Entertainment
7 Netflix Fantasy Shows Where Every Episode Is a Masterpiece
The Witcher used to be Netflix’s flagship fantasy series, the kind of show people were calling the next Game of Thrones because Season 1 was just that good. Then the creative team completely and utterly botched it. Storylines got rewritten past the point of recognition. Henry Cavill walked away from a role he was incredibly passionate about. And now, the show is absolutely unwatchable.
Netflix also took Avatar: The Last Airbender, arguably the greatest, most perfectly constructed animated series ever made, and adapted it into a live-action show that had none of the heart that made the original so beloved. After those two disasters, most people tend to write off anything with the Netflix fantasy tag without even bothering to check it out. Fair enough, because most of the time that instinct is correct. But there are a handful of Netflix fantasy originals that genuinely do not have a single bad episode in their entire run, and those are the shows we’re talking about today.
‘Locke & Key’ (2020–2022)
Locke & Key is adapted from the acclaimed comic series by Joe Hill, the son of horror legend Stephen King. Hill has become an acclaimed author in his own right, and Locke & Key is proof that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. The series follows the three Locke siblings after their father is murdered, and the family moves into his childhood home, Keyhouse, where they quickly discover the house is hiding a whole set of magical keys with reality-bending powers. For example, the Anywhere Key opens a door to literally any place you can picture. The Ghost Key turns you into a spirit who can wander the town while your body lies lifeless back home.
But things take a dark turn when one of the keys accidentally unleashes a malicious shapeshifting demon hell-bent on collecting every key in the house. As the world-building grows increasingly complicated and the stakes keep getting higher, the show also benefits from having a clear endgame in sight. Showrunners Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill always envisioned a three-season run, and that’s exactly what they got. The show got to develop its mythology and ultimately bring the Locke family’s story to a satisfying conclusion and go out on its own terms.
‘One Piece’ (2023–Present)
For years, live-action anime adaptations were cursed. Death Note bombed. Cowboy Bebop got canceled after one season. So when Netflix announced it was adapting One Piece, arguably the most beloved manga on the planet, fans braced for another disappointing live-action anime adaptation. But then the show premiered, and it actually turned out great. It embraced a world of Devil Fruit powers, snail phones, and increasingly ridiculous villains without overdramatizing everything or forcing it into the grounded realism Netflix is often criticized for.
The series follows Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) as he sails through the East Blue with a ragtag crew of pirates, all chasing the legendary treasure, the “One Piece,” that will make Luffy the next Pirate King. Season 1 scored a strong 82% with critics and a near-perfect 95% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and Season 2 has topped it with a perfect 100% critic score and a 95% audience score! For a franchise this beloved, with this many ways to screw it up, One Piece has not missed once.
‘Wednesday’ (2022–Present)
Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) gets expelled from her normal school for releasing piranhas into a swimming pool and gets shipped off to Nevermore Academy, a boarding school populated by creatures like werewolves, vampires, and sirens, alongside normie humans. The series starts out as a fish-out-of-water story, and then turns into a full-blown murder mystery, with Wednesday hunting a monster stalking the town while trying her best not to make any friends. Ortega is the primary reason the show works as well as it does. She nails Wednesday’s deadpan humor and complete lack of interest in fitting in, and delivers a career-defining performance.
Tim Burton also serves as executive producer and the leading creative director behind the show’s look and tone, and he even directed four episodes in each of the first two seasons. No one does Gothic fantasy quite like him, and Wednesday feels like it was made specifically for his style. The result is a show that looks unlike anything else on Netflix, and Season 1 still remains the most-watched English-language series in Netflix history by a wide margin.
‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ (2019)
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a prequel to Jim Henson‘s 1982 cult classic film, set on the planet Thra, where the gentle Gelfling race lives under the rule of the evil Skeksis. But when three Gelflings uncover the horrifying truth behind their rulers’ power, that they have been draining the life essence out of their own subjects using the Dark Crystal, they set out to start a rebellion. It was a very faithful and surprisingly dark expansion of one of fantasy’s most beloved worlds, and fans absolutely loved it.
The series scored an 89% critic rating and an even higher 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it even won the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program. Then, Netflix being Netflix, canceled it after a single season, reportedly over production costs and COVID-related delays, and left one of the best-looking fantasy shows ever made stuck on a cliffhanger forever. Still, what we got is pretty damn special.
‘Castlevania’ (2017–2021)
Loosely adapted from the 1989 video game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, this animated series follows Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), the last member of a disgraced monster-hunting family. He teams up with the sorceress Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso) and Alucard (James Callis), Dracula’s own half-vampire son, and the three of them set out to stop Dracula from wiping out humanity in Wallachia. It is Gothic, brutal, full of gruesome deaths, and does not pull a single punch on violence or profanity.
Castlevania became the first video game adaptation in history to earn a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It holds an overall 94% critic score, with Seasons 2 and 4 both landing a perfect 100%. That is an absurd track record for a genre that has historically produced some of the worst adaptations in Hollywood. It was also successful enough to spin off into Castlevania: Nocturne, set 300 years later, which has kept the streak of near-perfect scores alive.
‘Sweet Tooth’ (2021–2024)
Sweet Tooth is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a viral pandemic wipes out most of humanity. Around the same time, babies mysteriously started being born as human-animal hybrids, and people began fearing that the hybrids might be the cause of the plague and started hunting them. The story follows Gus (Christian Convery), a naive 10-year-old deer-boy hybrid who leaves his safe home in the forest and teams up with a gruff wandering loner named Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie). Together, they journey across what’s left of the United States looking for answers about where Gus actually came from and what happened to his mother.
A kid with antlers named “Sweet Tooth” isn’t exactly the most enticing selling point, and at first glance, the whole thing looks like a kids’ show. And that’s why it remains criminally underseen; most people wrote it off before even giving it a chance. But the series holds an incredible 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It perfectly blends a bleak post-apocalyptic world with an almost childlike sense of wonder and innocence. The entire series feels very Steven Spielberg-esque in tone, and it might be the best family show on this entire list if you’re looking for a show to watch with your kids.
‘Arcane’ (2021–2024)
Arcane is an animated prequel set in the League of Legends universe, but you do not need to know a single thing about the game to enjoy it. If anything, going in blind makes the whole experience better, because there are turns this story takes that hit twice as hard when you have no idea where these characters end up. The series is set in Piltover and Zaun, twin cities built on the discovery of Hextech, a way to bottle raw magic into crystals that anyone can use. The show is phenomenal from the jump, with insane action sequences, an incredible soundtrack, and visuals that genuinely rival the Spider-Verse movies.
But Season 1, Episode 3, “The Base Violence Necessary for Change,” is where the show reveals its true hand. It is a true point-of-no-return episode that completely changes the show’s trajectory, like Ned Stark’s (Sean Bean) execution in Game of Thrones or Omni-Man massacring the Guardians in Invincible. And from then on, you just can’t predict where the story’s going to go. Arcane wrapped up after just two seasons and ended exactly where its creators wanted it to. It still boasts a rare 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and remains one of the most perfect shows Netflix has ever created across any genre.
Arcane
- Release Date
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2021 – 2024
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Christian Linke
- Directors
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Barth Maunoury, Marietta Ren, Christelle Abgrall
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Tom Cruise is reportedly seeking a face-to-face meeting with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman to find closure on unresolved matters after more than two decades apart.
The report comes after the actress reflected on her early life and career, including her marriage to Cruise, allegedly prompting the actor’s desire for a private sit-down to sort things out.
Meanwhile, reports of a “Days of Thunder” sequel starring Tom Cruise emerge, and the actor is interested in working with his former co-star, sparking conversations about a possible professional reunion.
According to a new report, Cruise is interested in having a private meeting with Kidman to “hash things out”. The claim comes from a source to the publication and has not yet been confirmed by the parties involved.
The report states the reason for the meeting is to address unresolved matters from their past. According to the source, Cruise “feels like the best way to get there is to sit down with her face to face and hash things out.”
The source further noted that the actor used to be “irritated” that Kidman spoke about him in interviews but has since become less bothered about it, noting that he’s now “saying she clearly has some unresolved issues and if it’s cathartic for her to talk about them, then he can accept it.”
Cruise reportedly believes the time has come for the pair to get “some things off their chest,” so they can get some closure after over two decades of separation.
Cruise’s alleged interest in a sit-down with Kidman follows various statements made by the actress regarding her early career and life, which include her marriage to the movie star.
In an interview with British Vogue, the actress reflected on comments she got as she was getting ready to walk down the aisle with Cruise in 1990. She recalled people telling her that her decision to marry Cruise was ill-advised as it could derail her career.
Kidman Shared, “I remember people saying to me, ‘OK, well this is really going to affect your career.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I’m in love. I want to be married. Of course I’ll throw my career away. I don’t care.’”
According to the National Enquirer’s source, Cruise acknowledges the actress’s restraint when mentioning him in her media appearances.
“In fairness to Nicole, it’s not like she’s going into detail and ripping him to pieces,” the source acknowledged, explaining that Kidman’s words are mostly about “her own journey and who she was at the time” and aren’t meant to belittle him.
The Actress Stressed That She And Tom Cruise ‘Fell Madly In Love’ With Each Other
During her chat with British Vogue, Kidman reflected on her choice to wed a global superstar while still building her own career, noting, “Yeah, I got married so young. Suddenly I was 22, 23 years old and I had this huge movie star husband.”
The Oscar winner maintained that building a life with the actor “seemed completely natural” given their intense emotional bond. She explained that they simply “fell madly in love and it was that simple.”
Kidman’s candid reflections highlight a period where personal romance took precedence over career advancement. For the actress at the time, her love life with Cruise came before any individual professional aspirations, a choice she has consistently defended without reservation.
Tom Cruise And Nicole Kidman’s Relationship And History
The pair were joined together in marriage in December 1990 and remained married until their official divorce in 2001. In the course of their marriage, they had two children via adoption, namely Isabella Jane Cruise, 33, and Connor Cruise, 31.
A source reports that the two Hollywood stars have previously spoken about their desire to meet up as a family with their children Bella and Connor, and while it hasn’t happened, Cruise is “going to make that a priority.”
Cruise and Kidman also shared a professional relationship as the former couple has worked together on well-known films such as “Days of Thunder” (1990), “Far and Away” (1992) and the late filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s final film, “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999).
Cruise recalled recommending Kidman for the role of Alice Harford in “Eyes Wide Shut.”
The “Mission: Impossible” star said, per UsWeekly, “Then it was basically he and I getting to know each other. And when we were doing that, I suggested Nicole play the role. Because, obviously, she’s a great actress.”
A Possible Professional Reunion Between Tom Cruise And Nicole Kidman Is On The Horizon
The latest conversations surrounding Cruise and Kidman are coming as reports of a sequel to their 1990 movie “Days of Thunder” emerge.
Jonathan Levine is reportedly set to direct the follow-up to the 1990 racing movie, and Cruise is expected to return as Cole Trickle, with Will Staples writing the script.
Kidman’s involvement in the movie has not yet been made official. However, as detailed in a report by Reality Tea, the “Top Gun” star would like his former co-star to make an appearance in the sequel, although, as is to be expected, the decision ultimately depends on Kidman.
In the report, a source claims that “Tom wants it to happen,” while making sure to note that even a minor cameo by the “Eyes Wide Shut” actress could add major commercial value to the project.
The original film is an important part of the actors’ shared history, as it was the first time the pair collaborated, and they married the same year the film was released.
Hayden Panettiere felt compelled to set firm boundaries with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson in the months before her death, including taking steps to protect herself.
“She helped him from time to time because he made her feel guilty, claiming he was trying to turn his life around, but couldn’t because she put him in jail,” a source exclusively shares with Us. “But he would always take advantage of her and wouldn’t leave, so she hired private security to not only remove him, but to keep him away from her.”
As Us previously reported, “He had inserted himself into her life and was surveilling her.”
According to a source, Hickerson, 37, reconnected with Panettiere earlier this year when he needed a place to stay.
Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson was denied his request to reduce two past felony charges three days before her death, according to court documents obtained by Us. Prosecution objected to Hickerson’s motions to expunge and to reduce the charges to a misdemeanor during a hearing on Thursday, August 13. Page Six was the first to report […]
“Brian said he needed to crash on Hayden’s couch. He told her that he had no money and nowhere to go because of the past criminal charges against him and he blamed that on her,” a source shared. “He said it was her fault. She let him stay there temporarily, but then he wouldn’t leave, so her private security was involved to remove him.”
At some point when Hickerson lived with Panettiere in Los Angeles, the Heroes actress discovered that “he had apparently set up cameras in her place,” a source tells Us.
Panettiere — who shared daughter Kaya, 11, with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko — first started dating Hickerson in 2018.
During the relationship, Hickerson was arrested multiple times for alleged domestic violence incidents. (He served 33 days in jail following a 2020 arrest.)
The source adds that the homeowner’s association of her condo building warned residents about Brian.
Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson Lies Angeles / MEGA
“It was at the same time that Hayden had her security remove Brian from her home and the security guard lived with her as well to make sure he stayed away,” the source claims.
One of Panettiere’s old neighbors claimed she was “terrified” of the late actress’ on-again, off-again boyfriend.
“He never stopped living at her place,” Mia Terrazzas claimed to Inside Edition on Wednesday, August 19, of Brian’s frequent presence at Panettiere’s West Hollywood apartment. “There were times he ripped apart her bathroom, where he just took a sledgehammer at 5 in the morning.”
Due to her fears, Terrazzas told Inside Edition that she called 911 “at least half a dozen times” to report disturbances at Panettiere’s house.
While Hickerson was out of the Nashville star’s life for several months this year, things changed this summer, according to a source.
Hollywood is mourning the tragic loss of Hayden Panettiere at age 36. The Heroes and Nashville alum’s representative confirmed to Us on Sunday, August 16, that the actress had died. Details surrounding Panettiere’s death were not immediately available. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, […]
“Brian was with her at the time of her death,” the source previously shared with Us. “All was well up until a week ago when she went kind of silent, and then she passed away.”
Panettiere was found dead at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, August 16. She was 36. According to a Greenville City Police Department incident report obtained by Us, officials spoke to both Brian and his brother, Zach Hickerson, at the scene shortly after Panettiere was pronounced dead.
Before her tragic passing, Panettiere opened up about the alleged abuse she faced from Brian.
While appearing on a May episode of the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast, Panettiere said that when she “found the strength to get away from [her] abusers,” they would “always find their way back into [her] life.”
Despite the alleged abuse she endured throughout their relationship, she “desperately wanted to make [Brian] a better person.”
Before her death, Hayden Panettiere was in a tumultuous on-off relationship with Brian Hickerson. Panettiere moved on with Hickerson in 2018 after her split from fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. The actress and Klitschko began dating in 2009. The pair briefly broke up in 2011 but got engaged two years later. They welcomed daughter Kaya in December […]
“Once he was sober, that good part of him would be back, and he would see the damage he had done, and he was devastated and apologetic,” she told host Jay Shetty of Brian. “And it seemed so honest and genuine that I was torn. I thought back to everything I’ve done wrong in the past and the forgiveness I was shown.”
Talking about her memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning, released just three months before her death, Panettiere sat down with Us and candidly addressed the troubling nature of their dynamic.
“Getting an abusive person out of your life is like trying to rip a weed out that is so entangled into your life, and every time you pull it out another weed pops back up and you’re like, I thought I killed this,” she told Us at the time. “They always manage to find a way to slither back in, even if you’re an incredibly strong-willed person. What happened in Wyoming [on Valentine’s Day in February 2020 following another alleged domestic dispute] helped push me in the right direction, but it still took me a long time. I still struggled to fully put a kibosh to it for a while.”
An investigation into Panettiere’s death is ongoing, with local police officials quickly ruling out foul play. An autopsy showed no signs of trauma that would have contributed to the death.
Hayden Panettiere allegedly received threatening messages from her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson after his 2020 arrest. According to court documents connected to Hickerson’s 2020 arrest for domestic battery, which were recently obtained by TMZ, he allegedly sent Panettiere multiple texts about the accusations. “Time to go to war I guess,” read one alleged text shared […]
Brian has since broken his silence on Panettiere’s death in a statement shared on Thursday, August 20.
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” Brian’s attorney, Sloan Ellis, told TMZ. “As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
Us has reached out to Brian’s reps for comment.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Get a rundown of Us‘ top stories making headlines in celebrity news, sports and entertainment on August 20, 2026. Here are the key takeaways:
• Brian Hickerson broke his silence on Hayden Panettiere‘s death through his attorney Sloan Ellis, who said the investigation is ongoing and police have confirmed no signs of foul play. The statement said they had no further comment out of respect for Panettiere’s loved ones.
• Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, attributed their estrangement to the “involvement of a toxic individual who I believe led to her death” in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. Vogel said her daughter became involved with “the wrong person” and that the family unsuccessfully tried to extricate him from her life.
• Country singer Justin Moore revealed a recent health scare after discovering a benign lipoma on his neck that doctors advised against removing due to potential impact on his singing and speaking voice on Tracy Lawrence‘s “TL’s Road House” podcast. The “Small Town USA” singer also shared he is 65 days sober after struggling with alcohol dependency that escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Edited by Samantha Benitz. Story produced with AI assistance
We saw it in House of the Dragon, and then it appeared again in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s the classic conundrum in Game of Thrones lore: Why are so many Targaryen named Aegon? I mean, it’s normal for families to name a child after another relative, but the Targaryens’ adoration for Aegon the Conqueror takes this to a whole new level. Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) even started a civil war by mixing up her son Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) with the original Aegon when her husband says the name during an unconscious fever dream on his deathbed. Exactly how many Aegons are there, though? Because we can’t have a civil war whenever a new one is born.
How Many Aegons Are There in Total in All of ‘Game of Thrones’?
In Alicent’s defense, we get it. Targaryens may be dragonlords and all, but it does seem like they also have very poor imaginations, because there are just too many people named Aegon to count. For example, Alicent and Viserys (Paddy Considine) have Aegon II, but, on the other side of the Dance of the Dragons, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) have another Aegon themselves, who will also become king (spoiler alert!).
Unfortunately, the Aegon trend is not going away any time soon, because there are five kings named Aegon in the Targaryen dynasty, including (another spoiler alert) Aegon V, nicknamed “The Unlikely” who TV audiences will know as Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And, even before Aegon II, there was another Aegon, “the Uncrowned,” whose crown was usurped by his uncle, Maegor the Cruel. Of course, the Aegon that most people might be familiar with but not realize the name of is Jon Snow (Kit Harington), who was named Aegon Targaryen because his biological father, Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding), believed he was the Prince That Was Promised. Rhaegar, by the way, was so creative that he had another son named Aegon with his first wife, Elia Martell, not to mention three other Aegons who were either younger brothers or died before being crowned. So, in total, there are a staggering 11 Aegons who belong to the main branch of House Targaryen with five of them being kings.
Of course, this isn’t exactly an unheard of phenomenon in our real world. Let’s be honest, how many kids were named Arya and Daenerys thanks to Game of Thrones? This phenomenon and the many Aegons of House Targaryen are caused by the same reason: parents want to invoke the strength of the original owner of the name. For royals, it’s also about creating a sense of continuity. Starting a war that destroys all dragons in Westeros, as Aegon II does, certainly isn’t really continuing what Aegon the Conqueror wanted, though.
Targaryen Like To Repeat Names, Not Just Aegon
The problem is that House Targaryen doesn’t like repeating just the name Aegon. If it were so, it would be okay, because all the Aegon kings actually have honorifics of their own. Aegon II is “Aegon the Elder,” Aegon III is “the Younger,” Aegon IV is “the Unworthy,” and Aegon V is “the Unlikely.” But there are other names Targaryens are obsessed with, too.
In House of the Dragon, we finally meet Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) in Season 3. History remembers him as “Daeron the Daring,” while earlier this year we met Egg’s brother, also named Daeron (Henry Ashton), known as “Daeron the Drunken”. There are also two Jaehaerys (Jaehaerys…es?), two named Viserys, and two named Aerys — all of which are kings, too. Even when a woman comes to break the wheel of cyclical naming tradition, she’s called Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), which you might only associate with the Game of Thrones character, but is actually a pretty common Targaryen name too. Our Dany is actually the third Daenerys, although the only one to claim the Iron Throne.
Nearly all Targaryen names follow the Valyrian style of spelling, so you’ve got a lot of “ae” and “ys” be thrown into names; think Jacaerys (Harry Collett) and Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) or Maekar (Sam Spruell), Baelor (Bertie Carvel), Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), and Baela (Bethany Antonia). There are also names that are seen as bad luck, significantly the name Maegor, who was viewed as a tyrannical king. A Knight of the Seven Kingdom‘s Aerion (Finn Bennett) later names one of his sons Maegor, and you can bet that didn’t turn out so well for him!
Recycling Names Is a Historical Tradition Among Royals Everywhere
George R.R. Martin has obviously commented about naming his characters according to real historical tradition: “English history is like all Henrys and Edwards. Occasionally, a Richard sneaks in.” He has a point, of course, which justifies the Aegons and the multiple Jaehaeryses, Viseryses, Daerons, Aeryses, and Daeneryses.
Just looking at England, the country has eight kings named Henry and Edward, so Martin has a point. They have also had six Georges, four Williams (and are likely to get a fifth eventually), two Elizabeths, and are currently on their third Charles. And this is not just England. Portugal, for example, had six kings named João; Spain has had six kings named Filipe; and even Brazil, a country which has only ever had two emperors, had both named Pedro. And that’s not even getting into the repetitive names of Catholic popes. Sure, the multiple Aegons can make for a confusing time if you’re just stepping into the world of Westeros, but Martin’s loyalty to historical tradition is hard to deny, and the moment of Alicent mishearing her dying husband adds a bit of dramatic irony, especially when she realizes later that it’s Aegon the Conqueror that Viserys was talking about.
Season 2 of House of the Dragon is streaming on Max.
Madelyn Cline made a rare comment about what it was like working with ex Chase Stokes on Outer Banks following their 2022 break-up.
“There were moments when it was difficult, absolutely,” the actress, 28, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Thursday, August 20. “But once the dust kind of settled, we were able to just revert to the friendship that we always had.”
Cline and Stokes, 33, met on the set of Outer Banks, where she played Sarah Cameron while Stokes portrayed her boyfriend, John Booker “John B.” Routledge. After filming the inaugural season, which aired in 2020, the pair pursued a romantic connection outside the show. They dated from 2020 to 2021.
Following their split, Stokes and Cline returned to film the hit Netflix action-adventure series. While the exes were no longer together in real life, their characters were still a couple.
Putting work first. Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes have broken down how they kept their real-life romance and split from affecting their roles on Outer Banks. The Netflix series, which debuted in April 2020, introduced viewers to a coastal town in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which is divided into wealthy and working-class sides. […]
“At some point, you look at each other and you’re like, ‘Are you ready to stop being miserable? Because I’m ready,’” she said on Thursday.
Last year, Cline opened up about how she was once unaware of how a public relationship with a costar could take a toll.
“I think at the time I didn’t realize what the repercussions of inviting so many people into — let’s be honest — something that’s intimate,” she said during a March 2025 appearance on the “Therapuss” podcast. “I didn’t understand it. I was so in love.”
Cline explained it was also really difficult especially when fans loved her and Stokes’ characters together on screen.
“It was really, really hard to separate,” she said. “But, also like any breakup, you grow out of it, which is great. But there was a period of time there where I truly did not know which way was up, which way was down because Outer Banks and that public relationship was kind of my identity. And I was like, ‘Who the f*** am I?’”
Cline confessed that she is still working on herself.
“I have such respect for anyone in the public space who has found and created their identity and is so comfortably seated in that. I know it might seem that they are, and it may not be,” she shared. “But I have so much respect for anyone, anyone that is in any way, shape or form, in the public space.”
Since calling it quits, both Cline and Stokes have dated other people. Cline was previously romantically linked to Jackson Guthy, Pete Davidson and Henry Smith. Us previously reported that Cline has been seeing real estate agent Michael Reyes since this summer.
Stokes, for his part, was in an on-and-off relationship with Kelsea Ballerini from 2023 to 2026.
Entertainment
HBO Max’s 5-Part Crime Docuseries Is Even Wilder Than ‘Tiger King’ Once You Know the Real Story
The COVID-19 pandemic was a weird time. Eric Goode made it weirder. As we all settled into our locked-down lives, making sourdough amid amassed stockpiles of toilet paper, Goode, a night-life impresario turned documentary filmmaker, hit us with Tiger King. Like the caged beasts in the series’ low-rent zoo, audiences were held captive in the bizarre, bleached-mullet, big-cat-mauling world of Joe Exotic. Goode’s next act, 2024’s Chimp Crazy, covered similar territory, exploring the twisted relationships between “chimp moms” and their primate charges. All along, as Goode drew viewers deeper and deeper into the exotic animal trade, few knew that he was closer to his subjects than he let on.
Goode’s latest series, Monsters of God, which premiered August 6 on HBO Max, might be his most outrageous yet. It moves in the dark, violent underworld of illegal reptile trafficking, where disreputable figures smuggle king cobras, bush vipers, Komodo dragons, and other scaly saurians across borders like narcotics. It’s a multibillion-dollar black market, one Goode is more intimately familiar with than most.
Goode’s Lifelong Obsession With Turtles and Tortoises Fuels ‘Monsters of God’
Monsters of God’s cast of characters include Southern-fried snake handlers, buzzed couriers who move through airports with suitcases packed full of turtles, and fevered zookeepers all-too willing to bypass the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Like Chimp Crazy’s Tonia Haddix, whose nickname was “The Dolly Parton of chimps,” there’s also a rightfully feared Malaysian animal smuggler known as “The Pablo Escobar of reptiles.” On their heels are a dogged group of federal agents, who pursue the reptile purveyors in a manner that parallels the stings and ops of the war on drugs. Then there’s Goode himself, whose obsession with turtles and tortoises began when he received a pet turtle at age six. From there, he admits he was hooked. “It’s a world I’ve been involved with my entire life,” Goode recently told People. “I’m a reptile guy, obsessed with the forbidden, the rarest of the rare, willing to pay almost anything. It’s been a lifelong fascination.”
That personal connection shows up on screen. Goode even admits that he’s done business with some of his subjects, including self-styled “Lizard Whisperer” Tommy Crutchfield, from whom he ordered contraband reptiles by mail. Over five episodes, Goode’s knowledge of the trade’s mores and inner-workings helps Monsters of God achieve a resonance beyond the “look-at-the-freaks” spectacle into which Tiger King and Chimp Crazy sometimes devolve.
Goode Isn’t Exactly Like His Subjects, Which Is a Good Thing
Though Goode freely admits he’s been part of the problem, he’s also done much to mend his errant ways. In 2005, he started the Turtle Conservancy, a public charity committed to protecting vulnerable species, anchored by a 90-acre compound in Ojai, California, where he breeds turtles and tortoises, some of which have gone extinct in the wild. From Mexico to South Africa to the Philippines, the Conservancy has secured thousands of acres for critically endangered species. It also has almost single-handedly brought the ploughshare tortoise – a blackmarket darling once worth $100,000 per animal – back from the brink of extinction, becoming the first to breed the species outside its native Madagascar.
Goode’s distance from his former self also shows up on screen. Though the series elicits a form of empathy for the folks in the throes of reptile fever, Goode never justifies their practices. Subjects like Anson Wong, the Malaysian trafficker compared to Escobar, are clearly the bad guys. Nevertheless, Goode is not in the business of condemnation, leaving final judgment to the viewer. As such, his been-on-both-sides perspective gives Monsters of God the nuance his other efforts often lack. Despite his best deeds in Ojai and beyond, Goode admits he can’t shake a nagging self-doubt that in the end, he might be no better than the likes of Joe Exotic. “I make the judgment that, hey, my tortoises are living a pretty good life, but I could be drinking the Kool-Aid,” he told Vanity Fair. “Maybe they’re not. And I recognize that all of my animals that I keep here would be better off in the wild.”
- Release Date
-
2026 – 2026-00-00
- Network
-
HBO
- Directors
-
Eric Goode
Another week has come and gone, and it’s time once again to pick your next weekend read. After all, at the end of all the ups and downs of a long week, there’s nothing better than a great book to relax and immerse yourself in, letting the worries of the world fade for just a little while. Obviously, there’s no shortage of options to choose from when it comes to good weekend reads, but considering the sheer volume of choices at our fingertips these days, it’s not exactly easy to zero in on the really great ones. That’s why we’ve done the work for you and handpicked some truly wonderful books to keep you company until the next week rolls in again. Without further ado, here are three great books that we think you should read this weekend.
1
‘The Unknown’ (2026)
Written by Todd Ritter under the pen name Riley Sager, The Unknown is a horror novel that follows a struggling actress who lands a role in a major movie. The film in question explores a century-old mystery on the remote island of New Avalon, where five women inexplicably vanished from a commune for spiritual mediums. The cast and crew head to the island for a weeklong research trip, but they all soon realize that there is something very wrong with New Avalon.
Expertly playing with tension and paranoia, The Unknown is a gripping horror thriller book with a haunting setting. The story is utterly engrossing, and it successfully creates real doubt in the mind of the reader about whether there really is something supernatural afoot or if this is all just some viral marketing stunt gone horribly wrong. From there, it keeps you hooked with one shocking twist after another, culminating in a really unexpected climax. The book has been widely praised, and it’s the perfect read for fans of atmospheric horror and layered mysteries.
2
‘Whistler’ (2026)
Written by Ann Patchett, Whistler is the bestselling author’s latest work of literary fiction, examining the unique relationship between a woman and her former stepfather. Daphne Fuller, a 53-year-old English teacher, happens to run into Eddie Triplett, a man who was briefly married to her mother when Daphne was nine. As the two reconnect, the book uncovers the profound nature of their relationship, its impact on their lives, and the circumstances that led to their separation.
Considering the premise, Whistler could easily have been a boring and forgettable book. Instead, what we have here is a powerful, human work of storytelling that’s steeped in love. There’s both good and bad in the lives of these characters, but their warmth and kindness are what radiate off the page more than anything else. It’s a beautiful, simple, yet highly moving story that’s easily among the most acclaimed novels of the year.
3
‘Project Hail Mary’ (2021)
Written by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary is a science fiction adventure novel that inspired the film, one of the year’s biggest hits. The novel follows Ryland Grace, a high school teacher and microbiologist who wakes up aboard the titular ship light-years away from Earth, with no memory of how he got there. As he pieces together his fragmented memories, Grace also encounters an alien lifeform and must use his scientific know-how to both communicate with the alien and complete his mission.
A story of friendship and survival suffused with a love of science, Project Hail Mary has all the same DNA as Weir’s first breakout hit, The Martian, but with greater stakes and more fascinating worldbuilding. The novel quickly became a bestseller and was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award. It’s also earned near-universal praise from critics and readers alike, and its feature film adaptation, starring Ryan Gosling as Grace, has also been similarly successful.
- Release Date
-
March 15, 2026
- Runtime
-
157 minutes
- Director
-
Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
- Writers
-
Drew Goddard, Andy Weir
- Producers
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Aditya Sood, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, Rachel O’Connor, Ryan Gosling
Prince Harry is looking forward to coming back home after spending six years in California.
“Harry is not as happy in the U.S. as he is in the U.K.,” a source exclusively shares with Us after news broke that the Duke of Sussex and wife Meghan Markle would be moving back to Britain.
“They aim to be somewhere outside of London, not in, like, the city proper,” the source adds. “They are open to a new chapter.”
On Wednesday, August 19, multiple outlets reported that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, would be relocating with their children to the U.K. for an extended period starting later this month. The pair’s son, Prince Archie, 7, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, 5, are scheduled to begin school there in September.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to return to the United Kingdom, but will they resume their duties as senior working royals? News broke on Wednesday, August 19, that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, planned to move back to England in time for their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to start […]
The couple plan to keep their home in Montecito, California, and their vacation residence in Portugal while having non-royal property in Britain.
“They’ve been spending a lot of time in Portugal this summer,” the source shares. “Harry has friends there, and Meghan has expat friends there. They have a community there.”
Meghan is expected to continue leading her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from their international home. Harry, meanwhile, will be spending more time supporting U.K.-based charities and patronages.
“Harry still operates as if he were a member of the royal family when he evaluates opportunities,” the source explains. “He’s seen royals who have left the royal family, like Sarah Ferguson, whose path he does not want to emulate. He wants to do things that are a right fit for him, but that can be very limiting. And, of course, they need to find ways to make money, so they are eager to find partnerships that are the right fit and fruitful for them.”
Prince Harry Manny Carabel/Getty Images
Us has reached out to reps for Harry and Meghan for comment.
After the moving news was revealed, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to the BBC and said the family’s security measures were “private.” (Harry has repeatedly stated in the past that he did not feel safe bringing his family home to the U.K. after they lost their taxpayer-funded security upon their 2020 royal exit.)
“It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan,” Burnham, 56, stated. “We wish them well in the move that they are making.”
As for what Prince William and Kate Middleton think of the move, one royal expert speculated that they may not be completely thrilled.
On Christmas Day, King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, led the royal family to and from St. Mary Magdalene Church for the annual Sandringham walk. Prince William and Princess Kate followed with their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, who warmly engaged with members of the public, […]
“All I can think of is: here we go again,” Brothers and Wives author Christopher Andersen exclusively told Us. “For starters, I can only imagine that William and Kate are tearing their hair out. They have so much on their plate as it is trying to shore up the monarchy and propel it into the future; they don’t really need to cope with having Harry and Megan on their proverbial doorstep.”
With Harry and Meghan returning to the U.K., Andersen, 77, predicts that the “Sussexes will inevitably suck up all the oxygen in the room.”
“They will generate countless tabloid stories and take the focus away from other members of the royal family, which is a major no-no,” he claimed. “King Charles and Queen Camilla, in particular, don’t like to be upstaged, and the same goes for William.”
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Celebrity skincare routines often include pricey serums, high-tech treatments and moisturizers that cost more than a weekly grocery bill. Still, Jamie Lee Curtis proved that you can find something refreshingly simple in the CVS beauty aisle.
The 67-year-old actress revealed that she reaches for Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion over $800 face creams that “didn’t do anything.” Right now, the drugstore staple is an even better bargain: it’s on sale for $4.99 at CVS! Put Curtis’ less-is-more philosophy to the test for less than five bucks.
Get the Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion for $5; was $6 at CVS!
Curtis has reportedly used Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion on both her face and body. And while you certainly don’t need to follow a celebrity’s skincare routine to a T, the formula has plenty going for it if perpetually dry skin is one of your biggest concerns.
Some beauty products come and go, but Weleda’s Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream has remained a celebrity staple for years. Loved by A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham — just to name a few — the iconic moisturizer is famous for delivering intense hydration and a radiant, lit-from-within glow. It has a thick, nourishing […]
Formulated specifically for dry to very dry skin, it contains a moisture-boosting mix of hyaluronic acid, sweet almond oil and glycerin. Hyaluronic acid and glycerin help draw in moisture, while emollient and occlusive ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum help soften skin and prevent that moisture from escaping. The result? Deeply hydrated skin that feels (and looks) smoother.
Despite all that moisture, you don’t have to reserve it for the driest days of winter. The lotion is designed to absorb quickly without leaving a greasy feel, making it an easy everyday option for arms, legs, hands and feet. Nivea says the current formula provides up to 72 hours of moisture, so it’s especially appealing if you’re someone who feels like your skin is dry again five minutes after applying body lotion.
Perhaps the best part is that you don’t need an A-list beauty budget to try Curtis’ less-is-more approach. Her comments about that disappointing $800 cream are a good reminder that a higher price tag doesn’t automatically mean a product will work better for your skin.
For anyone craving a straightforward moisturizer that keeps dry skin soft, smooth and comfortable, Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion makes a pretty convincing case for keeping things simple. Get it today at CVS!
Get the Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion for $5; was $6 at CVS!
We love when a celebrity reveals the beauty products they use regularly — and we especially love it when their go-tos are affordable options that actually work. Mindy Kaling, for instance, swears by a tried-and-true facial cleanser that costs under $20. Although the bottle indicates it’s for normal to dry skin, Kaling gives it the […]
A mother of three was killed by her boyfriend in an apparent murder-suicide shortly after she dropped two of her three children off at school in Georgia.
Nicole Karastury Elliott was shot in the head outside of her home on Monday, August 17, after a dispute with her boyfriend, Andrew Roy Harris.
One day later, Harris, 36, was found dead in a room at a Days Inn hotel in Phenix City.
Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley said during a press conference on Tuesday, August 18, that Harris shot Elliott, 35, after they got into a fight over prescription medication that belonged to one of her children.
“We heard the voices on the Ring camera where she had yelled, ‘Don’t do it,’” Jolley said. “We heard the gunfire. And then we heard her call his name out. ‘Don’t, don’t do it,’ and called his name out on the Ring camera.”
Jolley also said that Elliott’s children were informed about her death by members of law enforcement.
“To make that notification yesterday to those three kids that their mother is no longer with us was heart-wrenching,” Jolley said. “It’s never an easy thing to do, but when you tell three young kids that their mother is no longer here it’s heartbreaking.”
A GoFundMe page has since been set up to help Elliott’s kids financially following her death. The page explained that her children were 14, 10 and 6 years old.
Fundraiser organizer Jarrod Thorne said that the kids “are facing an unimaginable loss after their mother was tragically killed in a domestic dispute.”
“Nicole had taken her boys to school that morning, and soon after, her children’s lives were changed forever. They were taken from school and told that their mother was gone,” Thorne wrote. “Nicole was an amazing woman, mother, and friend with a huge heart who was always willing to help anyone in need. Her family is now left trying to process this heartbreaking tragedy and make sense of a loss that feels impossible to understand.”
Authorities in Tennessee are investigating a tragic double murder-suicide that left three people dead, including an 8-year-old girl, Us Weekly has learned. Sorrow has befallen McMinnville following the Sunday, March 8, killings of Randi Jean Shelton and her daughter, Thea, by the girl’s father, Joseph Nicholas Shelton, Jr. After shooting his wife and daughter to […]
Thorne added that Elliott and her kids had moved into a new house right before she was killed. “The children were so excited to finally have rooms of their own. Now, in the middle of grief and shock, they are also facing the many practical needs that come with losing their mother,” Thorne continued.
The donations raised will help “cover funeral and memorial expenses,” as well as will “provide support for the children’s everyday needs as they adjust to life without Nicole.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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