Entertainment
18 Most Extremely R-Rated, Ultra-Graphic, Sci-Fi TV Shows
By Jonathan Klotz and Joshua Tyler | Updated
There was a time when watching sci-fi on television meant keeping things PG-13, and only in movies could you see content that went to the edge. That began to change with the introduction of pay cable, and that line was obliterated in the early 2000s by peak TV. Now, some of the most graphic, most extreme, crazy, gory, and messed-up things ever displayed on a screen can be found in science fiction television.
If you’re looking for TV shows that go hard, we’ve got you covered. These are the most graphic sci-fi TV shows of all time, ranked in order by which show is the MOST extreme.
18. Fringe
I can see the comments now: Fringe? That aired on Fox? How is that graphic?
Did you watch Fringe? The show pushed the boundaries of how dark a show can get on Fox. One episode has a man turning solid while halfway through a bank vault. Another has a man cut into little pieces to achieve the critical mass needed to travel to another dimension. The first two seasons of Fringe are all a prologue, filled with monster-of-the-week episodes that are worth watching today, to the real plot of the series: a battle for survival between two warring dimensions.
There’s body horror, there’s cold-blooded murder, there are noble sacrifices. Fringe even kills off its main cast multiple times. It’s an absolutely wild series, and did I mention the body horror? Walter Bishop, the role John Noble was born to play, is a mad scientist working for the good guys, but he’s still a mad scientist, and it’s amazing how many problems can be solved by injecting the right chemicals into the human brain.
17. Black Mirror
Often described as a modern-day version of The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror doesn’t have volumes of blood and gore, but when it gets violent, it’s gut-wrenching and leaves you an emotional wreck.
Season 7’s “Common People” is a standout, showing how technology can save lives, but there’s always a price, a literal one in this case. It’s also the same hook from Marvel’s Infamous Iron Man, but with the rise of subscription services in the last few years, the 2025 episode’s dystopian future is disturbingly close to reality.
The hardest episode to watch remains the series debut, “National Anthem,” the infamous episode about the British Prime Minister having sex with a pig. It’s enough to make you wish for more episodes like “Men Against Fire,” where a military tool tricks soldiers with augmented reality to commit heinous crimes against humanity, or Arkangel’s swarm of killer bee drones.
There’s something to be said for Black Mirror’s habit of building all episodes to one, singular outburst of violent emotion. It stands out among the other shows on this list for its restraint and its ability to emotionally manipulate the audience into a near-nervous breakdown. Black Mirror’s greatest act of violence isn’t on screen; it’s the scream you let out at the end of “Beyond the Sea.”
16. Raised By Wolves
Raised by Wolves was a 2020 HBO sci-fi series set on a hostile alien world where two androids, Mother and Father, are tasked with rebuilding humanity by raising human children after Earth is destroyed by a war between atheists and religious zealots.
The premise sounds controlled, but the execution isn’t. The show leans hard into body horror, religious extremism, and sudden, brutal violence.
Mother isn’t just a caretaker; she’s a weapon capable of tearing people apart in seconds, often on screen. The series repeatedly escalates into imagery most sci-fi avoids: mutilation, forced births, psychological breakdowns, and violence involving children. It doesn’t cut away, and it doesn’t soften the impact.
The result is a show that uses its sci-fi setting to push into territory that feels closer to horror, making it one of the most graphic and extreme entries in modern television.
15. Kingdom
Netflix’s other hit South Korean series, Kingdom brings zombies to 17th-century Korea. Zombies make everything better, including historical costume dramas. It’s also filled with decapitations, burning flesh, and gruesome zombie transformations.
Crown Prince Ju Jio-hoon is torn between investigating the origins of the zombie outbreak and uncovering a political conspiracy that threatens to destroy his family. Old allies turn into enemies long before their flesh is diseased. And if only it were the dead eating human flesh, life in the Kingdom would be much easier.
Dealing with zombies without the benefit of modern technology presents an interesting problem, but then again, there are castles. Like zombies, castles are awesome. So are swords. By the time you finish both seasons of Kingdom on Netflix, you’ll wonder why more studios don’t try a historical zombie apocalypse.
Imagine the Roman Legion marching against the undead, or a Renaissance invasion where Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions turn the tide. For now, we have Kingdom, a wild ride if you can handle the whole flesh-eating thing.
14. Alien: Earth
The Alien movies featured prominently on our list of the most graphic sci-fi movies, so it makes sense that the franchise’s TV show version would end up here. Alien: Earth doesn’t go as hard as the movies, but where there’s a Xenomorph, there’s bound to be plenty of horrific, blood-soaked deaths.
It begins with an alien ship carrying a Xenomorph crash-landing on Earth. That kicks off a plot involving the technology and corporations of the Alien universe alongside an exploration of human consciousness.
13. Fallout
Like the game series, Fallout isn’t violent or graphic. Most of the time. Then the Deathclaws arrive, and that changes real fast. Season 2 introduced the dangerous Wasteland mutants, and all of a sudden, Fallout became a horror series for a moment. Then again, depending on how you feel about the heavily mutated ghouls, every episode is pure horror.
Walton Goggins Ghoul is an incredible character. Mutated by radiation exposure into his current, melted form, he left behind his past to become a bounty hunter. The Ghoul is a legend in the Wasteland, though he does have a taste for ass jerky. It’s not cannibalism if you have to survive.
Fallout is so good; it’s changed what a video game series can be. It’s partly because of the great writing, the fantastic performances, and the way it doesn’t shy away from depicting violence. Cannibalism, large claws ripping humans limb from limb, and every other way they can arterial spray to hit Lucy, Fallout expertly times moments of graphic violence for a 100% hit rate.
12. Alice in Borderland
Alice in Borderland is a Japanese take on the classic death game concept. Based on the best-selling manga, Alice in Borderland has quietly been one of Netflix’s best shows for years. Combining the puzzle box of Lost with Squid Game, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience.
With no explanation, a group of Japanese teens finds themselves in a desolate version of Tokyo, where they have to play games to survive, or they will be killed by giant lasers from space.
This isn’t Squid Game. The games here start as tag, the most tragic version of hide-and-seek ever, and then they progress to a Witch Hunt, Kick the Can with exploding cans, climbing Tokyo Tower, and Runaway Train, in which they run through an abandoned train filled with nerve gas.
Over the course of three seasons, the total death count sits at 493. Not every death comes from the strange death games, though; the competition to earn cards and, hopefully, escape leads to a bloody back-alley fight against one of the Kings. It’s brutal, and it’s one of the show’s best moments.
Alice in Borderland walks a fine line between gruesome character deaths and its high-brow sci-fi backstory. Best of all, the three seasons on Netflix tell a complete story, which, unlike Lost, includes an ending.
11. Westworld
The 1973 movie Westworld, directed by author Michael Crichton, is violent for its time thanks to Yul Brenner’s performance as the killer Gunslinger robot and the whole robot uprising thing. HBO’s 2016 Westworld series starts off with the same basic premise: the robotic attractions at an amusement park turn against their human creators. Human visitors could engage in every violent and sexual impulse they had, and every night, the robotic Hosts would forget what happened. Until they started remembering.
Every Delos corporate board member is murdered, park guests are brutally killed, and humanity comes face to face with extinction. The Season 1 finale is an incredible payoff to one of the finest sci-fi seasons of all time, but the show kept airing. It’s hard to reach that type of height again, and Westworld wisely pivots to a more surreal, slow-burn storyline involving the dangers of AI and corporate control.
Honestly, the story wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if it weren’t for the violent outbursts. Westworld is a perfect example of violence used to further the story, and not simply violence for violence’s sake. Fans of the original novel and movie even get to enjoy a modern update on the Gunslinger’s murder spree as a reward for Anthony Hopkins‘ philosophical musings on the nature of consciousness.
10. The Last of Us
The Last of Us is another zombie apocalypse, except this time the zombies are the result of a deadly fungal infection that makes them fast-moving, aggressive, rage-filled. Since it’s adapting the best-selling video games, you might think you know what’s going to happen in The Last of Us, but you’re wrong.
Except for THAT moment. It was the Red Wedding all over again; fans fell in love with Pedro Pascal as Joel, blissfully unaware of what was going to happen. Joel’s murder is dragged out, brutal, and emotionally devastating. Unless you played the 2020 game and saw how brutal it was on the PlayStation 4. The show held back.
That’s the ongoing issue with HBO’s The Last of Us: It holds back constantly. This is a brutal, post-apocalyptic world on the brink of being overrun by fungal zombies any day; humans are slaughtering each other over scarce resources, and it never feels like the blood and guts go far enough. It’s there, and the series constantly teases violence, but even when the story calls for it, it goes halfway and then stops. The series is good, not great, and a pale shadow of what it could have been.
9. Helix
After Battlestar Galactica, creator Ronald Moore turned his attention to a high-tech Arctic research station after a mysterious viral outbreak. Helix is the type of slow-burn high-concept sci-fi we rarely get to see on television. That and it’s filled with bleeding eyeballs, bleeding ears, government conspiracies, cults, and more genetic technobabble than any other sci-fi show, ever.
There are also familiar faces in the cast: Star Trek Voyager’s Seven of Nine, Jeri Ryan, is a high-powered corporate CEO, while the star of the show is Billy Campbell. Don’t recognize his name? How about The Rocketeer?
Airing for two seasons, Helix decides to go batshit crazy in its second season. It’s as if the writers knew SyFy would eventually remember the show existed and swiftly cancel it. Which is exactly what happened, as the show started hemorrhaging viewers, with fewer than half a million tuned in for the Season 2 finale. Obviously, they needed most of the best part of Season 1: people slowly going insane while their flesh melts off in quarantine.
8. Swamp Thing
Airing on the DC Universe app, Swamp Thing quickly became a fan-favorite series from the very first episode. Dark, moody, disturbing body horror, interesting characters, this was everything fans of Alan Moore’s incredible 80s run had ever wanted. Filmed on location in an actual swamp, practical effects all over the place, and it embraced the horror side of the DC Universe? We were robbed with only one season.
The plant effects, the multiple characters drowning in dark swamp water, Swamp Thing isn’t afraid to get down and dirty. Unlike other superheroes, Swamp Thing has no code against killing. Wander into his swamp with evil intentions, and you’re a dead man walking.
Swamp Thing looks incredible, the story is pure comic pulp, and it doesn’t insult your intelligence. It only failed because Warner Bros. didn’t get the filming tax credit they expected, putting the series budget at over a million per episode, well out of reach for the DC Universe app.
7. Love, Death, & Robots
David Fincher wanted to make a new Heavy Metal. The director of Fight Club, Aliens 3, Panic Room, and Se7en, wanted to update the legendary 80s adult animated masterpiece. Working with Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool, the result is Netflix’s Love, Death, & Robots. The anthology series is filled with striking animation and original sci-fi stories that will remind you why you fell in love with the genre.
A few are fun short films, including the early episode, “Witness,” which is one long chase sequence, but others, such as Season 2’s “Bad Traveling,” use a violent alien to make philosophical points about humanity. What do you do when a killer alien has set up in the hold of your ship and demands to be let off on a populated planet? After you tricked the crewmember you hate into being eaten, of course.
There are even bits of traditional horror, including a subterranean adventure gone wrong when an ancient evil is unleashed, and a later episode, In “Vaulted Halls Untombed,” that’s one of the best modern cosmic horror stories, and as is the case with most of those stories, it ends on a horrifying final shot that will linger long after the credits end.
No episode of Love, Death, & Robots overstays its welcome, some are as short as six minutes, some seventeen minutes, and one, that’s entirely a Red Hot Chili Peppers video, might as well have a runtime of zero minutes. Why would I watch that when I can watch rats in a death match with an advanced cybernetic killing machine?
6. From
Take Under the Dome. Make it good. That’s From, a horror sci-fi series airing on MGM+, about a small town that acts like a roach motel: people can enter, but they can’t leave. It’s another sci-fi mystery box series, but this time, there are strange, nightmarish monsters, a society that’s rapidly unraveling, and Lost’s Harold Perrineau gets to do more as Boyd in two episodes than he did in two seasons as Michael.
As the sheriff and mayor of the town, Boyd tries to keep everyone together and working to uncover the mystery, even as each discovery raises more questions. A hidden mineshaft? That’s weird. A man chained inside the mineshaft? Even stranger. A music box that plays itself? A series of numbers with no discernible pattern? The mystery goes deep in From.
The problem for the town’s residents is that on top of the mystery is the pressure that all of them are doomed to die there with no hope of getting out. How would you react? Would be a Boyd, and attempt to hold onto your sanity? Or would it become The Purge? From has a few inventive murders alongside the intriguing mystery, and it’s the best dark sci-fi series of the last decade.
5. Blade: The Series
Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe existed, Wesley Snipes’ Blade showed the world Marvel superheroes could be cool. Two years before Iron Man, rapper Sticky Fingaz brought Blade to the small screen. Airing on Spike, Blade: The Series was ahead of its time. Violent and bloody, the series was able to get away with swearing and nudity on Spike, and against the odds, it was successful.
It was also expensive, which is what led to the cancellation, despite name-dropping other Marvel superheroes, including Moon Knight and Doctor Strange, setting up the larger Marvel universe for future seasons. Blade: The Series had begun to focus less on Blade and more on Krista Starr, a former soldier-turned-vampire out for revenge. Sticky Fingaz had the look, but he was no Wesley Snipes.
Blade: The Series pushed the boundaries of what was allowed on television at the time; Spike TV was a cable channel, but not premium cable. There was more sex and violence than any other show at 10 PM. Except for the local news out of Peoria.
4. Aeon Flux
Before MTV became the Ridiculousness channel, it pioneered adult animation through Liquid Television, a groundbreaking block of shows that included the debut of Beavis and Butt-Head, but also the silent shorts of Aeon Flux. The first run of the series features animation that’s mind-blowing today, never mind in 1991, but also in every single episode, Aeon dies.
Her neck is snapped, she’s shot, eaten by an alien, trapped in paralyzing fluid and set adrift at sea. Her end is frequently brutal, swift, and decisive. Then in the next episode, she’s back, working against the Breen and sabotaging her arch-enemy, also her lover, Trevor. For a series of experimental, silent shorts and than a more traditional half-hour show, Aeon Flux is surprisingly complicated.
To say the series became a hit is an understatement. Over 30 years later, Aeon Flux is still creative, subversive, and very, very violent.
3. The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is one of the most graphic shows in history. You can debate a lot about it, from whether it was ever actually any good to whether the show aired for far too long, and whether it was worth A&E building an entire network around one show. What you can’t debate is that the series brought a level of violence never before seen on cable television.
One moment in particular stands out as so graphic, so violent, that it caused half the audience to go away and never come back again. The debut of Negan and his bat, Lucille. Glenn’s head splattering across the ground with each swing of the bat was the height of the show’s popularity and its apex of violence. Afterward, it dialed back, but by then, the audience had left, unable to recover from what they saw.
Not every death on The Walking Dead was a brutal display of violence, but every season had at least one or two standout moments. You also have to credit the series for not holding back and showing children turned into Walkers, bloody car seats, and the pharmacy sink, just to name a few of the dozens of examples.
It’s a shame that The Walking Dead turned into a slog by the end, as the detail in the worldbuilding and the willingness to show a zombie apocalypse where no one is safe were a breath of fresh, undead air.
2. Rick and Morty
If Rick and Morty weren’t animated, it would be number one on this list. Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty leave a trail of broken bodies, ruined civilizations, and bodily fluids as they journey through all the universes. From the Cronenberg dimension to Rick’s ship keeping Summer safe, the Purge planet, Dimensional TV, and, well, any one of Rick’s various guns, even the tamest Rick and Morty episode is going to include some guts.
Trying to pick out the bloodiest, most graphic moment is impossible: Is it Birdman’s brutal murder at his wedding? Is it the Vindicators falling for his elaborate death trap? The destruction of the Citadel by Evil Morty? Alright, that one resulted in the deaths of thousands of Mortys, and as we’ve learned, those don’t count.
Though it’s fallen from the heights of previous seasons, Rick and Morty set a new standard in adult animation through the sheer density of its gags, absurd nihilistic humor, and willingness to show the most vile, disgusting things that haunt the dreams of caffeine-powered animators.
1. Blood Drive
After he was Chad, before he was Reacher, Alan Ritchson starred in Syfy’s forgotten series, Blood Drive, as Arthur Bailey, a cop forced to participate in a brutal death race across America using cars powered by blood. Blood Drive is complete trash. I say that with love, because this bizarre combination of 70s grindhouse western, horror, sci-fi, and a little bit of Lovecraft is unlike anything else.
Cars eat people, people stab and shoot each other, they beat each other to death; the writers made it their mission to come up with the strangest, most original death in each episode. It’s secretly an anthology series, with Arthur and his homicidal partner Grace coming across a different small town, truck stop, or other haven for weirdos and freaks, resolving whatever issue the area has (usually through murder), and then they keep driving.
Now that Twisted Metal is a hit, it’s easy to dismiss Blood Drive as an early attempt to copy the video game series, but give the show 5 minutes. You’ll see why it’s different, why it’s awesome, and why it might be the bloodiest show to ever air on Syfy.
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Tracker, which has been an instant hit for CBS, has also gone through some changes behind the scenes including cast exits and an offscreen relocation.
The hit series premiered in 2024 with Justin Hartley being introduced as survivalist Colter Shaw, who goes out on the road to help solve a multitude of cases for a reward.
Since Tracker made its successful debut, the show has found fun ways to keep viewers entertained with fun story lines and crossovers that allowed Hartley to reunite with former costars from projects such as Smallville and This Is Us. So far, Jensen Ackles, Jennifer Morrison and Sofia Pernas have appeared on the show after working with Hartley on other projects.
Tracker, however, has also dealt with its fair share of departures. The procedural faced changes when Robin Weigert exited the show after being a series regular in the first season. It was later confirmed that Abby McEnany and Eric Graise would be leaving the show as well.
Justin Hartley’s Tracker is easily CBS’ biggest hit show — so why has it gone through three cast shakeups in just two seasons? When Tracker premiered in 2024, it introduced Us to survivalist Colter Shaw (Hartley) as he travels the country to help find missing people, track down information on criminal cases and more. The […]
“The only rule I really have of the show is each week Colter is going to come to a new place and there’s going to be a new case. How he gets those answers and what he uses on the team, that’s all something that’s up for grabs,” executive producer Elwood Reid explained to Us Weekly in May 2025. “Meeting these [local] weird characters is something we’re going to try to do more of as the season goes on. Just Colter coming in and interacting with other characters. That’s fun to see Justin flex those muscles with really good guest cast members.”
More recently, Reid noted there was only one constant on the show: Hartley’s fan-favorite character.
“The audience leans in because they’ve seen that character before. But I think they’re still thinking the central DNA of the show is Colter. With this guy, what makes him appealing is he is a mystery to himself,” he told Us in December 2025. “He’s a mystery to the audience. We see him and his off time putting together some pieces of his past.”
He concluded, “I don’t know if we’ll ever put it all together, but he’s going to struggle to continue to do that. That’s just as far as we have thought. The biggest improvement we made this year — in my opinion — was getting people in the same room. Just that connectivity, I do think the audience is enjoying seeing their characters in the same place physically.”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the show’s biggest BTS changes:
Justin Hartley‘s hit show Tracker has lost several main characters after just two seasons — but who is still left from the cast? CBS found success with Tracker immediately after it premiered in February 2024 to record-breaking ratings. Viewers have since tuned in week after week to see fictional survivalist Colter Shaw (Hartley) travel the […]
Cast Exits
CBS found success with Tracker immediately after it premiered in February 2024 to record-breaking ratings. Viewers have since tuned in week after week to see Colter travel the country to help solve various missing persons cases with the help from handlers Teddi (Weigert) and Velma (McEnany), hacker Bobby (Graise) and attorney Reenie (Fiona Rene).
After joining Tracker in season 1, Weigert’s character was written off in the premiere with her wife, Velma, admitting that they needed some distance. Velma then started working with Reenie, and Teddi wasn’t discussed again in season 2. News later broke that Graise and McEnany wouldn’t be coming back for season 3.
New Faces Joining the Show
Chris Lee originally joined Tracker in season 2 as Bobby’s cousin Randy — and he was then promoted to series regular. Cassady McClincy was brought in as well in season 3 in the role of Melanie “Mel” Day.
Kathleen Robertson and Mark Engelhardt were later cast in recurring roles for season 3.
Relocation to Los Angeles
News broke in May 2026 that Tracker is relocating to Los Angeles with the biggest California tax credit for a series to date. According to Deadline, Tracker will move from Vancouver, where the first three seasons were shot. Its studio, 20th Television, is currently locking down production facilities in and around Los Angeles.
Filming for season 4 is slated to begin in late June 2026 after a $48 million tax credit.
Fantasy is the gift that keeps on giving. As one of the most prolific and complex genres in any medium, fantasy has sprawled into several different categories or subgenres, all of which have found great success in movies, literature, theater, and even music. High and low fantasy are probably the best-known categories within this revered genre, but few are more fascinating or underrated than grimdark. A rather recent subsection of fantasy, grimdark eschews traditional notions of good and evil to instead focus on bleak and dangerous worlds populated by morally grey characters who use brutality and cynicism to survive. Conflict is usually prevalent in these stories, with intense politics, warfare, and bloodshed.
The term itself comes from the tagline for the British miniature game Warhammer 40,000, which famously states: “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” As a new-ish subgenre of fantasy, very few movies can absolutely be classified as grimdark, and they don’t always check every box as what’s usually considered the best example of the subgenre, A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. For example, some of these have morally grey heroes but lack the sweeping political angle. However, the movies on this list all have enough qualities to not only thrive within this blossoming subgenre but also represent it quite faithfully, bringing a more cynical and often harrowing perspective to the usually black-and-white realm of fantasy.
8
‘The Head Hunter’ (2018)
Jordan Downey‘s The Head Hunter is among the most severely underappreciated fantasy movies of the new millennium. This remarkably dark gem stars Norwegian actor Christopher Rygh and is set in a fictionalized version of the Dark Ages populated by dangerous creatures that terrorize a kingdom. It centers on a knight known only as The Father (Rygh), who spends his days hunting these creatures while chasing the one that killed his daughter years ago.
Dark to a fault, The Head Hunter is probably the bleakest and most unforgiving fantasy experience we’ve seen in the last twenty-five years. It does a lot with its limited budget, even if its reach ultimately far exceeds its grasp. Yet, narratively, the film more than delivers, presenting a harrowing tale of revenge through a distinct and dangerous fantasy approach. The Father is a perfect antihero, relentlessly pursuing a monster that might just be the most sinister creation since Dragonslayer‘s Vermithrax Pejorative. Add to that one of the grimmest endings ever, and you get a fantasy movie that’s also a true punch to the gut.
7
‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982)
A building block of cinematic dark fantasy, Conan the Barbarian is a jewel of ’80s cheese and excess. In the role that made him a star, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the titular character, a barbarian on an unstoppable quest to avenge his parents’ deaths at the hands of Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), the cruel leader of a cult. The film is based on the characters created by iconic pulp fiction writer Robert E. Howard in the 1930s.
Arguably the best sword-and-sorcery movie ever made, Conan the Barbarian is still the movie against which all subsequent entries into the subgenre are measured. Conan himself is the poster boy for complex fantasy antiheroes, a highly individualistic warrior on a fearsome quest for revenge and mainly concerned with survival and personal glory. The film is also a love letter to ’80s machismo, complete with an oiled-up Arnie at the peak of his physical abilities, a not-so-subtle weaponry fetish, and a rather inspired view of death. Today, it remains a beacon of ’80s cinema and the ultimate depiction of its pulpy character.
6
‘Tale of Tales’ (2015)
Matteo Garrone‘s 2015 fantasy horror Tale of Tales is quite possibly the most under-the-radar movie on this list. Starring an ensemble including Oscar nominees Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly alongside French icon Vincent Cassel, the film presents three different stories based on the Italian fairy tales by poet Giambattista Basile. The tales are all set in fantasy realms and explore themes of ambition, desire, lust, and obsession.
Tale of Tales is a rather singular fantasy. As any good grimdark project, the three stories are suitably bleak and have a pervasive tone of inescapable dread. There are no real winners here, only those whose ambition doesn’t get the best of them and those who succumb entirely to it. The first tale, starring Salma Hayek as a queen who will do everything to conceive a child, is the strongest, but all three are visually impressive and narratively enchanting. Garrone casts a true spell through his lush visuals, and the stories’ dark outcomes only enhance the superficial beauty, contrasting with the darkness and misery at their core.
5
‘The Crow’ (1994)
Alex Proyas‘ 1994 cult classic The Crow can be easily described as multiple genres: a revenge thriller, a supernatural mystery, a superhero movie, and an urban fantasy. However, the central gothic vibe and somber tone are its most distinct qualities. The late Brandon Lee stars as Eric Draven, a musician killed alongside his fiancée on Devil’s Night. A year later, he is resurrected by a crow and goes on a night-long quest to punish those who killed him and his love.
Nowadays, the film’s legacy can’t be discussed without mentioning the tragic death of Brandon Lee during filming. However, The Crow stands proudly as a quality gothic thriller and one of the most original urban fantasy movies ever made. The macabre tone perfectly complements Proyas’ approach to depicting a gloomy, morally bankrupt, crime-ridden Detroit, populated by gangs and murderers. As for Eric, he’s more of an avenging Angel of Death than a superhero looking for justice. Revenge is central to The Crow, and Proyas depicts it in the most stylish and striking way possible.
4
‘Mad God’ (2021)
From the wildly creative mind of the iconic Phil Tippett comes Mad God, a 2021 stop-motion animated fantasy unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The plot centers on a figure known only as The Assassin, who descends from the heavens into a sinister underworld populated with monsters, dangers, and cruelty.
“Nightmarish” is the only word to describe Mad God, a work of pure lunacy and genius from one of the industry’s most singular talents. The film is populated with the most disturbing visuals, with Tippett depicting some truly messed-up monstrosities that might stay with you, haunting your nightmares for days to come. Central to its themes are the inevitability of civilization’s demise and the cycle of violence, as well as the nature of war and the inherent irony of innocence in a world that seemingly does nothing but destroy it. The stop-motion visuals greatly enhance these ideas, culminating in an incredibly terrifying movie that might as well border on traumatizing. In other words, a must-watch.
3
‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
Few movies of the 2020s have aged as well as David Lowery‘s The Green Knight. In one of his richest and most introspective performances, Oscar nominee Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, who accepts a challenge from the mysterious Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), sending him on a quest to discover himself and reclaim his courage. The film is among the most inspired takes on the Arthurian legend, set in an amoral, gloomy version of Camelot.
Of all the characters on this list, Gawain might be the most complex. Patel delivers one of the finest performances of his career as the selfish, self-serving knight on a quest to discover the true meaning of honor and, in the process, determine the kind of man he is. In his journey, he confronts several figures who both challenge and aid him, leading him to the final, fateful confrontation with the Green Knight. Many take issue with its abrupt and unclear ending, but that’s part of the film’s message. In the world of The Green Knight, there are no real answers, only questions; it’s the desire to solve them that matters.
2
‘The Northman’ (2022)
And speaking of fantasy masterpieces of the 2020s, we have The Northman, Robert Eggers‘ take on Norse mythology. A berserk Alexander Skarsgård stars as Prince Amleth, an exiled prince who witnesses his father’s death at the hands of his uncle, Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Years later, Amleth returns to avenge his father’s death and rescue his mother, Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), from the hands of his murderous uncle.
Unlike other Eggers movies, there’s very little left for interpretation in The Northman. Here, the director opts for an in-your-face approach to violence, depicting the Viking Age in all its furious, savage, unforgiving glory. At the heart of it all is a frenzied Skarsgård in one of his most committed performances as the tragic prince on a ruthless one-man quest to avenge his father. As bloody as it’s visually jaw-dropping, The Northman is a stellar revenge epic that audiences at the time didn’t know how to appreciate. Luckily, time has been extremely kind to it, and it’s now widely recognized as one of the greatest dark fantasies ever made.
1
‘The Seventh Seal’ (1957)
An institution in the realm of fantasy and a foundational block in cinema’s understanding of the genre, The Seventh Seal is an enduring masterpiece that only keeps getting better with each passing year. Ingmar Bergman‘s 1957 movie follows Antonius Black (Max Von Sydow), a disillusioned Swedish knight returning from the Crusades to find his country devastated by the Black Death. Soon, he finds himself facing Death himself (Bengt Ekerot) in a game of chess for his life.
One of the best Scandinavian movies of all time, The Seventh Seal is a masterclass of allegorical storytelling. Although the war and political angles are more of a background element, they have a profound impact on Antonius’ lack of purpose and his overall disinchantment. The knight itself is a perfect amoral antihero, having lost the honor that should characterize him, replacing it with a cynical view of life and a final wish to achieve a truly meaningful deed before his eventual demise. Ultimately, the film presents a miserable and almost defeatist outlook in the service of an insightful examination of life and death.
Taylor Swift celebrated her 2026 American Music Awards nominations from afar as the ceremony took place without her.
The pop superstar, 36, skipped the Monday, May 25, awards show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Swift leads the pack of AMAs nominees this year. Her eight nods include Artist of the Year, Best Female Pop Artist, Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for The Life of a Showgirl, Song of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Pop Song for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Song of the Summer for “Elizabeth Taylor.”
Prior to the ceremony, Swift was already the most-awarded artist in AMAs history, with a record-breaking 40 wins throughout her career.
Celebrities stepped onto the 2026 American Music Awards red carpet in show-stopping looks for one of the hottest events of the year. A-listers dazzled as they gave Us some serious fashion inspo under the bright Las Vegas lights on Monday, May 25, in honor of the star-studded ceremony held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena […]
Two months before the AMAs, Swift attended the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, where she earned seven trophies for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year for The Life of a Showgirl, Pop Song of the Year, Best Lyrics and Best Music Video for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Favorite Tour Style for The Eras Tour.
Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce, joined her at the event, marking the couple’s first time attending an awards show together since they began dating in the summer of 2023. During her acceptance speech for Best Pop Album, she paid tribute to the Kansas City Chiefs player, 36.
“This album probably also feels very happy and confident and free because that’s the way that I get to feel every single day of my life because of my fiancé, who is here tonight,” she gushed. “So, thanks for the vibes.”
More recently, Swift and Kelce have been spotted on various dates this month, holding hands while out for dinner in London and New York City and attending friends’ weddings in the Big Apple and Greece.
Meanwhile, the pair are preparing for their own nuptials after getting engaged in August 2025.
“They’re both involved and making decisions together,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in April, noting that the two have been “focused on actually enjoying the process rather than getting caught up in the pressure” amid the countdown to their summer wedding date. “They’re keeping things light.”
In fact, wedding planning has allowed Swift and Kelce to spend even more quality time together.
“Travis and Taylor have both been very laid back,” the insider revealed, adding that Swift “thinks it’s cute that Travis cares about a lot of the details” for their big day. “They’ve made a conscious decision not to let it cause any tension between them.”
The couple’s wedding will be traditional, with “classic touches” like Taylor’s dad walking her down the aisle as well as father-daughter and mother-son dances.
According to a second source, “Taylor loves those emotional, meaningful moments, and Travis [is] on the same page.”
Queen Latifah kicked off her 2026 American Music Awards hosting gig with an unforgettable monologue fit for royalty.
The rapper and actress, 56, opened the Monday, May 25, awards show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“I gotta say, it feels so good to be back here hosting the AMAs after 31 years,” Latifah said as she addressed the crowd. “You believe that? Some of BTS wasn’t even born, that’s crazy. That Black don’t crack baby! And if you would have told me 31 years ago I’d be back on that stage, a stack of awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a career thats taken me from music to film, I probably would’ve looked at you and said, ‘Who you calling a trailblazer?’”
She also shared a message in honor of the country’s military vetereans, as the awards show fell on Memorial Day.
This is not Latifah’s first time helming the AMAs. She previously made her cohosting debut alongside Tom Jones and Lorrie Morgan during the January 1995 awards show.
Celebrities stepped onto the 2026 American Music Awards red carpet in show-stopping looks for one of the hottest events of the year. A-listers dazzled as they gave Us some serious fashion inspo under the bright Las Vegas lights on Monday, May 25, in honor of the star-studded ceremony held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena […]
“I am excited to return to the American Music Awards stage to host this year,” she said in an April press release. “It’s been an incredible year for music and there is no better place to celebrate than in Vegas.”
Dick Clark Productions CEO Jay Penske was equally excited about Latifah returning to her hosting role after 31 years.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Queen Latifah back as host of the American Music Awards,” Penske said at the time. “A true powerhouse and trailblazer, she brings a dynamic presence and deep connection to both fans and fellow artists, making her the perfect choice to lead a night of celebrating the biggest names and most defining moments in music.”
While Latifah has focused more on acting in recent years, she is also known for her influential hip-hop career. Nearly two decades after her most recent studio album, 2009’s Persona, she exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2025 that she is “finding my pen again.”
“We’re going to see what comes of that,” she teased of her potential return to music. “I’m pretty open. There’s rap artists that I would love to get down with. There’s also rock artists.”
Although Latifah acknowledged that “a lot of music is different” now than when she started out in the 1980s, she is willing to experiment with her sound.
“I want to do some house music. I’ve made house music since the first album,” she explained. “I definitely want to step into that space and have some more fun. I could do reggae. I mean, there’s so many things I feel like I can step into — and of course, more jazz.”
As for possible collaborations, Latifah shouted out several popular artists she hopes to work with at some point in the future.
“I love Doechii. I would do anything with Doechii,” she told Us. “She is dope. She sounds like she’s from my era. She drew from all the great rappers of my era, for sure, and she produces. She can do no wrong in my eyes.”
After joining Megan Thee Stallion during her 2025 Coachella set, Latifah noted, “We don’t have a record together so that could always be fun.”
Latifah is also eager to hit the studio with Missy Elliott again following their 2009 track, “Fast Car.”
“I would love to work with Missy again,” she shared. “[Missy and I] have a couple of records that we have never put out through the years. I have so much music that I haven’t put out that I need to put out. I already have half the collaborations that I would’ve wanted to do.”
Summer is officially here, which means there’s more time to read.
Whether you prefer checking out these must-read books at the beach or by the pool, tons of authors are making their highly anticipated return with new novels just in time for peak relaxation.
Former Bachelorette star Hannah Brown, for one, is continuing her summer release schedule with Reasons to be Loved By You, her third novel. This one follows the story of Nikki Bennet and appears to pull a major story line from her own life — but more on that in a second.
Keep scrolling for a list of the highly anticipated books of summer 2026:
‘Rules for the Summer’ by Meghan Quinn
The spice queen is back with another summer romance. Rules for the Summer is a story of forced proximity between Renley Gossage and Theo Williams who find themselves as neighbors for the summer. (out now)
‘Payback’ by Elizabeth Rose Quinn
Pay to Stay is the minimum security prison where the privileged serve time Friday to Monday only. When the seven inmates find their guard dead, they must solve his murder before their prison stay changes drastically. (out now)
‘The Burning Side’ by Sarah Damoff
Damoff’s followup to The Bright Years follows April and Leo, whose house burned down in the middle of the night. They escape to April’s hometown with their two young children as they deal with the aftermath of trauma and a new life. (out now)
‘A Pair of Aces’ by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Eunice Carter is Manhattan’s first Black female prosecutor and has her sights set on bringing down notorious gangster Lucky Luciano. Working with madame Polly Adler, who has built up her high-class brothel business, the women do anything to convict the leader of one of New York’s most famous crime families. (out June 2)
‘The Kennedys and the Windsors’ by Caroline Hallemann
Journalist Hallemann chronicles the two iconic families and how they mirror each other in rather telling ways. (out June 2)
‘Reasons to be Loved by You’ by Hannah Brown
Former pageant girl Nikki Bennet has gotten over her time on reality dating show LovedBy, after finding out that her fiancé had been dating another woman. But when she gets home for a family vacation, her brother announces that he’s engaged to “the other woman” in her ex-fiancé’s relationship. Teaming up with Cara’s brother to end the marriage before it begins might just lead to a love story of her own. (out June 23)
‘Crash Into Me’ by Robinne Lee
Author Lee is back with the highly anticipated followup to her 2017 novel The Idea of You. Get ready to rip your heart out with a second-chance romance following Cecilia Chen, who is struggling as a mom in a complicated marriage, and Anouk Ferrand, whom she hasn’t seen for 20 years. (out July 7)
‘Helpless’ by Jessica Knoll
When returning to campus following the death of their beloved college professor, Faye finds herself drugged and kidnapped by an ex boyfriend, Henry. The story unfolds through a week of Faye’s captivity as she experiences several demands from Henry — and the truth. (out July 7)
‘The Romance Revival’ by Christina Lauren
Emery Finch has been married to Luca for three years. The two tied the knot after only knowing each other for one night. When a tragic accident takes Luca from her, Emery must make him remember their life together. (out July 14)
‘With Friends Like You’ by Amy Chozick
This psychological thriller follows Emily, a new mother in Manhattan, who begins fixating on finding her college roommate Daisy, who has been missing for years. When Daisy suddenly reappears, so many questions arise. (out July 21)
‘Tempest’ by Victoria Aveyard
A high-stakes pirate love story is everything we never knew we needed. Follow Cat Rose as she does everything in her power to save her empire while hunting their greatest enemy: the only man she’s ever loved. (out September 8)
The Western genre as a whole predates TV by decades. By the time it spread its influence from the big to the small screen, it was already a major phenomenon, being a major part of cinematic history, and becoming immortalized in pop culture. We have an entire arsenal of compelling Western stories, from the iconic and legendary to the most unforgettable. But these stories, particularly on TV, aren’t all remembered as much as they should.
Today, Westerns continue to thrive on TV, thanks to contemporary masterpieces that have reinvented the genre and breathed new life into it, such as Landman and the wildly popular Yellowstone. But let’s take a look at the trailblazing, unique, and perfectly written Western shows from history that are criminally underrated. They’re not the most remembered, most celebrated, or even all that remarkable, but they have a spark that kept them perfect from their first episodes to their finales. From misunderstood cult classics to arguably some of the greatest Westerns to ever be released on TV, here are the unappreciated shows Western lovers need to see.
‘That Dirty Black Bag’ (2022)
In this gritty, unapologetically violent homage to Spaghetti Westerns, That Dirty Black Bag is an eight-part miniseries that aired in 2022. It takes what you love about that particular subgenre and elevates it with high-quality production values, brutally realistic depictions of frontier life, and is contrasted by gorgeous cinematography that will completely immerse you in the spectacle.
At the center of its story is a tale of murder, greed, corruption, and madness, all revolving around a shady small Western town sheriff with a dark past as he meets his match after encountering a bloodthirsty bounty hunter, with a sickening need to decapitate and collect his victims’ severed heads, who is carving a brutal path of revenge. It’s a hauntingly bleak and unrelentingly violent eight-part masterpiece with not a single wasted episode or dull moment. It utilizes its small window of time to tell a gripping tale that doesn’t paint a romanticized picture of the West and just wants to draw you into the bloody mayhem of this unpredictable story.
‘The English’ (2022)
In this gripping new take on revisionist Westerns, The English is a compelling six-part miniseries that aired on the BBC and Amazon Prime in 2022. Written and directed by Hugo Blick, it’s a subversive and unique Western tale that takes viewers through the old frontier on an emotional journey that deconstructs the romantic side of this iconic point in history. Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer star as a scorned English woman and a Pawnee native U.S. Army scout who combine forces to slay the man who killed the English woman’s son.
The English is a refreshing spin on the Western formula, complete with a story that deeply deconstructs the traditional narrative structure for these types of stories, and strives to push for a darker, more mature, and ultimately bleaker tone. Performances are beyond spectacular, as Blunt and Spencer have impeccable chemistry and easily slip into their roles, providing decent development and making the audience understand their characters, even when they’re not traditional heroes. The whole series is a different approach that sadly hasn’t gotten much notice in recent years, but it’s still worth a watch, and can quite amaze any new viewers.
‘Longmire’ (2012–2017)
Based on a best-selling mystery novel series by Craig Johnson, Longmire ran from 2012 to 2014 on A&E, and was eventually picked up by Netflix for an additional three years. A strikingly gripping, unexpectedly compelling, and ultimately misunderstood gem of a show, it’s impressive how good this Western is, despite its several cancellations. Starring Robert Taylor as the titular Walt Longmire, it follows this Wyoming sheriff as he tries to keep the peace within his jurisdiction.
While not the most polished, original, or even exciting Western series, Longmire excels exponentially with its character development and story structure. Robert Taylor was perfectly cast as the stoic, resilient Longmire, and his performance is elevated by a capable supporting cast that all play equally interesting characters. The pacing is near-perfect, and mystery elements can really draw viewers into each episode. It may not be entirely perfect, but its positive far outweighs the bad, making it a must-watch for even those who aren’t really fans of Westerns.
‘Outer Range’ (2022–2024)
Delving more into the realm of science fiction, next is Outer Range, an early 2020s neo-Western TV series created by Brian Watkins. Taking the idea of a Western in a whole different direction, it takes viewers on a tense, mind-bending journey while following a ranch family in Wyoming as they find their lives in turmoil when the appearance of a mysterious black hole on their land, coupled with the new arrival of an equally mysterious woman and a rival family bidding for their land, throws their world upside down.
Outer Range is truly unlike any Western on this list. It’s a true standout of the genre in recent years, being a completely original story that mixes genres into a powerful blend that’s purely entertaining. Sure, it’s not the most well-crafted series, considering it meanders at points and doesn’t fully explore its unique ideas, which ultimately led to its abrupt cancellation after two seasons. However, still, it feels fresh and original, and does something not many other Westerns, other than Westworld, have tried to do for the genre. Overall, it’s flawed but notable.
‘Godless’ (2017)
The 2017 miniseries Godless takes history, drama, and action and combines them into a thrilling viewing experience that Western fans really should take notice of. Loosely inspired by true events, it’s an engaging seven-parter that can instantly grip you into the narrative, as it follows an outlaw (played by Jack O’Connell) as he abandons his gang and finds refuge in the old mining town of La Belle, New Mexico. After getting to know this tragic town and the residents, he soon fights for the people, along with the help of a hardened widowed rancher (Michelle Dockery), when his old gang eventually finds him.
Godless is quite a fascinating and well-structured Western miniseries that manages to tell an effective and emotional story and compelling character drama all within a few episodes. The writing is top-notch, the performances of the main cast, especially Michelle Dockery as the capable Alice Fletcher, are exceptional and fully flushed out, and the story strikes the right balance between being an exciting Western and a memorable history lesson. It may not have produced a huge splash after its release, but Godless deserves better attention for what it gest right.
‘Dark Winds’ (2022–Present)
AMC’s Dark Winds is one of the most underrated Western series in recent memory, even while it’s still running strong on the network. This utterly fascinating, truly one-of-a-kind show is a masterclass in storytelling and psychological thrills, combining crime, drama, and a neo-Western setting into a cohesive blend of entertainment. Starring Zahn McClarnon, it follows three officers of the Navajo Tribal Police as they investigate a series of disturbing, violent crimes around the Four Corners of the Southwestern United States in the 1970s.
Dark Winds takes you on a twisted and mind-bending journey into a world full of murder, corruption, and deceit. It’s the mystery and psychological tension that truly grips you right from the first episode and onward, and each episode enthralls you with more suspense and surprise twists. While it’s currently still airing, it hasn’t received the proper recognition from general audiences or even the Emmys, but it still has a devoted fan base that understands its unique brilliance and hopes that it gets the acclaim that it deserves.
‘Hell on Wheels’ (2011–2016)
Finally, AMC didn’t produce just one highly underrated Western masterpiece; it had to create two. Lastly is Hell on Wheels, the groundbreaking Western historical drama series that aired from 2011 to 2016, creating quite a remarkable impact on the network and on the genre. Starring an incredible cast, including Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Dominique McElligott, and Robin McLeavy, it follows the workers and mercenaries tasked to ensure the construction of a railroad system across the Great Plains in a post-Civil War America.
This series features powerhouse performances, excellent character drama, compelling writing, and gorgeous cinematography to give audiences the feeling of watching a Western epic. It’s dark and gritty, and perfectly captures a more raw, brutally realistic feel of the old West, which enhances the historical elements and makes it all the more fascinating to watch. Hell on Wheels captivates from start to finish, providing great entertainment for all viewers to see.
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Even amongst the true faithful of the Star Wars fandom, the verdict on The Mandalorian and Grogu seems to be “good, but not great.” True to its pedigree as an adaptation of a TV show, it feels less like a feature film than a handful of episodes stapled together. Sure, it provides plenty of action and cool moments with its titular characters, but that’s not enough. Audiences agree, which is why this movie had the lowest opening weekend ever recorded for a Star Wars live-action film. It’s still earning far more than the lowest earner in the franchise: The Clone Wars movie, which preceded the acclaimed TV show of the same name.
Those movies are very distinct. They feature different characters, different plots, and are made for two entirely different mediums (live-action and animation). But they do have one major thing in common: they were each written by Dave Filoni, who has recently replaced Kathleen Kennedy and became President and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm. Many cynical fans were all too happy to see Kennedy go, but it’s far too early to celebrate. Considering that Filoni was also a writer and executive producer for the much-maligned series The Book of Boba Fett, the failure of The Mandalorian and Grogu means the new Star Wars boss already has three strikes against him!
Space Cowboy
Even before this latest Star Wars movie, Dave Filoni was becoming a controversial figure within the fandom. He gained early praise as showrunner for The Clone Wars, which is rightfully considered some of the best Star Wars media ever made. He then created Rebels, another fan-favorite cartoon in a galaxy far, far away. But as Filoni got more creative control within the franchise, his work became increasingly self-referential. He ensured that shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett included callbacks to his own characters and turned Ahsoka into a live-action Rebels sequel. While this thrilled Filoni’s fans, it worried critics who thought he had lost the ability to truly innovate.
Still, Filoni has more hits than misses, so he was recently promoted to President and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm. This seemed like a good idea on paper because Filoni has a strong history of creating beloved TV shows, which have been the primary form of Star Wars content for many years. However, Disney now wants to pivot Star Wars back to the big screen, and The Mandalorian and Grogu was their first new movie in the franchise since 2019. However, this Filoni-written film fizzled. It has a relatively low 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and is well on its way to earning the lowest box office of any Star Wars film.
His Failure Is Now Complete
That would be the worst box office failure for the franchise since Star Wars: The Clone Wars hit theaters in 2008. That movie (replete with Hutt fart jokes, no less) was also written and even directed by Dave Filoni. It has an abysmal 18 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and earned only $68.5 million at the box office. By comparison, The Mandalorian and Grogu is going to earn far more money, but its earnings will still fall short of every live-action film before it. Two films is a pattern, and the simple truth is that Dave Filoni’s involvement is officially the kiss of death for Star Wars movies.
That’s bad news considering that he’s the new Star Wars boss and there are new franchise films (like the very buzzy Starfighter) in development. At this point, Filoni’s fans will point out that he’s still got the golden touch when it comes to TV shows in a galaxy far, far away. It’s true that Filoni still mostly has the goods in this arena (Ahsoka was solid, and Maul–Shadow Lord is downright brilliant), but he was also extensively involved in The Book of Boba Fett, a terrible series that wasted one of the franchise’s most beloved villains.
When you factor in the failure of both this show and the Clone Wars movie, it’s easy to see that The Mandalorian and Grogu is the third strike for Filoni. Unfortunately, he hasn’t struck out. Instead, he’s now got more power over the Star Wars universe than anyone since George Lucas. Will he lead the franchise into a new golden age or deliver something even fouler than baby Rotta? Only time will tell, but after the disappointment of The Mandalorian and Grogu, a growing number of fans are all saying the same thing: I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
Jessi Draper and Marciano Brunette made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2026 American Music Awards.
Draper, 34, was joined by the Vanderpump Villa star, 33, at the awards show held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Nevada on Monday, May 25. The pair wore coordinated black ensembles. Draper stunned in a black gown with white ruffles at the bottom while Brunette sported a black sports coat and slacks.
Brunette held the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star close as they posed for photos. At one point Brunette gave Draper a peck on the head.
Draper and Brunette met when the cast of Mormon Wives traveled to Italy to film for Vanderpump Villa season 2 in 2024 . Brunette works as a server on the Lisa Vanderpump-led reality series which aired in April 2025.
Marciano Brunette had plenty to say about the future of Jessi Draper and Jordan Ngatikaura’s marriage just months before their split. “Jordan is a good person that cares about his family,” Brunette, 33, who had an emotional affair with Draper, also 33, during her marriage to Ngatikaura, 28, exclusively told Us Weekly at The Vanderpump […]
At the time of filming, Draper was married to ex Jordan Ngatikaura. However, Draper formed a close bond to Brunette while she was abroad. While she downplayed their connection at first, Draper later admitted to having an emotional affair with Brunette.
“We had been dealing with the affair for about six months behind closed doors. No one knew. During those six months, it got worse than it ever had. He was blackmailing me. He was threatening to send my texts to Marciano out to the world,” Draper claimed on “The Viall Files” podcast in November 2025, claiming that it was addressed on the show but didn’t make the final edit. “Anytime I did anything he didn’t agree with, he had it on his TikTok drafts and he was like, ‘I’m going to post it.’”
Earlier this year, Draper and Ngatikaura split after five years of marriage. The exes share two children: son Jagger, 6, and daughter Jovi, 3.
“This has not been an easy decision and it comes with a heavy heart,” he told Us in a March statement. “I’m grateful for the shared memories and the lessons. While our paths are now moving in different directions, my priority remains my children and ensuring they feel loved, supported, and protected through this transition.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Jessi Draper responded to a report claiming “sparks might be flying” between her and Vanderpump Villa’s Marciano Brunette. After TMZ published photos of Jessi, 33, cozying up to Marciano, also 33, on Sunday, April 19, the outlet shared the images via its Instagram account. “Looks like sparks might be […]
Draper claimed in her “Call Her Daddy” interview that she had planned to file for divorce from Ngatikaura herself — but he was first to file paper work.
Two months later, Draper reflected on her and Brunette’s scandal.
“Having an affair on-camera definitely shook up my life a little bit,” Draper told Vulture in an interview published in May. “But I hope to inspire, and learn from my mistakes, and hopefully let people know that everyone does make mistakes and it’s OK.”
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There never seems to be enough hours in the day, so we’ll take all the time-saving hacks we can. For busy women who are balancing a million things a day, going to the store doesn’t have to be one of them, because same-day delivery exists at CVS. With this convenient service, you can get all the essentials without stepping foot outside your home.
Maybe you’re out of your favorite dry shampoo and it’s not hair-wash day. Or maybe you have tons of laundry to do, but your detergent has run dry. Or maybe you totally forgot to restock on your little one’s diapers and wipes. No matter what’s missing, CVS’s same-day delivery service will keep your beauty, personal care, baby and kids, health and medicine and more products coming.
CVS Same-Day Shopping Essentials
1. Our Favorite: First things first: You have to take care of yourself, especially if you’re always on the go. This daily multivitamin gummy was made to deliver women their dose of vitamins A, B12, C, D, folic acid, calcium and more.
2. Remarkable Refresh: When there isn’t enough time to wash, dry and style your hair (again), use an easy shortcut. Your hair will look as good as new with a few sprays of Batiste dry shampoo.
3. Pillowy Pampers: Only a parent understands the panic of realizing you’re a little too low on diapers, but CVS carries trusted Pampers Swaddlers and other diapers. They’re available in a range of sizes and diaper counts.
4. Happy Hydration: If you struggle to even find time to drink water, grab a hydration drink mix to add to your H20. This strawberry lemonade flavor is packed with vitamins B3, B5, B6, B12 and C.
5. Lovely Lotion: You don’t want to use just any lotion on precious baby skin, so the Honest face and body lotion is a smart pick. This scent is made with lavender, calendula and aloe botanicals for a calming effect.
Sponsored content. Us Weekly receives compensation for this article as well as for purchases made when you click on a link and buy something below. Getting outside every day is a huge priority when the summer weather is that good. But — and we know you’ve heard it a thousand times — you must protect […]
6. Powerful Pods: Sometimes a stain can’t wait, and the unscented Tide Pods will come to the rescue with its dye- and perfume-free formula. Just throw one in your washing machine’s drum, and let it do its thing.
7. Aluminum-Free: One thing you don’t want to run out of? Deodorant. And the Native aluminum-free option will have you smelling like a cherry and vanilla macaron.
8. Wondrous Whitening: You might as well do some whitening while you’re brushing your teeth. The Sensodyne extra-whitening toothpaste works against cavities and is OK for people with sensitive teeth.
9. Must-Have Mix: Your hair, skin and nails will thrive once they get their collagen peptides. Just mix this unflavored powder into any hot or cold drink of your choice, like coffee, smoothie or water.
10. Calm Cleanser: Cleanse your face, remove makeup and impurities and hydrate all with one product. The Garnier micellar water is safe for sensitive skin, too.
11. Wet Wipes: Even if you don’t have kids, ultra-soft cleansing wipes will come in handy for all sorts of messes. These are made with aloe, vitamin E, cucumber and calendula to soothe skin.
12. Easy Energy: Don’t let a fourth cup of coffee become routine when you can get an energy boost from vitamin B12. These Olly gummy supplements do the work without caffeine.
13. Sheer SPF: As a busy woman, I know it’s not easy adding sunscreen to your skincare routine. That’s why we’re all for this two-in-one CeraVe tinted sunscreen that offers sun protection factor (SPF) 30.
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson revealed how he was inspired to write the death scene for the most recent episode of the drama series.
Spoilers below for Euphoria season 3 episode 7.
In the Sunday, May 24, penultimate episode, Euphoria fans watched Jacob Elordi’s character, Nate Jacobs, suffer a horrific death. During the episode, Nate’s debt came back to bite him — literally — as he was locked underground in a coffin for 72 hours.
His wife, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), was forced to pay the loan sharks in an attempt to save Nate. Cassie and Maddy (Alexa Demie) were able to dig up Nate, only to see he was killed by several rattlesnake bites.
Euphoria has caused a lot of confusion for viewers throughout the seasons — and now they are asking what exactly took place between Maddy and Alamo. Ahead of the season 3 finale, Maddy (Alexa Demie) had to ask Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) for money after Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) found out that Nate (Jacob Elordi) only had […]
Levinson, 41, shared that the idea to bury Nate alive was an homage to one of his favorite films.
“I always loved the movie The Candy Snatchers where the girl gets buried alive with a pipe as an air hole. So I had imagined that Nate would get buried alive,” the creator said in an interview with Esquire published on Monday, May 25.
Not only was Nate buried alive, but there were snakes involved and that idea came to Levinson while enjoying a sunny day in Los Angeles.
“It was one of those gorgeous L.A. days where it was perfect weather. We’re listening to Otis Redding. The windows are down and we’re driving to Warner Brothers and I’m looking out the window,” he reflected. “I just had this image of a rattlesnake coming towards this pipe. He’s banging and the snake can sense the movement in the ground. And I thought, ‘What if the snake goes into the pipe and then he’s stuck inside the coffin with this rattlesnake?’”
!['Euphoria' Creator Sam Levinson Reveals Inspiration Behind [Spoiler's] Horrific Death](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TCDEUPH_HO181.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
Levinson also revealed that they used “all real rattlesnakes” while filming and they got a serious warning from the animal wranglers before filming.
“When we were shooting with the rattlesnakes out in Lancaster, [California], they said, ‘If you get bitten by a rattlesnake, you have about an hour before you die. And unfortunately, the nearest hospital’s an hour and a half away. ‘So … don’t get bitten by our rattlesnake,’” Levison recalled.
While writing the scene, Levinson knew fans wanted to see Nate get his “comeuppance” in the final season — and he was happy to oblige.
“There’s this kind of funny thing where I know what the audience wants in terms of justice or karma,” he reflected. “And with that in mind, I always think, ‘Well, how can I give it to them?’ How can I give them what they want, but make it so horrific and anxiety-inducing that by the time it happens, the audience isn’t so sure they wanted it?”
After a nearly four-year wait, Euphoria finally returned to HBO in April 2026 — and creator Sam Levinson is making sure no one forgets what is likely to be the final season. Season 3 delivered some of the most jaw-dropping, controversial and downright chaotic moments in the hit show’s history, from a stomach-churning premiere to […]
Levinson added that by making Nate’s death so horrific, he hoped that viewers would question if the character truly deserved the outcome.
“That feeling of complicity with the audience is always an interesting note to play inside of this sort of larger structure,” he explained. “You end up going, ‘Oh God, I don’t know. Should he have had it better? Did he deserve it?’ Those kinds of questions are always exciting to pose to the audience.”
Elordi, for his part, agreed with fans that his character got what he deserved.
“That was a cool way to go. Nate was someone who has made so many mistakes and made so many dark choices,” the actor said in a segment that aired after the episode. “It’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to.”
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