Although The Witcher has steadily improved certain aspects of its storytelling over the years, one element has consistently plagued the Netflix fantasy epic series: its emphasis on politics. The Witcher novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski, as well as the video games from CD Projekt based on those books, are home to an intricate sociopolitical system replete with monarchal upheaval, bureaucratic infighting, power-grabbing machinations, and wars between competing kingdoms and species.

Yet that complexity has never translated particularly well into the Netflix adaptation. Too often, episodes grind to a halt as side characters explain their schemes through lengthy exposition, with political maneuvers rarely feeling connected to the emotional journeys of Geralt, Ciri, or Yennefer. Rather than enriching the Continent’s mythology, these storylines frequently bog down the larger narrative and struggle to carry much emotional weight. Thankfully, there exists a rich historical fantasy video game that’s ripe for adaptation — friends, please look no further than Dragon Age.

What Is ‘Dragon Age’ About?

Ironically enough, the Dragon Age franchise includes an excellent 2022 Netflix animated series (Dragon Age: Absolution) that touched upon the world’s politics as well as six breakneck episodes. For the unparalleled Dragon Age experience, however, one must turn to the games, which (all hyperbole aside) boast one of the most sophisticated, inventive, and advanced fantasy worlds of the 20th century. Created by Canadian video game developer BioWare and spanning three completed full-length games as well as various spin-off media, Dragon Age draws obvious — practically unavoidable — inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.

Dragon Age is home to numerous different cultures, governments, territories, religions, and races, each blessed with an individualized and meticulously designed history. Clashes between said consortiums are more than just background set dressing; the protagonist of each installment (the player) must navigate civil uprisings, wars, and webs of subterfuge. Like most role-playing games, Dragon Age lets the player design a character by choosing between different pre-set backstories, races, and abilities, all of which impact said character’s relationships with non-playable supporting characters.

Similar to The Witcher’s mythology, all Dragon Age events take place on Thedas, the world’s only known continent. (In The Witcher, the continent is just called the Continent. Convenient.) Thedas’s recorded history dates back centuries, with every one hundred years marking a new “Age,” but the continent has existed for millennia. Just like the Continent, Thedas was originally populated by the elves, a race of learned scholars, artists, and mages adept in magic. When humans arrived at Thedas’s shores from an unknown continent, they waged war, conquered elvish lands, and infected the once-immortal elves with deadly human diseases. Although the elves strived to preserve their nuanced culture, civilization, and language, everything was lost. The majority of elves spent centuries either enslaved, tortured, or murdered by these human invaders.

In the current Dragon Age timeline, the elves have unwillingly fractured into two main factions. The Dalish elves are nomadic wanderers devoted to safeguarding their history. Within the Dalish exist different clans, beliefs, and practices, although all still worship the elven Old Gods. In contrast, “city elves” were forced to assimilate into human culture, worship the human god, and live inside isolated city areas. These elves live in conditions equal to squalor and face constant aggression and abuse from humans.

Humanity in The Witcher also declared war against the Continent’s elves and became the dominant species by force. The ramifications of these wars and humanity’s continued subjugation of the Elder Races (elves, dwarves, and gnomes) make up much of The Witcher’s political climate. The Netflix series tries to divide its attention between the politicking of human magic users, the rampaging Nilfgaardian kingdom, and the vengeful Scoia’tael elves, but there aren’t enough episodes to go around. Rather than have various side characters tell the audience about their plights, Dragon Age lets its political landscape unfold naturally through setting and dialogue. If Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri learned information firsthand as a Dragon Age player does, there’s a good chance things in The Witcher would be grounded and relevant instead of dull and distant.

‘Dragon Age’ Integrates Politics With Plot (and Zombies)

Image via Bioware

Thedas’s main recurring threat is the Blight. Five times throughout recorded history, demonic creatures called darkspawn infect a powerful dragon with a corruptive, zombie-esque infection capable of spreading to all living beings as well as ruining the land. The first game, Dragon Age: Origins, follows the Grey Wardens, a group charged with ending the Blight at any cost. Dragon Age II has wide-ranging consequences but narrows its focus to conflicts within the city of Kirkwall, primarily of which are the overlapping tensions between apostate mages, city elves, and the Chantry (more on that later). Dragon Age: Inquisition introduces a new threat called the Breach, a dimensional rift allowing demons to run rampant. Characters with differing beliefs, approaches, and backgrounds band together to form the Inquisition and fix the Breach. None of these circumstances means there’s any less in-fighting, divisions, or scheming, though.

Left to contend with the Blight’s ramifications are Thedas’s diverse civilizations. Humans are split across numerous cities with varying government structures (feudal, monarchy, elected, etc.), but almost all worship a figure called the Maker. The Chantry, the monotheistic fantasy equivalent of the Catholic Church, oversees this religion and promotes the Maker as the true creator god. In turn, a figure known as the Divine (always a woman) guides the Chantry. The denomination also follows the teachings of Andraste, a Joan of Arc martyr figure who led a slave rebellion and believed herself the prophet (and later wife) of the male Maker.

The Chantry’s divisions include a spy group (the Seekers of Truth) and the Templar Order, the Chantry’s personal militia. The Templars defend Thedas against rogue magic threats with typical religious zealotry. They believe magic and magic-users must be strictly regulated, which means the Templars subdue any “apostate” mages who disagree with the Chantry’s chokehold. All Templar soldiers are also forcibly addicted to lyrium, a substance that increases resistance against magic but at a horrible cost. Not all Chantry members are terrible people, but the organization is a perfect example of individuals whose noble idealism tips into weaponized fanaticism.

The Dragon Age Universe Is Diverse

Image via Netflix 

Dragon Age is full of complicated moral quandaries and barren of obviously correct answers. But the Tevinter Imperium is ghastly, despised by outsiders for its imperialism and an economy dependent upon open slavery. As humanity’s first stronghold, Tevinter once controlled Thedas; multiple wars and uprisings pushed them into isolation. The city’s unflexible social stratum is ruthless and run by the cruel, the conniving, and the power-hungry. Although magic is widely practiced and a Magisterium of mages rules the government, access to magical training and the social benefits that follow are exclusive to the economically privileged. Tevinter’s alternative to the Chantry is run by a man, because of course it is.

Other primary humanoid races in Dragon Age include the dwarves and the Qunari. Dwarven culture, ruled by a monarchy, was all but erased by the First Blight. Early dwarves were responsible for Thedas’s best technological and cultural advancements; those who remain preserve their rich history through mining, crafting, and superb warriors. Dwarves operate according to a strict caste system accordant with social duties and worship the Stone, a creator whose “song” guides them through their expansive underground tunnels.

The Qunari, an original race created for Dragon Age, are instantly recognizable for their tall, muscular stature and their stylish horns. The Qunari welcome all beings into their culture, which prioritizes responsibility to others and enriches the community. Qunari value community so strongly that they forsake their given names and hold no attachments to their parents. The Qunari Triumvirate leads the Qun lifestyle, dividing all Qunari into workers of the mind, the body, or the soul. For all this progressive thinking, the Qunari’s history is tempestuous. Past military leaders tried to conquer Thedas before the Qunari established universal peace treaties, sans the Tevinter Imperium.

‘Dragon Age’ Shows How ‘The Witcher’ Needs To Improve

Image via BioWare

The Witcher (surprisingly) deals very little with religion or spirituality. Dragon Age examining religion makes for a richer narrative and an even thornier political landscape. How different cultures worship (or don’t), whether different beliefs clash or live in harmony, and the ways organized religion seizes power are all on the table. To be fair, Geralt fights random monsters for pay; there’s no single nasty for him to combat. But if we’re talking Big Bads, The Witcher’s overarching villains (the Nilfgaardians and their hunt for Ciri) haven’t felt like a threat since Cintra’s destruction. In Dragon Age, the inevitability of the Blight is always looming, and the Breach demands that different races and creeds work together. The Witcher’s lack of a unifying threat and how slowly it brings its warring factions together leaves something to be desired.

Netflix has already proven it wants a sprawling fantasy franchise with The Witcher, but Dragon Age offers the kind of built-in world, ensemble, mythology, and serialized stakes that could better sustain that ambition. Although The Witcher‘s budget allowed for gory monster battles, impressive fight choreography, and gorgeous landscapes, its inability to smoothly incorporate politics, let alone balance those plots with character work, leaves much to be desired. In comparison, the Dragon Age franchise feels as alive as the best 800-page fantasy novel and as detailed as a historical textbook.

Learning every facet of the world while playing is almost impossible, but that’s not to this story’s detriment. Instead, Dragon Age is a lesson in grounded worldbuilding, a place abundant with life and reflective of its passionate designers. The Witcher could learn a thing or two when it returns for its fifth and final season.

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The Witcher

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December 20, 2019

Network

Netflix

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Directors

Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O’Gorman

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It really is no kind of overstatement to say that the film industry is fundamentally changing right now. There are a lot of metrics for this, but perhaps none more so than the recent box office from the weekend of May 29, which saw low-budget indie horror films from directors in their 20s, Backrooms and Obsession, tower over Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in its second window. This was shocking to most observers, and also a thing of hope and excitement for many. The pandemic left something like a permanent mark on the entertainment business and how we watch movies. Even with outliers like Top Gun: Maverick, the Barbenheimer phenomenon, A Minecraft Movie and some significant Disney wins over the last half-decade, it’s been a constant struggle to bring audiences back to theaters. This recent surge of enthusiasm, particularly for fresh, edgy filmmaking over the familiar, is invigorating.

The last six months have seen highs and lows at movie theaters, but this time window has been a triumph for fresh and daring films across all genres. There have been some disappointments and bombs, but if there’s a uniting theme in looking at the very best movies released so far this year, it’s originality and freshness. From a dark comedy that sees major movie stars at their edgiest, to horror pictures so successful they’ve shaken the industry, to a British mystery with talking animals, to a crowd-pleasing hard sci-fi blockbuster, these pictures simply gave audiences something different. These are the greatest movies of 2026 so far.

10

‘The Drama’

Image via A24

Cleverly marketed in a shroud of mystery, which was the only way to market this pitch-black dramedy that rides on a shocking twist, Kristoffer Borgli‘s The Drama stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as a newly engaged couple whose upcoming nuptials are rocked by a revelation from the past. Alana Haim, Hailey Gates and Mamoudou Athie round out the supporting cast of a movie whose thematic risk pays off.

The Drama is sometimes edited and strung together in a way that feels like it’s unsure of itself, but commendable and kind of shocking this movie got made, much less with A-listers, and it’s even more shocking that it’s this good. Zendaya and Pattinson fully embody their characters; their work here is in the top tier of their respective and formidable careers, revelatory in the way you’d hope a smaller film with big stars would always be. The movie has some rough edges and isn’t perfect, but it’s a genuine must-see with a surprising range of emotion. Truly, how many movies manage to be disturbing, hilarious and romantic all at the same time?

9

‘I Love Boosters’

Image via NEON

An ensemble cast of Keke Palmer, Naomie Ackie, Taylour Paige, LaKeith Stanfield, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle and Demi Moore star in Boots Riley‘s maximalist absurdist satire about a gang of shoplifters at war with a billionaire fashion mogul. An uncompromising financial satire of the horrible realities of present day, the first two acts here are close to perfect, and hilarious throughout thanks to a commitment to Looney Tunes logic from the cast and filmmaker.

I Love Boosters doesn’t land with the same punch as the director’s 2018 breakthrough Sorry to Bother You (not many modern satires have), and it simply loses its way and its stakes in the third act, but it earns its spot here on the strength of its vision. The production design is pretty astounding, and it’s all in service of what might possibly be the funniest film of 2026 so far.

8

’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’

Whether you loved it or hated it, it’s a real shame that last year’s 28 Years Later proved to be so divisive. Surely that response is what led Nia DaCosta‘s superior, highly acclaimed follow-up to bomb disastrously at the box office. A considerably higher audience score on Rotten Tomatoes for this latest entry certainly implies those who’ve actually seen it admire it. It’s a bona fide horror cult classic in the making.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is easily the strongest film in the quadrilogy since it began with 2003’s 28 Days Later, continuing the grisly misadventures of an effectively orphaned Spike (Alfie Williams). It’s a mood piece with philosophical ambitions that doesn’t forget we’re watching it for gruesome thrills. Jack O’Connell is unnerving as a cult leader, but an electrifying go-for-broke Ralph Fiennes steals the show. DaCosta also deserves a ton of praise for staging better set pieces here than veteran director Danny Boyle managed with the predecessor. The only sequel on this list earns its spot with a blend of innovation and good old-fashioned muscular craft.

7

‘Leviticus’

Image via NEON

Buzzy since its Sundance premiere, Australian writer/director Adrian Chiarella‘s supernatural thriller stars Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen as teenage lovers whose fanatically religious community summon an entity to combat their homosexual desires, an entity that alternately takes the form of the boys themselves.

Certain corners of the internet have cynically and lazily branded Leviticus as “the gay It Follows,” which really betrays what an affectingly somber affair this slow-burn really is. This isn’t the scariest horror movie you’ll see this year, but it’s often genuinely eerie, occasionally even shocking. It’s perhaps most commendable for the way it weaves together its dramatic and genre elements. Bird and Clausen are terrific, delivering touching, tragic performances that bridge the gap between the horror and coming-of-age genres.

6

‘Blue Film’

Image via Obscured Releasing

Elliot Tuttle‘s microbudgeted queer indie plays out like a black box theater two-hander, with Boots star Kieron Moore starring as Aaron Eagle, an aggressive and mysterious camboy escort whose latest client (Reed Birney) reveals himself to be Aaron’s former English teacher, with whom he shares a sordid past. This is almost exactly 80 minutes of two people engaged in piercing dialogue that’s uncomfortable, disturbing, and deeply sad in an empathetic way.

The subject matter here might be radioactive for many, but Blue Film is one of the most beautifully written and powerfully acted movies of 2026, eschewing salaciousness in lieu of a kind of exorcism, a need to make peace. Moore and Birney are flat-out superb, and the script reveals stunning emotional and psychological depth within a tight running time. It’s also evocatively shot in a way that masks its low budget while registering as an unshakable dream for the viewer.

5

‘The Furious’

Image via Lionsgate Entertainment

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Not to be confused with The Fast and the Furious, though this coincidentally is also an action film that’s sort of about family, The Furious is the action movie to beat in 2026. Seriously, it’s all but unfathomable that any action picture released over the next six months will top this. Kenji Tanagaki’s exhilarating masterclass in escalation stars Xie Miao as a mute handyman whose daughter (Yang Enyou) is kidnapped by child traffickers. It’s a simple, familiar, all-too-effective inciting incident for a blood-soaked Hong Kong action film that deserves a far wider release than its gotten. The Furious is perhaps the best film of its kind since The Raid, and it will find its audience over time.

It certainly isn’t perfect. The dialogue is clunky as hell, with many observers theorizing AI dubbing was utilized for the North American release (though, to be clear, this hasn’t been confirmed). The cheesiness really doesn’t really matter though, when what we’re here for is so perfectly executed and relentlessly fun. There’s a symphonic distribution and variation in the action sequences here, and the emotional impetus is irresistible. What the hell’s not to like?

4

‘Backrooms’

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Frankly, it’s a little surprising that many observers are still drawing a lot of attention to the fact that “YouTubers” are stacking such wins at the movies. This has been the case for years now, and it isn’t a trend. Still, Backrooms stands out as a particularly enormous event film. At 20, Kane Parsons became the youngest director to open a film atop the North American box office, with a staggering $118 million that broke A24’s all-time record. Oscar nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renata Reinsve star as an alcoholic furniture store owner and his therapist, respectively, who discover seemingly endless, ominous liminal spaces in the store’s basement.

There are even greater surreal horror movies out there, but the interdimensional vision of Backrooms is astonishing and impressively cohesive even without taking the helmer’s tender age into account. Parsons’ technical, even mathematical filmmaking strengths and voice have been on display for years, and Backrooms is a successful marriage with a feature narrative thanks to a minimalist but effective script by Will Soodik. The two lead actors are haunting as people who choose to cope with traumatic pasts in very different, hardly equal ways.

3

‘The Sheep Detectives’

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

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By far the year’s best family-friendly interspecies murder mystery, The Sheep Detectives is an increasingly rare kind of bird, a mid-budget film made with A-list talent that offers something for audiences of all ages. Craig Mazin adapts Leonie Swann‘s novel Three Bags Full, about a herd of Irish sheep attempting to solve the murder of their shepherd. The ensemble cast includes Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Galitzine, Nicholas Braun and Emma Thompson, with the vocal talents of Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris O’Dowd and Regina Hall.

The visual effects here were make-or-break for the final product, and they’re Oscar-worthy. It really isn’t overhyping Sheep Detectives to say Mazin deserves to be considered for this adapted script, too. Ultimately, the film is much less frothy and far deeper than you’d expect a movie called The Sheep Detectives to be.

2

‘Obsession’

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The success of Backrooms, and especially its mad opening weekend, can be attributed in part to great marketing. The phenomenon of Obsession can be attributed entirely to word of mouth. All but overnight, Curry Barker is the hottest name in horror cinema, thanks to this shoestring-budgeted fantasy fable about a monkey paw wish with horrifying consequences. A $750,000 budget looks like far more thanks to clever filmmaking across the board, from unnerving and darkly atmospheric cinematography and art direction, admirably silence-heavy sound design to Barker’s own taut editing. Michael Johnston and breakout star Inde Navarrette also deserve a lot of credit for a perfect tone that constantly leaves you unsure if you should be screaming, laughing, or maybe crying in despair.

Obsession is a rare breed, delivering freakouts that are already plastered all over the internet on top of a narrative that’s more provocative and disturbing, even grandly tragic, the more you think about it. It’s full of timely observations of modern dating, and it’s also a fundamental morality play, where the villain isn’t really the villain. We’re only six months in, but this is your horror movie of the year, in a historic year for horror, and it will end its box-office run as one of the most profitable films ever made.

1

‘Project Hail Mary’

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Project Hail Mary is by far the most tactile blockbuster film in recent memory, at a time when so many pictures with big budgets feel oddly airy and disposable. It’s stunningly shot for IMAX and full of practical effects of varying scale, and Daniel Pemberton‘s hopecore original score is perhaps the year’s most inventive. This tactility is all in service of a winning hard sci-fi story with tons of heart and just the right amount of imaginative leaps. Ryan Gosling stars in Chris Lord and Phil Miller‘s adaptation of Andy Weir‘s novel about a washed-up middle school science teacher who wakes up in deep space with no memory of how he got there.

The nature of the premise lends itself to a non-linear narrative, and Drew Goddard‘s excellent script builds a formidable emotional potency over a near-three-hour runtime that never feels its length. The journey is the destination, and Project Hail Mary‘s surprises are best experienced going in completely cold if you haven’t read the novel. Everything in this blockbuster rides on the back of a grounding, physical, funny and soulful performance from Gosling that’s frankly on an entirely different scale from anything he’s ever done. Project Hail Mary is made with timelessness in mind, but it’s also the right movie at the right time.

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Project Hail Mary

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Release Date

March 15, 2026

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Runtime

157 minutes

Director

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Christopher Miller, Phil Lord

Writers

Drew Goddard, Andy Weir

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Nothing in this world is perfect, or at least that is what everyone says, but there are a select few anime that most fans agree are flawless masterpieces. Titles such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and One Piece are known to be revolutionary anime with great writing, but they also contain a handful of issues and flaws. But what makes an anime flawless?

This list will highlight ten anime series that don’t have any flaws based on writing, animation, originality, influence, critical acclaim, consistency, lack of flaws, pacing, and overall quality. Some of these shows might have one or two things wrong with them, or viewers will have personal grievances, but for the most part, these ten anime series are flawless sensations that deserve recognition.

‘Steins;Gate’ (2011)

Image via Whit Fox

In order to be flawless, an anime must be consistently good, and Steins;Gate did it better than most. When a self-proclaimed mad scientist accidentally creates a machine that can send texts into the past, he tears holes in reality, threatening to change the events of history. Now he and his friends must fix it before the world becomes irreversibly screwed.

Some fans complain that the beginning is too slow and boring, but that was necessary in order to set up the events throughout the rest of the story. Steins;Gate is a meticulous anime that paces its story deliberately, and when things kick off, it kicks off. Time travel is a hard subject to write about, but this series somehow wraps everything up nicely, where there aren’t any plot holes, truly making its writing flawless.

‘Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju’ (2016-2017)

Image via Crunchyroll

All the anime on this list are well-known masterpieces, but perhaps the most unknown show is also the best written: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju. When a young yakuza member gets out of prison, he wants a fresh start, and inspired by what he saw inside, he wants to pursue a career in rakugo, a form of traditional comedic storytelling.

Speaking of well-written anime, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju features some of the greatest dialogue and story progression in the medium. By telling the narrative through the past and future, it shows the audience how the tradition evolved, not to mention the way the characters perform their routine tells fans more about their grief than the writing does.

‘Vinland Saga’ (2019-present)

Image via Wit Studio

Historical anime series are getting increasingly popular, and that all started with Vinland Saga, one of the most acclaimed anime of recent years. After the Vikings kill his father, Thorfinn joins their crew in order to enact his revenge, but first, he needs to be strong enough to kill them. However, after spending years with the Vikings, he slowly loses his purpose, now needing to realize what is actually important to him.

Everyone knows and loves Vinland Saga because it is a deconstruction of the revenge trope. What starts as a typical revenge story with some philosophical themes evolves into a character study of how anyone can change for the better. Its themes of pacifism, revenge, guilt, and redemption are incredibly profound and well-handled, proving Vinland Saga is a masterful anime.

‘Cowboy Bebop’ (1998-1999)

Image via Sunrise

Shinichiro Watanabe is a legendary anime director known for some of the greatest anime series, including his magnum opus, Cowboy Bebop. Spike Spiegel and his group of bounty hunters travel the galaxy and clean up the planets from filth. However, when his dark past resurfaces, he must face it head-on or risk putting himself and his friends in danger.

Cowboy Bebop is one of the most unique anime series of all time, and it achieves this through its blend of sci-fi, neo-noir, jazz, and 1980s action. This anime is a stylish combination of unrelated aspects to create a succinct experience that is more than just cool. The episodic structure plays into the themes of the story, and with each episode entertaining in itself, paired with the overall connection, Cowboy Bebop is a brilliant anime.

‘FLFL’ (2000-2001)

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The avant-garde genre isn’t as popular as it used to be, but it still contains a handful of perfect gems, including FLCL. With his brother gone, a young boy takes it upon himself to do everything, not giving himself the chance to be a kid. But when a vespa-riding woman hits him in the head with a guitar, his world flips upside down, even if she is using him to summon her interdimensional lover.

It may only be six episodes, but that just means it has a better chance of being perfect, which it is. The later seasons are awful, but the first season of FLCL is a wacky adventure with coming-of-age themes and bizarre sci-fi madness. Outside of having the best music in anime, FLCL also uses its chaotic and surreal animation alongside its aggressive storytelling to tell a relatable story to masterfully convey the simple difficulties of life.

‘Monster’ (2004-2005)

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Naoki Urasawa is a prolific manga author responsible for the greatest mystery stories ever, including his most well-known masterpiece, Monster. Tenma is a doctor, and when he chooses to save the life of a child over the mayor, that same child grows up to be a serial killer. Tenma now takes it upon himself to kill Johan before he does anything worse, but will he be able to do it after seeing Johan’s dark past?

Monster starts off as a slow-burning that tumbles into a domino effect of plot points and shocking moments until the final arc, which is the ultimate conclusion. Despite being on the longer side, Monster maintains its perfect pace and handles its characters well, knowing what to do with them and when. Ultimately, there isn’t a better anime mystery that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

‘Haikyuu!!’ (2014-present)

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This list features a couple of sports anime, and while the genre is filled with riveting series, one of the best and most popular is Haikyuu!! Hinata may be undersized, but he has big dreams of becoming an ace striker on his high school volleyball team. However, he will need to learn to work together with an arrogant rookie setter if he wants the team to succeed and make it to nationals.

Haikyuu is a beloved anime because of its underdog story that made it easy to root for every character, even the antagonists. With personal stories, growth, new things to learn, and consistent improvement, this anime kept viewers emotionally invested. Haikyuu achieved everything it aimed to accomplish, creating an exhilarating anime in the meantime.

‘Mob Psycho 100’ (2016-2022)

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Having an overpowered protagonist limits the story a lot, but one of the best ways to handle it is the way Mob Psycho 100 deals with the issue. Shigeo is the world’s strongest psychic, but he only wants a normal school life, which is difficult with his powers. Because he suppresses his emotions, his abilities burst out of control, making life challenging for him, his friends, and his enemies.

Mob Psycho 100 does have some tame moments where it takes focus off the main narrative, but that was to simply showcase the daily life Mob strived for. Excelling with animation, art, and creativity, this anime was an explosion of innovation that can be seen in the action, style, and narrative. Mob Psycho 100 is an emotionally complex series with some of the best characters in the medium.

The greatest anime of all time is an endless debate, but the closest series to that crown is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. When brothers Edward and Alphonse lose parts or all of their bodies in a taboo alchemical experiment, they set out on a quest to find the philosopher’s stone. However, all they uncover is a government conspiracy that threatens to engulf the world if they don’t do something.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has incredible worldbuilding, lore, drama, action, comedy, animation, characters, writing — the list of its many strengths goes on. This show has a little bit of everything for everyone, and despite achieving all of it, it doesn’t spread itself too thin, still retaining a balanced scope. The buildup is slow, but everything that comes after is perfect from start to finish.

‘Ping Pong the Animation’ (2014)

Image via Tatsunoko Production

Table tennis isn’t the most exciting sport, but Ping Pong the Animation will change viewers’ minds. Smile and Peco have played the sport together for as long as they can remember, but everything goes wrong when they decide to go pro. Smile doesn’t find the joy in playing competitively, and Peco struggles to keep up with the competition.

As mentioned, avant-garde anime don’t get proper recognition, even when the series are as good as Ping Pong the Animation. The art style is messy, but not flawed, using its rough aesthetic to portray the mental state of the characters. Everyone has an arc and a purpose, and through the sport of table tennis, they discover themselves in unique and satisfying ways. Ping Pong the Animation is simultaneously thought-provoking and entertaining, leaving no room for any flaws to ruin this masterpiece.

It’s become incredibly difficult for shows to last for more than three seasons given the constraints put on them by the industry. Streaming services tend not to let shows go on for too long because they might lose viewership over time, and studios don’t want to renew shows when the required wages for writers and crew members increase after the third season. Although it is an unfortunate reality, it’s something that television creators have to contend with in a changing media landscape.

It’s impressive when a show can make economical choices to tell its story in a short amount of time without feeling like any characters or storylines are slighted. When considering how many shows have lost their essence over time due to an endless number of seasons, it can be preferable to cap off a finale after just three installments, offering a tight and conclusive ending that satisfies everyone.

10

‘Legion’ (2017–2019)

Image via FX
 

Legion is one of the best comic book shows ever made because it embraces the surrealist, psychedelic side of Marvel’s source material and offers a fresh perspective on the experiences of being a mutant. Although it is inspired by a more obscure run of X-Men comics, Legion doesn’t have anything to do with any of the live-action installments in the franchise; in fact, its creative and emotionally charged approach to the mythology might resonate with those that have otherwise dealt with “superhero fatigue.”

Legion created a compelling protagonist in David Haller, played by Dan Stevens in one of his greatest performances, who is a mutant who struggles to determine whether he is a hero or villain. While the outlandish comedy and musical sequences make Legion feel like an avant-garde approach to the genre, it ends up being a surprisingly emotional series based on how profoundly David’s story ends.

9

‘The Comeback’ (2005–2026)

Image via HBO

The Comeback is one of the most unique sitcoms on HBO because it had three seasons that were released over the course of two decades, allowing it to examine how rapidly the entertainment system had evolved in the time since. Lisa Kudrow’s performance as a vain, struggling former sitcom star is not only a self-referential role, but one she uses to explore how the excess of celebrity has made Hollywood even more challenging.

The Comeback is a ruthless satire of how decisions are made in entertainment, but it’s also completely hilarious, and manages to say something about the rights of artists. The third and final season was particularly noteworthy for how it examined the destructive capabilities of artificial intelligence, which was a bold move during a time in which many studios have proven that they will bend over backwards to cut out humans from the process.

8

‘Daredevil’ (2015–2018)

Image via Netflix

Daredevil was a game-changing comic book adaptation that served as the first series from Marvel Studios to debut on Netflix, where it was allowed to be much darker and grittier than anything that had been seen in the live-action films. Although many fans were highly disappointed by the 2003 film about the character, Daredevil found a smart way to do the origin story and found the perfect casting of Charlie Cox, who has completely embodied the role of Matt Murdock.

Daredevil also featured an all-time great comic book villain in Wilson Fisk, played brilliantly by Vincent D’Onofrio in a completely terrifying, complex performance. Although the show was sadly canceled as part of the expiration of Disney’s deal with Netflix, the rebooted series Daredevil: Born Again debuted on Disney+ and reunited many of the leads from the original run of episodes.

7

‘American Crime Story’ (2016–2021)

Image via FX

American Crime Story is the best show that Ryan Murphy has ever made, and has done the anthology approach to exploring real incidents in American history much better than Monster. The three seasons focused on different historical cases that were significant within popular culture, including the arrest and trial of O.J. Simpson, the death of fashion mogul Gianni Versace, and the impeachment of United States President Bill Clinton.

American Crime Story featured brilliant performances from A-list actors throughout, and was able to look at all different angles to these cases in order to explore the social, political, and legal repercussions. Even if there were liberties taken with how these stories were told, they do serve as conversation starters because they were willing to look beyond the headlines to show the complex machinations involved with highly combustible and complicated media circuses.

6

‘I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson’ (2019–2023)

Image via Netflix

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson is one of the funniest sketch shows of all-time, and is more than a suitable replacement for those who have felt that Saturday Night Live has lost its momentum in recent years. Tim Robinson is a remarkable performer and writer who was able to completely reboot what sketch comedy looked like by taking humorous situations and pushing them beyond normal limits to be weirder, more uncomfortable, and increasingly surreal than they would be in the hands of any other creator or showrunner.

Many of the sketches from I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson have subsequently gone viral, but there are so many hidden gems within every single installment that it is worth revisiting all three seasons to experience the full extent of Robinson’s radically inventive, hilariously genius sense of humor.

5

‘The Office’ (2001–2003)

Image via BBC One

The Office is one of the most groundbreaking sitcoms of all-time and an early achievement in the mockumentary genre that set a template for other shows to follow. While the American remake did become quite popular and served as a “comfort watch” for many fans, the original British version of The Office is even more incisive and brilliant, and managed to accomplish even more in just three seasons.

The Office offered a definitive perspective on the mundanity of cubical work that spoke to anyone who has ever hated their job or been irritated by an obnoxious coworker or employer. Although Ricky Gervais is an actor and comedian who can be very polarizing, he unquestionably tapped into genius with his portrayal of David Brent, a character who belongs in the hall of fame when discussing the funniest characters in the entire history of television.

4

‘Hannibal’ (2013–2015)

Image via NBC

Hannibal was a surprising new twist on the iconic Thomas Harris source material that justified its existence by offering a different perspective on the events covered in films like Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs. Although Mads Mikkelsen’s performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter was worthy of all the other great actors who had occupied the role, credit must also be given to Hugh Laurie for his performance as Will Graham because of how well the show works as a cat-and-mouse chase.

Hannibal is the rare show that has a completely perfect finale that resolved all the series’ mysteries, and solidified Bryan Fuller as one of the best showrunners working in television today. Although there have been constant rumors about a potential continuation that would introduce Clarice Starling, it’s hard to imagine that any new installments would be able to live up to the incredible legacy of Hannibal.

3

‘Deadwood’ (2004–2006)

Image via HBO

Deadwood is the greatest Western in the history of television because it is based on more than just the tropes of the genre. The real history of America’s frontier era was much more fraught than it’s often depicted as being in films and shows, and Deadwood explored the process in which a territory becomes an official town within the Union in an exciting way that featured dialogue worthy of Shakespeare.

Deadwood was one of the first examples of what HBO could do when it committed to a specific genre and aesthetic, as David Milch’s exacting vision for the series ensured that every character and storyline was fascinating in its own right. Deadwood may have been cancelled after the end of its third season, but Milch returned 13 years later to direct the standalone HBO film Deadwood: The Movie, which served as a proper finale.

2

‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)

Image via HBO

The Leftovers is a major achievement in television because it expanded beyond being a strict adaptation of an acclaimed novel to become a rich, mythic odyssey about the quest for answers that captured a shockingly poignant depiction of how humanity would react to a global tragedy.

The Leftovers is a show that only could have existed on HBO, as it asked viewers to buy into some truly strange tonal shifts and ambiguity, as Damon Lindelof has never been the type of showrunner who gives viewers the answers to all of their questions at once. Although Lindelof’s process of mystery-baiting proved to be controversial during the highly divisive ending of Lost, The Leftovers didn’t suffer the same backlash because its finale “The Book of Nora” offered a completely satisfying emotional conclusion to the beautiful romance that the series had built over the course of three seasons.

1

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–2017)

Image via ABC

Twin Peaks is one of the most foundational works in television history because David Lynch revamped what a serialized mystery could look like by creating a series that had a “watercooler effect,” in which fans gathered to unpack the mysteries between weeks.

Twin Peaks dared to be more than just a procedural because it explored the complex aftermath of the death of the high school prom queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), and how it leads to secrets being revealed about her entire town. Twin Peaks was sadly cancelled by ABC in its second season after the network had forced Lynch to solve the murder, which resulted in a crashing of ratings. Although Lynch directed the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me to unpack the show’s events from Laura’s perspective, he would finally make a Season 3, subtitled Twin Peaks: The Return, which aired on Showtime in 2017.

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Twin Peaks

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Release Date

1990 – 1991-00-00

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Directors

Lesli Linka Glatter, Caleb Deschanel, Duwayne Dunham, Tim Hunter, Todd Holland, Tina Rathborne, Diane Keaton, Graeme Clifford, James Foley, Jonathan Sanger, Mark Frost, Stephen Gyllenhaal

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With a baby on the way, Anne Hathaway has to prioritize comfy summer fashion. It inevitably leads her to the ugly-cute sandals trend, and since we’re talking about Hathaway, hers lean mega chic. We found the equally practical and stylish look on sale for just $25!

Spotted vacationing in Saint Tropez, the actress wore a breezy white dress paired with chunky platform sandals. Cushiony, slightly orthopedic and quietly leg-lengthening, her sandal style turns heads in the best way. Nothing screams ‘confidence’ like ugly-cute shoes!

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Her exact sandals are probably wildly expensive, but these Coutgo Platform Sandals nail the aesthetic. You get the same double-strap design, chunky platform and beige tone that goes with absolutely everything in your closet, from linen sundresses to wide-leg jeans. Shiny gold hardware is a welcome upgrade.

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Hathaway wasn’t hiking uphill, but she probably could in this sandal style. Her Saint-Tropez moment proves that real elegance is being comfortable enough to actually enjoy yourself, so skip the blisters, elevate your summer wardrobe, and let your feet thank you later.

Get the Coutgo Platform Sandals for $25 (was $33) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more comfy sandals here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

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Related: Shh! Comfy Rich Mom Sandals Just Went on *Major* Sale

Rich moms live in sandals during the summer, but that doesn’t mean they sacrifice comfort. They seek out equally comfy and chic styles — and we found 17 on-sale pairs that look expensive, yet start at just $9, courtesy of Amazon Prime Day. Prime Day runs from June 23 through June 26, but we don’t […]

Dutton Ranch‘s Finn Little is warning viewers to be “very worried” about the season 1 finale of the Yellowstone spinoff.

During a joint interview with Natalie Alyn Lind exclusively for Us Weekly, Little, 20, poked fun at offscreen concerns, joking, “At least three people — is it three or four people that die in the finale?”

Lind, 26, for her part, remained more tight-lipped.

“I don’t want to give anything away,” she said to Us before adding, “Nobody dies. Everybody dies. .. Oh, wait, they’re all dead.”

Yellowstone initially introduced viewers to the Dutton family in 2018. The Paramount Network show came to an end in 2024, expanding its universe with Luke Grimes’ CBS show Marshals and Dutton Ranch, which premiered in May.

Earlier this month, cast member Marc Menchaca weighed in on whether the deadly twists on the show had him worried about his character Zachariah’s fate. “It’s always a possibility — and I have a pretty good track record of saying bye-bye on a show,” he told Us.

Menchaca, 50, poked fun at his bad luck on screen.

“My wife [Lena Headey] made a death reel for me for my birthday this last year. It was about 10 minutes and it didn’t even have all my deaths,” he quipped. “So I was a little bit [worried].”

He continued: “I was like, ‘They may take me out so I better get on everybody’s good side.’ Hopefully, it won’t happen but the way things are now, you get these scripts just a little bit before. Then you start going through and you’re like, ‘Is it gonna happen next scene?’ Thankfully it has not [yet].”

Juan Pablo Raba, meanwhile, recalled the moment he was worried about his future on the show.

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“When I got episode 6 and I opened the page and I see Chet walking to me with a gun, my first thought was, ‘Well, it was nice while it lasted,’” he quipped to Us. “I was like, ‘God, it was so short. But why didn’t they call me? That’s rude.’”

He continued: “You hope for the best and you hope it’s going to be a long run. But you really don’t know. I really hope we can really work this for many seasons because I think there’s so much story to tell.”

Dutton Ranch airs Fridays on Paramount+.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

John Wick changed the action film landscape so thoroughly that it became a part of our cinematic lexicon … for example, when you want to describe a movie built around big celebrities, epic fights, and intricate worldbuilding, you might say something like “Nobody is Bob Odenkirk’s John Wick.” There is currently no shortage of these movie homages, and some are inevitably better than others. One of the best such films is Gunpowder Milkshake, a John Wick clone with a girl power twist now streaming on Netflix.

A Cross Between Fire Power And Star Power

What is Gunpowder Milkshake about, exactly? This is mostly the story of a veteran hit-woman who works for a mysterious organization and can handle almost any job with ease. But when she has to protect the young girl of one of her victim’s fathers, she must reunite with her estranged mother and recruit some unexpected allies if she wants to have any hope of survival.

As with the John Wick films, a large part of Gunpowder Milkshake’s appeal is its cast of quirky actors. Karen Gillan (best known as a fan-favorite Companion Amy on Doctor Who) plays our chief hit-woman protagonist, and Lena Headey (best known as Cersei on Game of Thrones) plays her estranged mother turned professional killer. Other big names in this great cast include Paul Giamatti as a shady assassin employer, and Michelle Yeoh as a member of a very special sisterhood of warriors.

A Perfect Mix Of Violence And Charisma

While it’s not quite as good as John Wick (more on this later), Gunpowder Milkshake does a good job of emulating that film’s best characteristics. For example, the fights are well-choreographed and complex, and every single bullet fired helps to propel the narrative relentlessly forward. All of the cast has great chemistry, and the organic worldbuilding in the script is reminiscent of killer action films like Mad Max: Fury Road. 

When Gunpowder Milkshake debuted on Netflix, it made a big splash, establishing itself as the most-watched film in America that week. This positive buzz was enough for a sequel to be announced in 2021, but there hasn’t been any real movement or announcements since then. Fingers crossed for more of this strange cinematic universe, but the lack of updates has me worried that this particular milkshake machine may be broken (the McDonald’s curse strikes again?).

Good, But Not Better Than The Best

Gunpowder Milkshake may have been a highly-streamed hit when it came out, but critics were a bit mixed in their opinions. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has a 60 percent critical rating, meaning that it barely eked into “fresh” territory. Critics generally praised the colorful and entertaining universe and its stylish ultra-violence but noted that, like a more conventional milkshake, it might be nothing more than a sugar-filled rush of empty calories.

I think that’s a generally correct assessment, and I feel the same way about Gunpowder Milkshake. It’s not as good as John Wick, but that isn’t meant as a slam…if we’re being honest, that Keanu Reeves genre-defining classic is better than most movies. But this newer film notably manages to deliver Wick-style thrills and charismatic characters while taking some very big swings to establish its own unique cinematic identity.

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE SCORE

Gunpowder Milkshake is ultimately a great film for anyone who likes great action scenes, and if you happen to love Gillan, Headey, and Yeoh (honestly, who doesn’t?), it’s even better. Of course, milkshakes aren’t for everyone, and you won’t know if this is your new favorite sugar bomb or just a bomb in general until you stream it on Netflix. Fair warning: if you’re a Doctor Who fan like me, you might spend half the movie singing “Amy’s got a gun” to the dulcet tones of Aerosmith.

Kim Scott, the ex-wife of rapper Eminem, is now the subject of an active arrest warrant after failing to appear in court for a hearing related to her recent DUI case. According to multiple reports, Scott missed a scheduled appearance on Wednesday in Macomb County District Court in Michigan, prompting prosecutors to request a bench warrant.

The latest legal development comes just weeks after Scott was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a traffic crash.

Judge Issues Arrest Warrant After Kim Scott Missed Court Appearance

Scott was expected to appear before Judge William H. Hackel III on Wednesday for pretrial proceedings tied to her DUI case. However, after she failed to appear, prosecutors requested that a bench warrant be issued and that her previously posted release bond be forfeited. The judge granted the request, issuing an active arrest warrant and setting Scott’s bond at $10,000.

As of Wednesday, officials confirmed Scott had not yet been taken back into custody.

DUI Arrest Followed Michigan Crash

The missed hearing stems from Scott’s arrest on May 14 in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. According to authorities, Scott allegedly crashed her vehicle into another car the night before in nearby Detroit. She was taken into custody the following morning and booked into the Macomb County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The arrest marked yet another legal issue for Scott, who has faced several public struggles over the years.

Kim Scott Was Already Facing Charges From An Earlier Crash

The May arrest came only weeks after Scott entered a no-contest plea in a separate case connected to a February crash. According to reports, authorities alleged Scott drove her white Range Rover into a parked Dodge Ram on February 16.

Her son, Parker, and three of his friends were reportedly inside the vehicle at the time as they were heading out shopping. Investigators said the impact pushed the parked truck approximately 50 feet from where it had been sitting.

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Scott was subsequently charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and failure to stop or identify after causing property damage.

Kim Scott And Eminem’s Relationship Played Out In The Public Eye

Scott and Eminem, whose legal name is Marshall Mathers III, have one of the most well-known and turbulent relationships in hip-hop history. The pair first met as teenagers in 1987 before beginning an on-again, off-again romance that lasted for decades. They married for the first time in 1999 before divorcing in 2001. The former couple reconciled several years later and remarried in 2006, but their second marriage also ended in divorce later that same year.

Throughout his career, Eminem frequently referenced Scott and their complicated relationship in his music, making her one of the most recognizable figures connected to the rapper’s personal life.

When it comes to family, Scott and Eminem welcomed their daughter, Hailie Jade, in 1995. “Bein’ a dad is definitely living a double life,” Eminem told Rolling Stone in 2004. “Even before Hailie was born, I was a firm believer in freedom of speech … But once I hit them gates where I live, that’s when I’m Dad.”

Beyond Hailie, the rapper also helped raise several other children connected to Scott’s family. He adopted Stevie Laine Scott after reuniting with Kim in the mid-2000s. Stevie was born in 2002 during one of the periods when Scott and Eminem were separated. Eminem also adopted Alaina Marie Scott, the daughter of Kim’s late twin sister, Dawn Scott, who struggled with substance abuse before she died in 2016.

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The rapper has frequently spoken about the importance of family throughout his career, and all three children have remained a central part of his life.

Kim Scott Has Faced Personal Struggles Over The Years

Scott has been candid about the personal challenges she has faced over the years, including struggles with addiction and mental health. In 2015, she survived a suicide attempt after crashing her vehicle into a utility pole. She later described the incident as an intentional act and said she had been battling depression and substance abuse at the time.

Despite periods away from the public eye, Scott has periodically made headlines because of legal troubles and her longstanding connection to Eminem.

With an active arrest warrant now issued, the latest chapter in her legal case continues to unfold.

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