General Hospital has Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) kidnapped by Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) is going to be terrified that it is all her fault.

Joss is stuck in the same cell under Wyndemere where Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) and Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) had Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) stashed. And right now, Sidwell, Pascal (Mark Forget), and Cassius are the only ones who know where Josslyn is. I’m sure they’ll tell Cullum soon. And she is likely marked for death right now.

General Hospital Shocker: Joss Kidnapped And Held In Anna’s Old Cell

So, this week, at the exact same time that Carly and Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) were squaring off with Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) at her house, that’s when we saw Cassius and Josslyn brawling in her apartment. And it was brutal. Cassius grabbed Joss and said he couldn’t let her go. And of course, this is all because Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) outed her as a WSB agent to her brother. Now, Josslyn put up a good fight, but Cassius got the upper hand, choked Joss out and stuck her in Anna’s old cell with some help from Pascal.

Now, I’m thinking Cassius is going to turn around and tell Cullum about Joss, maybe to distract him from Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) and James West (Gary James Fuller) and Lulu Spencer (Alexa Havins Bruening) and of course from Cullum trying to find out who shot him. And I’m sure Cassius is also going to want to stay on his boss’s good side. But now, Joss is in some serious danger.

Will Joss End Up in France with Anna?

We saw what Cullum, Sidwell, Cassius, and Pascal were capable of when they drugged and mentally tortured Anna. They gaslit and messed with her mind so much that she’s now in a psych clinic in France. So, this doesn’t bode well for Joss. Now, there’s always a chance they could do the same thing with her. You know, Cassius and Pascal might mess with Joss’s mind and push her over the edge, drop her in the same French clinic.

Plus, remember when Cullum and Joss were stuck at Wyndemere during the blizzard? She fed Cullum a bunch of lies and pretended to be a ditzy sorority girl when Josslyn is really a clever WSB agent. So, I’m sure Cullum is not going to like it when he finds out that he was tricked so efficiently. Joss played Cullum for a fool, and that might give him more incentive to punish Joss and make sure she’s not a problem ever again.

Who Will Save Josslyn on GH?

The question is who’s going to go in there and save Josslyn? Because like Anna, she has no idea where she is and Joss has no way to contact anyone. So, you know, she can try to escape, but if Anna couldn’t do it, I doubt that Josslyn can either. Hopefully, somebody’s going to figure out she was taken and go in there to rescue her.

So, my first thought is Britt may try and save Josslyn again. Britt saved Joss’s life a couple of years ago from crazy hook killer Heather Webber (Alley Mills). So, Britt may feel responsible for Joss for that reason, but especially because Britt telling Cassius that she’s an agent is what got Joss, you know, basically beat up and kidnapped.

General Hospital Spoilers: Britt in Shock

General Hospital spoilers for this week say that Britt is stunned on Wednesday. And that may be because Cassius circles back around to tell Britt that he neutralized Josslyn and she’s no longer a threat. Now Britt’s got a lot on her plate. She’s trying to protect Rocco.

She’s trying to finish Cesar Faison’s (Anders Hove) final project so she doesn’t die for lack of her medication. So, maybe, Cassius tells Britt where he stashed Josslyn. Or could be that Britt stumbles upon Josslyn down there since the lab is in that same area. Either way, Britt’s going to be sick that she put Joss on their radar and she wound up kidnapped.

Now, I do think Britt will want to save Josslyn, but I think Britt is too scared of Cullum to do anything big, but you never know. So, Britt may not be able to just sit by and leave her there. You know, she may not be able to live with herself if Cullum hurts Joss, you know. But on the other hand, if Britt can’t save Joss personally because the stakes are too high, she has another option. She could go tell Brennan that Joss was taken and is down in the catacombs and just leave Cassius’ name out of it.

Carly Gets Upsetting News on GH

Now, we also know from official General Hospital spoilers that Carly gets upsetting news this week that comes on Thursday. And I’m wondering if Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) contacts Carly to find out if Josslyn’s with her because she hasn’t been back at the apartment. You know, Trina may tell her Joss didn’t show up to meet her at The Savoy and there’s no sign of her at the apartment.

None of this is really like Josslyn. So, I’m sure Carly is going to immediately assume that Josslyn is in danger because she’s a WSB agent. And Carly’s going to go berserk. I bet she blames Brennan and tells him he’d better find Joss and bring her home safe or Carly’s going to wreak havoc.

In the end, I do think that Jack will try and save Joss. If Jack finds out Cullum and Sidwell have her, obviously, he’s going to worry. Jack knows how dangerous they are and he feels responsible for Joss because he recruited her into the WSB and they have to assume that’s why she was taken.

So, I wonder if Jack will tell Carly and Valentin that he had put Joss on inactive duty, but she wouldn’t listen. She wouldn’t step back. She kept looking into Cullum and Anna. Even so, Carly will hold Jack responsible. And he will probably hold himself responsible even though he kept telling Joss, “Stop doing this. Just go to class. Stop it.”

Valentin May Save Joss on General Hospital

Another possibility, I think a strong one, is that Valentin may go break into Wyndemere trying to save Joss once he and Carly find out her daughter’s missing and where she’s being held. Valentin and Carly seem to be all in with their romance, especially now that they outed things to Brennan.

And if Valentin saves Carly’s daughter, you know, I think that would strengthen their bond a whole bunch and solidify them as a couple. And I’m sure if Valentin saves Joss, that would really aggravate Brennan because then Valentin would be the big hero and Jack the big villain who put Joss at risk to start with.

So, what I think would actually be better though is if Valentin and Jack work together to save Joss. I doubt they’ll ever be friends again. But maybe these guys can stop hating each other long enough to save Josslyn for Carly’s sake. I’m sure that Brennan wants to take Valentin down now more than ever because of the affair with Carly, but Jack also knows that Cullum and Sidwell are much bigger villains in this story than Valentin, at least at this point.

We could also see Carly going to Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and telling him Sidwell and Cullum took Joss. She might appeal to Sonny to use all his resources to figure out how to get Josslyn back. And I’m sure Sonny would help, but using WSB guys like Valentin and Brennan is probably a better approach than just mob muscle.

Could This Be an Exit Storyline for Joss?

No matter who comes to her rescue, I’m sure Joss is going to survive this ordeal. But that being said, we heard from our leaker a while back that Eden McCoy was considering leaving General Hospital basically for the same reason Chad Duell did. If you remember, he lost his dad and Eden McCoy lost her mom after a cancer battle. And she didn’t take a lot of time off of General Hospital to grieve after her mom passed away. And that was part of why Chad left the role of Michael. He just needed more time to process.

So, this could be some sort of exit storyline where Joss disappears for a while until Eden wants to return if the leak is true, and I’m not saying it is, or until she decides she doesn’t want to return and they may recast the role because we heard chatter related to that. So, I am hoping that Josslyn stays and is rescued and we will know more soon.

Beyoncé’s wardrobe change at the Met Gala has internet users talkin’.

RELATED: All Eyes! Beyoncé’s Return And The Biggest Met Gala 2026 Moments Of The Night

More On Beyoncé’s Wardrobe Change At The Met Gala

According to JustJared, Beyoncé took on her hosting duties once inside the Met Gala. Per the outlet, Beyoncé changed into a Robert Wun dress, which reportedly featured “golden faceted Swarovski crystals embroidered throughout and a sculptural skirt.”

Per Elle, Wun reportedly referred to the ensemble as the “stargaze gown.” The outlet adds that it was “modeled after the view from a night plane over a coastal city.”

It Has Internet Users Talkin’

Internet users were sharing their thoughts, talkin’ about Beyoncé’s Met Gala wardrobe change in TSR’s comment section.

More On Beyoncé’s Appearance At The Met Gala

As The Shade Room previously reported, Beyoncé returned to the Gala for the first time in 10 years yesterday. But that wasn’t all, she also popped out alongside Jay-Z and their daughter Blue Ivy. Per Elle, Beyoncé donned a bejeweled Olivier Rousteing gown when she hit the carpet.

RELATED: That’s Me Right There! Jay-Z And Beyoncé React To Blue Ivy’s Met Gala Debut As Fans Are In Awe (VIDEOS)

By Robert Scucci
| Published 19 seconds ago

What do you get when you combine Pete Davidson, Anthony Hopkins, a smart car capable of locking in and torturing anybody who dares break into it, and the kind of battle of the wits that was popularized by the first Saw movie? If your guess was 2025’s Locked, you’d be mostly correct, except that there is no Pete Davidson. It’s Bill Skarsgard, covered in tattoos, with bleached-blond hair and a pink hoodie. I knew it was Bill Skarsgård the whole time, but I kept seeing Pete Davidson, like he was originally cast and got swapped out at the last minute.

Oddly enough, Glenn Powell was supposed to take on the lead role for Locked, but he couldn’t commit due to scheduling conflicts, probably because he had to star in another legacy sequel or something.

Identity confusion aside, Locked is a pretty straightforward thriller, and right up your alley if you’re into moral dilemmas, sadistic antagonists with total control, and one of the most irredeemable main characters you still have to root for. At the same time, you kind of hope he gets at least a little maimed along the way because he doesn’t seem capable of learning a valuable lesson.

It’s Basically Saw In A Car With No Torture Or Likeable People

The entire premise for Locked plays like a Saw movie, but not nearly as interesting. Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgård doing his best Pete Davidson) is a former (read: still active) criminal and deadbeat father. He doesn’t pay child support, and he always forgets to pick up his daughter Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) from school in the dangerous part of town. When he’s not trying to sell scrap at the auto shop and blow what little money he has on scratch-off tickets, he breaks into cars for walking-around money.

He breaks into the wrong car on this day, a heavily tinted and suspiciously placed Dolus SUV, and his life takes a turn for the worse when the vehicle locks him inside, making it clear that this was exactly what it was designed to do. He receives a phone call from the car’s owner, William (Anthony Hopkins), who explains that after a series of break-ins, he’s decided to take matters into his own hands by turning his car into a rolling torture box. The seats are electrified, and William can control every other feature in the car, like the heat, air conditioning, radio, and even the engine and steering wheel.

The SUV is also soundproofed, with heavily tinted windows, meaning nobody can hear Eddie scream or see inside, despite the fact that it’s parked in a busy lot. The remainder of the film becomes a claustrophobic test of wills as Eddie and William get to know each other. William reveals that he’s a terminally ill doctor, and this is his twisted version of vigilante justice. Eddie initially resists William’s demands to divulge personal information that could ruin his life, but eventually caves when faced with the car’s heat and William blasting yodeling music for hours on end.

In a desperate search for a blind spot in William’s cameras, or a way to short-circuit the car, Eddie uses his street smarts to outmaneuver his captor. The problem is that William has thought through every angle, leaving Eddie with very few options and almost no room for error.

We Have Saw At Home

There’s no way to talk about Locked without bringing up the Saw movies. Here, we have a bad guy in the sense that he’s a petty criminal squandering his life while his daughter actually needs him. He makes no effort to improve his situation, which is exactly how he ends up in William’s car. William is the menacing antagonist whose entire M.O. mirrors Jigsaw from the first Saw film. So we’re not even talking about a deep cut, we’re talking about the core premise of a massive horror franchise, just done in a car, and with its thermostat being the most elaborate booby trap.

Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins play well off each other, even though it looks like whoever handled the wardrobe really wanted Skarsgård to resemble Pete Davidson. Their adversarial dynamic has a strong ebb and flow, especially when Eddie thinks he has the upper hand, only for William to already be 10 steps ahead. From a production, cinematography, film score, and sound design standpoint, Locked is beyond solid. The problem is that the premise has been done to death.

By the time Eddie gets shocked by the car seats for the fourth time, you start to wonder if anything new is going to happen, or if it’s just going to be a guy trapped in a car, grunting uncomfortably the whole time. If I wanted that experience, I would have kept the family hatchback instead of upgrading to an SUV so I could live it every day. Boring.

That said, Locked isn’t a terrible film. It’s just not an original one. If you’re not a horror junkie and are only vaguely familiar with the Saw movies by name, I could see this being a solid watch. But since it’s been done before, and better, I mostly felt underwhelmed despite the strong performances across the board.

As of this writing, Locked is streaming on Hulu.

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

Abigail Breslin, David Denman, and Annabeth Gish are joining the cast of The Night Agent Season 4, which is now in production.

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Release Date

March 23, 2023

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Network

Netflix

Directors

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Adam Arkin, Guy Ferland, Millicent Shelton, Ramaa Mosley

Writers

Seth Fisher, Munis Rashid, Corey Deshon

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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

Nicole Kidman and Beyoncé shrugged at a Met Gala rule with their exquisite dates.

The actress and singer who co-chaired the star-studded fashion event along with other A-list industry stars left many talking, and not only because of their stunning looks. The former Destiny’s Child vocalist still made heads turn, marking her first appearance at the event in a decade.

Nicole Kidman and Beyoncé are not the only stars whose names remain on the lips of many after walking the Met Gala red carpet on Monday night. While the co-chairs’ appearances ignited conversation, the absence of many highly anticipated entertainers raised speculation.

Kidman made her debut at the Met Gala in 2003, and over two decades later, she walks hand in hand with his daughter, Sunday Rose. Sunday graced the 2026 Fashion is Art themed event for the first time, dressed in a strapless pink and lilac floral gown with a billowing bodice as she flashed smiles for the cameras. 

The 17-year-old sealed the look with matching statement earrings and a purse while her brown straight locks were neatly parted to the side, thanks to celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel. The “Babygirl” star walked right by her daughter’s side, donning a deep red sequined Chanel gown that was part of Chanel’s 2027 Cruise collection.

PEOPLE shared that Kidman’s look featured a drop waist accessorized with a feather peplum and small train. She wore her blonde straight hair in a banged-down look that ran past her shoulders.

Why Sunday Rose’s Appearance Has Many Talking

Sunday is one year shy of the Met Gala’s age limit, which states that invitees must be 18 years or older to attend the event. This rule was brought to light in May 2018 when “Dance Moms” alum Maddie Zieler told news outlets that she could not attend the event because she was not old enough at the time.

The theme for the event that year was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,”  and widespread speculation was that the age restriction was in place due to the theme. However, the Met Gala organizers clarified that the age limit had nothing to do with the theme. They stressed that it was an executive decision that “it’s not an appropriate event for people under 18.”

Even though Sunday’s first-time appearance at the event seemingly bent the rules, she is no stranger to cameras, fashion, and strutting in glamorous outfits. The young model made her catwalk debut as part of Miu Miu’s summer/spring 2025 show in Paris in October 2024 and has since been a fixture at Fashion Week.

The Met Gala Age Limit’s Bar Dropped With Beyoncé’s Date

While Kidman’s daughter is just a year below the age limit, Beyoncé walked onto the red carpet with her 14-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. The “If I Were A Boy” singer’s appearance at the event after ten years turned a family affair as she not only walked the Met Gala carpet with her daughter but also with her husband, Jay-Z.

The young singer caught eyes effortlessly as she stepped out in a white gown with a dramatic bubble skirt, a matching jacket, and metallic heels. The iconic look that carried so much elegance beyond Blue Ivy’s years was completed with a pair of striking sunglasses, which she refused to take off for pictures on the carpet, as reported by The Blast.

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Blue Ivy became one of the youngest attendees at the Met, totally defying the age limit by four years, leaving many talking. Her presence sparked debate online as many questioned why the organizers did not uphold the rules. “But so Blue Ivy is a minor too (14 years old isn’t 18), so she had no business being on the red carpet if we stick to the rules,” one netizen called out on X. 

Another viral video showed that the 14-year-old did not succumb to signals from paparazzi as she posed for pictures with her parents. Red-carpet etiquette typically involves removing sunglasses for photos, especially during close-up shots, but Blue Ivy stood her ground even after Jay-Z asked her to take them off.

Inside Other Eye-Catching Debut Appearances

Besides Sunday and Blue Ivy, other celebrities walked the Met Gala carpet for the first time clad in striking outfits tailored to the event’s theme. Jaafar Jackson, who plays his late uncle in the biopic “Michael,” stepped onto the carpet looking dapper in a black velvet Ralph Lauren suit and bow tie with intricate gold detailing.

His look was reminiscent of one of the late entertainer Michael Jackson’s looks. The Blast reported that Jaafar admitted that although his outfit was a “bit last-minute,” he was able to collaborate with the brand to achieve the stylish look, which not only matched the theme but also “felt not just visually striking, but intentional.”

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“Saturday Night Live” breakout star Marcello Hernandez made his Met Gala debut alongside his girlfriend, Ana Amelia Baylor Cabral. The comedian wore a black double-breasted Thom Browne suit with a bow tie, which he accessorized with a brooch from his mother.

Another jaw-dropping reed carpet debut look was served from South Korean-American singer Kim Eun-jae, professionally known as Ejae, known for her Oscar-winning song “Golden”. Ejae came dressed in a sparkling silver gown, which she revealed to news outlets was inspired by her Korean culture. Among other accessories, she added binyeos, traditional Korean ornamental hairpins, to her hair.

Some Celebrities Walked The Met Gala Carpet Solo

While fashion is the order of the day at the star-studded event, romance still finds its way to the table of discussion as many industry stars attended the event without their famous partners, sparking online conversations. Among the many A-list stars absent, Harry Styles‘ absence could not go unnoticed as he was not seen by his beau’s side days after news of their engagement made headlines.

While fans had expected a major debut from the singer and his fiancée, Zoë Kravitz, they were met with disappointment as the actress stepped out solo. Another detail that raised whispers was that Kravitz’s left ring finger was missing a piece of jewelry, her diamond ring, which she flashed for cameras days ago during outings.

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The Blast also reports that Timothée Chalamet skipped the event, leaving girlfriend Kylie Jenner to walk solo for the second year in a row. Chalamet reportedly chose to watch a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden rather than attend the fashion event with his partner. Katy Perry also walked the red carpet alone, and so did Gigi Hadid.

Did Nicole Kidman & Beyoncé start a trend that other stars will follow at the next Met Gala?

Not your average tee! Zoë Kravitz, Gracie Abrams, Laufey, Audrey Hobert, and a growing list of It-girls are stocking their wardrobes with Cleo’s signature tops, and once you see them, the appeal is instant.

With three-quarter length sleeves, a reversible neckline (low in the front or the back), plus two delicate buttons on the left side, the tee strikes a balance between effortless for day and elevated for night.

So, what’s the secret behind the viral staple? According to founder Cleo Camp, it all starts with that wear-anywhere appeal.

“I design an everyday elegance line for the girl who I imagine is the busiest girl in the world. She is busy building her own dream. … Cleo clothes and accessories fit 9-5 and 5-9 because my customer can do it all, without stopping at home to change,” she tells ET.

The celebrity co-signs prove the point.

“Audrey shows up on stage in front of hundreds of people in my Cleo Tees in the same way she would meet a friend or go out to dinner,” Camp notes.

With six colors available, along with two dress options, the brand makes it easy to build a rotation you can rely on all week, something that feels especially personal to Camp.

“My grandmother, Christie, is my big inspiration. She had a signature look. She would re-wear the same silhouettes in different colors and materials over and over again, creating a stylish uniform that I knew as only hers,” she shares.

That familial influence goes beyond philosophy; it shaped the top’s form itself.

“My mom and grandma always wore quarter sleeves which I found really flattering and I was really focused on silhouette when I designed my tee. I wanted to frame the shape of the female body. … I used that to create my version of the perfect tee, and luckily others thought so too.”

Outside of her chic relatives, Camp’s aesthetic is rooted in a love of vintage fashion and pop culture. She often looks to designers like Agnès B., Vivienne Westwood, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Norma Kamali, and Betsey Johnson, as well as iconic television shows for inspiration. 

“Fashion is just what I consume and look for naturally. … In the studio, I replay episodes of Entourage and Sex and the City. I obsess over the details of every outfit from an era or style in fashion and TV that I wish still existed and find vintage designer pieces online late at night from eras before I was born.”

To take your own look up a notch, Camp recommends pairing her tees with the brand’s handcrafted leather and suede bags, which are equal parts practical and conversation starting.

“I’ve heard stories of women meeting on the street in a foreign city because they both had the same bag or a guy using my bag as an excuse to talk to a girl,” the California native spills.

But the designer’s ultimate outfit formula brings it back to individual style.

“Wear an accent or floral pin, a pair of standout shoes, heels or not, a perfectly fitting pair of Levi’s, and something meaningful that’s been passed down to you.”

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 2 minutes ago

After years of trying to get this project out of dry dock, Paramount finally confirmed that we’ll be getting a new Star Trek movie. The fandom is generally divided on this announcement. Some are happy that we’ll finally get Trek on the big screen again, and the fact that it will be written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (the duo who wrote the excellent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) is just icing on the cake. Others are quite unhappy that we are bidding a definitive goodbye to Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the Kelvinverse cast in favor of a new continuity. 

That new continuity is actually what worries me the most about this upcoming film. It’s weird enough that Star Trek is getting its third, brand-new timeline, which will inevitably make things weird for casual audiences. But so far, Paramount hasn’t commented on how this new movie will affect plans for future Trek TV shows. As a lifelong fan of the franchise, I’ve got some friendly advice for Paramount: unless the TV shows retain the continuity that began with Star Trek: The Original Series, this franchise is doomed.

Set Your Phaser To “Reboot”

The franchise got its first real reboot with JJ Abrams’ Star Trek in 2009. At the time, Paramount worried that Star Trek’s decades of tangled lore would be too much for casual moviegoers to keep up with. The solution was a time travel plot that ended up rebooting the entire universe, and this resulted in something of a creative compromise. The Trek films would take place in the new timeline known as the Kelvinverse. Meanwhile, future shows (including Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Picard) would take place in the same timeline as shows like The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Voyager.

Now, ironically, Paramount finds itself in the exact same position. Those Kelvinverse movies did a good job of reviving the franchise, but it’s been the better part of two decades since the first one came out. Nervous that audiences might have trouble keeping up with the lore of this not-so-new continuity, the powers that be have decided to reboot the franchise yet again. While there is no firm release date or story details, we do know that the upcoming movie will be set in a continuity that is different from both the TV shows and the Kelvinverse films.

Making Audiences Sick

What is even less clear is what the future of Star Trek television looks like. By the numbers, NuTrek has been a failure: every single show except for Picard (which was planned as a three-season show) ended up getting prematurely canceled. Furthermore, Starfleet Academy’s streaming numbers were so underwhelming (one unconfirmed report claimed it only averaged 40,000 views per episode) that the show ended up getting canceled after one season. This, combined with Paramount’s upcoming acquisition of Warner Bros., may tempt executives to ditch everything that came before and set future shows in the same continuity as the upcoming movie.

Despite NuTrek’s many failings, this would be a huge mistake. If there’s one thing Star Trek fans are, well, fanatic about, it’s the franchise’s continuity. Old timers find it endlessly rewarding to see how newer episodes callback to other ones. For example, even Starfleet Academy’s biggest haters mostly enjoyed the show’s tribute to Deep Space Nine’s Captain Sisko. Similarly, Discovery’s harshest critics generally enjoyed how the entire final season was a follow-up to a mostly forgotten Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. Clearly, if any new iteration of Star Trek is to retain its legion of older fans, it simply must continue to build on the continuity begun back in 1966 with Star Trek: The Original Series. Done right, this will give Paramount the best of both worlds: new timeline movies to hook newer fans and old timeline shows to keep the older fans.

Done wrong, however, and the studio may very well doom this franchise. What if audiences reject the latest movie, only after Paramount has planned multiple TV series around it? Keeping timelines different for the films and the shows allows execs to hedge their bets rather than going all-in on a single continuity. Plus, it’s an olive branch to the legacy fans who form the core of the fandom. Keep those fans happy, and you keep the franchise alive. Drive those fans away, though, and it will die even quicker than Starfleet Academy. 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Jane Austen novel in possession of a good legacy must be in want of an adaptation. Such has been the case for Austen’s most acclaimed and popular work, Pride and Prejudice, which has received countless adaptations, from a classic Hollywood black-and-white drama to a BBC miniseries to a millennial cottagecore rom-com to even a zombie horror comedy. Most of these efforts range between “great” and “solid,” but few actually have something meaningful to say about Austen’s seminal novel.

Luckily, The Other Bennet Sister isn’t “most” adaptations; in fact, it’s among the rare ones that approach its source material with reverence, but its much-welcome sense of independence allows it to feel refreshing and, far more importantly, timely. The show premieres with its first three episodes May 6 on the criminally underappreciated streaming service BritBox, and it’s a must-watch, not only for hardcore Janeites or those who crave Regency romance as if it were oxygen, but for anyone who appreciates a beautifully crafted and exceptionally executed story.

What Is ‘The Other Bennet Sister’ About?

As the title implies, The Other Bennet Sister centers on Mary (Ella Bruccoleri), the most overlooked of the five Bennet sisters from Pride and Prejudice. Introverted and often disregarded by her family, Mary attempts to take control of her own story, much to the annoyance of her mother, Mrs. Bennet (Ruth Jones), and the loving indifference of her father, Mr. Bennet (Richard E. Grant). Through her distinct and invigorating perspective, we see the well-known events of Pride and Prejudice before the series’ story sends her on a journey of self-discovery to London, where she experiences the kindness of her relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner (Richard Coyle and Indira Varma), and might even encounter love for the first time.

Based on the eponymous novel by Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister also stars Dónal Finn as Tom Hayward, a close friend of the Gardiners who becomes crucial to Mary’s journey, and Laurie Davidson as Mr. Ryder, a free-spirited bachelor who catches Mary’s eye. Most of the main players in Pride and Prejudice also appear, including Mary’s four sisters, Jane (Maddie Close), Lizzie (Poppy Gilbert), Lydia (Grace Hogg-Robinson), and Kitty (Molly Wright). Mr. Collins (Ryan Sampson) and Charlotte Lucas (Anna Fenton-Garvey) play prominent roles, as does Caroline Bingley (Tanya Reynolds), Charles Bingley’s haughty sister and a minor antagonist in Pride and Prejudice, who becomes Mary’s main rival here.

‘The Other Bennet Sister’s Cast Makes the Series Soar

From the get-go, it’s clear that the main strength of The Other Bennet Sister is its outstanding cast. At the center of it all is an incandescent Bruccoleri as Mary, a remarkable period heroine and a true breath of fresh air. In many ways, Mary is less a reinvention of the classic Austen heroine and more of a logical progression of the archetype. She is shy, clumsy, and more than a little awkward, the type of character that many would consider “autistic-coded,” yet she’s also bold and, in her way, adventurous. While Mary is afraid to open herself up to new possibilities, she does so nonetheless — not because others compel her to, but because she wants to.

The Other Bennet Sister is, at its core, a wallflower story, but Mary is free of the tropes that permeate that subgenre. There’s no makeover here, no magical transformation that brings her out of her comfort zone and into the spotlight; Mary embraces herself, quirks and all. More importantly, she isn’t married to any notion of either life-altering romance or hopeless spinsterhood, while actively pursuing love; she tries, is disappointed, tries again, and dares to believe she can indeed find a match. It’s so invigorating to see a character like Mary, so honest and relatable, in a romantic period drama, not as the best friend or the comic relief, but as the object of attention and desire.

If Mary is the logical next step for an Austen heroine, then Dónal Finn’s Mr. Hayward is an Austen leading man to a tee. He has all the bumbling charm of Edward Ferrars, the witty intellectualism of Henry Tilney, and the silent longing of Frederick Wentworth. If you like soft, enchanting leading men who are just the right amount of pathetic, you’ll love this guy. Gallant, shy, and just as awkward as Mary, Tom Hayward might just be the best period romance leading man we’ve had since Matthew Macfadyen‘s Mr. Darcy, complete with his own version of the hand flex (who knew forearms could be so appealing?). After being a highlight in the latter two seasons of the cruelly canceled The Wheel of Time and outright stealing this year’s Young Sherlock, it’s great to see Finn receive some much-deserved recognition.

The rest of the cast is uniformly great, too. Coyle and Varma are simply exceptional as the Gardiners, Mary’s de facto fairy godmothers. Davidson’s free-spirited Mr. Ryder is a wonderful sparring partner to Mary, and the familiar but underrated Tanya Reynolds is a riot as the loathsome Caroline Bingley. Perhaps most surprising is how the show reframes the classic characters of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas, two of Pride and Prejudice‘s biggest punching bags. Particularly inspired is the series’ version of Mr. Collins, often depicted as absurd at best and outright pitiful at worst. Here, he’s just a misunderstood man trying to find love and understanding, and his unexpected connection with Mary is among the show’s many highlights.

‘The Other Bennet Sister’ Takes a Bold Creative Swing With the Bennets

Image via Britbox

If there’s an element that is bound to be divisive, it’s The Other Bennet Sister‘s depiction of the titular family. In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets are somewhat embarrassing but largely respectable and loving to each other. Here, those dynamics are altered. On the page, Mary is indeed the odd one out; Jane and Lizzie are best friends, and so are Kitty and Lydia, meaning Mary is often ignored by everyone in the household. The Other Bennet Sister takes that to the next level, where many members of the Bennet family are actively unkind toward Mary.

This approach isn’t inherently good or bad; it’s just what fits best for this story, yet one can’t help but suspect that Austen purists will feel betrayed. The other four Bennet sisters are mostly true to their roles in Austen’s story, except for Lydia, who assumes a more antagonistic role. The biggest change comes with the show’s depiction of Mrs. Bennet. In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennet matriarch is loud, abrasive, frivolous, and melodramatic but mostly harmless and well-meaning towards her daughters. In The Other Bennet Sister, she’s an outright villain and actively mistreats Mary to the point of bordering on actual cruelty. In short, she’s less Mrs. Bennet and more Lady Tremaine, a change that’s bound to ruffle some feathers.

Overall, though, The Other Bennet Sister is nothing short of a triumph. Its aesthetic is classic Regency drama, but with a welcome splash of color that feels lively without entering into anachronistic territory. Narratively, it’s a beautiful and winning story with just enough edge to feel modern while still offering everything a romance fan could want. Thematically, it’s the type of story that only takes a few rewatches to become a proper feel-good classic, and there’s also genuine heat, filmed through a distinctive female-gaze approach that makes it all the more effective. The Other Bennet Sister is the show you’ve been waiting for but didn’t know you needed, the perfect offering for these dark times, and a prime example of how timeless and irresistible the period romance subgenre can be when it’s actually done right.