Sometimes, you watch a show like The Wire and later discover that despite being almost universally acclaimed and often considered one of the best–if not the best–shows of all time, it never won an Emmy of any kind. How in the world does that happen? The classic, available to stream on HBO Max, is hardly alone with the dubious distinction of being a great show with no Emmys. This is a list dedicated to shows just like The Wire.

It's worth noting that we're talking about Primetime Emmys here, not Creative Arts Emmys. Some of these shows have won the latter.

Parks And Recreation

For seven seasons, Parks and Recreation made fans laugh on NBC. With an all-star cast that included Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Aubry Plaza, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, and Rob Lowe, the show was one of the top-rated sitcoms of its era. Still, it never managed to win an Emmy, somehow, despite eight nominations.

Chappelle’s Show

Although it only ran on Comedy Central for three seasons, Chappelle’s Show took the world by storm, and you could argue it changed sketch shows forever. There are still countless memes based on the jokes on the show, and people still quote it all the time. It was nominated for two Emmys, but didn't win either.

Better Call Saul

There may not be a show on the list of Emmy snubs that gets its fans fired up about that fact more than fans of Better Call Saul. In six seasons, the critically acclaimed show, which was beloved by fans, was nominated for 30 Emmys, including multiple times for Outstanding Drama, but never won one. It's one of the most egregious examples of a true prestige show that didn't run on HBO on this list.

Star Trek

It's well known that Star Trek wasn't the most popular show when it first aired in the mid-'60s. Still, it's kind of crazy that the groundbreaking show was nominated for 13 Emmys during its brief three-season run, but never won one. Getting shut out for an Emmy certainly hasn't dampened the show's cultural influence or its popularity.

Yellowstone

One of the more recent shows on this list, Yellowstone, wrapped up its very successful run in late 2024 without winning an Emmy. The show has always been somewhat politically divisive, but you can't deny that it's a really great show. During its five-season run, the Kevin Costner-led show was never even nominated for a Primetime Emmy. Costner did win a Golden Globe, though.

Good Times

One of the most groundbreaking sitcoms of all time, Good Times, was probably a little too radical for the Emmys. The show wasn't just funny, it was also heartwarming and poignant. IT still couldn't win an Emmy, and that's not "dy-no-mite!"

Blue Bloods

Tom Selleck is an Emmy winner. He won for Best Lead in a Drama in 1984 for his legendary character Thomas Magnum in Magnum P.I. He was never even nominated for his equally legendary role as Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods. In fact, Blue Bloods never won an Emmy of any kind despite 14 great seasons and legions of fans, who are still upset the show was canceled.

Grace And Frankie

Legends Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin starred in Grace and Frankie for seven wonderful seasons that you can watch with a Netflix subscription. Netflix is no stranger to winning Emmys, but this excellent never won one. Both Fonda and Tomlin were nominated multiple times, coming away empty each time. That's okay, they are still two of the greatest of all time.

Enlightened

A decade before Mike White kept the nation in suspense with his White Lotus series on HBO, he created Enlightened, starring Laura Dern. It's a completely unappreciated show that deserved more Emmy love than it ever got.

Veronica Mars

Kristen Bell became a hero to millions when she starred as the detective Veronica Mars in the show of the same name. It's a show that is famous for its die-hard fan support, but that support didn't translate to Emmy Awards, sadly.

My So-Called Life

Of all the shows on this list, My So-Called Life is the easiest to understand why it didn't win an Emmy. Despite being a show that helped launch the careers of stars Claire Danes and Jared Leto, the show only lasted 19 episodes and only really found its fanbase after the show was canceled.

Empire

Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson led an all-star cast in the music industry drama Empire, which despite critical acclaim and running for six seasons, the show was never bestowed with an Emmy. Howard and Henson alone should have more multiple awards, if you ask fans. Henson was nominated twice, at least, but that doesn't make up for not winning any.

The Wire

There is no small contingent of people who will argue that not only was The Wire the best show on TV when it first ran in the early '00s, but it's the best television show of all time. For five seasons, the show suffered from poor ratings, but in the years since, it's found its fanbase and more. In fact, despite all the praise it receives today, it was only ever nominated twice. Clay Davis might have something to say about that.

The Good Place

Kristen Bell and Ted Danson starred in The Good Place. It's a show that struggled to find an audience for reasons that are hard to pinpoint. It's a really funny show, and it was unique in its premise and its humor. That might be why it never managed to win an Emmy, despite certainly being deserving of some.

Narcos

Netflix's Narcos is a fantastic example of a truly great peak-era TV show that somehow got snubbed by the Emmys. There was a lot of competition, sure, but Narcos was a step above many of those shows. Wagner Moura's performance as Pablo Escobar should've won every award there was, and Pedro Pascal was fantastic as well. Maybe the content scared the voters off, or that the show was bilingual, but no matter what, it should have won something.

The Leftovers

HBO dominated prestige TV in the early 2000s with shows like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under, and The Leftovers. Unlike the previous two, the latter never won an Emmy. It seemed like it would be the next show in line to collect all the Emmys like the other shows on the network, but alas, it wasn't to be, and they were left behind.

The Brady Bunch

Okay, okay, this one is a bit of a stretch to wonder why it never won an Emmy, but come on, who doesn't love The Brady Bunch? Multiple generations have grown up watching the show now, and there isn't a person in America who isn't aware of this classic family sitcom. It's a perfect example of critics and Emmy voters disagreeing with viewers.

The Comeback

Of all the shows that former cast members of Friends have starred in over the years, maybe the most underappreciated is The Comeback starring Lisa Kudrow. It wasn't an immediate hit when it hit HBO in 2005 for 13 episodes, but it proved enduring, and it returned for a second season in 2014. Don't call it a comeback...

Newhart

The '80s classic Newhart, starring Bob Newhart, features one of the greatest finales in television history. It was also nominated for an astounding 25 Emmys. It never won, though. It's almost too ridiculous to believe that a show this good and with this many nominations never won one. Adding insult to injury, Bob Newhart's first hit sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show, never won one, either.

Parenthood

NBC's Parenthood, which was very loosely based on the 1989 movie starring Steve Martin, was a bit of a surprise hit on the Peacock Network. The show, like the movie, had just the right combination of laughs and tear-jerking moments, and it did so successfully for six seasons. Despite having all the ingredients of a multiple Emmy-winning show, it was completely shut out. In fact, it was only nominated for one, and that was a guest star (Josh Ritter).

NCIS

For decades, NCIS ruled the ratings. Despite more than 20 seasons on the air, the show has never won an Emmy. It's one of the most popular shows ever, yet it's only ever been nominated for three Emmys, total. Wild.

Hannibal

Horror shows, like horror movies, often have a difficult time show business' biggest awards, and Hannibal is no exception. Despite being a fantastic (and really scary) show, it never won an Emmy.

Oz

One of the earliest examples of prestige TV is Oz. The show is one of the hardest-hitting, raw shows in TV history, with an amazing cast. It was probably a little ahead of its time, however, as it really never got the accolades it deserved when it was on the air. That includes never winning an Emmy.

Leave It To Beaver

We had to include this one. Leave It To Beaver is a show that basically invented and defined the family sitcom, and yet it never got the appreciation it deserved from the Emmys. The awards were still pretty new when the show was on the air, but it was incredibly popular, yet ignored by the Emmys.

Supernatural

Few shows in television history have a fan base as dedicated as Supernatural. For 15 seasons, the show kept them coming back for more, through casting changes, and even a network change, the fans kept showing their love. The Emmys never did, sadly.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The quirkiness and enduring humor of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt would seemingly be enough to win at least one Emmy. Ellie Kemper's performance as Schmidt herself was also certainly good enough to win one. Alas, over three seasons and a remarkable twenty nominations, it won none.

New Girl

146 episodes. Seven seasons. Zero Emmys. Such is the fate of New Girl. Zooey Deschanel played the titular new girl, and even though she was widely praised for her comedic performance, she didn't win an Emmy, nor did the show. It was nominated five times, including Deschanel once for Lead Actress, but walked away empty-handed.

Mindhunter

It's a crying shame that Mindhunter only ran for two seasons. It's a prime example of Netflix canceled without a proper ending. While fans are still holding hope that the show could be revived one day, for now, we'll have to live with just the two excellent seasons. Despite how good those seasons are, they didn't win any Emmys.

Sons Of Anarchy

While many might say that Sons of Anarchy never deserved to win an Emmy, that's not fair. The show had some tremendous moments, like Opie's death, and frankly, the finale. It's one show that actually ended really well. For 92 episodes over seven seasons, we laughed, cried, and bled with SAMCRO, but the show never grabbed voters, it seems. It did receive a few Creative Arts Emmy nominations, but it was never nominated for a Primetime Emmy.

Bates Motel

As horror shows go, Bates Motel is among the best ever. For five seasons, the show scared the pants off fans, but it seems to have never scared the Emmy voters into getting an award. Vera Farmiga was nominated a couple of times, but alas, walked away without a win.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

It's hard to fathom just how popular and enduring It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is. It first aired way back in 2015. Now, the stars own football teams in England. It's just crazy, but not as crazy as how the gang has never won even one Emmy.

Gilmore Girls

One of the most enduringly popular shows on this list, Gilmore Girls is still as popular as ever with its fans, despite being off the air for more than 15 years. Fans still keep on the lookout for shows with the Gilmore Girls cast members, but none of those stars won an Emmy for the show. In fact, the show was completely shut out, just like the rest of the shows on this list.

Some might argue that a scene from a film or TV series that turns out to have existed all in a character’s head is a cop out. Maybe that’s true in some respects, but when done right and without misleading intentions, dream sequences can be used as a great opportunity to let artists run wild with their imaginations, resulting in some of a title’s most memorable moments. Here are some of the most wonderfully surreal scenes from the big and small screen that may have had you questioning if you had entered dreamland.

Dawn Haunts Renton (Trainspotting)

Director Danny Boyle's 1996 adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting follows a group of Scottish addicts trying to get clean, none of whom has a harder time with it than Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor). One signature scene sees him locked in his childhood bedroom by his parents and forced to wean off his habit cold turkey, during which he suffers an intense fever dream featuring hallucinations of his parents on a game show, his various friends, and the spirit of a deceased infant he once knew climbing on his ceiling.

Bruce Wayne's Alternate Life (Batman: The Animated Series)

One of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, let alone one of the strangest, is "Perchance to Dream." As part of a scheme by Mad Hatter, Bruce Wayne finds himself living in a fantasy in which his parents were never murdered, he is engaged to Selina Kyle, and someone other than him is protecting the streets of Gotham as Batman.

Sarah's Apocalyptic Nightmare (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

One thing that makes the classic sci-fi movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day one of the all-time greatest sequels is the way it depicts Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and her growth as a character following the traumatic events of the first film, especially through one wild fantasy sequence. In the dream, she witnesses her happier past self and other bystanders at a park where they suffer a nuclear blast that ends up burning off her skin, leaving her remaining skeleton clinging to a chain-link fence.

All Of Season 9 (Dallas)

Dallas delivered one of the craziest retcons in TV history when it was revealed that the death of Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) and the entire ninth season of the hit primetime soap opera all happened in the head of his wife, Pamela (Victoria Principal). The retcon was prompted after Duffy, who had previously left the show, agreed to return for Season 10, which opens with Pamela waking up to find Bobby in the shower.

Happy's Happy Place (Happy Gilmore)

The classic golf movie, 1996's Happy Gilmore, stars Adam Sandler in the title role of a guy with a talent for tee time, but the rage of a hockey player, which his trainer, Chubbs (Carl Weathers), tries to help him control by envisioning his own "happy place." He imagines his girlfriend, Virginia (Julie Bowen), carrying drink pitchers, his grandmother (Frances Bay) finding the money she needs from a slot machine, and a little cowboy riding an old-fashioned bicycle, for some reason. However, a later attempt to escape into this fantasy world is interrupted by the invasion of his nemesis, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald).

The Solomons Suffer From Bizarre Dreams (3rd Rock From The Sun)

The two-part Season 2 finale of 3rd Rock from the Sun tried something unique by airing in 3D, but saving that format for some incredibly insane sequences. The surreal, avant garde scenes are dreams that Dick (John Lithgow) and the rest of his extra-terrestrial comrades are experiencing, but for the first time since taking human form, which leads them to assume they are ill.

Old Blue Saves The Day (A Christmas Story)

The classic holiday movie, 1983's A Christmas Story, follows young Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) and his devotion to making sure he finds an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle under the tree. He seems to believe that it will make his life better, based on a daydream in which he, dressed as a hero named Old Blue, uses the BB shooter to rescue his family from criminals.

The Opening Scene (8 1/2)

Federico Fellini's signature 1963 film opens with a bizarre dream in which the main character gets trapped in his smoke-filled car in full-stop, literal bumper-to-bumper traffic. After he finally escapes, it cuts to him flying through the clouds until he is pulled down by his ankle by a person on a beach, and descends into the water just as he awakens.

Gutterballs (The Big Lebowski)

There are two great dream sequences from Joel and Ethan Coen's hilarious, classic '90s movie, 1998's The Big Lebowski, the first of which sees The Dude (Jeff Bridges) flying over L.A. trying to reach his stolen rug after receiving a crack on the jaw. However, the more memorable scene sees him, after being sedated by Jackie Treehorn, imagining he is the star of a Busby Berkeley-inspired adult film about bowling.

The Entire Series (Newhart)

One of the most iconic, oft-parodied, and simply best TV series finales is that of Newhart, in which the actor and comedian wakes up in bed as Bob Hartley, his role from his first hit sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show. His co-star from said 1970s hit, Suzanne Pleshette, wakes up next to him as Hartley's wife, Emily, and he explains to her that his entire life as Vermont innkeeper Dick Loudon was a dream.

Rosemary Drifts On A Mattress (Rosemary's Baby)

Some of the best horror movies include a dream sequence that sneaks up on you with its more nightmarish qualities, such as in 1968's Rosemary's Baby. The first half of Rosemary's (Mia Farrow) dream is somewhat peaceful, showing her lying on a mattress floating on a bed of water, but in the second half of the dream, she is attacked by a demon. To make matters worse, that occurrence might not be part of the dream at all.

Buffy's Slaying Is A Delusion? (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Sarah Michelle Gellar's title hero from Buffy the Vampire Slayer has likely wished that her life could be free of encounters with bloodsuckers, demons, and all kinds of things that go bump in the night, but she probably never wanted to experience it the way she does in Season 6's "Normal Again." Buffy becomes exposed to a demonic, hallucinogenic venom that causes her to become trapped in a fantasy in which she is a mental patient, and her life of fighting paranormal activity has been all in her head.

Nazi Werewolves (An American Werewolf In London)

Writer and director John Landis' An American Werewolf in London boasts one of the most incredible moments of body horror in cinematic history, but one could argue a crazier moment in the classic werewolf movie happens earlier. While recovering from his animal attack, David (David Naughton) dreams he is back in the States with his family when a group of gun-toting, lycanthropic SS soldiers invade.

Tony Becomes A Salesman (The Sopranos)

Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) experienced multiple, eye-opening dream sequences throughout HBO's run of The Sopranos, including one that took place during most of an entire episode. In Season 6's "Join the Club," a comatose Tony dreams of an alternate life away from the DiMeo Family in which he is an ordinary salesman named Kevin Finnerty.

The Clown Hospital (Pee-wee's Big Adventure)

A movie scene that scared many '80s kids occurs in Pee-wee's Big Adventure when the titular man-child (played by Paul Reubens) has a nightmare about his missing bike. The prized, two-wheel vehicle is picked up in scraps by a group of horrifying harlequins who use unconventional and concerning methods to put it back together again.

Adam's Repeated Death Row Sentence (The Twilight Zone)

All of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone feel like a dream (or a nightmare), but Season 2's "Shadow Play" actually takes place entirely in one. Dennis Weaver stars as a convicted criminal trying to convince the other characters that his condemnation is merely part of a recurring nightmare.

Sue Visits Carrie's Grave (Carrie)

Director Brian de Palma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie ends with one of the most iconic and influential jump scares, which actually inspired the ending of 1980's Friday the 13th. A grieving Sue Snell (Amy Irving) dreams that she is visiting the resting place of her titular telekinetic classmate (Sissy Spacek) where her bloodied arm emerges from the ground and grasps onto her. Sue does not wake up from the nightmare, but is unable to stop screaming in her sleep.

Cooper's First Visit To The Red Room (Twin Peaks)

Most of David Lynch's movies and TV projects feel like long dream sequences, but when depicting Special Agent Dale Cooper's (Kyle MacLachlan) nightmare about the Red Room in an early episode of Twin Peaks, the master of surrealism really goes for it, resulting in a dream sequence more authentic than most. The inexplicably aged-up Coop meets a dancing little person who tells him, in backwards speak, "That gum you like is going to come back in style." He then meets a blonde woman resembling Laura Palmer (played by Sheryl Lee) and asks if she is the murdered teen, to which she responds, also in backwards speak, "I feel like I know her, but sometimes my arms bend back."

Lloyd And Mary's Romance (Dumb And Dumber)

In the 1994 Jim Carrey movie favorite, Dumb and Dumber, while traveling to Aspen, Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) fantasizes that his crush, Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly), will fall for him immediately after he returns her missing briefcase. The daydream continues to show highlights of their imaginary relationship, from a party where Lloyd entertains guests with uproarious tricks (like lighting his flatus on fire), to a romantic dinner where he engages in a cinematic-style kung fu fight.

Elliott '90s Sitcom Fantasy (Mr. Robot)

A top-rated Season 2 of Mr. Robot called "eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes" is depicted predominantly in the style of '90s sitcom and even features a cameo by ALF. However, it is later revealed that this laugh-track-filled fantasy is Elliott's (Rami Malek) dream, and that he has been asleep in a hospital after being violently beaten by Ray Heyworth's (Craig Robinson) goons.

Beauty School Dropout (Grease)

In the 1978 movie musical Grease, Frenchie (Didi Conn) is encouraged to put her cosmetology career on hold and go back to high school by an unexpected person, Frankie Avalon, with a dreamy number called "Beauty School Dropout.'

Kevin Becomes An Assassin (The Leftovers)

In Season 2 of The Leftovers, Kevin (Justin Theroux) is told by Virgil (Steven Williams) that the only way to cure his persistent visions of cult leader Patti Levin (Ann Dowd) is to take his own life. This sends him into a bewildering reality in which he is a contract killer assigned to kill Patti, who is a presidential candidate.

Ronnie Births A Maggot (The Fly)

At one point in the tragic romantic thriller that is David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly, Ronnie (Geena Davis) discovers she is pregnant with the child of Dr. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who has been transforming into a half-man, half-insect at this time. Her fear of what could be growing inside of her is personified in a nightmare in which, instead of a human baby, she gives birth to a giant larva.

Jeff Lives A G.I. Joe Fantasy (Community)

The best episodes of Community experiment with different genres, such as the time the series put the cast in the world of the '80s-era beloved animated series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. The action-packed, cartoon setting of "G.I. Jeff" is revealed to be a fantasy Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) has created to cope with turning 40.

Henry Loses His Head (Eraserhead)

In Eraserhead, Henry (Jack Nantz) has a nightmare in which his head falls off his neck, where a new head resembling his mutant child pops out to replace it. Of course, this dream sequence is no more bizarre than anything else that happens in David Lynch's perplexing 1977 debut feature.

Rob Suspects There Is An Alien Invasion (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

In a classic episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show called “It May Look Like a Walnut,” Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) watches an alien invasion movie involving extraterrestrial walnuts and otherworldly visitors without thumbs. The next day, his life begins to resemble the film's plot, until he wakes up that night to discover it was all a dream.

Wayne Meets Jim Morrison (Wayne's World 2)

The plot of the hit 1993 SNL movie Wayne's World 2, in which Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) put on their own concert, is set in motion when Wayne dreams he is in a desert where he meets the spirit of The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison (Michael Nickles).

Frasier Is Visited By Sigmund Freud (Frasier)

In the Season 4 Frasier episode "The Impossible Dream," the eponymous therapist and radio host (played by Kelsey Grammer) has a suggestive dream about his effeminate colleague, Gil Chesterson (Edward Hibbert). He eventually determines the dream is no more than a task his subconscious gave himself to satisfy his currently unchallenging career, but the episode ends with an even more confusing nighttime encounter with his idol, Sigmund Freud, who joins him in his bed and implies a request for intimacy.

Ray Gets Cooked (The 'Burbs)

In 1989's The 'Burbs, family man Ray (Tom Hanks) initially refuses to believe that his neighbors could actually be the murderous cult that other locals suspect they are. However, he does reach a breaking point when he dreams that they tear through his house with a chainsaw and sacrifice him on a giant barbecue pit.

Cliff's Muppet-Filled Nightmare (The Cosby Show)

One of the weirdest episodes of The Cosby Show involves Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) dreaming that the Muppets have taken over his life.

Alex Gives Birth To His Doppelganger (Junior)

Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a man who becomes pregnant is a pretty intriguing concept on its own. However, things get especially bizarre in 1994's Junior when the actor's character dreams that he has given birth to the spitting image of himself.

D.J.'s SAT Disaster (Full House)

In a Season 6 episode of Full House, D.J. Tanner's (Candace Cameron Bure) stress over the upcoming SATs culminates in a nightmare in which Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White appears to inform her that she has failed the test and will go to Clown University.

When it comes to specific channels on television, there is but one that has produced television shows that have genuinely taken the world by storm and got people talking for years on end. And that, my friends, is HBO. The premium channel – known as “Home Box Office” – has created some of the biggest shows of the last thirty years or so. And here are some that truly got the world talking.

Game of Thrones

You knew Game of Thrones would be on here somehow. The series, based on the novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin, was the biggest show for years on HBO, with several huge Game of Thrones shocking moments and a Game of Thrones cast that exploded onto the scene and became household names. It’s one of the best shows of the last decade.

Westworld

Running for three seasons, Westworld was a sci-fi western based on the novel of the same name. It was a huge show when it first came out. The Westworld cast was large and impressive, and the story took so many twists and turns that it was almost hard to keep up with it.

The White Lotus

Did you ever think a series about guests at a five-star hotel resort would become the phenomenon that it’s become? Because I sure didn’t. The White Lotus, which began as a limited series, has run for three seasons so far and has captured the hearts and attention of viewers worldwide, with views growing steadily with each new season.

Insecure

Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, Insecure is the kind of comedy-drama that everyone needs to see. With five seasons total, the series followed two young Black women who are navigating their twenties and just trying to survive everyday life. It’s hilarious, won several awards, and was popular for all the right reasons.

True Detective

With a new cast each season and a new mystery to solve, True Detective kept coming back with even better stories and excellent acting. From the lands of California to the snow landscape of Alaska, this series finds new ways to surprise its audience each time, making viewers return for more whenever a new season is confirmed.

The Last of Us

Based on the video game franchise of the same name, The Last of Us ended up becoming one of the biggest shows on the channel, as well as on Max, the streaming platform for HBO. The series follows the life of Joel, a smuggler in the apocalypse, and Ellie, a girl who is immune to the virus. They journey across the United States, where her immunity might be the cure to this whole thing. The series is beloved by most, and is one of the best video game adaptations out there.

Deadwood

Considered one of the best Western shows, Deadwood is the series to watch if you want a good, classic crime drama with some of the best acting. Featuring an all-star cast with so much to love, the show was so popular that it spawned a movie after it ended, which also premiered on HBO.

Euphoria

While there have been years between seasons of this show, there’s no denying that Euphoria is one of those series where, when it premieres, the world stops to watch. Starring an impressive Euphoria cast led by Zendaya, the dark teen drama altered pop culture when it premiered and has remained iconic years later.

Big Little Lies

Based on the novel of the same name, Big Little Lies is a mystery and dark comedy in which you never truly know who to trust. With two seasons and cast members who are mega-stars like Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and more at the helm, this series got people talking and more.

House Of The Dragon

While the Game of Thrones universe has continued to expand, the first series that came out after the main show concluded was House of the Dragon, based on the novel Fire and Blood. With more dragons than ever before, a civil war that has fans on the edge of their seats, and acting that takes your breath away, this series was primed to become one of the biggest shows out there the moment it premiered.

Six Feet Under

For five seasons, one of the biggest shows on HBO was Six Feet Under, a series that followed the lives of a family who ran a funeral parlor. I know, at first, that kind of premise sounds like it wouldn’t mean much entertainment, but this was a very well-received series and one that fans absolutely loved.

The Wire

Whenever anyone thinks of an HBO show, one of the first that comes to mind is always this one. The Wire was a crime drama set in Baltimore and told a different storyline each season about a new institution of the city, from drugs to the lack of education in the city. It’s extremely well-told.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

There are some comedies out there that become huge, and then there’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show that ran for twelve seasons, 120 episodes, and continued to remain critically praised for years. Fans could not get enough of Larry David in the lead role and the hilarity of the story that his fictional self would get into in this iconic HBO series.

Mildred Pierce

A miniseries on HBO, Mildred Pierce, is based on a book by the same name and stars Kate Winslet. Through five episodes, we watch a divorcee of the Great Depression trying to find herself again and establish a business within the restaurant industry while also dealing with her problems. The miniseries was a massive hit for HBO and earned several Emmy nominations – and a couple of wins.

Big Love

Running for five seasons, Big Love was a drama that took the world by storm. It followed the story of a Mormon man and his three wives who lived in modern-day Utah. The series was another huge hit for the channel and earned several major awards during its run.

The Sopranos

I mean, obviously, I have to include The Sopranos. I feel like The Sopranos is as synonymous with HBO as Game of Thrones is. The series made the channel huge and won many awards. The Sopranos cast is filled to the brim with incredible talent, and even now, years later, it has a long-lasting legacy.

Girls

Created by Lena Dunham, Girls was a comedy-drama that aired over six seasons and followed the lives of four women living in modern-day New York City. It had some hilarious storylines but wasn’t afraid to dive deeper into modern themes and darker subjects, which made the show such a hit.

Chernobyl

When I think of some of the best miniseries on HBO, Chernobyl is one that comes up every time. The series tells the true story of the Chernobyl disaster and was critically praised for its acting, accuracy, and fantastic cinematography. Once you watch Chernobyl, you’ll never return to who you were before.

Veep

I could go on and on for hours about Veep and how amazing it was. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the Veep cast was hilarious. It told the story of a U.S. vice president and how she tried to deal with the modern-day politics of America while also working with an idiotic president next to her. It’s hysterical in every way, shape and form.

Watchmen

Based on the same comic series, Watchmen is an HBO miniseries that truly redefines the superhero drama of television. It tells bold and dark tales of a world of crime and justice. It also has an incredible cast that only cemented its legacy on HBO. I always wished there was a Season 2, but I’m content with it running for the one miniseries we got.

Barry

For four seasons, Barry was the best dark comedy on the channel – and later, it really turned into more of a drama than anything else. The series, starring Bill Hader as the lead of the spectacular Barry cast, tells the story of a hitman who finds some purpose in acting in L.A. and begins to question his life. The show takes twists and turns you would never expect.

Mare Of Easttown

This miniseries, Starring Kate Winslet, was a huge hit for HBO. With seven episodes, it tells the story of a detective who investigates a murder in a small town outside of Philadelphia while also dealing with her own personal life. The series won several Emmy Awards and was talked about for weeks.

The Leftovers

The Leftovers ran for three seasons, but it cemented itself on HBO’s roster the moment it did, and people still talk about it today. The series follows the lives of people on Earth who were left behind when 2% of the entire population of the world vanished. Now, it’s up to the leftovers to survive.

The Righteous Gemstones

The Righteous Gemstones is one of those series that has a cast that is too good to be true. The show stars Danny McBride, Adam DeVine, John Goodman, Walton Goggins, and so many other major stars – and what makes it better is that it’s so funny. With four seasons, the series follows a family of televangelists and their personal lives, and it’s just as hysterical as you can imagine it would be.

Band Of Brothers

The miniseries Band of Brothers was based on the novel of the same name and is a war drama that was praised for its impressive Band of Brothers cast, as well as how realistic the series was. The show was so popular that it spawned two spinoff shows years later – The Pacific and Masters of the Air.

Succession

Oh, you knew this show would be on here somehow. Succession was a huge HBO show that followed the story of a family fighting for control over their father’s media conglomerate when his health was put into question. The series was praised for its acting, from the incredible Succession cast, as well as its storyline that anyone could get into.

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

While it’s not a scripted series like many of the others on this list, this talk show has become a massive hit for HBO and has won several Emmys throughout the years. Starring John Oliver, the talk show covers what has happened in the world in a funny way, mostly regarding politics, and always features clips that end up becoming huge on social media.

Silicon Valley

Running for six seasons, Silicon Valley is a comedy series that is exactly what you expect it to be—a series about tech bros in the iconic Silicon Valley of California and the struggles of working there. The series earned plenty of award nominations during its run, including Emmys, and was a major hit.

Oz

If you’re looking for a prison drama, then Oz is one that you have to check out, and it became a huge deal for HBO. The series follows the lives of prisoners and guards and everyone else involved in a maximum security prison, with enough drama to last a lifetime that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I May Destroy You

This single-series show took the world by storm. I May Destroy You is a black comedy about a young writer who is trying to rebuild who she is and her life after suffering a horrible sexual assault. The show was nominated for many awards and was a significant success for the channel.

Sharp Objects

Starring Amy Adams and based on the novel of the same name, Sharp Objects is about a reporter who is covering the murder of two girls and has to return to her hometown. Her hometown is filled with memories of her past that haunt her to this day. The miniseries was an award-winner and earned several acting nominations.

Mr. Show With Bob And David

While it’s one of the oldest shows on this list, Mr. Show with Bob and David was what kickstarted the careers of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. The series was a sketch comedy that ran for four seasons with hilarious bits and moments that really cemented the two lead stars in the world of comedy.

There are so many other great HBO shows that people loved, but these are just a few of the ones that I enjoy watching every time I get the chance. If you haven’t checked them out, you need to now!

Just like there was no other filmmaker quite like David Lynch, there are not very many TV shows like Twin Peaks. The passing of Lynch in January 2024 inspired fans to revisit the most essential David Lynch movies and his most acclaimed contribution to television, which he co-created in the early 1990s with Mark Frost and later revived for Showtime in 2017.

If you have already used your Paramount+ subscription to revisit Special Agent Dale Cooper’s investigation of Laura Palmer’s murder but are now looking through the best streaming services to subscribe to for more series with a similar blend of grounded crime drama themes and dream-like atmosphere, I can help. Fire walk with me as I present my recommendations for shows (somewhat) like Twin Peaks, along with tips on where to watch them.

Wayward Pines (2015-2016)

Starring: Matt Dillon, Carla Gugino

What it’s about: A Secret Service agent’s search for two missing feds leads him to a rural community where there seems to be no exit.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: One of the best horror TV shows on Hulu, developer Chad Hodge’s series adaptation of Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines book series, received comparisons to Twin Peaks upon release, and not just because it is another story about a lawman in a strange town with big problems.

How to watch Wayward Pines

• Stream Wayward Pines on Hulu
• Buy Wayward Pines on Amazon
• Buy Wayward Pines on Blu-ray on Amazon

Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul

What it’s about: A terminally ill high school chemistry teacher turns to drug manufacturing to support his family.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: While Vince Gilligan’s Emmy-winning masterwork is not quite as strange, Twin Peaks could be considered a show like Breaking Bad for its similar slow-burn structure, shocking twists and turns, and unsettling depiction of the potential dark truths hidden within the seemingly average American.

How to watch Breaking Bad

• Stream Breaking Bad on Netflix
• Buy Breaking Bad on Amazon
• Buy Breaking Bad on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Curse (2023-Present)

Starring: Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie

What it’s about: Mysterious circumstances derail a newlywed couple’s reality series chronicling their bid to create their own eco-friendly community.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan brought up Twin Peaks when voicing his praise of the acclaimed A24 TV show The Curse, which similarly boasts a subtle, malevolent aura in even the most seemingly mundane moments.

How to watch The Curse

• Stream The Curse on Paramount+ with Showtime add-on
• Buy The Curse on Amazon

Northern Exposure (1990-1995)

Starring: Rob Morrow, Janine Turner

What it’s about: An urban medical professional is forcibly relocated to a small town in Alaska where he struggles to adapt to the local culture.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, Northern Exposure is a hit series with a now obscure reputation that was often compared to Twin Peaks when it first premiered, mostly for being a fish-out-of-water story set in a peculiar town with lovably quirky characters.

How to watch Northern Exposure

• Stream Northern Exposure on Amazon Prime
• Buy Northern Exposure on Blu-ray on Amazon

The X-Files (1993-2018)

Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson

What it’s about: A skeptical FBI agent and her more open-minded partner deal with crimes that are anything but normal.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Like Twin Peaks, the protagonists of creator Chris Carter’s beloved sci-fi TV show The X-Files are FBI agents whose investigations lead them to stumble upon strange and unexplainable phenomena.

How to watch The X-Files

• Stream The X-Files on Hulu
• Buy The X-Files on Amazon
• Buy The X-Files on Blu-ray on Amazon

Atlanta (2016-2022)

Starring: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz

What it’s about: A struggling father sees an opportunity for success in becoming the manager for his cousin, an up-and-coming rapper.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: While mostly a satire of the music industry and of Black culture, FX's Atlanta, one of the funniest shows on Hulu, boasts undoubtedly Lynchian elements and, according to Vulture, creator Donald Glover promoted the series as "Twin Peaks for rappers" early on.

How to watch Atlanta

• Stream Atlanta on Hulu
• Buy Atlanta on Amazon

The Leftovers (2014-2017)

Starring: Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon

What it’s about: Years after two percent of the world's population mysteriously vanishes from the face of the Earth, the remaining souls struggle to maintain stability.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Teaming up with Damon Lindelof, author Tom Perrotta seems to take inspiration from Twin Peaks when adapting his bestselling novel, The Leftovers, into a twisted and visually surreal fantasy drama that keeps the mystery and suspense ratcheted high throughout.

How to watch The Leftovers

• Stream The Leftovers on Max

Lost (2004-2010)

Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lily

What it’s about: A plane crash leaves a group of strangers stranded on a desert island where nothing is quite as it seems.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: For many of the same reasons The Leftovers is a show like Lost, the survival drama (also co-created by Lindelof with J.J. Abrams and Jeffrey Lieber) is also a show like Twin Peaks in the way it keeps its audience in mystery throughout by starting off mostly grounded before slowly revealing its supernatural elements.

How to watch Lost

• Stream Lost on Netflix
• Stream Lost on Hulu
• Buy Lost on Amazon

True Detective (2014-Present)

Starring: Various

What it’s about: A seasonal anthology TV show following different police officers at different periods of time investigating cases that are increasingly dark.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: The crimes that Dale Cooper investigates on Twin Peaks are so bleak and bizarre that they practically border on horror, which is how some might describe True Detective — an Emmy-winning, star-studded HBO drama from creator Nic Pizzolatto.

How to watch True Detective

• Stream True Detective on Max
• Buy True Detective on Amazon

Fargo (2014-Present)

Starring: Various

What it’s about: A hitman creates a deadly ripple effect in a charming small town, a probation officer plans to rob his wealthy twin brother to afford his lover’s engagement ring, a seemingly average housewife struggles to outrun her violent past, and more stories about regular people in big trouble.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: An anthology crime thriller series that has even more in common with Twin Peaks is Fargo — Noah Hawley's FX hit inspired by one of the Coen Brothers' best movies — in the sense that it is set in quaint, midwestern communities and gets progressively weirder with each season.

How to watch Fargo

• Stream Fargo on Hulu
• Buy Fargo on Amazon

Outer Range (2022-2024)

Starring: Josh Brolin, Lili Taylor, Imogen Poots

What it’s about: A Wyoming rancher makes a life-changing discovery on his land that begins to affect his career and his relationship with his family.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: One of the best Amazon Prime original TV shows, creator Brian Watkins' Outer Range, is yet another sci-fi drama set in a rural community hiding some very strange secrets that deal with murder, corruption, and even time travel.

How to watch Outer Range

• Stream Outer Range on Amazon Prime

Gravity Falls (2012-2016)

Starring: Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, Alex Hirsch

What it’s about: After they are sent to live with their great uncle Stan, twins Dipper and Mabel find themselves at odds with a series of freaky occurrences.

Why it is a great TV show for fans of Twin Peaks to check out: Following David Lynch’s death, creator Alex Hirsch revealed on X that Twin Peaks was an inspiration for his surreal, acclaimed animated TV show, Disney Channel’s Gravity Falls, and that his voice for Bill Cipher was a “crummy Lynch impression.”

How to watch Gravity Falls

• Stream Gravity Falls on Disney+
• Buy Gravity Falls on Amazon
• Buy Gravity Falls on DVD on Amazon

Looks like you do not have to travel too far into the Black Lodge to find the Twin Peaks companion series you have hoped for.

We've been experiencing a TV renaissance for years now, to the delight of superfans like myself who love watching my weekly stories. But even before the small screen became a place for A-listers, there were a number of iconic moments that stuck with fans. And this will be all about the single most memorable moment of 32 iconic TV shows.

Obviously not every beloved TV title can be on this list, so apologies in advance if your favorite isn't included. The small screen is simply an embarrassment of riches in this regard, especially once you factor in streaming shows that have arrived in recent years. In no particular order, here are the biggest moments from 32 beloved shows. But be warned: a major SPOILER ALERT is needed, as some of these episodes feature big plot twists and/or character deaths. You've been warned!

The Red Wedding, Game of Thrones

During its run on HBO, Game of Thrones was jam-packed with wild, violent, and truly memorable sequences. And while fans are still debating the final season, perhaps the most iconic scene occurred during the Season 3 episode "The Rains of Castamere". This is the infamous Red Wedding, where Walder Frey betrays the Starks, resulting in the brutal deaths of Robb, Catelyn, and Talisa (as well as her unborn baby).

Nomi's Wedding, Sense8

When Netflix was rolling out expensive and ambitious new content early into its run, The Wachowskis helmed the sci-fi series Sense8. The show followed eight strangers who were connected psychically and was canceled after two seasons, but fan campaigns resulted in a Sense8 finale movie being produced. After beating the bad guys, the show ends with Nomi and Amanita's wedding on the Eiffel Tower, followed by one last, wild, party.

Fonzie Jumps The Shark, Happy Days

The beloved sitcom series Happy Days is known for bringing the phrase "jumping the shark" into the pop culture lexicon. This originates from a Season 5 episode of the classic series, where Henry Winler's Fonzie jumps over a live shark while on waterskis. Say what you want about this plot point, but it's remained the most lasting and iconic plot line from the show's tenure on the air.

"Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me", Grey's Anatomy

During its long tenure on the air, Grey's Anatomy had a number of iconic love stories. But the biggest has always been Meredith and Derek. Fans waited a long time for them to be together, and one of the show's most iconic moments is when she pleads for McDreamy to "pick me" instead of his wife Addison.

Rory's Graduation Speech, Gilmore Girls

When Gilmore Girls began its run on TV, it followed as Alexis Bledel's Rory struggled to adjust to life at her new fancy school, Chilton. Eventually, she becomes a leader in the school and delivers a graduation speech in Season 3. Not only did it make characters like Lorelai and Sookie cry, but it's one of the most iconic scenes of the entire show, where she pays tribute to all that her mother has given her.

Negan Kills Glenn And Abraham, The Walking Dead

For fans who watched The Walking Dead at the height of its popularity, there's life before Negan and after Negan. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's villain made a horrifying splash when he entered the scene, brutally killing fan favorites Abraham and Glenn with his bat Lucille. Some folks thought that killing was too much for the brutal apocalyptic drama.

The Plane Crash, Lost

Lost's pilot episode started a new must-see television show, with the sci-fi series instantly becoming water cooler talk. While some folks stopped watching as it ran, the first (wildly expensive) episode remains the most iconic, thanks to the thrilling plane crash sequences.

Tyra Banks Screams At Tiffany, America's Next Top Model

There are a handful of reality TV show moments on this list because of their impact on pop culture. America's Next Top Model might not be considered one of the best reality shows of all time, but it left its mark. Particularly the episode where host Tyra Banks screamed at one of the contestants after her elimination.

The Gift, Buffy The Vampire Slayer 

The first five seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer aired on the WB, before it eventually changed networks to UPN for the final two entries. Season 5 went out with a serious bang, with Buffy dying after sacrificing herself to save Dawn and the world. After wondering for half the season, we finally understood that death was her gift.

The Movements, The OA

The OA was an ambitious series that ran on Netflix for two seasons and was canceled far too soon. In the Season 1 finale, the group of teenagers (plus Phyllis Smith's BBA) decide to use the reality-traveling movements to distract a school shooter, saving the day in the process. It's a moment we waited all season for, and is an emotional and epic sequence.

The Lake House Fight, Girls

HBO's Award-winning comedy series Girls was a huge hit when it was on the air, and has been getting a lot of positive attention in the years since it wrapped. One of the best episodes of all time is Season 3's "The Lake House", where the four titular girls drink, dance and have an epic argument that shows just how messed up their friendships truly are.

Dexter Finds Rita's Dead Body, Dexter

Dexter was hugely popular during its original run on Showtime, and many consider Season 4 to be its strongest chapter. While Michael C. Hall's character eventually manages to murder the Trinity killer, he doesn't realize that the villain has already murdered his wife Rita. This represented a huge switch for the series and showed the consequences of Dexter's dark passenger.

The Final Scene, The Sopranos

The Sopranos' ending is one that has lived in infamy since it aired back in 2007. With an all-out mob war looming, fans expected Tony and the rest of the crew to go out with a bang. Instead, the finale famously cut to black during the final sequence, with audiences thinking their cable broke when it originally aired.

I Am The One Who Knocks, Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad was a delightful slow burn, with audiences following as Bryan Cranston's Walter White goes from chemistry teacher to bonafide drug lord. Things got more and more dangerous for Walt and his family throughout the show's run, to the dismay of his wife Skyler. When she finally confronts him in Season 4, he gives a truly iconic speech where he claims that he isn't waiting for someone dangerous to knock on the door because "I am the one who knocks."

The Final Sequence, Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under goes in the long list of quality shows to come from HBO. But it stands out as having arguably the best series finale of all time, where the audience is shown how the characters live and (more importantly) die. Set to the tune of Sia's "Breathe Me", try to get through that final sequence without crying.

The Departure, The Leftovers

The Leftovers was a thrilling drama with a super fascinating concept: on October 14th, 2% of the world's population suddenly vanished. While the show follows the fallout of that event, the pilot episode opened on The Departure, with a mother desperately searching for her baby after he disappeared.

Jessie's Song, Saved By The Bell

During its run in the late '80s and early '90s, Saved By The Bell was a favorite show among young people. While it was largely a comedy, certain episodes got more serious. Case in point: the episode "Jessie's Song", where Elizabeth Berkley's character becomes addicted to caffeine pills.

Fiona confronts Monica, Shameless

The US version of Shameless had a super long run on Showtime, ending after a whopping 11 seasons on the air. But it was best during its early years, and perhaps the most iconic moment came back in Season 1. When Monica returns to the Gallagher family and tries to take Liam away with her, Emmy Rossum's Fiona reaches her breaking point and confronts her over years of neglect.

Ross Says The Wrong Name, Friends

Throughout all of Friends' decade-long run on the air, the biggest question was whether or not Rachel and Ross would end up together. They had plenty of starts and stops (they were on a break!) but perhaps the most dramatic part of this saga came during Ross' wedding to Emily. In the middle of his vows, he accidentally refers to Emily as Rachel, ending his marriage before it even began.

The Hallway Fight, Daredevil 

While Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock is taking center stage in the MCU with Daredevil: Born Again, his tenure as the hero began with the Netflix Daredevil show. The series was gritty and featured dizzying fight choreography, with the most iconic being the long hallway fight, which was a thrilling one.

The Family Portrait, Modern Family

The Emmy-winning comedy Modern Family had a long life on the air, with the audience watching as the child actors grew up before their eyes. Season 1 was especially great, and the first finale "Family Portrait" is the show at its best. After stressing to try and pose for the perfect picture, the mixed family ends up throwing mud on each other and letting it all go in a heartwarming story.

Don Draper's Happy Ending, Mad Men

While it had a wildly successful run on AMC, arguably the most iconic moment from Mad Men came from its series finale. Fans have long debated the meaning behind the final shot, where Don Draper is seen happy and meditating, seemingly leaving the advertising world behind him. Although Jon Hamm's interpretation of the ending offers another, less hopeful perspective.

Pam And Jim's First Kiss, The Office

The Office had plenty of long love stories, with fans rooting for the staff of Dunder Mifflin. Jim and Pam's is the biggest example of this, and fans had to wait years for them to finally get together. In Season 2 the pair finally share their first kiss, although they didn't end up together just yet.

Teresa's Table Flip, The Real Housewives of New Jersey

The Real Housewives franchise is a huge behemoth at this point, but in the beginning, there were just a handful of cities. Chief among them was The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which entered the pop culture zeitgeist forever when OG Teresa Giudice flipped a table during a heated argument with Danielle Staub in the Season 1 finale.

Sue Hawk's Speech, Survivor

The first season of Survivor changed the TV world forever, and the show is still running to this day. Perhaps the most memorable moment from that prolific first chapter was Sue Hawk's scathing speech about snakes and rats, where he let out her rage about runner-up Kelly Wiglesworth.

Poussey's Death, Orange Is The New Black

Orange is the New Black was one of the first original Netflix shows, and it remained wildly popular until it ended. Fans know that the show was forever changed when Poussey was tragically killed in Season 4, inspiring a prison-wide riot that would take up all of Season 5.

Nina Kills Teri, 24

24 became a wild sensation when it started airing on Fox, with an entire season of action taking place in just one day. The Season 1 finale offered one more gut punch for audiences, when Jack finds the body of his wife Teri, realizing that she was killed by his former friend and colleague Nina.

Diane And Sam Breakup For Good, Cheers

Diane and Sam were the will they/won't they couple in the comedy Cheers, and fans all had their own opinions about them. In the series finale, we finally get some closure, and the pair realizes they shouldn't be together after all.

Nancy Burn Her House Down, Weeds

When Weeds started airing on Showtime, it was about a single mother who resorts to selling drugs to her suburban neighborhood. In Season 3 she burns down her house to avoid being caught, and the show was never the same after.

Kurt Dances To 'Single Ladies', Glee

Season 1 of Glee hit the world by storm, thanks to its colorful cast of characters and non-stop stream of hit songs. The first season was a huge deal, and there are perhaps no more iconic episodes when Kurt dances to Beyonce's "Single Ladies", and has to try and keep his identity from his father.

'Let's Go To The Mall', How I Met Your Mother

During the How I Met Your Mother episode "Slap Bet" the group of friends (and the audience) are introduced to Robin's teen pop culture persona Robin Sparkles. The song "Let's Go To The Mall" is a hilarious spoof on '80s stars like Tiffany, and is arguably the most iconic moment of the comedy series' run on TV.

Eleanor Realizes The Truth, The Good Place

The Good Place ran for four seasons on NBC, offering a hilarious and complex story. Season 1 was arguably its best, and the most memorable moment came when Kristen Bell's Eleanor realizes that they've been in the Bad Place all along.

In 2004, creators J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Jeff Lieber introduced one of TV's all-time most intense and absorbing mysteries with Lost. Led by Matthew Fox as Jack Shepherd, the Lost cast found themselves, after a near-fatal plane crash, stranded on a desert island inhabited by more things to be concerned about than their own survival.

Now that Lost is on Netflix, you could binge through the best episodes of Lost for what might be a 37th time. Or, if you were interested in seeing what other perplexing survivalist dramas might be available on more of the best streaming services to subscribe to today (or for purchase or on physical media), read on.

Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017)

Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) investigates the murder of a teenage girl in a quaint Washington town where there is even more to be suspicious about.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: Starting off relatively grounded before introducing more surreal elements, we would not be surprised if co-creator David Lynch's Twin Peaks, which ended in the '90s with one of the best TV cliffhangers before Showtime revived it decades later, had a heavy influence on Lost.

• Stream Twin Peaks on Paramount+
• Buy Twin Peaks on Amazon
• Buy Twin Peaks on Blu-ray

The Leftovers (2014-2017)

People of the world struggle to maintain happiness and stability in the years after 2% of the Earth's population mysteriously vanishes.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: Created by Damon Lindelof with original book author Tom Perotta, The Leftovers is another WTF-drenched drama involving characters who are trapped in other ways, having lost loved ones or their sense of self 

• Stream The Leftovers on Max

From (2022-Present)

A group of people try to figure out a way out to escape from a town that mysteriously imprisons anyone who enters it.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: Produced by former Lost EPs Josh Bender and Jeff Pinkner, From is another drama about a group of people struggling to survive while trapped in a mysterious, isolated area where strange occurrences threaten their lives at every turn.

• Stream From on MGM+
• Buy From on Amazon

1899 (2022)

A commercial cruise ship full of immigrants from all over the world faces a nightmarish interruption to its journey when another ship is discovered adrift.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: The unfortunately cancelled Netflix original, 1899, is another series about a diverse group of strangers brought together after their travel vessel becomes lost and begins to suffer unexplainable phenomenon.

• Stream 1899 on Netflix

Snowpiercer (2020-Present)

A self-sustaining bullet train becomes Earth's only habitable environment after a climate change experiment ends with cataclysmic results.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: Based on a French graphic novel that Bong Joon-ho made into a 2014 dystopian movie favorite, Snowpiercer is yet another series about a diverse group of strangers brought together through tragic and unusual circumstances after an accident involving their travel vessel.

• Stream Snowpiercer on AMC+

The Prisoner (1967-1968)

After resigning from his job, a secret agent (played by series creator Patrick McGoohan) is abducted and brought to a seemingly idyllic village where he cannot remember his own name.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: Many writers for Lost cited the British sci-fi thriller, The Prisoner — a hit 1960s drama that was rebooted in 2009 as an AMC miniseries — as an influence on the series, being a mysterious drama set on an inescapable island, for one.

• Stream The Prisoner on Amazon Prime
• Stream The Prisoner on Tubi
• Buy The Prisoner on Blu-ray

Severance (2022-Present)

At a company that keeps its employees' personal and professional memories surgically separate, a group of office teammates (played by Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Christopher Walken, and more) become curious about life on the outside.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: Fans of Apple TV+'s multi-layered drama, Severance, which is considered one of the best sci-fi TV shows of its time, have often compared the mysterious company it is set at, Lumen, to the Dharma Initiative from Lost.

• Stream Severance on Apple TV+

Yellowjackets (2022-Present)

Decades after a plane crash left them stranded in the wilderness, a group of former high school soccer teammates continues to be haunted by memories of that traumatic time in their lives in their adulthood.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: Also one of the best shows to watch if you like Fallout, Yellowjackets, from creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, bears a somewhat similar plot to Lost, following a group of characters trapped in the wilderness and a boasting a non-linear narrative structure.

• Stream Yellowjackets on Netflix
• Stream Yellowjackets on Paramount+ with Showtime
• Buy Yellowjackets on Amazon
• Buy Yellowjackets on Blu-ray

Dark (2017-2020)

The lives of four German families are upended by the mysterious disappearance of two children.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: From Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the creators of the aforementioned 1899, Dark is often compared to Lost for its penchant for shocking cliffhangers, supernatural elements, and an ominous tone surrounding characters who each carry a worrisome burden.

• Stream Dark on Netflix

Under The Dome (2013-2015)

The citizens of Chester’s Mill, Maine, become suddenly and inexplicably cut off from the rest of the world when a giant, transparent, indestructible force field appears and completely surrounds them.

Why it is a great show to watch if you are a fan of Lost: One of the most distinct differences between the characters in Lost and the characters in developer Brian K Vaughn's CBS TV show based on Stephen King's 2009 novel, Under the Dome, is that they actually are home, but are kept there against their will for reasons unknown.

• Stream Under the Dome on Paramount+
• Buy Under the Dome on DVD

If none of these TV shows end up satisfying the Lost fan in you, go ahead and boot up your Netflix subscription and "go back" to the original. However, you are bound to find some other great series with mysterious twists and absorbing themes of isolation at some point.

Have you ever felt like you exist in a post-apocalyptic movie or TV show? Well, before you start building an underground bunker, stock up on non-perishable food, and practice any other survival tactics you know, take a look back at some of the best dystopian movies (and the genre's finest small-screen entries) and see if the potential causes to civilization's downfall that they provide feel at all familiar to you.

Climate Change Experiment Gone Wrong (Snowpiercer)

In Bong Joon-ho's 2014 adaptation of the French graphic novel, Snowpiercer, a diverse group of passengers boards a self-sustaining bullet train right before an experimental attempt to reverse climate change turns the outside world into an uninhabitable tundra. Seventeen years later, the survivors have set up a caste system from inside the train, but some of the impoverished citizens of the caboose, led by Curtis (Chris Evans in one of his most underrated performances), aim to resist.

Global Outbreak Of Post-Fatal Reanimation (The Walking Dead)

Until an explanation was provided in the post-credits scene from the finale of the short-lived spin-off, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, we never knew what caused the "Walker Apocalypse" in AMC's series adaptation of Robert Kirkman's hit comic book. However, the second season did reveal a unique aspect of the zombie virus, in that all survivors are somehow doomed to be reanimated no matter how they die unless their brain is destroyed.

Flooded Earth (Waterworld)

In Waterworld, global warming worsens enough to melt the polar ice caps, causing mass flooding that leaves the entire Earth fully submerged... or so it seems. Kevin Costner stars in the now beloved 1994 box office flop as a mariner who searches for what is believed to be the last of dry land in this anarchic dystopia.

Mystical Tree (Sweet Tooth)

Based on the DC Vertigo comic book series by Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth tells the story of a deadly virus that broke out at the same time many infants were mysteriously born as human/animal hybrids, causing suspicion that these unique beings were somehow responsible for the pandemic. In the Netflix fantasy series finale, it is revealed that a unique tree with antlers for branches was attacked by an axe-wielding human, inspiring it to kill the human race and replace them with animal-like beings.

Artificial Intelligence (The Terminator Movies)

The first three Terminator movies are, more than anything, time travel movies set in the modern day that provide hints and glimpses of a future eradicated by sentient machines. The fourth installment, 2009's Terminator: Salvation, is the first to be set entirely in the wartorn dystopia in which a grown-up John Connor (Christian Bale) leads a human resistance.

Nuclear Disaster (Fallout)

The long-running video game franchise, Fallout, and its Amazon Prime original series adaptation involves a unique depiction of a world eradicated by nuclear bombs, forcing some lucky people underground and others struggling to endure the surface. It takes place in the distant future, but one in which microprocessors were never invented, causing technological progress to remain largely trapped in the 1950s.

Sound-Hunting Aliens (A Quiet Place)

The A Quiet Place movies depict the ongoing aftermath of an alien invasion that is easy to survive, as long as you watch your volume. The vicious "Death Angels," as they are called, cannot see but have impeccable hearing ability that makes them a danger to anyone who makes even the slightest peep.

Cordyceps (The Last Of Us)

Craig Zobel developed one of the most acclaimed video game adaptations of all time with his HBO series based on the hit PlayStation game, The Last of Us. One of the most interesting things about the show's take on zombie fiction is that the inciting incident — a Cordyceps fungus that turns humans into grotesque monsters — is scientifically plausible.

Unknown, Psychologically Manipulative Phenomenon (Bird Box)

Even though Josh Malerman's novel that inspired Bird Box was published years before A Quiet Place was released, many audiences compared the 2018 Netflix original thriller to it for somewhat understandable reasons. Instead of aliens that force survivors to keep quiet, Sandra Bullock's character and others must shield their eyes from a mysterious force that has a fatal effect on some and a dangerous psychological effect on others.

Universal Loss Of Sight (See)

Jason Momoa leads the Apple TV+ series See, which foretells a global virus that leaves a mere few million survivors, whose descendants are later born blind. The main setting takes place so far in the future that the sense of sight is believed to be a myth among the people, who live in a more primitive and tribal society. 

Depleting Resources And Economic Collapse (Mad Max Movies)

It is never explicitly stated in the Mad Max movies what caused Australia to become a barren, desert wasteland of fire and blood, but there are clues littered throughout George Miller's seminal franchise. The 1979 original depicts a near future with an increased crime rate while the following films show further decay resulting from a rapid loss of natural resources and a ruined economy.

Disappearance Of 2% Of Mankind (The Leftovers)

Imagine if two percent of the world's population suddenly vanished from the face of the Earth. Tom Perotta's novel The Leftovers and co-developer Damon Lindelof's HBO series based upon it does not bother to ask how or why the rapture-esque event occurs but envisions how it would affect those who remain.

Infertility (Children Of Men)

One of the best movies of the 2000s, director Alfonso Cuarón's adaptation of P.D. James' novel, Children of Men, takes place in a dystopian future in which all women have mysteriously lost the ability to have children, ensuring the human race has an expiration date. However, when the first woman to become pregnant in years is discovered, Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is tasked with escorting her through a wartorn world and bringing her to safety. 

Extraterrestrial Infiltration (V)

While the antagonists of most alien invasion movies are pretty upfront about their intentions, the cult favorite miniseries V (and its subsequent series continuation, concluding miniseries called V: The Final Battle, and ABC's 2009 remake) flips the script a bit. Lizard-like creatures from another world don human-like disguises to gain mankind's trust, but their plans to deplete Earth's resources and feed on humans are later revealed.

Mutated Strain Of Ebola (28 Days Later)

What makes 28 Days Later one of the most realistic zombie movies is that the infected are not the living dead, but are alive and not doing very well at all. In director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland's 2003 thriller, a strain of Ebola evolves into a highly contagious virus that instantly turns people into mindless beings of insatiable fury, leading to a mostly desolate London. 

Technological Breakdown (Twisted Metal)

As the 1990s were coming to a close, people feared that once we entered the year 2000, all technology would fail, which is similar to the cyber attack that created the dystopian society in Twisted Metal. Peacock's series adaptation of the video game franchise stars Anthony Mackie as a delivery man traveling through the dangerous lands that exist outside of the walled-off fortresses where the last of the world's major cities stand.

Darkseekers (I Am Legend)

One of Will Smith's best movies is 2007's I Am Legend, in which he plays Robert Neville, who believes he is the last human being alive, due to a virus that he helped create in an attempt to cure cancer. Instead, it turned those infected into nocturnal, zombie-like creatures referred to as "Darkseekers" that fed on the immune survivors, leading to the lonely Earth the doctor must endure on his own.

Alien Invasion (Falling Skies)

From producer Steven Spielberg, Falling Skies depicts the aftermath of extra-terrestrials coming to Earth and destroying all major cities, with the sole intention of extracting an Earthly resource that can power their technology. Noah Wyle leads the series, which ran for five seasons on TNT, as a former history professor who becomes a leading figure of mankind's resistance.

Evil Robot (9)

Director Shane Acker's Tim Burton-produced, feature-length adaptation of his animated short 9, which came out in 2009, begins after humanity is no more and the only living beings left are a group of nine sentient rag dolls. They were created by a scientist who was also forced by a fascist leader to build the robotic device that would end mankind known as B.R.A.I.N.

Vampires (The Strain)

In most vampire lore, the creatures typically keep to themselves, waiting until nightfall to feed on, maybe, one or two victims at a time. However, Guillermo del Toro and Carlton Cuse's FX TV show The Strain — also based on their series of novels — sees the bloodsuckers attempt world domination, leaving a small batch of unbitten survivors to hopefully bring light back into the world.

Dragons (Reign Of Fire)

We often associate dragons with stories set in a fantasy world and at a time way before modern technology existed. However, Reign of Fire, starring Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale, imagines a near future in which most of humanity has been wiped out by the large, winged, fire-breathing beasts.

Global Loss Of Electricity (Revolution)

Creator Eric Kripke's NBC series Revolution takes place years after a worldwide blackout leaves humanity in a state of violent disarray. It would later be revealed that a highly advanced computer virus is what caused electricity to become extinct.

A Combination Of Things (This Is The End)

The point of the 2013 apocalyptic comedy This Is The End is really just to see celebrities like Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Emma Watson poking fun at themselves. So, Rogen and co-writer and co-director Evan Goldberg do not harm the story one bit by throwing various doomsday scenarios at you, such as the Rapture, earthquakes, a sinkhole, and giant demons.

Virus Carried Through Precipitation (The Rain)

One of the best horror TV shows on Netflix is a Danish import called The Rain, in which the eponymous, common weather pattern becomes humanity's worst fear. The reason being: that anyone who is touched by rainfall immediately contracts a disease that proves deadly for most, but causes bizarre effects for others.

Zombie Outbreak Via Mad Cow Disease (Zombieland)

Most of the best zombie movies do not even bother to explain how the dead rise from their graves and pass on an appetite for human flesh through bites. Leave it to a horror comedy movie like 2009's Zombieland to come up with a source of the carnage, which Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) reveals in his overhead narration to be a mutated strain of Mad Cow Disease.

Global Animal Attacks (Zoo)

Animals lack ego, ambition, and other qualities that keep humanity at the top of the food chain, but what if they suddenly gain a desire to take the planet back? Authors James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge envisioned this scenario in their 2012 novel, Zoo, which was later adapted into a short-lived CBS series of the same name. 

World War III (Equilibrium)

Writer and director Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium imagines a society in which, in the aftermath of a brutal third World War, human emotion is medically suppressed by law, in addition to all art being banned. Yet, when John Preston (Christian Bale), whose profession involves maintaining order in his dystopian society, accidentally misses a dose, the emotional response leads him to join a resistance against his totalitarian state.

Overpopulation And High Pollution (Terra Nova)

With the world's population rising rapidly and the environment suffering as a result, an ordinary family searches for a new place to call home. They find what they need by traveling back to prehistoric times and joining Terra Nova, which is the eponymous colony from Fox's short-lived sci-fi series.

Vanishing Technology And Government (The Postman) 

If you missed the opening caption that indicates The Postman takes place 16 years in the future, you might be quick to assume this dystopian sci-fi flick is just another Kevin Costner-led Western. While the initial cause of the apocalypse in the 1997 thriller is never made clear, its lingering aftermath involves the complete erasure of modern technology, leaving people to travel by horse, for instance, and a rise in neo-feudalism.

Deadly Exposure To Sunlight (Into The Night)

In Netflix's Belgian sci-fi series Into the Night, the radiation from the Sun becomes too intense for humanity to withstand, causing anyone exposed to its light to drop dead where they stood. This event forces a group of airline passengers to fly wherever the sun has not risen for as long as they can.

Nuclear Holocaust (The Book Of Eli)

The desolate world from 2010's The Book of Eli was brought on by a nuclear disaster that caused a wide depletion of most natural resources... and religion, too. Denzel Washington stars in the title role of a drifter on a mission to bring the last Bible in existence to the right people, if he can survive the treacherous dystopian landscape.

Monsterization (Sweet Home)

Netflix's live-action adaptation of the webtoon Sweet Home takes place in a version of South Korea eradicated by a virus that turns humans into bizarre creatures in a process referred to as "monsterization." The series' hero, Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang), becomes infected by this disease in Season 1, but is one of the few to maintain human characteristics amid his transformation.

So, let's imagine that you are a participant in a call-in radio show contest and, in order to receive the prize, you must sing a classic TV show theme song. Confident that you can win, you begin singing the lyrics exactly as you remember them, only to be told once are finished that you are completely wrong.

In this case, both you and the radio show host might actually be right, as it is nothing unusual for a series to change its theme music early on or in the middle of its run, for one reason or another. The following are some of the most notable examples in television history of TV shows with iconic theme songs that might not be their original theme songs.

I Dream Of Jeannie (1965-1970)

The original theme song for I Dream of Jeannie — starring Barbara Eden as the titular wish-granter who becomes a servant and, later, love interest to Larry Hagman's Captain Tony Nelson — is a perfectly catchy jazz tune. However, the more recognizable theme, which debuted in Season 2, is a far greater match to the sitcom's mystical elements.

Monk (2002-2009)

The original theme from USA's Monk was an instrumental by Jeff Beal that played over the opening credits for the first season and at different times throughout the series' eight-season run. From the second season on, the opening theme was Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There," which has lyrics written directly from the perspective of the titular, OCD-ridden detective (played by Tony Shalhoub).

Yes, Dear (2000-2006)

For its first few seasons, Yes, Dear opened with a sort of, "jazzy beach-comber" piece by series composer Rick Marotta, which played over a clip of the cast — including Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley, and Liza Snyder — struggling to have a fun vacation day. In the later seasons, the sitcom changed its opening titles sequence to a combination of live-action footage and child-like illustrations, accompanied by a modern punk tune by Bill Janovitz called "Family is Family."

Boy Meets World (1993-2000)

Boy Meets World changed its theme song multiple times throughout its seven-season run, with the original being an upbeat mix of synthesizer, traditional orchestrations, and even one moment that sounds recorded from a 1920s speakeasy. The last few seasons finally had an opener with more of a '90s alternative feel and lyrics that bore the hit TGIF favorite's themes of growing up and the importance of friendship.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

Modern fans of the ultimate horror anthology TV show, The Twilight Zone, might be surprised to find out that its iconic, eerie theme song by Marius Constant only debuted in the second season. The series' first year boasted a very simple, non-melodic instrumental by Bernard Herrmann, which certainly allowed Rod Serling's narration to have most of the spotlight, at least.

Happy Days (1974-1984)

The famous Happy Days theme song — written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox and originally sung by Jimmy Haas — authentically sounds like a recording from the sitcom's in-universe era. However, for the first two seasons, it opened with an actual '50s pop classic: Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock."

The King Of Queens (1998 - 2007)

"Baby All My Life I Will Be Driving Home to You" is a perfect choice as the theme song for The King of Queens, reflecting how Kevin James' Doug feels nearing the end of his work shift, longing to return home to his wife, Carrie (Leah Remini). However, the jazzy song by Billy Vera and the Beaters did not make its debut as the sitcom's opening tune until Season 2, following the first season's very brief opening sequence.

Magnum P.I. (1980-1988)

The first half of its premiere season, the original Magnum P.I., starring Tom Selleck as the titular, Hawaii-based private investigator, had some funky theme music that would have been perfect for a cop drama in the 1970s. Soon, however, the opening song would be replaced with a guitar-heavy jam more suited for the '80s crime show that it was.

The Partridge Family (1970-1974)

If you did not realize that The Partridge Family had two different theme songs, it might be because they had the exact same melody. However, the lyrics in "When We're Singing," which served as the theme during the musical sitcom's first year, are certainly not the same as the iconic "C'mon Get Happy."

Seinfeld (1989-1998)

The pilot episode of one of the all-time greatest sitcoms, Seinfeld, which was called The Seinfeld Chronicles then, was accompanied by a much more generic sitcom theme than Jonathan Wolff's iconically unique composition, which was added by Episode 2. Actually, the most intuitive fans of the NBC comedy might have noticed that Wolff would change the tune slightly for nearly every episode.

Family Matters (1989-1998)

Jesse Frederick, a composer of several iconic sitcom themes, writes and performs Family Matters' iconic opening number, "As Days Go By." However, for its first five episodes of the Perfect Strangers spin-off, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" served as the sitcom's theme.

Simon & Simon (1981-1989)

During the first season of Simon & Simon, the theme song, The Thrasher Brothers' "Best of Friends," was more appropriate for a sitcom. The cop drama's second, more recognizable theme from composer Barry De Vorzon, which reflects its titular duo's mismatched nature by fusing saxophone with a Southern flair, is a better fit.

The Flintstones (1960-1966)

Even if you do not know all the lyrics, you surely know the melody of the theme song from one of the greatest animated TV shows of all time, The Flintstones, by Hoyt Curtin. However, the composer's original theme, which is called "Rise and Shine," does not contain any lyrics, nor a particularly memorable melody.

The Drew Carey Show (1995-2004)

Anyone familiar with The Drew Carey Show recognizes "Cleveland Rocks," by The Presidents of the United States of America, as the sitcom's theme. However, the first season's theme song was a rendition of "Moon Over Parma" sung by Carey and the second run switched to The Vogues' "Five O'Clock World." The eighth and ninth seasons would rotate between separate covers of all three songs.

That '70s Show (1998-2006)

The theme song for That '70s Show was always a cover of Big Star's "In the Street," but Season 1's rendition was different from the later seasons. The first was a cover by Todd Griffin, while the more recognizable version, used since Season 2, was performed by Cheap Trick.

Felicity (1998-2002)

For the first two seasons, Felicity — starring Keri Russell in the title role — opened with singer-songwriter Judith Owen's simply titled, “Felicity Theme.” The final two seasons featured a new theme by co-creator J.J. Abrams with Andrew Jarecki called "New Version of You."

Baywatch (1989-2001)

During its sole first season on NBC, Baywatch's theme song was Peter Cetera's "Save Me." When the drama about impossibly attractive lifeguards was revived in syndication in 1991, the theme was replaced with "I'm Always Here" by singer Jimi Jamison. Jamison is also famous as the frontman for Survivor, who performed one of the most iconic movie songs, "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky III.

Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979)

Much like the buddy cop drama's first season, composer Lalo Schifrin's original theme music for Starsky & Hutch was quite dark and hard-edged. In the second season, it was replaced by Tom Scott's better-known theme, "Gotcha."

Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000)

The most recognizable opening credits sequence for Beverly Hills, 90210 featured scenes of the young cast having a fun day at the beach, accompanied by a fun rock piece by John E. Davis. However, during the first season, episodes opened with footage of a postal worker in Minnesota (where the Walshes originally lived) before transitioning into clips from the Golden State, with a warm New Wave mix playing over it.

In Living Color (1990-1994)

For the first two seasons of In Living Color, the beloved sketch comedy series used a self-titled theme by Heavy D and DJ Eddie F. Another theme song called “Cause That's the Way You Livin' When You're in Living Color,” which is also by Heavy D with The Boyz, was adopted as the opening music in the third season, until the original theme was reinstated in Season 5.

Ed (2000-2004)

"Next Year" from Foo Fighters' 1999 album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, served as the theme song for NBC's Ed during its first season, until it was changed to Clem Snide's "Moment in the Sun." However, it would be changed back to "Next Year" for the final two seasons after some behind-the-scenes rumblings.

Walker, Texas Ranger (1993-2001)

Hit cop drama Walker, Texas Ranger has one of the most memorable theme songs of the time: "Eyes of the Ranger," which is performed by star Chuck Norris. However, the spoken word ballad would only first show up mid-way through the second season, replacing a decidedly cheesy instrumental composed by Tirk Wilder.

Blackadder (1982-1989)

Composed by Howard Goodall, the theme music for the premiere season of The Black Adder perfectly accompanies its Middle Ages setting. The subsequent three seasons would maintain the same melody but change the styles to reflect each season's new period setting, such as how the World War II-set final installment was constructed as a military march.

Remington Steele (1982-1987)

Henry Mancini's end title song from the spy series, Remington Steele — starring a pre-James Bond movies Pierce Brosnan — was actually the original main theme in its initial run. In Season 2, the composer made something more upbeat to be the new opening number.

Garfield And Friends (1988-1995)

Those who grew up with Garfield and Friends remember its upbeat theme song, called "We're Ready to Party." Yet, for its first two seasons, the animated series opened with a more Vaudevillian tune called "Friends Are There."

Cagney & Lacey (1981-1988)

The first season of the groundbreaking, female-led cop drama, Cagney & Lacey, used "Ain't That the Way," which is written by Michael Stull and performed by Marie Cain, as its theme music. It was replaced the following season with an instrumental by Bill Conti that kind of sounds more akin to a sitcom.

Big Love (2006-2011)

Originally, HBO's Big Love, which starred Bill Paxton as a polygamist juggling his relationships with three wives, used The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" for its theme music. For its fourth and penultimate season, the song was replaced with "Home" by Engineers.

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)

The instantly recognizable Everybody Loves Raymond theme song by Rick Marotta would remain the outro music for the entire sitcom's run, but only played over the opening credits for the first two seasons. The sitcom adopted Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" for Seasons 3-5 and would use The Steve Miller Band's "Jungle Love" in its final two years.

The Leftovers (2014-2017)

The theme music for the first season of HBO's The Leftovers was an ominous orchestral piece, played over an animated oil painting illustrating what took place during the "Sudden Departure." Season 2 used Country singer Iris DeMent's "Let the Mystery Be," to reflect the change in setting to Jarden, Texas, while Season 3 used a different song for each episode, including the Perfect Strangers theme.

Bosom Buddies (1980-1982)

If you watched the Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari-led sitcom, Bosom Buddies, in its original two-season run, you recognize Billy Joel's "My Life" as its theme song. If you only caught it later in syndicated airings, you heard Stephanie Mills' "Shake Me Loose" over the credits instead.

Nash Bridges (1996-2001)

A noirish instrumental by Elia Cmíral served as the opener for Nash Bridges in its first season, until it was replaced with the funky, more modern pop song, "I've Got a Friend in You," from writer Eddie Jobson and performer Gigi MacKenzie. In Season 6, the Don Johnson-led cop drama would actually change its theme song again to a techno melody by Velton Ray Bunch.

The Cosby Show (1984-1992)

The Cosby Show changed its theme song to an entirely different style, and with a different title sequence to accompany it, for each season. Of course, Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby's melody would always remain the same.

So, is anyone else slowly dying as we wait for the next season of The Last of Us? Because I am. 

As a massive fan of the games who was one of the first to watch The Last of Us on HBO, I knew that the series would receive a Season 2 order, but now that I'm waiting for The Last of Us Season 2, I am slowly losing my mind because I need to see more Joel and Ellie, stat. 

However, plenty of shows have similarities to The Last of Us, whether it be the content, the cast, or more. If you're looking for one, here are 10 great picks to watch while we wait for the second season. 

Chernobyl (2019)

Chernobyl is an award-winning miniseries about exactly what you would expect—the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the story of what it did to the people there, as well as the aftereffects. 

While Chernobyl isn't a zombie series or dystopian, I have to include it here because of Craig Mazin. For those who don't recall, Mazin is the co-creator of The Last of Us on HBO, and if you're looking for something with a similar vibe and tone, then Chernobyl is the way to go. The miniseries received tons of acclaim, so it's certainly worth watching the five episodes. 

Stream Chernobyl on Max.

The Walking Dead (2010 – 2022)

The Walking Dead is a series based on the comic franchise of the same name. It follows a group of survivors from Atlanta when the zombie apocalypse starts and how they try to stay alive and rebuild their lives afterward. 

I think it's obvious why I would recommend this—both have some sick zombie kills, interesting characters, and plenty of Walking Dead villains to hate. While The Walking Dead's eleven seasons might sound daunting to complete at first, I can assure you it's worth the time. 

As someone who followed the series for many years, all the way up to its emotional finale, this is the show that truly paved the way for zombies to become as huge as they are now – and I'm sure everyone at some point has wanted to be Rick Grimes. 

Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix.

The Mandalorian (2019 – Present)

Oh, you knew this would be on here. The Mandalorian is one of the best Disney+ shows and follows the story of Din Djarin, a lone bounty hunter who has to protect a child who can use the Force. 

This is an easy recommendation for The Last of Us fans – not only does it have the found-family trope as we see in the show, but Pedro Pascal shines in his lead role. It's undoubtedly one of the best Disney+ Star Wars shows. 

Stream The Mandalorian on Disney+.

All Of Us Are Dead (2022 – Present)

All Of Us Are Dead is a South Korean horror series following the lives of students who must survive when a zombie outbreak begins at their school and quickly spreads throughout their town. 

I adored All Of Us Are Dead when it first came out. For The Last of Us fans, the zombies in here are almost creepier than the ones in the show and have some gnarly kills, but you'll end up loving these characters just as much as Joel and Ellie – and yes, I'm still waiting for Season 2. 

Stream All Of Us Are Dead on Netflix.

From (2022 – Present)

From is a lesser-known series on MGM+ that tells the story of a group of survivors trapped in a town who can't get out, while simultaneously having to survive human-eating shapeshifters once night comes around. 

I know that it's not as well-known, but From is legit the scariest show I've seen in years. If you love the thrilling aspect of The Last of Us, you'll really like this. The monsters are scary, the acting is great, and the story is filled with mysteries, all for the fans to unwrap. 

Stream From on MGM+.

The Leftovers (2014 – 2017)

This supernatural TV show from HBO is one that you can't miss. The Leftovers tells the story of the world when suddenly 2% of the Earth's population vanishes. Now, the survivors have to figure out how to live without their loved ones. 

2% doesn't sound like a lot, but 140 million people have disappeared into thin air. If that sounds wild to you, it's because it is. Like The Last of Us, this series is a dystopian show focusing on several different characters, and you'll find yourself easily connecting with them.

Stream The Leftovers on Max.

The Stand (2021)

Based on the Stephen King book of the same name, The Stand is another miniseries that follows the lives of the remaining human population after a lethal strain of influenza caused most others to die. The series focuses on two figures, one that is good and one that is evil, and how all of the survivors butt heads over who they support. 

It's a King adaptation; you know it will be intriguing. If you love The Last of Us, you'll love the dystopian feeling, but stay for the incredible cast and even better story.

Stream The Stand on Paramount+.

The 100 (2014 – 2020)

One of the best CW shows, The 100, is a dystopian series about a group of 100 delinquent teenagers sent down from the sole surviving space station that houses the last of humanity. There, they are forced to go to Earth to see if it's possible to recolonize after a nuclear disaster decades ago. 

As someone who has watched all seven seasons, I think it's an excellent show for those who miss The Last of Us. There's plenty of drama and relationships you'll love, and that survival aspect makes it so thrilling. Plus, there are several excellent character arcs here that are top-tier. 

Stream The 100 on Netflix.

Attack On Titan (2013 – 2023)

As someone who loves anime, I think it would be a sin not to include Attack on Titan. The series follows the supposed remnants of humanity, who live within giant walls to protect themselves from humongous humanoid creatures called Titans that feast on humans. The series centers on Eren Yeager, a young man who aims to kill all Titans. 

That is all I can say without spoiling any of it. When I tell you this show is probably one of the best anime shows there is, I'm not joking. You'll love it if you like The Last of Us because it's all about humans surviving crazy circumstances and the family we make along the way, but the twists in every single arc of Attack on Titan are so phenomenal you'll stay for that. 

Stream Attack on Titan on Crunchyroll.

Game Of Thrones (2011 – 2019)

Last but not least, we have Game of Thrones. The series follows several characters battling for the ultimate title – the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. 

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay had substantial roles in Game of Thrones, and if you love the characters – and how quickly they die – in The Last of Us, this is the show for you. From the incredible Game of Thrones cast to the battle scenes and much more, you'll binge Game of Thrones from beginning to end within a few weeks. 

Stream Game of Thrones on Max.

This makes me want to watch The Last of Us Season 2, and my patience is growing thin, but these shows can hold me over until then. It's time to rewatch Attack on Titan for the millionth time. 

Yellowjackets Season 3 feels like it's ages away – but luckily, there are plenty of great shows to check out in the same vein. 

It only feels like last year we were constantly on our couches each week, waiting for the new episode of Season 2 to drop and theorizing about who the Pit Girl is - that’s because it was last year, and 2024 is now upon us. 

However, since the twists of the Yellowjackets Season 2 finale, I have been craving shows like Yellowjackets to watch, and thankfully, there are plenty of great ones out there. Here are some of the best. 

The Last Of Us (2023 – Present)

Twenty years after the world has ended due to an infection that turns people into mindless fungal creatures, The Last of Us follows the dramatic tale of Joel as he escorts Ellie, a teenage girl, across the United States while trying to survive. 

As someone who loved this video game series and can’t wait for The Last of Us Season 2 so it can adapt the second game, this is one of the best shows to watch if you’re missing Yellowjackets. 

Both are about surviving in the wilderness and facing unexpected threats, and you’ll end up loving Joel and Ellie regardless. You just can't leave this series and not want to join them on their adventures - but I think I'll enjoy having Joel as my protector more than doing the protecting.

Stream The Last of Us on Max.

Santa Clarita Diet (2017 – 2019)

Santa Clarita Diet was a horror comedy series from Netflix. It tells the story of a woman who ends up becoming a functioning zombie, craving human flesh after eating something ancient, and now her family has to deal with it. 

This was a Netflix show canceled far too soon and is one I enjoyed so much. For fans of Yellowjackets, you’ll love this show for the crazy amount of gore it shows, but it’s also displayed in such a hilarious way that you’ll be laughing your butt off. Also, Drew Barrymore is a national treasure in this show.

Stream Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix.

Cruel Summer (2021 – 2023)

Cruel Summer is the teen thriller you’ve been looking for. Both seasons follow teenagers, the first detailing the story of a girl who went missing and her friend who took her place, and the second following the new friendship between two teenagers and how their world eventually turns upside down. 

For fans of Yellowjackets, this series is perfect if you’re looking for good mysteries. While the premise may feel a tiny basic at first glance, I assure you that the twists and turns you see are anything but. Plus, you also get to see the mysteries told through different timelines. 

Stream Cruel Summer on Hulu.

The Leftovers (2014 – 2017)

There’s nothing like a good supernatural thriller, and The Leftovers certainly is that. This HBO series that only lasted for three seasons tells the story of what happens to the people on Earth when 2% of the world’s population suddenly vanishes. 

Yellowjackets certainly has points of realism, but there are also plenty of supernatural aspects of it as well that would make watching The Leftovers feel like a great substitute TV show. It’s a dramatic, engaging, and critically acclaimed show that was somehow never nominated for Best Outstanding Drama. Seriously, watch this show. It’s so good. 

Stream The Leftovers on Max.

Twin Peaks (1990 – 1991)

If you’re looking for a more grounded mystery, then Twin Peaks is the series for you. This popular two-season show from the 1990s follows an FBI special agent and a sheriff teaming up to solve the murder of a homecoming queen in a small town. 

David Lynch and Mark Frost created the show. While plenty of supernatural elements are mixed into it, it’s a lot more of a grounded mystery than The Leftovers. However, the horror aspects, as well as the humor of the show, make it great. There was a third season in 2017, but I love the first two the most. 

Stream Twin Peaks on Paramount+.

Lost (2004 – 2010)

I mean, you can’t get more supernatural mystery than Lost. This series follows the lives of plane passengers who crash on a mysterious island that throws their lives into disarray in a number of crazy ways. 

Lost is one of those shows that I believe everyone should give a shot to. If you love Yellowjackets for the aspect of people surviving in the wilderness, you’ll like Lost. If you love the supernatural elements, you’ll like Lost. Even if you love the character interactions, you’ll like Lost. There’s so much to enjoy – except for the Lost finale, but we don’t have to talk about that. 

Stream Lost on Amazon Prime.

Nine Perfect Strangers (2021 – Present)

Starring Nicole Kidman, Nine Perfect Strangers is based on the novel of the same name and follows nine strangers who visit an odd wellness resort that is not what they imagined. 

I put Nine Perfect Strangers on this list because it reminds me of Season 2 of Yellowjackets, specifically with adult Lottie and her wellness resort. There’s plenty of suspense, interesting characters, and drama that everyone reading this would love. 

Stream Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu.

Wayward Pines (2015 – 2016)

Taking place over two seasons, Wayward Pines is a mystery science fiction series that follows a special agent who is searching for two federal agents who go missing, and how this one mystery leads him to uncover something massive: that he cannot leave Wayward Pines now that he has entered, and he has to figure a way out. 

Wayward Pines is another excellent example of a mystery show that can capture your attention immediately, just like Yellowjackets. While it only ran for two seasons, it’s a mystery you’ll love to rewatch repeatedly. 

Stream Wayward Pines on Hulu.

The Wilds (2020 – 2022)

This Amazon Prime original series, The Wilds, follows a group of girls who are left on a deserted island after a plane crash and must survive, but the secret is that they are actually part of a social experiment that has people watching their every move. 

This one was an obvious choice. The Wilds has the same premise as Yellowjackets, except their plane crash was planned, not an accident. But, I assure you that this series is more than meets the eye and will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. 

Stream The Wilds on Amazon.

The 100 (2014 – 2020)

Last but not least, we have The 100. One of the best CW shows, The 100 follows a group of 100 degenerates sent down to a post-nuclear war Earth to reclaim it, only to discover that they are not alone. 

The 100 is a great show, and while I’m not a huge fan of Season 7, I think the first six seasons are great television and fun to watch, and it takes chances in the sci-fi genre. For fans of Yellowjackets, you’ll like the survival aspect and the teenage bonds, but there’s a lot more to enjoy besides that. And, The 100 cast is excellent, as well.

Stream The 100 on Netflix.

Now I have to watch all these shows while I wait for Yellowjackets Season 3 - time to go on a binge-fest of great television. 

In a world that is surrounded by some of the best television shows ever, from the best programs on Netflix to the best series on Max, there have been plenty that have won Outstanding Drama, Comedy or Limited or Anthology Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards. A few I could think of are Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Ted Lasso, Modern Family and many more. 

There are also so many shows that have never won any of these awards. Despite their impressive reputations or stellar casts, these 32 shows have never won Best Series in any category at the Emmys. Prepare to have your mind blown.

This Is Us 

This Is Us was a famous NBC show known for its brilliant storytelling and episodes that always found a way to make you cry. It was led by a brilliant This Is Us cast which included Sterling K. Brown (who won an Emmy for this show), Milo Ventimiglia and more. Somehow, the series never won Outstanding Drama at the Emmys. What's even worse is Mandy Moore never won an Emmy for her portrayal of the matriarch of the Pearson family. That, in itself, is a sin. 

Shameless

Yes, I know that in the later years of Shameless, the episodes didn't feel the same without Emmy Rossum as part of the fearless Shameless cast. However, the first few seasons of the dramedy became some of the best television at the time – and one of the best Showtime shows. And still, it never won Outstanding Comedy. 

Enlightened 

Enlightened only ran for two seasons, but they were full of great acting, a fun story, and so much more. Plus, it was led by the legend Laura Dern. The series, however, was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy. The only nomination that came through was for Dern, and she didn't win. 

The Walking Dead

Say what you want about The Walking Dead, but as someone who watched all eleven seasons of the show, those first five were excellent television. The only praise this show ever got in the Emmy world was for its visual and practical effects on the zombies – but the acting and the show as a whole? It went completely over the heads of those who chose the nominations. 

Dickinson 

Dickinson was one of the best Apple TV+ original shows. I fully believe this series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy because it flew under the radar at first as one of the streaming platforms' first series. Hailee Steinfeld at least should have garnered a nomination, but there was no love for this series. 

Parks And Recreation

You're probably shocked to see this on the list, but Parks and Recreation never won a single Emmy Award. The show was top-rated and well-known for its talented Parks and Recreation cast, but not even Amy Poehler won the Emmy for her lead performance in the show. And the series, while nominated twice for Outstanding Comedy, never won.  

Dexter

I still believe Dexter is worth rewatching despite its later seasons being less than stellar. But the first four seasons of Dexter are classic TV. The plot twists are great, the acting is fantastic, and the backstory behind the serial killer is one of the best in Showtime history. While the series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series several times, it never won. 

The Wire

I know. The Wire is one of the best shows in HBO history and television in general. And yet, somehow, the series never won any Emmy awards. It was never even nominated for Outstanding Drama. The only praise the Television Academy ever gave it was in the form of its writing – which was excellent, understandably – but come on, only that? 

The Brady Bunch

This sitcom from the 1970s is considered one of the most well-known and created several spinoffs. It also spawned one of the best-known TV catchphrases ever ("Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"), yet somehow, this series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy -- or a single other Emmy award.

Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders has gained a lot more popularity over the last few years thanks to the growing stardom of Cillian Murphy from the Oppenheimer cast, but this show was one of the best the BBC had to offer. It featured several other major stars too, like Anya Taylor-Joy, Tom Hardy, Sam Claflin, and many more, and it was a fantastic story. But it was never nominated for a single Primetime Emmy Award. I'm upset even writing that down. 

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is one of those shows that has ebbed and flowed in quality. Some doctors have been great, others have been forgettable. But you can't deny the impact this series has had and the stories it tells with its most excellent doctors. And yet, Doctor Who has never been recognized in terms of acting, writing, or anything at the Emmys. The only nomination it ever got was for Outstanding Derivative Interactive Program in 2020.  

Better Call Saul

When Better Call Saul was confirmed after Breaking Bad, many believed it would never live up to its predecessor. Still, the prequel series about Saul Goodman was almost as good as the original – and to some, it's even better. But while Better Call Saul was nominated several times for Outstanding Drama, it has never won. 

Hannibal

Hannibal was a tremendous psychological horror-thriller that aired for three seasons and told stories that would blow the minds of anyone who watched it. It was scary and psychological and everything you could want – but it was never nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. 

New Girl

I loved New Girl and will rewatch it over and over again, but it seems like the Emmys forgot about the popular sitcom series after its first season. New Girl was only nominated for a few awards in 2012, not even for Outstanding Comedy Series. After that, it wasn't nominated again. 

Parenthood 

Parenthood lasted six seasons and had some of the best writing about modern-day family life. It is a more dramedy version of Modern Family. But the only person who ever got recognition for the show at the Emmys was Jason Ritter, and that was for a guest appearance on the series. 

Chuck

Starring Zachary Levi, Chuck was the spy drama that everyone enjoyed when it first came out in 2007, and it lasted for five seasons. But despite the show's fun nature and entertaining stories, it was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy. Its stunt work did receive some praise, though. 

The Good Place

This one surprised me when I found out, but The Good Place and The Good Place cast have never won an Emmy award. The show was nominated for 14, including Outstanding Comedy Series, but aside from that, it has never actually won an award. Considering the love this show got, that's very shocking – almost as much as the twist in Season 1. 

Narcos

Narcos was one of those crime drama TV shows that took the world by storm and has only gained more popularity over the last several years, especially with Pedro Pascal's rise to fame. But the series, which told the story of Pablo Escobar, was only ever nominated for Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and never for Outstanding Drama. 

Chappelle's Show

Dave Chappelle is hands down one of the most influential voices in comedy and sketch television. Chappelle's Show is an excellent example of that, showcasing the comedian in some of the funniest sketches of the 21st century. However, the series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy. It was, however, nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series but didn't win. 

The Flight Attendant 

Kaley Cuoco is known for her role in the Big Bang Theory cast, but it's a sin that people don't talk about her incredible performance in The Flight Attendant more. And while she and the show were nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, it never won. 

Daredevil

Daredevil was one of the best Marvel TV shows on Netflix, lasting for three seasons and telling authentic superhero stories that didn't seem as intense as aliens invading from the galaxy. Instead, it was a much more grounded show with excellent battle sequences. But despite its popularity, Daredevil was never nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. Maybe Daredevil: Born Again will earn that privilege – only time will tell. 

Married…With Children

Married…with Children was one of the best sitcoms of the late 1980s to 1990s, lasting ten years and eleven seasons, and it brought up one of the best-known names in comedic television, Ed O'Neill. But this series, despite its long run, never won a single Emmy Award. Talk about the definition of snub. 

Station Eleven

Station Eleven was a miniseries that came out of Max (previously HBO Max), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel, and was one of the best post-apocalyptic TV shows out there. However, while the miniseries received praise, it was not nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

WandaVision

There was a rumor that WandaVision would be a multi-season series, but it was put into the Emmys as Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Of all the MCU shows on Disney+, the show was a huge hit but didn't win at the Emmys. 

The Leftovers

The Leftovers was an excellent supernatural series that showed what would happen when 2% of the world's population suddenly vanished without a trace. The series was popular and featured a fascinating story. But the show was never nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. 

Perry Mason

Perry Mason is an HBO series people adored, but it didn't live as long as it should have, because it was canceled by Max after Season 2. On top of that sad news, it hasn't been nominated for Outstanding Drama at all. The only people who have received praise are Matthew Rhys and John Lithgow, both of whom have only been nominated and not won.

Star Trek

While the Star Trek franchise has gone on for many years, the original Star Trek series (the one that pioneered and started it all) was never nominated for a single Emmy Award. This show, which meant so much to so many people, didn't even get to compete in this prestigious awards competition. But no matter – we'll always live long and prosper without an Emmy win. 

Jane The Virgin

I know it's rare for some of the best CW shows to get nominated for Primetime Emmys, but Jane the Virgin should have been a contender. The series features an original idea, bold storytelling, and the impressive Jane the Virgin cast. And yet, the Emmys never gave it the praise it deserved. In fact, only the narrator was nominated. 

BoJack Horseman

There are some excellent adult animated shows on Netflix, and BoJack Horseman stands out as one of them. The series is a realistic telling of what it's like to fall out of the spotlight in Hollywood and what can happen to people. Despite its acclaim, the series was never nominated for Outstanding Comedy at the Emmys. It did get two nominations for Outstanding Animated Program, but it deserved Comedy. 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I could not think of a better example of a show that deserved way more Emmy love than Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its earlier seasons. The show, led by Sarah Michelle Gellar, is a staple in supernatural television. However, it has yet to receive a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.

Oz

Oz is considered one of the best TV shows ever, taking place in a men's prison and following the stories of prisoners over six seasons. However, despite its reputation and impact on TV, it was never nominated for Outstanding Drama. The only actor who was nominated in the series was Charles S. Dutton for a guest appearance on the show. 

Mindhunter

Mindhunter, starring Jonathan Groff, was an excellent TV show on Netflix from director David Fincher, and everyone was sad when Season 3 was confirmed never. The series was fantastic and featured storytelling unlike any other. But despite its fresh tales and incredible acting, Mindhunter was never nominated for Outstanding Drama. It's such a shame. 

Even more TV shows have never won these types of Emmys, but these are just some of the first that come to mind. But now, I know I need to rewatch some of these to give them the love they deserve – or have fun showing them to others—time for a binge-fest. 

Kyle Capener is the talk of the Big Brother fandom right now, and not exactly for the best of reasons. His admission to having a racial bias in assuming the minorities in the house were secretly aligned wasn’t received well by many both in the house and out, and it didn’t help that he more or less helped orchestrate Joseph Abdin’s eviction and the betrayal of The Leftovers the previous week. Joseph was crushed by his unexpected eviction and told CinemaBlend that he’d never betray the alliance like his former housemate and ally did. 

CinemaBlend continues to track the events of the game with a Paramount+ subscription, and I couldn’t help but notice that Joseph had plenty of chances to flip the script on his alliance but chose not to. I asked him if there was ever any temptation on his end to betray The Leftovers when he was still in the house, and Joseph confirmed that while he had thoughts about it, he wouldn’t have done with Kyle did:

Joseph doesn’t directly mention Kyle in his response about potentially betraying the alliance, but it’s hard not to take his words and relate them to what the other member of The Leftovers did. It’s also no surprise to hear Joseph say he didn't consider betraying the alliance either, as it wouldn’t have really benefitted him to do so anyway. Kyle’s betrayal was primarily rooted in saving his showmance partner Alyssa, who wasn’t in the alliance. 

With all of that said, there’s a very short list of people who played an honest and loyal game of Big Brother and walked away as the winner. (Most of the most memorable winners did the opposite.) I asked Joseph if he fully comprehended how difficult it would be to play Big Brother with integrity and loyalty, and the former Houseguest confirmed he at least had an idea of what he was getting into:

Joseph is currently in the jury house, and will soon come face-to-face with Kyle after his eviction. Joseph already wasn’t too keen on Kyle thanks to the unexpected betrayal, and it’s possible that he might sour on him further should Kyle bring him up to speed on all that was revealed after he left. I’m sure the jury house footage from that conversation will be must-see television, assuming we get a chance to watch it. 

Big Brother airs on CBS on Sundays and Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET and on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. It’s anyone’s game as the next Head of Household feels like one of the most vital for so many people’s games, so now is as good of a time as ever to get the live feeds. Those just getting started might find our beginners guide a handy resource for figuring out the effective way to watch. 

WARNING: The following may contain SPOILERS for Outer Range, so just be sure you know what you are in for before going down this hole.

For me, it can be a really good sign when you are watching a sci-fi TV show and the more grounded and believable story elements are just as interesting as when things get weird, if not even more interesting. That is how I feel so far about Outer Range - an intriguing series from creator Brian Watkins that feels like Rod Serling’s version of Yellowstone.

The Amazon Prime original stars Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin as a Wyoming rancher whose battle with a wealthier rival family over control of his land is worsened by a series of concerning circumstances, including one startling, otherworldly discovery in his west pasture. If you have found yourself captivated by the unique blend of the Neo-Western genre with bizarre fantasy on Outer Range (or by each of these styles on their own) and you are curious to see what else like it may be out there, let’s dive in - starting with the most obvious choice.

Yellowstone (Peacock) 

A headstrong Montana rancher (movie star Kevin Costner leads the Yellowstone cast) and his family fight to protect their land from greedy companies, tourists, and more - often incorporating Wild West tactics to do so.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: Admittedly, the aforementioned Paramount Network hit from creator Taylor Sheridan is, in no way, a sci-fi show, but Outer Range has been referred to as a sci-fi fan’s answer to Yellowstone by many (myself included) and has earned the comparison by also having a rural setting, a major storyline involving a volatile feud over land control, and casting Will Patton as a main antagonist.

Stream Yellowstone on Peacock.
Buy Yellowstone on Amazon. 

Hell Or High Water (Netflix)

A divorced father (Chris Pine) and his loose-canon, ex-convict brother (Ben Foster) pull a string of bank heists in attempt to save their family ranch, which attracts the attention of a veteran Texas lawman nearing retirement (Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges).

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: The gripping 2016 crime thriller and Best Picture Oscar nominee, Hell or High Water, is another Neo-Western favorite from writer Taylor Sheridan that Outer Range draws comparisons to, particularly in the more grounded storyline in which brothers Perry (Tom Pelphrey) and Rhett Abbott (Lewis Pullman) struggle to conceal their involvement in a crime from the local sheriff (Tamara Podemski) as other threats loom over their family’s ranch.

Stream Hell or High Water on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Hell or High Water on Amazon. 

No Country For Old Men (HBO Max)

In the early 1980s, a married hunter and war veteran (Josh Brolin) becomes the target of a loose-canon killer (Academy Award winner Javier Bardem) after finding millions of dollars in drug money, which also attracts the attention of a veteran Texas sheriff considering retirement (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones).

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: The captivating 2007 crime thriller and Best Picture Oscar winner, No Country for Old Men, is another Neo-Western favorite Outer Range draws comparisons to, particularly for the casting of Brolin (who also executive produces the show) in the lead role of Royal Abbott, who seems like the kind of person Llewellyn Moss (his character from Joel and Ethan Coen’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel) might have become.

Stream No Country for Old Men on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy No Country for Old Men on Amazon. 

Signs (Amazon Prime) 

A widowed former minister (Academy Award winner Mel Gibson), his brother (Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix), son (Rory Culkin), and daughter (Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin) begin to suspect that they are being taunted by visitors from another planet after a crop circle appears outside their home.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: Writer and director M. Night Shyamalan’s creepy alien invasion thriller, 2002’s Signs, has more in common with Outer Range than most movies for also following a faith-stricken, rural land owner and family man who finds something very strange on his property - not to mention how the show has offered a few hints of there being an extra-terrestrial presence.

Stream Signs on Amazon Prime.

Midnight Mass (Netflix) 

After he is released from prison, a recovering alcoholic (Zach Gilford) returns to the secluded island community where he grew up at the same time that a mysterious, charismatic priest (Hamish Linklater) arrives and brings forth what initially seems to be an astonishing series of miracles.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: The theme of someone struggling with, or even renouncing, their own faith (which Josh Brolin’s Royal Abbott deals with on Outer Range) is a heavily prevalent theme of the brilliant, seven-part Netflix original horror series from Mike Flanagan, Midnight Mass, which also follows the very strange and deadly events surrounding a small town and some of its rivalrous inhabitants.

Stream Midnight Mass on Netflix.

The Leftovers (HBO Max) 

A divorced father and police chief (Justin Theroux) struggles to hold his community and his sanity together in the midst of the sudden, unexplained vanishing of millions of people from the face of the Earth years earlier.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: Once again, faith or the absence of it plays a major role in The Leftovers - HBO’s thought-provoking, inventive fantasy series that Damon Lindelof co-created with original author Tom Perotta - which also, initially, follows the bizarre circumstances affecting a small town (but as a result of a strange global tragedy), including an uptick in cult practices - which Outer Range has also hinted at.

Stream The Leftovers on HBO Max.
Buy The Leftovers on Amazon. 

Resident Alien (Peacock Premium)

After crash-landing in a quaint Colorado community, an extra-terrestrial (Alan Tudyk - known for playing various other sci-fi characters, including K-2S0 in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) disguises himself as a human doctor to blend in and earn the trust of its citizens, which soon causes him to have second thoughts about the reason he was sent to Earth in the first place: to destroy it.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: Another series similar to Outer Range in how it follows a small town plagued by a bizarre, otherworldly secret (but also offers a comparatively lighter take on the subject) is Resident Alien - a Syfy original hit from developer Chris Sheridan which, itself, is a much lighter take on the sci-fi graphic novel that inspired it. 

Stream Resident Alien on Peacock Premium.
Buy Resident Alien on Amazon. 

Frequency (Amazon Rental)

In 1999, a New York City homicide detective (Jim Caviezel) is, at first, delighted that he is somehow able to use an old ham radio to speak to his late father (Dennis Quaid) in 1969, until their unusual reunion leads to a tragedy that they must work together to prevent.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: One of the strange circumstances affecting the Wyoming setting of Outer Range is time travel, although its constructs within the world of the show still have yet to be fully explained, which is similar to how there is never much of an explanation for how Quaid and Caviezel’s characters can reconnect across time in Frequency - an otherwise clever, heartfelt, and gripping sci-fi crime thriller.

Rent/Buy Frequency on Amazon. 

Firefly (Hulu)

A war veteran turned outlaw (Nathan Fillion) and his mismatched spaceship crew travel from planet to planet looking for work and evading government detection hundreds of years after Earth became uninhabitable.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: While certainly unique in tone to its contemporaries, Outer Range is really just one of a handful of TV shows that combine Western styles of storytelling with sci-fi themes - the most essential of which would have to be the short-lived, but much-loved Firefly, which is a Wild West adventure first and a space odyssey second.

Stream Firefly on Hulu.
Buy Firefly on Amazon. 

Westworld (HBO Max)

The citizens of a town from the Old West discover that they are actually mechanical beings created for a theme park in which guests can live out their wildest fantasies in an authentic, 19th century-style setting.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: One of the more recent and acclaimed examples of an essential sci-fi/Western hybrid is the Emmy-winning HBO series, Westworld - which, unlike Outer Range, incorporates a more traditional aesthetic before revealing itself as a dystopian, technophobic parable loosely inspired by a cult favorite B-movie from 1973.

Stream Westworld on HBO Max.
Buy Westworld on Amazon. 

Wynonna Earp (Netflix)

The great, great-granddaughter of legendary gunslinger Wyatt Earp (Letterkenny cast member Melanie Scrofano) and the real, immortal “Doc” Holliday (Tim Rozon) team up to defend the Earth from deadly creatures and evil paranormal entities with their own unique abilities and the same kind of rough, unforgiving fighting style that would have been used at the O.K. Corral.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Outer Range: Another more recent example of a sci-fi TV show that borrows heavily from the style and tone of a classic Western story is Syfy’s series adaptation of the Image Comic book, Wynonna Earp, which also relates to Outer Range for having its fair share of high-stakes fantasy elements in a modern-day Western setting, but is entirely different in how it uses them.

Stream Wynonna Earp on Netflix.
Buy Wynonna Earp on Amazon. 

Who knows? Maybe one day Outer Range could incorporate some more adventurous, traditional Western style into its plot, too. See for yourself by streaming its debut season on Amazon Prime, with new episodes arriving every Friday until May 6, 2022.

One of the best things about Ghostbusters: Afterlife is Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Callie Spengler and the way she comes to terms with the life and legacy of her late father, Egon Spengler, who abandoned his family, friends, and fellow ghostbusters for unknown reasons. There’s just something about the way Coon embodies both strength and pain in her remarkable performance that draws you in and makes you want to see what else this talented actress has to offer.

Fortunately, there are a lot of great Carrie Coon movies and TV shows that not only show her strength as an actress but also her range and commitment to the various roles she has taken over the years. Here are just a few examples, including The Leftovers, Widows, and Gone Girl.

Gone Girl (2014)

When his wife suddenly leaves without warning, writer Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is left to clean up the mess left in her wake and get to the bottom of the mystery, as he becomes the main suspect. David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of the Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl explores what happens when a seemingly perfect marriage crumbles beyond repair.

Why it’s worth checking out: Rosamund Pike’s dynamic portrayal of Amy Dunne is reason enough to check out Gone Girl, but Carrie Coon’s take on her sister-in-law (and Nick’s sister), Margo Dunne, is right up there. The voice of reason throughout the psychological thriller, it is almost hard to believe this was her first feature-length film.

Stream Gone Girl on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Gone Girl on Amazon.
Buy Gone Girl on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Leftovers (2014 - 2017)

Set three years after millions of mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters disappeared as part of the “Sudden Departure,” the HBO series The Leftovers follows those who were left behind with unanswered questions, broken mental states, and all kinds of pain.

Why it’s worth checking out: Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Nora Durst, a broken woman who finds the strength to carry on following the mysterious disappearance of not only her husband, but son and daughter, remains one of the most interesting characters in recent TV memory. Durst, and her on-screen partner Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), helped navigate viewers through the grim and confusing world of The Leftovers.

Stream The Leftovers on HBO Max.
Buy The Leftovers on Amazon.

Buy The Leftovers Season 1 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Buy The Leftovers Season 2 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Buy The Leftovers Season 3 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

After years of planning (and failed attempts by his subordinates) the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) sets off to fulfill his dream of bringing balance to the universe with the help of the six infinity stones, in Avengers: Infinity War.

Why it’s worth checking out: Carrie Coon’s take on Proxima Midnight, one of the “Children of Thanos,” is honestly one of the most terrifying aspects of the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover event. Her brutal nature, cold demeanor, and imposing presence make a strong case for Proxima Midnight being one of the most dangerous MCU villains.

Stream Avengers: Infinity War on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Avengers: Infinity War on Amazon.
Buy Avengers: Infinity War on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Widows (2018)

When their husbands are ambushed and killed in a botched robbery, four widows form an unlikely team and orchestrate a heist of their own to pay off their their late husbands’ debts. Directed by Steve McQueen (who wrote the script alongside Gillian Flynn), Widows is a daring heist thriller where death awaits around every corner.

Why it’s worth checking out: Without giving too much away, Carrie Coon’s character, Amanda, plays a pivotal role in the events of Widows, especially when it is revealed how she plays into the relationship shared by Viola Davis and Liam Neeson’s characters.

Rent/Buy Widows on Amazon.

The Post (2017)

Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) and editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) put their reputation, careers, and freedom on the line in order to publish a damning article uncovering years of government cover-ups. 

Why it’s worth checking out: Steven Spielberg’s 2017 newspaper drama The Post is one of the best journalism movies not just because of its two leads (though they are great), but because of the way in which it brilliantly displays what it’s like to work in an intense newsroom in the middle of a crisis. The supporting cast of actors, which includes Carrie Coon, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, and Alison Brie, doesn’t hurt either.

Rent/Buy The Post on Amazon.
Buy The Post on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Fargo Season 3 (2017)

The third season of the FX anthology dark comedy series, Fargo, centers on a couple consisting of Ray Stussy (Ewan McGregor) and Nikki Swango (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who become involved in a double-murder, and Eden Valley Police Chief Gloria Burgle (Carrie Coon), who tries to get to the bottom of the crime that claimed her step-father’s life.

Why it’s worth checking out: Right up there with Frances McDormand in the 1996 film on which the Fargo series was based, Carrie Coon’s Gloria Burgle is a quirky law enforcement officer but also one who gets the job down when she gets a hunch. The likable and sometimes awkward character adds a considerable amount of levity and humor to the oftentimes dark show.

Stream Fargo Season 3 on Hulu.
Buy Fargo Season 3 on Amazon.
Buy Fargo Season 3 on DVD on Amazon.

The Nest (2020)

With their marriage on the rocks in New York City, Roy (Jude Law) and Allison O’Hara (Carrie Coon) pick up what’s left of their broken lives and relocate to Surrey, England, with their two children. Though predicated on the idea that the move from New York to England will fill their bank account and bring meaning to their lives, reality comes crashing down one bit after another.

Why it’s worth checking out: Jude Law and Carrie Coon are both brilliant in the portrayals of a married couple attempting to find happiness, but it’s the latter that really shines here. The slow, methodical pacing of her character’s arc throughout the course of The Nest makes for one of the best performances of her career.

Stream The Nest on Showtime.
Buy The Nest on Amazon.
Buy The Nest on DVD on Amazon.

• Check out this list of the best movies on Amazon Prime.

The Sinner Season 2 (2018)

In the second season of the USA Network crime anthology series, Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) returns to his childhood hometown to investigate the poisoning of a local couple, which was supposedly carried out by a young boy named Julian Walker (Elisha Henig). While investigating, Ambrose meets Vera Walker (Carrie Coon), a strange woman with an even stranger connection to the suspected killer.

Why it’s worth checking out: One of the great things about Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Vera Walker in The Sinner Season 2 is the fact it is hard to get a read on the cult leader, so much so that it is hard to figure out if she's someone who cares for Julian or nothing more than a power-hungry leader of a mysterious commune. It’s this intrigue and mystery surrounding Coon's enigmatic performance that gives the show its hooks that sink into you and don't let go until the end credits roll, once everything is said and done.

Stream The Sinner Season 2 on Netflix.
Buy The Sinner Season 2 on Amazon.
Buy The Sinner Season 2 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Legacy Of A Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)

Buck Ferguson (Josh Brolin) is a prolific hunter with a successful hunting show who decides to try something new by taking his son, Jaden (Montana Jordan), on a hunting trip (along with his cameraman Don, played by Danny McBride). Over the course of the weekend, the father and son duo film a new episode of Buck’s popular TV program while also reconnecting in the process.

Why it’s worth checking out: Although she only appears in the opening minutes of The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter, Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Buck Ferguson’s ex-wife Linda does a miraculous job of setting the tone and establishing the nature of the estranged father and son’s relationship. And, although it would have been nice to see more of Linda and her new boyfriend Greg (Scoot McNairy), they both make the most of what little time they receive.

Stream The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter on Netflix.

• Check out the rest of the best movies on Netflix.

Izzy Gets The F*ck Across Town (2018)

When Izzy (Mackenzie Davis) finds out that her ex-boyfriend is not only engaged to marry her former best friend, but is throwing a party to celebrate across town, she does what any rational, and emotionally-sound person would do in that situation: she makes her way across Los Angeles in an attempt to bring it all crashing down.

Why it’s worth checking out: Mackenzie Davis is a force of nature throughout Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town, and the movie would have been fine enough with her on a one-woman odyssey in the City of Angels. However, the supporting cast, specifically Carrie Coon with her portrayal of Izzy's sister Virginia, helps add more heart and depth to the movie’s simple premise and really help Davis’ character reach that next level of her personal journey.

Stream Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town on Amazon.
Buy Izzy Gets The F*ck Across Town on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Each of these movies and shows are better thanks to Carrie Coon and her ability to bring a variety of characters to life. And, with some exciting projects on the way, expect to see more of her in the very near future.

One of my favorite genres of television shows has always been centered around different worlds where society is facing and trying to overcome widespread suffering and/or injustice that reigns free. This is what we would call a dystopian universe - and believe it or not, there are plenty TV shows featuring them out there. 

From some of the best shows on Netflix to some awesome ones on Amazon Prime, there are plenty of options for you to pick from if you want to watch some great dystopian TV shows, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror, and more. Here are some of the best that you can find streaming.  

3% (Netflix)

An international show on Netflix, 3% follows the story of several 20-year-olds, who all live on the impoverished “Inland.” Now, they have one opportunity to advance in society and live on the “Offshore” settlement in peace. Some are eliminated and others fail to survive, leaving only 3% of candidates who succeed. 

3% sort of reminds me a little of The Hunger Games series, except without all the killing. It’s a battle royale without killing each other - more like the wealthy trying to kill the poor rather than the contestants doing so. It’s a battle of wits, smarts, and bravery to make it to the end, which results in formidable friendships, compelling relationships, and characters who you really want to root for - that is until they die. But, even so, it’s still a fun show to watch. Definitely one of the best Netflix TV shows, in my opinion. 

Stream 3% on Netflix. 

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

In this Hulu original series, The Handmaid’s Tale follows the life of women in Gilead, a totalitarian society that is located in what was the United States. The society is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treat women like property, and because of this, a revolution starts. 

The Handmaid’s Tale has won so many awards, and for good reason. The whole The Handmaid’s Tale cast is so talented, led by their star, Elisabeth Moss, in one of her best roles so far in her career. The story can be dark at times, but powerful all the same. This show pulls no punches. 

Stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. 

Black Mirror (Netflix)

In this popular sci-fi series, Black Mirror is all about parallel universes not that distant from our own, often telling stories about the impact of certain kinds of technology on their societies, and how it can either make lives better or turn lives upside down. 

Black Mirror is certainly one of those shows where some of the episodes might make you scratch your head in confusion, but for every episode like that, there are several other amazing Black Mirror episodes that are truly great pieces of dialogue about the impact of technology and what it’s doing to our society. My personal favorite episode is “Nosedive,” a commentary about the impact of social media, but honestly, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. 

Stream Black Mirror on Netflix. 

The 100 (Netflix)

The 100 was a popular CW show that centered on a group of 100 disobedient young adults who are sent down to the destroyed Earth from what’s left of human society on the Raft in space. However, when they get down there, they find that what they were expecting is not what is there, and that they are not alone. 

Out of all of the CW shows I’ve watched, The 100 is certainly one of the best. The world-building is fantastic, the characters extremely fun to watch, and the relationships that are formed are some of the best ones in teen TV, much more believable than other certain CW shows (looking at you, Riverdale). It’s also really interesting to see ideas of what the Earth would look like after a nuclear extinction, meaning some of the wildlife that has come out of it, or how some people have evolved. 

Stream The 100 on Netflix. 

Snowpiercer (HBO Max)

In this TV series based on the movie of the same name, Snowpiercer is set in 2026, seven years after the world turned into a frozen wasteland. Now, what remains of human society is located on a perpetually moving luxury train. 

Snowpiercer is definitely one of my favorite new shows that has come out in the last couple of years, mainly because the idea is so fresh. A lot of the times, many worlds fall apart in fictional movies and TV because of nuclear wars or asteroids or something else, but here, Earth straight up just froze over due to climate change, and they build a really thrilling story with plenty of action. Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connelly are fantastic in their starring roles, as is the rest of the cast. 

Stream Snowpiercer on HBO Max. 

Raised By Wolves (HBO Max)

In this HBO Max original series, Raised by Wolves focuses on two androids, both aptly named Father and Mother, who are tasked with raising human children on Kepler-22b after Earth was destroyed by a great war. 

While I do love dystopian series, Raised by Wolves was one of the few that really made me shiver. Not in a bad way - more so that these robots felt way too real and it was uncomfortable watching them raise human children as if they were human, but that’s a testament to the amazing effects team and make-up department that Raised by Wolves has. With plenty of action, enthralling characters, and an interesting story, Raised by Wolves is one of the best originals that HBO Max has to offer so far. 

Stream Raised By Wolves on HBO Max. 

Attack On Titan (Hulu)

Attack on Titan is an anime where what is known of human society is located within three giant walls to protect themselves from creatures known as Titans, humanoid-looking monsters that will eat mankind. However, when an almost indestructible Colossal Titan brings destruction among the city, a group of young adults band together, train in the Scout Regiment, and swear to find a way to stop these Titans once and for all. 

I know - anime sometimes isn’t for everyone, but let me tell you that this is an anime that you should watch. From the first episode, I was hooked. They don’t slow down for a second. There is maybe five minutes of peace before you are thrown into the action, and it doesn’t stop at all. You’ll come to love the characters, cry when you lose them, love how badass they are, and learn so much more about the fantastical dark fantasy world that is Attack on Titan. 

Stream Attack on Titan on Hulu. 

Colony (Netflix)

You didn’t think we'd have a dystopian list without mentioning something to do with aliens, now did you? Colony focuses on a family in the near future who are trying to stay together and stay alive after a mysterious alien invasion, forcing them to make difficult decisions constantly. 

While there were only three seasons of this awesome sci-fi show, I still feel, even now, that Colony deserved so much more hype than it received. What I really love about this show is that it’s not the typical alien invasion you would think of. These aliens aren’t massive killers who will suck out your brains or probe you - at first, it just seems like they want to take over humanity - but over time, everything begins to get a little darker, and the stakes are raised. 

Stream Colony on Netflix. 

The Leftovers (HBO Max)

In this supernatural TV series, The Leftovers begins three years after what is known as “the Sudden Departure,” a global event that resulted in 2% of the world’s population suddenly disappearing without a trace. Adjusting to that life without their loved ones, we follow a group of people struggling to move on. 

I know that 2% of the world’s population doesn’t sound like a lot, but hear me out - we have 7.753 billion people in this world. 2% of that population is 155,050,000. That’s well over one hundred million people that suddenly just up and vanish. That’s actually terrifying to think about - but The Leftovers handles that crazy concept well, and creates a story that anyone will find enjoyable, heart wrenching, and interesting to view.

Stream The Leftovers on HBO Max. 

The Walking Dead (Netflix)

In this long-lasting AMC show, The Walking Dead follows the lives of survivors of a sudden outbreak of a virus, turning everyone into zombies, or what is known as “walkers” in this world. Now, it’s up to them to try and survive not only the dead, but the living too. 

I know that The Walking Dead is a little more post-apocalyptic at first, but as the series proceeds it definitely turns more dystopian as societies are built, lines are drawn, and stakes are raised higher. Through all this, there are some beautiful relationships that are formed, friendships that make you smile, and villains who you’ll love or hate. With ten seasons to watch - the eleventh and final one should be streaming before too much longer - there’s so much to love about this series. 

Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix. 

The Man In The High Castle (Amazon Prime)

Lastly, we take a look at The Man in the High Castle. In this dystopian world, America lost the second World War, and has been taken over by Nazi Germany and Japan. However, as time moves on, a revolution starts to begin from within, creating a ripple effect across the country. 

To me, The Man in the High Castle is one of the scariest shows because it feels a little too real. Just think about it - maybe something like this actually could have happened in our world back then, but thankfully, it didn’t. It’s an enthralling story from beginning to end, with several twists that will have you clicking “Next Episode” as soon as the one you’re on is done. Truly one of the best Amazon originals they had. 

Stream The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime. 

There are so many awesome dystopian worlds to enjoy from afar, and hopefully, now you might get a brand new TV show to binge too. Let’s just hope that none of us end up in these far-off worlds ourselves one day. That would be unfortunate.  

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While there have been shows that have been cancelled far too soon on Netflix, a new one has just been added to its seemingly never-ending repertoire of shows, and that is the NBC series Manifest, which will receive its fourth and final season on the streamer after the hype for it has grown exponentially in the last couple of months.

For now, your binge of the series is done, and you’re looking for something new to watch - a show that has the same vibes as Manifest. Well, look no further, because we have a nice list of great shows that will scratch that itch for you. Here are some shows like Manifest that you should watch right now.

Lost (Amazon Prime)

In this legendary drama series, Lost follows a group of people who are strangers and survive a commercial plane crash, washing up on an island in the Pacific. The survivors begin to work together to somehow stay alive, while also discovering mysteries of the island, ones that will change their lives forever.

Lost was one of the first dramas I think I ever heard of way back when, simply because it was so popular. The Lost cast is talented, the story intriguing, and it will have you binging every episode to see what the answer is to the new mysteries that pop up constantly. Let’s just not talk about the series finale. That can be a discussion for another day.

Stream Lost on Amazon Prime.

The OA (Netflix)

The OA tells the story of Prairie Johnson, an adopted young woman who suddenly resurfaces after years of being missing. She now calls herself the “OA,” otherwise known as the “Original Angel,” has scars on her back, and can now see when she was blind before.

For fans of Manifest, the mystery behind Prairie will be what keeps you going at first. You’re so intrigued by this girl that you’ll want to keep watching, but once everything is revealed, there will be so much more for you to enjoy after. I really don’t want to give much away because it’s such a great show that was cancelled far too soon. Give it a shot if haven’t already.

Stream The OA on Netflix.

Under The Dome (Pluto TV)

Under the Dome, adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name, tells the story of the residents of a fictional town called Chester’s Mill, when suddenly, a massive, transparent, and indestructible dome is placed on their town, locking them away from the rest of world. Now, it’s up to them to figure out how to get out - and why it happened to them in the first place.

I love the mystery of this. It’s Stephen King, so you know that the story is going to be good going into this. But, for fans of Manifest, it’s a lot of the same mystery that you’ve come to enjoy, except this time with a sudden lock-down instead of people reappearing out of nowhere. It’s a race against time.

Stream Under The Dome on Pluto TV.

Travelers (Netflix)

The science fiction series, Travelers, is set in a post apocalyptic world where special operatives are tasked with preventing the collapse of society, sent back in time through their consciousness and transferred into a host body.

For fans of Manifest, this show is just the right amount of strange to keep you entertained. At first, there’s a lot of information all at once and it’s almost a little hard to understand, but Travelers is a great science fiction show, with plenty of interesting concepts that would make anyone want to keep watching. I feel like a lot of the time-traveling aspect sort of reminds me of the supernatural feelings you get while watching Manifest, which makes it perfect for fans of the show.

Stream Travelers on Netflix.

Fringe (Amazon Prime)

On Fringe, we follow the “Fringe Division” of the FBI in Boston, who are under the supervision of Homeland Security. This division is known for using “fringe science” and FBI investigative techniques to look into a series of unexplained occurrences that are usually related to something like a parallel universe.

Fringe lasted for five seasons, and honestly, I feel like it could have gone on for so many more. With J.J. Abrams as one of the executive producers, this show had so many fun mysteries, moments, and more to enjoy. For fans of Manifest, this is the perfect show if you’re craving a series like it, but want something a little different.

Stream Fringe on Amazon Prime.

The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)

In this HBO Max original series, a flight attendant who has an alcohol problem wakes up in a bed one morning next to a dead man, unaware of what happened the night before and no idea how it happened. Now, she has to try and piece the last night together bit by bit, trying to figure out who did it - and if it could have been her.

While fans of Manifest will again enjoy the mystery of this show, I feel like The Flight Attendant shines in not only its well-crafted story mixed in with comedy, but also the performance of Kaley Cuoco. She really rocks it in her role and brings it home, showing that while she was an amazing part of the Big Bang Theory cast, she can be amazingly dramatic as well.

Stream The Flight Attendant on HBO Max.

The Twilight Zone (Paramount+)

In this Jordan Peele rebooted version of the original series, The Twilight Zone takes you into different parallel universes where strange and otherwise weird occurrences happen, in a world known as “the twilight zone.”

I feel like for fans of Manifest, this is the show that made sci-fi and supernatural TV. The original version of The Twilight Zone has some amazing episodes, but the Jordan Peele reboot of the series really takes the cake for me in a couple of ways. There are some really cool stories, some simply mysterious and others supernatural, mixed in with a great guest cast. To me, this is one of the greatest dramas on Paramount+ they have, and deserved way more seasons.

Stream The Twilight Zone on Paramount Plus.

Dark (Netflix)

In this international series on Netflix, Dark takes place in the fictional town of Winden in Germany, covering the story of a child’s disappearance, as the town tries to pursue the truth. But, in doing so, they discover connections between four estranged families who are all related to a time travel conspiracy that spans generations.

Oh boy, if Manifest fans are looking for a good combination of mystery and the supernatural, than Dark is your go-to. For me, this was one of the most mentally draining shows because there were so many twists and turns, with so much lore in the background that it makes for a really detailed mystery series. But, at the same time, it’s the perfect show for people who enjoy a good mystery and want to discover a new world of strange happenings.

Stream Dark on Netflix.

The Leftovers (HBO Max)

In another supernatural mystery series, The Leftovers tells the story of what happens when 2% of the world's population suddenly disappears, leaving many behind, with everyone having lost someone and trying to figure out what happened and how to adjust to their new life.

This is definitely one of my favorites on this list, and a great choice for fans of Manifest. While 2% doesn’t sound like a lot, there are more than seven billion people on the planet, which means that 140,000,000+ people would suddenly just vanish into thin air - that sounds freaking mental when you really think about it, and they do a great job of establishing that throughout the series. It’s another one where I don’t want to give much away as to why it occurred - you just have to watch it yourself.

Stream The Leftovers on HBO Max.

The 4400 (Netflix)

In this science fiction drama, The 4400 tells the story of the titular amount of people, who are deposited by a ball of light in Washington, though they'd all disappeared in the same beam of light, either in 1946 or after. None of them have aged, and they have no idea how they got there.

For fans of Manifest, the premise of this reminds me a lot of the show, except instead of a group of passengers suddenly reappearing, it’s a group of people from various points in time suddenly reappearing, none of whom have aged. With four seasons, there’s so much to uncover and explore, and to find out who exactly these people are, and what they have become. Really, if you enjoyed Manifest, this is for sure a show you will enjoy.

Stream The 4400 on Netflix.

Manifest has really made me so interested in mystery shows, and, honestly, I know that now it’s one of the best shows on Netflix to binge. Since we all have to wait for Season 4, which won’t be premiering on any 2021 fall TV schedule, at least now we have some options to keep us entertained until then.

Since jumping into the public eye with an appearance in Aerosmith's "Crazy" music video in 1994, Liv Tyler has gone from front man Steven Tyler's daughter to a highly decorated actress who has helped lead franchises like The Lord of the Rings, as well as smaller projects like That Thing You Do, to a level of unparalleled success. And in those nearly 26 years under the spotlight, Tyler has become one of the motivated and interesting figures in show business.

There are just so many interesting things about Liv Tyler. For example, take her love and dedication for her children, meditation and the excitement that pours out of her whenever she speaks about one of her countless movie and television roles. And with her most recent appearance in James Gray's science fiction father-son drama Ad Astra getting another go with the movie's HBO premiere in June 2020, now's as good a time as any to take a look at some of the most fascinating facts about one of the most versatile and prolific actresses of our time.

Liv Tyler Didn't Know The True Identity Of Her Father Until She Was 11 Years Old

Just about everyone around knows that Liv Tyler is the daughter of rock and roll legend Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, but the actress' mother, Bebe Buell, hid her biological father's identity until Tyler was almost a teenager. As far as Tyler knew, her father was her mother's longtime partner, Todd Rundgen, but a chance encounter when the girl was 11 years old changed that forever.

Liv Tyler and her mom were at one of Todd Rundgen's concerts when they ran into Steven Tyler, and Liv immediately knew there was something going on. In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, Liv Tyler described the feeling of figuring out he was her father as being something bigger than herself, stating:

Over time, Liv Tyler started to spend more time with her biological father and realized they had a lot in common, including their looks and some of their idiosyncrasies that she hadn't shared with one anyone else.

Liv Tyler Made Her Acting Debut In Aerosmith's "Crazy" Music Video

One year before she showed up in films like Heavy and Empire Records, Liv Tyler was spending much of her time modeling or showing up in television commercials, but that all changed when she appeared in the Aerosmith music video for "Crazy" in 1994. Starring alongside Alicia Silverstone as two schoolgirls who skip class and go on a raucous adventure in a manner similar to Thelma and Louise, the video helped propel the young actress to superstardom seemingly overnight.

This was Liv Tyler's first major acting gig, as she wouldn't make her film debut until later that year with the psychological thriller Silent Fall. It's crazy to think about how quickly Tyler became a star after appearing in perhaps one of the most watched and important music videos of mid-'90s MTV.

Liv Tyler Kept Arwen's Ears From The Lord Of The Rings, But They Melted When She Left Them In Her Car

It's no secret that actors and actresses like to bring home costumes, props or other strange finds from movie sets, and it looks like Liv Tyler falls into that camp, but not to the best of results. While sitting down with The Late Show host and notorious The Lord of the Rings fanatic Stephen Colbert in 2018, Tyler explained that she took her character Arwen's Elven ears home from the set, but it didn't end as well as she hoped, stating:

Although Liv Tyler couldn't produce the melted ears for Stephen Colbert during their interview, she did bring the sword her character used in the movie, and even let the late night talk show host hold it for a minute before the conversation switched topics.

Liv Tyler Considered Quitting Acting Before Getting A Role On The Leftovers

Liv Tyler's performance as Meg Abbott, a mysterious woman seduced into joining the Guilty Remnant in the HBO series The Leftovers, is probably one of the best of the series, but before being cast in the role, the actress was considering stepping away from acting entirely because she didn't know how to make a place for herself in a world so heavily dominated by social media. Tyler went into great detail about the struggle in a 2017 interview with the Irish Examiner, where she had this to say about her thought process after her audition:

Since that fateful conversation with herself, Liv Tyler has gone on to star in shows like Gunpowder, Harlots and 9-1-1: Lone Star, as well as films like Wilding and Ad Astra.

Liv Tyler Had Long Admired Ad Astra Director James Gray Before Being Cast

Although she doesn't have much screen time in James Gray's 2019 science fiction drama Ad Astra, Liv Tyler's portrayal of Brad Pitt's Roy McBride's estranged wife Eve is one of the most captivating and emotional performances in the movie. And after hearing Tyler talk about her desire to work with imaginative director during a 20th Century Studios promotional interview, it's easy to see why she gave it her all:

So just imagine how excited Liv Tyler was when she got the call from James Gray about coming aboard for a role that was described as a presence and not fully defined from the outset. Instead of having a role with all her scenes and lines worked out, Tyler was able to work with Gray and the film's producers to bring the character to life.

Liv Tyler Believes Practicing Transcendental Meditation Has Made Her A Better Mother

There are countless ways of dealing with and managing stress, and for Liv Tyler, her method of choice is transcendental meditation, a technique that involves sitting with your eyes closed and repeating a mantra for around 20 minutes two times a day. Speaking at a charity event for the David Lynch Foundation in 2012 (via the National Association of Professional Women), Tyler spoke about her experience with transcendental meditation and the impact it had on her as a mother, saying:

It should come as no surprise that Liv Tyler finds ways of dealing with the stress and daily struggles of trying to balance parenthood with a busy film and television career. And with a career as busy, long-lasting and fruitful as the one Tyler has had over the course of nearly 30 years, it looks like she's found something that works.

Those are just six fascinating facts about Liv Tyler, her life and her remarkable career. Make sure to let us know in the comments if there were any facts about the actress that you think I missed. And if you missed the Lord of the Rings cast reunion, don't worry, because we have you covered here on CinemaBlend.

Earlier this week, HBO premiered Season 3 of their expensive, much-discussed science-fiction/western series, Westworld. Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, based on the 1973 movie of the same name directed by the late novelist Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park), the sci-fi/western series is often celebrated for its strong visuals and intriguing story turns, among other aspects. While not everyone was on-board with Season 2, the start of the third season suggests that the mature series is going to take some interesting new turns in the new episodes ahead. Whether or not that's the case, there are certainly a lot of TV viewers out there who love Westworld. And they're likely looking for another show like it. Don't worry, we can help. Here are 12 shows available for streaming that you might also enjoy!

The Leftovers (HBO Go)

What The Show Is About: Created by Damon Lindelof (Lost, HBO's Watchmen) and Tom Perrotta, based on the latter's novel of the same name, The Leftovers takes place three years following the "Sudden Departure," a global event where two percent of the world's population suddenly disappeared.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: Compared to a few other shows on HBO, The Leftovers didn't get as much attention, though it certainly got a good bit of acclaim. While the first season wasn't quite as well-regarded, many viewers were quick to praise Seasons 2 and 3 as extraordinary TV. If you enjoy Westworld for its thoughtful atmosphere, heady commentary, and resonate thematics, then you will definitely want to dig into The Leftovers.

Where To Stream: All three seasons of The Leftovers are available on HBO Go.

Altered Carbon (Netflix)

What The Show Is About: Based on the 2002 novel of the same name, Altered Carbon is a cyberpunk streaming series showcasing a futuristic world where technological advancements allow consciousness to be transferred into different bodies, as we follow an investigator trying to solve a murder.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: Incorporating noir elements into the sci-fi genre has been seen before, notably with the Blade Runner movies, and Altered Carbon is exactly that sort of show. Certainly, TV viewers who like how Westworld is a mature sci-fi vehicle with heady ideas will find a lot to appreciate in this expensive blockbuster streaming series, which stars Joel Kinnaman and Anthony Mackie in the lead role. If you love Westworld for how it explores aspects of identity and technology inside a futuristic setting, you'll definitely find yourself enticed with what Altered Carbon has to offer.

Where To Stream: Altered Carbon Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix.

The Expanse (Amazon Prime)

What The Show Is About: Based on the novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey, The Expanse is a futuristic series showing life after mankind colonized the solar system. It follows a disparate band of anti-heroes, including a police detective, ship's officer, and United Nations Security Council member, who are now at the center of a conspiracy which threatens peace, civility, class balance, and survival as humanity knows it within the system.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: Similar to Altered Carbon, The Expanse is another series that blends sci-fi and detective noir elements into one streaming package. Acclaimed for being a smart, thrilling, and imaginative program with gorgeous production values, compelling character arcs, and politically intriguing narratives, The Expanse should suitably satisfy anyone who finds themselves engrossed in the big ideas at the center of HBO's Westworld. Particularly if you're invested in Westworld's class warfare commentary, you'll find quite a bit to enjoy in Amazon's The Expanse, which was already renewed for a fifth season and recently wrapped production. This newest season is expected to make its premiere at some point later this year.

Where To Stream: All four seasons of The Expanse are available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Watchmen (HBO Go)

What The Show Is About: Based on the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, HBO's Watchmen takes places 34 years after the events of the book and centers around a detective known as Sister Night (Regina King) who investigates the murder of her friend and superior, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson). She then discovers a bunch of information regarding vigilantism in a time of ongoing social and political unrest.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: Ever since Game of Thrones became a massive worldwide success, HBO has strived to push for more mature genre shows, particularly those that lean into both fantasy and sci-fi. Indeed, viewers saw that with Westworld. They also saw it with Watchmen too. As soon as it premiered on the paid cable station, it was considered one of the best shows on television, as well as one of the best superheroes stories in an era that seems to be defined by them. Both audiences and critics alike celebrated Watchmen for its sharp writing, strong direction, and its masterful performances from its top-tier cast. Certainly, if you love Westworld for its adult-orientated takes on its various genres, you'll likely love Watchmen too.

Where to Stream: Every episode of Watchmen Season 1 (which might be the only season we'll see) is available on HBO Go.

The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

What The Show Is About: Set in a dystopian version of the future and within a totalitarian society where, following the Second Civil War, every fertile women, i.e. "Handmaids," are placed into child-bearing slavery, The Handmaid's Tale is a series adaptation of the novel of the same name from Margaret Atwood.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: While certainly not lighthearted, The Handmaid's Tale is celebrated critically and commercially for its beautiful photography, suspenseful storytelling, relevant social commentary, and its strong performances, notably from Emmy-winning actress Elisabeth Moss in the lead role. If you like visually-stunning shows set in a near future where things just aren't quite right, and the underclass fight for their freedom, you'll find a lot to appreciate and engage with in Hulu's compelling, thoughtful, and well-acclaimed adaptation of Margaret Atwood's best-selling 1985 novel.

Where to Stream: All three seasons of The Handmaid's Tale are available on Hulu.

Black Mirror (Netflix)

What The Show Is About: In the vein of anthology series like The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror examines different stories regarding humanity's troubled or often dangerous relationship with modern/futuristic technology, with narratives set in the near present, an alternate past, or a not-too-distant future.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: Certainly, if you enjoy Westworld for how it explores humanity's unease relationship with technology — new, alternative or futuristic in their design — and the implications found therein, you'll certainly value the bleak and/or satirical stories found in Black Mirror.

Where to Stream: All five seasons of Black Mirror, including the interactive standalone movie Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, are available on Netflix.

Firefly (Hulu)

What The Show Is About: From creator Joss Whedon, Firefly is a space western set in the year 2517, where the U.S. and China are the only surviving superpowers. Firefly follows the renegade crew of Serenity, a nine-team group of adventures exploring the recesses of space and the dangers therein.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: If you love shows that blend western and sci-fi elements with wit, heart, humor, and ease, then Firefly is one of the best shows you can find. While it didn't find its due on the tube, Firefly has gone on to be one of the biggest cult classic TV shows of the '00s, most notably with many Joss Whedon fans clamoring for more. Alas, Fox only gave 14 episodes in total to Firefly, but that makes it a quick, enjoyable binge.

Where To Stream: All 14 episodes of Firefly's first season are on Hulu. Additionally, Serenity, the film continuation, is available with the Starz add-on.

Godless (Netflix)

What The Show Is About: A criminal (Jeff Daniels) and his band of outlaws pursue revenge on a former protege (Jack O'Connell) who betrayed their trust. They seek refuge in an isolated mining town mainly governed by women, where they find company with a tough-willed widow (Michelle Dockery).

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: If you're a big fan of the western aspects of Westworld, notably in the first season, and you love how the HBO show explores gender politics, particularly in typically male-driven genres, then you'll find a lot to enjoy in this acclaimed Netflix seven-part mini-series.

Where To Stream: All seven episodes of Godless are available on Netflix.

The Son (Hulu)

What The Show Is About: Based on the novel of the same name by Philipp Meyer, The Son follows the extensive McCullough heritage, most notably following Eli McCullough (Pierce Brosnan), a charismatic Texas rancher who transforms from being a hard-working family man to a paranoid murderer.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: If you love Westworld's beautiful Western elements and find yourself itching for more shows that cater to that itch, you might want to check out The Son. While not exactly as critically acclaimed nor as well-viewed as some other shows found throughout this list, the Pierce Brosnan-led series is a quick and easy watch, particularly with only 20 episodes in total, and it should hopefully satisfy the desire you'll have.

Where to Stream: Both seasons of The Son are available on Hulu.

Hell on Wheels (Netflix)

What The Show Is About: Hell of Wheels is western TV series about the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: Similar to The Son and Godless, Hell on Wheels is another recent western series that should appease to fans of the genre. If you find yourself most engrossed with Westworld whenever it's centered around characters in the (not so) vast west, this is one for you.

Where to Stream: All five seasons of Hell on Wheels can be found on Netflix.

Rick & Morty (Hulu)

What The Show Is About: Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon (Community), Rick & Morty is an animated sci-fi/dark comedy centered around an alcoholic, cynical mad scientist named Rick and his fretful, good-natured grandson, Morty, as they travel through several strange inter-dimensional adventures throughout the recesses of space, time, and alternate universes, while also spending time together in their domestic life. Basically, imagine if Back to the Future was cruder, louder, more rambunctious, and prone to random antics involving one's fleetingly thin threshold on control and sanity.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: If you like all the strange futuristic technology, mechanical wizardry, and other sci-fi elements found inside Westworld but you want a show that, well, has a better sense of humor about itself, then you'll probably enjoy yourself immensely with Rick & Morty.

Where to Stream: All four seasons of Rick & Morty are available on Hulu.

Dollhouse (Hulu)

What The Show Is About: From creator Joss Whedon, Dollhouse revolves around a corporation running numerous underground establishments around the world known as Dollhouses wherein individuals known as Actives (i.e. Dolls) are given temporary personalities, identities and skill sets. It primarily centers around the character of Echo (Eliza Dushku), who is an active trying to forge a path towards self-awareness, away from her creators.

Why Fans Of Westworld Would Like It: Certainly, if you are compelled with the role of artificial intelligence inside Westworld and you are particularly enamored by the show's desire to show the uprising and self-actualization of its robotic characters, you'll find a lot to like in the short-lived Dollhouse.

Where to Stream: Both seasons of Dollhouse can be found on Hulu.

Which of these shows are your favorites? Which ones would you recommend to TV viewers who can't get enough of Westworld? Let us know below!

While primetime is gearing up this fall, home entertainment is still in the prime part of the year. Big tentpole summer movies are making their way onto Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. Plus, it's the time of year when the networks and studios are releasing full seasons of TV, just a short while before the new seasons start airing. So if you have favorites you'd like to keep on your shelf there's a lot to choose from. And if you missed an episode or two of a show like The Good Place, there's a lot to catch up on. Whether you are a fan of superhero projects like Spider-Man: Homecoming, crowd pleasers like Disney's Pirates franchise or indie flicks like A Ghost Story, there's something to look forward to in October, and you can peruse upcoming titles, below.

If you are looking for September's big DVD and Digital releases, we have you covered. Take a look at the full list of what's out in September 2017. Per usual, Digital releases are the same day as the Blu-ray and Digital, unless otherwise noted in the early Digital column.

Tuesday, October 3 DVD And Blu-ray Releases

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

A Ghost Story

The Book Of Henry

American Horror Story: The Complete Sixth Season

Cult of Chucky

iZombie: The Complete Third Season

House of Cards: The Complete Fifth Season

Goon: Last of the Enforcers

Heartland

The Wizard of Lies

Vikings: Season 4, Volume 2

2 Broke Girls: The Complete Sixth Season DVD

Kick-Ass 4K

Week Of Tuesday, October 3 Early Digital Releases

Girls Trip

Maudie

Churchill

Lady Macbeth

Tuesday, October 10 DVD And Blu-ray Releases

Baby Driver

The House

Peanuts Holiday Collection: Deluxe Edition (4K)

The Beguiled

Wish Upon

The Leftovers: The Complete Third Season

Reign: The Complete Fourth Season

Maudie

Week Of Tuesday, October 10 Early Digital Releases

War For The Planet Of the Apes

The Emoji Movie

Batman vs. Two-Face

Tuesday, October 17 DVD And Blu-ray Releases

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Girls Trip

Samurai Jack: The Complete Series

Samurai Jack: Season 5

American Gods: Season 1

Landline

The Good Place: The Complete First Season

Batman vs. Two-Face

Lady Macbeth

Ancient Aliens: Season 10, Volume 1

God of War

Justice

Shopkins World Vacation

Week Of Tuesday, October 17 Early Digital Releases

The Dark Tower

Tuesday, October 24 DVD And Blu-ray Releases

War for the Planet of the Apes

Annabelle: Creation

The Emoji Movie

Teen Wolf: Season 6, Part 2

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power

Bushwick

Warrior 4K Ultra HD

Personal Shopper

Planetarium

Saving Hope: Season 5

Week Of Tuesday, October 24 Early Digital Releases

Atomic Blonde

The Glass Castle

Cars 3

Tuesday, October 31 DVD And Blu-ray Releases

The Dark Tower

Person to Person

The Shadow Man (DVD)

Kidnap

Outcast: Season 1

Broken Sword Hero

Humans 2.0

Between cable, network, premium channels and streaming services, there is no shortage of fantastic TV content being produced. And while many believe us to be in a TV renaissance, there are quite a few beloved shows that are ending, especially over at HBO. In addition to Game of Thrones' final season next year, the network has already seen the series finale of both Girls and The Leftovers. The latter delivered an emotional finale that attempted to explain what happened to everyone in The Departure, although many fans believe that Nora may have been lying about her journey to and from the other dimension. And now actor Scott Glenn has weighed in with a hilarious answer of his own.

Scott Glenn recently appeared in Netflix's The Defenders, making the press rounds to promote the miniseries. When asked about the ending of The Leftovers, Glenn responded just like his character Kevin would have:

Well, that's one way to look at it. Kevin Garvey Sr. was never one to whine about his fate, and that would obviously extend to Nora's story in The Leftovers finale. So I guess the fandom should take his advice, and enjoy the finale for what it was.

But Scott Glenn isn't the same person as Kevin, and therefore has his own opinion. In the same conversation with THR, Glenn gave his personal two cents about Nora's story to Kevin. He said:

So although Kevin Senior wouldn't be interested in the truth, it seems like Scott Glenn believes Nora was most likely lying about her journey. But regardless, Nora and Kevin were able to find each other after all those years, and that is beautiful.

The end of The Leftovers was a wild one. After many years Kevin found Nora in a small town in Australia's countryside. She informed him that she was sent to the other universe, where the 2% of the population that Departed was left in an empty world. And when Kevin told her he believed her, they were finally able to reconcile their relationship.

You can catch Scott Glenn in The Defenders on Netflix, or The Leftovers on HBO's streaming services. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

The 2017 Emmy Nominations were announced the other day, and fans were pleased to see that Carrie Coon had gotten herself a nomination...it was just for the wrong show, sort of. Coon got a nomination for her great work on Fargo Season 3, but her other show, The Leftovers, went home mostly empty-handed -- save for a Best Guest Actress nomination for Ann Dowd. This has caused a large number of fans to cry foul over what feels like a glaring snub, and Coon herself was equally displeased to learn that no love was given to her Leftovers family.

It would be hard to find a show that was more universally praised this year than The Leftovers, both with fans and with critics. The HBO drama got off to a divisive start in Season 1, but came into its own in Season 2 and then blasted off into the narrative stratosphere in Season 3. Earlier this summer, The Leftovers aired its question-provoking series finale, so this was its last chance to get recognized by the TV Elite in the form of an Emmy. Sadly and maybe not surprisingly, the show and (most of) its stars was largely passed over once again for arguably more boring and safe choices, and Carrie Coon can't say she didn't feel any disappointment.

But then, Emmys hardly measure a shows worth or legacy, as The Wire was famously only nominated for two Outstanding Writing awards, and it didn't win either, but still manages to get instantly namechecked during conversations about "the best TV show ever." Humbled by her own recognition elsewhere, Coon is thankful for the fan support and the critics who poured over every inch of The Leftovers with think pieces.

Though The Leftovers probably should have been nominated for every major category -- especially Outstanding Actress -- it did manage to procure a nomination for Ann Dowd for Outstanding Guest Actress for her one-off appearance in Kevin's second trip to Assassin World. There's no question that Dowd, who also earned a nomination for her stellar work on The Handmaid's Tale, was great on the show both then and in previous seasons, and Carrie Coon told ET Canada in a Facebook live event that she was so pleased to see Dowd score the nomination.

In this age of Peak TV, where there are so many great shows on, there's bound to be plenty of snubs at any given awards show. It's just a real disappointment that one of the -- if not THE best -- show of the year didn't receive proper recognition for the all the hard work every cast and crew member put, since this isn't exactly the easiest show to put together. Not to sound like a butt-hurt fanboy here, but my butt is hurt, people. It's a shame Carrie Coon didn't get a nod for her mesmerizing work (especially that final scene, because whoo boy), but when has an Emmy ever really mattered? When your show wins, that's when.

Stick with CinemaBlend for all your TV news. Keep up to date with all the hottest shows on TV with our summer TV premiere guide.

Today is a particularly exciting one for the world of TV. Because the 2017 Emmy Nominations were announced, leading to a mixture of joy and dread within the community. And with so many fantastic new shows hitting the silver screen, there are tons of new faces on the list of nominees. But new faces also mean that some more expected noms were slighted. Here are the ten biggest snubs from this year's Emmy Nominations.

Carrie Coon (The Leftovers)

This spring brought the return of HBO's dark drama The Leftovers, for its third and final season. Season 3 brought a variety of changes for the characters, but the biggest revelation was Carrie Coon's Nora. The series finale was a beautiful and complex story revolving around Nora, and Coon gave an outstanding performance that many thought would land her an Emmy nomination today. But she was snubbed, as was the series as a whole. But it's not all bad; Carrie Coon landed a nomination for her work on Fargo.

Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black)

While the newest season of Orange is the New Black was a high stakes drama set during a prison riot, the Emmy nominations were actually based on Season 4. The series was passed for most major categories, with only Laverne Cox and Uzo Aduba receiving nominations. And while this is a snub for the full cast, it's especially frustrating for fans of Danielle Brooks' Taystee. Her performance, particularly during Poussey's death, was raw and heartbreaking, and I'm majorly shocked she wasn't recognized.

Michael McKean (Better Call Saul)

Both Better Call Saul and its predecessor Breaking Bad usually have pretty good luck with Emmy nominations. Breaking Bad cleaned up with the awards in its final few seasons, but Better Call Saul has already gotten its first major snub. Michael McKean was not nominated for his role as Chuck this year, which is a major upset. His performance has been universally applauded, as he plays both slight insanity and provides support for Jimmy. And considering the fate of his character in Season 3's finale, he may not have another chance at a nomination.

Mandy Moore (This is Us)

One of the newcommers that cleaned up with 2017 Emmy nominations is NBC's critically acclaimed family drama This is Us. The show and most of the starring cast got noms, further cementing that the Pearsons are here to stay. But one cast member got snubbed: singer turned actress Mandy Moore. While she's been booking TV and movie roles for years, This is Us is a revelation for Moore's acting chops. But she got snubbed, and is one of the only actors who has to go back to work for Season 2 without at least a nomination.

The Main Cast Of Girls (Girls)

Another acclaimed HBO show that came to an end this year was Lena Dunham's opus Girls. The series saw the various characters becoming full fledged adults, which resulted in some of them saying goodbye forever. And while the show's various guest stars got nominations, Girls was passed up for the biggest categories. This includes the starring cast of Girls, including Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, and Adam Driver. What a bummer way to go out.

The Supporting Cast of Atlanta (Atlanta)

Another new show that managed to scoop up a gaggle of Emmy nominations is Donald Glover's Atlanta. The FX dramedy was instantly critically acclaimed, and the Television Academy certainly seems to recognize its significance. But that doesn't mean that Atlanta was safe from snubs, as the supporting cast didn't get any noms. Indeed, only Glover was nominated for his performance, leaving the likes of Zazie Beetz, Keith Stanfield, and Brian Tyree Henry out in the cold.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon

One of the aspects of TV accolades that is constantly changing is the battle for late night supremacy. And this year, it looks like Jimmy Fallon and company came just short of enough critical acclaim to earn them an Emmy nomination for Best Variety Talk Series. Instead, they were edged out by the competition like Stephen Colbert, James Corden, and Jimmy Kimmel. Full Frontal With Samantha Bee even managed to scoop up a nom, although that series probably needs it far more than Fallon and company.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

One show that probably needs the Emmy nominations more than most is The CW's quirky musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The series nabbed a bunch of noms last year, while star Rachel Bloom also won a Golden Globe for her performance. These accolades helped the show get renewed for a second season, despite poor viewership. But the series only got one nomination for the song "We Tapped That Ass", even being snubbed for its fantastic opening theme song. Let's hope this doesn't result in the network cancelling the show after Season 3.

Oprah Winfrey (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks)

Oprah Winfrey has been getting involved in a fair amount of film and TV projects as of late, once again flexing her acting muscles. The latest was HBO's TV film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which Winfrey produced and starred in. Many believed Oprah to be a shoe in for a possible nomination, but her competition in the limited series/TV movie competition was extremely stiff. Ultimately Big Little Lies and FX's Feud nabbed two leading actress nominations each, making it nearly impossible for someone like Oprah to get into the fray.

Emmy Rossum (Shameless)

Emmy Rossum has made quite the name for herself for portraying Fiona on Showtime's Shameless. Perhaps the least selfish character out of the cast of awful people, Fiona is a fan favorite. And despite Rossum's successful negotiations for a higher pay, she is consistently snubbed by the Television Academy. Meanwhile, her co-star William H. Macy has managed to grab a nomination for the past three years, and 2017 will be his fourth. Hopefully Rossum will be able to finally get the recognition she deserves before the show ends for good.

Spoiler warning (and mild overall judgment) for anyone who hasn't yet watched The Leftovers series finale.

A few weeks ago, one of TV's most complex and fascinating series came to its too-soon ending, as The Leftovers bid farewell to HBO and viewers with a stellar series finale that offered as much satisfaction and sidebar conversations as every previous episode. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Damon Lindelof co-creation bowed out on many unresolved notes, particularly the verisimilitude of Nora's tale of an alternate reality. Don't go looking to get any answers or insight from the stunning actress Carrie Coon, either, because she's not talking. Here's why.

For anyone who thought that Carrie Coon would be more on the audience's side than Damon Lindelof, by metaphorically loosening up her lips and letting the facts fly, this is probably a disappointment. TV ambiguity has a way of generating ire in immeasurable and unpredictable ways, and Lindelof has had a front row seat to fan derision for all the years that came after the polarizing final episode (and final season, if we're being real here) of Lost. So he knew damned well that setting up Nora and Kevin's last conversation would send viewers up the flagpole with curious inquiries.

But for those of us who don't need every iota of plot mechanisms and story exposition spelled out, there's something quite lovely about Carrie Coon's answer to Deadline, and her insistence on keeping Nora's possible truths and untruths to herself. In the same way that some fans go all St. Elsewhere-finale with their theories and assumptions about some TV mysteries, The Leftovers has seen its share of wild fan-formed explanations meant to tie up loose ends. But without Damon Lindelof and the writers directly telling us how to read into things, we're allowed to think whatever we want, which one might think people would enjoy more.

If someone obsessively wanted another Earth to exist in The Leftovers, offering a form of resolution to the Sudden Departure (if not an outright explanation for it), then the only thing needed is just belief in Nora's story about what happened to her that fateful day. On the flip side, if a viewer wants to really read into that cut-away from Nora inside the "device," when she appears to start screaming something, then he or she is free to believe that the experiment was either a hoax or just altogether ineffective. It's technically a win-win situation for all.

To be fair, The Leftovers has received far more praise and acclaim than vitriol for its final episode, as diehard fans knew full well how things could potentially go down, at least in terms of generally conclusions and a lack thereof. (Kevin's faked amnesia might not have been the most foreseeable plot point, admittedly.) And in the end, at least the big question The Leftovers leaves us with is more of a this-or-that situation, as opposed to Lost's medley of unanswerable thoughts.

Without anything else from The Leftovers ever set to make it to the light of day, fans will either have to just rewatch the series and come up with new theories, or we'll all just have to go out on our own time to try and find someone to take us to the "Other Side" to see for ourselves. In the meantime, though, hit up our summer TV schedule to see everything that's hitting the small screen in the coming months.

Now that The Leftovers has ended, Damon Lindelof and crew have been opening up with fans and explaining why they went with their ending, as opposed to the numerous other theories that fans have proposed. And now Lindelof had shared one wild fan theory that, in his opinion, is far darker and nastier than they ever thought of while brainstorming for the finale:

Wow. Damon Lindelof wasn't kidding when he said this theory was dirty. Completely destroying Nora Durst's psyche aside, the proposed ending would've connected the Guilty Remnant into Season 3 in a much bigger way than the small cameos we saw. Co-creator Tom Perrotta elaborates to Uproxx that the fan theory also had some logic behind it, and was a call back to the twist that was seen in Season 2 of The Leftovers.

Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta go on to praise the theory, as it then focuses the show on the the Guilty Remnant, and their message that there is no moving on from the Departure. Perrotta and Lindelof also confirm this ending was logistically possible, as there were more members of the Guilty Remnant than the ones that were killed in the bunker (citing Meg's meeting with them in a past episode). But with the death of Meg brought the death of any further exploration into the chain smoking Hanes t shirt wearing cult. While the Guilty Remnant aren't a huge part of the final season of The Leftovers, both former leaders of the Mapleton chapter, Meg and Patti, and Evie are seen in Kevin's death dream (which we're still not 100% sure on what that all was exactly).

Fans of Nora Durst will be happy to know Damon Lindelof also liked another theory that didn't end in soul sucking anguish, but instead new life as the true Messiah of The Leftovers. Lindelof shares that if the world had needed a new Messiah, Nora would've been the better option overall compared to Kevin Garvey. Lindelof also praises the idea of a female savior, and points to the fact that there's a drastic shortage of female Messiahs.

The Leftovers has concluded, but it was just one of the many fantastic shows airing on the summer schedule. Find out about any of these new and returning shows premiering by visiting our summer premiere guide, and also be sure to visit our finale guide to see what currently airing shows are coming to an end over the next couple weeks.

Spoilers ahead for The Leftovers series finale.

It's been nearly a week since HBO's drama The Leftovers ended, and the fandom hasn't stopped discussing the absolutely wild and emotional series finale. As always, The Leftovers continued to surprise audiences until the very end, with the finale featuring an unexpected time jump. In the future, we see how Nora has not only returned, but is living in secrecy in Australia. And when Kevin shows up on her doorstep, the couple are forced to grapple with the trauma, resentment, and longing they'd held onto for so long. And the whole episode is through Nora's perspective.

This was a purposeful choice by The Leftovers. Co-creator and showrunner Damon Lindelof recently spoke to Deadline about making the finale about Nora (Carrie Coon), and how specifically the final scene reveals that the series lead may have been Ms. Durst all along. He said,

Even after the series is over, The Leftovers continues to surprise and deliver. While at first glance the series may be focused on Justin Theroux's Kevin Garvey, it turns out that the series is very much about Nora's journey. And what a journey she had.

Nora Durst quickly became one of The Leftovers most fascinating and flawed characters. She lost her two children and husband in The Departure, making her essentially the least lucky person in the world. Throughout all three seasons we see how Nora attempts to cope with this loss. Season 1 showed her paying escorts to shoot her in the chest, while she wore a bulletproof vest, and by the end of Season 3, she decided to go through a terrifying device that would transport her to the same place as The Departed.

Well, it worked, and she came back. The series finale of The Leftovers finally gave concrete answers about The Departure, and it was Nora who delivered the news. After traveling to an alternate reality, it was discovered that while her world lost 2% of the world's population, the other world lost 98%. And her family was the lucky ones who were still together.

So while Kevin may have come back from the dead a few times, Nora ends up being the heart of the finale. And perhaps the entire series.

The third and final season of The Leftovers is currently available on demand and HBO's apps. Be sure to check our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Warning this post contains spoilers for the series finale of The Leftovers. Read at your own risk.

We're about a half-day removed from The Leftovers' powerful series finale, and Damon Lindelof is getting bombarded with questions. Apparently, the most-asked question people have is why he chose to shoot the final scene with Nora journey to the other Earth being told to Kevin, as opposed to being shown to audiences. Lindelof shared details on why the characters spent the show's final minutes at a kitchen table:

If the finale left you with some closure, then that quote from Damon Lindelof possibly opened that bag of questions you tossed aside right back up. At the beginning of The Leftovers finale, we hear Nora plainly state that she doesn't lie, but we know that isn't exactly true. In fact, we're all very aware that Nora lied to Kevin when she told him why she wanted to go to Australia. When Nora runs into Kevin again, it doesn't take long to realize he's a sad and damaged man. Is it possible that Nora could've just told Kevin a version of what he wanted to hear -- a reason why she remained out of contact with him -- so that he would feel better?

If you want the answer to that question, you'll have to ask someone other than Damon Lindelof, assuming anyone else can even offer a genuine reply. Lindelof told THR ahead of The Leftovers finale that he expected the fans to be split into two camps in regards to Nora's story, and he was spot on:

While it is true that Nora has stretched the truth in the past, parts of her story to Kevin were 100% verifiable. What Nora told Kevin about Lori and Matt was true, and she did tell him about the machine. Then again, the famous saying goes that the best lies carry an element of truth, so maybe she's just covering her non-otherworldly tracks in case she slips up somewhere down the road.

In either case, both theories lead to closure one way or the other. If you believe Nora, then you have all the answers you've been waiting for this entire series, with specific details on what exactly happened to the departures and where they are now. If you don't believe Nora, then at least you know that she has found closure in losing her departed children once and for all, she started her life over, and she perhaps has a future rekindling with Kevin. I'm still on the "believing Nora" side of things but maybe, like so many others in The Leftovers, I just want to be fooled into comfort.

Now that The Leftovers is concluded, you'll need another show to fill your Sunday nights and keep all those other questions muted inside your head. Jump over to our summer premiere guide to find yourself a show to busy yourself with right now. If you're just a finale junkie who likes seeing how every show ends we also have a list to suit your needs here.

Warning: the following contains massive spoilers for the finale of The Leftovers. Read at your own risk!

The Leftovers finale just aired, and it was the exact opposite of Lost's finale in many ways. In case you aren't sure whether that's a good or bad thing, I'm here to tell you it was a glorious thing. Co-creator Damon Lindelof seems to have learned his lesson from his former show, and delivered an ending this time around that was in no way ambiguous or open to interpretation or worthy of torches. Here's how The Leftovers ended in a way that made three seasons of waiting so worth it.

To start at the end, which took long time to write, the final scene showed an aged Nora Durst sitting down with aged Kevin Garvey and answered every big question the fans have been wanting to know since Season 1. We learned the departures were indeed living on an alternate Earth, and also learned that while Kevin and the gang's Earth had lost 2% of the world's population, the other Earth lost 98%. Compare that pretty explanatory expository capper to the all-around vagueness of Lost, where almost the entire cast of characters (both living and dead) are in a church in some form of afterlife, and then the whole thing ends on a shot of the plane wreckage. While those fans were left questioning whether or not anyone or everyone died in the series-opening crash, The Leftovers' fans were given the major answers they've wanted since the beginning.

Nearly everything that was up in the air concerning the Departed was answered by Nora and Kevin final-to-viewers conversation. Nora, realizing her family had moved on without her in their population-depleted Earth, returned to her normal existence feeling blessed that they were all okay. A truly meaningful and somewhat sweet way to end things on that front. As well, the reason why none of this has made widespread news is because Nora was the only person who actually wanted to go back to the original Earth.

And it turns out Kevin isn't actually immortal, either -- he has a heart condition -- and nothing that happened to him had anything to do with rapture, or religion, or any of that gobbledygook that Matt and others so wanted to believe in. In fact, the whole explanation almost fell in line with that weirdo "parallel Earths theory" that makes people misremember how the Berenstain Bears' name is spelled, and makes them think Sinbad was in a genie movie.

There are a few unanswered questions, of course, since that's how life works. How did Kevin get so lucky to avoid death all of those times when he went off to Assassin Land? Did anyone ever answer for the murder of that sheriff beyond that one lady? Was Kevin's dad really just crazy this whole time like we were told in Season 1? Granted, none of that was as crazy or confusing as a living smoke monster or a lighthouse full of mirrors or hatches with number sequences, so I guess we can ease up on the fact that not every question was answered.

Damon Lindelof said he was unsure of how fans would react to the finale, but something tells me that he had a good idea he'd be taking less heat this time around by making sure he wouldn't have to deliver an endless cycle of explanations to fans following the ending credits. He had me fooled at first, I'll admit, as I sat largely confused through the first 50 minutes of an age-jumping Nora getting naked, riding bikes, and going to a wedding. I was fully prepared to hop online and write about how these past three seasons were all for naught, but in the end, those final ten minutes truly made the long wait so worthwhile. And now I'm going to reflect on how this finale affects my views on this season, and the series, as a whole.

Do you feel the same way as I did about The Leftovers finale, or are you a little miffed we didn't see the apocalypse? Let us know in the poll and comments what you thought. Now that the series is over, it's as good a time as any to check out out summer premiere guide and lock yourself into a new show for the next couple months. You can also check our list of the remaining upcoming finales of popular shows, so you can tune in for the next big show coming to an end.

This poll is no longer available.

Never let it be said that The Leftovers doesn't do everything in its power to play against expectations. The HBO show almost always zigs when it should have zagged, like uprooting the entire show to a new location in Season 2 or never flat out explaining anything. This has made it one of the more divisive shows on television, but series co-creator Damon Lindelof isn't done blasting away television standards. No, he wants all of us to see more male nudity on TV, which he believes has a weird level of stigma surrounding it.

Damon Lindelof told TVLine that he feels there's a disproportionate amount of full frontal male nudity on television. In the few spaces where nudity is allowed to be shown, it is more frequently a woman showcasing her body. What's more, people pretty much accept that as the norm and don't bat an eye when, say, Cersei Lannister is forced to walk naked through the street. Lindelof wants to throw that trend into the wind by introducing more penis' to the airwaves.

The Leftovers has certainly been doing its part to help the cause. The hit show has shown male nudity a number of times throughout its three seasons. Hell, one Season 3 episode opened with a long sequence of a sailor streaking through a submarine while launching nuclear missiles at a volcano because he thought a demon lived under it (hey, that's The Leftovers for you). Series lead Justin Theroux has also been naked plenty of times, though, he has never gone full frontal -- despite his penis being a mini-plot point in one recent episode.

As Damon Lindelof points out, HBO offers them a unique opportunity to do this, and he doesn't hesitate to take advantage of that.

You have to respect a man with a mission. Your opportunity to catch more male nudity on The Leftovers is dwindling quickly. The show airs its series finale tonight and while there's sure to be plenty of existentialism, weirdness, and controversy that makes the ending of Lost look like child's play...there may also be a penis or two.

The Leftovers airs its final episode tonight at 9 p.m. EST and airs on HBO.

As The Leftovers heads into its finale tomorrow night, undoubtedly some fans are wondering if the ending Damon Lindelof wrote will be as controversial as the one for Lost. While Lindelof doesn't have much to say about the ending to his latest series versus his prior, he does want to ensure people he believes that The Leftovers final scene is the right ending. Lindelof says the writers were holed up for two weeks just pitching and figuring out how the final scene to the series would play out, and shares more about that experience below:

As for how fans will react to this ending, Damon Lindelof states that he might be "the least qualified person," to answer that question. While Lindelof indicates to EW that the writing staff is satisfied with the ending, he also states that it's nearly impossible to predict how fans will react to a series finale. As a fan who has watched this season in half confusion and awe every episode, I can relate as I have no idea what to expect out of tomorrow's episode.

Obviously, the hanging question The Leftovers has asked all of Season 3 is what will happen on the seventh anniversary of the Departure. Will fans finally see the world end, or will it be another one of those moments where everything descends into chaos and no supernatural phenomena is to blame? Of course, Damon Lindelof knows the answer to that question, but he's not telling fans whether or not they'll see the world end. Regardless of how fans will react, Lindelof says that he feels the ending the writers came up with is the right way to end things.

True to the show makes me wonder if this whole thing ends open ended, but I'll reserve my thoughts on that for after tomorrow's finale. The Leftovers finale airs June 4th at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. After it ends, be sure to visit our guide to find another show to replace the void in your Sunday nights until Game Of Thrones returns. If you were blindsided by the fact that tomorrow is the final episode in the series, be sure to visit our finale guide so you don't get shocked again and know when all your favorite shows are ending!

Gone are the days when the only options for watching TV were via live broadcast or reruns. Nowadays, we have streaming services like Netflix and Amazon that give us the option to watch shows one episode at a time or sit down and binge-watch whole seasons at a time. For those of us who don't have the best self-control when it comes to TV, binge-watching has become a way of life. According to Lost and The Leftovers executive producer Damon Lindelof, however, binge-watching is never a good idea. He had this to say about binge-watching:

Damon Lindelof shared his thoughts on binge-watching (and Pringles) in a letter to the press that accompanied the first seven episodes of The Leftovers Season 3 for review (via The Wrap), and he makes an interesting point. We're never really encouraged to binge on food or drink because it would be bad for our health; should we really binge on TV just because we can? Just as we probably shouldn't scarf down an entire package of snacks because they're on the table, maybe we shouldn't watch a whole bunch of episodes at once just because they're available.

Or we could always start referring to "binge-watching" as "marathoning." Bingeing may not be good for your health, but a marathon is an accomplishment, right? Admittedly, Damon Lindelof probably wasn't indicating that we should simply find a less awful term for watching entire chunks of seasons at once, and he's not the only behind-the-scenes mastermind to openly oppose binge-watching. Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Joss Whedon has also spoken out against it, arguing that TV "loses its power, and we lose something with it" when we don't watch at a moderate pace.

At least Damon Lindelof doesn't have to worry about viewers binge-watching the new season of The Leftovers right off the bat. The HBO series will air one episode at a time during its third and final season, which kicks off on Sunday, April 16 at 9 p.m. ET. As somebody who actually binge-watched Lindelof's Lost not so long ago, I can see his point. During the binge-watch, I had no regrets about what I was doing. By the time I was done, however, I deeply wished that I had taken my time, and not just because that ending really didn't make much sense after the sensory overload of six seasons in a short span of time. I'm perfectly happy to watch The Leftovers on a weekly basis rather than in one sitting.

Tune in to HBO on Sundays starting on April 16 to catch new episodes of Damon Lindelof's The Leftovers, and don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere guide and our summer TV premiere schedule. To see what show's will be back and what won't, take a look at our rundown of TV renewals and cancellations.

TV production is a funny thing, mostly because of how many outside factors decide how long shows run. And while shows like ABC's Grey's Anatomy is currently halfway through its whopping 13th season, not all series live quite as long. We're seeing quite a few HBO series coming to a close recently, including the mysterious drama The Leftovers. Because despite fantastic critical reception, third season will also be the last. And while it's a bummer that our time with Kevin, Nora, and company is coming to a close, a new trailer for Season 3 was just released. And if its to be believed, then the final season is going to be pure chaos. Check it out.

Crazy, right? The Leftovers has always been a series with a ton of mystery surrounding it, and it looks like they aren't pulling any punches for the final season. Let's break down what we're being shown in the trailer.

To start, it looks like Season 3 will have yet another change in location. The first season was firmly planted in the town of Mapleton, with Kevin serving as Chief of Police and Jill in High School. But following a large scale event by The Guilty Remnant, the characters moved to Miracle, Texas. Miracle is the only place on earth where nobody disappeared during the global departure. Unfortunately, the town had plenty of drama of its own. Plus, Liv Tyler's Meg infiltrated the ranks of the town and opened the gates, allowing for pure chaos to once again surround Kevin and his family.

In the above trailer, we see that Kevin and Nora are boarding a plane to Melbourne, Australia. Things appear very tense, as they both receive some dirty looks from immigration and TSA officials. And while the boarding makes up the framework of the trailer, we're shown a ton of shocking and fascinating clips from The Leftovers' third season. While we've seen plenty of craziness, it looks like we haven't even scratched the surface.

While the images are vague and a bit confusing, we see glimpses from each major character in the series. There is a brief shot of Kevin's ex wife Laurie (Private Practice star Amy Brenneman), who has has quite the tenure on the series. Laurie went from being a Guilty Remnant member to an advocate helping ex members, to using Tommy to "heal" people. But she's hasn't really supported her family, so perhaps Season 3 will feature a more fleshed out reunion.

The overall trailer certainly makes it seem like another large scale event is happening on The Leftovers. Things certainly feel apocalyptic, which may be exactly what happens in the series. Perhaps The Departure was actually a preamble for a world ending event. That, or the leftovers themselves will also depart, and reunite with the millions who disappeared around the world.

We'll just have to wait and see. The Leftovers will return to HBO on April 16th, 2017.

It's becoming more and more common for networks to cancel shows but to do it in a way that is less shocking than in previous years on TV. The best way to accomplish this is to cancel a series and then give it one more season to finish out the story. This has several positives. It means that the creative team gets the chance to finish out a series in the way they wanted and it means that fans are not blindsided when their favorite show gets cancelled. Still, it can be hard to keep track of what is ending and what is not. To help you out, we've compiled a handy list of the shows that we know--so far--are ending in 2017. Take a look. And do expect more cancellations to come down the pipeline as the TV season wears on.

Grimm, NBC

Grimm had a nice run on NBC on Friday nights. The series has really been the show that has ushered in an era of supernatural content on network TV at the end of the week, as Friday nights are now home to The Vampire Diaries and Sleepy Hollow. However, its ratings have dwindled over the years and last season NBC renewed the series for the 2016-2017 season, cancelling the drama at the same time. Give the show a watch while you still can, as its looking more and more likely NBC is going to have to blow up its Friday night lineup next year.

Bones, Fox

Unlike a lot of the shows on this list, Fox's Bones has been on the air for years and years. In fact, many fans have been on the page that the show hit its peak years ago, but Fox has still been rolling out new episodes, even after the ratings started going down. Last TV season, the show was moved to Fridays in what we thought was the final death knell. However, Fox surprised us with a renewal--albeit for a shortened season--and the last set of episodes is airing this winter. Catch the final episodes on Tuesday nights.

Bloodline, Netflix

Up until recently, Netflix was not really known for cancelling shows. Sure, Lilyhammer was axed at one point, but really most Netflix shows have been going strong and continually getting renewed, some of them for many seasons. Then Bloodline, a critically acclaimed but seemingly under-watched program, got cancelled. The good news? The series was also given one final season to wrap up its story. Expect new episodes later in 2017.

Black Sails, Starz

Another show that airs in the winter, Black Sails was the first in a string of more prominent originals to hit the schedule on Starz. While Black Sails had a big splash at Comic-Con and was noted for its larger budget, it hasn't been the ratings bringer like Power and Outlander have. Season 3 of the drama began the long journey of wrapping up the Treasure Island prequel, and it wasn't a huge shock when Starz stated the show would be ending after Season 4. Catch the final set of episodes starting in January.

Turn: Washington's Spies, AMC

AMC has a lot of well-received shows that haven't really earned high ratings. The period drama Turn is one of them. Despite sporting Jamie Bell and Angus MacFadyen and having a really cool premise about a Revolutionary War spy ring, the show has never been a big winner in total viewers. Turn is getting 10 more episodes to tell its story in 2017, but that will be the end for the series. We'll let you know as soon as the network gets the final series on the calendar.

Girls, HBO

HBO's Girls is one of the comedies that has put the network on the map in terms of original comedies, along with Veep and Silicon Valley. While new seasons of Veep and Silicon Valley are on the way, Girls will be wrapping up with a final season that is starting this weekend. The show will make us laugh and make us cringe for a few more times before it finally says sayonara on the cable network. Not too shabby for the show that figured out the line in terms of sex scenes that HBO will accept.

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars has been a bit of a phenomenon during its run on ABC Family and the brand new Freeform. The show has an extremely avid fanbase and that has propelled it into a long run. However, Freeform has been reworking its lineup since the network changed names, and Pretty Little Liars will be ending in 2017. Catch the delicious drama while you still can.

Longmire, Netflix

Longmire possibly has my favorite trajectory of any series on this list. Originally, the show aired on A&E, where it was pretty popular. So popular, in fact, that we were all really surprised when the network opted to cancel the show. However, fans loved the show enough to petition to keep it, and Longmire is one of the rare times that has worked out. While the show is ending this season, on Netflix it was able to be a little more experimental and darker in tone with its content and the pick-up has been really great. We hope to see the show end on a high note.

Bates Motel, A&E

Bates Motel is one of A&E's first scripted originals, and it certainly survived for longer than Longmire managed to on the network. The show will be ending after Season 5 and production recently wrapped on the drama. However, Bates Motel will most definitely be going out with a bag, ending with Marian Crane and a lot of memorable moments from the original Psycho film. Tune in when the show returns on February 20.

Halt and Catch Fire, AMC

Another under-watched AMC drama, Halt and Catch Fire has followed a ragtag group of rebels as they've tried to navigate the world of business and technology in the early age of computers and the World Wide Web. AMC has a knack for deep writing and great performances and it all can be found in Halt and Catch Fire, which will sadly be ending after its fourth season. Expect new episodes to land in the schedule sometime later in 2017.

Workaholics, Comedy Central

Workaholics has always had a small niche fanbase, and the show managed to earn an impressive seven seasons with that small audience. Unfortunately, when Season 7 was announced, so was the show's cancellation. You can catch _Workaholic_s' swan song on Comedy Central right now, as the final set of episodes is airing on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.

Orphan Black, BBC America

Tatiana Maslany has played multiple characters on BBC America's Orphan Black for four seasons, and a fifth is on its way. It's got to be exhausting to play multiple clones, and now that the girl has some awards nominations under her belt, she's really done all she can do to put the sci fi series onto the map. While not a huge ratings bringer, the show has developed an avid following over time and will really be missed. There's even a sweepstakes to appear in the final season, should that interest you.

Episodes, Showtime

Episodes is just the show that keeps on giving. I've thought the Matt LeBlanc starrer had ended a couple of times, especially as it has been off of the air since 2015. However, it has been renewed for a fifth season and we will be getting one final set of episodes sometime in 2017. (There's probably an Episodes episodes joke in there somewhere but I just can't quite reach those comedy heights, or maybe lows.) We'll let you know as soon as the show is back.

The Vampire Diaries, The CW

The CW has a track record of airing some shows well beyond their peak. In fact, if they do well at the network, they tend to keep airing for a long, long time. The Vampire Diaries has chugged along ever since Nina Dobrev left the series in 2015. At the end of the network TV season, however, TVD will be wrapping up. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Elena will be making her comeback before then.

Switched At Birth, Freeform

Switched At Birth's trajectory has been a little confusing. By all rights, this show should have ended already, but then the cabler kept it off the schedule for some time; in fact, the last set of episodes aired in 2015. The show finally hit the schedule in January and will be wrapping up its storyline soon. It's cancellation is part of an overall push by Freeform to take its programming in a new directions. That's why ABC Family became Freeform in the first place.

The Strain, FX

There was a time when supernatural dramas were all the rage on TV and at the movies. While vampires are less of the rage these days, there are a few shows on the air that are still distinctly supernatural dramas, including FX's The Strain. The show has introduced us to the Strigoi and a rich world with lots of political nuance. The show has had plans from the start regarding where it wanted to end; however, ratings have only give The Strain one more season to catch up. Stayed tuned for reactions from CinemaBlend!

The Leftovers, HBO

Lost's Damon Lindelof gave us an HBO series that is deep and dark and emotional with The Leftovers, but that is still filled with the twists and confusion we've come to expect from a Lindelof production. For many reasons, this one didn't take off as a ratings winner, but it's a drama that's totally worth catching up on, even though you might be an emotional mess afterwards. Catch the final season this April.

Usually February isn't a great time for new DVD and Blu-ray releases, but this year the major studios seem to have gone all out. There are some splashy awards contenders heading to Blu-ray and DVD this month, but also some fun releases,including a new edition of Snow White and even Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Complete Series. You can check out all of the big releases that will be available, below.

And if you are looking for what came out in January, you can check out our full list, here.

February 2

Our Brand Is Crisis Blu-ray

Outwardly, Our Brand Is Crisis has a lot going for it, including a snappy title, a compelling cast list and an interesting directorial choice in Eastbound & Downs’s David Gordon Green. While Our Brand Is Crisis does have some hilarious moments coupled with some intriguing political moves, the Sandra Bullock-starrer doesn’t make for the awards hopeful the early previews made us optimistic for. Still, some great verbal sparring between Bullock’s Jane and Billy Bob Thornton’s Pat is worth watching and as Jane attempts to nab a win for her political candidate Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida), her team (Scoot McNairy, Zoe Kazan, Ann Dowd and Anthony Mackie) and the shenanigans they get up to are worth a watch. Just don’t go into this one expecting something special. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set is devoid of bells and whistles, but there is one bonus feature with Sandra Bullock that is available if you want to hear all about actors talking about their roles. You can order Our Brand is Crisis here.

Suffragette Blu-ray

Suffragette is about a lot of things: marriage trouble, workforce issues, equal rights for women, poverty, abuse. The film stars Carey Mulligan as Maud Watts, a laundress who has worked since her prepubescent years, but has been unhappy with her situation, thanks to living in poverty and being abused by her boss. When the suffragette movement goes into full swing in her neighborhood, she inadvertently gets involved, but begins to like what she sees from her suffragette comrades, Emily (Natalie Press), Edith (Helena Bonham Carter) and Violet (Anne-Marie Duff). Sarah Gavron’s movie isn’t exactly a fun film, in fact it’s mostly a worst-case scenario about what a woman’s lack of freedom could look like. Still, it’s a compelling reminder that society has come a long way, and still have a long way to go. A remarkable number of extras are actually available with Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s set, including the now-basic audio commentary and a featurette and a VFX featurette, the latter of which I wouldn’t have presumed was a huge deal for this sort of movie. Order your own copy here.

Other February 2 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Bridge of Spies

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray

Truth

Our Brand Is Crisis

Show Me A Hero

Suffragette

Falling Skies: The Complete Fifth Season

The Last Witch Hunter

Rock the Casbah

Meadowland DVD

Big Stone Gap

Mercy Street

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Complete Second Season

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet

The Land Before Time: Journey of the Brave DVD Walmart

The Beauty Inside

For Better Or For Worse Hallmark DVD

My Boyfriends’ Dogs Hallmark DVD

Extraordinary Tales

The Keeping Room

Man Up

Week of February 2 Digital Releases

Spotlight

The 33

Zombie Fight Club

Steve Jobs

February 9

Crimson Peak Blu-ray

Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak follows more squarely under gothic romance than it does horror film. The setting is as spooky as you would expect from a Del Toro film, and there are ghosts and monsters—of a sort—involved, but Crimson Peak is mostly about deep emotions and how those emotions can sometimes be as frightening as they are compelling. It starts with a girl, Edith (Mia Wasikowska), the wealthy daughter of a businessman who is eager to fall in love. She believes she has found it in Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), who lives with his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), in a big, drafty and tattered estate built on red clay. But not everything is as it seems in the big, old house, and soon Edith’s very life is at stake. The rest unfolds in moments of suspense and gore, in a twisted and emotive narrative that plays out slowly, but ends on a satisfying note.

The extras within Crimson Peak’s Blu-ray set totally run the gamut from deleted scenes to information about gothic romances and costume design. The latter segment "Hand Tailored Gothic," is a little weird to navigate to, but otherwise I have no complaints about Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s set. Crimson Peak won’t be a movie for everyone, but if you do like it, you can order it over at Amazon.

Spectre Blu-ray

Spectre in the 24th installment in the James Bond franchise and quite possibly the last to feature Daniel Craig. It’s a pretty fun movie with a spectacular opening sequence that makes great use of the new M (Ralph Fiennes) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), but makes less great use of its villain, Ernst Stavro Blomfeld (Christoph Waltz), whose name is the least cartoon-ey thing about him. Still, despite the fact that Spectre impresses a little less than its predecessor, Skyfall, Sam Mendes' still mostly works, employing plenty of the gadgets we’ve come to love from the Bond films, not to mention the one-liners. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment knows where the money is at with Sony’s latest Bond film. One of the bonus features focuses on the opening sequence in the film, which places James Bond in Mexico City just in time for the Day of the Dead. "Bonds Biggest Opening Sequence" is the best extra on the disc and worth a watch. Catch the movie on Blu-ray, here.

Grandma Blu-ray

Lily Tomlin makes nearly everything better, which is why she is absolutely crushing it on Netflix's Grace & Frankie and in Grandma despite being in her seventies (a time when many other actresses and actors are already out of the game). In Paul Weitz's Grandma, the subject matter will be tough for some. A burdened 18-year-old named Sage (Julia Garner) enlists the help of her freewheeling grandmother Elle (Tomlin) in order to try and raise money for an abortion so she can continue her life plan. The subject matter is handled deftly and with emotion, and side performances from Elle’s former lovers (Sam Elliott and Judy Greer) as well as her daughter (Marcia Gay Harden) help to keep the story grounded and engaging. The Sony Picture Home Entertainment isn’t a loud movie or a big budget one and the Blu-ray set as such isn’t particularly highfalutin; still there are more extras than you would guess for a low budget flick on this disc, including a shorter Q&A and longer audio commentary from the cast and director. Order your own copy here.

Other February 9 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Love the Coopers

MI-5

Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection

The Leftovers: The Complete Second Season

99 Homes

Week of February 9 Early Digital Releases

Legend

The Night Before

The Peanuts Movie (February 12) Glassland (February 12) Sandcastles (February 15)

February 16

Steve Jobs Blu-ray

Steve Jobs is about a personality more than it is about a person. It’s not particularly interested in where the Apple co-founder was born or where he ended up. Instead, it’s interested in the aggressive, straight-ahead, relentless personality of a man that both fascinated and infuriated those around him. Told through the lens of several high profile speeches the visionary gave, Steve Jobs lets viewers know the subject in a way a simple list of facts never would have. That’s the key here. Liberties are taken. Details are changed, but director Danny Boyle and the magnificent cast that includes Michael Fassbender are able to get the spirit right. Fans looking to get further inside the head of the pioneer will especially enjoy Universal's Blu-ray set, which includes multiple feature commentaries that talk about Jobs, as well as a wonderful featurette about the larger making of the movie. You can buy it at Amazon, here.

Trumbo Blu-ray

Jay Roach's Trumbo isn’t a movie about standing up for what you believe in. It’s a movie about the degrees to which people stand up for what they believe in. It’s about what people are willing to sacrifice and what they will never gamble, even with good odds. During the height of the red scare, Dalton Trumbo was one of the most famous screenwriters in the world. He was blacklisted and sent to jail for being a Communist, along with several others. Some of them fought harder, faster and more aggressively. Trumbo fought to manipulate his way back into the very system that pushed him away. It’s an inspiring story of compromise, and it’s no surprise Jay Roach’s film was nominated for some Academy Awards. Fans of history will definitely enjoy the flick, and hopefully they’ll enjoy Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray set, although extras are light on the disc. A few featurettes are included, which include a look back at the historical Dalton Trumbo and a look at how Bryan Cranston transformed himself into the screenwriter. You can buy it at Amazon here.

The 33 Blu-ray

Heartwarming stories aren’t typically the big releases out this time of year, as it’s a lot of awards hopefuls and artsy films that are vying for people’s attentions. However, if you’re looking for a story with a happy-ish ending, The 33 is it. If you’ve paid attention to the news over the past several years, you are probably already familiar with the Chilean Mining Disaster that made daily headlines around the world in 2010. We already know the ending to the actual incident, so we already know the ending to The 33. But a strong cast (including Antonio Banderas, James Brolin, Juliette Binoche and Rodrigo Santoro) keeps the momentum up in the movie's less riveting moments, when all of the claustrophobia from the mining incident has set in and the men can only wait. And wait. And wait. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set doesn’t delve much into the history behind The 33, but fans who do want to purchase the film will also get an Ultraviolet copy. Order it here.

Black Mass Blu-ray

Johnny Depp has a penchant for playing interesting and intricate characters, and it’s hard to get more interesting than gangster Whitey Bulger. The 2015 biopic is directed Scot Cooper and tells the story of Whitey Bulger’s gang who is living and working in South Boston in the 1970s. Flashbacks and flash forwards are implemented, giving the movie an intriguing pace and feel, which is at some moments slow and others violent. If you are interested in the Winter Hill Gang, you’ll doubtless find a lot to like here, but as far as American Gangster films go, this isn’t the most compelling gang-related big screen endeavor we’ve seen in recent years. Luckily, it does have a stacked cast, including Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Fargo’s Jesse Plemons and Kevin Bacon, and is worth at least one watch. If you do go a step further and purchase Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s big Blu-ray set, you’ll get a DVD and Ultraviolet copy of the flick, as well as a few bonus features that look at the history of the film and how Johnny Depp approached the role. Order it here.

Togetherness: The Complete First Season Blu-ray

While HBO is known for several long-running dramas and comedy, in the past year, the subscription cable network has actually ramped up its programming quite a bit. One of the network’s newbie comedies is Togetherness, the offbeat comedy starring Mark Duplass, Amanda Peet, Melanie Lynskey and Steve Zissis. Brett and Michelle Pierson (Duplass and Lynskey) are married but having problems when they let their friends Tina and Alex (Peet and Zissis) stay in their home while they work out the shit in their respective lives. This leads to some fun days, some drama, and a cliffhanger ending in the final episode that makes us very happy that HBO has renewed the series for a second season. Togetherness is clearly not the flashiest of HBO’s shows, and as such, HBO Home Entertainment’s bonus set is not too flashy, either. There are deleted scenes on the disc that help to flesh out moments between the characters more and interviews with Amanda Peet (who is married to Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff). Lots to love here if you want to revisit the show again, but this is not a must-purchase if you have access to HBO Now or Go. Order the Blu-ray here.

February 16 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Estranged (February 12) Trumbo

Girls: The Complete Fourth Season

Criminal Activities

Peaky Blinders: Series Two

Labyrinth of Lies

Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Complete Series DVD

Week of February 16 Early Digital Releases

Room

The Affair

Creed

The Danish Girl

February 23

Fargo: Year 2 Blu-ray

Fargo’s first season was tightly scripted and highly entertaining, but with a change of setting and a jump back in time, Fargo: Year Two is given free rein to tell a wild and compelling story. The Sioux Falls Massacre is mentioned a few times by Keith Carradine’s Lou Solverson. In Year Two, we head back to 1979, where a much younger Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) is just returning from Vietnam to do more local, but no less bloody work as a policeman. A murder mystery leads him to cross paths with a slew of interesting individuals, including Peggy and Ed Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons), the Gerhardt crime family, lead by Floyd (Jean Smart), and more. Also, Season 1’s Martin Freeman is back as the narrator, which is pretty swell. If you haven’t seen it, yet, I won’t spoil the more fanciful, absurd parts of Season 2, but I will say, all 10 episodes of the Noah Hawley-led program are a doozy and the split screen camera work and beautifully shot landscapes look really great on Blu-ray.

There’s a cute little sticker on the front of the packaging that promises "fascinating" cast and creator interviews. They’re not (although they are extensive, with one specific interview feature running at 45 minutes). But that’s okay, because there are a lot of other fun extras with the set--like the one about crime in the Midwest--spread across the three Blu-ray discs. You can order Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s set over at Amazon.

Spotlight Blu-ray

Spotlight is a careful, well-organized movie that doesn’t care about being showy. It eschews big emotional moments for slow, methodical story development, which makes a lot of sense. The case against the Catholic Church wasn’t built in a day. It was built by the members of the Spotlight team in steady stream, though long nights and dogged determination. Spotlight honors that workload, and it does so in a way that lets viewers really understand how hard it is to break a story. It never contrives or manipulates either. It just uses great performances by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and a whole lot more to let viewers connect. The strategy works too. Director Tom McCarthy’s end result is very compelling and very emotional, without every feeling cheap or undeserved. Not surprisingly, many of Spotlight’s features focus on journalism. They’re extremely compelling, and given how much the film will affirm viewers’ faiths in journalism, one would imagine Universal's featurettes, including "The State Of Journalism," will be consumed a lot more than most Blu-ray extras. You can pick up the disc over at Amazon here.

February 23 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

The Good Dinosaur

Secret In Their Eyes

Spotlight

Fargo: Year 2

Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song

Extraction

I Smile Back

Diablo

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar

Week of February 23 Early Digital Releases

Brooklyn

In the Heart of the Sea

Victor Frankenstein

Yosemite

My All American

Day Out of Days

As each new year begins, death knells toll for great TV series across all networks. (Not dramatic in the least.) 2016 is no different, and while we’ve just gotten used to all of the shows that ended last year, we have to readjust and get ready to say goodbye to so many of our favorite characters and other assorted personalities.

While more are certain to be announced as the months go by, here are 9 great shows that we already know are coming to an end in 2016, from comedies to dramas and everything in between. Let’s kick things off with one of those in between entries.

Mythbusters

Love means never having to say you’re sorry, and loving Mythbusters means not being able to hear anyone say “sorry” or anything else because there are too many explosions happening all around. As proof, the next episode is titled “The Explosion Special.” It was announced a couple of months ago that Season 15 would be the final one, and although it’s depressing that we’ll no longer be able to watch Jamie and Adam putting themselves in ridiculous situations in the name of science and entertainment, at least we got to watch them do it for over 250 episodes, which is nothing to sneeze at. (Incidentally, sneezing myths were tackled in Episodes 84, 147 and 153.)

Series Finale Date: March 5, 2016

Downton Abbey

Even though everyone across the pond in the U.K. has already experienced the tearful ending of the period drama Downton Abbey, the show’s rabid fanbase here in the U.S. is just getting started with Season 6, which premiered on PBS on January 3. After all these years of watching the upstairs/downstairs drama of the families at the show’s core, we’re hoping that creator Julian Fellowes pulls out all the stops in delivering a satisfying and memorable final arc for everyone, even if it involves scandals, tragedies, and illicit instances behind closed doors. Wait, I meant to say especially if it involves those things.

Series Finale Date: March 6, 2016

Mike & Molly

When CBS gets its teeth into a hit series, the network often won’t let up for many years, which helps to keep their massive audience pleased. Unfortunately, the Melissa McCarthy sitcom Mike & Molly didn’t have as good a run as other comedies, and the network decided to pull the plug after already halving and delaying Season 6. While we may not know any exact reasons for its cancellation, we do know that viewers will have 13 more evenings to spend with the titular couple and their family and friends, and it all starts this week.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

American Idol

Once one of the most popular shows on TV, American Idol is now a shadow of what it was when it began back in 2002, whether you’re talking about the judges, the ratings or arguably even how memorable the contestants are. Part of that is because a plethora of other singing competitions came in the wake of its success, which has create a reality fatigue. But you can bet that fans will be tuning into the Season 15 in droves, not only to see who will become the final American Idol victor, but also to see faces from the past returning as the season goes on. Not to mention the final batch of calamity-filled auditions.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Beauty and the Beast

The latest incarnation of the classic fairy tale, The CW’s version of Beauty &the Beast had more in common with the 1980s TV show than anything Disney, with its titular beauty (Kristin Kreuk’s Cat Chandler) working for the NYPD and dedicating her time to figuring out her mother’s murder, as well as building a relationship with the once-thought-dead soldier Vincent Keller. Beauty & the Beast has been plagued with problems at The CW, with Season 2 interrupted by a months-long hiatus and Season 3 delayed until almost an entire year after Season 2 concluded. It was almost a stroke of luck that the show was renewed for Season 4, although no release date has been set yet, which isn’t exactly a confidence booster.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Banshee

The modern TV schedule is filled with shows that do action scenes well, but the majority of them bow down in reverence to Cinemax’s Banshee, a show so under-watched that it should count as one of the myriad crimes committed on the show. Featuring characters that never fail to entertain and stunning fights that get the blood boiling, Banshee received a cancellation that came coupled with the Season 4 order, which will sadly have two fewer episodes than the previous three seasons. There is little doubt that this final batch of episodes will ooze intensity, and will likely leave plenty of bodies on the ground by the time the last episode is over.

Series Finale Date: May 20, 2016

The Leftovers

Following a Season 1 that was darker than the deepest corners of space, The Leftovers delivered a sophomore effort that retained all of the existential angst and mystery, while also introducing an endlessly interesting new location full of distinct characters and expanding a narrative that puts loss and insanity into a blender fueled by repressed emotions. How Damon Lindelof can possibly top that for the upcoming Season 3, I have no idea, but the third and final chapter of this layered drama will presumably reach a conclusion that leaves audiences bewildered and yet surprisingly content.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Bitten

Fans of the horror fantasy Bitten have gone through a pretty tumultuous year, at least as far as things can get tumultuous for fans of TV shows. Season 2 broadened the story of female werewolf Elena as her own mission was coupled with the introduction of a coven of witches on a mission to save one of their own from a mysterious threat named Aleister, and it was followed by a renewal for Season 3. Unfortunately, it was announced months later that this would be the show’s final season, so viewers had better soak up all the hairy mayhem they can handle when it hits Syfy later this year.

Series Finale Date: Unknown.

Gravity Falls

It’s admittedly not often that the final episodes of an animated series are worthy of widespread attention, but then few animated series are as fun and imaginative and universally enjoyable as Disney’s Gravity Falls. A show that makes the Pacific Northwest as delightfully strange as Twin Peaks – at least to a certain degree –Gravity Falls puts its characters into oddball situations and quests involving monsters, time travel, magic and the mysterious journal at the center of it all. Though it premiered back in the summer of 2012, the acclaimed series only has two 20-episode seasons, with episodes being released seemingly randomly. Sadly, all that’s left is the series finale, the final entry in a three-part storyline.

Series Finale Date: February 15, 2016

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As time goes by, the line between TV and film becomes more and more opaque; television storytelling has become more mature, and with that so too have style as well as production values. One of the areas in which television has increasingly caught up to film is the realm of action sequences. All of this progress seemingly came to a head in 2015, as we saw an incredible surge in the number of impeccable action sequences hit the airwaves. From the fantastical to the darkly gritty, fight scenes ruled all in 2015.

With that in mind, we have taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of the ten best fight scenes from 2015. These scenes have been selected and ranked based on the quality of their production, as well as the emotional and dramatic effect they had over their respective shows. Starting with great (No. 10) and descending to outright perfection (No. 1) checkout the list we put together and give us your input: what was the best TV fight scene of 2015?

10.Supergirl- Supergirl vs. Reactron

DC comics continues to stake its claim on the television landscape in a way that Marvel simply hasn’t been able to compete with at this point – at least outside of Netflix. Supergirl represents one of the DC’s latest ventures into the small screen world, and the Melissa Benoist-fronted CBS series is thus far up to a – wait for it – super start. Of all the battles Kara (Benoist) has been through thus far, arguably the best of the year has been her skirmish with Reactron (Chris Browning), an irradiated villain who harbors resentment against Kal-El.

Properly bringing Kryptonians to the small screen can prove challenging for TV networks. By their very nature, they are incredibly effects-driven, and require immense coordination on the part of the cast and crew. Supergirl’s battle with Reactron showcases just how far filmmaking techniques have come in the way powers as grand as Kara’s can be shown on screen. In terms of in-universe ramifications, the fight also proves to be one of the definitive moments in which Kara realizes she does not have to live in the shadow of the Man of Steel, but can in fact become her own woman and hero.

9. The Walking Dead – The Wolves Attack Alexandria

After numerous teases and minor glimpses, The Wolves finally made themselves known to the Alexandria Safe Zone in a major way. While Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and the rest of the colony’s heavy hitters were away dealing with a massive walker horde miles away, many of the arguably less capable Alexandria residents had to fight for their lives and fend off the vicious attackers. Playing out over the entire episode, the assault’s best moments revolve around Carol (Melissa McBride) and her resourcefulness in making sure that The Wolves never get their hands on Alexandria’s extensive arsenal of firearms.

The attack of The Wolves is important because it exemplifies the core message in The Walking Dead: The walkers have never been the primary antagonists on The Walking Dead. The show’s primary concern is what becomes of people and how they turn on each other when society crumbles. Arguably no other action sequence in the history of the show has exemplified this theme more than the attack of The Wolves. Unlike The Governor, or Joe and the Claimers, The Wolves have an almost zealot-like mentality, and rely on brutal weapons like knives or machetes.

8. Game of Thrones - White Walker Invasion

The most recent season of Game of Thrones received acclaim for the White Walker invasion, which takes place in the episode titled “Hardhome.” During the episode, Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) convinces thousands of Wildlings to stand with him when the White Walkers descend on Hardhome. It’s a battle scene many fans consider not only to be one of the best of the year, but one of the best the show has ever produced.

Snow once again proves himself to be the most noble protagonist of the series as he stands his ground in the face of annihilation. The episode ends with all of the death being for nothing as the White Walker King merely resurrects Snow’s dead allies as White Walkers themselves. This sequence makes the list because of the way in which it strikes a balance between exhilarating and horrifying. The otherworldly nature of the White Walkers – especially the children – is perfectly executed, giving them a haunting, insurmountable feeling.

7. The Flash - Arrow/Firestorm/Flash vs. Reverse-Flash

For months Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) trained and worked with Harrison Well who (spoiler alert) turned out to be none other than the Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) who murdered his mother, and (another spoiler alert) was not Harrison Wells at all, but actually Eobard Thawne. The first season of The Flash is jam packed full of twists and turns, but once Barry finds out the true nature of the Reverse-Flash, you can bet things go from 0 to 100 real quick (pun wholeheartedly intended). Squaring off with his sworn enemy outside of ST.A.R. Labs, Barry enlists the help of Ronnie Raymond AKA Firestorm (Robbie Amell), and Oliver Queen AKA The Arrow (Stephen Amell) to take him down.

Each of the fledgling heroes brings their own specific set of skills to this melee, and the result of their collective effort is the ultimate apprehension of the man who killed Nora Allen. It’s the sort of scene that proves heroes from The CW’s Arrowverse can interact without the need for a dedicated crossover episode. More importantly, however, this scene provides some of the greatest emotional catharsis The Flash or Arrow has ever brought to the small screen as Barry fulfills his lifelong dream of taking down the man in the yellow suit.

6. Archer - Archer vs. Conway Stern

When Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler) are tasked with extracting a CIA agent from Buenos Aires, they find themselves more than a little shocked when they learn their target is none other than Conway Stern. While Lana wants to act like a professional, Archer wants nothing more than sweet revenge for the time Conway literally stabbed him in the back during Season 1. Before they can even make contact with Stern, Archer kicks open his hotel room door and goes on one of his characteristic rampages while Lana fixes herself some tea and waits for the dust to settle.

Aside from being the only animated sequence on this list, the fight between Archer and Conway stands out because of what it does for the FX spy series. For starters, it highlights just how far the Archer’s animation has come since the series first premiered in 2009 – going from quick punches and slaps all the way to this brutal, full-fledged brawl. It’s also noteworthy because it represents the culmination of six years worth of resentment. Archer has never taken continuity incredibly seriously, so to see the series bring back one of its earliest villains in the form of Conway – and to have his previous actions mean something to this episode – marked a huge moment for longtime fans of the FX cartoon.

5. The Leftovers - Kevin Fights In The Realm Of The Undead

The Leftovers has proven itself time and time again as one of the most surreal dramas currently airing on TV. Over the course of the HBO series’ second season this idea has only become more and more apparent. The recent episode “International Assassin” finds protagonist Kevin (Justin Theroux) immersed in the realm of the undead after seemingly being killed off following consumption of some nasty poison. In this realm, he finds himself in the shoes of an international assassin (as the title suggests), and as one could expect he engages in a pretty amazing fight sequence early on in the episode.

We know this is HBO and all, but for a TV fight scene it’s pretty damn gritty. All of the blows Kevin receives and dishes out carry a very noticeable weight typically reserved for the Craig era Bond films or the Bourne movies. As the two men slam each other into walls and desperately beat each other to a pulp, we as the audience cannot help but feel a palpable sense of pain and exhaustion. The overall episode did provided audiences with an immense level of character development for the character of Kevin, but we just can't forget the high quality of this brawl either.

4. Ash vs Evil Dead - Ash vs. Trailer Park Deadite

It wasn’t until Ash vs. Evil Dead premiered that we all collectively realized just how much we needed more Deadite carnage in our lives. After spending so much time running and hiding from his fate as the world’s most biggest badass, the evil stored within the Necronomicon finally catches up to Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) at his trailer in rural Michigan during the show’s pilot episode “El Jefe.” Cornered and seemingly without any other options, Ash accepts his fate – as well as his boomstick and chainsaw – and once again returns to the only thing he was ever really good at: dismembering the undead.

Ash vs. Evil Dead’s pilot episode was directed by the franchise’s creator Sam Raimi, and his influence is plain to see. The sequence in which Deadites attack Ash at his trailer showcases numerous innovative yet low-budget techniques (such as strapping the camera to the barrel of Ash’s shotgun) that harken back to the style of the original Evil Dead films. Bruce Campbell also brings his A-game to the scene, gleefully throwing himself into every punch, kick, and stunt as if he were a man 30 years younger. Basically, hail to the king because the king is back.

3. Arrow - Team Arrow Rescues Andy Diggle

Season 4 of Arrow has proven itself to be a definite improvement over the mediocrity that characterized last year’s arc. One particular area that has seen immense growth is the quality of the show’s action – which severely dipped after Season 2. The 2015 episode titled “Brotherhood” sees Team Arrow taking on Damien Darhk’s (Neal McDonough) H.I.V.E and attempting to capture John Diggle’s long-lost brother Andy. The battle is lengthy, ferocious, and gives each member of Team Arrow a chance to showcase their specific skillset, from Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) newfound skill with a police baton, to Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) marksmanship, and even the strength of Ray Palmer’s (Brandon Routh) A.T.O.M suit.

Arrow has come a long way since it first premiered in 2012. Back then it really was nothing more than a dark and gritty tale of a street-level vigilante going against the corrupt one-percent of his city. Over time the show has increasingly incorporated elements from the DC lore, and made Team Arrow more and more into true superheroes with each passing season. This sequence gives every member of the team a chance to shine – which proved doubly important for Laurel who often gets short changed as Black Canary – and gives the action room to breath by not relying on too many quick cuts. It shows a group of well-trained individuals fighting tooth and nail to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, and coming out unscathed on the other side. The entire episode features some truly great action – proving stunt coordinator James Bamford should direct more in the future – but this scene stands out as the coup de grâce.

2. Banshee - Nola vs. Burton

If Banshee’s place on this list seems odd to you, it’s probably because you don’t even watch the severely underrated series; it's a show that has completely flown under the radar but deserves your attention as well as your respect. Despite the Cinemax series' limited exposure, the Season 3 fight between Nola and Burton proves that Banshee is more than worth your time. The episode “A Fixer of Sorts” sees the series bring one of the truly greatest TV fight scenes of the year – if not ever – come to fruition. Nola (Odette Annable) stages an attack on Proctor’s (Ulrich Thomsen) mansion, and comes across Burton (Matthew Rauch). The two engage in a vicious battle with fists, knives, and various parts of a nearby car until only one is left standing – well, sitting that is.

One of the more over-the-top entries on this list, there was no way we couldn’t include the melee between Nola and Burton. The fight is long, brutal, and downright gruesome. Although it doesn’t actually take place over the course of a single take, the production team takes special care to strategically use editing to mask the cuts. As a result, we get a fight scene that firmly keeps the action and the actors front and center, without any reliance on overly shaky camera or quick cuts to hide the filmmaking magic. The fight also expertly utilizes flashbacks to convey the mentality of both fighters involved in the skirmish.

1. Daredevil - Hallway Fight

While Season 1 of Marvel’s Daredevil is pretty much airtight from start to finish, the Netflix series’ second episode – titled “Cut Man” – was the one that proved the show wasn’t messing around. After spending an entire night hunting Russian mobsters, and getting his ass handed to him in the process, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) finally tracks the gangsters to where they have taken a kidnapped little boy. Slowly making his way through the building where the boy is being held, Matt gathers his energy for one last charge and leaps into action, tearing through the Russians, and rescuing the scared child from a fate arguably worse than death.

What makes this fight scene so good is the way it communicates Murdock's exhaustion and pain. Through one single take the camera follows the blind hero as he takes just as much damage as he inflicts, and never cuts to give the audience a reprieve from the action. By the time the scene comes to an end, Daredevil and the bad guys find themselves panting and leaning against the walls of the building just to stay upright. This isn’t Thor or Captain America, this is just an average (albeit well-trained) man trying to do the right thing. After all of the violence and chaos, the scene ends with a clearly drained Matt taking off his mask to tenderly reassure the scared boy that he’s here to help, hammering home the underlying pathos of the action-heavy sequence.

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There are loads of spoilers in the story below for a bunch of different shows. You have been warned.

Throughout 2015, it seemed like every week of television delivered a handful of moments that stunned audiences and made eyeballs come close to popping out of people’s heads. Which isn’t surprising, considering there were more scripted series this year than any previous year, which is itself a mindblowing factoid.

While it would have been impossible to include every WTF moment that passed in front of our eyes this year, here are the 16 most bonkers surprises, twists, deaths and all around oddities that TV gave us in 2015. Let’s kick things off with one of the biggest pissers of the past 12 months, shall we?

Hannibal – That Cancellation

At the center of what was arguably the most disappointing network decision that occurred this year – and I think many of you agree – Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal gave viewers three seasons worth of lush and artistic horror that rivaled Silence of the Lambs, spinning out a cat-and-mouse tale where each animal’s place kept changing. So much story was left to tell, and Fuller and his creative team were the perfect people to do it. And then NBC turned it into chop suey over something as meaningless as low ratings. Okay, maybe low ratings do matter, but NBC itself became a little more meaningless when they premiered hot garbage like Truth Be Told after axing Hannibal.

Gotham – Fish’s Eye Spooning

Jada Pinkett Smith brought a comic book energy to the role of Fish Mooney in Season 1 of Gotham, although audiences were mostly split on how enjoyable her turn was. But regardless of how you felt about her, Fish’s time on the small screen reached an apex when she was a prisoner to the Dollmaker. He wanted to take out her eyes for his own nefarious means, and she countered by taking out her own eye…with a spoon…and then she smooshed it into the ground. It looked like a Superball that had stayed in the microwave too long, easily making it one of the grossest moments on TV this year.

The Leftovers – Kevin’s “Death”

The Leftovers managed to become an even more cryptic and emotionally fulfilling series in Season 2, branching its story out while remaining entrenched in the events of Season 1. And the show rocked fans’ worlds during the last few episodes, seemingly killing off Kevin Garvey in a weird poisoning/suicide, only to bring him back for an episode-length fever dream in which he got into fist fights, watched some afterlife karaoke, pushed young Patti into a well and then drowned her depressed adult self in it. All so he could be resurrected without her appearing in his head anymore. It was possibly the greatest “dream sequence” in TV history, and also a ridiculously strong piece of character development.

Pretty Little Liars – A’s Reveal

For years, Pretty Little Liars fans speculated and theorized about the identity of “A,” the main antagonist behind the game plaguing the central characters. But instead of a relatively normal reveal, viewers learned that “A” was actually CeCe Drake, who was actually Charlotte DiLaurentis, who was actually born Charles DiLaurentis, Alison’s brother who was taken away after he was wrongfully thought to have tried to drown her as a kid. So this one had both a surprise transgender character (that dated her brother, ickily enough) and a surprise character back from the presumed dead (which happens on this show often enough). Some hated it, some loved it, but everyone was shocked by it.

The Walking Dead – That Glenn Business

One of the biggest TV stories of the year took place on The Walking Dead, or didn’t take place on The Walking Dead, if that’s how you want to look at it. During one of Season 6’s fractured hours, the cowardly Nicholas shot himself in a moment of duress, causing Glenn to tumble into a horde of walkers, and viewers were led to believe that Glenn had been chewed to death. To the point that Steven Yuen’s name was stricken from the credits. Lo and behold, all of our worry was for nothing, as Glenn ended up escaping basically without a scratch. It felt both cheap and divisive, but at least we’ll see more Glenn when the show returns.

Mr. Robot – Elliot’s Family Twists

Throughout its stellar first season, Mr. Robot featured a lot of moments between Rami Malek's hacktivist Elliot and Christian Slater's titular anarchist, and fans were suspicious that something wasn't quite right between them. That suspicion was given relevance in the final few episodes, in which it was revealed that Mr. Robot is Elliot's father, and that he's been dead for years, meaning that Elliot has just been a follower of his own delusions, Fight Club style. Perhaps more stunning than the reveal itself was that it came during the freshman season, rather than nearer the end of the road. And let's not forget about Elliot trying to get with Darlene, who is actually his sister. Family life is strange sometimes.

Fargo – A Midwestern UFO

In Fargo Season 1, the most mystifying thing that happened was Key & Peele nabbing comedic screentime amidst the violent drama. But Season 2 took things up a notch, randomly introducing a UFO in the opening episode that causes Rye Gerhardt to stop in the middle of the road, where he’s plowed into by Peggy, setting the entire season’s doom-laden events in motion. It wasn’t the only time we saw the mysterious flying saucer, either, as it made a prominent return during the Sioux Falls Massacre, allowing Lou to kill Bear. So while an explanation for the UFO is up for debate, I think we can all assume that the aliens really didn’t like the Gerhardts.

Arrow – Felicity Gets Shot

Arrow, a show that likes to temporarily kill people off, had a bunch of surprises in the latter half of Season 3 and the first chunk of Season 4. But it’s hard to argue that the biggest mind-explosion of all came during the midseason finale, when Damien Darhk’s goons shot up Oliver’s limo and left Felicity a bleeding wreck. The shocking moment, juxtaposed with a cheery Darhk coming home to his surprise family, proved the villain to be as evil as they come, and caused fans to wonder if Felicity would be the person in the flash-forward scene’s grave. We have other predictions for where she’ll end up, but we definitely didn’t predict she’d get shot.

Empire – A Fall Down the Stairs

If we’re being honest, the entirety of the first season and a half of Empire could take up this whole list, from Vernon’s death to Cookie’s monkey suit to Lucious’ surprise baby. But at this point, the most baffling moment came during the Season 2 mid-finale, in which the pregnant Rhonda is pushed down the stairs by an unknown assailant. And she falls hard, boy, landing on the ground in a heap, seemingly dead. Her actual fate has yet to be revealed, though, and we’re wondering who it was that pushed her. Anika, the subject of several WTF moments of her own, is a prime candidate, though maybe it’s karma for her accidentally murdering Vernon? Either way, we can’t wait to see Andre lose his mind over it.

Miss Universe 2015 – Steve Harvey’s Bungling

Steve Harvey is no stranger to standing on stage and making people laugh, as he’s turned a stand-up comedy career into a series of hosting gigs. But arguably his most memorable moment in front of a crowd came during the recent Miss Universe pageant, when he announced the wrong contestant as the winner and immediately had the entire Internet shining a spotlight on his catastrophic error. He corrected his mistake soon after, and has been a good sport about all the criticism he has received, but nothing that came after can take away from the pure WTFness of him saying the wrong name. Maybe now he’ll be a little nicer to Family Feud contestants who give goofy answers.

Supergirl – Hank Henshaw Reveals Himself

When David Harewood was added to the cast of Supergirl as Hank Henshaw, the speculation mill began churning out ways in which the show might introduce Cyborg Superman at some point. But in Episode 7, fans received the huge bombshell that this somewhat douchey iteration of Henshaw wasn’t actually one of the show’s many villains at all, but rather a humanized version of J’onn J’onzz, better known to comic book fans as Martian Manhunter. This was not only one of the biggest and coolest twists in the DC TV world, allowing a fan favorite character to exist in primetime again, but it also gave the CBS super-drama an added boost of legitimacy among fans. And we can’t wait to see his story expand as the series continues.

Grey’s Anatomy – Derek’s Accident

If you were paying attention to the behind-the-scenes world of Grey’s Anatomy , then you probably knew that Patrick Dempsey was having problems and would likely be leaving the show. Even so, Derek’s accident-filled final episode was a series of WTF moments, the largest of which being “What the fuck are you doing stopping in the middle of a road to use your cell phone?” His car got pummeled by a truck, but that wasn’t what killed him. No, he actually died because the hospital he was taken to was understaffed, and no one caught on that he had a head injury until it was too late. Irony? Maybe. Either way, it left fans reeling.

Veep – Amy’s Meltdown

You don’t really get a lot of WTF moments in half-hour comedies, but Anna Chlumsky’s superbly performed meltdown on Veep was a stroke of comedic genius that even beat out Selina and Gary’s momentary falling out. At her wits’ end over the aggravatingly wishy-washy Karen, Amy unleashes all of the anger and disgust that she’s felt over the years as Selina’s Chief of Staff, eventually calling her boss “the worst thing that has happened to this country since food in buckets, and maybe slavery.” It was a completely unpredictable bit that shook up the status quo of the White House staffers, while also allowing viewers to vicariously live through someone verbally taking down an inefficient politician.

Daredevil – Decapitation by Car Door

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are used to seeing the heroes and villains getting violent, but Netflix’s Daredevil did away with the flashy CGI and robots’n’aliens, often delivering fights and deaths that were gut-wrenchingly realistic. And things didn’t get much more brain-smashingly disturbing than when Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk repeatedly smashed a car door onto a Russian villain’s head until it had fallen off of his body. All because Fisk was shamed in front of his woman. The scene cemented just how monstrous the normally subdued Fisk could be, while also proving to Marvel fans that Netflix wasn’t afraid to get extremely bloody when necessary. The other fights were great, too, but this was the one that left us staggering the most.

Game of Thrones – Jon Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow

Season 5 of Game of Thrones delivered a bunch of ghastly scenes and sequences – Stannis allowing his daughter to be burned alive, for instance – but the one that has kept fans talking the most came during the finale, as Jon Snow is branded a traitor by his brothers on The Watch, who repeatedly stab him until he collapses into a pile of his own blood. The moment, which turned Olly from aggravating to super-heinous, became one of the most obsessed-over TV scenes of the year, and inspired just about every form of speculation imaginable concerning Jon’s fate. We know he’ll be back for Season 6, but that doesn’t take away from the stunning impact of the scene.

The Flash – Eddie’s Sacrifice

With time travel and parallel dimensions at its disposal, The Flash has pumping out WTF moments at a steady rate since it started up last year. But my jaw fell the farthest during the Season 1 finale, as Eddie made the ultimate gesture by committing suicide as a way to stop Eobard “Reverse-Flash” Thawne from continuing his reign of villainy. In fact, it completely wiped his villainy out of existence, which itself was magnificently weird. Due to his future lineage, coupled with a relationship with Iris that we knew wouldn’t last forever, Eddie probably couldn’t have lived much longer in this world anyway. Still, watching him shoot himself for the sake of Central City was a deed as heroic as anything Team Flash has done so far.

Whew. That’s a lot of mind-fuckery. Head to the next page to let us know which of these moments blew you away the most.

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This upcoming Sunday night is going to be a major bummer, as it’ll be the first weekend over two months that we won’t get to watch a new episode of HBO’s The Leftovers, which concluded its masterful Season 2 on December 6. Thankfully, HBO isn’t being cryptically mysterious with their future plans for the show, as the network has already ordered up Season 3 to debut in 2016. Take out your souvenir jars of Jarden water and raise them up high in celebration. (Mild Season 2 spoilers will be found below.)

Unfortunately, the good news is coupled with some disappointing news, as HBO also announced that Season 3 will be the final season of The Leftovers. It’s a letdown, as TV could always use a drama as layered and unpredictable as this, but it’s possibly a blessing in disguise. Who knows just how long Damon Lindelof and author Tom Perrotta could keep the quality control as high as it has been? I mean, they probably could for more than just one season, but still. You can hardly ever say an HBO series wore out its welcome.

In HBO’s press release, amidst all of the universal appreciation from everyone, Lindelof says that they are all excited to be able to give the show a definitive end. Everyone who knows better shouldn’t be surprised that he said “definitive,” in this case, means “wildly ambiguous and mega-emotional.” And that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from this show, so anything different would be more out of place than a sorta-psychic Eddie Winslow.

Considering how dark and depressing Season 1 was all the way through, it didn’t seem likely that Season 2 could lift the mood up, but it did. Kind of. Several of the central characters, including the Garvey family, relocated to Jarden, Texas, a town that was completely spared during the Departure. The mysteries behind the town and some of its citizens, including the Murphy family, are at the center of these downright spectacular ten episodes, and the show picked the most interesting and surprising ways imaginable to portray different kinds of emotional releases. The episode “International Assassin” became an instant classic for its bizarre trip through Kevin’s mind and/or soul, and the finale was a complete and satisfying ride.

Though the show is acclaimed by nearly everyone who watched, this season did see a dip in ratings as compared to Season 1. (I’m sure The Walking Dead had something to do with that.) Fortunately, the final two episodes saw a pretty sizeable uptick in viewers, which was probably encouraging to the powers that be at HBO when making this decision.

What new forms of despair and tragedy will befall Kevin Garvey next? Find out in 2016 on HBO. Until then, just keep waiting to hear about if True Detective Season 3 will happen.

Spoilers for The Leftovers Season 2 finale below. Join the rest of the Departed if you don’t want to know what happened.

As much as I adored Season 1 of The Leftovers last year, the emotional bluntness had me wishing I could speed through the episodes a little quicker. The exact opposite has happened in the slightly less depressing Season 2, which has seemingly zipped by when all I want to do is spend more time there. But now it has ended in a most expectedly spectacular fashion, as the Guilty Remnant once again do the unthinkable and Kevin once again has some of the most unexplainable experiences known to man. I need a drink now.

Evie Returns

As we saw at the end of last week’s episode, Evie and her two friends were hiding out inside of a vehicle under the apparent guidance of Meg and the Guilty Remnant, and now we know what that was all about. They were driven to the middle of the bridge leading to Jarden under the guise of transporting explosives, but the goal wasn’t to destroy the bridge, but merely to present a catalyst for Remnant members outside of Jarden to pop on some white clothes and bumrush the gates and take over the holy town themselves. Which fits right into their mostly non-violent and merely hyper-confrontational manner.

So the Murphy family was reunited, sorta, which cleared up that side of the story. But I’m still wondering exactly how Evie and her friends found their way into the Remnant’s ranks. Is that just what they did when they went out at night? Headed outside the border and went to Remnant houses to get their nicotine fix and rest their vocal cords? The Leftovers has done a pretty good job of delivering backstories that explain why certain members of the Remnant joined up, but I didn’t get that with Evie. Though I suspect dead bugs and things are involved.

Kevin Returns

Kevin has been dead, or something like it, for a few weeks now, after getting Virgil’s weirdo voodoo treatment to get Patti out of his head. In this episode, we not only got to watch him crawl out of the ground like a goddamned zombie, but we also got to revisit the hotel room set-up for “International Assassin,” one of the greatest TV hours of all time. That latter part happened after he got shot by John and died again. It turns out when you’re dead on The Leftovers, all you have to do is face the karaoke wheel in order to stay alive, and Kevin’s emotional performance was to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound.” And the episode ends with Kevin coming home to not only his original family – Laurie, Tom and Jill – but also Nora and Lily, and everyone’s happy to see him. Somehow that was the weirdest most-afterlife-ish moment of the whole episode.

But a happy ending doesn’t exactly explain why Virgil killed himself after poisoning Kevin, and why Kevin had to be buried. The Leftovers has done a great job of making the reason behind the Departure feel like unnecessary knowledge, which possibly should make viewers comfortable with no explanations for other mysteries. But Kevin’s entire plot this season is so mind-bogglingly odd that it’s frustrating to be given the crust without all of the filling. Why didn’t he bleed out? Is he still going to see Patti again or at a later date? And why was Tommy so happy to be a part of this family again after being such a turd?

Mary Returns

After two seasons of watching Janel Moloney mostly sitting expressionless in a chair without moving, I’d prepared myself to never see this woman return from her catatonic state, forever serving as a (currently pregnant) cross for Matt to bear, and I wasn’t totally sure if I believed his story about her waking up that one time. But after that one earthquake, she’s back to talking and laughing, and she confirmed that their child’s conception was something she gave consent to.

But why did she wake up now? The show has had some earthquakes in the past, and none of them brought her out of her state, at least in front of our eyes. Had Matt finally served some greater good by being on the outside? I’m certainly happy she’s back, but I’m even more confused now about what’s happening with her than I was in the beginning. Not enough to bother me, though.

All in all, Season 2 of The Leftovers is one of the most fascinating and thematically brave seasons of any TV show to come before it, whether you’re talking about cavewoman survivors or little girls in wells or support groups for members of former support groups. It’s not clear if we’ll get a Season 3 from HBO to keep things going, but even if we don’t, the two seasons we got combined for an incomparable TV tour-de-force.

During the holidays, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself traveling, stuck at a family member’s house or relaxing at home on a day off of work/school. And what better way to spend free time like that than checking out a TV show that you’ve probably been missing for a while? Sure, you could talk to your family or whoever, but none of them were specifically written to entertain you.

Here are 10 shows whose names are probably familiar even though you’ve somehow never gotten around to checking them out. Some are new, some are established, and all of them are criminally underwatched. Take notes.

The Knick

Cinemax doesn’t often get brought into the conversation about top-quality networks, but the admittedly few original programs that debuted there in the past few years have been awesome. Standing atop it all with a heroin-induced gaze is The Knick, a turn-of-the-century medical drama quite unlike any other hospital show before it. A show partly about the staggeringly bothersome path to advancement in medicine and partly about the goings-on of Clive Owen’s chief surgeon Dr. Thack and the racially-triggered experiences of Dr. Andre Holland – a simplified version of things, to be sure – The Knick is enthralling, gorgeous and downright nasty at times. Plus, it boasts the always intriguing Steven Soderbergh as a director on every episode.

With a few episodes left in Season 2, The Knick airs on Friday nights on Cinemax.

Difficult People

If you took all the snark out of all the other shows you watch on TV and jammed it inside a box, it would probably add up to merely the first act of a Difficult People episode. Created by writer/comedian Julie Klausner, this Hulu comedy takes Klausner’s Julie and Billy Eichner’s Billy and thrusts their self-important opinions and celebrity-anchored worldviews (that are maddeningly well-written) on everyone and everything around them, though it usually all comes back to destroy them in the end. Comedian James Urbaniak stars as Julie’s unassuming boyfriend Arthur, and SCTV alum Andrea Martin plays Julie’s overbearing mother (and she’s spotless). Live vicariously through sarcasm.

All eight episodes of Difficult People Season 1 are available on Hulu, and it has been renewed for Season 2, which will be released next year.

The Leftovers

By the time it’s all said and done, people should equate Damon Lindelof’s name with the emotional invigoration machine that is HBO’s The Leftovers, rather than the far more popular though far more flimsily mysterious Lost. Barely anyone talks about The Leftovers, perhaps due to repressing the depressing paths Season 1 took, but this is easily one of the best shows on TV of any time period. Season 2 has taken Justin Theroux’s Kevin Garvey and his family to a new town, where bad things happen (naturally), with the writing and pacing making things even more psychedelic and random than they were before. Carrie Coon and Ann Dowd remain sublime.

Currently in the middle of its stellar Season 2, The Leftovers airs Sunday nights on HBO.

Mr. Robot

If a project can be referred to as a “hacker drama,” there’s a good chance it will already look dated by the time you finish watching it. USA’s Mr. Robot, the network’s best show in years, is the clear exception. The show is definitely centered in a computer-based world, as it’s about a cybersecurity engineer joining an underground hacker group to take down a giant corporation, but the tech talking is overshadowed by the anarchic tone and the talents of Rami Malek as the paranoid and clinically depressed Elliot Anderson, who gets mixed up in deeds that bring all the suspense and tension of anything else on TV. Plus, the show answers the question “What’s Christian Slater doing these days?”

Mr. Robot wrapped Season 1 earlier this year, and was renewed for Season 2 to debut next year. You can currently watch the entire first season on USA’s website.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Created by star Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a small miracle of a show that follows a psychologically fragile woman going against all odds to reconnect with a guy she fell for at summer camp, and it’s populated by broad characters and ridiculous musical segments. On paper, it implied a possible disaster, but in action, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is nothing but successful. The jokes hit every kind of comedic subgenre, the expertly-crafted music sequences are hilarious and catchy, and as Rebecca Bloom, Bunch earns both sympathy and incredulity in heaping doses. Vincent Rodriquez III is unexpectedly great as the mini-dude-bro ex Josh, and Donna Lynne Champlin nails every moment as Rebecca’s friend, coworker and constant enabler. The CW needs more shows like this, and I don’t mean “low-rated.”

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Season 1, which just got more episodes ordered, is currently airing on The CW on Monday nights.

The 100

The past few years have been inundated with stories about teenagers facing problems in post-apocalyptic scenarios, and not all of them have been great. Thankfully, 100 has become a downright awesome take on the sub-genre, starting out with the premise of “troubled teenagers are sent to Earth a century after a nuclear war destroyed most of civilization,” and then molding itself into a tight and sometimes brutal thriller where no one ever truly seems safe – there are cannibals here, people! It helps that the characters are interesting and fleshed-out and not just attractive people being attractive with dirt on their faces.

The 100 Season 2 ended earlier this year, and Season 3 will premiere on The CW on Thursday, January 21, 2016.

You’re the Worst

Comedies about relationships between mentally selfish people are nothing new, but those kinds of shows don’t always shoot for an authentic vibe. You’re the Worst, however, feels all too real in portraying the up-and-down-and-inside-out relationship between Chris Geere’s Jimmy and Aya Cash’s Gretchen, even when things go way over the top. There’s an emotional genuineness to how Gretchen’s depression and Jimmy’s insensitivity are explored that both informs the comedy and reminds viewers that not everyone on TV is supposed to be perfect. After watching, you’ll immediately run out and start up your own Sunday Funday, but be wary of just going to the same places these characters do.

You can find the remaining episodes of You're the Worst Season 2 on FXX on Wednesday nights.

Manhattan

Hearing that Manhattan is a show about the creation of the first atomic bomb in the 1940s, you might think that’s full of explosions and war battles, but that’s not the case at all. (Maybe its dismal ratings would rise if Manhattan dumbed itself down for that kind of storytelling, but we’re glad it’s not.) The superbly casted show is a methodical and darkly comedic character study about the people living in the sectioned-off community in Los Alamos, where characters like Drs. Frank and Liza Winter, along with Dr. Charlie and Abby Isaacs, deal with the complexities facing both their high-pressure jobs and their strained marriages. It’s smart, it’s tense, and it depicts how troublesome mandated isolation can be.

Manhattan is currently in the middle of Season 2, which can be watched on Tuesday nights on The CW.

W/Bob and David

If you’re a cool person, then you probably spent part of your life watching and quoting Mr. Show like there was no tomorrow, all while ruing the day HBO brutalized us and ran it out of existence. The life-changing entity that is Netflix reteamed Bob Odenkirk and David Cross for a new batch of ridiculous sketches that goes under the name W/ Bob and David, and the only things that are different are the cast’s ages. Otherwise, this ensemble’s comedy still hinges on great jokes and surreal situations, and the cast is still as unflappingly energetic as they ever were. If there’s a complaint to be had, it’s that there are only 4 episodes (and a great behind-the-scenes special).

All four episodes of W/ Bob and David are currently available on Netflix, which should hurry up and renew it.

Rectify

You always hear Breaking Bad and The Wire mentioned when people talk about the greatest shows of all time, and Rectify absolutely needs to come up more often. SundanceTV’s first foray into scripted programming, Rectify tells the exceedingly dark and discomforting story of Aden Young’s Daniel Holden, who returns to his hometown after spending almost 20 years on death row for the wrongful conviction of a rape and murder. Watching Daniel adjust to modern life is both painful and inspiring, as his assimilation is all but simple, since there are many townsfolk who still believe he’s guilty. The best part is, despite spending the majority of the narrative time with Daniel, even viewers are unsure of just how innocent he is. Excellence.

Rectify finished Season 3 earlier this year on SundanceTV, and will return for Season 4 in 2016.

Head to the next page to let us know which of these shows you think needs more viewers.

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The trailer you are about to watch may initially confuse you, as there are occasionally people smiling and having a swell time, and there is a general feeling of mirth and goodwill. But this is definitely a preview for Season 2 of HBO’s downer-than-the-downest-down drama The Leftovers, and that becomes more obvious as it goes on and chaos erupts. Check it out!

As is made immediately obvious, The Leftovers is making some giant changes this season, as it moves beyond the storyline laid out in the source novel from Tom Perrotta, who is still working with his co-creator Damon Lindelof this year. Even though we won’t be catching up with all the characters from last year that managed to survive, we will see many returning, and they’re all in different places, both mentally and physically. And, of course, there are some new faces as well.

Welcome to Miracle, Texas, a small town that managed not to lose a single resident during the Departure. As such, some seem to be thinking it is a powerful place, and Kevin Garvey decides to relocate, taking daughter Jill and lover Nora with him. (And that baby, too.) There, Kevin meets fireman John Murphy (Kevin Carroll), his urgent care doctor wife Erika (Regina King), daughter Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and son Michael (Jovan Adepo), whom Jill possibly takes a liking to. The two families bond, but things get wild when Evie goes missing, and her parents seem willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Is it a kidnapping, or something less explainable?

Then there’s Laurie, who apparently has left the Guilty Remnant behind, which allows her at least a temporary form of happiness. She hooks back up with her son Tom, who hopefully has nothing to do with abandoned babies anymore. Also lurking around are Matt Jamison and his not-totally-incoherent-anymore wife Mary. And of course there’s Meg, who remains a part of the white-cloaked Remnant, but it might be a different incarnation of it after the higher-ups were all dead or defected by the finale.

I can’t wait to find out what happens that brings everything crashing down for this seemingly well-guarded community, and what that person dropping buckets has to do with it all. Things take a violent turn, although probably nowhere near as violent as this episode, and it seems like there are going to be too many people in Miracle hoping for safety to actually ensure there’s enough safety to go around. This was perhaps showcased best in the teaser released a few weeks ago.

Jot down any potential suicidal thoughts you have in mind and tune into The Leftovers this fall when Season 2 debuts on HBO on Sunday, October 4 at 9 p.m. ET. Is it wrong that I cheered when Ann Dowd's Patti showed up in that final shot?

The Leftovers will be making plenty of changes headed into Season 2. The Damon Lindelof drama will be totally switching things up this summer in terms of casting and location, and now we have some ideas regarding exactly where the HBO drama is headed. Namely, The Leftovers will be heading to Texas in Season 2.

The location change helps to explain the news that dropped a few months ago, which revealed that a lot of the characters who were present during Season 1 of The Leftovers will not be back for Season 2. “Many” of the show’s supporting cast, who played Mapleton, New York townsfolk in the first season, are expected to be cut from the lineup, potentially including Charlie and Max Carver, Michael Gaston, Annie Q and Amanda Warren. At the time, guest stints were still possibly in the cards for the supporting cast, but with a move to Texas, it seems way less likely that other Mapleton residents will play a role.

We do know that the main cast will be back for Season 2. That includes the entire Garvey family, played by Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Margaret Qualley and Chris Zylka. Carrie Coon, who plays Nora Durst on the series, is also set to appear, as is Christopher Eccleston, who plays Reverend Matt Jamison. Now, TV Line reports that the series is adding a brand new African-American family to the mix. The Murphy family will be made up of ex-convict John, his wife Erika and their two kids, Evie and Michael. So far, it doesn’t look as if those characters have been cast, and we don't know whether they will be foes or friendly, yet.

Spoilers in this paragraph, if you haven’t watched the Season 1 finale. When last we left The Leftovers, the Mapleton community had been torn apart by the Guilty Remnant cult, who had placed lifelike burial dummies in the homes of those who lost family members during the Sudden Departure.

It’s tough to lose numerous people at once, and the town was already having trouble dealing with the fact that loved ones had vanished into thin air. The Guilty Remnant cult’s actions led to chaos, which is exactly what the cult wanted. People were rampaging on the streets. Moving is probably the best option for the main cast following the season finale, but why they will choose Texas is still a mystery.

Of course, life will never be normal for the characters in The Leftovers. A change of venue might spice things up a bit, but it can’t change the fact that the survivors witnessed people disappearing and were forever shaken and changed because of it. HBO hasn’t officially announced a premiere date, yet, but The Leftovers is expected to return to the schedule this summer. In the meantime, we’ll let you know if we learn anything more regarding which cast members will or won’t be returning.

You can catch HBO’s spring premiere lineup, featuring Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley and Veep, starting on April 12.

Summer is a great time for family fun and outdoor activities, but the TV networks have started to put together plenty of programming meant to entice people to spend time inside, watching TV. And why not? You can only swim, hike, tan and play baseball for so long before you need to take an hour off and relax indoors with your favorite show. Fortunately, we have a handy schedule of premiere dates to make that process easier.

The schedule is a work in progress, and dates are subject to change as the weather heats up. In the meantime, if there's a new or returning show you don't see on here, feel free to leave a comment and we'll see if we can dig up the date for you! We’ve also listed shows that haven’t been given official return dates and stuff that is expected to premiere this summer, so if your favorite show doesn’t have a date, yet, take a look at the end of the list first! (Please note: listed times are in EST/PST.)

If you've been wondering what is coming up this fall, the networks have already released the new and returning programming that will be coming up. You can check it out, here.

Friday, May 1

9:00 p.m. - Beyond The Tank - ABC

Sunday, May 3

10:00 p.m. - Penny Dreadful - Showtime

Friday, May 8

12:01 a.m. - Grace and Frankie - Netflix

Monday, May 11

8:30 p.m. - Girl Meets World - Disney

Thursday, May 14

9:00 p.m. - Wayward Pines - FOX

10:00 p.m. - Maron - IFC

Saturday, May 16

9:00 p.m. - Bessie (movie) - HBO

Sunday, May 17

9:00 p.m. - Keeping up with the Kardashians: About Bruce 2-night special - E

Monday, May 18

9:00 p.m. - Keeping up with the Kardashians: About Bruce 2-night special - E

9:00 p.m. - The Bachelorette - ABC

Wednesday, May 20

8:00 p.m. - MasterChef 2-Hour Premiere - FOX

8:00 p.m. - 500 Questions - ABC

Thursday, May 21

? p.m. - Between - Netflix

Netflix Premiere Schedule: The Full List of New And Returning Netflix Original Series

Friday, May 22

12:01 a.m. - Jen Kirkman: I’m Gonna Die Alone - Netflix

Monday, May 25

9:00 p.m. - Texas Rising - History

10:00 p.m. - The Island - NBC

Tuesday, May 26

8:00 p.m. - Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? - FOX

8:00 p.m. - America’s Got Talent - NBC

9:00 p.m. - Extreme Weight Loss -ABC

10:00 p.m. - I Can Do That - NBC

Wednesday, May 27

8:00 p.m. - The Briefcase - CBS

Thursday, May 28

9:00 p.m. - Aquarius - NBC

11:00 p.m. - Louis C.K.:Live From The Comedy Store - FX

Sunday, May 31

10:00 p.m. - Halt and Catch Fire - AMC

Monday, June 1

90:00 p.m. - Devious Maids - Lifetime

10:00 p.m. - Unreal - Lifetime

10:01 p.m. - The Whispers - ABC

Tuesday, June 2

8:00 p.m. - Pretty Little Liars Season 6 - ABC Family

9:00 p.m. - Stitchers - ABC Family

10:00 p.m. - Secrets & Wives - Bravo

Wednesday, June 3

8:00 p.m. - Melissa & Joey - ABC Family

9:00 p.m. - Baby Daddy - ABC Family

Thursday, June 4

10:00 p.m. - Hannibal - NBC

Friday, June 5

12:01 a.m. - Sense8 - Netflix

Saturday, June 6

9:00 p.m. - Power - Starz

Monday, June 8

8:00 p.m. - The Fosters - ABC Family

9:00 p.m. - Major Crimes - TNT

9:00 p.m. - Becoming Us - ABC Family

10:00 p.m. - Murder in the First - TNT

Wednesday, June 10

9:00 p.m. - Skin Wars - GSN

Thursday, June 11

8 p.m. - Beauty and the Beast - The CW

Friday, June 12

12:01 a.m. - Orange Is The New Black - Netflix

8:00 p.m. - Defiance - Syfy

10:00 p.m. - Dark Matter - Syfy

Saturday, June 13

10:00 p.m. - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - BBC America

Tuesday, June 16

9:00 p.m. - Rizzoli & Isles - TNT

10:00 p.m. - Proof - TNT

10:00 p.m. - Tyrant - FX

Thursday, June 18

8:00 p.m. - The Astronaut's Wives Club - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Mistresses two-hour premiere - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Complications - USA

Friday, June 19

9:00 p.m. - Killjoys - Syfy

Sunday, June 21

8:00 p.m. - Celebrity Family Feud - ABC

9:00 p.m. - BattleBots - ABC

9:00 p.m. - The Last Ship 2-Hour Premiere - TNT

9:00 p.m. - True Detective - HBO

10:00 p.m. - Ballers - HBO

10:30 p.m. - The Brink - HBO

Wednesday, June 24

8:00 p.m. - Big Brother Part 1 Premiere - CBS

9:00 p.m. - Suits - USA

10:00 p.m. - Mr. Robot - USA

Thursday, June 25

8:00 p.m. - Big Brother Part 2 Premiere - CBS

8:00 p.m. - Boom! - FOX

9:00 p.m. - Under The Dome - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Rookie Blue - ABC

10:00 p.m. - Graceland - USA

Friday, June 26

12:01 a.m. - What Happened Miss Simon - Netflix

Sunday, June 28

9:00 p.m. - Humans - AMC

10:00 p.m. - Falling Skies - TNT

Monday, June 29

10:00 p.m. - Teen Wolf - MTV

Tuesday, June 30

9:00 p.m. - Zoo - CBS

10 p.m. - Scream - MTV

Wednesday, July 1

10:00 p.m. - Extant - CBS

Thursday, July 2

8:00 p.m. - Food Fighters - NBC

Monday, July 6

8:00 p.m. - Penn & Teller: Fool Us - The CW

10:00 p.m. - Chasing Life - ABC Family

Tuesday, July 7

10:00 p.m. - Hollywood Game Night - NBC

Thursday, July 9

9:00 p.m. - Dates - the CW

10:00 p.m. - Dominion - Syfy

? p.m. - Rectify -Sundance

Friday, July 10

8:00 p.m. - Masters of Illusion - the CW

Saturday, July 11

10:00 p.m. - 7 Days in Hell - HBO

Sunday, July 12

9:00 p.m. - Ray Donovan - Showtime

10:00 p.m. - Masters of Sex - Showtime

10:00 p.m. - The Strain - FX

10:00 p.m. - Naked And Afraid XL - Discovery

Monday, July 13

10:00 p.m. - Running Wild with Bear Gryllis - NBC

Thursday, July 16

10:00 p.m. - Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll - FX

10:30 p.m. - Married - FX

11:30 p.m. - Geeks Who Drink - Syfy

Friday, July 17

12:01 a.m. - BoJack Horseman - Netflix

Saturday, July 18

9:00 p.m. - Hell on Wheels - AMC

9:00 p.m. - Mythbusters - Discovery

Sunday, July 19

8:00 p.m. - Welcome To Sweden - NBC

9:00 p.m. - Tut - Spike TV

Monday, July 20

9:00 p.m. - Degrassi (final season) - TeenNick

Wednesday, July 22

9:00 p.m. - Last Comic Standing - NBC

9:00 p.m. - Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! - Syfy

Sunday, July 26

9:00 p.m. - I am Cait - E!

10:30 p.m. - Rick & Morty - Adult Swim

Tuesday, July 28

9:00 p.m. - Face Off - Syfy

Friday, July 31

12:01 a.m. - Wet Hot American Summer - Netflix

8:00 p.m. - Cold Justice - TNT

9:00 p.m. - Cold Justice: Sex Crimes - TNT

Sunday, August 3

8:00 p.m. - Bachelor in Paradise - ABC

9:30 p.m. - Significant Mother - The CW

Monday, August 4

10:00 p.m. - Playing House - USA

Wednesday, August 5

8:00 p.m. - America’s Next Top Model - The CW

9:00 p.m. - A Wicked Offer - The CW

9:00 p.m. - Mr. Robinson - NBC

9:30 p.m. - The Carmichael Show - NBC

Sunday, August 16

9:00 p.m. - Show Me A Hero - HBO

Saturday, August 22

9:00 p.m. - Blunt Talk - Starz

9:30 p.m. - Survivor's Remorse - Starz

Sunday, August 23

8:00 p.m. - Switched at Birth - ABC Family

9:00 p.m. - Fear The Walking Dead - AMC

Tuesday, August 25

10:00 p.m. - Public Morals - TNT

Monday, August 31

9 p.m. - Awkward - MTV

9:30 p.m. - Faking It - MTV

10:00 p.m. - Todrick - MTV

Fall TV Schedule: When The Fall 2015 TV Shows Will Air

The further away we get from the Golden Age of Television, the more butts, blood and four-letter words are taking over the airwaves. This has always been the case with premium cable networks like HBO, but some regular cable networks have been loosening the reins for years now, and we’re seemingly not far away from no holds barred television all over the dial. Except for CBS, probably.

While some people obviously have severe problems with nudity and violence on television, I revel in that kind of stuff. But it was still no easy task to put together the 10 most explicit TV series of 2014, because some of these shows’ filters seem to either be absent or clogged with hair and viscera. What a year, though. Enjoy!

Game of Thrones

Most Notorious For: Sex and violence

The King of Pirated TV is also in the royal family of Stuff That Kids Shouldn’t Watch. The violence isn’t always so graphic, especially during traditional sword fights, but when it goes there, it’s an eye-gougingly disgusting affair. As well, it seems like every other conversation held indoors is happening in front of female prostitutes putting an orgy together. Not to mention Cersei’s on again-on again love affair with Jamie, her brother, which is the center of an extremely uncomfortable confession. Did we mention patricide and purple corpse-faces?

Banshee

Most Notorious For: Over-the-top violence and uncomfortable sex

Cinemax is a channel mostly known for its late-night softcore flicks, but the network is now pushing forward with original programming, and Banshee is the hardcore ringleader of the bunch. Banshee is executive produced by Alan Ball, and it definitely shows in the incest-lite business happening between crime boss Kai Proctor and his promiscuous Amish niece Rebecca, whose lovers inevitably find themselves in fatal harm’s way. And then there’s the 1980s action movie level of heightened gunplay going on all the time.

Veep

Most Notorious For: Insanely vulgar language

There isn’t a curse word known to man that someone on Veep hasn’t turned into a knee-slappingly hilarious insult, or even just a slice of life observation, such as Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ Selina Kyle pondering, “Hey, I’m the President. I can fuck anybody I want now, right?” Add in a slew of bad taste political jabs – “Someone has just flown two planes into my career.” – and you quickly learn that it doesn’t take bare skin and decapitations to jump the line into explicitness. Although I’m sure everyone is thinking about murdering Jonah in the most horrific ways imaginable. Maybe in Season 4…

Hannibal

Most Notorious For: Violence and gore

Get this: a thriller about a currently closeted cannibalistic serial killer set in a world of other dangerous murderers is one of the most explicit series on TV. Who’d have thought? What IS surprising, however, is that Hannibal gets away with its blood lust and mayhem on NBC, a network known more for cancelling awful comedies. The entire face-contorting Mason Verger storyline alone was enough for this show to make the list, but it was hardly the only troublesome thing happening. And it’s only going to get more extreme next year. Go Bryan Fuller!

True Blood

Most Notorious For: Everything imaginable

True Blood has gotten increasingly ridiculous over its lifespan (or is it unlifespan?), and Season 7 saw no reason to make any exceptions. Even if all that happened this season were the deaths, it would still be one of the most disgusting series in 2014. Disregarding characters that died in relatively normal ways, this season showed us someone getting their stomach ripped out, someone getting their jaw ripped off of their face, a head-bashing, and TWO exploding vamps. The one in the finale was more important, but the earlier incident, in which Arlene has one exploding into goop right between her legs, was one of the nastiest visuals on TV this year.

Sons of Anarchy

Most Notorious For: Vulgar language, sex and violence

For its seventh and final season, Sons of Anarchy pulled out all the stops – and TWO eyeballs – in concluding the violence-ridden existence of Jax Teller and SAMCRO. This season featured a second “carving fork stabbing in the skull,” as well as a slew of other horrifying murders. But what got the show in more trouble this year than anything else? A cold open montage of just about every main character in the show having sex, some more pleasurably than others. What do you think bothered the PTC more: Charlie Hunnam’s buttocks or Tig getting it on with the transgender badass Venus?

Girls

Most Notorious For: Sex and vulgar language

2014 kicked off not only with Season 3 of Girls, but with TheWrap’s Tim Molloy getting slaughtered by creator Lena Dunham and executive producer Judd Apatow (and the rest of the Internet) for blatantly asking Dunham why she was naked all the time in her own show. Regardless of how all that turned out, it’s undeniable that Dunham’s character Hannah is naked a lot, both for sexual indulgency and also just hanging out around the house. Add that to some foul-mouthed arguments and the other characters’ sex lives and you have yet another HBO series that could never find a home on network TV without a heavy editing hand.

American Horror Story

Most Notorious For: Weird sex, violence, racism and gore

It was a gimme that this series would be on this list, as Ryan Murphy is the Crown Prince of making things unnecessarily disgusting. Freak Show seemed like it would focus most of its exploitation on the freaks themselves, such as Legless Suzy or the conjoined twins. But no, we had a jaw-less murderer clown wreaking havoc, the son of a too-loving mother bathing in blood, a lobster-handed dude plowing an extremely obese woman and obsessing about her bosom, the smallest woman in the world dead in a jar, and more than one reference to a monstrous penis. Then there’s the three-tittied Desiree and her giant clitoris. And who could forget the ending of Coven, in which Kathy Bates’ slave-murdering origin is played out?

The Leftovers

Most Notorious For: Violence, sex, gore and inducing major depression

In adapting the quasi-post-apocalyptic novel The Leftovers, author Tom Perrotta and Damon Lindelof created one of the darkest and most damning series on TV. A show that takes place after 2% of the world disappears simultaneously, The Leftovers plays fast and loose with extreme forms of grief, maniacal anger, mental disorders, cold-blooded murder, cold-blooded suicide, and much more. Every downtrodden event is amped up for pure misery, even without mass amounts of blood and nudity. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, everything involving the Loved Ones line of dead people replica dolls is far more horrifying than murder, especially in the finale.

The Walking Dead

Most Notorious For: Violence and gore

It’s easier to think about extremely disgusting sequences on The Walking Dead than it is to remember scenes where nothing awful is happening. Though there was a little bit of sex this year, the ratings juggernaut is more in tune with gorily mowing down zombies with a fire hose, or putting Carl in danger of getting raped, or seeing cannibals do their cannibal thing, or just straight up killing main characters off. And what if they’re not necessarily a main character, but a side child character? Yeah, they also do horrific things and then get killed for them. No one is safe here, especially not the viewers.

HBO’s drama The Leftovers is making some big changes during Season 2. This week, news broke that the show will be switching up locations during the upcoming season. Because of the changes, a good chunk of the show’s cast is also getting cut from the new season. Reportedly, many of the supporting roles in the series will not be back for Season 2, although some people could return in a guest starring capacity.

Season 2 isn’t expected to begin airing until the summer of 2015, so it could be some time before the entire new season totally comes together. The show is currently figuring out where it will go during the next set of episodes, and Deadline reports that many of the side characters will be cut. That could include Charlie and Max Carver, Annie Q, Amanda Warren, Michael Gaston, Emily Meade and more, although other side characters may pop in for guesting roles. Currently being looked at to guest during Season 2 are Liv Tyler and Ann Dowd. As Dowd’s character, Patti, has already committed suicide on the show, her stint would probably have to be via the flashback sequences the show has already committed to using.

If you’ve been watching The Leftovers and are fans of many of the leads, the entire Garvey family (Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Margaret Qualley and Chris Zylka) are expected to return for Season 2. Carrie Coon, who plays Nora Durst on the series, is also reportedly signed on to return next summer, as is Christopher Eccleston, who plays Reverend Matt Jamison on the series. The outlet’s report doesn’t mention characters like Scott Glenn, who plays Kevin Garvey’s father in the series, so it’s still a bit unclear how much these casting changes will end up affecting The Leftovers moving forward.

When The Leftovers last left off in September, we last saw panic ensue as the cult-like Guilty Remnant group left life-like burial dolls of departed family members in their former homes. Some Mapleton community members were angry while others were devastated. Nora nearly left new beau Kevin but stuck around after finding a baby left on his doorstep. Kevin and the former reverend also cleaned up after the death of Patti. Throughout the season, the show also hinted at larger plot threads going on in the country at large. For instance, Kevin worked with the government on the Guilty Remnant problem and learned they weren’t the only group causing headaches and panic. Apparently, the show wants to pursue the world at large during Season 2 and casting changes are a part of that.

When The Leftovers premiered, the ratings were a little lackluster, considering the show came from Lost producer Damon Lindelof and seemed like it would probably have a fanbase built in. The Leftovers is a darker and more depressing endeavor than Lost and its fanbase is predictably more niche. Still, HBO showed confidence in the drama, renewing The Leftovers a few weeks before the Season 1 finale.

Obviously, it’s a little early to tell how much the changes will interrupt the flow of the narrative, and it doesn’t seem like HBO has even wholly figured out who will be back for Season 2. However, we do know that changes are afoot and that The Leftovers is totally switching up gears for the new season. Maybe that will amp up the action a little during Season 2, as well.

If you’ve paid even the most minimal attention to my write-ups week after week, you know that I just wholeheartedly buy into The Leftovers with both feet in, or whatever mixed metaphors Damon Lindelof and Tom Perotta would prefer. I can’t say it’s perfect, but I can say it’s perfect for me, or at least the gremlin-looking thing inside of me that feeds upon shards of hate-bile and insectile fragments of depression. I can’t imagine anyone expected “The Prodigal Son Returns” to be a marathon of joyful surface conversations, and it was indeed yet another exercise in uncharacteristically enjoyable drama eked out through surreality, violence and questionable coincidences. Just like your grandmother used to make.

”Stop fucking talking to yourself and they’ll let you watch TV.”

Knowing that Season 2 of The Leftovers is another 42 weeks or so away, it wasn’t surprising that no one opened up a yellow envelope with a sheet inside that definitively answered how crazy Kevin actually is. For most of the episode, he’s kind of a rugged badass. Burying mean bitches (Patti’s throat-gouged corpse) and saving whiny unsympathetic bitches (soot-faced Jill) from dying in fires.

But then we get another positively superb dream sequence, where Kevin is thrown into the same institution where his father is usually hanging around, watching old TGIF and shit. The mysterious National Geographic and its Cairo story make an appearance, as does a walking, talking and smoking Patti, who straddles Kevin and seductively works the phrase “Not deep enough,” into the conversation. Kevin then calls Kevin Sr. “Daddy,” and we’re thankfully soon taken out of this creepster dream with Matt talking about cheeseburgers.

Matt saves the day and helps Kevin n burying Patti, making Kevin read about Job over her grave as payment. (There are a lot of things I could ponder about Matt doing this, but his shadowed glee over Patti’s death is all the answer I need.) Ever the kind soul, Matt tries to make Kevin understand that he is a good man, and that’s certainly tested once they make it back to Mapleton, where all of the shit has hit all of the fans.

It’s Memorial Day, guys!

And with Memorial Day comes the Guilty Remnant’s Big Plan in the Big Binder, and it’s as bad as we expected. The Remnant not only dressed the Loved Ones dolls in the same clothes that they disappeared in, but also posed them in all of the same settings they were in when they departed. It’s hard to imagine how the Remnant knew where everyone was, but I’m guessing maybe they tapped into the government’s files to read what people’s interviews said. It was incredibly heinous, however they achieved it, and the bullets and beatings that marked the episode’s climax were completely expected.

It says something about this show’s approach to darkness that viewers stay mostly with Kevin during the destruction of the Guilty Remnant’s cul-de-sac. These are people who sanctimoniously denounce anyone who hasn’t obsessively committed themselves to remembering the Departed, and there are all kinds of morals being tested during this sequence. If someone broke into your home – and isn’t it something that no Mapleton residents who lost people are ever awake to catch these morbid Santas? – and put your missing family at the same breakfast table where they disappeared from, would you consider it a crime punishable by a lethal and impulsive gunshot? Had too much time been spent on this rampant retribution, my brain might have imploded over what Twitter would look like if this really happened. #Mapleton.

But we do get into the moral underpinnings of Kevin, as he immediately loses the bigger picture and saves Laurie as soon as he arrives at the cul-de-sac. When she finally speaks, after all this time, it’s to say Jill’s name, pointing Kevin to one of the burning houses. He leaves her behind and hauls ass inside, passing up one unconscious person after the other until he finds Jill, whom he then carries outside and holds hands with for the rest of the episode. Perhaps Kevin was pushed forward by the mayor telling him he was right about “them,” but he takes nary a second look at any other Remnant in his quest, leaving them all to burn. Good for Kevin, probably.

Lil Wayne

So let’s get into the more happenstance incidents. First, the makeshift family of Tom, Christine and Wayne’s wedlocked baby soon becomes just Tom and Wayne’s wedlocked baby when Christine leaves him behind in a public restroom. This happens right after a Grace Church minister asks him if he needs any help, as that’s what Grace Church people do. I’m assuming this also took place in Gift Horse’s Mouth, Pennsylvania. (Did anyone else think the bus’ color was just the right shade of “mailbox blue” to fit in with that recurring theme?)

When we catch up with Tom again, he’s driving past Laurie, who is looking mighty suicidal while standing in a big body of water. But then there’s Tom and his hat and his hat hair, and it looks like they might have a reconnection. But where’s the baby? He’s on Kevin’s doorstep, where I’m guessing Tom left him, because Tom don’t want none of that “not my baby” shit. So who has him now?

Dear Kevin

As you can imagine, the Mapleton character who takes Memorial Day the hardest is Nora, whose breakfast table family is a horrifying reminder that happiness and acceptance are only ever temporary states of mind. She begins writing what sounds like a suicide letter, but it’s soon revealed to just be a “I’m sick of this fucking town and I need to leave” letter, which she addresses to Kevin because they might have loved each other and she didn’t have anyone else she wanted to write to. The fact that Coon’s voice breaks during the voiceover letter-reading is one of those weird cinematic things that I usually don’t like, but was okay with here.

As she’s going to leave her letter at his door, Nora sees Lil Wayne all abandoned and shit on Kevin’s porch, and she immediately embraces this kid without even looking to see if anyone else is up there and just not standing right by him. And when Kevin and Jill walk up, all dirty and tired, Nora’s just on his porch, laughing and once again joyful. Nobody said, “What the fuck is happening?” and it was almost peaceful. Almost.

”But it led me right back home.”

It’s hard to believe that The Leftovers is over for a while. It’s hard to believe that Holy Wayne storyline ended with him as a fugitive in a police shootout who dies in a public bathroom with Kevin’s unspoken wish possibly fulfilled. It’s especially hard to believe Lil Wayne wasn’t getting more snuggle time.

This was as proper a season finale as I could have hoped for. With Nina Simone’s classic cover of “Ne Me Quitte Pas” and an orchestral rendition of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” (among other songs), this was a win in the soundtrack department. Because I’m on board with this show, I don’t care that we’re still left with a thousand questions, because that just means Season 2 won’t be starting from scratch with plot development. The editing and direction in “The Prodigal Son Returns” were on par with the most effective that this season has given us, and I’m left surprisingly complacent with how everything turned out. How can I be so happy with something that provoked so little happiness?

Anyway, It’s time to take all my white clothing out of the dryer now, so maybe I’ll see you next year, when the legal age to drink in Mapleton will be lowered to 12, because who the hell wants to be a sober 12-year-old in Mapleton?

Leftover Thoughts

It was good, I guess, to see that Laurie was initially thinking Jill shouldn’t be a Remnant, taking her cigarette away and telling her to go home. To be fair, it’s possible Laurie would have allowed it at some point earlier in the month, or after all that Memorial Day business was said and done. (If it ever will be.)

So, fuck Meg for being a piece of shit character all season. I don’t really understand what she was good for, other than showing viewers someone who converted. No fault on Liv Tyler, who was perfectly UGH as Meg. I hope she gets bamboozled by stones next season.

Kevin Sr. talks to Patti before we see her, but I’m not sure what that means as far as who Kevin Sr. is actually having his supernatural conversations with. It was all in Kevin’s head anyway, but I wonder if we’re supposed to take something from it.

Tom and Christine totally would have had the “Wayne isn’t really coming, is he?” conversation about a thousand times by that point. Should we congratulate her for sticking around as long as she did? Plus, what the fuck, Tom?

It’s an easy choice to think that Kevin’s wish to the dying Wayne was to get his family back. But I happen to think he really wished to have the dog come back and be nice to him. And that happened, not like the family thing.

Also, I wonder if Nora’s revitalized sadness was a sign that Holy Wayne’s hug wasn’t a “real” thing.

Will Holy Wayne’s background come up again in Season 2? I want to know why mentioning Russia and having physical contact with Kevin were the questions the federal agent asked. It seems like the physical contact part would be tied into his healings. Or maybe he just likes to also touch dudes in restrooms.

When Kevin was worried about Matt touching Patti’s eyelids, why didn’t someone just mention he could use a thing other than his fingerprint-laden fingertips?

“You were…with her, at the moment of Departure?” Reverend Matt should have a Pete Holmes-style podcast.

“You have no greater purpose. Because ‘it’ is enough.”

In flipping through channels tonight, stopping on HBO during one of many different scenes in The Leftovers' "The Garveys at Their Best," one might have assumed that Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta had completely retooled the series, with amity and jubilance substituted in as its standard emotions. Of course, there were plenty of scenes oozing the expected darkness and despair, but still…people were smiling! And laughing! And not dying!

Choosing not to progress the sobering events at the end of last week’s episode, The Leftovers instead clues viewers into the events of the days prior to the Sudden Departure that led the series premiere. And I guess it’s no surprise that things weren’t completely hunky dory back then, either, despite the episode title's inherent positivity.

The Garveys were a completely different family unit back then, albeit one still just smitten with keeping problems nearby. Kevin “secretly” didn’t quit smoking, hiding his cigarettes beneath the show’s signature blue mailbox, the same place Tommy had to put Holy Wayne’s money. (Linkage!) He’s possibly starting to see the first signs of his impending fugue states, but rather than seek help, he just chooses to snap at Laurie – who is a therapist that could clearly find a way to open Kevin up if she wanted to – and take on the personal mission of setting free a wild deer that keeps trapping itself in homes and schools. He fails to tranquilize the deer when he has the chance, and it ends up getting hit by a car, driven by a woman that Kevin decides to sleep with. That she disappears mid-coitus thanks to the big mysterious Departure, well, that’s just The Leftovers’ mascot Captain Karma coming to save pleasure from being pleasurable. That’s what happens to people who know they aren’t good guys, and it's not even made clear if this is his first attempt at philandering or merely the latest.

Either way, Kevin chooses the absolute worst time to stick his dick in random women, as Laurie is dealing with a secret mistimed pregnancy. One that, it’s worth mentioning, is played in the beginning of the episode as if it’s an illness, which felt less like an intentional script misdirect and more like Laurie’s own inner dialogue about the pregnancy. “Point of no return” only comes up in pregnant talk when abortions are being considered, so we know that Laurie is in a fragile state of mind, definitely not helped along by patient Patti’s quatrain-free predictions of world-ending catastrophes and her sixth sense that Laurie has a big problem inside her. Not to mention breeder Gladys’ near-insistence that Laurie adopt a new puppy. (One that Kevin initially chose to make her get despite her not wanting to, even though he really didn’t want it in the first place; another sign that Kevin is pretty much a walking bag of bullshit all the time.)

Laurie’s episode-ending moment is downright dreadful, as she somewhat mournfully succumbs to hearing the fetus’ heartbeat for the first time at an ultrasound, only to have it taken out of her during the Departure. Like everything else on this show, whether she keeps this incident a secret or not is unknown at this point, but it’s definitely the first time audiences are gut-punched by it. The Leftovers is a show that plays loose with a central belief system among its characters and cults, but I’m pretty sure having a fetus as a Departed cements all the series' views on where life begins. In any case, this is definitely the kind of thing that would drive someone to a cult whose mission statement is “It don’t matter, y’all.” Seriously, anything to get Laurie away from calendar pages quoting “The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground,” which sounds like a reading from the book of Dumb Shit Proverbs.

Tommy is perhaps the only Garvey whose inner peace is ruined rather quickly, as we catch up to him when Kevin is springing him from the back of another cop’s vehicle. The thing is, he isn’t even a Garvey, by blood anyway, as it’s revealed he got drunk and re-visited the house of his birth father Michael, who felt forced to get physical in removing Tommy from his property. That bit of uncomfortable self-defense got Michael assaulted by Kevin in front of his own kid, whom Kevin eyes dismissively. It’s clear that Tommy finding out about his real dad was a really big deal to him, and that Michael’s past with Laurie was rife with some kind of mayhem. A Season 2 storyline, perhaps?

Jill, meanwhile, loves YouTube and showing off her braces while smiling and laughing. As I expected, her story is more forced than everyone else’s, although we thankfully don’t actually see her make a hairpin transition from science fair participant to the cynical monster she becomes. She’s just…bubbly, though the rift between her and Laurie blinks open when she mentions Laurie not going to the science fair last year. It’s a wonder that a declaration as simple as that could have major ramifications in this story, or it might just be a signifier of Laurie’s marriage to her work, though that point isn’t really touched upon otherwise.

Then there’s Nora, whose family life is immediately overwhelmed by her attempts to become future Mayor Lucy’s campaign manager (or something like that). She’s unhappy with her job and she clearly doesn’t realize that her husband is cheating on her – with one of the teachers in the “deer in the school” scene – so obviously her moments just before the Departure would be yelling at her daughter for spilling orange juice on her phone right when Lucy is calling, presumably about the job. HEAP IT ON, GUYS! Nora definitely deserves her Legacy status in Mapleton, but I wish somebody would have put a new paper towel roll on that rack, saving her from living with such regret over those last words. I cannot believe this series has once again made me depressed about paper towels.

No need to worry about Reverend Matt, though, because nothing bad happens to him for once. He’s seen smiling and dancing with his very lively wife, and he toasts Mapleton Man of the Year Kevin Sr. for his birthday party. It looks like things will get hairy when he goes to the doctor for a potentially cancerous mass somewhere in his body, but he gets news good enough to celebrate, so off the couple goes, with her driving and him drinking. And then the Departure hits, leading to previously alluded to car crash that left Mary catatonic. So even though he's happy in this episode, Matt gets television’s Most Depressing Implication of 2014.

All in all, this was a fine episode that had me momentarily thinking it would sidestep distress for a while, though Kevin’s mid-episode visual survey of his father’s birthday crowd opened the floodgates to the darker elements. I was bothered that Kevin “Deer Fuckin’ Plural” Sr. didn’t get a big moment like everyone else, other than telling Kevin the quote at the top, reminding him that he isn’t at the center of anything but himself. But it’s obvious that Kevin actually is in the eyesight of some weird cosmic fate, as indicated by a car passenger’s “mistaking” him for someone else, followed by a manhole cover being blown sky high right in front of him. (I’m not willing to consider what “manhole” might mean in terms of metaphors.)

There were so many neat (for severe lack of a better word) coincidences and connections pulling this show's many narrative points together, so I could easily forgive Kevin Sr.’s future madness not bearing any fruit here. I mean, we get to see the origin story of Patti shitting in a bag and leaving it on her ex-husband Neil’s doorstep. (I still want to know more about their abusive relationship though, because I’m a dramatic sadist like that.) Plus, we were introduced to the Down Syndrome son of the parents whom Nora interviewed in an earlier episode; they were understandably a little distracted by the giant CGI deer wrecking fucking shop all over their two-story house.

As we approach next week’s finale, I’m not sure that The Leftovers will deliver any conclusions airtight enough to last the long break until Season 2 begins, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. “The Garveys at Their Best” presented far more background information than I thought we’d ever get, further imbuing every single line and facial expression with the utmost potential importance. Even if it doesn’t end up meaning everything, the fact that it appears to is enough for me, and I currently foresee no regrets where The Leftovers is concerned. But then I'm no Patti.

Tune in next week, where we may or may not discover the mystery behind why Kevin has Jody Reynolds’ “The Girl from King Marie” on his jogging playlist.

“Oh, what to do, Kevin? What to fuckin’ do?”

So, The Leftovers gets renewed for a second season a few days ago, and in my head I’m sincerely saying, “Sweet, we now get to watch the drama build up between Kevin and Patti until it reaches insurmountable heights next year, though we’ll have to sit through mystery after mystery being stretched out until they crumble beneath their own weight.” Then came “Cairo,” which completely deflated both of my expectations. Deflated, like a plastic bag stuck over a person’s face.

Patti Takes One for the Team

Kevin has definitely gone bananas, as evidenced by his fugue state adventures in and around his family’s cabin in Cairo, New York. Not only is this the place where he’s been spending most, if not all, of his “lost nights,” it's also the location of all of his missing white shirts. (Remember when he drunkenly stole all those clothes? Oh, that Kevin.) There’s also a bucket and a bunch of boots out there, causing one to wonder the extent of what Kevin has been getting up to out there.

He wakes up inside of his truck, and the ever-present Dog-Killer Dean takes him inside the cabin, where Patti is tied to a chair. Dean does a bunch of interesting things in this branch of the storyline. He clues Kevin in on Patti’s rather violent kidnapping, saying that Kevin wanted to end that problem once and for all. The mystery behind Kevin's new dog is revealed, as Kevin bet Dean one dollar that he could civilize one of the wild canines. (That clearly didn’t happen, though we’ll probably never find out since Jill cut it free.) Dean also tries to kill Patti once Kevin is obviously having second, third, fourth and fifth thoughts about the situation.

Just after Kevin rips a hole in the plastic that Dean put over Patti’s head, Dean tells Kevin he wanted to help him before somewhat randomly blurting out “Shut the fuck up! I tried,” before walking out the door. Now, one way to look at this line is to assume that Dean the “Guardian Angel” is also hearing the voices that Kevin’s father is hearing, and that they advised him to kill Patti. Another way to look at it is he was sarcastically responding to Patti’s gasps. But then it’s also still entirely possible that Dean is some kind of a friendly to the Guilty Remnant, and that he’s got a more nefarious place surrounding Kevin’s insanity. What if Dean made up everything and he and Patti cooked this plan up from the start, with her fully intending to die that day? After all, she confesses to Gladys’ murder being a set-up and Dean does always have tobacco in his mouth – although tonight featured his rare bulge-less lip for a scene.

In any case, the very vocal Patti ends up telling Kevin the day-to-day motivations behind the Remnant, and it’s a lot of what we’ve heard before. Complete emotional stripping. Total devotion to becoming Living Reminders of the Departure. Yadda yadda yadda. Kevin doesn’t want to hear any of it, and Patti’s implied threat of Laurie’s life in the future made it seem like he would actually heed her Yeats recital and kill her, yet she is the one who ends her own life, plunging a shard of glass into her throat. She smiled as she died, telling Kevin that he understands. But does he? Do we?

Memorial Day Plans

Much like an ornament maker’s best time of year is Christmas, a cult that demands people remember the single worst event in the history of the world will of course flock to Memorial Day to make their damaging statements heard. “Cairo” never comes out and says exactly what the Remnant’s plans are, but it appears obvious through the repeated clues that they’re going to completely fuck with Mapleton’s still grieving population.

Patti spent the opening scene referring to a massive binder marked “M.D.” and setting out clothes of all styles and sizes on the floor of their church. Later, a huge order of what I’m assuming is Loved Ones prosthetic dolls arrives at the Remnant’s headquarters, so it seems like they’re going to dress up all of Mapleton’s Departed and put them somewhere where their family members will have full visual access. And now that Patti is gone – though no one at the Remnant appears to know that yet – Laurie is taking responsibility for the group’s actions, just as she was groomed to.

Aimee and Jill Go Up a Hill

Even though she didn’t lose any of her family members to the Departure, Jill is probably the mopiest person in Mapleton, constantly trying to drag down everyone else’s day. I’m perfectly fine with Margaret Qualley’s tear-glistened pouts, but Jill is by far my least favorite character here. (Or maybe it’s the twins, I’m not sure.) Jill is obsessed with the fact that Nora carries a gun for some reason, and then becomes obsessed with the fact that Nora isn’t carrying a gun anymore for some reason. For if Nora no longer carries around personal protection, then maybe that means she’s been able to find true happiness in a post-Departure world. Or something. Maybe if Jill talked to her Holy Wayne-following brother, she'd realize happiness exists for only $1000 without a family discount.

So Jill and the twins break into Nora’s house, where she finds the gun hidden inside a Trouble game box beneath Nora’s dead son’s still-made bed, but not before messing with the intended stillness of this memory cocoon. It appears Jill is just as confused as everyone else, because her next move is to leave the house and head off for the Remnant’s headquarters, where an emotionally teetering Laurie needs her most. I guess she set the dog free so she could really just...be alone or whatever.

Well, before she did that, she kind of ended her friendship/roommateship with Aimee, who gets severely offended when Jill asks if Aimee and Kevin fucked. It’s been one of my favorite forehead-wrinkling mysteries in this show, and it’s still not clear if anything actually happened or not. With an increasing amount of stoner sarcasm and assumed betrayal, Aimee says that she did fuck him on a pile of guns. If she and Kevin didn’t have some kind of a weird thing happening, she probably wouldn’t have gotten so touchy so quickly, and also might not have referenced Jill’s recent gun fascination in her description. Maybe what they did was “make love,” and she was just mad at the thought of them doing anything more primal. Blech.

What the hell is up with Aimee anyway? Is anybody in her family dead? Given the way she was asking Nora about her government questions, it doesn’t appear she’s gone through anything like that herself. Or maybe she was one of the people who freaked out. Hopefully we’ll find out more about her during her house-to-house jaunting next week, but I won't be upset if we don't.

Other Mapleton Events

The only reason I like Liv Tyler’s Meg more than Jill is because she’s inside the Remnant, where interesting shit often happens, but she at least made her presence felt in “Cairo.” Much of it came in the form of swearing and beating the shit out of the flyer-flinging Matt, who exploited her mother’s death in one of his notorious adverts. (Did anyone notice how the flyers just kept raining down throughout the scene, regardless of if it made sense or not?) She eventually apologizes to him, giving him hope for the future, but she’s clearly not on his side. I’m not even sure whose side she’s on, really, as she seemed to get a rise out of turning Laurie into an emotional wreck, drawing a physical reaction out of her. (A slap to the face and mouth-muzzling.) What’s going on here?

Nora is still a bright and chipper person, calmly deflecting Jill’s negativity and even offering her street-dwelling Remnant followers some Rice Krispies treats. Even though we’ve already been in her house, it was still pretty depressing to see the things that remained and the things that were gone, like certain pictures on the wall. But her life is about to get a lot more complicated if she sticks by Kevin’s side.

What can possibly happen to Kevin next week? Will he finally read the National Geographic that had Cairo on the cover, perhaps stumbling upon a key to a lock to a hint of a ghost of a clue as to what is happening to him? Beyond his mental problems, what about the consequences of Patti’s kidnapping-turned-suicide? Is Dean really gone? Are Kevin’s fingers going to swell up to the size of watermelons after fighting that tree? Too many questions for only two more Leftovers episodes!

We hope you have enough anti-depressants to last you through the end of 2015, because HBO President of Programming Michael Lombardo has announced that the still-airing drama The Leftovers has been renewed for Season 2. Audiences will now get a whole new season to scratch their heads until they bleed, wondering what the hell is happening and why it's impossible to stop watching. This is great news, certainly, but I guess that means we won’t be finding out any concrete answers at the end of Season 1. (As if that were even an option.)

The Leftovers is based on the popular novel of the same name by Tom Perrota, who co-created the show with Damon Lindelof, a writer/producer whose arguably botched work on Lost and Star Trek Into Darkness had many people wary of what this HBO series would become. Fortunately, it’s turned into one of TV’s most gripping dramas, with a streak of fully realized grief and dark humor that rival any series that’s come before it. On the whole, I don’t even think Six Feet Under was this emotionally oppressive.

Justin Theroux stars as Kevin Garvey, the police chief in the New York town of Mapleton, one of thousands of communities around the globe that was affected by the Sudden Departure, a Rapture-like event in which two percent of the world’s population inexplicably vanished. Society changed dramatically, particularly with the rising of the Guilty Remnant, a cultish group who promote their message of emotional depletion by chain smoking and vowing silence. The Remnant’s members include Amy Brenneman as Kevin’s estranged wife Laurie, Liv Tyler as new recruit Meg and Ann Dowd as the conniving leader Patti.

Kevin’s daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley) is a teenager bleakly skating through life with her friend Aimee (Emily Meade), and his son Tom (Chris Zylka) is in the middle of a strange plot involving a pregnant Asian woman and a faith hugger/healer named Holy Wayne (Patterson Joseph). Elsewhere in Mapleton are failed preacher Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston), whose attempts to de-glorify the Departed are met with anger, and Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), a multi-faceted survivor who lost her entire family to the Departure. And then there’s Dean (Michael Gaston), a guy who goes around chewing tobacco and shooting wild dogs in the face.

There are more than enough stories here for The Leftovers to make it through an additional season, and the inclusion of Lost-like episodes devoted to single characters have helped to really put this show over the top. Though honestly, I wouldn’t mind if every episode stuck with Kevin, as Theroux is one of the best things happening on TV right now, anchoring the doom-and-gloom with unhinged impulsivity. Check out where his potential insanity will lead him in this Sunday night’s episode with the preview below.

The Leftovers will make its Season 2 debut in Summer 2015, but there are still three more episodes left in Season 1. Grab your favorite noose-shaped handkerchief and watch on.

This week, HBO’s The Leftovers avoided any and all instances of people dying of stone bludgeonings, and no animals were shot in the face. As a matter of fact, this episode was downright peachy in terms of emotional turmoil. Still, they just HAD to trash a library in the middle of the episode, leaving a bunch of poor innocent books and magazines strewn all over the place. All because Kevin Garvey Sr. wanted to find a specific issue of National Geographic. He could have just looked through them and carefully put aside the ones he didn’t need; instead, he scattered them around like sprinkles on a library floor-flavored cupcake and then broke a computer. He truly is a madman.

“Solace for Tired Feet” is an episode that is all about the connections between fathers and sons. Not in a universal sense, but very specifically how all three of the Garvey boys’ are linked together, whether it’s mentally or physically. Kevin Sr. flew the institutional coop, taking a quick detour to save his granddaughter from suffocating inside of a junk refrigerator, and then hit up the library. He really, really wants Kevin to look inside of a National Geographic from 1972 that he tracked down and bought secondhand. (Although he doesn’t particularly want to include Kevin in it, whatever “it” is.)

But Kevin has had about enough of this shit, and refuses to read it. It’s no matter that Kevin Sr. rips the Nat Geo up and goes bonkers inside of a diner, for there’s another issue at Kevin's house! Jill ordered it for Kevin Sr., and even though Kevin is angry at first, he still looks inside of it and…We have no idea, because that’s when they skip off to some other stuff! It’s worth noting here that Kevin Sr. was responsible for burning down a library before being carted off to his rehabilitation, so whatever is in that magazine must be exceptionally interesting.

Kevin appears to be headed down the path to Voice-Hearing Crazyland that his father currently resides in, only experiencing his prophetic visions through dreams instead of waking audio hallucinations. (Assuming that Kevin Sr. isn’t sane as a fiddle, or whatever.) He sits down to guard his front door and passes out almost immediately, dreaming of a dog inside of a mailbox and Remnant bodies in the back of Dog Killer Dean’s pickup truck. When he wakes up: bark, bark bark, ouch, ouch, ouch. There’s a dog in his backyard, assumedly there to guard the peanut butter jar of money, and bitemarks on his hand. His bandaged hand, that is, as tended to the night before by Jill’s friend Aimee, who is the one who questions his memory about the experience. Is Kevin going crazy, or is Aimee just spiking his drinks with date rape drugs?

Speaking of mailboxes and injured hands, we once again get to touch base with Kevin’s son Tom, who is tending to a very pregnant Christine in Gary, Indiana. Tom finally gets a call from Wayne, who is dismissively aloof, demanding that Tom deliver money to a mailbox in town. The youngest Garvey male is good on bringing the money, but he follows the guy who picks it up, discovering him to be a cokehead who is similarly accompanying a pregnant Asian ladyfriend of Wayne’s. Upon hearing of Christine’s existence, new preggo woman Liane brandishes a weapon and puts a bullet through Tom’s hand. The episode ends with Christine having a 15-lb. baby girl with an umbilical cord big enough for Tarzan to swing from, but enough about this C-story that I could really care less about. (For the record, both Kevin and Tom smashed cell phones to bits tonight, furthering their violent psychic bond.)

In other Kevin news, he’s finally having sex again, at least once. He and Nora have gone out on a handful of dates, and while their first attempt at getting freaky is interrupted by Guilty Remnant members outside of her home, they do indeed bump uglies later in the episode. I’m not saying my crush on Carrie Coon grew in this episode just because she’s captured in all of her natural beauty, but yowzah. Plus, she totally hosed down the chain-smoking fools in front of her house like a boss.

Meg is one of those hosed-down Remnants on Nora’s street, and she later tattles to Laurie that Kevin is sleeping around, to which Laurie replies, “So?” In written form, of course. It wasn’t a startling moment, as we’ve all witnessed Laurie’s ascent of Mount Don’t Give a Fuck, but it’s still strange to me to watch dust settling so awkwardly on a relationship we never got to witness in the first place. Every part of me expects melodrama to come creeping in around every corner, but it’s always just rock-faced nihilism. Warm the heart, it does not, but it’s a nice creative diversion from almost any failed marriage that TV has given us before. And I just want Kevin to smile about stuff.

I do really enjoy the one-off character studies that The Leftovers has delivered for Matt and Nora, but I just really love Justin Theroux at the center of this off-kilter universe. Maybe it took seeing him laugh out loud and truly enjoy himself for a change, but I think Kevin may be one of my favorite characters on TV right now. He’s a truly fascinating blend of questionable impulses, mysterious insanity and dark sarcasm. If he’s happy, all these other mopes can go to hell, or wherever the Departed folks went. And if he’s mad, then he’s got a damned good reason to be.

All in all, this was another solid episode of The Leftovers that delivered moments of genuine mystery – such as “Why didn’t anyone call Kevin when Kevin Sr. broke out of the institution?” – and plainly funny lines, like the mayor divulging she’d split up with Kevin Sr. because he never shut the fuck up. Like an unflavored medicine, The Leftovers has taken quite a few tart doses to settle into a comfortable groove where I’m willing to witness whatever is placed before me. Now if somebody could just trash anything besides a library next week.

It makes sense that, in an episode focused almost completely on one character’s connection with grief, HBO’s The Leftovers has finally delivered an installment that didn’t make suicide feel like a satisfying episode chaser. “Guest” was an episode-long trip into the life of “legacy” Nora Durst, sister of Reverend Matt, who also got his own episode a few weeks back. Actress Carrie Coon’s performances are a definite series highlight, and her chapter was well-deserved and, thankfully, well-received by yours truly. Make no mistake, the overwrought emotional clutch is still present, but it actually gives way to hope here, instead of suffocating viewers into an unfit Sunday night slumber.

A Day in the Life of Nora Durst

Morning: Wake up. Maybe a cup of coffee and long, hard looks in the mirror.

Afternoon: Grocery shopping for the exact same food items that were in the house on the day when her family became Departed. Stare longingly at the melancholy paper towel roll.

Evening: Hire an escort to shoot a gun into Kevlar vest-wearing self while loud music plays. Deduce more ways to deliberately waste money in the name of acceptance.

The Real Nora

Before heading off to the second annual Departure-Related Occupations and Practices conference, Nora takes posthumous vengeance on her philandering husband by formally divorcing him, capping it off by verbally insulting the (admittedly shitty) daughter of Kevin, her potential suitor. (“Oh, fuck your daughter,” is a staple of all romantic comedies, no?) It isn’t made obvious that Nora would ever make decisions where happiness is a goal, but she puts forth several attempts in this episode, albeit partly through illicit substances and unprovoked abuse. She heads to this conference expecting to do her job and deliver a panel about…whatever.

Her work involves grating survivors with lengthy questionnaires about their Departed loved ones, to see if they’re worthy of the government’s financial settlement. There’s a small stink about her not being upfront about a specific question surrounding the applicants believing their Departed family members are in a better place. A “yes” has been marked for everyone she asks, and it’s possible she just hasn’t wanted to deal with those who want to humanize their situations with explanations. Nora has embraced the recognition that comes along with being one in 128,000 to lose an entire family, and she also likes to fill her life with misery that she feels is warranted, but to allow someone else to express their own grim feelings would be too much for Nora.

So she is especially rankled to find that someone else has taken her conference badge, not helped by the amazingly lax badge-hander-outer, who doesn’t appear to give two shits about laminated identity theft. Without the badge colorfully promoting her legacy-ship, she is allowed to wander the event as a stranger, which immediately attracts the attention of Marcus, an ego-oozing plug of a human being who invites her to a drug-and-booze-filled suite retreat. She starts to feel alive again, and instead of making out with the schmooze-talking weirdo, she straddles and grinds her body against his lifelike Loved Ones “doll,” the ones that are sold to grieving survivors who want someone to bury. The guy sells them, and has his lookalike sample on hand, but even if that weren't a total turn-off, he;ss married, and that definitely isn’t going to put Nora in the mood.

Nora is awakened by hotel security, who are there to escort her from the building for smashing a bar mirror. Only it wasn’t her – and it isn’t really clear why they couldn’t immediately disprove that she was the one that did it by actually having someone identify her – so she takes hotel security to her convention panel, where her rebellious badge-stealer is revealed to be a zealot intent on spreading her anti-propaganda words of wisdom. It was kind of a shock, and one that didn’t feel particularly forced or too heavily built-up, made all the more pointed by the initial red herring: a woman whom Nora called a heartless bitch for mentioning a possible correlation between high sugar intake and those who were Departed. It’s a sign of how impulsive and condescending Nora was in the past. And now?

The New Nora

It’s no surprise at all when Nora resorts to the exact same behavior in her encounter with Patrick Johanson (Curtiss Cook), the author of the survivor self-help book What’s Next. She calls him out for being a fraud after he drops the same kind of practiced routine that Marcus the Loved One tried on her earlier in the episode. She might be right, but it’s not because Johanson doesn’t care about those he’s lost. It’s because he’s been helped along by the one, the only, Holy Wayne!

A bald and comically frightening Tom Noonan is haunting the conference, finding people who are tired of grieving and want their woes eradicated. All it takes is $1,000 and a hug from the holy one and all signs will point to happiness. I still don’t understand Holy Wayne and his Bible-spouting methods, though Nora’s new grocery list at the end of the episode shows us that his hug helped her. Whether this is a case of mind over matter or potentially supernatural healing powers, I’m not sure. In any case, I’m hoping to see a happier Nora in future episodes, when she and Kevin get their divorcee bone on. Maybe she’ll repair her relationship with Matt and then can eat bowl after bowl of cereal together.

If there’s a complaint to be had with this episode, it’s in the “somebody took Nora’s badge” storyline, where hotel cameras apparently aren’t working and no one offers Nora with a modicum of respect. Not that her harpy cries of “Someone is impersonating me!” sound all that meaningful, but still. Otherwise, “Guest” is another good example of storytelling being used to broaden this world of loss and redemption, rather than spectacle. I’ve said a foul thing or two in the past about the works of Damon Lindelof, but The Leftovers should definitely be on his business card above Lost from now on.

Even knowing that the central mysteries behind this series’ catalysts probably won’t be explained in full, I still love seeing all the details set up for this post-Departure world. Like the disciples from the Guilty Remnant at Nora’s New York City-set convention. You’d think this would have been a job for the Remnant’s big guns, but they’re probably dealing with Gladys’ death still. (By not caring about it or referring to it, presumably.) It’s also interesting to think about what Nora’s intentions are in carrying a gun around. Before, when we saw it in her purse, it seemed like it was just a form of security; but now that we know what she does with guns, it could mean something entirely different.

Also, what was up with that protester talking about the government having plasma rays that could evaporate people? Was that just useless chatter to balance the thoughts about the questionnaire, or are they teasing something here? Believe it or not, those are the questions I like thinking about after watching The Leftovers, because otherwise it’s just mulling over how her husband’s former lover feels about Nora not stalking her anymore. We’d need a new roll of paper towels to wipe up that mess.