By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 30 seconds ago

Have you ever seen something that shocked and terrified you so much that when you close your eyes late at night, you still see it? I feel that way about Punky Brewster. Not the infamous refrigerator episode. The one that has stayed with me for decades is “The Perils of Punky,” a two-part episode that aired back in October 1985.

A Halloween episode centered around Punky telling her friends a ghost story, the second part goes full horror by seemingly killing her friends, and worst of all, her dog. Sure, you can watch it today and laugh at the over-the-top acting and hilarious special effects, but as a kid watching this, it’s haunted me for decades. 

The Perils Of Punky Didn’t Have To Go This Hard

In “The Perils of Punky, Part 2,” Punky (Soleil Moon Frye) ventures into the cave at the request of Native American spirits to defeat the monster within, and quickly comes across a man in six separate pieces strewn across the cave. That’s followed up by a giant spider trapping her friends in its web, and while she defeats it with a tomahawk, saving her friends, it’s only a temporary reprieve before the sinister spirit takes them away. On the one hand, Punky’s fear of abandonment is a very real fear that lots of kids feel, especially those in the foster care system, but on the other hand, did the producers really have to have them come back as zombies and ghosts? 

Allen (Casey Ellison) appears as a screaming face on the wall, Cherie (Cherie Johnson) is a possessed zombie with glowing red eyes, and Marguex (Ami Foster) becomes a dancing skeleton. This all happens one directly after another while Punky Brewster stumbles through the cave, screaming over the fate of her friends (and Marguex). Even her loyal dog Brandon, isn’t spared. He appears as a skeleton dog, but because it’s Brandon, his tail is still wagging. 

Punky makes it past this gauntlet and reaches the depths of the cave. The Moon Priestess, also played by Soleil Moon Frye, helps her face the evil spirit, who looks like a shaky constellation with evil eyes. In true Punky Brewster fashion, her unflappable optimism, spirit, and love for her friends (and Marguex) overcome the nightmare and banish it to wherever 80s television producers got their terrifying ideas.  

Traumatizing Children Transcends Generations

The cast of Punky Brewster has talked about the filming of the episode in multiple interviews, since, well, being traumatized by it was a millennial rite of passage. Making it was fun, and they thought the special effects were stupid-looking, and they are, but through the magic of television, hundreds of thousands of children screamed at the sudden appearance of Allen’s terrifying face. For a show that normally films on three sets, getting to have fun with the wild cave environment and horror-movie makeup had to be a blast, and as an adult, it’s easy to appreciate. 

Kids today still get to experience shows that will randomly traumatize them, but they tend to be animated. Gravity Falls’ “Weirdmaggeddon” is a great example, especially when Bill Cipher rearranges the face of Pacifica’s dad. It’s horrifying, but it’s animated, and viewers watching the series were used to the show getting weird. Punky Brewster wasn’t that type of show. Then again, neither was G.I.Joe, and that included an entirely fake family that melted into goo. 

Punky Brewster is one of many seemingly normal ’80s kids’ shows that weren’t above traumatizing children. We survived The Neverending Story, we saw Gremlins at way too young an age for the Santa Claus story. There was something about the freedom of that decade that encouraged this type of behavior. At least Punky Brewster never did anything nearly this scary ever again, and especially not with a common household appliance. 

Separately, Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie have given the world some of the greatest action hits, but when they work together, the force of the duo can’t be denied. They first worked together in the late 90s on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the classic crime thriller co-starring Jason Flemyng and Dexter Fletcher. Not only is this the first time they worked together, but this was also Statham’s feature acting debut, and the film made it immediately clear that he was a star. They reunited two years later for Snatch, which co-stars Brad Pitt. The film is currently streaming on Netflix. They took a few years apart from working together before they teamed once more for Revolver, the R-rated thriller that was panned by both critics and audiences.

It wasn’t until 16 years after Revolver that Statham and Ritchie worked together again on Wrath of Man, and they most recently collaborated on Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, the epic spy thriller following a high-level operative who teams up with a Hollywood movie star to stop the sale of illegal weapons technology. The film was a flop at the box office, grossing only $48 million globally against a $50 million budget, and it earned scores of 51% from critics and 82% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. In America, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is currently streaming on Prime Video, and it’s been one of the most popular movies on the platform for the last week. Ritchie directed and wrote the script for the film, which co-stars Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Hugh Grant, Josh Hartnett, Eddie Marsan, and more.

Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie Are Reuniting Soon

It’s been three years since Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre hit theaters, but Ritchie and Statham aren’t done working together yet. Last year, it was announced that the duo would reunite for a new crime thriller that’s being billed as a sequel/reboot to Daniel Craig’s Layer Cake. The film just rounded out its cast last week with other stars like Jason Isaacs, and it’s reportedly now in production. The film does not yet have an official release date, but it will likely premiere sometime next year. Statham will return to the screen this summer with Mutiny, which also stars Annabelle Wallis (Peaky Blinders).

Be sure to watch Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre before it’s removed from Prime Video and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.

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Release Date

March 3, 2023

Runtime

113 minutes

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Producers

Jason Statham, Steven Chasman, Bill Block, Ivan Atkinson

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CBS has long been the home of some of the best comedies on television. From the days of I Love Lucy and Designing Women to currently running hits like Ghosts and Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, if you’re looking for a laugh, you’re likely to find one there. The network’s current Monday night lineup is home to an underrated gem that may not have caught your eye yet — and may be your next favorite workplace comedy. DMV, returning tonight with its first midseason premiere, follows a group of co-workers at the East Hollywood DMV as they deal with all the chaos, boredom, and frustration of working somewhere no one ever actually wants to be. Today, as part of Collider’s Exclusive Spring Preview event for the hottest TV shows and films of the coming months, we’re thrilled to bring you a sneak peek from tonight’s new episode, along with an exclusive interview with star Tim Meadows about what to expect from the rest of Season 1.

Ahead of tonight’s new episode, titled “Hot Gurlz,” I sat down with Meadows to discuss what we can expect from the show’s return. The show’s midseason finale left us on a cliffhanger back in December with Gregg (Meadows) planning to sue the DMV over his broken chair, putting him at odds with their location’s over-eager manager Barb (Molly Kearney). “Well, it causes a big rift between his relationship with him and Barb. She didn’t like it,” Meadows told Collider. “They’ve known each other for a long time, so it’s weird for Barb to really have it out for Gregg.” But don’t worry, they won’t be beefing for too long, as Meadows promised, “Their resolution is very sweet. You sort of learn that Gregg cares a lot for his relationship with Barb, just like I care a lot about my relationship with Molly.”

Meadows went on to sing his co-star’s praises, saying, “There were times where Molly would improvise lines, and one time they said, ‘Oh my god, this is like the time that I had a dream that I was making out with Gregg.’ [Laughs] It was cut, and we just started laughing because they had never said that before. I just love working with Molly. I do. I love it.” While Gregg has a solid working relationship with Barb, he’s got a much more complicated one with his wife. Though she’s yet to make an appearance on the show, Gregg makes enough “ball-and-chain” jokes that we’ve already got a bit of an idea of what to expect if she ever does arrive. When I asked Meadows if he had anyone in mind to play her, he revealed two truly excellent options. He told Collider:

“You know, it’s funny, I have my own preferences as far as just comedically of people that I think we’d be very funny together because we’ve known each other. Like somebody like Amy Sedaris, I think, would be my number one choice. I would love for her to be this woman who’s just really making his home life miserable, because I think Amy could just do an amazing job with that kind of description. […] So, that’s my first choice. Anybody else after that, I’d be honored. Another favorite of mine would be if it were somebody like Tiffani Amber Thiessen. […] It’s like this very beautiful woman who does not fit the mold of being this angry, hard-driving wife. She and I worked together before, and we have maintained a showbiz sort of friendship, but we have a very good rapport with each other, too. So, that’s another choice I’d go for. That would be really fun.”

‘DMV’s Ensemble Cast Captures the Unexpected Found Family Vibe

Tonight’s new episode of DMV sees Collette attempting to get closer to Ceci as she strives to be part of her DMV “Hot Gurlz” group chat. But how does someone nab a spot in that coveted group? Enter Ceci’s cousin. Colette jumps at the opportunity to both get in good with Ceci and finally move on from her crush on Noa (Alex Tarrant). However, as our sneak peek shows, Ceci’s cousin loses a bit of his appeal when he comes down off a work ladder and reveals himself to be a short king. The official logline for “Hot Gurlz” reads, “Colette goes on a date with Ceci’s cousin Miguel (Eddie Ramos) and discovers he may be the key to Ceci’s heart. Meanwhile, Barb finds out about Gregg’s lawsuit against the DMV while Vic helps Noa deal with rude customer Brent (Mark Feuerstein).”

When it comes to nailing down that perfect workplace comedy vibe of a group of people who would not otherwise be friends, Meadows credits the writers for establishing those dynamics early on. “A lot of it comes from the writers, and I think in the first few episodes, the actors are getting a feel for what the writers are sort of creating,” he explained. Over the course of the first season, the relationships between the ensemble cast and the writers began to feed into each other, of course. As Meadows says, “Then, as the writers get to know the actors and what we can do and how we work together on set, they begin to write for the actors playing the characters.”

Meadows had nothing but lovely things to say about the DMV writers, “The writers this year on this show, I give them all the credit in the world, and I told them I love what they have done. They really have nailed bringing those aspects of who we are personally and the show’s characters together, and that’s how it got to be so funny as we kept doing it.” Meadows is no stranger to the comedy world, as one of the longest-running cast members of SNL and with over 125 acting credits to his name, but DMV is already a standout in his career. “I’ve been around for a while, you know? But I told them, I was like, ‘It gets better and better and better,’ because we’re learning all these new things about these characters, but also, there are these underlying jokes between our characters that only we in the cast, and the writers, know about. That stuff is very fun.”

Meadows went on to continue sharing praise for the writers, namely showrunner Dana Klein, explaining how playing DMV‘s former teacher turned driving instructor felt like a perfect next step after playing many, many teachers over the course of his career. He told Collider:

“Dana was doing the show, and I know people who know Dana, so when I asked my friends, they were like, ‘Yeah, she’s great.’ So, I read the script, and I loved the character, and I thought it was something different. It also felt like the character was the next step of characters that I’ve played in my career, which were teachers. This guy is a former teacher who now works at the DMV, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s a nice way to sort of kill off the teacher roles that I’ve done,’ from The Goldbergs and Mean Girls, and all that. It’s like that’s who this guy has now become, because he has the same dynamic as that Winnie the Pooh character, [Eeyore], who’s like, ‘Oh, poor me.’ That’s the same sort of characteristic that the teacher in Mean Girls had, which was, ‘I just want to get out of here. I’m done working here.’”

‘DMV’ Digs Deeper Into Your Favorite Relationships When Season 1 Returns on CBS

Image via Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Meadows promised plenty of character growth in the back half. “I think the growth of the characters in the second half of the show is mainly about how they relate to each other, and you sort of discover other things about these characters.” For Gregg, we can expect to see him take on a sort of DMV-dad role, “You learn that my character, everyone ends up coming to him for advice, and everything,” said Meadows.

Not only that, but we’ll get to see some more backstory for Gregg as well. Meadows teased, “You also learn that he’s an insanely good driving instructor. Even though he hates his job, there are some things that he can do very well. And the Firebird that he has in the first half of the show, you see as this old souped-up muscle car, but there’s a reason that he has that car, and you find out about that in the second half of the season.”

Check out our sneak peek from “Hot Gurlz” above, and don’t miss the new episode tonight at 8:30 PM ET on CBS. Stay tuned for more TV news from Collider’s Exclusive Preview event all week.

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Release Date

October 13, 2025

Directors

Trent O’Donnell

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Maxi Shield
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Dead at 51

Published
February 23, 2026
8:03 AM PST

Nevaeh Akira has shared a few messages after she and Blueface revealed that they’re expecting a baby.

RELATED: Baby OTW! Blueface Seemingly Confirms His Boo Nevaeh Akira Is Pregnant After Test Reveal (VIDEOS)

Nevaeh Akira Shares A Few Messages After She & Blueface Reveal They’re Expecting A Baby

Hours after Nevaeh Akira and Blueface made their announcement to the world, she took to her Instagram Story to share a photo, which appeared to show her young son sitting next to Blueface. Furthermore, Akira used an emoji to cover her son’s face — as she also used a blue heart emoji to cover Blue’s face — so it remains unclear how old her son is. Then, after that post, Akira re-shared footage of her and Blue’s pregnancy reveal. Then, she followed up with a clip of Blueface speaking on how he would like their child to look like him.

“I wasn’t overly in love with my son donor, but I’m overly in love with him so I don’t think I’ll have parts. [crying face emoji] this is my partner,” she wrote next to the clip.

Swipe to the fifth slide below to see the moment she highlighted.

After that post, Akira shared a clip of two baby boys lying side by side. Furthermore, the caption of the clip was, “POV: YOU GAVE YOUR OLDEST A SIBLING [white heart emoji]”

“oh I can’t wait, my son is so loving and caring with other children I know he’s going to be the best big brother. [orange heart emoji] [emotional emoji],” Akira wrote under the clip.

Before hopping off, Akira added that Blueface’s restaurant, King of Crabs, is her addiction.

More On Nevaeh Akira & Blueface Expecting A Baby

As The Shade Room previously reported, Nevaeh Akira and Blueface revealed they’re expecting a baby on Sunday, February 22. At the time, the pair were reportedly on a Twitch livestream, and they showed two positive pregnancy tests to viewers.

Here’s How Karlissa Saffold Harvey Reacted To The Announcement

Afterward, Karlissa Saffold Harvey took to her Instagram Story to react to the pair’s news. Furthermore, she wrote, “Kids are a blessing if he happy I’m happy [heart hands emoji] congratulations to them both and may God bless the baby.” This, followed by another post, which read, “It’s a girl and I already knew she was coming [crying face emoji]”

To note, Blueface shared two older children with Jaidyn Alexis, and a two-year-old son with Chrisean Rock. At this time, Alexis and Rock have not publicly reacted to his announcement.

RELATED: New Addition! Karlissa Saffold Harvey Reacts To Blueface & Nevaeh Akira’s Apparent Pregnancy Announcement

Claressa Shields and Papoose hit the club after she defeated Franchón Crews-Dezurn and retained her heavyweight title.

RELATED: Okay, Sis! Fans Are Sending Claressa Shields Heart Eyes After She Flexed A Fresh NEW Look Ahead Of Fight Night (VIDEOS)

More On Claressa Shields Defeating Franchón Crews-Dezurn & Retaining Her Heavyweight Title

On Sunday, February 22, Claressa Shields and Papoose arrived at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, for her anticipated face-off against Franchón Crews-Dezurn. Furthermore, Shields and Pap arrived decked out in mink furs while the boxer appeared to don a gown under hers.

“I heard we sold out… uh, huh! They be hating bad on the gwoat. But we gon’ make it all worth your time tonight,” Shields said braggadociously on the walk-in while Pap called her the “best ever.”

Peep their walk-in below.

Ultimately, Shields took the win against Franchón Crews-Dezurn. Per ESPN, judges scored the fight 100-90. During her post-interview, Shields praised Crews-Dezurn’s skills and ability to keep her on her toes.

“I felt like I had to take my time. Franchon hits hard and she’s tough and you got to be very tricky with her. She was trying to cause the upset today and got me with some shots, but Franchon is exactly who she thinks she is — ‘The Heavy Hitting Diva’ — and that’s one of the best fights that I’ve been in at my professional career, especially at 10 rounds. It was fun. I had to watch my ass every round,” she reportedly stated.

Social Media Reacts Alongside Her Opponent

Social media users reacted to Claressa Shields’ win against Franchón Crews-Dezurn in TSR’s comment section.

“CANT STOP AND WONT STOP 🥊🔥 THE GREATEST EVER!!!!”

“She inspires me. She came in at a time where I was dominant and shook the table up. When I’m seeing her, I’m like, ‘OK, that’s a point I could get to, or that’s somebody who can keep fire under me,’ and it’s never a jealousy thing. I’m proud of her.”

Furthermore, Boosie, who walked Shields out to the ring ahead of the fight, also shared his excitement when she won.

Claressa Shields & Papoose Hit The Club After She Defeated Franchón Crews-Dezurn & Retained Her Heavyweight Title

After her victory, Claressa Shields and Papoose hit the club to celebrate. Furthermore, footage shared by Instagram user @livebitez showed Shields gloating about her win while vibing to music alongside her boo.

Click here to see the NSFW clip.

RELATED: Claressa Shields Explains Heated Weigh-In With Franchon Crews-Dezurn As The Internet Reacts To Papoose Poppin’ Off (VIDEOS)

NBA Player LaMelo Ball Crashed His Hummer In Charlotte Earlier This Week

‘The City Of Charlotte Talking About LaMelo Like A Gotham Villain’

TikTok Users Also Had A Lot To Share

‘LaMelo Ball Has The Entire City Of Charlotte Held Hostage’

LaMelo Ball’s Response When Asked About The Accident In Postgame Presser

Swinging in to cure your winter blues, Prime Video’s upcoming series, The Gray House, blends a pulse-pounding espionage plot with the darkest and most dismal days of the Civil War to bring historical drama fans something completely new. Welcoming Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Mary-Louise Parker (The West Wing, Weeds), back to the episodic fold, the captivating tale of Union spies doing their best to undermine the South’s advances sets the stage for a binge-worthy arrival with all eight episodes hitting the platform on February 26. Today, as part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview event, where we’re showing off the most hotly anticipated titles to make their return in the approaching weeks, we’ve got a sneak peek of the project backed by producers Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman.

Daisy Head (The Syndicate) is on a top-secret mission in our exclusive first look at The Gray House. Under the cover of night and a costume that conceals her true identity (complete with a fake mustache), her character slips into a party unnoticed and makes her way to the second floor. Upon her arrival upstairs, she finds the woman she’d been looking for but not the answers she was hoping for.

In addition to Parker and Head, Prime Video’s newest period drama also features the talents of a call sheet that includes Amethyst Davis (Happily Ever After), Ben Vereen (Jesus Christ Superstar), Keith David (The Thing), Paul Anderson (Peaky Blinders), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Ian Duff (We Own This City), Hannah James (Mercy Street), Christopher McDonald (Thelma & Louise), Robert Knepper (Prison Break), Catherine Garton (The War Between the Land and the Sea), Sam Trammell (True Blood) and more.

Meet the Creatives Behind ‘The Gray House’

Freeman will produce The Gray House under his Revelations Entertainment banner with his business partner, Lori McCreary, while Costner operates under his Territory Pictures. The title also hails from Paramount’s Republic Pictures and Leslie Greif’s Big Dreams Entertainment. Greif, who previously collaborated with Costner on Hatfields & McCoys, co-penned the Civil War-centered project alongside Darrell Fetty and John Sayles, with Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields) directing. Additionally, the soundtrack features an all-star lineup of musicians like Willie Nelson, Shania Twain, Killer Mike, Yolanda Adams, and more, adding their voices to the project, while Jon Bon Jovi holds co-writing credits for one of the title’s songs.

Check out our new look at The Gray House above and stay tuned for more to come from Collider’s Exclusive Preview event. Tune into Prime Video on February 26 to stream all eight episodes of the wartime drama.

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Release Date

February 26, 2026

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Prime Video

Directors

Roland Joffé

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  Daisy Head

  Elizabeth Van Lew

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  Paul Anderson

  Stokely Reeves

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  Amethyst Davis

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  Mary Jane Richards

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Ryan Coogler Becomes First Black BAFTA Winner For Original Screenplay

‘Sinners’ Triumphs As Wunmi Mosaku Takes Best Supporting Actress

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[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Vanished.]

In the MGM+ original series Vanished, Alice (Kaley Cuoco) is determined to uncover what happened to her boyfriend Tom (Sam Claflin), after he disappeared aboard a train to the south of France. The couple’s trip to spend some much-needed time together in Paris turns dark when the doctor involved in humanitarian work seemingly vanishes, leaving behind his very confused archaeologist girlfriend. Uncovering shocking secrets that put her in danger don’t stop Alice from wanting to know the truth, as she realizes the man she thought she loved, she never really knew at all.

Collider recently got the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Cuoco about how her love of true crime helped draw her to this series, what she found most interesting about Alice, the dynamic between Alice and Tom, the nightmare of having someone you love just disappear, the special bond that Alice forms with Hélène (Karin Viard), the frustration in realizing that you sometimes you really just don’t know a person no matter how well you think you do, the moment Alice has decided that she’s had enough, Cuoco’s own input into the “Dear Tom” note, and whether there could be another season. She also discussed her upcoming HBO comedy series Kansas City Star and revealed why she’s so excited about it.

As a Big True-Crime Fan, Kaley Cuoco Understands Her ‘Vanished’ Character’s Drive for Answers

“I would want to know what happened.”

Image via MGM+

Collider: The characters that I’ve talked to you about previously, in The Flight Attendant, Role Play, and Based on a True Story, have all had other things going on with them than what it seems on the surface. And with Vanished, things are happening to Alice more than they’re happening because of her. As an EP on this, were there things that you wanted this character to be and qualities you wanted her to have that you thought would make her interesting to explore?

KALEY CUOCO: Yeah. I keep thinking, actually, because some people are saying, “Well, if you love The Flight Attendant, I think you’ll love this,” with Cassie in The Flight Attendant, so much was happening to her because of her. She was an unreliable narrator. She was an absolute disaster. A disaster with a heart of gold. Things happened a lot because of her behavior. And I feel like with Alice, she’s actually a pretty grounded person. She has her life together. She’s very organized. She loves her career. Her boyfriend and her have a really specific lifestyle. They meet in these different places, they travel the world, they have no kids, they just have this really cool lifestyle. She has a great career. She’s organized as hell. And so, I think that made it even more terrifying that she was so duped by this man, even though, possibly, you can look at it like he was doing this for technically the greater good.

She’s a step ahead of everybody. Cassie was always a step behind, and Alice is a step ahead. I think that’s even more terrifying when you’ve got your shit together, and you still have this big moment of betrayal. How do you move forward? How do you trust again? Is your curiosity so intense that you have to figure out what happened? I asked myself this through the whole process. I kept thinking, “God, if this happened to me, would I crumble and just get a flight home? Would I just run home?” But I’m so obsessed with true crime and answers that I think I would probably stay. I wouldn’t almost get myself killed, but I would want to know what happened. God forbid, what if something really did happen to him? How would you forgive yourself? There was a lot of push and pull that I thought was an interesting self-reflection on what I would do if I was in this situation.

To jump right into spoilers, Tom feels like a tricky character because this is a guy who’s been with Alice for years and she’s never suspected anything. So, what made Sam Claflin the right actor for Tom?

CUOCO: Well, two parts [to that]. Because of their lifestyle, they were really never together for long periods of time. They’ve been together for years and years. We know that they both have very global jobs, or careers. They meet up in these amazing countries. They have these two-week whirlwinds, and they separate again. It was believable that maybe he could be doing something totally different than what he’s telling her. What’s so lovely about Sam is that he’s so charming and endearing and authentic and just lovely. And then, he can play the, “Wait a minute, is there something else going on here?”

I like, with the flashbacks, that they start out with such rose-colored glasses and, as time goes on, they start to shift for her where she’s like, “Wait a minute, maybe I’m not remembering this the way that [it happened].” We’ve all done that. We’ve all romanticized so many different things and realized, “Oh, God, maybe that’s not exactly what it was.” So, he was perfect for this because he’s so lovable, and you believe that he wants to be with this woman, and he’s in this relationship. But there’s an edge there, and maybe he is lying. And how is he getting away with this? You see why maybe she never suspected anything, because he’s really innocent on the surface, and he’s doing all this good, saving children and [being] this global ambassador. You want to believe that that’s this wonderful trait that this man has.

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Matthias Schweighöfer also stars in the series.

I thought it was really interesting to have him disappear on a train while he’s taking a phone call while they’re in between stations. It makes a situation that already seems unbelievable that much more difficult to understand and explain. Do you feel like that really helped add to the feeling of desperation and panic since she’s essentially trapped on this train? She can’t even go out and look for him.

CUOCO: It’s literally my worst nightmare. This is my favorite part of the show, to literally wake up from a nap on the train, you look over, and your boyfriend’s gone. Okay, maybe he’s in the bathroom. Okay, maybe he’s walking around. You’re on a train, [which is] a moving vehicle. Where did this man go? It’s terrifying. Unless he magically disappeared, how the hell did he get off this train? It’s a terrifying thought. She’s in a country she doesn’t know, and he’s literally gone. That’s horrifying. She innocently goes to the police, and then they start to look at her weirdly. Who can she trust? Now she’s thinking, “Oh, my God, what if they blame me for something?” They know, deep down, she’s not a part of this, but is she getting framed? She has no one there to protect her. It’s terrifying.

And I think with this much true crime as I watch, and with as many podcasts and documentaries as I’ve seen of people making absolutely insane decisions, that’s why this intrigued me. I was like, “Hell, yeah, this could happen. This could happen.” Would you stay? Would you try and figure it out? Would you go back? When I was reading the end, for a moment, I was like, “Oh, my God, are they really writing this, that she’s going to get back with him?” And then, obviously, she doesn’t. It was like, “I don’t think I could ever trust this man again.” There’s no way, even if he’s like, “I had to do this.” It’s like, “You couldn’t have told me anything? Maybe something small? Come on!”

Kaley Cuoco Sees the Friendship Between Alice and Hélène As the Real Love Story of ‘Vanished’

“That friendship was very special.”

Image via MGM+

In the first episode, Alice meets Hélène, who offers to help her. By episode two, we learn somehow she knows more than she’s let on. They’re also a lot more alike than either one of them realized. What was it like to figure that relationship out? What did you most enjoy about exploring that dynamic? I thought it was such an interesting pairing that we don’t really get to see.

CUOCO: Yeah, it was. I actually think that was the love story of this story, this friendship. When she’s on the train and Hélène actually starts interpreting for her, Alice grasps onto her because she’s the only person that’s helping. She’s the only person that’s getting in the middle. Then, she sees her again, and it’s like, “Okay, it’s familiar. This woman’s trying to help me.” But now, you’re thinking, “Is she overstepping? This is now feeling weird.” And then, she runs into her again, and it’s a little suspect, but she has no one else to turn to and this woman seems to have information. She’s also extremely chaotic, so she’s like, “How do I trust her?” But I actually love their friendship. And obviously, as time goes on, Alice doesn’t have anyone else but this woman, and she has to put her trust in her. She has to be like, “Okay, this is the only person I have here. I’m totally screwed.” And they end up forming this really interesting, really sweet relationship where they truly help each other out. I love how they become friends in the end. I truly think that was actually the love story that we really wanted to happen. That friendship was very special.

There’s that moment when Alice finally catches up with Tom, and he’s just so cold to her and says, “Sorry, but we’re over.” At that point, why do you think she didn’t just completely lay into him? Did you have conversations about what that reaction would be?

CUOCO: Yes, we did. There were parts of me that [were], just like you said, “How do you not completely lose your absolute mind in that moment? How are you not attacking him and screaming at him?” Remember, she knows that there are people watching her and there are police that are actually still following her. They’ve had their eyes on her, whether they’re framing her or not. If she starts to lose her mind in this public place, it’s going to be done for. She has to be very careful. I also think a betrayal of that deep, you go one of two ways. You go crazy and absolutely lose your mind, or you’re literally speechless and you’re caught off guard so poorly that you can’t even cry. It’s such a shock. You almost seem like you’re in a dream and it’s not real.

So, it was, “Okay, she’s not going to lose her mind in front of all these people.” There are police there. They’re eyeing her. She already was running through the whole city, which is not a big place, by the way. She’s starting to already get known in this place. She had to keep her cool for a second because, even later, she kept thinking, “That’s not him. Something is going on. Something isn’t right.” And her gut was correct. It wasn’t just someone cheating on her or someone who’s left. It’s like, “This isn’t the person that I knew. This is a totally different person. What happened?”

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We learn that he isn’t the villain that we’re thinking he could be and that he’s actually Interpol, even though he has done some things that he probably shouldn’t have done. Do you think that at least helps Alice feel like her internal judge of character wasn’t as broken as she thought it was?

CUOCO: Yes, I think that would comfort anyone to know, “Oh, my God, he didn’t just leave me,” and there was a reason. At the same time, it’s too big. You can’t come back from this. I just don’t think you can come back from this at all. It’s too large. It’s too intense. Also, he didn’t just leave her on vacation. She almost dies multiple times. She’s getting kidnaped. She’s getting beat up. She’s fighting people. She doesn’t even know what she’s doing, and she’s totally left to fend for herself. If he was as high up as he said, couldn’t he have sent someone? Couldn’t he do anything to make sure she was okay? He really left her. And to me, there’s no going back from there.

That’s why it’s so interesting to me that there is that moment of the two of them being together. They have sex again one last time before she leaves. Do you think she went into that knowing she was going to leave, or do you think she made that decision after that moment?

CUOCO: I went back and forth with what I thought about that. There are parts of me that like thinking she planned it all along, and she was like, “I’m going to totally mess with him, and I’m leaving him and that’s it.” Another part of me understands the emotional turmoil. Maybe there was a part of her that thought, “Oh, my God, he does love me. I can get past this.” And then, they have this moment together, and she’s like, “No, I can’t get past this,” and it was more of a decision later.

I understand both. The amount of true crime I’ve watched and watched the decisions people have made in these dire situations going, “I don’t know why they did that.” Stress and this horrible circumstance make you do some wild stuff, so I can believe either way. I think she loved him tremendously, and she was holding onto this hope that maybe she could get past this, but she realized very quickly that she couldn’t.

Kaley Cuoco Left Her Own Mark on the “Dear Tom” Letter Alice Writes in the Finale of ‘Vanished’

“He could have made any better decision that would have made this easier on her, and he didn’t.

I love the little dig of her leaving behind this note for him that says, “Dear Tom, at least I had the good manners to leave you a fucking note.” That was really a particularly perfect touch. Was that something that was always there? Was it always in the script? Was it always part of the character? Was that something that got added later?

CUOCO: The note was always there. I added the “fucking.” I added that part in because it’s so simple. It’s like, “You could have done that for me. You could have done anything to make me know, ‘Okay, there’s a reason for this,’ instead of leaving me, literally, ready to die.” He could have done anything. He could have made any better decision that would have made this easier on her, and he didn’t. To me, that’s not true love.

Clearly, he only needed one sentence. That one sentence conveyed everything.

CUOCO: That’s it! He could have written it. I know! There are so many things he could have done that he didn’t. I liked that little stamp on the end, and her going home and being like, “Okay, I can leave now knowing I did everything I could and this is it.”

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Would you like to play this character again? Do you think it would be challenging to figure out where to take her story next, or do you think there’s a way you could have her team up with Hélène and stop bad guys all over the world? Because I would watch that.

CUOCO: Anything can happen. I think this is definitely, probably tied up in a bow. It was always meant to just be this. But TV is weird, man. Different things get picked up later. Who knows? I loved the experience, I loved the character, and I loved the people I worked with. So, you just really never know what can happen.

Even though Alice leaves Tom behind, do you think that or do you at least hope that she stayed in touch with Hélène?

CUOCO: Yes. If I could see their future, they are lifers. They are lifelong friends. I think they laugh. I think they talk all the time. I think they’ve become really, really close. I like where their story ended up.

Kaley Cuoco Is Excited To Start Shooting Her Upcoming HBO Comedy Series, ‘Kansas City Star’

“We’re hoping to start shooting that by the end of this year, if not the beginning of ’27.”

Image via Prime Video

It seems like you’re having so much fun with the characters that you’re playing and the stories that you’re telling. You’re getting to do so much. They’re all mixed genre. Do you know what you’re going to be shooting next? You already have something lined up? Are you thinking about what you could create for yourself next?

CUOCO: Definitely next, and I’m really looking forward to it, I have a show with the Hacks team, called Kansas City Star, with HBO, and we’re hoping to start shooting that hopefully by the end of this year, if not the beginning of ‘27. It definitely takes me back to my roots of just pure, ridiculous, make-fun-of-myself comedy with an amazing comedic team, with Paul [W. Downs], Lucia [Aniello], and Jen [Statsky], the trifecta of brilliance behind Hacks. The storyline for Kansas City Star happened from something that happened to me, which was a jumping off point. Eventually, I’ll get to talk about it. That’s going to bring me back to all the stuff that I love, just pure, simple, don’t-take-yourself-too-seriously comedy.

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Release Date

February 1, 2026

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Network

Prime Video

Directors

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Barnaby Thompson

Writers

David Hilton, Preston Thompson

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Vanished is available to stream on MGM+.