Days of Our Lives sees that EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) is still looking a little green around the gills and he’s laid up with some kind of flu type bug. What we’re wondering if is this seasonal flu somehow or did somebody come for karma on EJ and he was deliberately contaminated? Did somebody make EJ sick on purpose?

Days of our Lives: EJ Going Downhill

We’ve seen Rita Lesley (Maggie Carney) gatekeeping while EJ is sick. And we had Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) there working and lurking and claiming she was taking care of EJ also. And for the past few episodes of the Peacock soap, we’ve seen EJ go from sneezing fits to doctor’s orders to get fluids, medicate, and stay in bed.

Every time we see him, honestly, EJ looks and sounds worse. And it’s not even flu season. Not for a couple more months. So EJ’s random sudden illness has many fans speculating about what is going on with Stephano’s heir. Have all of EJ’s recent misdeeds and shady deals caught up with him? and this is a karmic bout of influenza out of season. That’s possible, but I think there may be more to it than that.

Susan or Kristen Behind EJ’s Illness on DOOL?

The timing is interesting. If you remember, EJ started coming down with symptoms not long after his mom, Susan Banks (Stacy Haiduk), yanked the Phoenix ring off EJ’s finger, and Susan took it upstairs to cleanse the evil out of it before returning it to EJ.

And we know Susan’s got all kinds of mojo working. So, maybe she didn’t just cleanse EJ’s ring with salt and prayers. Maybe Susan used her other powers to curse the ring while she had it upstairs away from EJ and offscreen. As much as Susan loves Elvis Jr., she had no problem yanking that ring off his finger.

And that’s because Susan doesn’t want EJ to become Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo). So, maybe Susan has worked her own brand of magic to try to stop the evil power of the ring and the illness is some kind of side effect that hit EJ.

Or maybe Susan hexed it so the wearer of the ring gets sick every time they are plotting evil. That’s weird. But it’s Days. So, Susan cursing EJ to try and make him a better man is actually plausible. Thanks to Susan, we could be seeing EJ suffering some kind of supernatural flu.

And speaking of Susan, EJ’s sister Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) recently visited Rachel Black (Lorelei Olivia Mote) and Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) disguised as wacky psychic Susan. And with that in mind, maybe Kristen’s involved.

This may be her parting gift to EJ. Maybe Kristen put on the Susan Doppelganger costume with the fake teeth and just walked right into the mansion and Kristen then contaminated EJ’s favorite scotch or his toothbrush with some kind of virus. Kristen could have used a goon to get her something to dose him with.

Days of Our Lives: Who Deliberately Made EJ Sick?

She’s got ties to Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton). Of course, he’s on the run, but still Kristen could have found a way to get hold of something she could use to infect EJ. Not something to kill him, but Kristen might have wanted EJ bedridden and distracted long enough so that Kristen could get out of Salem safely.

And this week, we saw John Oliver’s character, Develin St. John, charm Rita, and then he got past her to walk right into EJ’s bedroom and woke him up from his sick bed. And when that happened, EJ looked even worse. So, it was bad enough he has this whatever kind of flu. But the water inspector was blackmailing him about the chlorine seal.

And who knows, maybe Kristen and Lexie Carver (Nikki Crawford) saw this plan as a bit of payback and a way for Kristen to escape EJ’s vengeance. Of course, Lexie didn’t know why Kristen was running from EJ. And if Lexie had known Kristen tried to kill Johnny, you know, maybe she wouldn’t have been willing to even help Kristen.

But if Susan or Kristen aren’t behind EJ’s illness, maybe his lovely assistant and ISA operative Cat is the one who made him sick. She’s been working with FBI guy Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) for about a year trying to bring down EJ. And the closest they’ve gotten was Gwen Rizczech‘s (Emily O’Brien) dead man switch letter that Cat stole.

That was crucial. She took it and then deleted it from Melinda Trask’s (Tina Huang) law firm server. I’m still not sure how that’s going to work because it wasn’t obtained through a warrant, but the Days writers may not care. And Cat may be wanting a backup plan in case Rafe can’t bring Gwen back from Alamania.

Cat to Blame on Days?

And Cat knows even though Gwen’s written confession names EJ as her co-conspirator in a bunch of crimes, there’s a risk that either Gwen doesn’t come back or the letter won’t hold up in court because Cat obtained it illegally and they do have to explain where they got evidence that they bring into court.

So, while Rafe is in Alamania, Cat could be doing more digging back in Salem. And remember, Cat’s brother, Dr. Mark Green works in the private lab and he worked alongside Dr. Rolf even though he’s on the run now. So, maybe Cat somehow convinced Mark to get her a vial of some kind of virus from the lab. That way Cat could expose EJ, make him sick, and get him out of the way. And with him in bed, conked out, then Cat can snoop around the mansion, poke into all the nooks and crannies looking for more evidence to use against EJ.

He made a cheeky comment when Cat said EJ needed to get to bed. That’s because he was burning with fever. But he joked he’d been trying to get Cat to say that for a while. And she even brought in a box of face masks so that she could avoid getting infected with whatever EJ has. She made sure to give one to Chad DiMera (Connor Floyd) so that he wouldn’t get infected. And maybe that’s because Cat knows exactly what this is. That could be how she knows to avoid it and exactly what it is because maybe she infected EJ deliberately.

Cat is Ruthless on DOOL

I put nothing past Cat and now she overheard EJ tell Johnny (Carson Boatman) that Lexie’s down in a tunnel room and then Cat told Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) to get word to Theo. And with EJ conked out sick in bed, it will be easier for Lexie’s loved ones to get there and get her out. Also, some fans wonder if there’s a chance Rita might be double crossing EJ.

She may have been in contact with Rolf and figured out how she could make their beloved boss EJ sick. Rita might have done it to get EJ out of the way while she tried to clean up the many messes that he’s made. Rita also seemed like she was crushing on Develin St. John, which was weird. I will say though, I don’t agree with fans that suspect her. We’ve never seen her disloyal to the DiMeras. So, if it is one of EJ’s employees that made him sick, my money is on Cat, not Rita.

But there may be a more innocent explanation for EJ’s influenza bug and this nasty illness he’s got. He’s been spending more time with Johnny. And recently, little Trey had to go to Grandma Paulina Price’s (Jackee Harry) house because he had a summer cold. And with Chanel Dupree (Raven Bowens) going through chemo, her immune system is compromised.

Days of our Lives: Trey Still Contagious

So, Johnny insisted that he was going to take Trey to his grandma for a bit. And Paulina did mention that she was thankful that little Trey was on the mend and that he didn’t have the flu that has been going around. But again, it’s not flu season, it’s summer. But Johnny could have exposed his dad EJ to whatever this cold thing is that Trey had. And EJ is just suffering a worse version of it.

We’ll see how fast EJ recovers and if we see any red flags of a guilty party that might have infected him. Susan hexing the ring is a possibility. Even though it’s weird, Kristen’s revenge is totally plausible. But I think in the end, if somebody did some kind of foul play with this flu, I think it would have to be Cat. We’ll see.

Serena Williams is giving tennis fans something to look forward to as she seems to be making a bounce-back. 

Serena is one of the sport’s most decorated champions. Hence, it came as such a disappointment to fans when an injury caused her to pull out of the highly anticipated doubles match with her sister, Venus Williams. 

However, with another major tournament around the corner, attention is turning back to the star athlete, and excitement is building to see what she has in store. 

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The 23-time Grand Slam champion is raising anticipation among watchers with her latest Instagram Story. 

The post showed the Olympic gold medalist on a tennis court, wearing a white athletic shirt, blue leggings, and white sneakers. She completed her athletic look with a visor over her pulled-back hair as she is seen casually hitting a tennis ball back and forth. 

This comes as a reassurance, as Serena had to step back from her earlier-scheduled Wimbledon match with her sister Venus Williams. 

According to PEOPLE Magazine, the 44-year-old was set to reunite with Venus on July 4 against Camilla Osorio and Solana Sierra. However, Serena had hurt her knee in her first-round singles match against Maya Joint, which resulted in a loss for her. 

Supporters had remained hopeful. However, Serena revealed on her Instagram that she would not be playing the match. She shared that she had done everything possible to recover, but it was just not happening. 

Serena Williams Revealed She Would Keep Playing Despite Injury

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The injury had people questioning Serena’s future in tennis and whether it was finally retirement for her. 

Luckily, the record was set straight by the athlete’s coach, Rennae Stubbs, as reported by The Blast. Stubbs shared that Serena fully intended to continue playing and was eyeing the upcoming US Open tournament in New York. 

Stubbs explained that the main goal was to get the gold medalist back on track and back on the practice court as soon as she was physically well enough to swing a racket. 

Serena Williams Had To Give Herself A Pep Talk Ahead Of Wimbledon Return

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Before her Wimbledon reappearance, the tennis star had been absent from the field for four years. Stepping back into the spotlight may not have been as easy as it looked for her. 

Serena needed to really dig deep before accepting the special invitation to compete in the championship. With organizers reserving one special spot for her, the tennis icon was left with a very important decision to make, per The Blast.

“I thought I should really take this opportunity. Who knows if I’ll ever make it here again. This could be it,” the four-time Olympic gold medalist shared. 

She reflected on the internal debate she had to make before finally making the decision to join the tournament. “I was like, ‘What’s wrong with me, Serena? What are you thinking? Are you nuts? Like you really should do this.’” 

Serena Williams Cites Her Daughter As The Reason For Her Tennis Comeback

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This came as a surprise to the sporting world, as the 44-year-old had announced her retirement back in 2022. 

Two months ago, the tennis star let fans in on the real reason behind her decision to come back on court. 

The Grand Slam great revealed her daughter, Olympia, was a huge driving force, The Blast reports. “Well, I think it’s going to be fun. My daughter Olympia told me that I should play with Venus. She’s always right,” she said. 

The athlete went on to describe her daughter as very serious, very smart, and very wise. Venus and alpine skier Lindsey Vonn were also both listed as motivation for the athlete. After watching her sister and Vonn achieve great feats in different sports, Serena was convinced to compete again. 

Meghan Markle Was Not Present To Support Serena Williams At Wimbledon 

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Serena’s much-awaited comeback of the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion was met with a lot of fanfare. Multiple celebrities flocked to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to witness the unforgettable event. 

It was noted, however, that Meghan Markle was not present in the crowd. There were speculations about whether she would make an appearance. Instead, her alleged rival, Emma Thynn, Marchioness of Bath, showed up to support Serena, per The Blast.

The Duchess of Sussex had watched Serena compete at the SW19 grass courts in 2019. Due to her absence, fans suspect the longtime friends are no longer as close.

Lindsay Clancy’s trial was brought to a standstill when she broke down in tears during an autopsy testimony and said, “I can’t do this.”

The trial was recessed two times on Wednesday, August 12, after Clancy, 36, got emotional as two medical examiners testified after they performed autopsies on her kids Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, who she killed in January 2023.

The first recess was called after medical examiner Renee Stonebridge explained that the children died by asphyxiation. She then revealed that they were in pain for about 10-30 seconds before they lost consciousness.

Another emotional moment took place when medical examiner Barbara Olson testified, in which she detailed Cora’s autopsy. Olson described the injuries to Cora’s neck, as well as identified signs of ligature strangulation and explained the type of pain the attack caused.

Related: Lindsay Clancy May Not Be ‘Criminally Responsible’ for Murders, Says Attorney

Lindsay Clancy’s defense argued that she may not be “criminally responsible” for killing her three kids ahead of her murder trial. Ahead of her trial start date on Monday, July 20, Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, said his client was overmedicated for postpartum depression when she killed her children Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 […]

As Olson described Cora’s injuries, Clancy started to audibly cry and hyperventilate as she said, “I can’t do this,” according to a video from The New York Post.

Following both instances, Judge William Sullivan told the jury that they should not let Clancy’s emotion influence their verdict.

The emotional moments were rare for Clancy, who has remained mostly composed throughout the trial. However, she did previously cry during the August 6 hearing when Massachusetts medical examiner Dr. Kimberley Springer testified that Callan’s autopsy showed “abrasions” and “some needle marks” from “therapeutic procedures.”

Clancy was seen crying as she looked at the autopsy photos, while some jurors were also visibly emotional during Springer’s testimony.

Clancy admitted to killing her kids, but pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. Throughout the trial, her defense has argued that she was not criminally responsible for the murders because she was overmedicated and experiencing extreme postpartum psychosis at the time.

Related: Lindsay Clancy Repeatedly Asked to Change Medications Before She Killed 3 Kids

Lindsay Clancy repeatedly asked to change her medications before she killed her three children in January 2023, according to a nurse who treated the then-postpartum mom in late 2022. Psychiatric nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta testified in court on Tuesday, August 11, that Clancy, 35, asked several times to change her medications despite concerns about her […]

However, prosecutors have argued that Clancy was well aware of what she was doing when she killed her children. Clancy also attempted suicide when she jumped out of the second story of her home shortly after she strangled her kids, which prosecutors argued pointed to the fact that the killings may have been intentional.

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If she is found not criminally responsible, Clancy could be sent to a state mental health facility in Massachusetts. However, she could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole if she is found guilty of first-degree murder.

If you or someone you know is pregnant or just had a baby and is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Kylie Kelce opened up about her fertility journey after navigating a pregnancy loss.

“I was terrified,” Kelce, 34, recalled on the Thursday, August 13, episode of her “Not Gonna Lie” podcast when a listener asked for advice about trying to conceive after suffering a miscarriage. “Even when we got pregnant, every single week, I was looking up, ‘What are the chances that this pregnancy sticks?’ Once I got into my second trimester, towards the end … I flipped it.”

Instead, Kelce began wondering, “What are the chances that the baby could survive?”

Kylie married retired NFL star Jason Kelce in April 2018, months before they suffered a pregnancy loss. The couple are now parents of four daughters: Wyatt, 6, Ellie, 5, Bennett, 3, and Finnley, 16 months.

Related: Kylie Kelce Says She Had ‘Severe Baby Blues’ After Birth of 1st Daughter

Pregnant Kylie Kelce is getting candid about the highs and lows of new motherhood. “I have had periods of my life where I truly believe I was experiencing postpartum [depression],” Kelce, 32, said during the Sunday, January 12, episode of the “Sunday Sports Club” podcast. “I know with Wyatt that I had severe baby blues. […]

During each of her successive pregnancies, Kylie remained fearful of the odds and risks of a potential loss.

“Was it healthy? No, [but] was it helpful? Kind of. I think that sits with you forever,” she acknowledged. “I had those same feelings through the rest of my pregnancies. You experienced a loss and it’s OK to have that grief sit with you. That is going to be something that might pop up when you least expect it.”

She continued, “I know that, for me, there are certain dates [I remember], ‘You were supposed to be there that day.’ But, if I had not tried again, I would not have Wyatt. I think that sometimes you have to do the hard thing and try again.”

Kylie further sent her support to listener Sarah, who similarly felt scared to conceive again.

“I wish you all the luck in the world. I’m sending you baby magic and baby dust,” the field hockey coach concluded. “I am so sorry that you had to experience that, but you are not alone. I firmly believe that you can get through it.”

Related: Jason Kelce Opens Up About Wife Kylie’s ‘Devastating’ Pregnancy Loss

Jason Kelce is opening up about his wife Kylie Kelce’s pregnancy loss seven years ago.  “I remember going out to my truck in the middle of practice and meetings, overcome with grief and emotion,” Jason, 38, recalled on Wednesday, December 3, while accepting the March of Dimes Sports Achievement Award at the nonprofit’s 43rd Annual […]

Kylie has previously been candid about the moment she found out that she miscarried.

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“It felt like everything went into slow motion, and they could not find the baby on the Doppler,” she said on a 2025 episode of her podcast. “I remember being like, ‘Oh, there isn’t a heartbeat. You didn’t find one because there isn’t one.’ They estimated that the baby had stopped developing between … nine and 10 weeks. Essentially, I had had what you would refer to as a missed miscarriage. It means that your body did not realize that the pregnancy was no longer viable.”

At the time, Kylie noted that she found out on Jason’s birthday, calling it a particularly “s****y day.”

“I called my mom and told her that I couldn’t tell Jason because it was his birthday, which seems very silly,” she said. It seems very silly because obviously I’m going to tell my husband what happened, and I did. It was hard for both of us.”

Nevaeh Akira is reportedly nearing her due date and enjoying the family time she can get from Blueface along the way. Recently, she, her son, Superior and Blue spent time at a pool. After the rapper jokingly pushed his pregnant boo into the water, concerned fans allegedly called the police, who later showed up at the couple’s home.

RELATED: Sheesh! Nevaeh Akira Blasts Chrisean Rock After She & Her Son Appear In Bed With Blueface On Livestream (VIDEOS)

Blueface Shoves Nevaeh & Her Son Into A Pool 

The Kick livestream clip shows Blueface holding Nevaeh Akira’s hand a few feet away from the pool’s edge. She’s wearing a light pink top and pink-and-white bottoms, while he wore patterned swimming trunks. As they started jogging toward the water, Blue stopped short of jumping in and lifted his leg, kicking Akira in the lower back. She seemingly screams a bit before popping her head out of the water to ask who pushed her. Moments later, Blueface gave Superior the same kick treatment.

While he laughed outside the water, Nevaeh Akira tells him, “That hurt. I didn’t like that.” He responded, “I barely even kicked you.” Seemingly shocked, Akira asked, “You kicked me?” He quickly changed his wording, claiming he “pushed” her.

Blueface faked jumping into the pool just to push Nevaeh in instead 😭💔 pic.twitter.com/IO626rDZkP

— midaqih (@midaqih) August 13, 2026

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Nevaeh Akira Clears The Air While Speaking To Police

Sometime later, Blueface allegedly booked in-home massages for him and Nevaeh. Amid receiving the treatment, two officers showed up at their door. Clips of the livestream shows the officers inside the home, questioning Nevaeh Akira about being pregnant. She tells them, “I’m pregnant as hell…big.” One officer then asks her, “Did any physical altercation happen today?” She immediately responds, “No,” and later tells the officer he can ask whatever he needs to ask. He follows up by asking whether she was “kicked today,” specifically in her stomach.

“No, I wasn’t kicked in my stomach,” Akira replied. Then, the officer asked, “Are you in any sort of medical distress?” and she again said no. She also said no when the officer asked whether she needs the firefighters to check her out.

Police arrived at blueface’s house to question neveah about her baby😳🤯
Apparently, someone called the police about blueface kicking neveah in the pool, but who could that be? 🤦🏾‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/rD5aIRDQnR

— Goated Clips 🐐🔥 (@willyda_bleezz) August 13, 2026

What Else Has Been Going On With The Apparent Couple?

Nevaeh Akira and Blueface have been trending for the last few days following his returned to their shared home. He spent the last weekend with Chrisean Rock and Chrisean Jesus and livestreamed now-viral moments, including spoon feeding the two-year-old and living room dancing with Rock. He also wiped away tears and returned her expression of love when she became emotional about the end of their weekend together.

After Blueface returned home to Nevaeh Akira, tensions appeared high. In separate livestream clips, she confronted him about not claiming her as his “wife at home,” talked about her love lessening and went in about him calling Chrisean Rock while they were out dining. Most recently, she threw major shade after Rock gifted them during a livestream, calling the mother of Chrisean Jesus a “baby disabler.” Nevaeh also called her a “dumba** b***h” while Blueface chuckled.

Blueface tells Neveah to shout out Chrisean for donating 50 gifted subs to them

“Shout out to the baby dis*bler” 😳 pic.twitter.com/WyOFkuBHTx

— Donut 🍩 (@RollinWithDonut) August 13, 2026

RELATED: Chrisean Rock Sheds Tears Before Blueface Heads Home To Apparent Tension With Nevaeh Akira Over His Cheating (VIDEOS)

Chris Watts may be getting married despite being sentenced to life in prison for murdering his pregnant wife and children. Watts was given five life sentences after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, per NBC News.

RELATED: Ohio Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter For Suffocating His Baby

Chris Watts Wants To Get Married In Prison After Murdering His Family

The convicted murderer reportedly applied for a marriage license to marry a woman named Lizzie Henderson, according to the Daily Mail. Henderson is a 39-year-old realtor from Ohio, but has moved to Wisconsin to be closer to Watts.

The nature of the murders was gruesome, yet Henderson reportedly visited Watts in prison 20 times last year. Not only that, she visited him on Christmas Day in 2024. Furthermore, she was seen making out with the alleged born-again Christian in prison.

“How things began is between me, him and God,” she said.

Chris Murdered His Wife And Children

Watts is currently serving five consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to the murder of his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts , in 2018. In addition to murdering his pregnant wife and unborn child, Watts also murdered their daughters — 3-year-old Celeste and 4-year-old Bella. At first, the killer claimed that his wife and children were missing from their home in Frederick, Colorado, on August 13, 2018. In footage of him begging for their return, he claimed: “I just want them home so bad.”

@truecrime_central

chris watts laughs when talking about his family while they were “missing”… #chriswatts #truecrime #fyp

♬ original sound – true crime – true crime

Watts later admitted to strangling Shanann after she returned home from a work trip. However, he first claimed that Shanann had smothered Bella and Celeste (Cece) after he told her he was having an affair with a co-worker. He later confessed that he strangled his pregnant wife to death after she threatened to leave him and take their children. According to ABC News, Bella saw Watts dragging her mother down the stairs and cried, “What’s wrong with mommy?”

Watts Dumped His Two Daughters’ Bodies In An Oil Vat

Afterward, he said he took Shanann’s body to an oil field — with his two daughters awake in the back seat of his truck. After Watts buried his wife, Watts smothered his two daughters before dumping their bodies in oil vats. He murdered Celeste first as Bella watched. Watts dumped his 3-year-old’s body into an oil tank and returned for his other child. Bella reportedly asked her father: “Is the same thing gonna happen to me as Cece? …. Daddy, no!” 

@rainielane

Part 11 | American Murder: The Family Next Door #truecrime #truecrimetok

♬ original sound – Rainie | True Crime Series

RELATED: Prayers Up! Michigan Man Reportedly Shoots And Kills Wife & Six Children In Apparent Murder-Suicide

Strange Planet had almost everything needed to become a standout adult animated sci-fi comedy. Nathan W. Pyle’s bizarrely wholesome world of blue beings, literal language, and everyday existential problems was already a proven concept, and bringing it to Apple TV gave the webcomic room to become something bigger.

Pyle also had Rick and Morty and Community creator Dan Harmon helping translate his work for television, along with a stacked voice cast led by Tunde Adebimpe, Demi Adejuyigbe, Lori Tan Chinn, Danny Pudi and Hannah Einbinder. The problem is that Strange Planet’s greatest strength was also its biggest weakness: There is only so much mileage in the joke.

‘Strange Planet’ Turns Everyday Life Into Alien Anthropology

Image via Apple TV+

The beings of Strange Planet live on a world that looks a lot like ours, but they describe everything with unnervingly literal language. Coffee becomes “jitter liquid,” a cat is a “vibrating creature,” teeth are “mouth stones,” socks are “foot tubes,” and kissing is “mouth pushing.” By stripping ordinary experiences of the language we take for granted, Pyle makes familiar routines suddenly look ridiculous.

That works because humans are nothing if not creatures of habit. We rarely stop to question why we do things the way we do them, and Strange Planet gets its laughs by forcing its characters to approach those conventions as if they were encountering them for the first time. The joke is that their clinical descriptions expose how strange our own behavior sounds when you take away years of cultural conditioning.

The animated series preserves that quality remarkably well. Its blue, pink, and purple visual palette looks like Pyle’s comics brought to life, while its characters remain deliberately sexless and largely anonymous. That anonymity gives the series an unusual universality. These are stories about friendships falling apart, parents struggling with their children, romantic relationships changing, and people wondering what they’re supposed to do with their lives.

The Webcomic’s Biggest Strength Doesn’t Translate to TV

Image via Apple TV+

Unfortunately, what makes a four-panel comic clever doesn’t necessarily make a 25-minute television episode compelling. Pyle’s original comics work because they deliver a joke, an observation, or a small emotional truth almost instantly. The reader encounters a familiar situation, watches the beings describe it with their strange vocabulary, and gets the joke. Then the strip ends, and there’s no need for a larger narrative arc, recurring character development, or escalating conflict.

A television series doesn’t have that luxury. Strange Planet has to fill 10 episodes, each running roughly half an hour, which means its simple observations need to support substantially more story. The series tries to accomplish this through multiple interconnected vignettes, recurring characters, and increasingly elaborate plots. Sometimes that expansion works, as frequent shifts in tone in the series are quite similar to stretching a joke beyond its original capacity.

Over time, the show’s humor becomes less effective, especially when it tries to contrast its subtle humor with more grandiose, cartoonish antics. Events like power generation, tunnels on the cliffside, and talent shows look absurd when shown alongside deeper discussions of love, loneliness, and mortality. A poignant observation about honesty or impermanence can lose some of its impact when it’s buried inside a plot that feels considerably more conventional.

The recurring characters help, particularly the Manager of the cliffside restaurant Careful Now and her shy potential love interest, but even they remain intentionally vague; the Manager is still simply “The Manager.” Most beings don’t have names, and their appearances are distinguished largely by clothing, accessories, and occupation. That approach works well in the comics, where the characters exist primarily to deliver a particular observation. On television, it can make it difficult to become deeply invested in who these people are.

‘Strange Planet’ Is Better in Small Doses

Image via Apple TV+

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Strange Planet‘s warmth is one of the show’s most appealing qualities, particularly in an adult animation landscape that often leans toward cynicism, vulgarity, or outright bleakness. This show finds humor in awkwardness rather than cruelty and repeatedly returns to the idea that life is strange, temporary, and worth appreciating anyway.

The voice cast also does a tremendous amount of work. Adebimpe, Pudi, Chinn, Adejuyigbe and Einbinder bring personality to characters who are intentionally designed to look and sound somewhat interchangeable. Their performances help give the otherwise minimalist world some texture.

Critics largely responded positively to the series, with Strange Planet earning an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet even favorable reviews repeatedly circled the same problem: The show’s observations are clever, but the gimmick can start to feel thin when expanded across an entire season.

Strange Planet feels like a missed opportunity rather than a failure. The series had a genuinely distinctive premise, a beautiful visual identity, and a creative team capable of turning its gentle observations into something meaningful. What it never quite solved was the fundamental question of how to make a four-panel idea breathe for 10 television episodes.

The best version of Strange Planet might not have needed to become bigger at all. It simply needed to stay small. Sometimes a joke works precisely because it ends before you have time to get tired of it.

Widow’s Bay scratched an itch a lot of us didn’t even know we had. A strange little town hiding all kinds of secrets, with each episode focusing on a different horror subgenre, and one big mystery slowly pulling everything together? Fantastic. And somehow, it also found time to be genuinely funny. One minute you’re watching Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) dance around like an absolute maniac. Then you catch a glimpse of the mirror and realize everyone around her is frozen in place with gaping, unnaturally widened mouths. The entire mood changes in an instant.

Widow’s Bay obviously proved just how well horror and comedy can work together when they’re done right. But it’s far from the first series to mix big laughs with genuine scares. If anything, it just gave the genre a fresh coat of paint. So, if you already burned through the season and are already craving more, here are five shows that do the horror comedy thing just as well, if not better.

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‘Chucky’ (2021–2024)

Image via SYFY

Don Mancini took a killer doll franchise that had already survived seven movies and somehow found a way to make it feel new again. The series begins when teenager Jake (Zackary Arthur) picks up a vintage Good Guy doll at a suburban yard sale, and soon after, people around the doll start turning up dead in gruesome ways. But this time, Chucky isn’t just running around killing people. He also takes Jake under his wing and tries to manipulate him into becoming a killer, too.

Of course, Chucky has always been one of horror’s funniest villains, and the show fully embraces that side of the character. Pretty much every scene with him is comedy gold. He’s constantly delivering unhinged one-liners like, “Hey kid, I’m gonna go kill your sister. Wanna come?” And each season gets even more ridiculous than the last. At one point, Chucky starts losing his immortality and slowly turns into a grumpy old doll with his hair falling out. In that very same season, he also ends up inside the White House terrorizing the First Family. It sounds completely insane on paper, but the show somehow pulls it off. In fact, that very season earned a perfect 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes!

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‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2019–2024)

Image via FX

Based on the Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi film of the same name, this mockumentary follows four vampire roommates living on Staten Island. There’s Nandor (Kayvan Novak), a once fearsome warlord who can’t figure out modern technology; Laszlo (Matt Berry) and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), a centuries-old married couple who constantly fight and bicker; and Colin (Mark Proksch), an energy vampire who feeds off people through endless rambling, pointless office chatter, bad jokes, or starting petty arguments. Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) is Nandor’s human familiar who’s been promised he’ll become a vampire one day. Until then, he’s stuck cleaning up the endless messes the vampires leave behind.

The horror is baked into the premise since these are, after all, undead bloodsuckers. But the show mines almost all of its comedy from how mundane immortality actually is. One of the best episodes has Laszlo running away from Jim the Vampire (Mark Hamill), an old adversary who’s been tracking Laszlo down over a century-old unpaid rent debt. Laszlo hides under the alias Jackie Daytona, a small town bartender whose entire disguise is a toothpick in his mouth, and it somehow fools everyone. In another episode, Nandor joins a bizarre vampiric cult to help vampires transition back to being human with activities like hula-hooping and tax-filing lessons.

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‘The Curse’ (2023)

Image via Showtime

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Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie‘s Showtime series follows Whitney (Emma Stone) and Asher Siegel (Fielder), a newlywed couple trying to launch an HGTV show about the eco-friendly, mirror-walled homes they’re building in Española, New Mexico. While filming a segment meant to make Asher look charitable, he hands a $100 bill to a young girl selling soda in a parking lot, then snatches it back the second the cameras stop rolling. The girl looks him dead in the eye and bluntly says, “I curse you.” From there, everything in Asher and Whitney’s lives starts going wrong.

It’s got all the social cringe comedy Fielder is famous for, but it also builds a genuinely compelling mystery, because the show never gives you a straight answer on whether the curse is real or if it’s all just an unlucky string of coincidences. That is, until the final episode. It’s one of the best finales of any show in recent memory, and it delivers that same gut-punch comedy-to-horror shift that Widow’s Bay fans loved, except it lands even harder here because the series spends nine episodes building up to it.

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‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–1991)

Image via ABC

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Before any of the shows on this list existed, David Lynch and Mark Frost were already mixing horror and absurdist comedy in ways nobody on network television had tried. The show starts as a murder mystery focused on the death of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). But from there, it quickly spirals into something much stranger involving demonic entities, alternate timelines, and extradimensional realities.

The series constantly swings between genuine dread and flat-out silliness, sometimes in the same scene. The Log Lady (Catherine E. Coulson) introduces herself by insisting her log witnessed the murder, and it’s played completely straight. Laura’s funeral turns into slapstick when the machine lowering her coffin malfunctions and sends it bouncing up and down above the grave, and it still doesn’t undercut the tragedy at all. This show was the exact blueprint for what worked so well in Widow’s Bay.

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‘Shining Vale’ (2022–2023)

Image via Starz

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The opening title cards of Shining Vale point out that women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression, that women are twice as likely to be possessed by a demon, and that the symptoms for both conditions are the same. That idea becomes the core of the series going forward. Courteney Cox stars as Pat Phelps, a once bestselling author stuck in a serious slump who moves her family into a haunted suburban house. Almost immediately, she starts seeing the ghost of Rosemary (Mira Sorvino), a 1950s housewife who murdered her own family in that same home, and who may or may not be trying to take over Pat’s body.

In Widow’s Bay, all the townspeople except for Mayor Loftis (Matthew Rhys) believe that the town is filled with supernatural occurrences. In Shining Vale, Pat is the only one who believes anything paranormal is happening, and she’s the one trying to convince others. Everyone around her assumes she’s just depressed. And for the horror fans, the show is packed with clever nods to classics like The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, Sinister, and more.

Seann William Scott is making a major move in the Los Angeles real estate market, putting one of his most valuable properties up for grabs. The actor stands to make a hefty profit if the sprawling California retreat sells anywhere near its asking price.

Scott has spent years shaping the residence to his tastes, blending contemporary finishes with the property’s laid-back, nature-focused aesthetic.

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“American Pie” star Seann William Scott has put his longtime Malibu estate on the market for $17.5 million, more than two decades after purchasing the property. The actor, also known for his roles in “The Righteous Gemstones” and “Shifting Gears,” bought the home for just under $4 million in 2004.

The Balinese-inspired property, known as The Vanaya House, sits on 1.45 acres above Zuma Beach.

According to the listing, the 4,176-square-foot residence features five bedrooms and five bathrooms, with Pacific Ocean views throughout the grounds. The estate also boasts a resort-style swimming pool, full-size tennis court, lily ponds, mature gardens and a gated motor court.

Inside, timber ceilings and exposed wood beams run throughout much of the home, while expansive windows offer views of the surrounding greenery and ocean. The primary suite comes with a private terrace overlooking the Pacific.

Scott has not revealed why he is selling the Malibu property.

Scott Added His Own Touches Over The Years

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Scott’s lengthy stay at the Malibu property gave him plenty of time to put his stamp on the residence.

The home’s interiors now lean heavily into California’s indoor-outdoor style, with organic materials helping soften its contemporary design. Stone flooring complements the extensive wood detailing, while glass walls allow natural light to pour in and connect the rooms to the surrounding landscape.

The open-plan layout keeps the main living spaces connected. There is also a roof deck and terrace, giving the home even more room to unwind outdoors.

Landscaped lawns and covered patios create additional outdoor living areas, with a pond adding to the property’s secluded feel. However, available reports do not detail exactly when the individual upgrades were made or how much Scott spent on them during his ownership.

Seann William Scott’s Venice Property Has Its Own Story

Scott’s Malibu home isn’t the only California property he has tried to unload in recent years. The “American Pie” star bought a 5,148-square-foot lot in Venice for about $2.2 million in 2017 with plans to renovate and flip it within a year. Instead, the project became a six-year labor of love.

The compound came with a small wooden bungalow and a vastly different three-story glass-and-concrete structure. Scott rebuilt the bungalow while preserving its footprint, later describing it as essentially a new building.

He then teamed up with his then-wife, interior designer Olivia Korenberg, to tackle the larger residence. Their goal was to soften its industrial feel and create more cohesion between the two structures.

By 2024, the finished compound offered roughly 4,600 square feet of combined living space, with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Scott finally listed the property for just under $5 million that year, although he admitted he wondered whether selling it was a mistake.

Scott Faced A Legal Fight Over A Separate Malibu Property

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Scott’s California real estate dealings also became a source of tension with his ex-wife, Olivia Korenberg.

In 2025, Korenberg accused the actor of trying to force her and their daughter out of a separate Malibu home he purchased for $3.5 million in 2024, per Us Weekly. Their divorce agreement allowed her to live there for one year, but she claimed Scott’s actions suggested the arrangement would last longer.

Korenberg alleged that things changed after she asked Scott to meet her new boyfriend. Weeks later, she said she was “blindsided” by a letter instructing her to vacate the property by June.

Seann William Scott Denied Retaliating Against His Ex

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Scott denied that the decision was retaliatory. He maintained that Korenberg was never promised permanent use of the home and said he decided to sell after consulting his financial adviser.

A judge later found Scott had the legal right to require Korenberg to leave and to sell the residence. However, the court criticized the way the news was communicated and ordered both exes to attend co-parenting classes.

Jenna Ortega’s sister weighed in after fans began to express concerns about the actress’ weight loss.

After a recent Esquire interview went viral, a social media user shared a lengthy message defending Ortega, 23, and reminding others to “mind [their] business.” The actress’ sister Aliyah Ortega subtly showed her support for the person’s opinion, adding three exclamation points in the comments section.

The social media post further claimed that fans online have been making “assumptions about [Jenna’s] health.”

“She has every right to make whatever decisions she feels are best for herself without being judged, discriminated against or subjected to unnecessary speculation,” the caption continued. “Sometimes the most respectful thing we can do is simply give someone privacy, support them, and let them be.”

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The post also noted: “We don’t know what she may be going through, and we shouldn’t assume anything based on appearances or a few comments from an interview. Stop concerning yourselves with her personal life and asking intrusive, unnecessary, and random questions. … Just leave Jenna alone and allow her to live her life on her own terms.”

In her interview with Esquire, published Tuesday, August, 11, Jenna recalled the challenges of being on set as a child actor.

“I really had it going for me as a child because I can’t think of one mistake I made. Is that a terrible thing to say?” she said. “I feel like I make mistakes now all the time, but as a child, I was so grateful and so excited to be there that my game face was on.”

Jenna explained how that affected her health, adding, “I wasn’t asking for a sip of water. I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever, because I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody. Maybe that was my mistake [of] not actually looking after myself.”

Photos and video accompanying the profile also showed off Jenna’s thin physique.

After rising to fame with roles on Disney and as the lead in Netflix’s Wednesday, Jenna has called out the potential dangers of child stardom.

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“Children aren’t supposed to be working like that. They are supposed to be climbing trees and drawing and going to school,” she told The New York Times in August 2024. “Some of those kids’ parents don’t even take school seriously, so I feel really, really fortunate to have had parents who made sure that I hung out with friends, made sure that I went to public school and wouldn’t allow me to work on a job unless I had straight A’s and was prioritizing my sleep and my schoolwork.”

She continued: “Child acting is strange. I see why my parents felt so hesitant about it, because you’re putting a child in an adult workplace. I think if I had just stayed growing up in Coachella Valley, I would be a completely different person. I wouldn’t speak the way that I do or approach interactions the way that I do.”

If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.