There was a real variety of music that came out in the 1980s, which makes it difficult to even assess what the best of that decade even was, but there’s no harm in trying. Actually, there’s a little harm in trying. People might be a bit unhappy, but there’s some personal bias here. If you want to have a semi-biased and semi-objective stab at throwing out the names of 10 albums from the 1980s that are the best, go for it.

A few of the albums below are among the most popular of all time, and deservedly so, while others are a little more underrated, or perhaps classifiable as cult classics (if that term applies to the world of music). Also, yes, like, three of these albums had songs that were prominently used in Stranger Things. Stranger Things is not the reason those albums are here. But it’s being acknowledged right out of the gate, and no more, once the intro’s over. Which it is… right about… now.

10

’16 Lovers Lane’ (1988)

The Go-Betweens

Things for The Go-Betweens were not so good, in 1988, with tensions that often seem to come about from just being in a band for more than a few years, and also some romance-related drama, particularly because members of the band were – or had been – romantically linked. It wasn’t quite as infamously messy as Fleetwood Mac around the time of Rumours, but like that album, heavy feelings may have been put into music… specifically, the music heard throughout 16 Lovers Lane.

It was the final Go-Betweens album done as a full band, and is easily the best of the bunch. 16 Lovers Lane is incredible throughout, as far as the lyrics are concerned, and then musically, everything is catchy and immediate without being overly simplistic. It feels ahead of its time, as far as alternative (or almost even indie) rock goes, and maybe that’s why it wasn’t hugely successful upon release, and needed some time before people really started to recognize how borderline-perfect it was.

9

‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)

Metallica

Resist them if you want, because Metallica are kind of to metal what U2 are to rock… well, maybe. Both bands were at their peak in the 1980s, and both became so popular that being a detractor of either is now kind of cool, especially because members of both bands are sometimes outspoken and a bit much. But… the music. It comes back to the music. And also, sorry to U2. The Joshua Tree was right on the cusp of being here, like at #11 or #12. That’s the only reason there’s been a big old U2 tangent.

As for Master of Puppets, it’s the best Metallica album, and there’s even an argument to be made that it’s the best metal album of all time. It certainly feels as though it could be the most approachable, because you mightn’t even usually like this kind of metal or hard rock that much, but still find plenty to appreciate here. It rocks. It’s an album that rocks. What more do you want?

8

‘Soul Mining’ (1983)

The The

There is an almost uncomfortable amount of introspection, self-doubt, and anxiety throughout Soul Mining, which was the debut album of a band somewhat frustratingly called The The. The The is sort of just Matt Johnson, though, and Soul Mining remains the greatest collection of songs he put out. But the struggles explored do have to be emphasized, since even the album’s sunniest song, “This Is the Day,” is one of those songs that’s got an energetic and possibly hopeful sound, but the lyrics get more cynical – maybe even more sarcastic – the more you think about them.

“Uncertain Smile” is also a highlight, as the centerpiece of the album (quite literally, being the fourth of seven tracks), with the piano outro being especially memorable. Elsewhere, Johnson pulls from the Bruce Springsteen circa-Born to Run playbook of having a perfect opening track and then an ideal – and epic-length – closing track, to really make a strong first and final impression (with Soul Mining, it kicks off with “I’ve Been Waitin’ for Tomorrow (All of My Life),” and ends with the appropriately named “Giant,” which runs for almost 10 minutes).

7

‘The Queen Is Dead’ (1986)

The Smiths

There were only four proper studio albums released by The Smiths during their rather short time together as a band, and of those, the third, The Queen Is Dead, is the greatest. It’s boring to say that, but the consistency here is undeniable, as is the fact that it contains so many of the band’s greatest songs (including the title track, “I Know It’s Over,” “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” and “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”).

You also know The Queen Is Dead is good because it endures, even though Morrissey (the vocalist and lyricist of The Smiths) seems increasingly keen to be as polarizing as possible in his post-Smiths endeavors. It helps that there’s more than just Morrissey to appreciate on an album by The Smiths, and his lyrics and voice (as they were, back in the 1980s) were undeniably compelling and unique.

6

‘Hats’ (1989)

The Blue Nile

One more potentially niche album to put here alongside 16 Lovers Lane and Soul Mining, but Hats really is something special, and the way it also sounds so distinctly 1980s makes it easy to put here. It’s synth-heavy, but also a good deal more mellow than much of the full-on synth-pop that was popular throughout the 1980s, using that sort of instrumentation in a low-key and atmospheric fashion.

The Blue Nile did this, to some extent, on several other albums, but never quite as memorably as was done on Hats. Without visuals, you do feel like you’ve sat through some kind of movie through the music alone, and an album being able to create that sensation is remarkably impressive. It’s an undeniably beautiful album, and further, one that’s beautiful in a singular way, so it’s certainly worth celebrating.

5

‘Thriller’ (1982)

Michael Jackson

There is a song on Thriller called “The Girl Is Mine,” a duet with Paul McCartney, that might well be the worst song to appear on an otherwise fantastic album. It is agonizingly corny. And, sure, there are other songs on Thriller that get a bit hammy and more than a little over-the-top, but not to such an eye-rolling extent. If it wasn’t on the album, then this album would be placed even higher.

Maybe it speaks to the quality of everything else that Thriller is still right up there, and very much a classic of its decade (and of all time, really) regardless. Of its nine songs, seven were released as singles, and many of those singles are among the most recognizable songs of the 1980s, with the music videos for a bunch of them certainly helping. One of the non-single songs, though, shouldn’t be overlooked: “Baby Be Mine,” the second track on the album, which is honestly kind of a banger.

4

‘Remain in Light’ (1980)

Talking Heads

Talking Heads released their first albums in the 1970s, and they were pretty great, but the band’s best single album, Remain in Light, came out right at the start of the 1980s. For what it’s worth, the band’s most popular album, Speaking in Tongues, came out a few years later (and it does have “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” on it, which could be the band’s very best song), but Remain in Light is still the strongest.

It’s one of those middle-ground albums you can look back on and appreciate in hindsight, being a marriage of the slightly weirder stuff Talking Heads were doing in the late 1970s with the (slightly) increased emphasis on pop/rock later in the 1980s. You’ve got a balance here, yet even then, Remain in Light doesn’t sound quite like any other Talking Heads album, which might make it more worthy of being described as a “lightning in a bottle” kind of album.

3

‘Disintegration’ (1989)

The Cure

There are earlier albums by The Cure that could be called “rock,” but Disintegration feels like the band drifting away from that genre to a greater extent than they had previously, and for the better. Not that there aren’t some more energetic songs on Disintegration, but many of them are more patiently-paced and drawn-out, which can be seen when you look at the album’s length of 72 minutes, and the fact that it houses 12 tracks… so, the average track length is about six minutes.

You really don’t mind, though, because of what is done across the length of some of these longer songs. “Pictures of You,” the second song on the album, is particularly impressive, and probably demonstrates, strongest of all, what the band’s going for with many of the songs here. It’s also an atmospherically unique and distinctly moving album, the latter so in ways that are admittedly a little difficult to put into words.

2

‘Hounds of Love’ (1985)

Kate Bush

Yes, it’s the album with “Running Up That Hill” on it, and sure, it’s probably the best song on the album, and it comes first, so you might be worried about the rest of Hounds of Love. Well, the pace and quality are maintained. The remaining 11 tracks on Kate Bush’s greatest overall album are also phenomenal, with special mention to “Cloudbusting,” since it truly deserves to be regarded and praised alongside “Running Up That Hill” and “Wuthering Heights.”

There is much more to Kate Bush than Hounds of Love, and if you like her music being a little quirkier or experimental, maybe you’d prefer something that sounds a bit less immediate and punchy. Then again, Hounds of Love has the art pop dominate the first half of the album, and then the second half does go into more experimental and out-there territory, making Hounds of Love feel a bit like listening to two amazing (albeit quite short) albums back to back.

1

‘Purple Rain’ (1984)

Prince and the Revolution

The placement of Prince over Michael Jackson on a ranking like this might lose you, but if it has, then it’s better you’ve been lost right near the end of the ranking than closer to the start. Silver lining to everything. But also, come on. It’s Purple Rain. It’s nine absolutely perfect songs that could’ve all been singles on their own (hell, a pretty impressive five of them were), and there are no weak tracks here; no corny duet with a former Beatle or anything of the sort.

And yes, Purple Rain is technically a soundtrack album, but in that case, it’s probably the best soundtrack ever. Purple Rain the movie is fine, and made a little finer because you hear the songs from Purple Rain (the album) throughout it, but the album is absolutely where it’s at. The album is Purple Rain. And Purple Rain is untouchable. It does also have to be noted that Prince was on fire throughout the whole of the 1980s, and albums like 1999 (1982) and Sign o’ the Times (1987) also deserve to be considered among the greatest of the decade. Still, nothing is as perfect as Purple Rain. In just under three-quarters of an hour, it lays out everything great about Prince, thoroughly laying bare why he was considered such a legend.

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Purple Rain

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July 27, 1984

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111 minutes

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Albert Magnoli

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Albert Magnoli, William Blinn

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  Apollonia Kotero

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Dylan Sprouse was involved in a scary incident after an intruder reportedly trespassed on his home he shares with wife Barbara Palvin.

According to multiple reports, Sprouse, 33, confronted the intruder on the couple’s Hollywood Hills estate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 17. (TMZ was the first to report the news.)

The Los Angeles Times reported that Sprouse tackled a man on the lawn after Palvin noticed “the creepy guy.” Palvin, 32, reportedly called 911 at 12:30 a.m., informing them that there was an attempted burglary at their home.

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody star reportedly had a gun and restrained the intruder until police arrived, per TMZ, who cited unnamed sources.

Related: Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin’s Relationship Is a True Love Story

Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin have been going strong since June 2018, but their love story started out with some hesitation. “I knew I wasn’t in a good mindset at the time, and maybe deep inside I knew it could be something more,” Palvin told W Magazine during a February 2019 joint interview with Sprouse, […]

Police reportedly told The Times that the suspect was taken in on outstanding warrants and that no injuries were reported. Per the outlet, the intruder made it on to the property but not inside the couple’s house.

Us Weekly has reached out to Sprouse’s representatives for comment.

Sprouse first met Victoria’s Secret model Palvin at a party in 2017 and “clicked” but their romance got off to a slow start when she ignored his subsequent DM message for six months.

“I was very scared,” Palvin told British Vogue in February 2020. “I had this thought in the back, like, ‘Oh, but wait … are we going to get paparazzi’ed all the time?’”

After making their relationship official in 2018, the couple moved in together in Brooklyn in January 2019. Their relationship soared to new heights when Sprouse proposed in September 2022.

Sprouse and Palvin spoke about their engagement in a June 2023 interview with V Magazine.

“For me, at least, marriage is a promise of kind of loving you endlessly and being your partner. I’m nervous about the event,” Sprouse told the outlet. “Frankly, it’s about the first dance. I’m nervous about a choreographed dance.”

For her part, Palvin admitted that the engagement was more nerve-racking than the marriage itself even though she knew he was The One from the beginning.

“I mean, a man has time to prepare for the proposal — Dylan kept the ring for seven months before he asked the question — but for me, it was right then and there,” she said. “I knew since we started dating that I want to marry him, but it’s a big decision.”

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Related: Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin Coordinate in Black on Date Night

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Dylan Sprouse and his wife, Barbara Palvin, are teaching Us how to subtly coordinate on date night. Dylan, 31, and Palvin, 30, attended a special screening of the comedy horror film Lisa Frankenstein in Los Angeles on Monday, February 5. They synchronized in all-black looks for the event. Dylan looked dapper in a black suit, […]

In an interview with Vogue published in July 2023, Palvin recalled Sprouse’s proposal, which took place during a camping trip in California.

“It was very romantic,” she told the outlet. “I was suspicious and thought he might pop the question because he packed a shirt that was too nice for camping.”

The couple ultimately tied the knot in Albertirsa, Hungary in July 2023, exchanging vows at the same church where Palvin’s parents got married more than three decades earlier.

The long-running drama between Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Ray J just took another explosive turn. A newly surfaced legal letter reveals Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner demanded a massive seven-figure payout from the rapper, alleging he violated a nondisclosure agreement tied to their past settlement.

Kim Kardashian’s Sex Tape Fallout Still Driving Legal Drama

The dispute dates back decades to Kim Kardashian and Ray J’s infamous 2002 Cabo San Lucas sex tape, later released by Vivid Entertainment in 2007 as Kim Kardashian, Superstar. While the tape helped launch the Kardashian empire, it has also fueled years of legal battles, including a 2023 settlement reportedly worth around $6 million, paid in installments.

According to reports, Kardashian and Jenner sent a legal letter in May 2025 claiming Ray J breached the NDA tied to that settlement. They alleged he must return the $5 million already paid and hand over an additional $1 million each due to the alleged violations. The letter also stated they were no longer obligated to pay the final $1 million installment.

In a follow-up letter dated October 3, the duo accused Ray J of having “materially breached” the agreement after discussing the settlement during a livestream. The warning was blunt, stating that “before he thinks about making further comments about Ms. Kardashian and Ms. Jenner, your client should understand that his future clout chasing comes with – at minimum- seven-figure consequences.”

Lawsuits, Countersuits, And Mounting Tension

The legal battle quickly escalated. That same October, Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner filed a defamation lawsuit against Ray J over claims made during a livestream in which he accused them of being investigated for racketeering. Ray J fired back with a countersuit, denying the allegations and accusing Kardashian and Jenner of violating the same NDA through comments made on their Hulu series, “The Kardashians.”

More recently, the mother-daughter duo suffered a setback in court. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied most of their motion to keep details of the 2023 settlement sealed, allowing more information to remain public.

Judge Shuts Down Kim Kardashian’s Bid To Seal Settlement Details

The ruling emphasized that the case is not about “Kardashian engaging in sexual activities,” noting the tape has already been widely publicized. “Rather, the issue is whether the settlement agreement that the parties entered into in 2023 (and documents describing certain terms of that settlement agreement) should be placed or maintained under seal,” it said.

The court further stated Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner “have presented no admissible evidence that disclosure of the settlement agreement and its terms would cause them any harm,” calling their arguments “too vague, speculative, amorphous, and unsupported to support the requested sealing order.”

Kardashian And Jenner Push Back On ‘False’ Claims

Despite the legal setbacks, both Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have strongly denied Ray J’s allegations. Ray J’s “claim that I had a plan with my mother and others to release a sex tape, defraud the public, and file a “fake” lawsuit against the porn company that released it to “create buzz” is a lie,” Kardashian said in a March filing.

Jenner echoed that stance, calling claims she orchestrated the tape’s release “absolutely false.” In her declaration, she denied the suggestion she “orchestrated or produced sex tapes involving [her] daughter,” adding that the accusations were “not only entirely untrue, but deeply offensive and harmful” and something which has “haunted [her] for decades.”

The 70-year-old further emphasized, “In no world would I ever be involved in any way, shape, or form of peddling tapes of my daughter like this.”

Kim Kardashian And Kris Jenner Open Up About Costly Fallout From Ray J Drama

The ongoing dispute has also taken a personal and financial toll. Kim Kardashian said she “incurred expenses to combat [Ray J’s] lies and manage [her] well-being and reputation,” including therapy and working with communications and legal advisers.

Kris Jenner similarly revealed she faced mounting costs tied to therapy and crisis management following Ray J’s claims. Meanwhile, Kardashian has accused Ray J of revisiting long-disputed allegations tied to earlier legal battles involving her family and his mother, Sonja Norwood.

Everyone can agree that the sci-fi genre has always been unpredictable. It thrives on big ideas and expansive worlds. All that ambition comes at a price, though, because all of these concepts are only as strong as their execution. When a sci-fi story fails, it’s almost always because the scale overwhelms the storytelling. However, sometimes, the exact opposite happens.

Some shows in the genre are simply ahead of their time and experiment in ways that the audience just isn’t ready for. It’s only years later that people realize how far-sighted they were, when fiction starts feeling a little too close to reality. Here is a list of such forgotten sci-fi shows that have stood the test of time and aged like fine wine.

‘Fringe’ (2008–2013)

Image via FOX

Fringe is one of the very rare sci-fi shows that has something new to offer on every rewatch. The series, created by J. J. Abrams, follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble), and his son Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) as they investigate bizarre cases tied to what they refer to as fringe science. The show begins as a classic mystery-of-the-week procedural, but as the story progresses, it reveals a much larger narrative involving complex biological experiments, parallel universes, and alternate timelines. Fringe holds up so well today thanks to its commitment to character and plot development.

Viewers have consistently pointed out how the smallest of details pay off eventually, which gives the series a sense of purpose that becomes clearer with time. Its wild sci-fi concepts are grounded by the relatable, messy dynamic between Walter, Olivia, and Peter. Ultimately, Fringe isn’t a show about strange phenomena. Instead, it explores what happens when people react when they are dealing with the impossible. The science hooks the viewer in, but it’s the emotional depth that keeps them invested, and that’s a bar most modern series struggle to reach.

’12 Monkeys’ (2015–2018)

Image via SYFY

12 Monkeys, based on the 1995 film of the same name, follows James Cole (Aaron Stanford), a man sent back in time from a post-apocalyptic future to stop a deadly plague before it wipes out most of humanity. His virologist, Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull), accompanies him on this deadly mission, and the two work against a ticking clock to track down the origins of the virus. The catch here is that even the smallest of missteps can result in entire timeline shifts that threaten the protagonists’ very existence.

From there, the narrative spirals out into a sense web of time-travel mechanics and paradoxes. By its later seasons, 12 Monkeys is juggling multiple versions of its characters and asking larger philosophical questions about fate and free will. Every twist somehow reframes the events that came before, but none of it is unintentional. 12 Monkeys is definitely ambitious, but it manages to make it all work by striking the perfect balance between highbrow sci-fi and a story that feels extremely human.

‘Almost Human’ (2013–2014)

Image via FOX

It’s unfair how short-lived Almost Human was, especially since the show blended elements of sci-fi and cyberpunk with a traditional police procedural. The series takes place in the year 2048 and imagines a world where technological advancement has led to crime rates increasing by 400 percent. To fix this, every human has been forcibly paired with a lifelike android partner. The story follows Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban), who survives a devastating ambush and a 17-month coma, and returns to duty with a prosthetic leg and a deep mistrust of robots. This trauma leads to him developing an extremely hostile behavior toward his android, Dorian (Michael Ealy), a discontinued android designed with emotional capacity. However, what he doesn’t know is that Dorian might just be more human than anyone else around him.

The show follows an episodic structure where John and Dorian deal with cases including black-market organ trafficking and illegal synthetic skin trade. At the same time, there are serialized threads like the details of John’s ambush, the mysterious inSyndicate gang, and deeper conspiracies within the system that contribute to an overarching narrative. Overall, Almost Human definitely leans on some predictable beats, but the show’s sharp writing, strong performances, and distinct visual style have turned it into an absolute cult favorite over the years.

‘Colony’ (2016–2018)

Image via USA Network

Colony takes place in a near-future Los Angeles where people live under alien occupation, and that’s already a hook that reels most people in. The story follows former FBI agent Will Bowman (Josh Holloway), who is forced to work for the traitorous regime to protect his family, while his wife Katie Bowman (Sarah Wayne Callies) is secretly involved in the Resistance. That setup alone gives the show an immediate tension, because the conflict isn’t just outside, it’s also within Will and Katie’s household. Unlike many other dystopian shows, Colony grounds its horrors in logic that feels a little too real. The aliens mostly remain a mystery throughout the story. Instead, their presence manifests in checkpoints, rationing, surveillance, propaganda, mysterious disappearances, and the slow normalization of this life.

In fact, at times, the show feels like a political drama, with the sci-fi elements serving only as a backdrop. That’s not a bad thing at all, though, because this allows the characters and their choices to take center stage. Will is never presented as the perfect hero. He is always forced to choose between complicity and survival, while Katie has to live an entirely secret life. This dynamic is what makes the show so compelling, especially as the occupation grows harsher and stronger. Colony is the perfect example of intelligent sci-fi because it understands that a dystopia doesn’t have to be flashy to be absolutely horrifying.

‘Sense8’ (2015–2018)

Image via Netflix

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Sense8 is easily one of the most ambitious sci-fi shows Netflix has ever produced. The show follows eight strangers across the world, who suddenly realize they are mentally and emotionally linked. These people can communicate across continents, step into each other’s lives, and even borrow each other’s skills when they need to. However, Sense8 is much more than just a story about psychic connection. The show is a masterclass in representation and does absolute justice to its characters, who are radically different in culture, class, gender, and sexuality.

Every storyline holds equal weight, and the entire narrative revolves around how these eight people slowly become one another’s safe place. As these sensates try to understand what is happening to them, they are also being hunted by forces that see their existence as dangerous. That gives the story a constant urgency without ever sacrificing its character arcs. Sense8 was filmed across multiple countries, and that scale obviously gives it a distinct visual richness that no other Netflix series has been able to match. It feels like pure cinema in the form of television, which makes its untimely cancellation all the more unfortunate.

‘Firefly’ (2002–2003)

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Another show that deserved a longer life than it got is Firefly. The sci-fi series takes place in the year 2517 and follows Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a former Browncoat soldier, and his small crew as they survive on the outer edges of the galaxy aboard their ship Serenity. The group takes on smuggling jobs, transporting gigs, and anything else that keeps the ship running. Each episode presents a new job or crisis, but as the story goes on, viewers learn that there is something much bigger simmering under the surface. Firefly gradually builds its overarching plot and hints at something far darker within the Alliance than meets the eye.

This balance between the crew’s episodic adventures and a larger narrative is the show’s greatest strength. Not to mention that Firefly unfolds with a sense of realism that sci-fi rarely ever aims for. The series doesn’t present the future as polished or without flaws. In this world, ships break down, planets are underdeveloped, and technology can’t magically fix all problems. This is exactly why the world in Firefly feels so relatable. Add in the show’s documentary-style storytelling and visuals, and the viewers get an experience that feels both expansive and intimate, even if it didn’t end on the perfect note.

‘Continuum’ (2012–2015)

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Continuum was, hands down, one of the greatest and most underrated sci-fi shows of the 2010s. The story begins in 2077, with law enforcement officer Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) accidentally traveling back in time to 2012 alongside a group of revolutionaries known as Liber8. The show initially plays out like a chase where a cop is trying to track down terrorists across time. However, this dynamic evolves pretty quickly to show that Liber8 is actually fighting against a future where corporations have replaced governments and taken total control of society.

Kiera is at the heart of this conflict, where she is trying to preserve this very future and return to her family while also slowly realizing that the world she is fighting for might not be worth saving at all. Each episode blends procedural storytelling with larger themes of power, freedom, and control. As the timeline begins to shift, even the smallest of decisions leads to devastating consequences. Continuum constantly operates in a grey area as the audience is forced to pick sides, but that’s what makes the experience all the more immersive. The show is futuristic yet still grounded in a struggle that feels all too real.

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Continuum

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2012 – 2015-00-00

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Directors

Pat Williams, David Frazee, William Waring, amanda tapping, Mike Rohl, Jon Cassar, Simon Barry, Paul Shapiro

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Writers

Sam Egan, Jeff King, Jonathan Walker, Jonathan Walker, Shelley Eriksen, Denis McGrath, Jeremy Smith, Matt Venables, Raul Sanchez Inglis, Sara B. Cooper

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For most network procedurals, main character deaths are to be expected at any given turn, and viewers have to go in with the knowledge that their favorite characters could be killed off at any time. Such are the rules for intense and long-running series like Grey’s Anatomy, and Criminal Minds. There are other procedurals, though, that have lighter tones and have thus essentially guaranteed the safety of their core main characters, like High Potential, and — until this week — Will Trent.

Will Trent has never shied away from darker storylines, particularly through its characters’ tragic backstories and the heavy cases that they work each week. Still, though, the show has an unspoken agreement with its viewers that the main characters will always make it out alive, and that things will always get better. No character has had to survive the sort of lasting stakes that would change the status quo or destroy the show’s darkly comedic tone. As of this week’s episode, though, Will Trent has broken its core rule and irreparably damaged the show, with the shocking death of Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn).

‘Will Trent’ Season 4 Just Killed Off Amanda Wagner In a Devastating and Disrespectful Way

Image via ABC

Amanda Wagner has always been a fundamental part of Will Trent, and the show should never have killed her off, especially since she’s still alive in the Karin Slaughter book series on which the show is based. That said, if Amanda had to die, it would’ve made more sense to have her die from her gunshot wound last season. She could have died in an intense moment in the Season 3 finale after being shot, or in a quiet moment this season from long-lasting complications. Instead, Will Trent gave Amanda a disrespectful off-screen death that only seems to serve the purpose of furthering Will’s (Ramón Rodriguez) story arc. James Ulster’s (Greg Germann) serial killer daughter, Adelaide Trevens (Mallory Jansen), has been torturing Will since she abducted his uncle, Antonio (John Ortiz), several episodes back. In this episode, “The Blank Expanse of Nothing,” Adelaide has agreed to negotiate Antonio’s safe return with Will, on the condition that he doesn’t tell anyone.

Related

9 Episodes After Ulster’s Death, ‘Will Trent’ Has Officially Found Its Next Great Villain

James Ulster has a disturbing successor.

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Will has been faking an illness to take some time off work and deal with Adelaide. Nobody knows that he’s in contact with her, but Amanda finds out when she goes to Will’s house to check on him. Later, Amanda goes off on her own to look into The Commander, a child who’s working with Adelaide, before she’s then surprised by someone who sneaks up on her. This is the last time we ever see Amanda Wagner alive. At the end of the episode, Adelaide interrupts her meeting with Will to explode at him for telling Amanda. She then gives him a “surprise” that turns out to be Amanda’s dead body. Instead of an emotional on-screen death, all Amanda gets is a violent off-screen stabbing. To make things worse, her death is only used to show Will’s brief reaction, undercutting the emotional impact of this major loss.

Amanda Wagner’s Death Is the Kiss of Death for ‘Will Trent’

There are absolutely certain procedurals that can get away with killing off main characters, but Will Trent is not one of them. It has a small, tightly-knit ensemble cast that will be forever changed by Amanda’s loss. Everyone cares about her, but Faith (Iantha Richardson) is losing her aunt and mentor, and Will is losing the person who named him and put him on this path. Will Trent is also a funny, silly show that regularly breaks up its dark cases with delightfully ridiculous dream sequences and quippy banter. There will be no going back to the silly humor or tight-knit GBI / APD dynamic of the Will Trent from before Amanda’s death — take 9-1-1, for example, which shifted away from being a hopeful show about found family and instead became a heavy show about grief after Bobby Nash’s (Peter Krause) death.

In a post-episode interview with Variety, Will Trent‘s showrunners, Liz Heldens, Daniel T. Thomsen, and Karine Rosenthal, explained their controversial decision. They teased a “completely new dynamic” and “a reset for our characters” that will change the entire show forever. The problem is, Will Trent doesn’t need a reset. Season 4 has been firing on all cylinders. The only weak spot this season has been that the show hasn’t given Amanda much to do beyond brief storylines related to her recovery from the shooting and a betrayal from her recent ex-girlfriend (Janina Gavankar) — both of which put her job in jeopardy. Will Trent has clearly been setting up a storyline where Amanda temporarily loses her job and gets replaced by the conniving Bill Appleyard (Jason Davis), so it feels very out of left field for the show to kill Amanda off at this point. By killing off Amanda, Will Trent has proven that it’s not wedded to consistency in its storylines, and it is no longer the show that fans fell in love with.

Will Trent airs Tuesday nights at 8:00 P.M. EST on ABC.

Veronica Roth is expanding her Divergent universe.

Roth, 37, announced during BookCon on Saturday, April 18, that two new installments in the dystopian series are on their way. The stories will be set in a companion timeline to Divergent and will serve as a duology that asks the question, “What if Tris hadn’t transferred to Dauntless?”

The first novel, titled The Sixth Faction, will hit shelves on October 6.

“The Sixth Faction started as an experiment — not a sequel, not a prequel, and not a spinoff, but something new, something that would allow me to explore the series that launched my career,” Roth shared in a Saturday press release. “I feel very fortunate that the team at Harper was eager to meet that challenge with me — and I’m excited that, in the year of Divergent’s 15-year anniversary, readers and I both get to rediscover the story and the characters like they’re brand new.”

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Readers will be reintroduced to Divergent protagonist Beatrice Prior in The Sixth Faction, rewinding the story to the beginning, where she must decide to choose her faction after being labeled as a Divergent — someone who holds traits of multiple factions.

While Tris famously chooses Dauntless in the original story, this time, tragedy will strike at her Choosing Ceremony and everything will change — “her world, her plans, even Beatrice herself,” the logline reads. “Her ensuing decision thrusts her into the crosshairs of an underground rebellion, and into the path of a boy with secrets as dangerous as her own — a boy with only a number for a name.”

Vice President and publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books Erica Sussman shared her support for the series in a statement on Saturday, sharing, “The Sixth Faction is a tour de force. We were thrilled to explore this new take on the Divergent world with Veronica, who has taken her storytelling talents to new heights that will thrill longtime fans of the series and delight readers new to the world.”

The Divergent series was previously adapted for the big screen. The trilogy — Divergent (2014), Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016) — starred Shailene Woodley as Tris and Theo James as her love interest, Four. A fourth film, titled Ascendant, was meant to conclude the series but was abandoned after the third film’s low box office sales.

There has been no news on whether the new duology will be adapted.

The Sixth Faction will be available on October 6.

Madonna’s Coachella comeback is already stirring controversy. The pop icon made a surprise appearance during Sabrina Carpenter’s second weekend headlining set, but instead of universal praise, the performance quickly sparked backlash from fans accusing her of lip-syncing.

Madonna’s Coachella Comeback Sparks Lip-Sync Backlash

Madonna entered the stage in dramatic fashion, emerging from beneath the platform toward the end of Carpenter’s set, marking a full-circle return nearly 20 years after her own iconic 2006 Coachella performance. Dressed in a purple corset, tiny shorts, matching gloves, and high-heeled boots, she joined Carpenter for a mashup of her hits “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer,” with heavy backing vocals driving the performance.

Social media lit up almost instantly, with critics claiming Madonna wasn’t actually singing live during the duet. “She can’t sing so she has to lip-sync,” one claimed as another wrote, “Has she ever sang live? no never.”

On X, one user wrote, “Madonna is lip syncing and Sabrina is singing over the backing track. Sabrina sounds great” Another added, “Lip syncing, I’m pretty sure. The vocals aren’t matching with when the microphone goes to their mouth.”

Someone else wrote, “This is cringeworthy. Bullsh-t theatre crap.”

‘Passing The Torch’ In Coachella Moment

While some critics questioned the performance, plenty of fans were quick to celebrate the unexpected collaboration. Social media lit up with praise for Madonna’s influence and the full-circle moment of her sharing the stage with a new generation of pop stars.

“There would be none of this without Madonna. She’s passing the torch to the next generation. First Brit [Spears] and Christina [Aguilera], and now Sabrina. Lucky girl, Sabrina,” one user wrote. Others were simply stunned by the surprise pairing. “I am unwell! Madonna x Sabrina singing Like A Prayer was not on my bingo card,” another fan shared.

Some even framed the moment as a symbolic endorsement from the Queen of Pop herself. “If there’s one thing Madonna never fails to do, it’s give her blessing to the pop newcomers,” someone else said.

Madonna Reflects On ‘Full Circle’ Coachella Return Amid Backlash

Despite the controversy, Madonna took a moment to reflect on what the performance meant to her. “Wow, thank you… Sabrina, thank you so much for inviting me on your show,” she said to which Carpenter replied, “No thanks needed, Madonna.”

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“Well, I have a few things I want to get off my chest,” Madonna continued. “So, 20 years ago today I performed at Coachella. I was in the dance tent, and it was the first time I performed ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor, Part One’ in America. It was such a thrill and it’s a thrill to be back. It’s a full circle moment, you know? Very meaningful for me.”

Urging Fans To ‘Be Together’ As New Album Nears

Madonna also addressed the crowd directly, urging unity despite the noise surrounding the performance. “Let’s try to be together. Let’s try to avoid disagreements. And to that point, the great thing about music is that it brings people together,” she said.

The appearance comes just ahead of her upcoming album “Confessions II,” set to drop July 3. Madonna described her upcoming project by referencing the opening lines of her track “One Step Away,” explaining, “People think that dance music is superficial, but they’ve got it all wrong. The dance floor is not just a place, it’s a threshold: A ritualistic space where movement replaces language.”

She went on to note that the vision dates back to the very beginning of the album’s creation, adding, “When Stuart Price and I first started working on this record, this was our manifesto.”

Sabrina Carpenter Turns Coachella Set Into Celebrity-Filled Spectacle

Madonna wasn’t the only celebrity to join Sabrina. Across both weekends, her Coachella sets were packed with surprise cameos that added an extra layer of buzz and unpredictability.

Weekend one featured Sam Elliott opening the show, setting the tone before Will Ferrell appeared later in a comedic bit as an electrician. Samuel L. Jackson also made his presence felt, lending his voice as a guiding narrator throughout the set.

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For weekend two, Carpenter switched things up again, bringing out Terry Crews, who stepped into the spotlight and performed a snippet of “A Thousand Miles,” a playful nod to his unforgettable “White Chicks” moment.