerry's” relationship evolves from hateful, to a forgiving truce and, eventually, to brotherly in Wolfgang Peterson’s timelessly and heartwarmingly poignant parable,  Enemy Mine.

Frank Abagnale Jr. And Carl Hanratty (Catch Me If You Can)

In one of Steven Spielberg’s best movies of the 21st Century so far, Catch Me If You Can, FBI's Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) chases after young con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) in the 1960s. After their cat-and-mouse game finally ends, Hanratty realizes Frank’s expertise in check fraud would make him a great agent — an offer that comes with a promise of friendship from his former pursuer.

Godzilla And Kong (Godzilla Vs. Kong)

Kong was the clear victor of his first big screen battle with Godzilla, but it was harder to predict who would win in director Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021. By the end of the blockbuster, both won against Mechagodzilla by forming an alliance that will continue in the forthcoming 2024 follow-up, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Luke Hobbs And Deckard Shaw (Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw)

The Fast and Furious movies are, essentially, a series about enemies becoming allies -- especially Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). The former DSS agent and rogue MI6 agent became the stars of their own spin-off in 2019, in which they are thrown together as partners to stop a cybernetically enhanced terrorist (Idris Elba).

Jack Sparrow And Hector Barbossa (Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End)

Seeing Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) join forces with Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a last bid for piracy itself seemed like a perfect way to end the Pirates of the Caribbean movies in 2007. However, At World’s End was not that, nor the last time these rivals became reluctant allies — having also searched for the Fountain of Youth together in 2011’s On Stranger Tides and for Poseidon’s Trident in Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.

Jerry And Newman (Seinfeld)

Most of Wayne Knight’s funniest moments as Newman on Seinfeld involve his attacks of the eponymous comedian, but Jerry Seinfeld once sought to help his nemesis for a chance to say, “Goodbye, Newman.” Jerry tries to increase Newman’s chances of transferring to Hawaii by taking over his route, which backfires when those people receive more mail than normal.

Captain Kirk And Commander Kang (Star Trek)

Starfleet joining forces with Klingons is nothing surprising today, with Michael Dorn’s Worf as chief of security in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yet, it was almost completely unheard of on the original series before Season 3's “Day of the Dove,” in which James Kirk (William Shatner) and Commander Kang (Michael Ansara) must work together after their crews are both affected by a conflict-inciting entity.

Scar And Alexa Woods (Alien Vs. Predator)

In the presence of the Alien movies' Xenomorph, you would want a more complex and, overall, totally badass extra-terrestrial like the titular hunter from the Predator movies on your side. "Lex” Woods (Sanaa Lathan) had that advantage in 2004's Alien vs. Predator after earning the respect of visiting Predator, Scar.

Professor X And Magneto (X2: X-Men United, X-Men: Days Of Future Past)

Some of  the best X-Men movies see Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (reluctantly) playing for the same team, such as when the telepath (James McAvoy) breaks his former friend (Michael Fassbender) out of prison in 2014’s Days of Future Past. Also, in 2003’s X2, the metal-bender (Ian McKellan) helped the X-Men take on anti-mutant extremist, Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox), who sought to use Professor X (Patrick Stewart) to exterminate others like him.

Raylan Givens And Boyd Crowder (Justified)

U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and career criminal Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) have shared many great moments on Justified that prove they do care for one another. For instance, in the first season finale, the frenemies become embroiled in a woodland shootout that ends with Raylan being saved by Boyd, who calls the lawman “his only friend" before leaving scot free.

Rey And Kylo Ren (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)

Despite its polarizing fan reception, 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi boasts great lightsaber battles pitting Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) against the slain Snoke's (Andy Serkis) Praetorian Guards. While the Jedi trainee discovered this truce was meant to coerce her into leading the First Order with him, at least they would make-up to take on Palpatine at the end of The Rise of Skywalker.

Rocky Balboa And Apollo Creed (Rocky III)

The first two Rocky movies were all about the rivalry between the eponymous boxer (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), but everything changed in the third chapter. With Creed’s much-needed help, Rocky regains his title against Clubber Lang (Mr. T), sparking a friendship tragically cut short in the next film, but revived vicariously when Rocky trains Apollo’s child, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan), in the Creed movies.

Peter Parker And Harry Osborn (Spider-Man 3)

Harry Osborn (James Franco) as the New Goblin is not quite one of the best Spider-Man movie villains, mainly because most would prefer his heroic turn near the end of Spider-Man 3. Having forgiven Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) for his father's death, he aids him against Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Venom (Topher Grace) and even puts himself in the way of his bladed glider to save his life.

Det. Del Spooner And Sonny (I, Robot)

As a technophobe, I understand why Del Spooner (Will Smith) was quick to suspect the “unique” robot known as Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk) might be a murderer in 2004's I, Robot. Yet, by the end of this underrated futuristic thriller, I actually found myself warmed by the sight of man and machine coming together against the real enemy: a tyrannical A.I. named KIKI.

The Terminator And Sarah Connor (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

Despite being one of the best '80s movie villains, Arnold Schwarzengger's time-traveling killing machine would be seen in a whole new light in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is, at first, understandably hesitant to trust a duplicate of the cyborg sent to kill her years earlier, which has been programmed to protect her and her son (Edward Furlong).

Thor And Loki (Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok)

The real heart and soul of the Thor movies might actually be Loki (Tom Hiddleston) -- who might also be the first great MCU villain, but the times he aided his brother (Chris Hemsworth) have been equally satisfying. Their truce made for a heartbreaking supposed death for the God of Mischief in 2013’s The Dark World, but their alliance to save Asgard from Hela (Cate Blanchett) in 2017’s Ragnarok spawned some of the most memorably fun moments for either Marvel character.

Walter White And Hector Salamanca (Breaking Bad)

In order to defeat drug kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), meth manufacturer Walter White (Bryan Cranston) was forced to turn to another person who despised him, Hector Salamanca (the late Mark Margolis). Lucky for Walt, Hector hated the Los Pollos Hermanos founder enough to let him rig his wheelchair with an explosive he could detonate when Fring came to visit him in one of the best Breaking Bad episodes, “Face Off."

Marquis Warren And Chris Mannix (The Hateful Eight)

From the moment they meet, it seems that Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and Sheriff Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins) will make up the central rivalry of Quentin Tarantino’s visually remarkable 2015 western. However, in one of the many dazzling twists from The Hateful Eight, the unlikely pair end up being the only ones who can trust each other among the loathsome lot of people they are forced to take shelter with, let alone the only survivors.

Wendell "Bud" White And Edmund "Shotgun Ed" Exley (L.A. Confidential)

This masterful period crime thriller puts an amusing spin on the “good cop, bad cop” dynamic by pairing aggressive "Bud" White (Russell Crowe) with straight-laced Ed Exley (Guy Pearce). While not being able to stand each other for multiple reasons, they end up being the only ones who can get to the bottom of an insidious case of corruption in the LAPD in Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential.

Woody And Buzz (Toy Story)

The groundbreaking animation style of the first, and arguably best, Pixar movie, 1995’s Toy Story, is not all that made it a hit. Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear's (Tim Allen) evolution from bitter rivals of Andy's attention to friends desperate to escape a sadistic toy abuser together is a beautiful, captivating story, no matter the medium.

Sometimes friendship (or, at least, mutual respect and understanding) can come in the most unlikely places, and these 30 pop culture enemy team-up are solid proof.

This weekend, the future of the DC universe continues through the adventures of Blue Beetle. As the antics of Xolo Maridueña’s new hero roll out onto screens far and wide, plenty of reactions and tidings of goodwill have been going out surrounding the film’s lead. And the latest development in that regard comes from someone who knows Maridueña’s talents quite well: Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz.

Sharing his excitement through a warm message on social media, Hurwitz flashed back to the beginning of that Netflix series experience. Highlighting how far he’s come, here’s what Jon had to say about Maridueña’s path to the current moment: 

Jon Hurwitz isn’t the only person excited about this DC movie. Cobra Kai fans have been pumped for Xolo Maridueña making his debut in the sphere of blockbuster comic movies as well. Playing series regular Miguel Diaz, Blue Beetle’s lead has built quite a fanbase with the streaming hit continuation of the Karate Kid franchise. That sort of hype can be a valuable asset in the world of comic book movies, as it can only help when trying to launch a sleeper hit.

As DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn admitted that Jaime Reyes is the first character in the new DC Universe, a lot is riding on the box office performance of the company's latest offering. Positioned at the crossroads between the previous regime's pet projects, and the new world Superman: Legacy is looking to kick off, Blue Beetle could go either way. Success could ensure future appearances, while failure could see the fresh character rebooted just as quickly as he appeared. 

Jon Hurwitz's encouragement is a good start amid the challenges and early signs pointing towards what to expect. Both Blue Beetle’s mixed critical reception and the unfortunate struggles The Flash has encountered at the box office are weighing a bit heavily on all things considered. This is another case where fandom, connected to both DC Comics or Xolo Maridueña, could swing the balance.

Perhaps the greatest challenge for this new challenger is the current roster of champions that have been dominating the box office. While the August box office has still seen both Barbie and Oppenheimer continuing to make a killing, that streak is bound to end in the near future. Could Blue Beetle be the movie to dethrone these champions of the summer box office? We’ll just have to wait and see what this weekend brings. 

Hope springs eternal with yet another chance to light a fire under the new DC cinematic continuum. Blue Beetle is currently flying into a theater near you, with the future of the entire universe potentially at its back. If you want to catch Xolo Maridueña’s role throughout the run of Cobra Kai, you’ll need a Netflix subscription to partake in the five seasons currently available to stream. 

Cobra Kai delivers all of the high-flying, martial arts action that fans have come to expect from the Karate Kid franchise. Because of that, the hit Netflix dramedy’s cast must do a significant amount of training in order to perform those impressive feats. Among those who’s put in work is Khalil Everage, who’s played the role of Chris since the second season. He’s become quite adept at pulling off fight sequences but, just recently, he experienced a change of pace when he starred in coming-of-age movie Shooting Stars. So how exactly did his preparation for the basketball movie compare to what he does for the TV show?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Khalil Everage and his co-stars Scott Henderson and Avery Wills Jr. during the press junket for Shooting Stars. In the movie, Everage takes on the role of real-life St. Vincent–St. Mary alum Sian Cotton, who played alongside LeBron James and the rest of the school’s “Fab Five.” Considering how much he does in the film from a physical standpoint, I couldn’t help but ask how the experience compared to what he does on his widely popular TV series. Basketball and karate are of course very different sports, though Everage can see commonalities in the way he approaches them:

Those who’ve seen the high school basketball movie surely know that the main cast gave it their all when it came to doing the work on the court. Khalil Everage himself had to be particularly physical in order to emulate the style of play that Sian Cotton possessed. Keeping Everage and his co-stars’ performances (and off-camera dynamic) in mind, I think it’s fair to say that they’re all competitors. 

And as the young actor mentioned, that same thing is true of the same thing is true of the Cobra Kai cast. I honestly can’t help but feel like you have to be at least a little competitive when working on that show. That’s not just because of the physical work required but due to the fact that the characters themselves can be cutthroat at times. Though at the end of the day, based on the quotes above, the Netflix stars know that they’re all working towards a common goal – to make a truly funny, emotional and kickass TV show!

They’ve certainly succeeded, and that’s why fans are so excited to see how Cobra Kai Season 6 will close out the series. At the end of Season 5, senseis Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence succeeded in ending the madness of wild kung-fu master Terry Silver. However, the always elusive (and popular) John Kreese escaped from prison and may be looking for a bit of revenge on the two former rivals for letting him rot behind bars. There are certainly plenty of questions that need to be answered, and the suspense is getting to me. 

Khalil Everage’s Chris has switched dojos more than a few times during the series and is currently training under Miyagi-Do Karate. I’d expect the teen to remain there and eventually compete in the Sekai Taikai international with his friends. Should that be the case, expect Everage to bring as much of his A-game to any potential fight sequences as he did for Shooting Stars.

The first five seasons of Cobra Kai are now available to stream using a Netflix subscription, while Shooting Stars can be accessed by Peacock subscribers.

Back in late 2007 and early 2008, Hollywood writers went on strike for 100 days, and it sent numerous ripples throughout the industry. Loads of movies, many of which are now widely disliked, were rushed into production like Quantum of Solace, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Terminator Salvation. Additionally, network TV shows like Heroes halted production, and in lieu of paying writers, a bigger pivot to reality programming occurred. Hollywood lost over $2 billion as a result of the three-month strike. With the 2023 Writers Strike here, which has over 11,000 members of the WGA demanding fair pay, alongside the SAG-AFTRA strike, Hollywood has virtually been at a stand still.

Across nearly 150 days of the WGA writers strike, tons of productions of series and movies have been halted and changed. As the major Hollywood event has reached its conclusion, here’s a timeline of everything we know about it, including what the recent negotiations means for the actors who remain on the picket line.

The Origins Of The 2023 WGA Writers Strike 

Fears of a writers strike had been looming over Hollywood since early this year, with the Writers Guild of America’s three-year contract set to expire on May 1. When the U.S. union met in February 2023, they voted on a “pattern of demands” regarding a standardized compensation for writers. Ninety-eight percent of members approved of it back in early March, per Variety. Negotiations then began on March 20 and concluded on May 1, without an agreement. 

The main issues of the WGA writers strike come down to a few key issues. For one, with the prominence of streaming services in this day and age, there's been a change to the model in which writers get paid for writing scripts for its content. With streaming services often not being transparent about streaming numbers, for example, writers are left in the dark, especially when it comes negotiating for higher residuals. Another big issue is the increasing prevalence of AI-produced scripts, and how that add to the industry might affect writer wages. The other two main issues (via Washington Post) has to do with the size of writers' room on TV shows and the length of time in which they can be employed for any one project. 

The Writers Guild of America Call A Strike 

On the evening of May 1, the WGA announced that it had voted “unanimously” to call a strike effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday May 2, per Twitter. Throughout the day on Tuesday, writers took their picket signs to studio buildings like Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros and more. Among the attendees were loads of TV writers, but even actors like Rob Lowe and Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein came out to support Hollywood writers. 

Late Night Shows And Saturday Night Live Go Dark 

Amidst announcements on Tuesday of the 2023 Writers Strike, the first major affected aspect of television to fall was the late night sector. It was announced that network shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, among others, would not be in operation this first week with support from its hosts, and they instead would air reruns. Though, one talk show host will push on: Fox News' Greg Gutfeld. It was later reported that late-night hosts like Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon will pay their staff personally out of pocket along with NBC additionally offering two weeks of pay, per Business Insider. 

Additionally, Pete Davidson’s upcoming hosting debut on Saturday Night Live after saying farewell to the show last year was set to happen this weekend, but it has been cancelled as well. NBC said the show would “air repeats until further notice.” 

Mayim Bialik Steps Away From Jeopardy! But The Show Goes On 

Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik decided to step away from her hosting duties on the game show as the writers strike continues, per Deadline. The report also said that Ken Jennings would take her place and the series would continue filming in May. Since resuming his hosting duties, Jenning is now reportedly facing pressure to step away from his hosting duties as of mid-July. 

Scripted Network TV And Streaming Shows Currently In Production Paused 

Since the writers strike was called, tons of major shows are already being affected by the 2023 Writers Strike as well. Here's an updated list of TV shows that have reportedly been paused due to the strike. 

• Night Court: The NBC series also reportedly gone dark for now on Tuesday, per Deadline. 
• Abbott Elementary: Writer Brittani Nichols shared that the ABC writers room is currently closed as well. If the strike continues, both of these network shows’ tight schedules and episode content could be gravely affected by the strike. 
• Cobra Kai: Creator Jon Hurwitz updated fans that there were “no writers on set” amidst the strike as the Netflix series films Season 6. 
• Yellowjackets: The co-creator of the Showtime series has also shared that one day into Season 3’s production, amidst our many questions about what’s next for the show, its writers room closed too.
• Unstable: Season 2 of Netflix comedy series starring Rob Lowe and his son John Owen Lowe has seen a shut down in production, per Deadline, after six of eight scripts were written and production was set to begin later this spring. But, not every series is being affected by the strike. HBO's House of Dragon for example isn't shutting down Season 2 production because all the scripts have already been written. 
• Severance: Per Deadline, the second season of Severance has also shut down production in New York due to the strike. 
• Big Mouth: The Netflix animated series was six weeks into writing, but has not paused this process.
• Andor: The Disney+ hit Star Wars series has reportedly ceased all "writing-related work" of production after previously filming in the U.K, per its showrunner Tony Gilroy. 
• Stranger Things: The Duffer Bros shared that the final season of the Netflix series would not get to filming until the strike is over, thus delaying Season 5 of Stranger Things. As the creators shared, "writing does not stop when filming begins.
• Daredevil: Born Again: The upcoming Marvel series that will see Charlie Cox back as Daredevil has reportedly stalled filming two months into production due to the writers strike as well.
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Games of Thrones prequel series has closed its writers room for the “duration” of the strike according to George R.R. Martin, per Deadline. 
• Billions: The Showtime series has shut down for the second time, and has no resume date for the time being.  
• The Last of Us: Variety has reported that Season 2 for the HBO hit series has been put on hold as well after the casting team was asking actors to read sides directly from the game as they wait for scripts. 
• Pretty Little Liars: Summer School: An upcoming Pretty Little Liars spinoff has shut down production in New York. 
• Power Book II: Ghost Book: The first spinoff in Starz Powerverse has also paused filming, per Deadline. 
• P-Valley: The third season of the Starz series halted production in Atlanta and will continue to do so until the strike is over.
• The Penguin: The Max The Batman spinoff, The Penguin, officially paused filming on June 14 due to the writers strike and will reportedly halt production until the strike ends. 
• Duster: The J.J. Abrams period drama has shut down production until the writers strike is over. 
• The Really Loud House: This Nickelodeon series shut down production due to picketing. 
• Hacks: Season 3 of the Max series halted due to the strike as well. 
• The Old Man: Season 2 of the Jeff Bridges FX series completed filming through episode 204 before suspending production on May 22. 
• Etoile: Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Amy Sherman-Palladino has been in production on a ballet drama called Etoile. Though, it’s currently shut down production until the writers strike is over. 
• Zero Day: A Netflix series starring and executive produced by Robert De Niro has also paused production due to the writers strike. 

But, not every series was affected by the strike. HBO's House of Dragon for example didn’t shut down Season 2 production because all the scripts have already been written and can continue filming during the SAF-AFTRA strike. Additionally, Amazon's Rings of Power pushed through filming, but without its showrunners on set, per Variety and reportedly wrapped Season 2 right before the actors strike. 

Economic Toll Reported From Writers Strike

With the writers' strike going on for two months, the economic toll on Hollywood became evident, especially for small business owners who do everything from catering on film sets, florists, prop people, equipment rentals and costumers. Per the WGA (via the National Review) the strike may have cost the local economy $30 million a day. 

Actors Join Picket Line With SAG-AFTRA Strike

On June 27, over 300 actors including the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, Amy Schumer and more signed a letter to SAG-AFTRA sharing that they are “prepared to strike” if negotiations regarding their new film and TV contract are not met to their expectations after June 30 expiration. Depending on how things go, an upcoming actor strike could impact the WGA strike as actors band with writers on the picket line. The letter (via Deadline) said “this is not a moment to meet in the middle” as it pushed for the “change we need” and “protections we deserve.” 

Then on Friday, July 14 the SAG-AFTRA actors strike went into effect after the union’s own negotiations with movie studios did in fact not meet their expectations. With actors on the picket line too, even more productions were halted, which in solidarity with writers put more pressure on the industry to meet demands. With the SAG-AFTRA strike in effect, actors cannot promote their upcoming movies and series, one example being the Blue Beetle movie, which Xolo Maridueña spoke out about just before the strike. 

The WGA Strike Passes One Hundred Days Without A Deal 

As mentioned at the top of this article, the 2007-2008 WGA strike of its kind lasted 100 days before it concluded and writers put away their picket signs to get back to work. However, on August 9, the strike reached its 100th day without an end to the protest in sight. The milestone occurred just a few days after WGA reps met with studios without a deal. Per Deadline, studios were “willing to increase” its offers on a few writer-specific TV minimums along with having discussions that would factor in AI, but “did not indicate willingness to address screenwriter issues” and so forth on the union’s list of demands. 

Hollywood Strikes Change Major 2023 Movie Release Dates

With the summer season coming to a close and the WGA remaining on the picket line since May and SAG-AFTRA since mid-July, additional major ramifications then took place in Hollywood. Between July and August, some major fall 2023 movie releases were moved in addition to the fall TV season being shaken and tons of TV and movie productions at a halt. Among the big movies that moved out of 2023 are Sony’s Kraven the Hunter and the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel. Also, Dune: Part Two was pulled from the November calendar along with another Zendaya movie called Challengers. 

Between major 2024 releases like Deadpool 3, Gladiator 2, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and so forth not getting the opportunity to move through production, more changes to release date schedules for more movies and TV shows remain imminent. 

Drew Barrymore Gets In Hot Water Over Returning To Talk Show

The host of The Drew Barrymore Show made the decision her talk show would return on September 18 in compliance with WGA guidelines and without writers, and it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Barrymore made the choice to keep her staff at work and was backed by SAG-AFTRA to do so, however the WGA along with various writers and actors were not happy with her decision. Following the backlash, Barrymore decided to then pause the premiere until the strikes reach a conclusion. 

The WGA Reach An Agreement, Ending The 148-Day Writers Strike 

On September 24, it was announced that the WGA and the majors studios and streamers had agreed to a tentative agreement that would end the over four-month-long writers strike. Per Variety, the agreement was made between the WGA and the AMPTP after five days in a row of negotiations between the two parties. The WGA’s negotiating committee shared that they feel “this deal is exceptional” and includes “meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.” 

Then on September 26, it was reported that the WGA officially voted to conclude the strike after 148 days, taking effect on 12:01 am PT Wednesday. Per The Hollywood Reporter, 11,500 members have been officially authorized to return to work. 

Late Night Shows Could Be Among The First Shows To Return

In light of a tentative deal being reached, it was reported that late night shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers could be among the first shows to return in early October. Since they don’t star actors, the chat shows could see writers return to their jobs and the hosts perhaps interviewing non-actors like athletes, politicians, authors and musicians for example in the interim. Other productions like The Drew Barrymore Show and The Jennifer Hudson Show could also come back rather soon. 

SAG-AFTRA Strike And Impending Video Game Performers Strike Remain 

Even with a deal on the horizon for the WGA, that doesn’t mean it's the end of the road for movie studios and negotiations. The SAG-AFTRA strike remains in effect until studios can reach their own deal with the actors union. Additionally, now performers who work on video games are also raising their voices about their own rights as well and are prepared to strike as well, per Reuters. 

We’ll keep you updated here as the WGA writers strike hopefully concludes for real in the near future.