It’s been a tough decade for fans of fantasy television. Despite the early, world-shattering success of Game of Thrones and the prestige fantasy boom that followed, the last few years have seen a severe drop-off in quality for many promising projects. After the abrupt cancellation of The Wheel of Time, the disappointment of Season 2 of both The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, fantasy television hasn’t hit another peak yet. Thankfully, fantasy fans don’t need to look too far for a more reliable television experience, as there’s one series that has never released a single bad season: The Magicians.

Based on the book trilogy of the same name written by Lev Grossman and created for television by Sera Gamble and John McNamara, The Magicians is often described as Harry Potter, but in college. It’s a subversive take on high fantasy that infuses the awe of learning magic on Earth with all the hilarious misadventures of maturity. The series follows Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph), an awkward fantasy fan himself, whose dreams come true when he learns that magic is real and is invited to attend Brakebills, a college for the magically gifted, as a graduate student. Over the course of five seasons, Quentin subsequently realizes his favorite fantasy series is real, becomes schooled in the true meaning of magic, and goes on all sorts of hilarious adventures alongside an equally unhinged supporting cast.

‘The Magicians’ Is a Masterclass in the Art of Television Adaptation

Image via SYFY

We’d be here all day if we were to list everything there is to love about The Magicians. Not only does the series feature a talented cast of performers who consistently nail their roles, impressive special effects, and a unique message about the origins of magic, but by and large, The Magicians is an excellent example of how to adapt rich source material for the screen. Grossman’s novels are already engrossing and filled with relatable characters, lore, and tragic backstories, but Gamble and McNamara take advantage of their long-form format to flesh out the trilogy’s supporting players and make the world their own in a way that still honors the wayward spirit of the original. The result is a strong foundation for a series that only finds new ways to entertain, devastate, and enthrall you over time.

Which Hogwarts House Are You?

Some of The Magicians‘ best changes involve its main cast. Not only does the series greatly expand on characters like Margo (Summer Bishil) and Kady (Jade Tailor) — both of whom are based on characters who go by different names in the novels — but it also upgrades Fen (Brittany Curran) from a sidenote in the books to one of the show’s most hilariously chaotic mainstays. Furthermore, the series honors the queerness of characters like Eliot (Hale Appleman) and Quentin with heartbreaking storylines that go beyond the teases and more ambiguous circumstances of the original trilogy. This earnest focus is what allowed The Magicians to release its most beloved and iconic episode, Season 3’s “A Day in the Life,” and also consistently deliver some of the show’s most beautiful moments between the two in later seasons.

‘The Magicians’ Makes the Source Material Its Own

Aside from expanding Grossman’s world and honoring his characters, these additions are also what allow The Magicians to sustain its level of high quality across all five seasons. Although the series stretches its source material to more or less encompass its full run, the reality is that the show could have wrapped things up in at least three seasons if its creators had opted for a more straightforward adaptation. The reason The Magicians never experiences a sudden shift in quality or narrative drop-off is because the show’s storytelling never becomes dependent on the books. Unlike Game of Thrones, which found itself in serious trouble once the show caught up to George R.R. Martin‘s series, The Magicians developed so many fresh takes on Quentin and his friends that it had plenty of additional material to explore, allowing The Magicians show to come into its own over time rather than stray from the conventions of someone else’s world.

Between the show’s exploration of the underworld, multidimensional antics, and depiction of morally disturbed gods, The Magicians partially maintains its narrative momentum through largely original storylines, but it also keeps things refreshing for fans of the show and books alike. With constant pop culture references dropped by one of television’s most underrated duos, it’s no exaggeration to say Margo and Eliot’s mere presence makes every one of their scenes better, and The Magicians‘ spontaneous musical numbers are another great example of how the series takes full advantage of its talented cast while also honoring the irreverent tone of the novels. Featuring creative episode formats involving split perspectives, alternate universes, and time loops, The Magicians also takes a page out of the narrative playbook of less fantastical shows like Community, allowing innovative approaches to the show’s unique medium to complement the self-sustaining power of its adaptation.

‘The Magicians’ Success Should Serve as a Lesson for the Future of Fantasy on Television

Image via SyFy

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As with any fantasy series, there are some changes The Magicians makes that don’t quite land. Despite the power of Julia’s (Stella Maeve) journey and some welcome tweaks the showrunners introduce to her character, her short-lived ending in the series is conflicting, to say the least. Nevertheless, the heights The Magicians hit are far more memorable than its misses, and it is through the show’s strengths that it manages to remain compelling throughout all five of its seasons. A decision to kill one of the main characters, for instance, exemplifies how Gamble and McNamara were willing to deviate dramatically from their source material to move their story forward in a refreshing way. This absence allowed The Magicians to double down on its changes without relying on the novels’ original protagonist, opening the door for new heroes and villains to literally steal the show.

It’s not for nothing that The Magicians still feels like it has even more story to tell after its Season 6 cancellation, and it’s this level of success that makes the series the perfect roadmap for the future of fantasy television. At a time when series are either buckling under the weight of their source material or making changes that undermine the underlying narrative, The Magicians‘ ability to both respect and surpass its inspiration should be studied by streamers and other creatives in the industry. By keeping what works, expanding ideas that deserve more screentime, and being willing to kill someone else’s darlings to do what’s best for the story, The Magicians delivers five seasons of phenomenal television that never misses a beat.

Influencer couple Katherine Smith and Benjamin Finlan have called it quits.

“After 11.5 years of loving, enduring, surviving, and growing side by side, Ben and I made the mutual decision earlier this year to end our romantic relationship,” Smith and Finlan wrote in a joint Instagram statement on Saturday, April 4. “We know this may come as a shock to many. For us, it isn’t. It’s something we’ve quietly grieved for quite some time.”

They added, “There is no scandal. No fracture. Just two people who have shared more in a decade than many do in a lifetime, quietly acknowledging that love can change shape.”

According to Finlan, he was unsure how to “walk away from the girl [he believed] saved” his life after he suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in 2018.

“You don’t. You carry it with you: the history, the resilience, the versions of yourselves that only existed because the other was there,” the statement added. “[We] are forever bonded by hospitals and hope, by youth and understanding, by battles fought and won. That doesn’t disappear just because the romance does.”

Finlan was allegedly attacked in London in 2018, resulting in a TBI — a “disruption in brain function caused by a blow, jolt or piercing injury to the head, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders. The Canadian influencer comatose for one week and underwent multiple surgeries to remove parts of his skull. After flying home to Canada nearly two months later, Finlan was hospitalized again.

“I developed something called ‘syndrome of the trephined’ followed by an infection in my brain and things went downhill fast,” he recalled to Patient Voice in 2023. “I lost everything I’d previously regained. I had a seizure at one point that was so bad, I broke my hip. I ended up needing over 65 surgeries across four years. It was surreal.”

Smith, then 25, became Finlan’s caretaker as he recovered from his severe injury. (Smith and Finlan were four years into their relationship at the time.)

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“It’s so hard being a caregiver for your partner,” she told the outlet. “You don’t want to infantilize them, but there’s also this pressure to get everything right. It took some trial and error but we’ve found our routine and Ben has become incredibly independent.”

Related: Influencer Splits of 2026: Tabitha Swatosh and More Content Creators

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Some influencers decided to part ways with their significant others in 2026. Days after the New Year, news broke that content creator Kristy Scott filed for divorce from husband Desmond Scott after 11 years of marriage. In her filing, Kristy cited alleged infidelity as the reason for their split and noted that there is no […]

Smith and Finlan plan to remain friends after their breakup.

“We are still in each other’s corner. Still committed to each other’s happiness, health, and success. Just in a different way,” they concluded on Saturday. “Now, we can proudly say we are the best of friends, and always will be. We are forever grateful to the people who carried us through every season, who have supported us in every decision (including this one), and who have loved every version of us along the way.”

By Robert Scucci
| Updated 5 seconds ago

Did you know that Sylvester Stallone was in a slasher in 2002 called D-Tox? Or maybe you remember it by its other, infinitely more punny title, Eye See You. It’s a slasher, whodunit, “we’re all locked up at a rehab center for troubled cops and somebody’s trying to kill us all” plot that had the potential to be unique, but instead burns through every single slasher trope faster than the box of oily rags and blasting caps next to the furnace in Homer Simpson’s basement.

The rehab compound is located in the remote Wyoming wilderness during a blizzard. Every single character, at some point, looks shifty-eyed and suspicious. The phones don’t work and the body count rises. Stallone marbles-mouths his way through the grieving process, which you think is because of his character’s alcoholism, but once he cleans up you realize that’s just how he talks. Kris Kristofferson sits menacingly by a fire.

Writer Howard Swindle really thought he had something here, but all he accomplished was swindling me out of 96 minutes of my time. Eye See You tries to be shifty and clever, but it’s so boilerplate that there are no surprises. Even worse, people are dropping like flies, and it’s just so boring.

D-Tox… Like Detox. Get it? Please Get It! 

D-Tox, or Eye See You, centers on FBI agent Jake Malloy. A serial killer is on the loose, and he’s targeting police officers. The killer gouges the eyes out of his victims (get it? please get it), then hangs them up in a ritualistic fashion. Jake learns of this MO when he’s called to his former partner’s house to examine his remains. While surveying the crime scene, Jake receives a call from the killer, who’s now at his girlfriend’s home. Turns out the old “murder his former partner as a decoy so I can kill his significant other” move worked exactly as planned.

Jake goes on a three-month mega bender. His supervisor, Chuck (Charles S. Dutton), sends him to an experimental, remote rehab center in Wyoming run by former cop turned recovery counselor Dr. John Mitchell (Kris Kristofferson). At this fortified compound, devoted entirely to getting cops back on the wagon, we’re introduced to a bunch of hardened men, all of whom are so intensely gripped by their vices that they’re deeply unpleasant to be around.

Included in this lineup of guys, who may or may not be a serial killer hiding in a rehab center as a way to antagonize Jake, are ex-SWAT officer Peter Noah (Robert Patrick), British Bobby Frank Slater (Christopher Fulford), hardened homicide detective turned Bible thumper Willie Jones (Courtney B. Vance), LAPD’s finest mental case Lopez (Angela Alvarado Rosa), and geriatric RCMP officer McKenzie (Robert Prosky).

In addition to this group of boozers in blue are the staffers, like Dr. John’s assistant Hank and the resident nurse on duty, Jenny (Polly Walker), who becomes Jake’s romantic interest. Certainly a man who’s grieving the very recent, brutal murder of his girlfriend, and who also has a severe substance abuse problem, will benefit from becoming attached to somebody right before the killer continues his rampage in such a stark, bleak setting.

As you would expect, everybody starts dying, but their deaths are staged to look like suicides. Knowing the killer’s MO, Jake suspects foul play, and everybody starts to turn on each other. Conveniently, Agent Chuck stays in town because he figures they’ll need him to save the day by the third act, so he goes ice fishing and waits for his cue from the director. To add just a little more drama, the killer writes notes on the back of his victims’ eyelids, which is honestly the most impressive thing about this movie when you consider the texture.

$6.4 Million In, $55 Million Out

Receiving a very limited release, almost as if they didn’t want anybody seeing it, Eye See You currently carries an 18 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. It earned just $6.4 million at the box office against its reported $55 million budget. If I had to guess why this film flopped so hard, it’s because it doesn’t even know what kind of movie it is.

It’s a slasher that plays out like one of those mystery parties the desperate sitcom friend throws because they think it’ll make everyone like them more. A majority of the kills are off screen, which makes no sense because the bodies are still pretty gnarly when they’re discovered, and the gore is halfway decent.

The setting makes no sense. It’s a giant bunker in the middle of the wilderness, but everybody is still allowed to freely roam around as they please, weather permitting. You could have just sent them to a rehab in the city with better security. It would be just as isolated and more conducive to the kind of therapy sessions they’re trying to have. Nothing here makes sense, and it’s not even fun to watch because there’s not even any unintentional humor to celebrate.

Eye See You, also known as D-Tox, can be streamed for free on Prime Video, because I’m pretty sure the only way it’s going to make its money back is through the two-minute ads every 15 minutes.

A shocking incident happened at a Planet Fitness in Pennsylvania this week, and Davier Massey is allegedly the name behind it. What started as a routine gym ban, allegedly over an unpaid bill, quickly escalated into a violent confrontation. The whole ordeal left an employee hospitalized and the community shaken.

RELATED: Missing Man’s Body Found In Planet Fitness Tanning Bed In Indiana

Massey Returns After Banning, Stabs Planet Fitness Employee

According to authorities, 28-year-old Davier Massey was first banned from the Wyncote location on South Easton Road for failing to settle his account. He reportedly returned the next day, causing tension, and then came back again around 12:30 p.m., where a heated argument with a staff member reportedly turned deadly. Police say Massey stabbed the victim multiple times before officers arrived. Furthermore, police found the man with life-threatening injuries. He was rushed to a nearby trauma center and is now reportedly recovering.

Massey Arrested, Faces Multiple Serious Charges

Davier Massey was apprehended “a short distance away” and is currently being held without bail at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He now faces an extensive list of charges, including first-degree attempted murder and aggravated assault. His additional charges are recklessly endangering another person and terroristic threats, among others. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 16.

Planet Fitness released a statement expressing shock at the incident, saying, “We are saddened by the incident that took place at our Cheltenham location.” They continued, “Our thoughts are with the team member as they recover. We appreciate local law enforcement’s quick action, and the franchise owner is fully supporting them in their investigation.”

Wasn’t Planet Fitness JUST In The News?

As previously reported, things went sideways back in December at the Planet Fitness on SW 8th Avenue in Miami. 35-year-old Kiara Bryant allegedly caused a scene in the locker room, resulting in an employee asking  her to lower her voice. Seemingly, that didn’t sit well with Bryant. Video footage shows her leaping over the front desk and repeatedly punching the man while he tried to protect himself, refusing to fight back.

Additionally, CBS News reports that the employee’s attorney, Alecsander Kohn. He said his client suffered a broken nose and ongoing emotional trauma after the attack. “She took things too far, brutally battered our client, and ultimately, left him in the hospital with a broken nose and severe emotional distress,” Kohn explained.

RELATED: Miami Woman Faces Arrest After Brutally Assaulting Planet Fitness Employee Over Alleged Noise Complaint (VIDEO)

The internet is popping off after the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority Inc. explained why they cut Trick Daddy’s performance short at their 73rd regional conference. Soon after, Trick Daddy didn’t hesitate to share his POV. He basically told the sorority they should’ve known what they were getting into when they decided to pick him.

RELATED: Yikes! Social Media Goes IN On Trick Daddy After He Drops Cryptic Post About Why Men Cheat (VIDEO) 

AKA Director Explains Why They Chose To Cut Off Trick Daddy

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority South Atlantic Regional Director Tiffany Moore Russell released a statement in response to Trick Daddy performing at their 73rd South Atlantic Regional Conference. She said the region signed a contract with Trick to perform after their Step and Stroll Competition on Friday, April 3. The sorority met with him and his team multiple times to go over rules for attire, language, and even which songs to perform. But according to them, Trick ignored the rules. They said his language, lyrics, and some of his comments crossed the line.

“I ended the performance because of the disrespect for our organization and for our brand. Our step teams represented the creativity, the discipline and excellence that make our sisterhood proud, and I regret this performance distracted from that experience,” the statement read.

@2saddity_

Still trying to figure out how this happened 😓 #fyp #trickdaddy #akaconference #trending

♬ original sound – 2saddity_

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Trick Daddy Goes Off After AKA Director Cut His Mic

Trick Daddy came through with a response to Russell’s statement and he didn’t hold back! He hopped on a livestream to clear the air and said he was absolutely going to perform his single, ‘Jump On It.’

Trick Daddy’s performance during an Alpha Kappa Alpha conference was shut down early due to “disrespect for our organization and our brand” pic.twitter.com/AX8xsELyP4

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 4, 2026

From there, he made it clear he wasn’t feeling the regional director’s statement at all. He said anyone who had an issue with him or his music should’ve checked his catalog before booking him.

“Anybody that was in there sadity and was sanctified, they should not be in there once I grab that m**** f*****g mic. I ain’t ask to be there.”

Trick even said he gave them a half-priced show, so calling him out on social media felt like some shady business. He added that they cut his mic mid-performance, and he felt disrespected. So, he bounced.

“Now you done dirtied up my name. I gotta clean up my name. I gotta clear my name.” He continued, “I ain’t the m***** f*****g don’t play with me,” Trick continued.

On top of that, the rapper said he’s planning on dropping receipts in response to being called vulgar and disrespectful. He said his homegirl took video footage of the AKA girlies vibing to his music and rapping his lyrics word for word, so he doesn’t see what the problem is. “I came I gave you the real Trick Daddy. I gave you right what you paid for,” he said in his video.

Social Media Can’t Stop Talking About Trick Vs. The AKA’s

Once The Shade Room dropped the clips from Trick Daddy’s livestream, fans flooded the comment section. A lot of folks seemed to take his side saying the AKA’s should’ve known better than to expect gospel music from him.

Instagram user @martinefrancispierre wrote, “He ain’t lying 😂 y’all booked Trick Daddy not Marvin Sapp be fr.” 

Instagram user @ambernichelleee wrote, “So out of all the artists in the world y’all picked Trick Daddy and expected DECORUM ?!💀😭” 

While Instagram user @im_missp wrote, “I mean like be tf frrrr 😂😂 should’ve booked Kirk Franklin.” 

Then Instagram user @heavenblogz wrote, “I’m an AKA… and I also wanna know why Trick Daddy of all people was booked.😭😭😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣” 

Another Instagram user @keith_rondell wrote, “Trick Daddy vs. AKA was not on my bingo card for 2026 😂😂” 

Instagram user @ms.aunalia wrote, “almost everyone knows what type of music he makes 😂 like let’s not act surprised.” 

While another Instagram user @ricolaelizabeth wrote, “He ain’t wrong bc why even have Trick to perform … what did they want to hear? Thug Holiday?” 

Then another Instagram user @kweenmocha wrote, “That’s like asking Uncle Luke to perform on Hallelujah Night 😒” 

Finally, Instagram user @jus_wesm wrote, “They should’ve known better 😂😂😂😂… it’s Trick Daddy.” 

RELATED: Wayment Unc! Trick Daddy Turns Heads After Sharing Flirty Caption With Photo Of Him & GloRilla

Shiloh Jolie left fans stunned after appearing in a teaser for a music video by K-pop artist Dayoung.

Viewers couldn’t help but notice how closely the young adult resembles a 19-year-old version of her mother, Angelina Jolie, in the video titled “What’s a Girl to Do?”

Shiloh Jolie previously made headlines for dropping the name of her father, Brad Pitt, once she marked her 18th birthday; a decision that was later revealed to have left the Hollywood veteran devastated.

Shiloh Jolie’s Look In The Video Mirrored A Younger Version Of Her Mother

Recently, a K-pop artist debuted a teaser for her upcoming visuals, “What’s a Girl to Do?” in which Angelina Jolie’s daughter, Shiloh, was seen playing a video vixen.

Although Shiloh’s cameo in the teaser lasted only a few seconds, fans couldn’t help but notice how much she resembles a 19-year-old version of her mother.

What stood out most was her styling for the video. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight, braided updo, a look her mother frequently sported in her younger years. The dancer’s makeup also enhanced the transformation, featuring a gold contour, rosy blush, and a perfect, classic smoky eye.

Meanwhile, Shiloh’s pouty lips and bright blue eyes further sealed the striking resemblance to Jolie, and further highlighted how strongly the actress’s features are reflected in her daughter.

How Fans Reacted To Shiloh Jolie’s K-Pop Music Video Debut

On social media, fans pointed out the striking resemblance in the comments sections of various posts, noting that Shiloh was her mother’s “twin” and “carbon copy.”

“Holy sh-t, mamma’s good genes are sooooo strong. Beauty in the genes,” one wrote.

“She looks exactly like her Mom,” a second user remarked. “This is literally Angelina … I’m not even kidding,” a third said.

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“I said, ‘Who’s that girl? She looks a lot like Shiloh,’ and it’s indeed Shiloh. The Jolie genes tho. Out on April 7. Of course, we will support our baby’s baby,” a fourth user wrote.

A fifth individual noted, “So much like her little mommy that it wasn’t even necessary to say she was her daughter.”

One more wrote, “Shiloh Jolie has always physically resembled Angelina Jolie since she was little. Shiloh has 99.99% of her genes from her mother.”

Shiloh Jolie Previously Dropped Her Father’s Name

In 2024, Shiloh, for her 18th birthday, made the surprising decision to drop her father’s name from her surname.

The dancer stated in legal documents that she now wishes to be known as “Shiloh Jolie” rather than “Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.”

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Her lawyer, Levine, later addressed Shiloh’s surprising legal move, citing “painful events.”

“The media should be more careful in their reporting,” Peter Levine told People Magazine in an exclusive, “especially when covering a young adult who has made an independent and significant decision following painful events, and is merely following legal process.”

Why The Dancer Dropped Her Father’s Name

Part of the “painful events” that led Shiloh to drop Pitt’s last name reportedly included the dancer and her siblings being prevented from testifying in the custody battle between their warring parents, a decision Shiloh is said to have blamed on her father.

“The name change goes back to the custody battle, and Shiloh’s belief that her rights as a victim were violated,” an insider told the Daily Mail.

They added, “Shiloh believed she had the right, as a victim of crime, to testify — and was prevented from doing so.”

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Brad Pitt Was Devastated By Shiloh’s Name Change Decision

At the time news of the name change emerged, sources revealed that Pitt had “virtually no contact” with Shiloh and his older kids, Maddox, Pax, and Zahara, whom he also shares with Jolie.

It was also noted that he was devastated by the decision after he became aware of it.

“Brad was devastated by this choice,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. “To him, it was more than a change of name — it was a symbol of a deeper estrangement that has been brewing for years.”

Pitt’s youngest child, Vivienne, and older daughter, Zahara, have also stopped associating with his name.

A source later shared that the kids have “struggled to forgive and connect” with Pitt since the acrimonious split from Jolie several years ago.

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“Their mom is the head of the household, and she’s raised them with love and selflessness their whole lives. Once Brad left, it was very hard for them to see him go to war with her,” said the insider.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 18 seconds ago

If you’re a Star Trek fan, chances are that you watch Red Letter Media, the channel that deconstructs the worst films in the funniest possible ways. RLM cohosts Mike Stoklassa and Rich Evans are huge fans of Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi franchise, and they talk about it onscreen whenever they can. Most recently, the two released a video where they reviewed the first season of Star Trek: Voyager, a show that both of them enjoyed much more upon rewatch.

While the video primarily focused on the adventures of Captain Janeway and her crew, Stoklassa admitted something shocking: that he is connected with an insider who claims that Starfleet Academy only received 400,000 views. That’s not per episode, but for the entirety of Season 1.

Stoklassa hasn’t revealed his source, so it’s worth taking his claim with a grain of salt. But if he’s right, these low-view numbers reveal something sobering: Starfleet Academy’s biggest haters are right, and this now-canceled show was deeply, deeply unpopular.

The Front Lines Of A Culture War

As I have written about before, Star Trek was dragged into the culture war with the release of Discovery. That divisive rhetoric had an unintended side effect: from that point on, any attack on any NuTrek show could be dismissed as bigotry. If you had genuine problems with the portrayal of Michael Burnham (the teary-eyed Mary Sue who was inexplicably raised by Vulcans), for example, you’d get accused of being someone who screams because they saw a Black woman onscreen.

The same thing happened with Starfleet Academy when it was released earlier this year. Fans hated the show for a variety of reasons. Those included vulgar humor, profanity-laden Zoomer speech, and the mishandling of classic Trek lore.

However, because Starfleet Academy had some markers of diversity (like a same-sex faculty couple, a bisexual disaster, and a gay Klingon in a skirt), defenders of the series tried to paint all of its critics as bigots who hated the show for how woke it is. But if RLM’s insider source is correct, Starfleet Academy’s haters have been proven right: relatively speaking, nobody was watching the show at all, and most of those defenders may not even be real people.

The Power Of Math

The first season of Starfleet Academy only had 10 episodes. If Mike Stoklassa’s information is correct, it means that each episode averaged only 40,000 views. Worse, it means it’s likely that far fewer than 40,000 actually watched the entire series from beginning to end.

There is no way to verify Stoklassa’s claim, but it would explain why Starfleet Academy was canceled after Season 1. The cast had already wrapped filming on Season 2, and it’s unusual to cancel the show so far before the new season, which had already been completed, premiered. However, if Paramount knew that Season 1 had less than half a million total views while costing reportedly $10 million per episode, the network would know for certain that there was no way a second season could ever recover enough to justify throwing more money at a failing show. 

Great Call By The Haters

In thinking about all this, I keep thinking about one of my favorite copypastas: “The haters said I couldn’t do it. And they were correct. Honestly, great call from the haters.” Starfleet Academy has had haters dunking on this show from the beginning, claiming it’s something nobody really wants to watch.

Now, the show’s cancellation, along with Mike Stoklassa’s alleged insider info, proves that the haters were right: the show didn’t die because it was woke. It died because nobody was watching.

Some animated movies don’t just win people over once. They keep doing it every time they land somewhere new. The Wild Robot has had that kind of run. It was already one of the most warmly received animated films of its release year, and now Peacock is getting to enjoy the long tail of that success.

The film has stayed visible in Peacock’s movie rankings, which is impressive this deep into its streaming life. Even where its exact placement shifts, it’s clearly still one of the service’s stronger family and animation performers, which speaks to how broadly it connects. The voice cast includes Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Catherine O’Hara, and Bill Nighy. It’s emotional, visually rich, and just the kind of movie parents and kids can keep replaying together. That’s how real streaming legs get built, and The Wild Robot clearly has them.

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Is ‘The Wild Robot’ Worth Watching?

Collider’s review stated that The Wild Robot is a breathtaking, emotionally overwhelming triumph — a visually stunning animated film that cements Chris Sanders as one of the great storytellers in modern animation. The review praised Nyong’o’s nuanced vocal performance, noting how she avoids a cold, robotic delivery and instead infuses Roz with warmth and vulnerability. Pascal balances sharp humor with emotional depth, and Connor brings charm to Brightbill’s coming-of-age arc.

“At the movie’s core are the important messages that we determine our own identities, and that family can be found in all sorts of unexpected places and people. Furthermore, there’s a nice moment in which what makes Brightbill different actually becomes his strength. All in all, The Wild Robot is an incredibly impressive feat of both animation and storytelling, and Chris Sanders has another delightful feather in his ever-brimming cap. A remarkable achievement that proves that animated movies are deserving of elite cinematic status, this Dreamworks gem is sure to become an instant classic, proving once and for all that parenting takes a village, and sometimes a jaded, loving possum.”

The Wild Robot is streaming now.

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Release Date

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September 12, 2024

Runtime

102 minutes

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Director

Chris Sanders

Writers

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Chris Sanders, Peter Brown

Producers

Jeff Hermann

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• 
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  Lupita Nyong’o

  Roz / Rummage (voice)

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