The transition to streaming has made access to content easier than it has ever been. Streaming platforms boast libraries that contain a vast array of movies, TV shows and other content that might pick one’s interest. A fan-favorite genre remains action thrillers and there is no shortage of such content within the streaming landscape right now. Netflix, with over 300 million subscribers, opted to offer movie and TV fans plenty to feast on this year, and rightly so. One of the most successful films of the year for Netflix, without question, has been The Rip, the crime thriller starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as Miami narcotics officers. Despite earning over 130 million views, The Rip is still not as successful as the sci-fi thriller, War Machine (starring Alan Ritchson).

It has been a hectic year for the streamer, as the platform has pushed out even more equally engrossing TV shows to compete with its stellar movie lineup. The release of some intensely bingeable TV shows like the limited series, His & Hers (starring Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson), new seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer and Bridgerton, among others, signaled a streaming platform only focused on picking up the pace. Another is the hit spy thriller The Night Agent, which is about to enter its fourth and final season. Only time will tell what project emerges as the biggest Netflix movie or TV show of 2026. But for right now, as some projects fade into the background, previously forgotten shows are returning to the limelight.

At the end of 2024, December 3 to be precise, Netflix debuted all episodes of Black Doves, the Keira Knightley-led spy thriller that also stars Ben Whishaw on its platform. Upon its premiere, the pulse-pounding espionage thriller spent weeks atop streaming charts, which made the decision to renew it for a second season a straightforward one. The show takes on elements of James Bond‘s global espionage and the intense, bone-crunching combat guaranteed for fans of Reacher and blends it into one perfect brew. After some time away from the spotlight, production on Black Doves Season 2 kicked off late last year, and although there is no official confirmation from Netflix, the series is reportedly expected to return sometime in the winter of 2026 or early 2027, according to What’s on Netflix.

Who Returns for ‘Black Doves’ Season 2?

With scores of 91% from critics and 65% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, Black Doves is led by Knightley, who plays a spy who is also the wife of the British Defence Secretary. The attempt on her life and that of her husband (Andrew Buchan) sucks her back into a world she thought she’d left behind. Now, Helen and Whishaw’s Sam, former colleagues, seek out those trying to take them out. Season 2 will see numerous stars from the first season return, including Kathryn Hunter (The Front Room), Gabrielle Creevy (The Guest), Ella Lily Hyland (Silent Roar), Molly Chesworth (Call the Midwife), and Agnes O’Casey (The Miracle Club). Sarah Lancashire returns as Mrs. Reed even as new faces join the cast.

Black Doves was written and created for TV by Joe Barton, who also wrote the script for the 2024 Netflix movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, The Union. Knightley and Barton executive produce the series, alongside SISTER’s Jane Featherstone and Chris Fry.

Stay tuned to Collider for more about the Season 2 return of Black Doves, and stream Season 1 on Netflix.

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Release Date

December 5, 2024

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Network

Netflix

Directors

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Lisa Gunning

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Is Lil’ Kim in love? That appears to be the energy of a recent video montage she shared, which teases new music from Tayy Brown. Aside from having previously worked together, Kim and Tayy sparked dating rumors in early 2024. Last year, reports claimed that he dragged the ‘Crush on You’ rapper on social media. However, this new video appears to show them super locked in, down to him getting a face tattoo (or two) honoring her!

RELATED: Proud Mommy! Lil’ Kim Pens Sentimental Message Praising Her Daughter Royal Reign & Her Beauty (PHOTOS)

Lil’ Kim Flexes Private Moments With Tayy Brown 

On Monday (August 10), Kimmy took to her Instagram feed with a reel featuring a collection of videos and photos over the years. The cover photo and start of the reel show her and Tayy Brown posing together in black and cream hoodies, respectively. In the selfie, he has blonde locs. According to his IG profile, he last wore that hairstyle in 2022. Another photo in the reel shows them sitting courtside in an empty stadium, while the first video shows them vibing in a kitchen. Meanwhile, one video shows her using filters on Tayy while she cracks up and he playfully urges her to chill out. “I really be the one that play too much,” Lil’ Kim appeared to write on that part of the reel.

Following those playful videos, Lil’ Kim included selfie videos of them chilling on a sofa, seemingly poolside. She had on a black swimsuit while he wore red swimming trunks. Together, they sang along to Usher’s ‘Yeah!’. Other snapshots included a look at roses she’d received, presumably from Tayy Brown. Also, a separate car selfie video shows them kissing on the lips.

Tayy Appears To Tattoo “Kim” On His Neck

And that’s not where the Lil’ Kim’s reel ends! Another standout video shows Tayy Brown getting the name “Kim” tattooed on the side of his neck. She captioned that clip with the word, “Mine” and two emojis, including a red heart. She included other clips from the tattoo day that shows Brown checking out his new ink in the mirror and then turning to face the camera. After he turned around, another face tattoo close to his eye was visible, the letter K with a red heart next to it. The reel ends with a teaser of apparent new music from Tayy titled, ‘Untouched.’ Lil’ Kim’s caption and the reel seemingly described the music status as “loading.”

Keep watching the video below until the end to see the clips described! 

And Kimmy isn’t the only one showing public love in the apparent rekindled romance. A post Tayy Brown shared on August 7 shows him smiling in a selfie with Lil’ Kim in the sixth slide. It’s unclear what event the rumored couple was attending.

Social Media Has Plenty To Say About The Rekindled Romance 

After Kimmy put the reel out there, her IG comment section quickly flooded with reactions. Some cracked jokes about the age gap between them as he’s 26, while she’s 52. Others applauded her happiness, wishing her well. Meanwhile, a few recalled that in 2025, per HONK Magazine, Tayy Brown accused Lil’ Kim purposefully blocking his career, including pulling his music from streaming platforms and ceasing communication about his career. He claimed to have signed over 65% of his royalties, but said he “didn’t even care” because he “believed in her.” Additionally, he alleged they had a “fake relationship.” It’s unclear when and if Tayy Brown and Lil’ Kim resolved the issues that sparked the internet call-out.

@lorena_gobbit_7 commented, “I know an OBGYN when I see one 😂😂 Nah man listen, these 21+ guys be fun sometimes…whatever makes you smile works for me lol be safe Kim!” 

@tiff__718 wrote, “Kim , Keisha, Trina, What’s really going on 🤣🤣.” 

@kaybella commented, “That little boy just like enjoying the luxury life he dont care about kim the way he was going off on the internet.” 

“I was finna say WHEN DID LIL KIM HAVE A SONNNNN 😂😂😂😂😂😂💯,” @heartless_soullll added.

@thejudge_and_thejury said, “The tatts omgaaaaah🔥🔥🔥🔥im bout to make my young joint tat my name🤣.”

@cravingcandi added, “As long as you’re happy we’re happy for you Kim… but if you ever need us to jump him it’s up bout the Queen 😂😍😍😍❤️❤️🔥🔥” 

@miss_mollylee wrote, “As long as the queen is being loved and is happy that’s all that matters! Nobody says anything when it’s the man that’s older with a younger woman so why the double standard here!?! Kim looks happy so does Tay, as long as he treats her right cause she’s been through HELL in her past relationships, and that he treats Royal Reign like the Princess she is, then her fans should be happy for her!! YOU DO YOU QUEEN B, YOU’VE HAD MY SUPPORT SINCE DAY ONE AND ALWAYS WILL!!” 

“That little boy just like enjoying the luxury life he dont care about kim the way he was going off on the internet,” @_ucantsit.witus said.

“Be happy gurl,” @love_spirit_star added.

@talentgoddess wrote, “Kim 🐝 is a legend and looks super fun. He’s lucky to be with her.” 

@omega_doll_ commented, “👑👑👑Kim 🔥🔥🔥you deserve all the happiness 🐝😍” 

RELATED: Lover Girl! Keyshia Cole Shows Off Bouquets Of Roses Amid Apparent Romance With Skrilla (PHOTOS)

Horror trilogies have a harder job than most franchises. The first film can thrive on mystery, but the sequels must expand that fear without explaining it into boredom. A strong trilogy also needs more than just three recognizable titles.

It needs progression, a clear identity, and enough emotional or thematic weight to make the whole journey feel planned rather than prolonged. These five trilogies approach that challenge from completely different directions. None are gentle. All are worth the marathon.

6

The Blade Trilogy (1998–2004)

Image via New Line Cinema

Long before shared superhero universes became Hollywood’s safest business model, the Blade trilogy made a half-vampire warrior feel completely at home inside an R-rated action-horror world. Blade (Wesley Snipes) hunts the creatures that killed his mother while using their own strength, speed, and healing against them. Blade II sends him into an uneasy alliance with vampires facing a more dangerous mutation. Blade: Trinity expands the war again by bringing Dracula and a new group of hunters into the conflict.

The third movie is far messier than the first two, which keeps the trilogy below the top tier. The overall legacy remains enormous. Wesley Snipes gave Blade the stillness, confidence, physical authority, and he never needs to explain why he owns the room. Stephen Norrington’s original turned blood-soaked nightclubs and martial arts into superhero language before the genre had settled on a formula. Guillermo del Toro then pushed the sequel toward creature horror with the Reapers and their splitting jaws. Put the trilogy on for leather coats, silver weapons, vampire politics, and the reminder that comic-book cinema once had real teeth.

5

The Original Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

Image via Netflix

Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy follows a group of teenagers trying to break the curse hanging over Shadyside, a town blamed for generations of massacres and violent killers. Fear Street Part One: 1994 establishes the modern group and the rivalry between Shadyside and wealthy Sunnyvale. Fear Street Part Two: 1978 moves into a summer-camp massacre. Fear Street Part Three: 1666 reaches back to the origins of the town’s suffering and connects the separate timelines into one story.

Releasing all three films across consecutive weeks turned the trilogy into a genuine event during the summer of 2021. Director and co-writer Leigh Janiak used R.L. Stine’s books as a foundation while aiming the movies at an older audience than the novels. The result mixes teenage romance, slasher brutality, supernatural mythology, and class anger without losing the energy of a crowd-pleasing horror marathon. Deena Johnson (Kiana Madeira) and Samantha Fraser (Olivia Scott Welch) give the story a relationship worth carrying across centuries, while Ziggy Berman (Sadie Sink) helps make the 1978 chapter especially painful. Fear Street understands how much fun horror can be when every masked killer, hidden tunnel, and old town secret feels connected. Watch all three close together. Shadyside works best when there is no escape between chapters.

4

The X Trilogy (2022–2024)

Image via A24

The X trilogy explores fame, youth, sex, aging, and self-invention through three films centered on women who refuse to accept the lives handed to them. X brings a small adult-film crew to a Texas farm in 1979, where Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) meets an elderly woman whose buried desires turn deadly. Pearl travels back to 1918 and shows the frustrated young dreamer behind that violence. MaXXXine moves into 1980s Hollywood as Maxine chases mainstream stardom while a killer stalks the city.

Mia Goth connects the trilogy through Maxine and Pearl, two women separated by time but driven by the same belief that ordinary life would be unbearable. Ti West changes genre with each chapter. X is a grimy slasher. Pearl looks like a poisoned Technicolor melodrama. MaXXXine embraces neon crime thrillers, Hollywood sleaze, and the paranoia surrounding the Night Stalker era. The trilogy also understands performance as survival. Pearl creates fantasies because reality feels too small. Maxine turns certainty into armor and keeps walking toward the spotlight no matter what waits around it. Three movies, three decades, one ferocious hunger to be seen. Give them a weekend. You may never hear “I’m a star” the same way again.

3

The Apocalypse Trilogy (1982-1994)

Image via Universal Pictures

John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy is a thematic collection rather than one continuous saga. It starts with The Thing, that places an alien imitator inside an Antarctic research station and makes every human face suspicious. Prince of Darkness brings scientists and a priest into an abandoned church where an ancient force challenges the line between religion and theoretical physics. In the Mouth of Madness follows an insurance investigator searching for a missing horror novelist whose fiction may be rewriting reality itself. The threats change. The destination remains humanity’s possible extinction.

The progression is deliciously bleak. The first film asks whether a small group can recognize the end before it escapes. The second wonders whether science and faith can understand what is approaching. The third attacks reality, authorship, and sanity until the audience becomes part of the joke. Cosmic horror rarely feels this physical. Blood tests, shared dreams, mirrors, manuscripts, and impossible towns all suggest that human knowledge may be a very small light surrounded by something ancient. Watch these in release order after midnight for best sleep not guaranteed results.

2

The Dead Trilogy (1968-1985)

Image via Continental Distributing

Modern zombie cinema began here and you’ll find out exactly how only once you sit through these films. Night of the Living Dead traps strangers inside a Pennsylvania farmhouse while recently deceased people gather outside and human disagreements become just as dangerous. Dawn of the Dead moves the collapse into a shopping mall, where survivors build a comfortable life among the products of a dead consumer culture. Day of the Dead descends into an underground military facility where scientists and soldiers argue over whether the undead can be understood, controlled, or trained.

These three films share no continuing hero or conventional storyline so the connection is societal decay. Each chapter finds humanity further along in the catastrophe and somehow less capable of cooperating. The zombies evolve from a terrifying crowd into a permanent population, while George A. Romero’s attention shifts through racial tension, consumerism, militarism, and scientific responsibility. Dawn may be the trilogy’s most exhilarating chapter, but the complete set shows how one low-budget nightmare created the language later used by The Walking Dead, survival games, outbreak movies, and almost every modern zombie story. Start at the farmhouse. By the bunker, you may be rooting for the dead.

1

The Evil Dead Trilogy (1981-1993)

Image via New Line Cinema

Ash Williams’ (Bruce Campbell) terrible weekend begins when five friends reach an isolated cabin and accidentally unleash flesh-possessing demons through the Book of the Dead. The Evil Dead treats that nightmare as relentless cabin horror. Evil Dead II returns Ash to the same blood-soaked battle while introducing slapstick, manic camera work, and the chainsaw-handed hero fans now recognize instantly. Army of Darkness then throws him into medieval England, where surviving one cabin somehow becomes commanding an army against the undead. Escalation achieved.

The trilogy’s magic comes from watching horror mutate without losing its handmade energy. Ash starts as a frightened survivor and gradually becomes a boastful action hero whose confidence regularly exceeds his intelligence. Bruce Campbell commits to every possessed hand, collapsing shelf, terrible decision, and glorious one-liner with his entire body. The effects are messy, the camera seems possessed, and the comedy never makes the Deadites harmless. Few trilogies have reinvented themselves this aggressively while strengthening their central character each time. Watch all three together and enjoy cinema discovering a legend one concussion at a time.

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The Evil Dead

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Release Date

October 15, 1981

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Runtime

85 minutes

Director

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Sam Raimi

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This summer has been a season of Spider-Men, Greek heroes with zero sense of direction and a buff Nicholas Galitzine in a leather harness and skit.

Movies in August tend to be less big and noisy and more dark and, well, thrilling. That’s why Watch With Us has put together a list of some of the best thrillers to watch on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and more.

At the top of our list is the premiere of the 2026 Netflix original The Whisper Man, a serial killer thriller starring Adam Scott and Robert De Niro.

We also recommend streaming the underrated 2024 sequel MaXXXine, starring a never-better Mia Goth as an erotic film actress fighting for her life in a sleazy 1980s Hollywood.

Last but not least, take a trip back to the ‘80s and watch No Way Out, a political suspense flick starring Kevin Costner as a man framed for a crime he didn’t commit — or did he?

‘The Whisper Man’ (2026) — Netflix

When Tom Kennedy’s (Adam Scott) 8-year-old son Jake (Acston Luca Porto) is abducted from their home one night, he has no choice but to contact the one man who can help him – his estranged father, Pete Willis (Robert De Niro). He’s a detective who caught a serial killer known as the Whisper Man 30 years ago, and he thinks that case might hold clues to Jake’s abduction. But the Whisper Man is still behind bars and has had no contact with the outside world. Who kidnapped Jake, and why are they mimicking the crimes of a notorious criminal the world has largely forgotten about?

Based on the hit novel by Alex North, The Whisper Man delivers all the late-summer/early-fall thrills you could ever want. The film conjures a spooky atmosphere filled with dark shadows and strange sounds in the night, which is exactly what a thriller like this should do. It also has a genuinely intriguing mystery, which plausibly connects Tom and Pete’s past with the Whisper Man to Jake’s present disappearance without making your eyes roll. The top-notch supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan, Hamish Linklater and Michael Keaton.

The Whisper Man begins streaming on August 28.

‘MaXXXine’ (2024) — Hulu

Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) always wanted to be a Hollywood star, and she eventually got her wish – albeit one with a big asterisk next to it. She’s a porn actress who is at the top of her very adult industry, but she longs to be “legitimate” and act in mainstream movies. She thinks she has a shot when she nabs a part in the cheap horror flick The Puritan II, but Maxine’s shot at stardom is jeopardized by a stalker who is gradually killing all of her friends. Who is this mysterious murderer, and why is he — or she — linked to a past traumatic incident from her past she’d rather forget?

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MaXXXine is the third chapter in Ti West’s X horror trilogy, but it’s more satisfying as a Brian De Palma-like erotic thriller than it is a traditional slasher like 2022’s X and 2023’s Pearl. There’s genuine mystery surrounding Maxine’s deadly stalker, with a lineup of suspects that include a scuzzy private investigator played by Kevin Bacon and even Maxine herself. As the unstable but magnetic Maxine, Goth is terrific — she never lets her heroine get lost in a story that’s a bit too complicated for its own good. The ending is a bit of a letdown, but the movie is so entertaining up until then that it’s still worth watching.

‘No Way Out’ (1987) — Prime Video

Navy officer Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) is normally a level-headed guy, but when he meets the alluring Susan Atwell (Sean Young) at a party, his caution and restraint go out the window. Against his better judgment, he begins a passionate affair with her, but there’s just one problem — she’s already someone’s mistress. Even worse, that someone is David Brice (Gene Hackman), the U.S. Secretary of Defense who is prone to wild fits of jealousy. He’s not happy when he finds out Susan is cheating on him, and he’s determined to find out who it is. Tom’s identity is unrevealed for now, but soon rather than later, he’ll be exposed, and he’ll learn there’s truly no way out once Brice comes after him.

One of the great ‘80s thrillers, No Way Out has more twists than an overpriced baseball pretzel. There’s so much more to the plot, which includes a gruesome murder, a manhunt, political sabotage and foreign spies, that your head will get whiplash trying to figure out what’s going on. But it somehow all makes sense, with a thrilling story that always manages to include just enough depth to make you care about Tom and Susan as they become embroiled in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. No Way Out also features some pretty steamy sex scenes, including one in a limo that might make you think twice before ordering that Uber Black car to ride to the airport.

Before the record-breaking success of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey, Universal released another tentpole directed by a legendary filmmaker. In fact, the movie in question was released only a few weeks before The Odyssey, but unfortunately, it had largely tailed off at the box office by the time Nolan’s film arrived in theaters. We’re talking, of course, about Disclosure Day, director Steven Spielberg’s first sci-fi movie in nearly a decade. The hotly anticipated movie divided critics and audiences; while some felt that it was a return to populist form for Spielberg, others found holes in David Koepp’s screenplay and flaws in the movie’s pacing.

Starring Emily Blunt as a newscaster who is “touched” by aliens and chosen to relay their message to the world, the movie also features Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. Disclosure Day received mostly positive reviews, and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 80% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “A humanistic variation on one of Steven Spielberg’s most revisited themes, Disclosure Day‘s breathless pursuit of optimism in an age of conspiracy gets its biggest boost from career-highlight work by Emily Blunt.”

Steven Spielberg Has Set an Incredibly High Bar for Himself in the Sci-Fi Genre

However, the movie wasn’t the breakout hit that Spielberg needed after the underperformance of his last two movies, West Side Story and The Fabelmans. Disclosure Day grossed a little under $250 million worldwide against a reported budget of $115 million, just about breaking even considering marketing and distribution costs. The movie fell drastically short of Spielberg’s other sci-fi movies of the last couple of decades, such as War of the Worlds (more than $600 million worldwide) and Ready Player One (approximately $580 million worldwide). That said, it was always aimed at older audiences, who typically prefer to wait for movies to hit home video. According to FlixPatrol, the Disclosure Day redemption arc is in full swing; the movie is currently the number-one title on the domestic iTunes viewership chart, and among the top 10 on Google Play, Amazon, and Vudu. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

June 12, 2026

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Runtime

145 Minutes

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Teen Mom’s Amanda Conner continues to face the consequences of her recent DUI arrest.

According to online court records viewed by Us, a judge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, ordered Conner, 35, to submit to weekly drug screenings. (She was previously ordered to only undergo random drug testing.)

Conner’s next court date is scheduled for October 21. The Ashley’s Reality Roundup was first to report the news.

Although Conner has not publicly commented on the judge’s ruling, she posted a TikTok from the courthouse on Friday, August, 7.

Related: Teen Mom’s Amanda Conner Denies Ryan Edwards Divorce After 911 Call

UPDATE 6/11/2026 at 12:53 p.m. — Teen Mom’s Amanda Conner has denied rumors that she and Ryan Edwards are divorcing after she appeared to hint at relationship trouble in a 911 call. “The rumor about what Ryan did me is bulls***,” Conner, 35, said in a TikTok video on Wednesday, June 10, seemingly referring to […]

“Alright, just left the courthouse,” she said in a video. “On my way to see my PO [probation officer] and then on my way to work.”

Diddy’s song “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” later played in the background as she danced in her car.

Back in May, Ryan Edwards’ wife was arrested and booked on a DUI charge. At the time, Conner was also charged with child abuse/neglect for allegedly driving under the influence with a baby in the car.

“I relapsed. After three years of me busting my ass and getting my life together, I relapsed. I think I got too comfortable, let my guard down and it happened,” Conner shared via TikTok on May 27 while addressing her arrest. “I do know addiction does not care how long you’ve been clean, how much you’ve built, it doesn’t care how many people believed in you, it doesn’t care about none of that.”

She later apologized for disappointing the people who “believed” in her.

“You all ride so hard for me and I appreciate the f*** out of that,” she continued. “I have let you all down and I’ve let my family down. Just saying that out loud, just letting it be known, it’s just so uncomfortable, it’s shameful, I’m disappointed, I feel guilty, scared. I’m not perfect. I’ve never come to be perfect.”

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In a separate TikTok video from Thursday, August 6, Conner shared a positive update on her reality as she continues to focus on her sobriety.

“I just wanted to give you guys an update on how life has been going for me,” she said. “Still doing good, I’m working. I clean houses and restaurants. I do go to meetings. I try to go at least two a week, but if not two, I will definitely go to one a week.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).