Entertainment
10 Near-Perfect HBO Shows That Are Worth Your Time
The past 30 years have seen television emerge as a prestige form of dramatic entertainment, evolving from the formulaic sitcoms and comforting police procedurals that used to define small-screen storytelling, and becoming a vessel of searing drama that takes the world by storm. The productions of HBO have been at the forefront of this development, with everything from crime masterpieces like The Sopranos and The Wire to detailed historical dramas like Chernobyl and Band of Brothers defining the premium network’s impact of the medium.
There is no doubt that HBO has presented a litany of masterful series that have engrossed the masses and become some of the biggest and best television spectacles of all time. But what of the series that don’t quite reach that level of quality and/or popularity? From dreary apocalyptic dramas to brutal crime dramas, political comedies, fantasy adventures, and even Western sci-fi, these near-perfect HBO series are still worth investing in even if they may not quite live up to the gold standard of the network’s most acclaimed and adored sensations.
10
‘Carnivále’ (2003–2005)
One of HBO’s most ambitious undertakings, and a sadly forgotten gem of 2000s television, Carnivále is an arresting blending of period drama, biblical fantasy, and folklore horror. Set in the Depression-era Dust Bowl, it transpires as an epic battle of good and evil as it follows Ben (Nick Stahl), a man with healing powers who joins a traveling circus, and Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown), a Methodist minister devoted to his religious duties who realizes he is capable of bending people to his will.
Complimented by its eerily beautiful atmosphere of 1930s America and its effort to create its own mythology steeped in ideas of Gnostic mysticism, Templar conspiracies, and religious imagery, Carnivále excels as a uniquely enrapturing dark fantasy. Unfortunately, its high production costs led to it being axed after just two seasons, but it was able to deliver something of a conclusion to its main story, ensuring it is still worth watching today even if some superfluous plot threads remain unresolved.
9
‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)
The vast majority of the television-loving world was ensnared by Game of Thrones throughout most of its epic eight-season run. However, if anyone who missed HBO’s monumental fantasy series considered revisiting it today, they’d probably be advised to steer clear by the masses. But is this entirely fair? While its conclusion is notoriously underwhelming, Game of Thrones still delivers six of the most exhilarating, astutely crafted, and brilliantly performed seasons television has ever seen.
Based on George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels, it unfolds as the ruling families in the magical realm of Westeros are plunged into a devastating war for power. The production is ceaselessly astonishing, while the story’s penchant for shocking twists, violent betrayals, and unbearable suspense make for an addictive dose of volatile, high-stakes drama. Even with its eighth season seeing it fall well short of television perfection, Game of Thrones remains a worthwhile series for the heights it reached so consistently throughout its run. It was a flagship series of HBO for many years and is still one of the defining titles of 2010s entertainment at large.
8
‘Oz’ (1997–2003)
It isn’t an understatement to say that Oz is one of the most important series in television history. It is certainly a monumental milestone for HBO, released two years before The Sopranos as the network’s first ever one-hour-long scripted drama. Furthermore, its gritty realism and confronting violence broke down barriers regarding television censorship, laying a foundation of dark, serialized drama and bleak morality that set a revolutionary new benchmark for small-screen productions.
Running for six seasons, the series immerses viewers in the lives of the inmates held at the Oswald Maximum Security Correctional Facility, following the prisoners in an experimental new ward that sees heinous acts of violence, domineering, and manipulation despite being designed to promote reform. Its hard-edged brutality hasn’t aged in the slightest since it first aired more than 20 years ago, and the series as a whole still stands as an enthralling, albeit deeply disturbing, descent into life behind bars.
7
‘Westworld’ (2016–2022)
Thematically loaded and decisively clever, HBO’s Westworld is a stunning recreation of the 1973 Western sci-fi film of the same name that adds plenty of layers of intrigue and social commentary to an exciting premise of chaos at an Old West amusement park. Set in the 2050s, it initially revolves around a wild west-themed amusement park as the android inhabitants become sentient and start to rebel against the human visitors that belittle and abuse them. As the series evolves, it extends into the real world where a powerful A.I. known as Rehoboam reigns over humanity.
Combining Western themes of morality, freedom, and power with integral science-fiction ideas like the exploration of what it truly means to be human and the dangers that reside in a near-future of technological advancement, Westworld is a flawless meshing of genres. Delivering four seasons of captivating drama defined by the brilliance of the ensemble cast and the majesty of the production design, it stands as one of HBO’s greatest hits of the past decade.
6
‘Boardwalk Empire’ (2010–2014)
So much of HBO’s success over the years has come in the form of crime television, particularly series that delve into the complex morality and cutthroat stakes of the world of organized crime. Boardwalk Empire isn’t the first series people typically think of when they contemplate gangster drama by HBO, but that certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t still worth watching, even a decade on from its conclusion in 2014.
Set in Prohibition-era Atlantic City, it follows Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County who is actively involved with organized crime and routinely interacts with such figures as Al Capone (Stephen Graham), Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), and Charles “Lucky” Luciano (Vincent Piazza). Bolstered by an ensemble of incredible performances, immaculate production value, and pervasive dramatic intensity that leans into the ruthless volatility of gangland tension, Boardwalk Empire is an underrated gem of HBO programming that should be an even bigger hit than it currently stands as.
5
‘True Detective’ (2014–2024)
Truth be told, there is nothing “near-perfect” about Season 1 of True Detective. It is viewed by many to be the greatest single season of television ever produced, a faultless marriage of mystery, suspense, atmospheric eeriness, and rich character drama that epitomizes crime television at its absolute best and demands to be watched by everyone with even the slightest interest in the genre. However, while the masses continue to sing the praises of Season 1 to this day, True Detective’s ensuing efforts have been met with more mixed reviews at best.
While following up Season 1 is a thankless task, Season 2 does a more admirable job than it is given credit for, transitioning from rural Louisiana to L.A. as it focuses more intently on police corruption and corporate crime. Season 3 recaptures a sense of the atmospheric gloom of Season 1 as it explores the case of a missing child, while Season 4—which is the weakest season thus far—revolves around the disappearance of eight men in Alaska. While each of the ensuing seasons have their flaws, all of them are worth investing in due to the caliber of actors involved, the winding tales of mystery and suspense, and the glorious production value of HBO.
4
‘Veep’ (2012–2019)
Created by esteemed political satirist Armando Iannucci, Veep excels as an acidic and cynical look at American politics from the perspective of Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a former senator now representing the nation as the Vice President. Skewering the halls of power as a cesspit of egomania, convoluted publicity, and shambolic chaos, the series unfolds as Meyer and her bumbling staff try to forge a respectful legacy while avoiding brewing scandals and getting caught in the day-to-day duties of the office.
In stark contrast to more idealistic and uplifting political series like The West Wing, Veep is a biting and blunt portrayal of ruthless ambition and the power of amorality. Narcissism and witty profanity are treated as necessary strengths characters need to thrive in the cutthroat world of democratic power. In addition to this unflinching depiction of callous inhumanity, Veep also commands to be watched thanks to the stunning lead performance of Louis-Dreyfus, who won six consecutive Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Selina Meyer which went a long way to solidifying the show as HBO’s greatest comedy thus far.
3
‘Generation Kill’ (2007)
Through the production of series like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, HBO has garnered universal acclaim for its handling of war drama in the form of limited series. A criminally underrated title that should also be included in this praise is 2007’s Generation Kill, which runs on a harrowing basis on Evan Wright’s non-fiction book documenting his time as an embedded reporter with the U.S. Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion in the opening weeks of the Iraq War.
Even nearly 20 years on, Generation Kill remains the most authentic illustration of modern warfare that audiences have seen. It extracts drama from the unglamorous details of a soldier’s experience, be it the monotony of waiting for orders, the frustrating ordeals of miscommunication and resource mismanagement, and even the bureaucratic process that must be adhered to even when in active combat. Bereft of glory or sensationalism, it focuses purely on authenticity, and it stands among HBO’s greatest ever miniseries because of this.
2
‘Deadwood’ (2004–2006)
Quite possibly the greatest depiction of the Old West television has ever seen, Deadwood is a masterpiece of genre deconstruction and observational storytelling that ties its dramatic ferocity to the mythic-like story of the titular South Dakotan town and its notorious inhabitants. Unfolding as the town’s population booms due to a mining surge, Deadwood runs less as a traditional Western story and more as an examination of how a society is built from the ground up.
Furthermore, the series is made utterly entrancing by the rhythmic beauty, philosophical richness, and captivating vulgarity of David Milch’s dialogue, which manages to be thought-provoking and contemplative without ever losing sight of the hard-edged brutality of the characters that speak it. An abrupt and largely unresolved conclusion at the end of its third season is the only thing that keeps Deadwood from being a true beacon of television perfection, but it is still worthwhile viewing, especially with 2019’s Deadwood: The Movie tying up a lot of loose ends.
1
‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)
Not only the most underrated series in HBO’s catalog of small-screen titles, but potentially the most underappreciated masterpiece in the history of the medium as well, The Leftovers is an enthralling descent into a world of grief, loss, and teetering chaos. On October 14, 2011, two percent of the world’s population abruptly vanished. Three years later, society is still struggling to move on from the “Sudden Departure” as some try to maintain a sense of normality even as extremist cults and nihilistic views abound around them.
What makes The Leftovers so special is the delicacy of its focus. It isn’t about a manic search for answers or a desperate fight between survivors; it simply meditates on the profound complexity of the human condition by observing, without judgment, how different characters respond to grief, loss, and depression. Bitterly existential, while also being bolstered by a litany of exceptional performances and Max Richter’s somber, empathy-inducing score, The Leftovers is a true triumph of television from HBO, with every episode of its three-season run a masterclass in surrealist intrigue and contemplative drama.
The Leftovers
- Release Date
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2014 – 2017-00-00
- Showrunner
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Damon Lindelof
- Writers
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Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta
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If The Shape of Water counted, it would be quite comfortably the best of the movies featuring the Gill-man, AKA the titular creature from Creature from the Black Lagoon. But that Guillermo del Toro-directed Best Picture winner instead featured a similar creature, and was certainly influenced by the official Creature from the Black Lagoon movies, but wasn’t related to the series specifically. It’s actually a bit of an odd horror series to talk about, owing to the relatively few official films. They were all made in the 1950s, though the Gill-man endures as a pop-cultural icon, and any movies that feature amphibious half-man/half-fish creatures will probably be indebted to the original film in one way or another. But it’s not like The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula, or even The Invisible Man, where those series have continued to exist – and be rebooted – long after the decade during which their first respective movies came out.
All those characters are part of the overall Universal Monsters franchise, and so is the Gill-man, but he’s just not had the same kind of longevity in an official capacity, compared to most of the other Universal Monsters. Still, three movies is something, and technically just enough to rank, so that’s what the following ranking is going to focus on: those three official Creature from the Black Lagoon films. These were technically the last movies of the Universal Monsters classic era (well, among the final four, since you probably also have to count Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy), and maybe some of the more overlooked ones, too. At least one of these is a semi-classic, and you can honestly probably do without the other two, unless you’re a particularly big fan of old-school sci-fi/horror movies. There’s also a very obvious way to rank all of these, so excuse the kind of boring order here, but that’s just the way things sometimes are.
3
‘The Creature Walks Among Us’ (1956)
There isn’t anything here. This is a big old nothing of a movie, and a pretty sad note for that whole classic era of Universal Monsters to end on. The Creature Walks Among Us is a step-down in quality from the second Creature from the Black Lagoon movie, which itself was a step-down in quality from the first Creature from the Black Lagoon movie. Diminishing returns all the way through, and a case of the series just not working anymore, so they stopped making them. It’s not a cohesive or meaningful trilogy, and instead was just a trio of movies because they were seen as worth making, one after another, for three years/installments. Maybe that’s the way it works most of the time, but it just feels extra disappointing here, since there’s a clear downturn in quality at each step along the way. Further, the absolute shrug that The Creature Walks Among Us was seemed to spell the end for all these Universal Monster movies, and not just the ones with the Gill-man, so that’s an extra shame, really.
You can feel a sense of fatigue here, behind the camera and behind the scenes. The tiredness of the film itself rubs off on you, and watching it becomes tiring.
As for the movie itself, if you need a little more by way of commentary than just “it’s not good,” and if you need a synopsis or something, you’ll begrudgingly get both right about now. Funk soul brother, check it out now, this movie is about scientists trying to make the Gill-man have the ability to breathe the air and walk on land. So, that takes away his amphibious quality, which is kind of the thing that makes this particular monster interesting, and the movie never really takes off because that whole premise is just a bit broken. The Gill-man sort of fights and tries to return to the water, and he does walk among the people on land for a bit, but not as much as you might expect. There is a little schlock, and at least the film clocks in at under 80 minutes, just as the other two Creature from the Black Lagoon movies do, but it’s not enough. You can feel a sense of fatigue here, behind the camera and behind the scenes. The tiredness of the film itself rubs off on you, and watching it becomes tiring. If you get through the first two movies in this trilogy of sorts, do not feel obligated to finish it, since there isn’t much fun (nor anything very thrilling) here, in The Creature Walks Among Us.
2
‘Revenge of the Creature’ (1955)
Revenge has fueled a great many movies before, of various genres, but what about a monster movie? Eh, if so, then not really with Revenge of the Creature. He came back to life in The Creature Walks Among Us, and he also seemed to die at the end of the first movie, but this is just how it goes, with horror movies that become franchises. No one’s ever really gone. The Gill-man is not really gone. He didn’t entirely die in the first movie, but he doesn’t really get to enact revenge on anyone in particular from that same original movie. It’s more of a broad “revenge” against humanity generally speaking, if anything the Gill-man does even counts as revenge. More accurately, the movie just has him come up against another group of human beings, and they capture him and take him to an oceanarium, which he later manages to escape from.
There’s also a young woman the Gill-man gets infatuated with, a little like in the first movie, and then things end up where you’d expect them to… only really one way a movie like this can end, and then that ending is pretty much ignored if there’s the chance of making a sequel. Beyond saying, “Well, it’s not as bad as the third movie,” and mentioning that some of the rampaging by the Gill-man in the film’s back half is a little fun (and more enjoyable than when he “walked among us” in 1956), the only other thing of note here is that Revenge of the Creature features Clint Eastwood’s earliest acting role, which is kind of funny to see. He’s barely in the movie, so don’t just watch it for him or anything, but he shows up for about a minute and has a couple of lines as a lab technician. It was an uncredited appearance, but it’s definitely Eastwood, pre-Rawhide, pre-Man with No Name, and pre-anything he directed, of course.
1
‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ (1954)
The original and the best, even if it’s not quite a perfect movie, Creature from the Black Lagoon is comfortably the most essential of the official films featuring the Gill-man. It’s been weird to go through these backwards, but that’s necessary when going from worst to best through a trilogy that gradually got worse with each entry. Oh well. Anyway, with Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), it’s about an expedition through the Amazon River undertaken by some scientists, with one of the scientists also bringing along his fiancée, who’s the inevitable young woman for the creature to fall for, King Kong-style. Or The Mummy-style. This happens quite a bit, in monster movies. The scientists there want to capture the Gill-man for their own purposes, but they’re not fully prepared for what he can do, nor what he wants (that fiancée for himself, basically).
This was released in a pretty big year for monster movies, just because the original Godzilla also came out in 1954. Godzilla didn’t bring about an end to the Universal Monster series or anything, but if you want to look at things broadly, maybe it represented a necessary evolution for monster movies, or suggested a shift in interest regarding what people wanted out of movies featuring monsters. It was a different kind of monster movie, and a very different kind of monster, too, and that original film understandably overshadows the original Creature from the Black Lagoon, and not necessarily because Godzilla could probably step on Gill-man without even flinching. As far as B-movies (or movies with a B-grade feel) go, Creature from the Black Lagoon is pretty solid stuff, overall. It might not stick with you the way some of the truly great Universal Monster movies from previous decades had (see Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, and the first The Invisible Man in particular), but this is still a worthy film within that whole era of Universal Monster movies. It’s a shame this is as good as Gill-man-related movies have gotten, but never say never… the creature may walk among us – or our cinemas – once more, in time…
Keith Urban couldn’t let his ex-wife Nicole Kidman’s 59th birthday pass without fanfare.
“Happy birthday, Nicole Mary!!!!!!!!!!!!” Urban, 58, wrote via his Instagram Stories on Saturday, June 20, set on a purple-and-teal background.
While Kidman did not publicly acknowledge Urban’s sentiment, she spent her big day embracing nature.
“Another trip around the sun ☀️💛,” the actress captioned a selfie from a nature hike. “Thank you for all the birthday love xx. #SummerSolsticeBaby.”
In hindsight, there were clues that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban had been heading toward a split. A source confirmed to Us Weekly on Monday, September 29, that the couple have separated after nearly two decades of marriage. Kidman, 58, and Urban, 57, first met in 2005, four years after her divorce from Tom Cruise. […]
Kidman and Urban were married for two decades before Us Weekly confirmed in September 2025 that the pair separated.
“I’m hanging in there,” Kidman succinctly told Interview in October 2025.
The duo, who share daughters Sunday and Faith, finalized their divorce earlier this year in January.
“I’m always going to be moving toward what’s good. What I’m grateful for is my family and keeping them as is and moving forward,” Kidman told Variety in March. “That’s that. Everything else I don’t discuss out of respect. I’m staying in a place of, ‘We are a family,’ and that’s what we’ll continue to be. My beautiful girls, my darlings, who are suddenly women.”
At the time, Kidman further stressed that she had no intentions to leave Nashville, where she initially settled with Urban, post-divorce.
“We have our life here,” the Practical Magic star, who also shares two older children with ex-husband Tom Cruise, told the outlet. “I’m part of the city and community for 20 years. It’s my home. … We go away. I’m very close to my sister in Sydney, and all my nieces and nephews. My sister and I are a bit like the aunts in Practical Magic.”
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have finalized their divorce, Us Weekly can confirm. Court documents obtained by Us stated that the duo finalized their split in a Nashville court on Tuesday, January 6. Neither party will pay alimony or spousal support, per the paperwork. The docs confirm that Kidman will be the primary parent of her and Urban’s two […]
As for Urban, he has similarly moved on from the breakup.
“Keith has moved on and has been open with Nicole about where he stands,” a source exclusively told Us in October 2025, adding the divorce was “long time coming” for the twosome. “The two had grown apart quietly over time, and by the end, the decision to separate was more about acceptance than surprise.”
Since then, Urban predictably found solace in music.
“Keith Urban is my guy,” fellow country singer Russell Dickerson told Page Six at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March, noting that Urban is “doing great” and “seemed in good spirits” after getting divorced. “He’s always been focused on music, and so I think he’s just kind of doubling down on that, and it’s just beautiful. I can’t wait to hear what comes out of it.”
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It’s no surprise we were obsessed with every detail of Nicole Kidman’s glam Met Gala look, including her nails. Her soft, sophisticated manicure had beauty lovers zooming in for a closer look. Lucky for Us, the star’s manicurist revealed on Instagram that the secret behind that flawless red carpet mani was Dazzle Dry 4-Step Nail System — and surprisingly, it’s available on Amazon for less than $40.
The kit includes everything you need for a salon-worthy manicure at home, including a base coat, nail color, top coat and a polish reviver to help keep your products performing like new. In other words, if you’ve been searching for a way to get that expensive-looking, barely-there manicure trend without booking a nail appointment every two weeks, this celebrity-approved set might just be your new beauty obsession.
Get the Dazzle Dry Mini 4-Step Nail System for $39 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Dazzle Dry delivers gorgeous results without the time commitment or UV lamps required by gel manicures. The four-step system air-dries in just five minutes, leaving nails hard-set and ready to tackle real life almost immediately. If you’ve ever smudged a fresh manicure while reaching for keys or scrolling through your phone, you know how revolutionary the quick dry-time is.
Then there’s the finish itself. The included Chiffon Moment shade — a sheer warm taupe cream — perfectly captures the soft, understated manicure trend that’s everywhere right now. It’s polished, elegant and versatile enough to pair with everything from casual weekend outfits to special-occasion looks.
Shoppers say the performance more than lives up to the hype. One reviewer called the results “amazing,” saying the polish “dries super fast and super hard, looks professional, and lasts a LONG time.” They added that after trying Dazzle Dry during a vacation, their manicure still looked “just about perfect 3 weeks later” and that they were able to complete everyday tasks like cooking, laundry and typing without chips or smears.
Their final verdict? “I’m throwing away all of my old nail polishes and only using Dazzle Dry from now on!” Honestly, that’s about as glowing a review as a manicure kit can get.
The formula is also designed with nail health in mind. Unlike many long-wear manicure systems, this one is free from ingredients like formaldehyde, camphor, parabens and SLS, and even includes a Revive polish thinner to help extend the life of your products. That means fewer dried-out bottles sitting forgotten in your bathroom cabinet and more value from every manicure.
Get the Dazzle Dry Mini 4-Step Nail System for $39 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more from Dazzle Dry here and more nail polish here! Don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
When it comes to manicure inspiration, the Oscars always delivers — setting the tone for the nail trends we’ll be seeing everywhere next. This year, Kate Hudson took it one step further, quite literally “frosting herself” in diamonds from head to fingertips. Celebrity manicurist Brittany Boyce built the look using Essie’s cult-favorite Gel Couture nail […]
Rod Stewart sparked concern among fans after appearing to struggle through a recent concert, pausing mid-show to use an oxygen tank after telling the crowd he had nearly fainted. The 81-year-old singer was performing in Salt Lake City on Saturday when he appeared visibly distressed onstage and signaled for assistance.
Video obtained by TMZ showed staff bringing an oxygen tank to Stewart, who took several breaths before addressing the audience. “I nearly f-cking fainted,” Stewart told concertgoers.
Supportive fans could be heard encouraging the rock legend to take a break, but Stewart appeared determined to continue. “The show must go on,” he declared to loud applause.
The singer later asked the audience, “Would you mind if I sat down for this number?” before taking a seat on the stage steps and continuing the performance.
Stewart Recently Canceled A Show Due To Health Issues
The concerning moment comes just days after Stewart was forced to cancel a scheduled concert in Chula Vista, California. The singer’s team announced the cancellation shortly before showtime, explaining that Stewart had been diagnosed with an acute upper respiratory infection that had developed into laryngitis.
“He traveled to the venue and made every effort to perform, but on the advice of his doctors and following a diagnosis of an acute upper respiratory infection that has resulted in laryngitis, he is unable to take to the stage this evening,” the statement read.
Stewart later addressed fans directly on Instagram. “Well here I am in beautiful Chula Vista as the stage is being taken down around me,” he wrote. “Following treatment, I’m feeling much better, but my voice is not.”
The singer added that he “did everything I could to make the show happen tonight” and promised to “do my utmost to reschedule.”
Rod Stewart Visits FIFA World Cup Match Hours After Canceling Show
Less than 24 hours after the cancellation, Stewart shared footage of himself traveling by private jet to Boston alongside sons Alastair and Liam. The family attended a FIFA World Cup match between Scotland and Haiti, where Stewart was later spotted cheering from the stands.
“Here we are flying off to Boston to see Scotland in the World Cup,” Stewart said in a clip shared on social media. “It’s been 28 years so these kids, I’ve told them about it, but they’ve never been. I’ve been to seven World Cups.”
Fans Questioned Stewart’s Decision To Attend Soccer Match
The outing quickly sparked criticism from some disappointed fans who had been turned away from the canceled California concert.
“I understand that shows sometimes have to be canceled, and if there was a legitimate reason, most fans would have accepted it,” one fan wrote. “What’s hard to accept is seeing you apparently celebrating on a plane with friends less than 24 hours after thousands of people were sent home disappointed in San Diego.”
Someone else chimed in with, “Hey Rod, lost a little respect for you canceling your concert the night before, disappointing a stadium full of people… Hard to believe you really had laryngitis! You sound like you have a voice to me! i used to really like you, but when I say I lost a little respect, I mean a LOT of respect!”
“This feels rather disingenuous, especially after your cancellation last night. Too ill to perform but okay to fly across the country for soccer?” another fan questioned.
“What an arrogant move!” someone else claimed. “People have traveled, some like me, a long distance to Red Rocks only to have the concert canceled an hour before the start. I guess when you’re 81 you don’t have to care about your fans.”
Rod Stewart Is Currently On His Farewell Tour
Despite the recent health scare, Stewart has continued performing as part of his ongoing “One Last Time” farewell tour. The North American trek launched in 2024 and is expected to continue through the remainder of the year before additional U.K. dates in 2027.
“I’ve got 40-odd shows this year and that’s not really a lot,” Stewart recently said during an appearance on “TalkSport.” “And I’m touring the UK next year and doing the O2 and that will probably be it, I think.”
With TV shows now investing in love triangles with siblings, is Netflix’s I Will Find You joining the trend by having a character date his sister-in-law?
Harlan Coben‘s novel was adapted as a miniseries where David (Sam Worthington) gets help from his former-sister-in-law Rachel (Britt Lower) when searching for his son. Despite Rachel seemingly rekindling her romance with ex Hayden (Milo Ventimiglia), the show ended with both her and David single.
The final scene showed Rachel reaching out to hold David’s hand — but does that mean they will get together?
“That is meant to indicate what I truly wanted to do — and this is a little different from the book,” creator Robert Hull exclusively told Us Weekly. “My goal was to make you want them to be together.”
Hull broke down the vision, adding, “Whether they are or not, I think is left open because I think there’s different definitions of soulmates and I think the journey that they’ve gone on, they’re so connected. If that turns romantic all the better, but I just wanted people rooting for it. After that, my job’s done.”
While reflecting on the moment, Hull recalled the challenges.
“We loved it. The challenge for us was with this type of story and this type of pace. We never wanted to cross the line and turn it into the expected,” he told Us. “Because we wanted to keep Rachel as a colead and have her own story.”
Hull continued: “But honestly, she saves David a lot more in the series than David saves her. So what I loved about Harlan’s idea — and what we wanted to do is by the end it’s Rachel’s story — is one of the coolest twists there to make it about somebody other than the person you thought it was about.”
Coben also weighed in on the shakeup, telling Us, “I want you the audience to think about it. I hope this is one of those stories where you’re wondering … I’d love to ask you where you think all these characters are in a year and see what you think. I’m optimistic. I’m an optimist. I think the story’s so deep and he goes through so much that I want the best for them. I hope you do too.”
I Will Find You, which is streaming now, follows David Burroughs (Worthington), who is wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his son then receives information that his son may still be alive. In addition to Worthington, Lower and Ventimiglia, the show stars Erin Richards, Jonathan Tucker and Madeleine Stowe. Clancy Brown, Logan Browning and Vas Saranga make up the rest of the cast.
Who doesn’t love a good love story? Girl falls in love with boy, then falls in love with his best friend too, for example. The love triangle has been a frequent plot point in TV and film for years, but there is maybe no more iconic angsty trio than the one between Dawson (James Van […]
“The biggest challenge for us was also our biggest asset,” Hull recalled to Us about the experience. “Which is that very early on Harlan and I wanted to really shoot in the real world. We didn’t build a lot of sets.”
He added: “We were out on real streets, relocations, real stunts, real wirework, because even with visual effects, there’s nothing that can replace putting an incredible actor in a real location and just letting them bring it to life. Once you do that, your job’s kind of done.”
Hull spoke to Us about how the novel had to change for the screen, saying, “First and foremost, I’m a custodian of the novel and I was first and foremost a fan of Harlan’s and a fan of the novel. The DNA is there and the heart of the show is there if you read the book.”
I Will Find You is streaming on Netflix now.
We’re now just six months away from HBO’s long-awaited live-action Harry Potter series, and although the controversy surrounding franchise creator J.K. Rowling hasn’t gone quiet, neither has the hype for what feels like the perfect format to adapt all seven novels. Dominic McLaughlin will step into the shoes of the titular Chosen One, and if Daniel Radcliffe‘s career is anything to go by, he should expect to become a global superstar very soon.
But it isn’t just Radcliffe who made a name for himself as a star of Harry Potter, with almost every role praised for being perfectly cast. Alongside the likes of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, the iconic Ralph Fiennes stole almost every scene he was in as Lord Voldemort, delivering one of cinema’s most famous evil performances in the process. But it isn’t just the Harry Potter franchise that has received the best of Fiennes, with an impressive recent performance of his about to be available on Netflix.
In The Choral, directed by Nicholas Hytner, Fiennes stars as Dr. Guthrie, alongside a talented supporting cast that includes Roger Allam, Mark Addy, and Simon Russell Beale. This is Fiennes’ second performance as a Doctor in a row, although as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, he goes through an altogether different journey of discovery. If you’ve yet to see this war drama gem, The Choral will be available to stream on Netflix on July 2.
What Is Ralph Fiennes Making Next?
Never a man to sit still, it seems like we’re never too far from a new scene-stealing performance from Fiennes. Following his recent work as the brilliant Dr. Guthrie, the man behind the Wizarding World’s ultimate villain is set to portray President Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest prequel to the beloved modern franchise, scheduled to release in theaters on November 20, 2026. Fiennes will star in the project alongside the likes of Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow, Maya Hawke as Wiress, and many more.
Ralph Fiennes’ underrated war drama The Choral will be available to stream on Netflix on July 2. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for all the latest streaming stories.
- Release Date
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November 7, 2025
- Runtime
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113 minutes
- Director
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Nicholas Hytner
- Writers
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Alan Bennett, Stephen Beresford
- Producers
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Damian Jones, Kevin Loader, Nicholas Hytner
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Roger Allam
Alderman Bernard Duxbury
A shocking behind-the-scenes story from The Boroughs reveals how the production pulled off one of its wildest practical stunts by sending a real car over a cliff, showcasing the show’s commitment to authentic action, practical effects, and high-stakes filmmaking.
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There are beauty products you use occasionally, and then there are the ones that permanently earn a spot in your car, nightstand and every bag you own. A great lip balm falls firmly into the second category, and celebrities like Scarlett Johansson agree. Her favorite lip balm, The Outset Lip Oasis Hydrating Treatment (from her skincare brand), delivers serious moisture while leaving behind a healthy, glossy finish. And just like her, shoppers are obsessed.
Whether you’re battling summer sun, long flights or chronically dry lips, having a nourishing balm within arm’s reach can feel like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert. You don’t need a celebrity connection to try it yourself — it’s available on Amazon, making it easy to add a little Scarlett-approved hydration to your daily routine.
Get The Outset Lip Oasis Hydrating Treatment for $24 (originally $28) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
The Outset Lip Oasis Hydrating Treatment is clinically proven to boost hydration and help support a healthier lip barrier over time. Plus, the clean, vegan and fragrance-free formula makes it a great option for sensitive lips that don’t always play nicely with heavily fragranced products.
Jennifer Aniston‘s beauty routine may be famously low-maintenance, but it’s clearly effective. Her lips always look naturally smooth and hydrated, no matter the occasion. According to the actress, it all comes down to a moisturizing lip balm she refuses to skip. In a “What’s Really in Her Beauty Bag” video with Harper’s Bazaar UK, the Friends […]
Beauty lovers are especially impressed with the performance. One reviewer with more than 15 years of beauty experience called the formula “a game-changer,” praising how it feels “intensely hydrating while feeling completely weightless.” They also noted that it offers “impressive longevity,” before adding perhaps the strongest endorsement of all: “I’m officially clearing space for every shade.” If a veteran beauty pro is making room in their collection, that’s definitely enough to get our attention.
In a sea of lip balms and glosses to choose from, The Outset Lip Oasis Hydrating Treatment stands out because it doesn’t force you to choose between hydration and shine. The cushiony formula glides on smoothly, leaving behind a glassy, healthy-looking shine while helping lips feel soft and comfortable throughout the day — it’s a summer must!
Get The Outset Lip Oasis Hydrating Treatment for $24 (originally $28) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more from The Outset here and more lip glosses here! Don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Strange New Worlds is arguably the most successful NuTrek show. That’s largely because it manages to embrace the storytelling philosophy of The Original Series (episodic adventures centered around a charismatic and friendly crew) while still delivering what modern audiences want (like slick effects, romantic tension, and a few ongoing storylines). However, many feel that the series lost a few steps (or maybe even fell off entirely) with its third season. Why is this, exactly? One frequently cited issue is the sheer number of outright silly episodes and characters and episodes, making the show feel more like a goofy comedy than a sci-fi drama.
However, Season 3 may have been doomed by some big decisions happening behind the scenes. The producers were hoping to leverage the success of this show into a new series called Star Trek: Year One, which would give us entirely new episodes featuring the recast crew of The Original Series in their shiny new sets. Sadly, Paramount passed on this idea, and these iconic sets have already been dismantled. Unfortunately, that means that Strange New Worlds’ final seasons may be doomed by the same thing that doomed Season 3: the writers constantly setting up a spinoff that we now know is never going to happen.
Meet The New Trek, Same As The Old Trek
For a long time, Strange New Worlds has been slowly introducing familiar characters from Star Trek: The Original Series. Spock, Uhura, Chapel, and M’Benga have been there from the beginning. It didn’t take the show long to introduce Kirk, and Scotty has been added more recently. Now, we know that Punisher actor Thomas Jane will be introduced in Season 5 as Dr. McCoy. Early on in Strange New Worlds, these character additions were mostly nostalgia bait for Star Trek fans. More recently, however, more familiar characters and stories have been introduced to set up Star Trek: Year One, which would be a complete remake of The Original Series.
As an example, Season 3 introduced Roger Korby, Chapel’s love interest, who is doomed to die in The Original Series (to die twice, if you want to be technical about it). The introduction of Scotty is handled rather ham-fistedly, including a goofy scene where Kirk has to teach the engineer about how great Scotch is. Did we really need an origin story for a Scottish guy liking Scotch? Speaking of Kirk, he also does a mind-meld with Spock that is effectively intended to jumpstart their deep friendship. This ignores the fact that, when we first see the meld in The Original Series, Spock emphasizes that he has never used it on a human.
Captain Quirk, Ready To Beam Up
All of this is on top of other weird character retcons, including having Starfleet encounter the Gorn and Trelane way before they are supposed to. What’s going on with all of this? Simply put, this is here to set up Star Trek: Year One. If they want that spinoff to feature additional misadventures between Kirk and foes like the Gorn and Trelane, they need to basically re-introduce them for the younger fans who may not have watched The Original Series. Having weird origin stories for everything from Scotty’s love of booze to Kirk’s bromance with Spock similarly caters to fans who didn’t watch TOS but might watch Year One.
Sadly, all of this is for naught. Kirk actor Paul Wesley told fans at a convention this past week that he and Spock actor Ethan Peck are quite eager to star in such a Star Trek spinoff. Unfortunately, Paramount has already dismantled the same Strange New Worlds sets that would have been used to bring that spinoff to life. Plus, in the wake of the merger with Skydance and the upcoming merger with Warner Bros., the studio has decided to pivot Star Trek into a feature film franchise. It’s a terrible idea, one that puts the nail in the coffin for a possible Strange New Worlds spinoff.
A Bad Feeling About The Future
Given how much Season 3 of SNW spent trying to set up that spinoff, I’ve got (to borrow a phrase) a bad feeling about Season 4 and 5. They’ve already been shot, and I can’t help but wonder how much of the show’s dwindling episode count will be spent setting up Year One. Call me old-fashioned, but I feel like Strange New Worlds should focus on being a great show unto itself rather than a constant backdoor pilot to a spinoff that will never see the light of day. The first two seasons were excellent, but will the last two be filled with nothing but nostalgia bait and member berries?
We’ll find out together when the fourth season drops on July 23. If it’s as bad as the musical episode, then fans are going to make like Scotty and suddenly learn the value of a good, hard drink!
Collin County court officials have released body cam footage showing the moment officers arrested Karmelo Anthony after he fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf during a Texas high school track meet in April 2025. The videos come just weeks after Anthony was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
RELATED: Here’s Everything To Know About The Current Prison Where Karmelo Anthony Is Reportedly Being Held & The Appeal Process
Body Cam Footage Reveals Moments From Karmelo Anthony’s Arrest
The videos circulating online capture officers detaining Karmelo Anthony at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. As the video continues, Anthony can be heard crying as he says, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to. He put his hands on me.” An officer then checks his pockets before asking for his name, school, and grade while placing him into the back of a police vehicle. Along with the body cam footage, newly released case photos have also surfaced. One image shows the knife investigators recovered in connection with the stabbing, while another shows Austin Metcalf’s injury following the incident.
Audio Of 911 Call After The Incident Between Anthony & Metcalf Surfaces
Fox News also shared an audio from the 911 call following the incident between Karmelo and Metcalf. The caller submitted the call at 10:02 a.m. on April 2, 2025. The caller tells the dispatcher that someone stabbed an athlete and that an Army veteran was applying pressure to the wound. The person on the line also says that Metcalf was losing consciousness and stopped breathing, then later reports that Austin appeared to be breathing again. While the caller speaks with the 911 operator, a man shouts, “Stay with me, Austin!” As the call continues, the caller adds, “There’s a lot of blood. He’s not breathing.” The operator then walks the man through the steps to control Austin’s bleeding. Someone then shouts again, “Come on Austin. Fight through, Austin.”
The Latest Update On Karmelo Anthony
As The Shade Room previously reported, Karmelo Anthony began serving his 35-year prison sentence at Wallace Pack Unit after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder on June 9. Although he is now in custody, his legal team filed a notice of appeal on June 10. The filing will allow the defense to challenge his conviction. Legal experts believe the appeal may question whether the court properly conducted the trial. However, Newsweek reports that the appellate process could take months or even longer.
RELATED: Austin Metcalf’s Father Reacts To Karmelo Anthony’s Prison Sentence & Potential Parole (VIDEOS)
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