Minor spoilers for Season 4 of Ted Lasso are ahead! You can stream it with an Apple TV subscription and catch new episodes on Wednesdays.

When Ted Lasso returned to the 2026 TV schedule, the men’s team did not come back with it, but Roy Kent, the men’s head coach, did. Since I am a massive fan of Brett Goldstein and his gruff but lovable character, I was thrilled about this at first. However, I’ve quickly realized that I don’t love where his story is going, and it’s got me wondering: Why is Roy Kent still on this great Apple TV show?

Before You Yell At Me, I’m Mad About This Take, Because I Adore Roy Kent

Let me make one thing very clear: I love Roy Kent. In fact, this story was inspired by my love for him and Brett Goldstein’s Emmy-winning performance. For the first three seasons of Ted Lasso, I adored seeing the grumbly guy grow as a player and a coach. And I was here for his romance with Keeley, his sweet relationship with his nice Phoebe, and his bromance with Jamie Tartt.

By the end of Season 3, I was thrilled that he’d been promoted to head coach of Richmond’s men’s team. Then, once the show was confirmed for Season 4, I was looking forward to seeing how his story progressed, seeing as the first three seasons gave him such a wonderful arc that involved personal and professional growth.

However, now I’ve seen part of it, and I’m not so sure it was necessary.

If The Men’s Team Isn’t In Ted Lasso, Why Is Roy There?

Very early on, we learned that the men’s team from Ted Lasso wouldn’t be back. It became clear Phil Dunster wouldn’t return as Jamie, and we had to come to terms with not seeing characters like Danny and Sam. However, we did know that Brett Goldstein, who is also a writer and executive producer on the show, would be back as Roy Kent.

Now, to an extent, I get this. He runs the other team in the building; he’s there all the time, of course, Ted and co. would run into him every once in a while.

However, without the men’s team there, I don’t see a compelling reason for Roy to be in the show all the time. His work focuses fully on what the guys are doing, and that’s just not part of this season’s story. So, in short, I think it actually would have been more effective to make Goldstein a guest star instead of a regular, so the focus could really shift to the women’s team.

I Don’t Want Roy’s Story To Focus Mostly On His Relationship With Keeley

In Episode 2, which is the first episode we see Roy in, he has lots of scenes that have to do with the advancement of the women’s team and Beard going over to join Ted’s coaching staff.

However, the majority of his screen time also either involves Keeley or has an undercurrent that highlights their relationship. For example, seeing Roy unboobytrap the visitors’ locker room was funny; however, it also highlighted the tension that’s still there between him and Keeley.

While I ship these two, I DO NOT want their romance to be the central point of their stories. It won’t be for Keeley; she’s busy working to help the women’s team. However, with the men’s team essentially out of the picture, this relationship feels like the primary reason Roy Kent is in the show.

If he does not have more to do than that, why is he there? That’s a question I hate asking, but it’s one I think we need to ponder. While Ted, Beard, Higgins, Rebecca and Keeley (the other returning characters) play pivotal roles in the new team, Roy does not. He’s coaching the men (which is not relevant to the story), and he’s pining after Keeley. If there’s not more for him to do, I actually think the show could benefit from using him less. The last thing I want is a one-note story that’s shoe-horned in.

You can have too much of a good thing. And I fear that’s what we might have here. So, I hope that as Ted Lasso moves through Season 4, it finds a meaningful and soccer-related reason to keep Roy Kent. Otherwise, it might be time to bench him for a bit.

When I first heard Brad Pitt was returning as Cliff Booth in a 2026 release connected to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, my biggest question was about Quentin Tarantino. The filmmaker has spent years talking about stopping after 10 movies, so handing one of his characters and an entire script over to somebody else seemed pretty surprising. Apparently, the explanation involves Pitt, David Fincher and one extremely productive plane ride.

Speaking with Esquire, Pitt explained how The Adventures of Cliff Booth came back from the dead after Tarantino decided he did not want the project to become his final movie. He knew Tarantino had a finished script and started wondering whether his longtime collaborator Fincher might respond to it. He explained:

That is one heck of a way to get a movie made. Fincher and Pitt already have plenty of history together, having made Se7en, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. So the actor apparently had a pretty good idea of who might connect with Tarantino’s material once its original writer-director stepped away.

Tarantino has since explained why he was comfortable handing Cliff Booth over. He said directing another story set in the world of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood simply did not excite him enough to use as his final film. For that project, he wants to move into territory where he does not already know exactly what he is doing. He also gave some serious praise for his replacement, calling himself and Fincher the “two best directors” and saying the Zodiac helmer wanting to adapt his work showed how seriously the project was being treated.

Anyone worried that Tarantino reluctantly watched somebody else run off with Cliff Booth can probably relax. He wrote the screenplay, remains involved as a producer and personally gave the Oscar-winning actor permission to put it in Fincher’s hands.

Pitt also told the outlet he does not really view The Adventures of Cliff Booth as a sequel. He compared it to the episodic television Tarantino grew up watching, where the same character could wander into another adventure without requiring the previous story to continue directly.

That tracks with what we know so far about the Cliff Booth movie. Pitt is returning to the role that won him his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but Fincher is behind the camera, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton is not the center of this story. It sounds like Cliff simply has another strange chapter waiting for him.

We will get to see if Tarantino made the right choice handing the reins over to his character and script soon enough. The Adventures of Cliff Booth begins an exclusive IMAX run Nov. 25 before arriving on streaming for everyone with a Netflix plan on Dec. 23.

It's been over a year since The Conners aired its series finale on ABC, and DJ actor Michael Fishman is still dealing with comments related to the Roseanne Barr controversy. Yes, the one that got her original series cancelled, leading to the spinoff. He's been turning the cheek toward comments referencing the situation ever since, but recently decided to speak out.

The actor decided to highlight one comment in particular as he got into a long video on Instagram addressing the situation in full. Fishman said he's dealt with comments like this since the controversy first happened:

The comment references the event that led to Barr being booted from Roseanne, which started over on X. In a now-infamous post, Barr made comments about former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, a woman of both African American and Iranian descent, comparing her looks to The Planet of the Apes. The comments drew backlash, and stars like Wanda Sykes publicly announced they would not return to the series.

For those who may not remember, The Conners handled Roseanne's sudden exit by killing off the character, having her pass from an opioid overdose. Regardless, the narrative clearly never died down for Barr, nor apparently for the actor who played DJ on the sitcom.

After showing the comment in his video, Michael Fishman started the video with this:

Michael Fishman isn't entertaining the idea that what his former co-star said was taken out of context or was mischaracterized in any way. But he sounds tired of getting hassled on social media, and felt the need to speak out about it. To be clear, he's not defending the "joke" Roseanne Barr made that led to the original iteration of her show becoming The Conners.

Michael Fishman transitioned in the video to talk about nuance, and how the real lesson of this controversy was that "Good people can make mistakes." Fishman said that he loved and still loves Roseanne Barr, and has made peace with her making a mistake and saying something out of line.

Fishman has remained steadfast in his support of Roseanne Barr as a person, despite what people frequently say to him online. He's also pointed out the good the original series did in the past, especially when it came to LGBTQ+ representation. His full take can be viewed below.

Michael Fishman is not the only actor from The Conners to still openly show compassion toward Roseanne Barr despite her past controversies. John Goodman has admitted that he felt uncomfortable hearing people attack his former co-star and that he wished her well.

As for Roseanne Barr, she had a "surprising," neutral response when she heard The Conners was ending. It was a drastic change compared to the early years after the controversy, when she called out former cast members including Sara Gilbert, whom she felt had betrayed her. Time passes, and things have changed, and per Fishman, he'd really like to stop hearing about it on his social media.

Having taken in well over $1 billion at the global box office, Toy Story 5 is obviously one of the most popular movies of 2026, even if Christopher Nolan and Spider-Man were just as quick to join the billion-dollar club. And even though it only hit theaters in mid-June, Disney and Pixar are already set to give fans a chance to own the emotional and often hilarious sequel soon, and we now have our first look at a deleted scene involving Joan Cusack’s Jessie actually reuniting with her former owner Emily.

The scene as shared by EW isn’t fully finished, as the decision was seemingly made to chop it out before it made the sequence made it past the storyboarded animatic stage. It still plays out pretty much as it would have in the finished film, though, and I’m so glad that so many other fans basically shared the same takeaway that I had after watching.

Before getting into everyone else's reactions, however, check out the deleted scene below and form your own opinions before reading on.

Now, if Toy Story 5's biggest emotional moment wasn't already locked in place in that movie, then this deleted scene absolutely should have been used. But for my money, Jessie digging up the time capsule and learning that she's the namesake for her former owner's first daughter is such a good way for the character to reach full catharsis on her own, without other characters needed to get her there. (I mean, Bullseye and the real horse helped, but still.)

Co-writer Kenya Harris told CinemaBlend previously that reveal was a late-stage addition, and the deleted scene certainly explains why that emotional climax came into the story as late as it did. Saying the cut interaction between Jessie and Emily was instinctually a great way to go, Harris told EW that it became something of a litmus test for the emotional impact. In her words:

In a different story, perhaps Jessie touching base with Emily after all these years would have been the better move, but in a world where this version of Toy Story 5 exists, I think fans ended up with the best possible option. And plenty of other fans agree with that point, as indicated by some of the comments below:

• Would have been great but ultimately makes no sense because Jessie would end up leaving to go back. Which would be weird for the humans like where is this you I just found. - @DaDon_Dage
• Absolutely beautiful, but probably better that they didn’t use this. What they went with in the final version was already enough - @meeraaaay
• I actually think Jessie discovering that Emily named her daughter after her was more impactful. Its her learning that she matters after all despite going thru multiple owners - @geokonic
• Thank god this didn’t happen. I like living with the ignorant bliss that Emily COULD possibly be Andy’s grandmother. - @DTMPG1983
• As sweet as this is, I think what we got had much more of an impact. True, Jessie didn't get to directly reunite with Emily, but she knew with certainty just how much Emily loved her after feeling betrayed for so long. What we got gave Jessie more closure than this version could - @RavenStarMedia
• Sure it's a very nice scene, but if I found the same doll I gave away decades ago outside in the bushes I'd douse it with holy water, burn it & bury it, because what kind of voodoo witchcraft is that?! - @Mr_KyleD
• Good they cut this. An over-emphasis on Emily diminishes Jessie's relationship to Bonnie. I'm glad she just sees the photo, learns about the daughter, and moves on in the final version. - @tillie_thunders

To be fair, not every opinion shared was in agreement with my thoughts, and there were plenty of people who felt like it would have sent audiences into tearful tizzies had it been in the final cut. And they're probably right. But I don't so much agree with any comments that called the movie "boring" or "mid" and then said this one deleted scene's inclusion would have fixed such complaints. Those people can go hang out with Chelsea, Heidi and Kara.

Toy Story 5 will be available for purchase on digital platforms such as Apple, Prime Video and more starting on August 18. Those holding out to buy it on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD will have to wait until the physical copies hit stores on September 22. In the meantime, the first four movies can be streamed via Disney+ subscription.

John Hughes had an incredible knack for nailing what it felt like to be a teenager in the 1980s, and perhaps the pinnacle of his power came with 1985’s The Breakfast Club. The classic comedy, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription, helped define Generation X. It’s a movie that is endlessly quotable, and just about everyone in Gen X sees at least a part of themselves in the characters in it. I’m certainly no exception. I say “Excuse, will milk be made available?” all the time, for example.

Recently, one of the stars of the film, Anthony Michael Hall, revealed that Hughes had a sequel to the movie in mind, and I have to say, I wish we’d seen it happen.

A Sequel All Five As Grown-Ups

Recently, Hall, who played “the brain,” Brian, in The Breakfast Club, appeared on the Rich Eisen Show and talked about a conversation he had with Hughes a few years after the movie came out. Of the conversation, Hall said (via Deadline):

Yeah. I really love this idea, and I don’t always love the idea of sequels like this. Sometimes it's best to let successful dogs lie. However, as I head into middle age (a solid GenXer), I of course have a very different outlook on life than I did when I was 17, like the characters in the movie did. I would love to see how their lives turned out, because things are usually so different than you expect.

What Would Have Become Of Them?

Would Claire (Molly Ringwald) and Bender (Judd Nelson) still be together? How about Andrew (Emilio Estevez) and Allison (Ally Sheedy)? Did either romance even make it until Monday morning after their Saturday session, or did everyone go back to their previous spots in the high school hierarchy? The movie starts with a quote from David Bowie’s “Changes” that claims kids are smarter than adults think they are, but I don’t know. I was pretty stupid at that age. All kids are, honestly.

This sequel would be a further chance to explore just how meaningful the new friendships that formed on that Saturday in March, 1984. I would like to believe that they all stayed friends, and that the bonds held, but let’s be real, this is high school; things change by the hour at that age.

Still, I’ve been to plenty of class reunions since I graduated from high school, and I love seeing how people have grown and evolved (or not). I genuinely love seeing old friends, some of whom I might not have spoken to in years, and learning what they are up to and who they are as adults. In a way, Brian, Bender, Andrew, Allison, and Claire are my friends, too. I certainly watched them enough to feel a bond with them; I would have loved to have seen them at their 15th or 20th class reunion.

Of course, there is no way to know if the idea would have worked on screen, but a big part of me wishes we would’ve gotten the chance to see if, as Andrew asks, they are “just like their parents.”

Spoilers below for the third episode of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, so be warned if you haven't yet streamed it via HBO Max subscription.

When it comes to wacky AF sci-fi storytelling, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe may have a total lock on the 2026 TV schedule, at least for the moment. The HBO Max comedy’s weekly jaunts to alternate dimensions is the kind of concept that could theoretically last forever, assuming the creative team keeps finding ways to make it work. Such as having former Big Bang Theory stars appearing as wildly different and possibly demonic iterations of their beloved characters, and then killing (some of) them off.

But what are the chances TBBT’s superhero-loving lead character Sheldon Cooper will appear in a future episode? The actor himself made it seem very unlikely in a recent interview where he laid out the myriad stresses he faced doing sitcom work. To be fair, those sentiments echoed previous quotes where he denied interest in reprising the role, so it’s not like fans have been swimming in abject optimism. That said, Stuart's third episode did deliver a formal namecheck and update for what Sheldon is up to, and I kinda think it's a clever way of confirming that Parsons won't appear at all.

How Sheldon Was Referenced In Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Episode 3

The latest journey through time and space Stuart & Co. experienced took them to a magical realm where science was viewed as heretic behavior. At one point, after the characters met up with the all-knowing Alexa, not a smart home device, but rather a little snarky demon, which is where Melissa Rauch's Bernadette comes in.

More to the point of this story, when asked about Sheldon's current whereabouts, Alexa notes that the genius physicist is starring in a Broadway production of Man of La Mancha. On the surface, it's clearly a nod to Jim Parsons' real-life stage work, which he started to prioritize more after The Big Bang Theory wrapped. (He's currently starring in the comedy musical Titanique, which is in its final weeks on Broadway.) But is the musical that the writers chose a clue indicating Parsons continued absence for the rest of the season?

Why The Usage Of Man Of La Mancha Makes Me Think Sheldon Won't Appear (In Season 1 At Least)

If everybody has their tin foil hats strapped on and secured, we can start down this fairly low-key avenue of speculation. In the first place, Man of La Mancha is inspired by, and wouldn't exist without, Cervantes' Don Quixote, but the musical isn't technically based on it. One can loosely apply that to Stuart itself, which is a sequel to Big Bang Theory that doesn't logistically follow up on most of that show's storylines, but obviously wouldn't be a show otherwise.

As well, I think it's worth pointing directly at the idea of "tilting at windmills" as a thematic metaphor for engaging in pointless efforts. (And not a more literal reading about fighting invisible enemies.) In this case, I pose that "pointless effort = asking Jim Parsons to return."

For a third thing, the biggest song to come out of the musical — which has been covered by everyone from The Temptations to The MIghty Mighty Bosstones to John Cleese on The Muppet Show — is "The Impossible Dream," which also feels like a finger-on-the-nose reference to what it's like to try and get Jim Parsons back as Sheldon.

It's probably a step too far to bring up Terry Gilliam's long-thwarted attempts to turn Don Quixote into a movie, and his disastrous efforts were turned into the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha. But I'm still letting it float out there.

To be sure, there are probably other deeper-cut references that could be used to make this argument. And on the flip side, there are probably points to make that debunk my take here. But this is all for Shelds and giggles, so I'm obviously not taking things too seriously.

In the end, I just think Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn could have used any number of popular musicals to make their point that WOULDN'T make me automatically think that there are subtextual clues about Jim Parsons' Sheldon not showing up in Season 1. Of course, if he eventually does appear later in the season, you can find me out in the fields, swinging my sword at a bunch of wind-producing giants.

In the meantime, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is dropping new episodes on HBO Max on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET.

After more than two decades of insane stunts and silly antics, Jackass: Best and Last is putting a period on the Jackass franchise. Best and Last, a sort of greatest-hits/b-sides/retrospective/new-content hybrid, is now available for purchase with a Prime account (and everywhere else online) after hitting theaters earlier this year on the 2026 movie schedule.

One of the biggest stars to emerge from the franchise, of course, is Steve-O. I had a chance to talk to the now-legendary stunt performer about the movie and the franchise's future, but I also needed to ask him about some of my favorite moments over the years. One answer he gave me about why he does what he does was surprising. He doesn’t like to think of himself as a daredevil. He’s something else entirely.

He Doesn't Do It For The Rush

Along with Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O is the most notorious for doing the craziest things in the Jackass universe. He’s famously stapled body parts together, pole vaulted into disgusting water, snorted wasabi, and been launched into the air in a portapotty filled with poop. His stunts are not for the faint of heart. According to Steve-O, though, he doesn’t do it for the thrill or the adrenaline rush; he does it because he loves the reactions the stunts get. Here’s what he told me about it:

He explained that there is a real difference between the two. While Knoxville is all too willing to stand in front of bulls and get knocked out by Butterbean, Steve-O doesn’t want to do anything that could get him permanently injured, so that means he goes for the stuff that grosses people out. It’s safer. He says:

Of course, there is a twisted logic to that, and honestly, one that I totally understand. I don’t like roller coasters, either. I don’t want to snort wasabi, either, but I'd rather do that than get shot wearing a Kevlar vest like Knoxville.

So, while the Jackass franchise is officially over, it’s safe to assume that fans of the series (including me) will get to see plenty more of Steve-O in the future, because he still loves getting attention. That’ll never go away.

John Candy had a gift of making everyone laugh. And no one has ever forgotten his legacy even decades after his passing. So when the documentary John Candy: I Like Me came out last year, I knew I was in for an emotional rollercoaster. And it’s one of the most moving tributes you’ll find. But I didn’t expect to see how hurt he is in some of his interviews from journalists who would ask him about his weight. More surprisingly, those journalists later reached back out.

His wife Rosemary and their children, Chris and Jennifer, revealed to the L.A. Times they wanted a real story of his life instead of a “too nice” version of it. It was important to them to show his struggles, his grief over losing his father, the pressures of Hollywood, and his chronic anxiety. I completely understand that even being prepared for the emotional weight, how seeing him "endure thoughtless interview questions," such as “Don’t you think that everyone loves a fat man? Why?” would hit hard:

• ROSEMARY CANDY: You see some of those interviews and you hold your breath. You can see how hurt he is by them.
• CHRIS CANDY: I had never seen some of those, and their inclusion was probably the most effective part of the movie for me.

This is part of the honesty and realness of the documentary that has made it so impactful. And there couldn’t have been a more perfect team-up to pull it off. It was produced by Ryan Reynolds who has peppered references to the actor throughout Deadpool. Once you know they’re there, you can’t unsee them. And the family selected Hanks through the connection Candy had with his father Tom Hanks. The two starred together in Splash (1984), which is one of his most underrated roles that will forever be my favorite of his.

This made the documentary a labor of love, with interviews and stories from those that knew Candy best. But the most emotional part to me is that it gave a chance for his family to “tell things [their] way.” Perhaps reliving these real moments, even the sad ones, had a deeper impact than anyone could have predicted. The same journalists who asked those questions later sent apology letters at the time of the documentary. His daughter reveals what she thinks is the reason why:

Word of warning, this is one of the many reasons the documentary will hit you in the feels. And if you haven’t watched it yet, you are missing out. But it can still be watched with an Amazon Prime subscription. Though it’s not all sad, there are some joyful stories as well, from many who worked alongside him in fan-favorite movies. From Eugene Levy to Macaulay Culkin, you’ll hear stories that’ll make you laugh as well as cry.

I especially loved hearing stories about him that many (I know I hadn’t) haven’t heard before. One standout to me was Bill Murray’s story about Candy “milking it” during a Stripes (1981) scene that drove director Sydney Pollack insane. Of course, this was told in the most classic Murray way. But everything included felt genuine and real, giving you a sense of why he was beloved and who he was as a person, not just the actor.

Definitely go watch the documentary, and maybe bring a box of tissues.

With the long-awaited 18th season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia hitting the 2026 TV schedule soon (with a most disgusting premiere episode for ol’ Frank), the always magnificent Kaitlin Olson is due to be back on the small screen posthaste. But for High Potential fans looking to imbibe on Morgan Gillory’s signature combination of smarts and snarks, Sweet Dee may not bring the ideal vibe. Thankfully, Olson herself dropped a well-timed update on viewers.

Taking to Instagram, Olson revealed to her followers and the High Potential fandom at large that we are back in business for Season 3, with production kicking off today for the next batch of episodes. And it's not only Olson's Morgan on display, but also the fantastically dressed Barbie doll that the actress first showed off when Season 2 wrapped. Check it out!

I don't know about you, but I feel like dancing now. Even without any music...or rhythm...or dance skills. Okay I guess I really just feel like celebrating in a physical manner that may only resemble dancing for short bursts.

And I'm absolutely not alone in the celebratory boat, as there are tons of fans who have chimed in jubilantly, and some of the reactions are hilariously intense and over the top. The amount of exclamation points and uses of "We are so back" is intimidating, as are the amount of times fans referred to Morgan and/or Kaitlin as some form of "mother." And of course there were some It's Always Sunny references to be made (as well as comments form some of the FX comedy's stars, but we'll get to that shortly).

Here's a medium-sized dose of the extreme excitement, pomp and circumstance populating that post's comment section:

• MOTHER MORGAN IS BACK !!!!!!!!! - @irsyadxv
• I love the Morgan Barbie doll making a cameo in this picture. Haha. - @hercreativevibes
• the amazing fits are back omg - @milenacurino
• OMGGGGGG I AM SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS / okay my lord i lied I AM SO NOT NORMAL ABOUT THIS, IM SUPERRRRR EXCITED - @gillorylapd
• screaming shaking throwing up - @beckettsgillory
• 🔥yay mama is back❤️❤️❤️❤️ - @coreydetres
• so excited!! happy day 1!!! and absolutely LOVE the mini morgan 🤩❤️ - @highpotentialgals
• what kind of bird is this? - @bigbri64
• My Queen is ready!😍🔥 - @wavess_ii
• I will slide u one whole dollar if you can give us a pic of you and daniel next - @morgankaradecs
• MOTHERR!! THE OUTFIT NEVER DISAPPOINTS - @r_prob14
• Steve Howey, you better be back cause if you die, we’re all gonna be super pissed. - @_.valerieee.__

I do like the idea of that last comment being directed straight at Steve Howey, and not High Potential's new showrunners, as if he'd have the absolute last say on what happens with his character Nick Wagner. (I mean, he might have some sway, don't get me wrong.) I also appreciate trying to bribe her into providing some Morgan and Karadec visuals, although I'd have probably offered a buck fifty.

And now for a few above-the-line comments, including one from Kaitlin Olson's hubby and co-star Rob Mac, who sparked his own subset of freaked-out reactions from fans who maybe aren't all about seeing one of their favorite celeb couples get flirtatious.

• ROB MAC: Hello you hiding little hellcat🔥
• HIGH POTENTIAL ABC: So exciting! 🎉
• HULU: the best 👏
• MARY ELIZABETH ELLIS: She’s works hard for the money!! So hard for it honey. And so grateful she does. Happy season 3!!

One of the comments under Rob Mac's pointed out that she's a bird, not a hellcat, and I just love these people.

Last but not least, here's an amusing counterpoint to the abundance of hype elsewhere in the comments: the commenter who appears to be excited about the post, but clearly missed the point.

• Will there be a third season? - @_dayanasagitova_
  • yes next year. That's why they started filming the new season this month. - @joeypadron

Gotta love the Internet!

What I don't gotta love, however, is the fact that High Potential Season 3 isn't kicking off until ABC's midseason schedule starts up in 2027. But at least we know everyone is already back at work for it, so there won't be any further delays down the line. In the meantime, don't forget about It's Always Sunny Season 18 debuting on August 16!

Recently, Lea Thompson was shown a few of her interviews from back in the day when she was promoting Back to the Future, which was released in theaters in the summer of 1985 (and you can watch now with a Starz Bundle attached to your Prime subscription). Her reaction is wonderful, and she gets into what it was like when the now-iconic movie was released in a way I’d never realized before. Remember, the production of Back to the Future was pretty messy. Michael J. Fox replaced Eric Stoltz deep into filming, and they famously completely reworked the ending. Seeing Thompson look back on it now, more than 40 years later, really crystallized how it must have felt for all involved when the movie was finally released.

The Movie Has Proved Very Enduring

In a conversation with ET, Thompson was first shown a clip of an interview she did way back when Back to the Future was released about trying to relate to people in the 1950s. That’s an interesting question, because it’s not dissimilar to how many younger people might feel about the 1980s today. Of course, the movie remains popular with people of all ages well into the 21st Century. After giggling at herself and a scene from the movie, she explains that no one had any clue just how culturally relevant the movie would remain decades later. Thompson says:

She goes on to remark on something I think anyone with kids will understand, adding:

Ultimately, Thompson nails exactly what I think it the reason it’s still so relevant today. Whether its the 1950s or the 1980s or the 2010s, we all wonder about eras that came before our time and often don’t realize that people in the ‘50s and the ‘80s might have been culturally different, emotions are the same. People don’t change that much. We wear different clothes and have slightly different attitudes, but we all wonder what our parents were really like as teenagers. We all wonder how their upbringing was different than ours, or even different from how they remember it.

There are many things that make Back to the Future timeless (pun intended), and Thompson really has her finger on the pulse of that. Not to bad for a movie that must have seemed doomed on the set as so many things were seemingly going wrong (like a complete re-casting). Instead, what came out of the chaos is a masterpiece from Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Lea Thompson, Michael J. Fox and everyone else involved.

The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey may be one of the best movies of the 1990s, but it hasn’t lost its relevance in the world of AI and social media. I’ll never forget seeing that perfect ending in theaters, when Truman steps through the door, leaving his sheltered, scripted life behind for the unknown. It was thrilling to not see what happened next, but that hasn’t stopped people from debating it for nearly 30 years. So what do fans think — was The Truman Show’s ending happy or sad?

Fan Argues Truman’s Ending Is Actually Quite Depressing

The topic came up on Reddit recently, when Big_Emotion4963 argued that despite the film painting the conclusion as Truman finally gaining his freedom, if you thought about what came next for Jim Carrey’s character, the ending was really quite depressing. They wrote:

Other fans agreed that there’s no way Truman would ever be able to trust anyone again. Redditor Blurgas theorized that the unwitting reality TV star would face a bevy of psychological issues, saying:

Not only that, but social media user ravih points out that the world Truman stepped into was one that knew him as a huge celebrity. He may be technically off-camera, but he’d never be able to live the anonymous life he wanted. They wrote:

However, others pointed out how many of The Truman Show’s iconic moments proved that Truman’s freedom was the only happy ending we could have asked for.

Others Think The Truman Show’s Ending Is Actually Good For Truman

Nobody’s arguing that Truman Burbank is going to face challenges in the real world, but plenty of people said with the alternative being that he stayed in captivity, there really wasn’t a better option. Redditor Seagoon_Memoirs pointed out Jim Carrey’s character wasn’t alone, either, writing:

LupinThe8th agreed with that, listing the multiple forms of abuse the titular character endured as the star of the in-movie reality show as reasons that Truman’s ending was the right one, regardless of the new issues he would encounter:

As geoffgeofferson447 put it:

The fact that the ending can still be discussed to this degree decades after it first came out proves why it’s considered one of Jim Carrey’s best movies.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stuart Fails To Save The Universe episode "Spoiler Alert: Bert is Magic." Stream the episode with an HBO Max subscription and read at your own risk!

Stuart Fails To Save The Universe had another great episode and brought back a wonderful guest star from The Big Bang Theory days. Wil Wheaton appeared as an enforcer for the Magic Guild, and while his time was short-lived, it now has me eager for him to return for a potential Star Trek crossover.

Wheaton is one of Star Trek's biggest cheerleaders, and I almost wonder if he's already pitched the franchise crossing over with the new HBO Max series. In any case, this latest episode on the 2026 TV schedule has me hoping we'll get a crossover, and it would be easier to do than you might think.

Wil Wheaton Could Totally Appear As Wesley Crusher In Stuart Fails To Save The Universe

Seeing Wil Wheaton blast magic out from his fingers had me thinking about how Wesley Crusher joined the Travelers in Star Trek, and how Wesley could totally land in Stuart Bloom's universe. Travelers are not bound by the traditional laws of time and space, as we saw a ton when the character was featured in the animated series Prodigy.

Stuart Bloom is a comic book guy, but he generally seems to be an expert on all things that are nerdy in pop culture. No doubt he'd recognize the value someone like Wesley Crusher could bring to his quest to save the universe, provided he could get over the obvious paradox of Star Trek being a fictional franchise in his universe.

Outside the show's universe, it's no secret that Warner Bros. Discovery is in the midst of a merger with Paramount Skydance. With Paramount being the one with the rights to the Trek franchise, it feels like it would be easy, maybe even preferred, if Stuart Fails To Save The Universe gave the storied sci-fi franchise a rub.

The TBBT Franchise Has Long Referenced Star Trek, So A Crossover Would Be Amazing

Wil Wheaton appearing as himself on The Big Bang Theory shows just how much Star Trek DNA is in the franchise. Sheldon Cooper regularly viewed Spock as his hero, rightfully so as one of Trek's best characters.

To have Stuart and friends step aboard the Enterprise or any other revered ship of Star Trek, it'd be a huge moment for the franchise. Plus, given the Star Trek alumni who have appeared on TBBT over the years, it could make for reunions that wouldn't otherwise happen on a traditional Trek show.

Whether it'll happen, we'll just have to wait and see. It certainly seems possible within the premise of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, in which the team gets caught up in just about every situation imaginable. This includes some scenes from the trailer which appear to show Stuart trapped in The Matrix, and battling Mr. Freeze from Batman.

Until that Star Trek crossover comes, I'll continue to enjoy Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, which streams new episodes on HBO Max on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. This season is off to a great start, so I'm eager to see where else Season 1 leads.

Nancy Cartwright is well-known as the voice behind Bart Simpson on The Simpsons, but I had no idea she was also responsible for one of his biggest catchphrases. While the eldest Simpson child doesn't say "Eat my shorts" quite so often these days, it got a ton of use back in the day and was all over merchandise thanks to a completely improvised line.

As we wait for The Simpsons to return to the 2026 TV schedule and for more updates on the next movie, Cartwright was a guest on Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum and shared that she was partly responsible for "Eat my shorts" becoming part of Bart's vocabulary. The story behind it dates back to her high school days when she was in marching band. She said:

I do find it somewhat ironic that this story starts with a high school marching band, something I would imagine Bart would never be a part of. I can imagine Lisa would be hyped about the idea of a big brass marching band of two hundred people, however, given that one of her best episodes centered around the saxophone.

Nancy Cartwright continued the story after a brief rant about how wild it was to have that many people playing brass. It was here we learned how "Eat my shorts" was involved, and started down a path to being an iconic phrase:

The rest of the world was oblivious to it, but magic was created that day. It seems like Nancy Cartwright didn't come up with the phrase entirely on her own, but there's no denying she made it iconic.

Long before teenage boys would freak out upon meeting her, Cartwright was doing a table read for Bart. She decided to take a chance, and it turned into one of the most iconic phrases in the genre of animated series:

"Eat my shorts" became a huge merchandising gimmick in the early days of The Simpsons, and a common phrase associated with the show. It became such a hit that the show had to move away from it, with it only being used in a more ironic or referential way in later seasons. Still, I would wager if anyone said that catchphrase, most would attribute it to Bart Simpson.

Who knows, maybe enough change will happen with The Simpsons that the catchphrases will make a comeback. Hell, the show itself has outlasted a lot of other trends and fads that I fully expect it'll experience another peak during its run, however long that may be.

The Simpsons premieres its new season on Fox on September 27th. Tune in to see one of America's favorite families get into more hijinks, and maybe laugh a little as well.

If you’re like me and grew up in the 1980s, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen Sixteen Candles a few times (or a few hundred times). For me, it was one of those great ‘80s movies that I can still watch over and over, even if I fully acknowledge that there are a lot of problematic moments in the movie. That has been discussed a lot, but what I never knew until just recently is what happened to Michael Schoeffling, the actor who played Sam’s crush, Jake Ryan. It turns out he simply didn’t like being famous and has instead opted for a quieter life in rural Pennsylvania.

By 1991, He Was Out Of Hollywood

In the mid-’80s, Schoeffling, who turned 65 last year, was a very in-demand actor and budding star. In addition to Sixteen Candles, he starred in a few well-received movies that any Gen Xer could quickly identify. He followed up the 1984 John Hughes movie with a starring role in 1985’s Vision Quest, alongside Linda Fiorentino and Matthew Modine. Then, after a few box office misses, he starred in 1990’s Mermaids and 1991’s Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. And then…that’s it. There isn’t another movie or TV show on his resume.

A breakout star in the ‘80s was completely done by the very early ‘90s. Other actors who had their breakouts in Sixteen Candles, like Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and John Cusack, are still acting today, but Schoeffling completely disappeared from the scene. This wasn’t because he was no longer in-demand, nor was it because of any personal issues that have derailed many a career over the years. He simply wanted to live a quieter life, outside of the hot lights and attention of Hollywood.

Schoeffling Is A Woodworker And Carpenter

There are no salacious tabloid stories of booze and pills or anything like that with Schoeffling. He’s never been in legal trouble (as far as I can tell). He wasn’t blackballed for being a pain in the ass on set. He wasn’t a bad actor who outgrew his good looks. Instead, he decided that Hollywood and the film industry weren’t for him and he retired from business, left Los Angeles and settled in a small town in Pennsylvania where he could just be a regular guy. You have to respect that.

There isn’t a lot out there about his life in his hometown of Newfoundland, PA, and that is by design. He hasn’t given an interview since leaving the business, but his wife of almost 40 years, Valerie Robinson, herself a model in the 1980s, told People (via Us Magazine) in 2014 that he is “very happy,” but “He’s very reclusive and private.” According to a report in Hello! earlier this year, he has a woodworking business building custom furniture. He and Robinson have two kids, including Scarlett Schoeffling, who is in show business, working as a model and actor these days.

Part of me wants to dig a little deeper into Schoeffling’s life after Hollywood and maybe find some of his custom furniture, but an even bigger part wants to respect his wishes to be private, so I’ll leave well enough alone. In the meantime, I just found out I can stream Sixteen Candles, still one of the best high school movies ever, with my YouTube TV subscription, so I know what I’m doing tonight.

I’m a huge fan of The Blues Brothers. It’s one of those movies I’ve watched over and over, and I consider a total “remote dropper," as in, I drop the remote if I see that it’s on and watch ‘til the end. I love the humor, the characters, the amazing car chases, and above all, I love the music performances. With legends like James Brown, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, and, of course, the legendary Blues Brothers band, you really can’t go wrong. That’s what has always made the scene in the diner with Aretha Franklin so strange. In my head, I’ve always blamed the filmmakers, but it turns out it was Franklin’s fault that the audio track feels off.

The Audio In The Scene Doesn’t Match Her Lips

When Joliet Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) are out trying to get the band together to complete their mission from God, they find themselves in a diner where Matt “Guitar” Murphy and “Blue” Lou (Lou Marini) work. In the movie, Murphy is married to a character played by Franklin, and she gives one of the best musical performances in the movie with her song “Think,” as Murphy is deciding whether or not to hit the road again with Jake and Elwood.

I love the song and the scene in the movie. From The Blues Brothers (who, according to Franklin, are dressed like two Hasidic diamond merchants or like they are from the CIA or something) ordering dry, white toast and four whole fried chickens (and a Coke) to the performance itself, it’s a scene I always look forward to. However, it’s always been a little off-putting because of the mismatched audio. That’s because Aretha Franklin simply couldn’t lip-sync her own song. That’s actually a good thing, even if it makes for a strange moment in the movie.

In the bonus features on The Blues Brothers DVD, director John Landis explains what was going on. He says:

The editor of the movie, George Folsey, added that the musical numbers were tough, though he specifically added that he wasn’t going to mention any names. I think it’s clear who he was talking about.

All that said, while it does take me out of the movie when I see the mismatched audio, now that I understand why, it’s not going to bother me anymore. As a big Aretha Franklin fan, she is allowed to do whatever she wants, and if she can’t lip-sync her own songs, well, good. That’s why she’s a legend and one of the most important (and best) voices of the 20th Century. She’s a perfect addition to one of the most quotable comedies of the 1980s and one of the best music movies of all time.

Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of my favorite romantic comedies, and that wouldn’t be the case without the sparks that fly between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. The 2011 movie began a fruitful collaboration between the pair that continued in La La Land and even a recent Oscars performance. But how did it begin? I just found out, and it’s an adorable story.

Apparently the directors had already cast Gosling, and they were looking for his match. They were very interested in Stone from the jump. But it was “really difficult” to get an audition from her at the time because she was living in New York. Once she did have the time, here’s how the story goes, per co-director Glenn Ficarra:

Crazy, Stupid, Love just passed its 15th anniversary last week on July 29. In celebration of this, its directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa looked back with People. When many of the other actresses were put with Ryan Gosling during the chemistry test, they’d be intimidated by him. However, Stone was different. As Ficarra continued:

Hey, sometimes the best way to flirt is to not be afraid to poke fun at the other. And the directors noticed a beat where Emma Stone naturally did just that. It happened during her audition, and they knew right then and there she was the movie’s Hannah to Gosling’s Jacob. And that’s on top of Gosling, of course, having amazing comedic chemistry with the movie's lead, Steve Carell’s Cal.

The most memorable Crazy, Stupid, Love scene between Gosling and Stone definitely has to be the scene where Hannah decides to find Jacob and kiss him in the middle of a bar. It happens directly after she has an awkward moment with her boyfriend (played by Josh Groban). They go back to Jacob’s place and proceed to have a particularly romantic date that includes them recreating the lift from Dirty Dancing. The pair are so much fun to watch together and are so believable as a couple on screen.

After starring in Crazy, Stupid, Love together, the duo went on to do two more movies together. They were in the 2013 period action film Gangster Squad. Then, they were in the Oscar-winning film La La Land, for which Stone won her first Best Actress Academy Award. However, their first project together remains one of the best Ryan Gosling movies and Emma Stone films.

You can revisit Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love right now with an HBO Max subscription.

The current King of Action TV, Reacher’s Alan Ritchson, teamed up with the king of action movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger, for an upcoming holiday movie that sounds like it could be a Christmas delight for fans. As it turns out, Ritchson also came away from the project with a personal gift of his own, as he got a lesson in appreciating fame and perspectives from the Hollywood icon.

In the upcoming 2026 release The Man with the Bag, Schwarzenegger’s take on Santa Claus has to seek out the help of a small-time crook, Ritchson’s character Vince, to aid in his mission to retrieve a stolen sack of presents. And when it drops in December, it’ll be his fourth starring role in a 2026 feature (after War Machine, Runner and Motor City), and it’ll arrive after both the fourth season of Reacher and the first season of Neagley, which he guest-stars in. Needless to say, he’s everywhere.

As it turns out, working with a mega-celebrity like Arnold Schwarzenegger helped Ritchson gain a more rounded point-of-view about his own popularity, which he addressed during his appearance on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (via YouTube). He addressed his increasing discomfort with being famous, saying:

Ritchson the pointed out how his family has also become more disdainful about how familiar he now is to the population at large, and how it causes constant disruptions when they go out to dinner or anywhere else. The struggle for him is balancing that time, as his wife would prefer him to shut off the fan-behooving part of his personality during family togetherness, but he understands that fans naturally don't get how stressful and constant the interruptions can be.

But while those situations can be stressful for Ritchson, who says it's a constant struggle to worry about who he might disappoint on any given day, he pointed to Schwarzenegger being at a point where he just eats it up and gives in to the public's desires more often than not. The actor gave a specific example, saying:

Alan Ritchson pointed out that he understands he may never be at the level of fame that Schwarzenegger has amassed over the years, and the Terminator star can still take the time to be so openly accepting to all of his fans. That had an inspiring effect on Ritchson, who said he pointed out his perspective shift to his wife, and how his co-star inspired a new kind of appreciation.

The next few years may very well push Ritchson's fame beyond the threshold for mega-stardom. For one, he's got an overall deal with Amazon MGM to produce and star in new TV projects, and two, he recently signed a feature production deal with Netflix. Not to mention he admitted he’s in talks with James Gunn for a DCU role, though apparently not Batman. So even as famous as he currently is, the sky is still the limit as far as where he's going next.

As far as his upcoming Schwarzenegger collab, The Man with the Bag is directed by Adam Shankman, from a script written by Allan Rice, and also stars Awkwafina, Kyle Mooney, Ken Jeong, Jane Krakowski, Liza Koshy and Michael Cyril Creighton. It’s set to make its streaming debut (via Amazon Prime subscription) on December 2, 2026.

Spoilers ahead for The Drama.

Zendaya has had a big year in movies in 2026, including the recent release of both The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But she had another big movie earlier this year with Kristoffer Borgli's The Drama. I finally was able to stream the project with my HBO Max subscription, and while the movie's big twist packed an emotional punch, I was shocked by how much I laughed throughout its 105-minute runtime.

The Drama got a big reaction from critics, largely thanks to its subject matter. The movie's titular drama comes just days before the wedding of Charlie and Emma, played by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, respectively. At the final tasting of the menu, Emma reveals that she planned a failed school shooting as a young person, to the horror of her fiancé and the maid and man of honor. Gun violence is a sensitive subject, so I didn't expect so many comedic beats to crack me up.

Despite The Subject Matter, The Drama Brings The Laughs

The trailers for The Drama guarded the movie's twist, and I was lucky enough to stream it without the reveal of Emma's secret getting spoiled. I was truly shocked when she revealed the worst thing she'd ever done: planning a school shooting that (thankfully) never happened. There was plenty of disturbing content about her fascination with guns as a young person, but this revelation also served as fodder for a number of hilarious moments as Charlie struggled with the truth just days before their wedding.

Case in point: the scene where the couple meets with their wedding photographer Frances, played by Succession star Zoë Winters. The couple is struggling with Emma's revelation, and are (understandably) triggered when she keeps talking about how she'll "shoot" various members of their families during the nuptials. Zendaya is shown hilariously chugging water, followed by the most delightfully cringeworthy photo shoot ever committed to film.

Some other funny scenes include a montage of Zendaya's laugh, as well as the passive-aggressive speech that maid of honor Rachel (Alan Haim) makes during the wedding, where she not-so-subtly criticizes the bride and groom's character. I also got a kick out of how young Emma kept appearing to Charlie, changing the way he saw their entire relationship.

Gun violence is a terrifying subject for so many of us, and while The Drama was billed as a dark comedy, I didn't expect to laugh so much after learning the big twist. In some ways, it's what makes the movie so remarkable; this serious subject brings both high-stakes drama and comedy. And that's why the film is ultimately one of my favorites of the year.

The Drama is streaming now on HBO Max as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to see if folks agree with me, and if it manages to get any attention during Awards Season.

The late John Hughes made some of the most important films of the 1980s for almost everyone who grew up in that decade, including me. There was a time when I was a teenager that I must have watched The Breakfast Club every weekend for a year, and while David Bowie’s music doesn’t appear in The Breakfast Club, a quote from his song “Changes” introduces the film. I always assumed it was Hughes, who wrote and directed the film, who was responsible for including it. I was wrong. It was actor Ally Sheedy who gave him the idea to use it.

There are a lot of reasons why Hughes’ movies resonated with me and continue to resonate with Gen Xers all these years later, and one big one is the music he used in his movies. Not only did he pick great songs from current artists, like Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” in The Breakfast Club, but he also had a knack for great needle drops from older artists, like “Young Americans” by Bowie in Sixteen Candles. I just always assumed it was Hughes who was inspired by the quote from another Bowie song and included it on a title card in the beginning.

It turns out that it was the actor who played Allison in the movie, Ally Sheedy, who came up with the quote. In a behind-the-scenes special on The Breakfast Club Special Edition DVD, Sheedy explains what happened:

Hughes might have reacted at the time, but that doesn't mean he forgot the interaction. She goes on to explain how cool it was to see the movie for the first time, with the quote at the beginning:

It’s easy to see from the quote why both Sheedy and Hughes latched onto it; it’s pretty much a perfect encapsulation of what the movie is trying to say about being a teenager:

That is exactly what Hughes was trying to say, said in just one verse of one of the most celebrated Bowie songs of all time.

There have been very few filmmakers who have tapped into the real emotions of teenagers the way Hughes did, and I have to think that a lot of that came from him talking to his young actors and listening to what they were saying, as they were the teenagers (or 20-somethings) who were going through those emotions for real.

The Breakfast Club, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription (without the DVD extras), continues to get quoted often by people my age, as does Bowie. This was the perfect combination for us.

Learning the origin stories about Saturday Night Live's biggest icons always brings me immense joy. Case in point, Jason Sudeikis just shared an amazing tale about the wild SNL sketch that ultimately got him promoted from writer to full-time cast member.

Sudeikis joined SNL as a writer in 2003 and was on the writing staff until 2005. He officially became part of the cast toward the end of Season 30 in 2005, and stayed on it for eight years. It’s hard to imagine SNL without him in the cast. So, what was the driving force that bumped him up from writer to performer? The actor shared on the Today Show that a sketch he had written for Tom Brady in Season 30 sealed the deal:

The sketch in question happened during Brady’s one and only time hosting SNL in April 2005. It was called “Behind the Music: The Super Bowl Shuffle,” and it saw various Chicago Bears players, portrayed by Brady and other cast members, recalling “The Super Bowl Shuffle” phenomenon.

Sudeikis was playing Kevin Butler and dancing around in the sketch, and I’m not surprised that he got the most laughs because it is pretty hilarious. In fact, the Ted Lasso star did so well in the sketch that by the time Saturday Night Live returned from its brief hiatus, he had a new job:

A handful of writers on SNL have been bumped up to the cast, so it’s not at all surprising that the same thing happened with Sudeikis after this sketch aired. It’s just crazy to think that in the two weeks that SNL was on break after this moment, the comedian’s life changed, and this update led to a job that he ended up holding for close to a decade.

When it comes to what wound up being a long tenure on SNL, the We're the Millers star has opened up about what working with Tina Fey and co. taught him, admitting he was just trying to keep up after getting the job he never thought he’d get. And the one important lesson he learned was to pay attention to the people who carve the path slightly ahead of you, which is certainly inspiring.

Knowing Jason Sudeikis’ SNL origins makes me want him to return to Studio 8H now. While the series is on break for a little bit longer, now that Ted Lasso’s highly-anticipated fourth season has officially premiered on the 2026 TV schedule, perhaps he could do some promo for it when SNL returns. He’s only hosted once since leaving the cast, and that was in 2021. So another hosting gig is definitely needed.

However, while we wait for that, fans can go back and see the Season 30 sketch that made Sudeikis an SNL star with a Peacock subscription.

Every streaming service has its own hit shows, and those with an Apple TV subscription know that Ted Lasso is one such title. Arguably one of the best Apple shows to watch, fans were delighted when it was revealed that the Emmy-winning comedy would be back for Season 4 after all. The season premiere arrived this week, and it made me realize how much I missed one character in particular. And no, it wasn't Jason Sudeikis' Ted.

Critical response to Ted Lasso Season 4 has been mixed, but fans like me were thrilled to see the gang back on our screens. I settled right back into the feel-good comedy series, and the actors seemed to easily transform back into their signature characters. But one took the cake in Episode 1: Juno Temple's Keeley Jones.

Is Keeley Actually My Favorite Character?

Keeley has always been a delightful part of Ted Lasso's alchemy, but she really brought both the laughs and heart in the first episode of Season 4. First and foremost, it was great to see Keeley's friendship with Rebecca back on our screens. Whether they were walking down the streets of Kansas City holding hands or shopping together, this continues to be one of the best examples of friendship on television.

I also loved how much Keeley was invested in the Kansas City Current game. We know that Season 4 will follow Ted as he coaches a women's football team, and you could see Juno Temple's character being inspired right before our eyes. Seriously, she's a gem, and now I cannot wait to see how Keeley impacts the formation of AFC Richmond's new team.

My favorite Keeley moment happened towards the end of the episode, where she, Rebecca, and Higgins are getting on the plane home. She gives Ted a big hug and tells him it's a "see you later hug" because "my goodbye hugs last for days." She had the most tender moment of the group with Jason Sudeikis' title character, and proved how essential she is to the show's uniquely heartening tone.

Now, I'm really looking forward to seeing how her story progresses once they're back in England. What role will she play on the team? How will she help the women's team thrive? And how will her dynamics with characters like Rebecca, Ted and Higgins evolve?

Of course, fans are curious about what's going on with Keeley's love life, and if she's dating Roy Kent or Jamie Tartt. But even without that knowledge, the Season 4 premiere reminded me how much I adore Juno Temple's character.

Ted Lasso airs new episodes Wednesdays as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Hopefully my girl Keeley gets plenty of screen time in the coming episodes.

Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons movie wasn’t a box office win, but it was a blast of a movie from its talented filmmakers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. Three years later, their latest movie is here, and according to them, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds had a lot to do with getting it off the ground.

CinemaBlend had the chance to talk to the writer/director duo at San Diego Comic -Con. There, we caught up with Goldstein and Daley about how their Apple TV movie Mayday, starring Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, came to be. Per Daley:

Mayday has already been described as “Top Gun meets Misery” – since it follows a 1980s-era U.S. Air Force pilot who crashlands in the Russian wilderness. He then gets saved by an ex-KGB agent who’s got a thing for American culture, and they end up buddying up. As Daley shared with us, they weren’t sure the idea would be sellable on its own. But with Ryan Reynolds on board, they thought it might. As he added:

Daley and Goldstein have been known to turn what is expected out of their movies on their heads. They made Spider-Man: Homecoming a different kind of Marvel movie, Game Night a refreshing ensemble comedy and Dungeons & Dragons was an especially clever popcorn adventure. Mayday is no exception. The movie may look like an action-comedy on the face, but it’s actually a lot more heartwarming than one might expect. Reynolds and Branagh are a match out of left field, and that’s part of why them being in a two-hander might actually work so well.

I know when I saw it I thought it was going to go one direction, and ended up going in the other. And as far as Ryan Reynolds’ successful movie star career has gone, I found it to be a nice change of pace for the actor. As Daley added:

These are all really solid reference films, if you ask me. You can check out the Mayday trailer below:

Mayday is on the 2026 movie schedule for those with an Apple TV subscription. The movie will start streaming on September 4. Elsewhere, Goldstein and Daley are currently writing the next Star Trek film, they have written a Dungeons & Dragons sequel and are helming an action/thriller called Renegades.

While they might have left-field ideas, they always make them work in really exciting ways, and we can’t wait to continue to follow their career.

It’s been almost 37 years since fans were introduced to the Winslow family on Family Matters, and, in turn, Jaleel White’s annoying yet memorable Steve Urkel. The series is one of the best sitcoms of all time, even with some major cast shake-ups. But what’s even more surprising is the fact that Die Hard is evidently the biggest reason the show and Urkel even exist. And I cannot get over it.

You would never think that a series like Family Matters is because of a movie like Die Hard, but alas, that seems to be true... even if it’s not entirely believable. Family Matters co-creator Billy Bickley shared on Step By Step stars Stacy Keanan and Christine Lakin’s podcast Keanan & Lakin Give You DejaVu that the concept for the beloved series came after seeing Reggie VelJohnson in what might be the biggest Christmas movie:

It’s not unusual for a show or movie to come to fruition after producers see an actor in something else. They realize just how much potential said actor has and create a whole project just for them. VelJohnson was just the jumping point for Family Matters, and it ended up being the perfect spinoff for Perfect Strangers:

As Bickley stated, Family Matters is a spinoff of Perfect Strangers, bringing over Jo Marie Payton’s Harriette Winslow and focusing on her family, including husband Carl Winslow (VelJohnson). VelJohnson had a supporting role in Die Hard, which came out in 1988, and it was just enough to convince Bickley and his colleagues that he deserved his own series. It’s crazy to think about that if not for Die Hard, we also wouldn’t have gotten one of the most annoying characters in popular sitcoms, Steve Urkel. And Urkel wasn’t even supposed to be a main character, which is even crazier to think about.

I have heard of shows or movies being made because of projects like how NCIS’ original pitch took inspiration from Law & Order. But I would never have predicted hearing Die Hard and Family Matters in the same sentence, let alone that the movie is basically the reason the show existed. Especially since the two titles couldn’t be further from each other.

Knowing Family Matters’ origins just makes me want to watch the show with a Hulu subscription. While it’s unknown if there will ever be a Family Matters reboot, fans will just have to settle with the OG for the time being. It’s not exactly the worst thing, since the comedy still holds up to this day, and its connection to Die Hard makes it even better.

Green Day has been one of the biggest bands in the world for over three decades now, but until recently, they had not received the music biopic treatment. That has changed with the upcoming release of Nimrods, which hits the 2026 movie schedule next weekend.

Ok, it’s not exactly a biopic; it’s a fictionalized telling of the early days of the East Bay punk band told through the eyes of a fictional band, The Analog Dogs, played by Mason Thames (who not only has movie called Nimrods this year, but one called Idiots, too), Kylr Coffman, and Ryan Foust (Mckenna Grace, Fred Armisen, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Bobby Lee, and Sean Gunn all star as well). All three members of Green Day, who are no strangers to acting, also appear as themselves in the movie, and many of the stories in it are based on real events that the band went through on those early tours.

I spoke to Green Day and had to ask just how realistic the scenes on the road were, and the answer I got from Billie Joe Armstrong was somewhat surprising, but completely made sense.

Life On The Road Isn’t What A Lot Of People Think It’s Like

Everyone knows the glamorous side of being a rock star. The sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll part of it, to use the famous cliché. The reality is, especially early on in any band’s career, that the grind is very real. It’s endless miles on the road driving from gig to gig, sweating and sticking up cars with body odors (or worse). Any band, from the guys in the garage down the street from you to Green Day, goes through this rite of passage. That means that you don’t get to party, because it's more important to get to the next gig than it is to tie one on. And someone has to drive. Armstrong explained it to me as we talked:

In the movie, this is certainly true, as we see the band desperately trying to get from Kansas City to Los Angeles because they believe they have a gig opening for the legendary Green Day. There might be some parties (and a gig or two) on the way, but the goal is clear. Getting crunked up is far less important to these young musicians than making it to a potentially life-changing concert on time.

Of course, for many bands, once they do get that tour bus, as Armstrong mentions, they do get to indulge in all those ancillary things that so many people dream of when they envision life on the road as a member of a world-famous band. It’s easy to forget that even bands as big as Green Day started with pure hustle. The music is what drives the great bands, not the lifestyle. But the lifestyle is pretty f’ing fun too!

And don't worry, it's not just grinding and driving in Nimrods; the Analog Dogs have the time of the life as well.

I’m always here for a little black dress fashion moment. However, Hannah Waddingham just took it to a whole new level. Not only did she rock a beautiful LBD to celebrate the premiere of Ted Lasso’s fourth season on the 2026 TV schedule, but she also had a very empowering reason for wearing it.

So, when Hannah Waddingham attended the New York premiere of Ted Lasso, she wore a little black mini dress by Alice and Olivia that featured two stunning red and gold flowers on it. She paired it with some black stilettos and wore her hair in loose waves. All around, she looked stunning, which you can see for yourself below:

Now, we’ve seen Megan Fox rock a little black dress, Sydney Sweeney has shared her take on the LBD, and Rachel Zegler wore a perfect mini black dress. The list of celebs who have slayed this trend goes on and on. However, Waddingham’s take is 100% one of my favorites.

First of all, I was already obsessed with her style. So, it was a given that I’d adore this look. However, to dive into the details, I am so here for the intricate red and gold flowers, and I’m obsessed with the floral texture of the black garment. On top of all that, this dress perfectly highlights the actress's incredible physique.

Her speaking to that point made this fashion moment all the more meaningful too, as she told Women’s Health:

Hannah Waddingham’s confidence on screen, on the red carpet and in life is one of the major reasons I look up to her. She’s stunningly gorgeous, and she’s always owning it. That’s something I aspire to be, and I really appreciate that it’s a big reason why she chooses to dress the way she does.

I also love that she celebrated her 52nd birthday by rocking this mini dress. Her legs (or "pins" as she called them) do, in fact, look amazing, and I’m 100% sure her 70-year-old self will be thinking that too.

This kind of fashion choice also totally highlights why Waddingham’s career is empowering as well. In her most recent projects, Amazon Prime’s Ride or Die and Apple TV’s great show, Ted Lasso, she plays remarkably powerful and confident women. Obviously, she’s like this in real life too, and this LBD certainly helps emphasize that point.

Now, as she celebrates her birthday, style, amazing physique, and the premiere of Ted Lasso Season 4, you can see her reprise her Emmy-winning role as Rebecca Welton by streaming new episodes of the soccer comedy every Wednesday with an Apple TV subscription.

Lorne Michaels has long been clear Saturday Night Live won’t pick a political side, at least while he’s still in charge. It behooves the late night series to be an equal opportunity offender, but this doesn’t mean that everyone who is spoofed, satirized or parodied enjoys the experience. In fact, over the last couple of years, we’ve heard more and more Republicans complaining about the late night series, Donald Trump included. He’s called it “terrible,” though noted it was in a better place when he hosted back in the day. Now a WAG and journalist have spoken out about how the series isn’t “funny” these days, but their take is a little different.

There’s a long list of great political impressions on SNL, but if you were to ask some of the people who have seen themselves or their loved one satirized, it has not been a delightful experience. In fact, Katie Miller, the wife of Donald Trump’s Chief Deputy of Staff Stephen Miller, was recently vocal about her dislike of the NBC series in an interview with journalist Laura Ingraham.

The two were speaking during a quickfire portion of Miller’s podcast “Katie Miller Pod” about a variety of cultural topics. That included the current state of comedy. They spoke of Kelsey Grammer recently telling Miller that comedy is a lot more tepid and “doesn’t trust their audience” like it used to. To that point, Katie Miller was very candid, noting:

Laura Ingraham seemingly agreed, but her issue is not with the show making fun of Republicans or having jokes with a bit of bite to them. Instead, she thinks people are a lot funnier when they're off the air because they're more willing to make off-color jokes that wouldn't fly on television. She wishes SNL went harder.

Comedy not going as hard as it used to is a different SNL take than we've heard from many other Republicans and elected officials in recent years, but they clarified that there is a difference between jokes that are a little more aggressive and full-on "mean spiritedness." They want the edge, but they don't want to see mean-spirited comedy, which was famously Aimee Lou Wood's problem with her portrayal a few years ago. Here's how Miller and Ingraham described the distinction...

Those who land the coveted SNL gig do know the impact a late night sketch can have. Colin Jost has spoken out about the power of NBC impressions before, noting that he always thinks about the great Kurt Vonnegut line about people “not asking” to be born or asking to become the people they ultimately become. In an ideal world, performers are able to find the balance between doing comedy with a little bit of an edge but also trusting the audience to know where their heart is.

Not all Republican party members are so anti-SNL. George W. Bush has been good-natured about all the times the late night series spoofed him, but he’s a different personality. So, Republican opinions on SNL really run the gamut, and Ingraham and Miller's takes are no different. Still surprising, though.

Personally, I’ve been watching SNL for decades now. Trends have come and gone on the show, and cold opens have often been political. If I had a dime for every time someone has said Saturday Night Live is not funny “anymore” during just my tenure at this job, I’d be a rich woman, but here the show is, still trucking 50+ years in, and back with upcoming hosts for Season 52 on the fall TV schedule.

One of the things that proves Friends is one of the best sitcoms of all time is how much we’re still talking about it today. The Ross and Rachel “on a break” debate has evolved over the past three decades, for one thing, and there are also some big questions left unanswered: Why did we never see Ugly Naked Guy’s face? How did Rachel really spell her last name? Was Matt Damon once an extra on Friends? That last rumor is making the rounds again on the Internet, and I love how bizarre this is.

In the Season 2 episode “The One With Five Steaks and an Eggplant,” there’s a Central Perk scene toward the end, where one of the background actors looks suspiciously like Matt Damon. See for yourself:

If that’s not the star of The Odyssey, I’d say Matt Damon has a doppelgänger. Unfortunately, the above screengrab is the clearest shot we get of the uncredited extra’s face as he reads a newspaper at a table behind Matthew Perry’s Chandler.

This has been a debate amongst Friends fans off and on for years, as people continue to rewatch the series with their HBO Max subscriptions, and it was brought up again recently on Reddit. It’s a super fun theory, but unfortunately it seems as if this one’s been fully debunked.

For one thing, Matt Damon had small roles in several other movies that would have filmed around the time of this Friends episode, including The Good Old Boys, Glory Daze and Courage Under Fire. He and Ben Affleck were also reportedly writing Good Will Hunting at the time.

The strongest argument, however, is that the same extra appears to also be in an earlier scene of the episode, standing behind Chandler and Ross (David Schwimmer) at the Hootie & the Blowfish concert. While he still looks like Matt Damon from the side, you can clearly see when he faces forward that it’s not the Oscar winner:

That does appear to be the same background actor as the one in Central Perk, especially considering these two scenes are in the same episode. Now I'm just laughing at the hilarious commentary on the Matt Damon look-alike’s haircut, as Reddit user ledlunar wrote:

Others chimed in with:

• Can confirm. I had that same haircut for most of the 90s. – RealSunglassesGuy
• Yeah, for instance, that also looks like 90s era Jack Noseworthy from the side. Or, like, 200 dudes in my high school. – downwithlevers
• That looks like every Kevin and Jeff I knew in the ‘90s growing up. – sexandliquor

Well, the theory was fun while it lasted. For what it’s worth, Friends did shout out Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in a way later in the series. In Season 5’s “The One With the Inappropriate Sister,” when Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is having trouble finding acting work, Ross suggests that he write his own movie, like “the Good Will Hunting guys.” Joey’s response?

Probably about as good as Friends’ chances of getting Matt Damon as a background actor.

All 10 seasons of Friends and the 2021 reunion are available to stream on HBO Max.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stuart Fails To Save The Universe episode "Spoiler Alert: Bert Is Magic." Stream the episode with an HBO Max subscription, and read at your own risk!

It was another banger episode for Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, as the team found themselves in a world in which magic was real and scientists were burned at the stake. Fortunately, Bert managed to escape his predicament he was in, and turned out to be one of the most powerful people in the universe, which came in handy when the crew encountered Wil Wheaton.

Wheaton's return from The Big Bang Theory was already revealed ahead of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, but as with the case with the last surprise guest star, there was one character we didn't know would show up. Let's get into both below, and have a "hell" of a time breaking it down.

Wil Wheaton Returned And Almost Killed Stuart With A Fireball

Wil Wheaton went from being someone who actively avoided being on The Big Bang Theory to one of its most memorable guest stars during its run. It would've felt weird if he wasn't in Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, so I'm glad he had a cameo as the enforcer of the Magic Guild. Stuart violated the rules for helping a demon get her magic back, which we'll get into later.

Bert ended up doing battle with Wheaton, and after exchanging the devil horns and Vulcan salute, Bert ended up eviscerating Wheaton's mage. The good news is, that was just the Wheaton of one universe, so hopefully we'll see him pop up again in the future like other characters who have died.

Melissa Rausch Returned As Bernadette, And Became A Literal Demon

Melissa Rausch was the latest person from The Big Bang Theory to return as their beloved character, but this wasn't like the Bernadette Wolowitz we remembered. Sure, she always had some edge to her, but in no universe would I have guessed she was a literal demon.

Beyond the fact that she was from hell, it was the same Bernadette fans know and love with all her special quirks. Unfortunately, she had no idea who Howard was, which meant the team was no closer to finding anyone familiar enough with the Quantum device to fix it or figure out how Stuart needed to save the universe.

She did want the device, however, but fortunately, they were able to get out of that universe before things got too bad. Unfortunately, Stuart was transported from that directly into what appears to be a behavioral health facility, with the implication being that he's there because he concocted this entire scenario in his mind.

Is that the case? I guess we'll find out as Stuart Fails To Save The Universe continues on HBO Max with new episodes on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. I'm loving these episodes so far, and I can't wait to see who the next big cameo will be.

Anne Hathaway may be so sought-after in Hollywood that this year she stars in five 2026 movies, but she just passed a different major career milestone. Last week, on July 29 to be exact, it was the 25th anniversary of The Princess Diaries premiere at Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theatre. The Disney movie was Hathaway’s film debut, and as the actress remembers it, getting designer clothes for a press tour was much different back then.

Hathaway was eighteen years old when she walked the red carpet of The Princess Diaries premiere in a mauve strapless dress alongside stars like Julie Andrews and Mandy Moore. Here’s what she recently said about acquiring the getup from Calvin Klein:

Hey, that was pretty resourceful of young Anne Hathaway. The actress had the gall to get in touch with a major label in hopes of getting the appropriate clothes for a major press tour. And, they really hooked her up. Though, she did make one rookie move. She neglected to put on sunscreen for the Hollywood Blvd. premiere. As a result, she pointed out that her shoulders were all burned up for the afterparty. Take a look:

Hathaway looked gorgeous in her Calvin Klein mid-length dress with her legendary co-star Julie Andrews, but of course she remembers the faux paus the best. In the same interview with Elle, the Oscar winner shared how special the premiere dress was to her with these words:

The Princess Diaries gave Anne Hathaway a big hit on her first Hollywood go-around. The Disney movie earned $165 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $26 million. All these years later, it's considered a 2000s classic, especially for the young women who were growing up with it at the time. Amidst the anniversary, Hathaway also celebrated by posting this on Instagram:

Anne Hathaway called the 2001 release “still one of the most magical things that has ever happened to me!” You can currently revisit both Princess Diaries movies with a Disney+ subscription.

The actor is currently working behind-the-scenes as a producer on The Princess Diaries 3 which is set to be directed by Adele Lim. We still have a lot of questions about the sequel, but apparently the script is coming along.

These days, Anne Hathaway undoubtedly has no problem at all securing designers to help her with press tour outfits. But, it’s always fun to look back on where one started.

The future of Warner Bros. as a movie studio is a much-discussed topic these days, thanks to Paramount’s hindered-but-looming takeover, but we’re here to focus on movies, and not corporate overlords. (A thinning line, I know.) It’s not like WB has much to worry about with tentpole features, with James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, the Minecraft Movie sequel, and new Oceans and LOTR movies hitting theaters in 2027. But what about a couple of in-development projects that haven’t been updated on in a while: The Matrix 5 and The Jetsons live-action movie?

Amazingly enough, the studio itself confirmed that both the fifth live-action Matrix feature, and Jim Carrey’s rumored Jetsons feature are on the way, even if they won’t be showing up as 2026 movie releases. In a letter to its shareholders, Warner Bros. hyped up its past year of efforts, with lots of promising talk about the future, and that’s where the pair of drastically different science-fiction projects were namechecked. As it was stated:

To play devil's advocate, this wouldn't be the first time a studio has promised a project that never reached the production phase (or that got shelved indefinitely after its production). But this doesn't feel so much like a false promise, given the way both films are casually mentioned rather than given a spotlight.

Plus, they're named alongside two of the more highly anticipated WB projects that are in the works. One is of course Matt Reeves' return to Gotham City for The Batman: Part II, which was somewhat recently delayed from October 2027 to 2028, and which has yet to fully confirm who its villain(s) will be. Then there's the Game of Thrones movie from Andor's Beau Willimon that'll be titled Aegon's Conquest. To be fair, that project has yet to announce a director, but that seems like the only thing holding it back.

Here's a quick look at what we know so far about either The Matrix 5 and the Jetsons movie.

The Matrix 5 Quick Facts

• The first Matrix movie that won't have direct involvement from Lana and Lilly Wachowski, though Lana was previously revealed to be an executive producer.
• Cabin in the Woods, The Martian and Project Hail Mary screenwriter Drew Goddard is writing the script, and he will also make it his third directorial feature.
• Goddard approached Warner Bros. with his original idea for where to take the story, though that story has not been teased at all.

Reactions to the news about a new Matrix movie were mixed, with some fans saying the franchise didn't need to continue after Resurrections, while others were angry that the Wachowskis wouldn't be a creative force behind the scenes. I think Goddard is capable enough of steering this franchise in a new direction without all the prior lore weighing it down, so I'm glad that Warner Bros. is making sure to keep it in shareholders' minds.

The Jetsons Quick Facts

• In October 2025, Jim Carrey was reported to be making The Jetsons his first live-action movie since 2016 to be outside of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
• Set to direct the live-action Jetsons movie was Colin Trevorrow, who was also said to be co-writing the screenplay with Joe Epstein.

Neither Trevorrow nor Epstein were namechecked in the shareholders report, but then neither was Drew Goddard, so I suppose we can't base any suspicions on a lack of reference.

Which one of these now confirmed projects are you most excited to see in theaters?

Spoilers for the Season 4 premiere of Ted Lasso are ahead! You can stream the series with an Apple TV subscription, and you can catch new episodes every Wednesday.

Ted Lasso Season 3 ended with Ted going back home to Kansas, but we know Season 4 is all about him returning to Richmond to coach a women’s soccer team. While I’m thrilled he's getting back on the pitch, I was incredibly worried about the show undercutting itself for a very specific reason. Thankfully, it didn’t, and this great Apple TV series actually perfectly set itself up for a meaningful return to England.

How Can Ted Go Back To Richmond When The Whole Point Of Season 3’s End Was Him Returning To Kansas?

Literally, the whole point of Ted Lasso Season 3 was him realizing it was time to say goodbye and go home to his son. So, as I thought about Ted Lasso continuing, I got worried about how he could return to England without totally going against the end of his first chapter.

Season 3 really honed in on how much Ted missed his son Henry, and by the end, he realized he needed to be with his family. Knowing he’s returning to Richmond in Season 4 (it’s in the trailer), I was very anxious about the idea that he could go back without his son again, which would mean he didn't remember the lesson he spent the first three seasons learning.

Thankfully, however, Ted Lasso didn’t forget why Ted went home in the first place. And as he tried to decide if he’d go back across the pond, this worry was taken into consideration and handled beautifully in the first episode to air on the 2026 TV schedule.

Season 4 Perfectly Sets Up Ted’s Return To Richmond Without Compromising Why He Went Back To Kansas

Sincerely, I appreciated how hesitant Ted was to return to Richmond. While Rebecca, Keeley and Higgins traveling to Kansas to offer him this gig as the women's soccer coach made him very happy, he also wouldn’t accept the job right away. It took his son and ex-wife offering to move to England with him for him to say yes. I loved it.

I appreciated how they set up this move for the whole family. Henry was ready for a new school, his mom didn’t love her job, and Ted wasn’t doing that much of note in America. They were all ready for a big change, and that meant they could all return to Richmond.

I was so worried Season 4 of Ted Lasso would rehash the same issues Ted had in Seasons 1 through 3. I was concerned he’d be lonely, I was anxious about him missing his son, and I didn’t want him to regret his choice to go back. With Henry in England now, and with both parents there to help him, none of that will happen.

Instead, we’ll get to see Ted take on a whole new set of challenges as he adjusts to family life in Richmond and dives into coaching AFC Richmond’s women’s team.

In the three years since Ted Lasso’s third season came to a close, there’s been a lot of debate both about whether it would come back and whether it should come back. Now, Season 4 has premiered on the 2026 TV schedule, and I feel like it fully justifies Ted’s return both to AFC Richmond and our screens. However, critics are split on the matter, which was surprising to me.

I Fully Believe In Ted Lasso’s Return

When I watched the first four episodes of Ted Lasso’s fourth season, I was shocked by how it felt like both a return to form and a fresh take on the soccer show we know and love. While I was worried about how they’d get Ted back to England to coach Richmond’s women’s team, that anxiety was eliminated by the show meaningfully addressing Season 3’s end and catapulting Ted and co. into a new chapter.

Overall, I love how the show brought back characters we know and love, and added an entirely new ensemble for them to work with. The return of Ted (Jason Sudeikis), Keeley (Juno Temple), Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), and more keeps things familiar and continues the stories we love. Meanwhile, the addition of a women’s team introduces a new and important challenge, and brings the funny and a needed freshness to the series.

After the first four episodes, I felt eager for more, and I cannot wait to get to know this team of Lady Greyhounds. I thought critics would feel that way too, considering this really feels like a return to form after a bumpy third season. I was wrong...

Many Reviews Don’t Think Ted Lasso’s Return Is Justified

While Ted Lasso is considered one of Apple TV’s best shows, the third season wasn’t its best, and its end felt final. So, when critics tuned into Season 4, many were keen to know if this show would be able to pull off a return. Sadly, quite a few are not buying it; as Ben Travers from IndieWire wrote, it feels like the titular coach is “still off his game.”

The review argues that Ted’s return was too convenient and unjustified; it also criticizes the show’s lack of risk and stakes. Overall, Travers concludes that for Ted Lasso to justify its return, it needs to “offer clearer reasons to believe.”

Meanwhile, Time’s Judy Berman dove into how the show depicts Ted’s relationships with the women’s team. Noting that this season “doesn’t quite work” and highlighting the minimal interactions Ted has with the new players, the critic wrote:

Variety’s Alison Herman thinks the new season has potential, but it’s a bit too stuck in the past. Noting that she feels like the show is only really developing one of its new characters (Tanya Reynolds’ coach Alice) and overusing old characters like Roy and Beard, she explains:

As you can see, plenty of critics are not convinced by Ted Lasso's return, and they have some notes on how the coach and his team could improve. However, not everyone is upset about this season.

Other Reviews Are Choosing To Be Curious, Not Judgemental

Now, I'm not the only one who is still believing in this show. Tania Hussain explains in Collider’s review that the writing of Season 4 and the introduction of the women’s team gives this show a brand new conflict that’s incredibly meaningful. And because of that, this is still a show worth watching:

Matthew Creith calls Ted Lasso’s return “triumphant” in The Wrap’s review, explaining that mixing the old cast and stories with an entirely new team works very well. Overall, it “delivers never-ending gut punches of humor and heart that hardly ever lose a step in its return.” Ellaborating on that idea, this review states:

Meanwhile, Ryan Schwartz’s review for TV Line is cautious, but still positive. Calling the choice to slowly introduce members of the women's team “wise,” and noting that Episode 2 does a good job of “recapturing the feel-good vibes that defined Season 1,” the critic sees promise. So, while the comedy still has something to prove, and it was given a B+ in this review, the critic is optimistic:

Overall, the critics are quite divided on Ted Lasso’s newest season. This was shocking to me, since I firmly believe it returns to form in a funny and meaningful way while also introducing a set of complex challenges women's sports constantly face. However, clearly, not everyone agrees.

So, with that said, it’s time for you to decide for yourself. Remember, as Ted says, “be curious, not judgemental,” and stream Ted Lasso with an Apple TV subscription (new episodes drop on Wednesdays) to make up your own mind on whether this show deserved a comeback.

The public loves celebrity couples, and they've been invested in the nuptials of both Zendaya and Tom Holland or Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. But another set of A-listers recently tied the knot: Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, who got married back in September. Her Disney co-star Jennifer Stone was in attendance, and recently spoke about the moment from the wedding that reduced her to "a total puddle."

As young stars Gomez and Stone starred together in The Wizards of Waverly Place (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). Longtime fans will be pleased to know that the latter actress was there for Gomez's wedding to Blanco, and during an interview with People she shared why she got so emotional watching her longtime friend and collaborator walk down the aisle. In her words:

How sweet is that? Jennifer Stone has known Selena Gomez for a long time, and recalls how much she wanted to be a wife as a young person. So seeing that become a reality right in front of her eyes made the Wizards of Waverly Place star super emotional.

Benny Blanco's relationship with Selena Gomez has turned lots of heads, and they do appear to be in bliss as newlyweds. That includes Stone, who revealed how the "Come & Get It" singer reacted to her tears at the wedding. She went on to say:

This just warms my heart. While there are plenty of child actor horror stories out there, this anecdote shows just how close the bond/history between Gomez and Stone is. And these comments are sure to go viral, especially for fans who have re-watched The Wizards of Waverly Place as adults.

In addition to their time together at the wedding, these two former child actresses recently reunited on the set of the spinoff series Beyond Waverly Place. Longtime fans were thrilled to see Alex and Harper back on the screen, and clearly there's a ton of love between the two IRL.

Both Waverly Place shows are streaming now on Disney+, with Beyond's third and final season recently releasing on the streaming service as part of the 2026 TV schedule. As for Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, they continue to be shipped by fans online.

As someone who grew up watching The Princess Diaries and Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement on repeat, it’s wild to think that the first movie came out 25 years ago. Honestly, to that I say with the utmost shock and enthusiasm: "Shut up!" However, that’s exactly how long it's been, and Anne Hathaway is celebrating the milestone with a throwback BTS video and a very, very sweet message.

In honor of The Princess Diaries' 25th Anniversary, Anne Hathaway posted a montage of BTS clips featuring her, the cast and director Garry Marshall that look like they came right off a DVD bonus feature. It’s so nostalgic and joyful, and it’s seriously the best way to honor the actress's first film:

To this day, The Princess Diaries is one of Hathaway’s best films; its sequel is considered one of the best rom-coms, and the anticipation surrounding a third movie remains very high. So, yes, getting a post like this from the actress means the world. For most of my life, I’ve looked up to Mia and dreamed of having slumber parties like hers and falling in love with a guy like Chris Pine’s Nicholas from Princess Diaries 2. My love for these movies truly has never faded, and the fact that it’s already been 25 years is hard to believe.

It’s magical to see that these movies mean as much to Anne Hathaway as they do to the fans. In her caption, the Mia actress made that very clear too, as she wrote:

That final part of her caption is for Garry Marshall, who directed the first two films and passed away in 2016. Between him and this iconic cast that included Julie Andrews and more, this truly felt like a dream team.

Now, some of the team is getting back together to tell a story about Mia Thermopolis for the first time in over two decades. Carrying on Marshall’s legacy, Adele Lim will direct Princess Diaries 3. Meanwhile, the author of the books praised the script for the new movie, calling the most recent iteration of it “amazing” and something she’s “100 percent behind.”

Anne Hathaway also shared how excited she is to return as Mia on Radio Andy, saying that she thinks the team is “moving in the right direction” after having to start over. Now, because she is pregnant with her third child, it’s a bit unclear when Princess Diaries 3 will happen. However, all the enthusiasm and love for this franchise makes me believe we will get it eventually.

Now, as we continue to wait for Princess Diaries 3, you can celebrate The Princess Diaries 25th anniversary by streaming it and its sequel with a Disney+ subscription.

Had you asked me about comedic returns at the start of the 2026 TV schedule, I would have wagered all my wagerable funds on the idea that I’d be enjoying Larry David’s new HBO show way more than I’d be enjoying the Big Bang Theory follow-up Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. That would have been a fool’s gamble to say the least — also a pretty bizarre bet in general — because Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn have crafted a spinoff that works better than the original series in many ways.

It doesn’t hurt that Stuart, which won over critics more than most network TV spinoffs tend to, has more in common with wackier comedies than its predecessor, to the point where The Simpsons (and American Dad, to a lesser extent) has popped into my head several times while watching Season 1 episodes, and only in positive ways. Let’s discuss.

1. The Intros Are Fun And Change With Each New Episode

Presumably sparked by the sporadic shifts in openings for classic sitcoms like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Get Smart, I have always been a sucker for shows that play around with intro credits and theme songs. No one has done that better than The Simpsons, from Bart’s chalkboard jokes to the myriad couch gags, though I definitely also adore Bob’s Burgers for its punny change-ups each week, and American Dad for its thematic intro disruptions.

It’s nearly unheard of these days for live-action series to take the same approach, but Stuart Fails to Save the Universe goes that extra mile. The changes are all text jokes, without other big differences, but that’s hardly a knock against, since the opening is already full of fun visuals. The gags also speak to the meta nature of Stuart’s plot, speaking directly to the viewer and the nature of skipping credits in the streaming era. More jokes only helps the show’s longevity, too, as The Simpsons’ golden years can also attest to.

2. Episodes Are Essentially Standalone Cartoonish Adventures

The Big Bang Theory obviously adhered to the traditional sitcom molding with its weekly narratives, with light serialization evolving its characters' personal lives. But from the jump, Stuart aligns itself far closer with The Simpsons in the sense that Stuart, Bert, Kripke and Denise experience vastly different problems and situations from one episode to the next, but still often involving the same locations and side characters.

Also leaning into the cartoonish reset formula, familiar characters can straight up get murdered in Stuart and then return intact in the following episode. (Albeit as multiversal variants, I think.) To that end, the HBO Max comedy skews far more R-rated than Big Bang ever did or could, and it wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary to see Itchy and Scratchy getting a reference somewhere.

3. All The Fun And Unpredictable Guest Stars

Okay so I guess "unpredictable" more applicably describes the manner in which the guest stars' characters are introduced, as opposed to the actors themselves feeling completely out of the blue. Which is to say the cameos we've seen thus far have been TBBT vets like Kunal Nayyar, Kaley Cuoco, Riki Lindhome, and more. But nobody matches up with the characters we knew before, and it's a blast seeing how everyone factors into the varying dimensions.

For instance, Episode 1 introduced a paranoid Raj and then killed him off, while Episode 2 brought in A.I. rebel Penny along with a Christine Baranski who wasn't Leonard's mother Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, but as "herself." Similar to Penn and Teller's appearance, which didn't nod to Teller having portrayed Amy's dad in TBBT. No spoilers for all the fun that's coming, but have faith that it'll be similarly enjoyable.

Obviously The Simpsons isn't the only show known for its guest stars, but it does boast more than just about any scripted series in existence, and from the widest assortment of vocations. And it's also quite well-known for giving audiences twisted and surprising versions of its characters in "Treehouse of Horror" eps and other anthologized installments. Is anybody not convinced yet that these shows are basically the same?

How about this, then? Animation king Brad Bird, who consulted on the show during its early run, went to CalTech, as did Apu, though his stood for the Calcutta Technical Institute. Dun dun dun!! Okay, they're not the same show, but I'm allowed to enjoy the connective tissue that exists, even if I'm manifesting it myself.

New episodes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe drop on HBO Max on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Since Rocky is a drama about boxing and Ted Lasso is a comedy series about soccer, I’ve never really compared the two. So, I was shocked to learn that drawing a parallel between them actually helped the Ted Lasso team sell their show. However, after thinking about it, this all makes perfect sense. I totally see why Jason Sudeikis was quick to compare his great Apple TV series to one of the greatest sports movies ever made when they were trying to get it off the ground.

Before we get to the Rocky of it all, you need to know that Ted Lasso was co-created by Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly and Bill Lawrence. Once Lawrence, who is also the creator of shows like Scrubs and Shrinking, was on board, this soccer comedy really “got moving,” as Hunt explained on 60 Minutes. It was the Shrinking co-creator who also made an important note about Ted Lasso not really being about soccer, as the Coach Beard actor explained:

He’s right, yes, Ted Lasso has soccer matches, and yes, the story is based around a team. However, it’s not really about the sport. It’s more so about the work these people do together, the lessons they learn from each other, and, most importantly, the relationships and friendships they’ve developed. You know what other project is like that? Rocky, as Jason Sudeikis pointed out:

Rocky and its lessons transcend boxing. That’s because it’s a triumphant underdog story (even though he loses), it’s a romance between Rocky and Adrian, and it’s ultimately a tale about perseverance and self-worth. The themes of this film are universal and relatable, and the story they’re highlighted through happens to be set in the world of boxing.

Ted Lasso is similar; it transcends soccer (I mean football). It’s a story about friendship and family. It also highlights the importance of mental health and found family. There’s even a healthy dose of romance. Overall, while there are matches that are central to the story, we really don’t watch that much soccer and the show’s not terribly concerned with a player’s stats. It’s more about the people on the team, their lives on and off the pitch, and the way they impact each other.

That’s why so many people can relate to it, I assume, because Ted Lasso is full of universal stories and lessons. Rocky is that way too, so I can see why Jason Sudeikis used it as a point of reference when they were selling the show.

Now, we’ll get to see if that stays true, as Ted Lasso is set to return on the 2026 TV schedule for Season 4 on August 5. You can stream that (and the first three seasons) with an Apple TV subscription. Also, to see exactly why this comparison is fitting, make sure to stream Rocky with a Netflix subscription. Trust me, it makes sense.

The world will forever remember John Belushi as one of the biggest stars to come out of Saturday Night Live and a hilarious actor from classic ‘80s movies like The Blues Brothers and 1978's Animal House. We were tragically robbed of his comedy in 1982, when Belushi died at age 33. Tim Matheson, who also starred in Animal House, opened up about his old friend and how the comedian’s overdose gave him a wake-up call about his own drug use.

John Belushi is one of many Hollywood actors who never reached 40, after he died of an overdose of heroin and cocaine March 5, 1982, at the Chateau Marmont. Naturally this had an effect on his friends and fellow actors, including Tim Matheson, who had filmed Animal House with Belushi just four years earlier. Matheson spoke to the Still Here with Hollywood podcast, remembering Belushi as “very supportive and generous and gracious.” He said:

Tim Matheson admitted he wasn’t necessarily surprised when he got the call about the Second City alum, but it certainly was a warning to Hollywood in regards to the drug use of the era. The West Wing actor said:

John Belushi’s death at such a young age definitely affected a lot of his friends' behavior, Tim Matheson said, because, “when you see your friends dropping at 33,” it becomes clear pretty quickly that “this is not a good thing.”

Eddie Murphy has recalled John Belushi and Robin Williams offering him cocaine, saying his lack of curiosity was God was looking over him. Belushi’s death didn’t stop everyone from going too far, however. Jim Belushi has said he used his brother’s death to try to convince Chris Farley to stop using drugs, though Farley ultimately followed in his idol’s footsteps, dying of an overdose at age 33.

While John Belushi’s tragic death is part of his story, Tim Matheson couldn’t reminisce about his friend without mentioning his iconic performance as John “Bluto” Blutarsky, saying:

Lots of people have shared similar memories of the comedian. Bill Murray remembers John Belushi as “magnetic” and the “best stage actor” he ever saw. Belushi’s fellow Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd also used the word “magnetic” to describe the late comedian, saying he was “a super-mega-wattage personality and very funny and warm and compassionate and kind.”

You can relive John Belushi (and Tim Matheson) in the classic 1978 comedy Animal House, which is available to stream with either a Netflix subscription or Peacock subscription.

I love a happy Christmas movie as much as the next person. I'll take a healthy serving of merry and bright any day. That doesn't mean I'm entirely opposed to my Christmas spirit come with a side of dark and twisty. As such, Tommy Wirkola's 2022 comedy Violent Night was right up my alley. I loved David Harbour's no-nonsense Santa as much as I loved seeing him disrupt what should've been a well-coordinated heist with his intense combat skills. Criminals better watch out once again, because Violent Night 2 is coming to town, and as the trailer reveals, Harbour is back as Santa, this time with Mrs. Claus. Let's go!

We've known this sequel has been coming for quite a while now, and in a matter of months, it'll be here! Helmed by Wirkola with a screenplay from Pat Casey and Josh Miller, Violent Night 2 is set up on the 2026 movie schedule for December 4, and has Harbour's Santa on the naughty list, having lost his magic, along with his faith in mankind. He can get one back if he manages to restore the other. Last time he faced a group of mercenaries, this time he's facing gangsters who pose a threat to a mall around the holidays. I almost feel sorry for them.

Yes, the plot sounds a bit ridiculous, and it is. The trailer plays that up, complete with a sleigh-full of violence and some truly stomach-churning scenes. I'm not sure what grossed me out more, the guy getting a gingerbread-man-shaped chunk of skin cut from his forehead, or getting stuffed into an oven while covered in cookie ingredients that make the smell of him baking smell, as Santa puts it, "amazing." It's stuff like this that reminds me of the scenes from the first movie that I had to watch between my fingers. I even brought it up last year when I was talking about watching Novocaine (another movie with some super gross bloody scenes).

In addition to violence, the trailer gives us a look at a character teased in the first movie: Mrs. Claus! Kristen Bell has stepped into the shoes of Santa's better half, and it looks like she's ready to join the fight. Kristen Bell is such a great pick for Mrs. Claus, as she's the kind of actor who can take on an action role and be super funny about it, which I'm guessing is what's in store here.

In addition to David Harbour and Kristen Bell, the cast also includes Joe Pantoliano, Daniela Melchior, Andrew Bachelor and Maxwell Friedman aka AEW's MJF.

As mentioned, Violent Night 2 arrives on December 4. Whether or not it's good enough to find a spot on the list of best Christmas movies, as the first one did, remains to be seen. At the very least, it looks like fine, messy, bloody, sometimes-gross holiday fun and I'm here for it.

The magic of streaming makes classic shows new, and that's seemingly been the case for Desperate Housewives, which is available for those with a Hulu subscription. When I started my re-watch of the show, I was surprised by how well it aged, as well as the hilarious performances by actors like Eva Longoria. But now that I've gotten to Season 5, I'm remembering why I dropped off the show during its original run on ABC.

Desperate Housewives was a huge hit during its eight seasons on the air, and inspired Bravo's Real Housewives of Orange County (streaming with a Peacock subscription). Some folks are hoping for a reboot, but it remains to be seen if that ever happens. Although I have to admit that Season 5 of the show is way less enjoyable than its predecessors (so far, at least).

Deseperate Housewives' Season 5 Time Jump Is A Tough Adjustment

I was pretty young when I originally watched Desperate Housewives, and I don't remember much after that wild tornado episode. Season 5 is a game changer for the series, as it takes place five years after the events of the fourth season. This plot device allows for the characters to be changed greatly, but I'm having some growing pains.

Perhaps the subplot that I'm finding the most challenging is Eva Longoria's Gabrielle Solis. While she was always a delightfully self-centered former model, the fifth season shows her as a schlubby mother of two who is struggling to make ends meet. She's rocking a sad bob and doesn't have any of the glamor the character has previously been known for. She's always been one of my favorite characters, and her fall from grace is making Gabi far less fabulous. Justice for Gabi!

There have been a bunch of strange plotlines throughout Season 5 that I can't quite settle on. Case in point: the episode where Felicity Huffman's Lynette Scavo basically catfishes her son, Porter, online. That entire narrative felt very uncomfortable and has honestly aged like milk.

On the subject of the Scavos, Tom's new passion for starting a garage band is also killing me softly. Namely because the entire family was already put upside down when he decided that opening a pizzeria was his "dream." He's somehow grown discontent with the restaurant, and is once again whining and changing the entire family's priorities.

I have to assume that these issues with Season 5 are why I dropped Desperate Housewives as a young person during its OG run. I'm going to stick around and keep watching this time around, but I'm really hoping that future episodes become a return to form. The time jump complications just aren't doing it for me.

Desperate Housewives' full eight-season run is streaming now on Hulu. Hopefully I'll settle into Season 5 as I get deeper into its 24-episode run.

The Big Bang Theory is one of the best sitcoms of all time, and it remains a celebrated piece of work nearly a decade after its conclusion. Now, thanks to the oral history book and podcast, fans are continuing to learn BTS details of the beloved CBS hit. This now includes a montage involving Simon Helberg's Howard Wolowitz, which was apparently cut from an episode. And it would’ve been very wild.

A lot of changes were made to The Big Bang Theory, both before and throughout the show’s 12-season run. Naturally, scenes were cut from episodes, either because there wasn’t enough time or it just didn’t make sense. Director Anthony Rich shared on The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast that one scene that was cut was a wild montage centering on Simon Helberg’s Howard during Season 4, Episode 13, “The Love Car Displacement,” when Bernadette’s ex, Glenn (played by Rick Fox), came back into the picture:

The episode in question sees Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) running into an ex-boyfriend Glenn at a science conference, and Howard is immediately threatened by him. He and Bernadette end up arguing due to his jealousy. Given the narrative, a wild montage like the one Rich describes would've been great. I laugh just thinking about the notion of the very, tall Rick Fox throwing Simon Helberg up in the air.

I'm definitely feeling a bit of FOMO over this portion of the episode not seeing the light of day. On that note, though, i’s been so long since the episode was filmed that even Rich can't really remember if the montage was ever actually shot. Still, his pitch is making me wish it happened:

Unfortunately, with a show that has 22-minute episodes, it’s hard to keep everything in, and Howard being thrown in the air like a baby was just a casualty of the limit. Rich even admitted that there were “so many funny things” in “The Love Car Displacement” that ended up getting cut. How many other scenes were actually shot or just pitched is unknown, but I'd love to know about the other deleted moments.

That being said, that Season 4 episode works as is, and the montage may have ended up feeling like fluff. Said installment also serves as a major chapter in the Wolowitz/Rostenkowski love saga. (Now, many consider Howard and Bernadette to have the best marriage on the show.) So I'm fine with how everything panned out, though I'd be lying if I said the mental image of Fox tossing Helberg up in the air won't stick with me for a while.

All 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory are available to stream now with an HBO Max subscription. Fans can also use that membership to stream the franchise's latest entry, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is not only one of the best sitcoms of all time, but it launched Will Smith to superstardom. The Oscar-winning actor starred as a fictionalized version of himself on the ‘90s NBC series, and to this day it’s a favorite among fans. While Smith developed bad acting habits while on Fresh Prince, his co-star Alfonso Ribeiro revealed the scene that proved Smith could be a superstar.

Fresh Prince had a lot of memorable moments throughout its six-season run, most of them hilarious. Of course, there were some darker episodes as well and emotional moments that are just as memorable. Ribeiro, who played Will’s cousin Carlton Banks, recalled on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast what it was like being on set for one of those emotional moments. Namely when Will broke down while talking with Uncle Phil (James Avery) about his absentee father:

From the moment that viewers meet Will in the first episode, he’s silly, he doesn’t know how to fit in with his wealthy extended family, and he’s rarely ever serious. Season 4, Episode 24, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse,” saw a much more serious side to Will when his father, Lou, comes back into his life. Will’s excited and they plan a cross-country road trip... and then Lou abandons him again. Will’s conversation with Uncle Phil in the living room is arguably one of the most talked-about scenes in Fresh Prince’s history, maybe even sitcom history. And it's the most special episode to Smith.

It’s raw, it’s heartbreaking, and it definitely showed off Smith’s range after he was playing a pretty silly and unserious character for four years. Ribeiro couldn’t help but praise Smith, who was able to draw from his real life for the emotional moment. And he knew that Smith was truly an actor at that point:

That scene is definitely one of my favorites. And no matter how many times I’ve seen it, I cry every time. I can’t imagine what the atmosphere was like on set that day, not only with Smith but everyone who was watching it film because it is such an important moment. If it wasn’t evident before, it also showed that Fresh Prince was not afraid to get a little serious at times. Any sitcom that is able to successfully mix the serious in with the comedy is a masterpiece, and Fresh Prince is one of those shows.

For those interested in watching the pivotal scene, all six seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are streaming with a Hulu subscription. There are plenty of other memorable moments on the show, both funny and serious, that fans can watch over and over again and never get tired of. It's also perfect for your next long-binge.

The 2026 movie schedule is filled with legacy sequels, and there’s one particularly irreverent one that’s set to arrive later this month. I’m talking about Super Troopers 3, which sees the members of the Broken Lizard comedy team returning to write and star in the production. Some other franchise alums will also be back in the fray this time as well, including Lynda Carter. The fan-favorite actress seems excited to be back, and she recently expressed that enthusiasm by sharing some pics, including a still in which she’s chilling in a bathtub.

At this point, Super Troopers fans have surely come to expect comedy-based action from this franchise and, of course, other madcap antics can ensure as well. However, I can’t say I would’ve expected a still from the film to show Carter’s Governor Jessman smiling while soaking in a tub. That’s exactly what Carter revealed in a recent Instagram post, though, along with a couple of behind-the-scenes photos taken on set. Check out the seemingly ageless Carter in the post below:

While I’m delighted to see a bit of ST3 content, I’m also just enamored with Carter, who looks downright stunning. The iconic Wonder Woman star has always seemed to have something of a glow to her, and that’s definitely apparent in these fresh pics. Aside from that, though, it’s also just cool to see Carter once again sharing space with some of her longtime co-stars like Brian Cox and Jay Chandrasekhar. The jokey comment she makes pertaining to Chandrasekhar in her caption is also funny:

I’d like to think that Vermont Governor Jessman will do more than sit in a tub when she returns in this upcoming threequel (though I could be wrong, considering how unpredictable this film series can be). Throughout the franchise, Carter’s Jessman has served as a key ally to the titular team and provides them with intel on missions. Jessman’s last appearance was in ST2, in which she unites the troopers to help deal with a land-related situation involving Canada. With all that said, this latest photo does leave room for speculation. I mean, is Jessman done with her political obligations and now living the simple life? We’ll have to wait and see.

What is known about the plot of Super Troopers 3 is that it’ll see the team trying to solve a case involving a drug operation. And, at the same time, Trooper “Thorny” will be wrestling with his sister’s engagement to “Favra” and attempt to break them up. Matrimony-based chaos seems likely to ensue, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As was the case with the first Troopers sequel, it’s honestly miraculous that a threequel is happening, though I certainly won’t question it. I’m curious to see what the Broken Lizard brings this time around and, of course, I can’t wait to see Lynda Carter return as Jessman as well. Until then, I’ll just be pondering why Carter’s character will be soaking in a tub during one part of the film.

Grab a Super Troopers 3 popcorn bucket and check out the film when it opens in theaters on August 7. In the meantime, stream the OG 2001 movie with a Hulu subscription, and grab an HBO Max subscription to check out the 2018 sequel.

Months after reports that Seth MacFarlane completed the script for The Orville Season 4, we now have rumors that production on the season is set to kick off in the fall. Amidst chatter that we may see the sci-fi series finally start filming as the 2026 TV schedule plays out, series director Jon Cassar had to refute them.

News surfaced recently from Moviedelic that The Orville Season 4 was about to start splitting time between filming in Los Angeles and Prague in October, which was some big news to break. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be true, as Cassar responded to a fan with the following when asked about it:

This means that the latest news from March remains the same. Specifically, it's that Season 4 of The Orville is written, but Seth MacFarlane is still trying to find out when there will be time in his schedule to film it. Let's not forget he'll have to also wrangle the case back together, some of which have signaled they may not be willing to sign on.

It's hard to be mad at the cast, as this entire situation continues to be baffling. Disney wouldn't officially renew or cancel it for years, leaving it in limbo after a Season 3 finale that left fans wondering what's going on. The stars don't seem to know what's going on either, and obviously couldn't just wait around for years hoping it would return and rejecting other jobs that come their way.

In the meantime, Seth MacFarlane remains one of the busier creatives in Hollywood. He has a litany of projects in the works that he's involved with in varying capacities, including a recently announced Dungeon Crawler Carl series. The script being done certainly helps, but it's not going to be the only thing necessary to get this off the ground.

While I'm still interested in seeing The Orville return for another season, I do genuinely wonder how the series will do after such an extended break from streaming. Obviously, fans can use their Hulu subscription for a refresher on previous seasons.

Before any of that happens, however, we need some solid confirmation that filming is going to happen, and that this series will actually return. I hate that I'm still so skeptical about any positive momentum toward Season 4 happening at this point. But after four years, I'm usually the first these days to tell people not to get too excited just yet.

The Orville, as mentioned, is available on streaming on Hulu and on Disney+. I'm past due for a rewatch, so maybe I'll prioritize that before the fall TV schedule gets rolling, just in case work on Season 4 does get underway.

Mckenna Grace showed up at the Los Angeles premiere of the 2026 movie calendar release of PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie looking like she had just stepped away from a Mystery Inc. adventure. She switched up her usual blonde hair for long, copper-red waves, which instantly made me picture her hanging out by the Mystery Machine in Daphne Blake’s purple boots. I honestly cannot get enough of her bold new red hair.

The look isn’t a coincidence, as Grace is going to play Daphne in Netflix's upcoming live-action series, Scooby-Doo: Origins, which is set to hit the 2027 release calendar. She first unveiled her new red look back in April, right after her casting was announced, and even used a clip of Sarah Michelle Gellar to introduce it. Check out her new (excuse the pun) hair doo below.

Unfortunately, Grace didn't show up to the premiere in a purple mini dress or wearing Daphne’s signature green scarf. But instead she went for a sleeveless white dress with an embellished skirt that let her new hair color, which falls somewhere between copper and deep auburn, take the spotlight. With soft bangs and loose waves, she captured that recognizable Daphne vibe without looking like she was in a cheap Halloween costume or bad cosplay. She truly looks the part.

The shade is also a smart choice because it nods toward Daphne without turning the Haunting of Hill House alum into a copy of anyone who's played the character across some of the best Scooby movies. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s version from the 2002 and 2004 live-action movies still casts a long shadow, especially for fans who grew up watching her Daphne go from danger-prone investigator to someone capable of kicking a masked villain across the room.

Grace already has some history with the role, too. She voiced a younger Daphne in the 2020 animated movie Scoob!, meaning the live-action Netflix series will not be her first trip inside the Mystery Machine. Her casting announcement also came with plenty of enthusiasm, as she celebrated the news on Instagram with an “Oh my jeepers” and several appropriately purple emojis.

The red hair gets the immediate attention, but Grace’s résumé is what makes the casting especially promising. She has spent years moving between family projects and horror movies, including Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Annabelle Comes Home and the Scream franchise. That background feels particularly useful for a show about young investigators chasing what may be an actual supernatural killer.

Netflix’s series is set to follow Daphne and her longtime friend Shaggy during their final summer at camp. The pair discover a lost Great Dane puppy who may have witnessed a supernatural murder, bringing them together with Velma and Fred for the mystery that forms their famous group. The show is expected to premiere sometime in 2027. The project will also introduce the first live-action Scooby played by a real Great Dane rather than a fully animated dog.

We still have not seen Grace in Daphne’s full costume, but the premiere look gives us a strong preview. She has the red hair, prior experience with the character and enough horror credibility as a real bona fide scream queen to give the upcoming supernatural mystery a real sense of danger.

Now I just need Netflix to show me the purple wardrobe because the hair department has already cracked its case.

Here at CinemaBlend, we don’t just think of Gravity Falls as one of the best animated series of all time, but also as one of the all-around best sitcoms of all-time. (Albeit also one of the most fantastical.) And we feel nearly as strongly about GF vet Dana Terrace’s brilliant follow-up show The Owl House. Both lore-building shows have long since ended — in 2016 and 2023, respectively — but superfans can look forward to official new releases from each, and they’ll both be out in September!

Let's take a closer look at both of the exciting new arrivals, when they'll be here, and where to pre-order.

Gravity Falls Is Taking Fans Deeper Than Ever Into The Lore-Filled Art

The Art of Gravity Falls by Alex Hirsch and Rob Renzetti - Release Date: September 15, 2026

As much as I've absolutely adored all of the in-universe books that Alex Hirsch & Co. have released over the years — Journal 3, The Book of Bill, the “Select Your Own Choose-Venture!" novel and several others — I've long wanted an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the inventive and imagination-packed series to serve as a visual representation of the episode commentaries included in the Gravity Falls Blu-ray set. The Art of Gravity Falls is absolutely what I've been waiting for.

Coming 10 years after Alex Hirsch bid farewell to the show's fans amidst Disney's frustrating "Weirdmageddon" release, the new art book is 250+ pages of vivid magic featuring episode breakdowns, the creator's full series bible, and more highlights that we'll list below.

What To Expect Inside The Art Of Gravity Falls

• A gatefold showing off all of Mabel's A+ sweaters
• Unused characters
• Original concept art for the Pine family, Soos and Wendy, as well as for the Mystery Shack
• The full story of Bill Cipher's origins and all of the codes and ciphers seen in the show
• An "episode graveyard" of story and character ideas that were cut
• Over 50 personal photographs from Alex Hirsch, including inspirations from his childhood as well as BTS shots of the creative team in the studio.
• Commentary and insights from Hirsch, Renzetti, art director Ian Worrel, animator Joe Pitt, creative director Mike Rianda, location designer Sean Jimenez, and production designer Phil Rynda, with a foreword from animation icon James Baxter.

One can only imagine there will be even more easter eggs and hidden secrets for fans to explore between the covers. And if we're letting our imaginations run wild, I'm also hoping that this book sparks such a large renewed wave of interest for Gravity Falls that Disney higher-ups feel like there's no other option but to order a new batch of episodes. As Bill Cipher put it: "Eat nightmares!" Although I guess that's not very relevant here.

The Owl House Characters Live On In New Graphic Novel From Creator Dana Terrace

The Long-Lived King: An Original Owl House Graphic Novel by Dana Terrace, Mikki Crisostomo and Daun Han - Release Date: September 29, 2026

Similarly to the strangely truncated way Gravity Falls wrapped its run, The Owl House was granted a third and final season from Disney that, instead of normal episodes, was released as three extended specials that saw Luz, Amity and the others keeping Boiling Isles safe from the dangerous Belos and The Collector. It seemed like it'd be the last time fans would meaningfully connect with all the magical characters, but creator Dana Terrace thankfully didn't let that happen.

A new adventure awaits the group in The Long-Lived King, which sees the skull-headed King coping with the knowlege that he's destined to outlive everyone he knows, and deciding to use one of the Collector's devices to zap out his negative memories. Unfortunately, he also accidentally wipes out Luz's memories, forcing him and Eda to team up with The Collector to get Luz's memories back.

I love that this follow-up graphic novel extends the core story and fully takes place after the events of the animated series. Something that always bothers me is when projects release post-finale stories that are either prequels or are set during the main narrative's timeline, since it necessarily means that the newly established events had already happened in characters' minds without anyone ever referring to them.

So join me in snatching up both books as soon as they're released, and I absolutely expect to have plenty to write about after reading them. Assuming the Gravity Falls Gossiper's Toby Determined doesn't beat me to it.

I think everyone reading this would agree the best way to spend one's time until both boooks release in September is to just stream all the episodes over and over again via Disney+ subscription.

Superbad may not be everyone's favorite comedy, but the way it captured a moment in time resonated with many people, no matter their position or status in life. Seth Rogen can attest to that, as he has had both Kanye West and Eminem quote the movie to him on separate occasions. Can anybody else say that? Probably not.

Rogen refuses to make Superbad 2 despite Judd Apatow wanting to, and part of that may be because the original movie could potentially lose the aura that made it so quotable to some of the biggest rappers on the planet (along with millions of others around the globe). As the actor shared with Complex, Ye once crashed his workout to recite lines from the movie:

Maybe it was that experience that caused him to have regrets later on about some of the lines he wrote for the movie, or times have changed. It's also funny to hear Seth Rogen has another notable story to share about Kanye West, as the actor famously was one of the first people to listen to West's album Yeezus ahead of its release (via Reddit).

As mentioned, West isn't the only rapper to quote Superbad to Seth Rogen. He also brought up Eminem, and added there's a couple others beyond that:

Eminem had a cameo role in the controversial movie The Interview, so I wonder if that's when he talked to Rogen about his love of Superbad. I'd love to hear some of the other rappers who have talked about the movie to him over the years, as I can't even begin to guess which artists were influenced by the shared universal experience of being a teen guy.

Or at least, it used to be. Younger writers on CinemaBlend have lamented that the movie is a product of its time, so it's entirely possible that it doesn't resonate with a certain type of male these days like it used to. Even so, it maintains a legacy as being one of the best comedies of all time, though I'd be curious to know the median age of those responsible for giving that title before jumping on board.

It's all the more reason I'd love to see a follow-up sequel, or maybe even see Superbad remade for a new generation. Good movies about high school are hard to come by, which may be why movies like Mean Girls and Clueless and Superbad stand the test of time and continue to be a part of pop culture. That said, I'm not sure the other two get as much cred from rappers, though I could be wrong about that.

Superbad is available to stream right now over on Tubi. The fact it's available to watch for free has me contemplating a rewatch for the first time since my teens, though part of me is afraid it won't hold up. I guess the only way to find out is to watch anyway!

Netflix has won me over several times over the years by reviving and/or taking over some of my favorite comedic entities, such as Arrested Development, Wet Hot American Summer and the sketch brilliance of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It’s happened again, as the streaming service is now getting into bed — wink, wink — with the 2000s cringe-comedy classic series The Inbetweeners to bring the beloved and hapless quartet of Will, Simon, Neil and Jay back to audiences.

Reports about a potential return from The Inbetweeners first surfaced in 2025, with series creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley signing a deal with production company Banijay UK. All four cast members — Jay Cartwright, Simon Cooper, Will McKenzie and Neil Sutherland — were reportedly in agreement to reprise their libidinous and disaster-prone characters as fully grown adults. At the time, it was unclear where the return would end up, and what format it would take.

Now, Netflix execs are reportedly in the process of locking down all six aforementioned talents for a new Inbetweeners reunion movie, with deals yet to be finalized, according to Variety. The only unfortunate thing about this in my book is that the streaming giant hasn’t officially announced the news yet, so there aren’t any kind of plot details to go off of. But considering this will be the first time fans get to see the four characters as men presumably in their 30s, I don’t really need details to get excited. Any situation that comes up will be brilliant.

Presuming this project gets slated as a 2027 movie release, it will end the 13-year gap since the last time the characters shared the screen. (Don’t you dare make any “gap” jokes, Jay.) The original series originally aired on E4 in the UK from May 2008-October 2010, and viewers couldn’t get enough of the sexually charged and often perverse situations the love-lacking teen boys repeatedly stumbled into.

Following the third season's end, the Inbetweeners brought their gross-out shenanigans to the big screen for 2011's The Inbetweeners Movie and 2014's The Inbetweeners 2. (If you haven't seen either, the first movie's water slide sequence alone is worth the metaphorical price of admission.) It's been a long drought ever since, and the fandom is just waiting to get soaking wet with comedy again. Or something.

The show's comedy was so popular, in fact, that a regional remake was ordered up by MTV of all places, where it sadly became one of several U.S. remakes of UK favorites that failed miserably, and it was canceled after a single season. So kudos to Netflix for going with the original instead of also trying for a remake.

What Could The Inbetweeners' Third Movie Be About?

Perhaps the easiest guess to make would be that at least one member of the group is getting married, or even having children. (Wouldn't it be wild if it's all of them?) If that's the case, I could easily see the new movie getting a "bachelor party gone wrong" narrative involving strippers and cops.

Of course, I could also see all four of them still being hopelessly single all these years later, with everyone reuniting for a last-ditch shot at romance on a singles cruise or a similar location-specific event. I can only hope that anyone who ends up with Jay is the sweetest and most self-confident woman imaginable.

Hopefully Netflix's involvement is only a boon and not a hindrance in any way. I can't imagine the company would have made the efforts to become the destination for the new movie if the point was to neuter it and cut out everything that made the TV show and film great. But I could also see Iain Morris and Damon Beesley writing something so extreme that someone would ask them to edit it out of the script.

Sure, Netflix hasn’t nailed all of its continuation efforts. For instance, not everyone loved Arrested Development’s final two seasons, with the fourth being severely disjointed, and the fifth being marred by behind-the-scenes reports, but I still think both are generally funnier than plenty of series that have been created and produced in the past ten years. As such, I have zero worries about whether or not The Inbetweeners’ creatives will deliver on heightened expectations. It’s gonna happen, and I’m gonna love it.

As we wait to see what kind of horrifying situations the boys…er…men will get into next, the three seasons of the 2008-2010 TV series are available to stream via Amazon Prime subscription, while the first movie can be streamed on Tubi.

We’re still going through the five stages of grief over Chloe Fineman no longer being in the cast of Saturday Night Live. She made the announcement last month, and it was met with a big wave of support from fellow castmates. Plus, she already has a Netflix series on the way. But you’ve got to love the sweet comments her fellow alum Cecily Strong shared about her.

Cecily Strong remains the longest-running female cast member in SNL history, as she was on it from 2012 to 2022 and ended up with eleven seasons to her name. Her time in Studio 8H overlapped with Fineman's for four seasons. So, it was very sweet and impactful to see Strong's comments about the cast member who just left the show:

To note, these impressions were not just of her fellow SNL cast. Famously, Fineman auditioned with a hilarious Reese Witherspoon impression that she then did in front of the actress. This is such a great shout about one of the reasons why Fineman is one of the great recent SNL cast members. We’ll certainly miss her impressions, but maybe some of the cast won’t miss all the constant impressions of them?

Chloe Fineman’s time at Saturday Night Live is over, but she definitely made an impact across her seven seasons on the sketch comedy show. To that point, Strong told Parade:

Perhaps the best example of Chloe Fineman’s impressions (including one of Cecily Strong) was in the 2022 sketch “The Understudy.” Check it out below:

The sketch had Fineman calling herself the official SNL understudy. It then cuts to segments of her doing impressions of her castmates like Kate McKinnon, Melissa Villaseñor and more. Throughout her time on SNL, Fineman has also shown she has really awesome impressions of Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Coolidge, Timothée Chalamet and Britney Spears.

Now that she’s joined Cecily Strong as a former SNL star, perhaps they’ll get to connect over post-SNL life. Strong has been away from the show for almost four years, and she’s since gotten engaged, had her first and only daughter, and been on Broadway. Recently, she also said she’s still “learning to sleep again” after her longtime SNL schedule. Being a new mother probably isn’t helping with that adjustment either.

Chloe Fineman’s next project is a Netflix thriller series called Myron Bolitar based on the books by Harlan Coben. She’ll play a sports reporter named Parker Quinn. While we wait for that, you can of course watch old SNL episodes of Chloe Fineman with a Peacock subscription. Season 52 of SNL is also on the 2026 TV schedule and set to premiere on September 26.

George Costanza, the neurotic best friend of Jerry Seinfeld who would overthink every social interaction, panic over the tiniest things, and turn an everyday problem into a disaster, is one of my favorite Seinfeld characters. That's in great part because of how well Jason Alexander played him in one of NBC's best sitcoms. However, it turns out, the actor wasn't sure how to play the guy at first...until he realized George was just Larry David.

While speaking on Archive of American Television (via Instagram), Alexander recalled the confusion he faced while trying to figure George out. He didn't believe anyone would ever act that way. So, he asked Larry David about it. Here's how that conversation went:

Well, they do say write what you know, and that’s apparently what Larry David did. He took his own hilarious, real-life scenarios and incorporated them into the show. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as David played a wildly exaggerated version of himself in his HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. However, back in the early days of Seinfeld, it did throw Alexander for a loop.

When he concluded that George was just Larry David in fictional character form, however, it really unlocked something. Recalling how this realization changed the way he played his Seinfeld character, the actor said:

No wonder Jason Alexander did such a top job as George! Larry David put a version of himself into the character, and once Alexander noticed that, he modeled his performance after the show's co-creator.

Looking back on Alexander’s revelation, it reminds me of the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode when he guest-starred as himself, joining Larry David’s idea for a fictional Seinfeld reunion. But when Alexander quit, David decided to replace him as George for the reunion and ended up doing a terrible job. It was a hilarious way of showing that while the Seinfeld co-creator was the blueprint for George, no one could bring him to life the way Jason Alexander did.

Anyway, just when Jason Alexander thought “no human being could do” what George Constanza did on one of the best sitcoms of all time, Larry David actually had done it. With the comedic stylings of both men, George hilariously showed audiences that life’s funniest moments can come from our most painful human experiences.

Feel free to revisit some of George’s funniest and most neurotic moments on Seinfeld by streaming it with a Netflix subscription.

Lindsay Lohan celebrated turning 40 years old last month, and it’s hard not to believe how much time has passed since her first feature film, Nancy Meyers' 1998 version of The Parent Trap. The Mean Girls actress has been reflecting on her nearly three-decade career in Hollywood, including the iconic family rom-com that launched her career. Lohan recently had the chance to briefly revisit her Parent Trap characters, twins Annie and Hallie, for a brand deal, and revealed the understandable conditions she has before joining a full-fledged sequel.

The Freaky Friday actress returned to her roots (literally) in her Reeses-Oreo commercial, once again stirring up wishes for a Parent Trap sequel. While there is no confirmation in the commercial itself, other than a wink from Lohan, it’s highly implied she’s playing Annie and Hallie. Lohan told Us Weekly she wouldn’t fully return as the mischievous twins without seeing a script first, and revealed the one other condition she has before signing on to a follow-up:

Ever since the Just My Luck actress set the Lohanissance into motion with Freakier Friday, a sequel to her 2003 hit Freaky Friday with Jaime Lee Curtis, fans have been clamoring for a Parent Trap reprisal. The beloved '90s film marks Meyers' directorial debut, and boy did she set the bar high. A sequel to the movie, which is a remake of the 1961 movie of the same name starring Hayley Mills, has been brought up before to several cast members to mixed reactions.

Lisa-Ann Walter, who plays Chessy, previously pitched a sequel idea but, like Lohan, she said she would only sign on if Meyers were attached to the project. Given Elaine Hendrix (Meridith Blake) makes a cameo in Freakier Friday and is still good friends with Lohan and Walter, I'd also hope that she would be open to returning if a sequel were to come to fruition.

However, the hesitation for nearly all of the cast, but especially Dennis Quaid (who plays Annie and Hallie’s father Nick Parker), is the absence of Natasha Richardson. The actress, who plays the twins’ mother Elizabeth James in the movie, tragically died in 2009 due to a skiing accident. Quaid has said a number of times that while he would love to do a Parent Trap sequel, Richardson is "irreplaceable" and, therefore, a sequel without her would be impossible.

Richardson is unfortunately not the only Parent Trap cast and crew to have died in the 28 years since the film came out. More recently, Polly Holliday, who plays Camp Walden leader Marva Sr, died last year, with Meyers, Lohan, Walter, and more penning sweet tributes to the late great actress.

As someone who rewatches The Parent Trap annually with my Disney+ subscription, I’m hesitant to support a sequel. It’s such a comfort movie for me, and 11-year-old Lohan’s incredible dual performance brings so much life to the film. But so does the chemistry between Quaid and Richardson, and it wouldn’t be the same without the former. It’s one of those instances where I like how the movie stands, as is. Let's be honest, not every movie needs the sequel treatment.

However, as a fan, I did absolutely love Lohan’s Reeses-Oreo collab, which was the perfect dose of nostalgia for my Parent Trap heart. The ad -- directed by Patricia Arquette and co-starring Lohan and comedian Amy Sedaris -- takes excellent advantage of the infamous dipping of Oreos in peanut butter made famous by The Parent Trap. Check it out:

While I’m not entirely on board for a Parent Trap sequel, I could get behind another modern remake. That seems to be the pattern with this beloved screenplay, and I’m absolutely not opposed to some cameos from Lohan and her 1998 co-stars. Still, with legacy sequels being so popular right now, it wouldn't be surprising if Lohan were to touch base with Meyers and get a follow-up off the ground.