Entertainment
7 Netflix Shows Where Every Episode Is a Masterpiece
Content Warning: The following list contains brief mentions of domestic violence and abuse.It is truly a rarity to find a television show in which every single episode is made to perfection. Even some of TV’s greatest shows of all time have a couple of episodes that will make you ask “why did they even air that?” So, taking on the task of finding the Netflix shows in which every episode is perfect was no easy task. It relied on a lot of research, from scouring Reddit boards to relying on our own TV knowledge. It took time, but we managed to craft a list of shows with nary a bad episode.
Whether it’s a limited series that never overstayed its welcome, or a sprawling comedy drama that has a gripping hold on throughout its entire run, these Netflix shows have done the seemingly impossible: produce an entire series in which every episode is a masterpiece. You don’t believe us? That’s OK, as once you reach the end of this story, you’ll come to the same conclusion that we did: these Netflix shows represent the pinnacle of the streaming service’s storytelling.
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ (2018)
In 2018, Netflix viewers were invited into a creepy manor with all sorts of supernatural unease. The Haunting of Hill House, created by Mike Flanagan, kickstarted the service’s Haunting anthology, and it started on a very strong note. The miniseries takes place over two timelines, one from 1992 and another in the present day, with the central figure being Hill House, a large, eerie mansion that haunts the Crain family.
While the series certainly has its terrifying moments, The Haunting of Hill House is a lot more than a regular show about a haunted house. Flanagan takes the trope and goes deeper with it, making it more of a character-driven family drama with some truly emotional moments. It uses Hill House to expose the emotional trauma that the Crain family struggles to cope with. The ghosts in the series aren’t just to make the viewer jump out of their seats, but they’re used as metaphors for grief, regret and mental illness. With complex characters and production that is as close to perfect as one could get, each episode of The Haunting of Hill House builds to a finale that lands the story perfectly. While every series in Flanagan’s Haunting anthology was top-notch, The Haunting of Hill House is, by all intentions of the word, a masterclass in how to tell a haunted house story.
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)
On the surface, The Queen’s Gambit is a miniseries that never should have worked. Besides, the main premise of the show revolves around a chess player, and who would want to watch a show based on someone playing one of the most boring games on Earth? Well, if you think this way, you’re missing out on one of the best Netflix miniseries ever created. The coming-of-age period drama created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott follows the life of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a chess prodigy who becomes one of the best players in the world. But, beneath the surface, Harmon struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, and she has to battle these demons while preparing for a major chess tournament in Moscow.
Every episode of The Queen’s Gambit was terrific, and this was due to the impeccable pacing and structure of the series. Watching it all the way, you’ll get the feeling that you’re watching a seven-hour movie with a very clear, resonant ending. Because the creators and writers knew where to go with the story, and how to end it, there were essentially no filler episodes within the series, which makes the entire show such a satisfying watch. Add in the mesmerizing performance of Taylor-Joy, and you have a miniseries that should not be slept on.
‘When They See Us’ (2019)
In 1989, five Black and Latino teens were falsely accused of assaulting a white woman in Central Park. Known as the Central Park Five, their conviction was vacated in 2002, and they were awarded a settlement from the city of New York in 2014 after suing the city for wrongful conviction. The plight of the Central Park Five ignited tough conversations around racial bias, media sensationalism, and the criminalization of people of color, especially after the release of the 2019 miniseries When They See Us.
Created by Ava DuVernay, the miniseries tells the story of the Central Park Five and their wrongful conviction through the experiences of the victims, which forced the viewers to look at the wrongfully accused not as a group of kids, but as individuals who were worthy of justice and empathy from viewers. Each episode will take viewers through a range of emotions, from anger to sadness, and, in the end, tempered redemption for the five kids who were essentially railroaded by the judicial system. When They See Us was a significant achievement on television, daring to question how racial bias and the media also play a part in painting the narrative that people of color are criminals, along with a justice system all-to-eager to accept that narrative. When They See Us is more than the perfect Netflix show, it is basically essential viewing.
‘Maid’ (2021)
One of the best attributes about Netflix original series is its ability to tell serious stories in an unfiltered and honest way. We saw this in 2019 with the brilliant When They See Us, and again two years later, with Netflix premiering Maid, created by Molly Smith Metzler and inspired by the 2019 novel of the same name written by Stephanie Land. The miniseries followers Alexandra “Alex” Russell (Margaret Qualley), a young mom who leaves her abusive boyfriend and takes a job working as a maid.
We’re going to be honest here. Maid can be a hard watch at times, especially the way it honestly portrays domestic abuse, which isn’t always physical, and it answers the long-complex question of why victims struggle to leave their abusers. Not only that, but Maid also highlights “invisible” poverty, the people who struggle to stay afloat, and how just one minor setback can cause someone to lose everything. To tell its gut-wrenching story, Maid uses innovative storytelling to describe Alex’s plight, which lets us see things from her inner perspective. While Maid is a tough watch at times, it’s also a show that is a masterpiece at telling complex, difficult stories.
‘Beef’ (2023–Present)
We all see comedy as a pressure relief from the arduous daily task of life, and it was used brilliantly in the 2023 anthology series Beef. Created by Lee Sung Jin, Beef follows two people who begin to feud after a road rage incident. While this is a simple black comedy on the surface, it’s what lies beneath the comedy that makes Beef a gold-standard when it comes to the perfect Netflix show.
The best aspect to Beef is its tight storytelling, with each of the series’ 10 episodes packed with character arcs that have a significant impact on the overall storyline. Even the minor characters in each episode play a part in the overall feud between Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), with each episode escalating the feud and showing how it quickly spirals out of control.
The writers use the feud between Danny and Amy to masterfully showcase the Asian-American experience, exploring issues such as class status, immigration, and family expectations, and they did this without casting a monolithic net over the race. This makes the audience understand the pressures Amy and Danny are going through, and also helps to understand why a simple road rage incident spiraled downhill so quickly. It’s a show that tackles existential emptiness when compounded with the pressures of material success, and how it contributes to the overwhelming rage that we feel in society today. They do all of this without sacrificing the comedy, a chef’s kiss to a brilliant series.
‘Dark’ (2017–2020)
A great story arc commands you to pay attention to each element in each episode. Each show that we’ve discussed so far in this piece has been a miniseries, where it can be easy to accomplish in just a 10-episode run. But, here’s a show that manages to not have a single filler episode over a three-season span. We’re talking, of course, about Dark, one of the best series not just in Netflix history, but in TV history as a whole, and we’re very serious about this claim.
Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, Dark follows four families as they search for what happened to a kid who disappeared from a small German town, only to discover something truly sinister has been happening in the town over generations. To be honest, the storyline of Dark could have easily been condensed into a single miniseries, but by fleshing the story out over three seasons, it allowed it to be expanded and avoid the plotholes that could have befallen it if it was made as just a miniseries. The story of Dark is very complex, but the writers flawlessly executed the story. They knew how the story would be told and how it would end, and they didn’t deviate from this plan, and the end result is a masterpiece of epic proportions. The moody atmosphere, the exceptional acting, and a complex story that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat throughout its run? What more could you ask for?
‘Arcane’ (2021–2024)
When discussing the best Netflix shows in which every episode is absolutely perfect, you can’t have that conversation and leave Arcane off the list. Created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee, the animated steampunk sci-fi is, arguably, one of the most jaw-dropping achievements in modern animation. Much like Dark, the story of Arcane is more complex than what the synopsis says it’s about. On the surface, it’s a story about two sisters who get tangled in a conflict between the poor underbelly of Zaun and the more prosperous city of Piltover. If you go off of the synopsis of the series, you’ll think Arcane is a straight-forward show, but it’s much, much deeper than that, and that’s what makes it such a compelling show.
The main reason why Arcane is such a perfect show is the way it tells its story. Rather than “telling” the story through its characters, it shows you how everything unfolds, using stunning camera work, lighting, and an innovative pace to fully immerse the viewers into the world Arcane has created. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without an animation style that is distinct and truly revolutionary, making each episode of Arcane feel more like a cinematic event than a typical Netflix show. That’s the beauty of the show as a whole, as it doesn’t feel like you’re watching a TV show; you’re basically watching a movie broken up into 18 episodes. Every episode in Arcane was simply perfection, and it would be a tough sell for another animated show to come close to what this series created.
Arcane
- Release Date
-
2021 – 2024
- Network
-
Netflix
- Showrunner
-
Christian Linke
- Directors
-
Barth Maunoury, Marietta Ren, Christelle Abgrall
Continue Reading
The Harry Potter film series is one of the best and most wondrous to hit screens so far this century. That is the kind of impact that J.K. Rowling‘s ‘Harry Potter’ book series has generated. The worldwide phenomenon, which centers on a British boy (Daniel Radcliffe) who attends a school for wizards, enchanted legions of readers with its unforgettable characters, riveting narrative, engrossing world, and, of course, a wondrous system of magic spells.
The spells in Harry Potter cover a multitude of purposes, from completing mundane housework to self-defense to eliminating one’s enemies with extreme prejudice. With the wizarding world still front-of-mind as a trending pop-culture series, it’s little surprise that the Harry Potter tale is receiving a TV adaptation, with the new HBO series set to premiere on December 25. While it remains to be seen if the show will be able to recapture the captivating sense of movie magic that made the films thrive, it seems a safe bet that these iconic spells will feature in the show at some point.
35
Impedimenta
Impediment Jinx
As the incantation Impedimenta implies, the spell impediments the target, making them slow down or stop completely, depending on the intensity of the jinx. It’s especially a useful spell for dueling, slowing down your opponent so they become an easier target for attack spells. However, the jinx’s most notable use was during a flashback in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
During the film, Harry is coached by Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), where the latter rummages through Harry’s head. But Harry has had enough and goes through Snape’s head, where he witnesses his father bullying Snape. In the novels, James Potter uses Levicorpus to throw Snape into the air, but in the films, James uses Impedimenta, likely to slow down and gain control of his prey. —Jasneet Singh
34
Confundo
Confundus Charm
The confundus charm, conjured by the incantation “confundo,” is a nifty little spell that has been used frequently in the series. It confuses or misdirects the target of the spell, as long as the object is “sentient” in some regard, including other humans, or objects like broomsticks. The degree of confusion is dictated by the caster, from simply being unaware of something, or creating that feeling of forgetting what you were doing there.
The charm has been used multiple times in the series, with the most hilarious instance being Hermione (Emma Watson) using it on Cormac (Freddie Stroma) during the Quidditch trials, so Ron would make it into the team. However, it has also had darker uses, where Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant) used it on the Goblet of Fire to confuse it into accepting Harry Potter’s name. —Jasneet Singh
33
Pestis Incendium
Fiendfyre
Aside from the Everlasting Flame, Fiendfyre is the next strongest form of magical fire in the Wizarding World, borne of Dark Magic and by a highly skilled caster. What’s really iconic about the spell is that the flames take on the form of a mythical creature, usually a dragon or serpent. The almost sentient, powerful, and volatile flames are one of the few things that destroy Horcruxes, and have a memorable role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
In the Room of Requirement, Gregory Goyle (Josh Herdman) conjures Fiendfyre to kill the film’s main trio, but the second the flames emerge from his wand, he loses control. He wasn’t powerful enough as a wizard to properly guide the spell, leading to the entire room being burst into flames, including the diadem Horcrux, but when trying to climb to safety, Goyle fell into the flames. The inferno is an unforgettable scene in the franchise. —Jasneet Singh
32
The Unbreakable Vow
Binding Magical Contract
Although The Unbreakable Vow has been mentioned a few times in the franchise, we only see the binding magical contract in action once: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Severus Snape makes the fearsome vow to Narcissa Malfoy (Helen McCrory), promising to take care of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to make sure no harm comes to him while he fulfills the Dark Lord’s task. Her additional term to the contract is that if Draco fails at his task, Snape would fulfill it in his stead. It is iconic because this is the vow that leads to Snape killing Dumbledore.
The Unbreakable Vow requires three parties: the two people making the vow, who clasp hands, and the witness, who casts the spell. In the film, three golden rings appear around Snape and Narcissa’s clasped hands, magically binding their vow. And, as the unbreakable implies, if either party breaks the vow, an imminent, painful death is waiting for them—cross your fingers, hope to die in the most literal sense. —Jasneet Singh
31
Piertotum Locomotor
Animation Charm
The animation charm brings inanimate objects to life, and we can only imagine the plethora of uses this charm can have. Throughout the eight films of Harry Potter, we have seen objects move as if operating at their own volition, and in some instances, it could have been the work of piertotum locomotor. However, the first real and significant time we heard the incantation was during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
It was the first spell cast during the Great War against Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), marking the beginning of a vicious battle. Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) briskly walks to the entrance of the castle, flourishes her arms to the side, and casts the spell, bringing all the huge, stone suits of armor alive and ready to attack. Given its use in the final battle, the animation charm proves to be more iconic than just making knives cut or chessboard pieces move. —Jasneet Singh
30
Immobulus
Freezing Charm
The freezing charm, Immobulus—as the name would suggest—immobilizes the target of the spellcaster. As a result, it is a ceaselessly useful charm, particularly for witches and wizards canny enough to use it to their advantage. The first time audiences saw it used was in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when the pixies broke free in Professor Lockhart’s (Kenneth Branagh) Defence Against the Dark Arts class and Hermione cast it to bring a swift end to their recklessness.
It features in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as well, used by Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) to nullify the aggression of the Whomping Willow so he could safely gain passage to the Shrieking Shack. A spell that is as pragmatic and effective as its caster, Immobulus is representative of the Harry Potter universe at its most clever and inventive.
29
Engorgio
Growing Charm
The Engorgement Charm, otherwise known as the Growing Charm, as it sees the spellcaster engorge the target, is a spell that is used to both comic and unsettling effect throughout the Harry Potter films. It first appears in The Prisoner of Azkaban in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class when Barty Crouch Jr. —disguised as Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson)—casts it to expand a spider-type creature upon which he displays the effects of the three unforgivable curses.
The spell is used to much more joyful effect in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 when Harry casts the incantation alongside Ron (Rupert Grint) on a candle flame in the tent, creating a brief inferno that leaves the two young wizards shocked. While not featured in the films, there is a variation of the spell—Engrogio Skullus—that makes a person’s head grow larger.
28
Serpensortia
Snake Summoning Charm
The snake-summoning charm appears only once across the eight Harry Potter films, and its appearance may not seem immediately consequential at that, but it is an enchantment that has a certain impact on viewers. It features during the duel between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with Malfoy casting the spell at the behest of Professor Snape.
In addition to leaving the crowd of students surrounding the duel in a stunned silence, it also exposes Harry’s parseltounge abilities to the rest of his classmates. Couple this with the fact that snakes play a monumental role in the second Harry Potter film, particularly, and Serpensortia is a spell that has a much deeper meaning in the context of its story, making it especially representative of The Chamber of Secrets.
27
Reducto
Reductor Curse
There is certainly no shortage of spells in the Potterverse that can have the effect of blasting things into millions of pieces. However, that is the sole purpose of Reducto, an explosive curse that reduces the spellcaster’s target to little more than a pile of ash or a breeze of fine mist. It features several times throughout the film franchise, perhaps most notably being used by Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) during the training sequences in the Room of Requirements in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
It became a favorite spell of Harry Potter as well. He first uses it in the Tri-Wizard Tournament during Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before using it multiple times throughout the final two films. Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), Professor Snape, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) are among other known users of the spell in the extended Harry Potter lore.
26
Relashio
Revulsion Jinx
With the same pronunciation as the Italian word Rilascio—meaning “I release”—Relashio is cast as the Revulsion Jinx, a spell that forces the target to relinquish its grasp on whatever it is holding on to. It can be cast on people, creatures, and objects, and is used several times throughout the films at least, with there being multiple instances where the jinx could quite possibly have been cast unspoken, such as when Professor Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) pries apart two smooching classmates in The Order of the Phoenix.
The first confirmed use of the spell occurs in The Goblet of Fire during the second task, when Harry uses it underwater to free himself from the clutches of the grindylows. It is used again in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 to free the dragon in the crypt in Gringotts to create a diversion as Harry, Ron, and Hermione mount their escape.
After more than two decades at NBC News — and nearly eight years co-hosting Saturday Today — Peter Alexander has officially said goodbye to the network he long called home.
The veteran journalist made his emotional announcement during the March 28, 2026, broadcast of Saturday Today, citing a desire to prioritize time with his family over the demanding work schedule that kept him away from his wife and two young daughters.
Here’s everything to know about Alexander’s NBC career, why he decided to leave the news organization and where he’s reportedly headed next:
Peter Alexander’s History at ‘NBC News’
Peter Alexander’s career at NBC spanned more than two decades. He joined NBC in 2004, covering news for local affiliate stations. He transitioned to the national news desk in 2018, cohosting Saturday Today while serving as the network’s White House Correspondent.
Alexander was named the Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News in 2021. He marked his 20th anniversary with the network in 2024.
“I never imagined being a political reporter,” Alexander said on Today in August 2024, calling hard-hitting news reporting an “eye-opening” experience. “What I learned the most is what it means to be a storyteller. I really feel like we have a higher responsibility doing this for a living. Being journalists, you have the trust of the audience, the trust of the people whose stories you’re telling. That’s something that I take so seriously.”
Alexander has also participated in the weekday broadcast’s annual Halloween special, dressing up as some of Hollywood’s most prolific stars and beloved movie characters, from Jimmy Buffett and Mrs. Doubtfire to Blake Shelton and Kevin Bacon.
Peter Alexander’s Tearful Farewell
Peter Alexander did not hold back his emotions as he announced his departure live on air during the March 28, 2026 broadcast of Saturday Today.
“This morning I am bursting with pride and with gratitude. I’ve had the most incredible experience over 22 years with NBC News,” Alexander said. “I could not be more grateful for … the leaders and mentors here who have believed in me and given me more opportunities than I ever dreamed of.”
Alexander further reflected on how deeply intertwined his personal and professional lives had become over the course of his career at the network.
“It’s hard to believe, but I have been part of the NBC family for longer than I’ve had my own family,” he added. “Studio 1A, being right here, with this team and with all the folks you don’t see on TV, this is literally my happy place.”
Why Peter Alexander Is Leaving ‘Saturday Today’
The core reason behind Peter Alexander’s decision was straightforward: he wanted more time with his family.
Alexander and his wife, Alison Starling, share daughters Ava and Emma, who were 12 and 10 in March 2026. Since Alexander lives in Washington, D.C., the commute and schedule required to cohost the Saturday morning show from New York City took a significant toll.
“It is literally so fun, I mean, what a gig!” he said during his farewell show. “But, because I live in Washington [D.C.], it’s also a trek. I’ve been away from my home more than 80 nights in the last seven months, [and] more than 200 Friday nights away from my family in the last seven years.”
Alexander added, “So, in this limited window before my daughters lose interest in hanging out with me [and] it’s already happened quick, I’m eager to carve out a better balance between my personal and professional lives. [I want] to challenge myself with something new. I’m excited because I was taught, ‘Family first, the rest is details.’”
Alexander further thanked NBC News for “undoubtedly the most exciting years” of his TV journalism career.
Where Is Peter Alexander Going Next?
Peter Alexander during a White House press briefing in January 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
While Peter Alexander made clear during his final broadcast that he’s not stepping away from journalism, he did not publicly disclose his next chapter on air.
“[I want] to challenge myself with something new,” he said on Saturday Today in March 2026.
Multiple outlets later reported that Alexander will join MS Now as an anchor and chief national reporter. MS Now has not publicly commented or made any anchor announcements.
Peter Alexander’s Loved Ones React to His ‘Saturday Today’ Departure
Peter Alexander has been married to Alison Starling since 2012. Starling showed her support publicly after her husband’s March 2026 announcement.
“You make us so proud,” Starling wrote via her Instagram Stories after Alexander announced his departure from NBC.
Alexander’s announcement also prompted an outpouring of emotion from his colleagues at NBC News, both on air and on social media.
His Saturday Today cohost Laura Jarrett held back tears after hearing Alexander’s announcement live on the broadcast.
“Peter, we love you, we are going to miss you,” Jarrett said. “We have laughed so hard we want to cry with you, we have learned from you and we are not the only ones. … You are a brilliant journalist. You are a good and decent man, and you are an extraordinary father. You only get one shot to be Ava and Emma’s dad [and] 200 nights is a long time. They are lucky to have you as their father.”
Other prominent NBC personalities shared their sentiments through social media, including Savannah Guthrie and Sheinelle Jones.
“A great colleague, a better friend. We love you, Peter,” Guthrie replied via Instagram comment.
Jones offered a longer and more personal tribute. “We love you! I second Savannah — you’re a rock star journalist … but you’re also such a good friend and a light in the workplace. I’ll certainly miss your Halloween showcases (Mrs Doubtfire & Jimmy Buffett are my favorites 🥰) … but I’ll be forever thankful that I got to spend part of my career with someone I’ve admired since college!!!” she wrote.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
Kylie Jenner is officially on relaxation mode.
Jenner, 28, shared a series of vacation snaps to her Instagram on Saturday, March 28, where she rocked a tan-colored bikini as she lay in the sand with her face away from the sun.
In another pic, Jenner kneeled in the water as she arched her back toward the sun and closed her eyes. She was also seen laying in the water leaning back, with her hands reaching the sand.
She captioned the snaps “dnd,” short for “do not disturb.”
One day later, Jenner was all smiles as she stunned in a black string bikini and frolicked in the water. In one image, Jenner was seen walking in the knee-high water toward the camera as she carried a hat.
“Having the time of my life,” she captioned the Sunday, March 29, Instagram post.
Jenner’s travels come weeks after she stepped out to attend the 2026 Oscars with boyfriend Timothée Chalamet, who was nominated for his role in Marty Supreme. (The actor, 30, lost the Best Actor in a Leading Role award to Sinners’ Michael B. Jordan.)
Prior to his loss, Chalamet earned the trophy for Best Actor at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards in January, where he gave a sweet shout-out to Jenner.
“I couldn’t do this without you,” he told Jenner as the audience cheered. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Kylie Jenner is channeling low-key luxury. Jenner, 27, took to Instagram on Monday, March 24, and shared rare selfies that showed the beauty mogul through a more natural lens. The fresh-faced photo dump featured her on a remote beach vacation and staying somewhere luxe but secluded. She opted for minimal makeup, wearing her hair naturally […]
The pair have been going strong for nearly three years after they were first romantically linked in April 2023, with Chalamet going on to form a bond with Jenner’s two kids. (Jenner and ex Travis Scott welcomed daughter Stormi and son Aire in 2018 and 2022, respectively. The on-again, off-again exes split for good in 2023.)
“Timothee has also become a part of her kids’ lives and is really great with them,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month. “They think he’s super fun, and they love being around him.”
The insider explained that Jenner waited for the right time to introduce her boyfriend to her two children.
“They kept that part of life separate for a while, but Kylie slowly let him in, and now he’s spent a good amount of time with them,” the source said, adding that Jenner and Chalamet have a “genuine bond.”
“When they aren’t working, they live really normal lives together,” the insider continued.“They both like being home.”
Caster Semenya — a two-time Olympic champion — is speaking out against International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry after the organization banned transgender athletes from competition.
Semenya, who is South African, shared her disappointment in Coventry (a fellow African woman) in a press conference on Sunday, March 29, after a women’s race in Cape Town.
“Personally, for her as a leader, she’s an African, I’m sure she understands how, you know, we as Africans, we are coming from, as a global South, you know, you cannot control genetics,” Semenya said. “For me personally, for her being a woman coming from Africa, knowing how, you know, African women or women in the global South are affected by that.”
The IOC’s decision, announced on Thursday, March 26, bans transgender women athletes from competing in women’s events at the Olympics or any IOC competition. The new policy also bans female athletes with medical conditions known as difference in sex development, or DSD.
An online debate about the inclusion of trans athletes in sports between Simone Biles and former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines has earned reactions from all corners of the sports landscape. The back-and-forth started via social media on Friday, June 6, when Gaines, 25, alleged a Minnesota high school softball team won the state championship because […]
Semenya — born a female — has a DSD condition herself.
“Obviously if you say the science, because we talk about science here, if the science is clear, show us who decided and don’t dress that as a lie because it’s a lie and we know because we’ve seen it, so if we were to answer or confront Kirsty, that’s how we going to respond, and we’ll respond strong as we are because it affects women,” Semenya said.
Caster Semenya reacts after competing in the Cape Town SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge Rodger Bosch / AFP via Getty Images
Semenya has naturally high testosterone levels — higher than the typical female. She has won two Olympic gold medals in the 800-meter race (London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016) but has been banned from major international competition since 2019 because she refused to reduce her hormone levels.
Marco Mantovani/Getty Images Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo is set to make history as the first transgender athlete to compete in the Paralympic Games. Petrillo, 50, will take part in the women’s 200m and 400m events in the T12 classification for visually-impaired athletes when the 2024 Paralympics kick off in Paris this month. As a teenager, […]
“For me personally, I’ll say the voice is not heard because you taking it as a tick box, you ticking a box so you can go clarify or say yes we’ve consulted,” she said. “For me, it’s you ticking the box.”
The IOC’s new policy will be in effect for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Since the 2024 Paris Olympics, three major events (track and field, swimming and cycling) have banned transgender women who have been through male puberty.
Only one openly transgender woman has competed in the Olympics to date (New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics) and she did not make it past the opening round of competition.
The IOC says its new policy, “protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category.”
If you’ve been trying to keep up with everything happening in the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives universe over the past two weeks, you’re not alone.
The drama has been coming fast and from every direction, from production shutdowns and police investigations to a divorce and even an unexpected kiss that had MomTok debating girl code.
Keep scrolling for a full breakdown of the biggest moments from the Mormon Wives cast after production on season 5 was put on pause — and what it all means for the show’s future:
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Mikayla Matthews is sharing her reaction to MomTok’s drama-filled week. The stars of the hit Hulu reality show have scarcely been out of the headlines in the past week. To recap: First, there was the alleged domestic violence incident involving Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen that put a […]
Taking a Pause
On March 16, 2026, multiple outlets reported that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5 had paused production after star Taylor Frankie Paul and ex Dakota Mortensen were involved in an alleged domestic violence dispute weeks earlier in Utah. A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed to Us Weekly that there is an open “domestic assault investigation” involving the former couple, adding that “allegations have been made in both directions” after an alleged February 2026 incident.
Shortly after news broke of Taylor and Dakota’s open police investigation, their Mormon Wives costars reportedly met with Hulu and Disney executives to discuss a potential break from filming.
“It’s a dangerous situation, it’s a sad situation, and we don’t know how to navigate it because Taylor is our friend,” one cast member said during the 30-minute call, per NBC News, which obtained audio from the meeting.
Mikayla Matthews later confirmed the group decision on Instagram Stories, noting, “It was a decision that all of us girls came up with and agreed on. We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”
A source exclusively told Us Weekly that Taylor’s costars were “terrified” to film with her amid the investigation.
“The women have made it clear they don’t want to be around her because they see her as a major liability,” the insider added, claiming the group “believed Taylor was in a better place” after she filmed The Bachelorette.
Taylor had been named the season 22 lead of The Bachelorette, which began filming several months later. She returned home in December 2025, just two months before her alleged altercation with Dakota.
Mayci, Layla, Miranda and Taylor in ‘Mormon Wives’ season 4. Disney/Fred Hayes
Taylor Speaks Out — Then Everything Spiraled
Taylor Frankie Paul broke her silence on the police incident while speaking with Us Weekly at a NYC press dinner on March 17, 2026.
“There’s more to the context to everything and it’s unfortunate,” she said. “It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position. And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well.”
Days later, Taylor went on Good Morning America, where she addressed the Mormon Wives production pause and claimed she didn’t have control over the decision.
Then, on March 19, 2026, TMZ released footage from a previous 2023 altercation — the one discussed in the very first episode of Mormon Wives — in which Taylor could be seen physically assaulting and throwing multiple chairs at Dakota Mortensen while her daughter, Indy, is heard crying in the background. (Taylor shares Inday and Ocean with ex-husband Tate Paul, as well as son Ever with Dakota.)
After the 2023 physical altercation, Taylor was arrested and charged with aggregated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief. She subsequently pleaded guilty to aggregated assault in exchange for the dismissal of the remaining charges. She is currently on probation, which is set to expire in August 2026.
Hours after the footage dropped, ABC pulled The Bachelorette season 22.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time” a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson told Us. “Our focus is on supporting the family.”
Dakota subsequently filed for a temporary protective order against Taylor and requested custody of their son, both of which were granted March 20, 2026. A hearing is scheduled for early April 2026.
A Third Investigation Surfaces
NBC News reported on March 25, 2025 that Utah’s West Jordan Police Department were looking into claims made against Taylor Frankie Paul by Dakota Mortensen following an alleged domestic dispute in 2024. Dakota contacted the department in February 2026.
Members of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast are reacting to the news that ABC has canceled Taylor Frankie Paul‘s season of The Bachelorette. The network announced on Thursday, March 19, that they are not moving forward with Taylor’s season amid allegations that she was involved in a domestic violence dispute with ex Dakota […]
Where the Cast Stands Now
Miranda McWhorter and Layla Taylor both spoke out in the wake of the latest alleged altercation, condemning domestic violence on March 20, 2026.
“Everything has been really heavy to see,” Miranda wrote via her Instagram Stories. “Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is something I take very seriously. As a human, and especially a mother, I cannot support that kind of behavior.”
Layla, for her part, noted in a separate statement, “My personal history as a survivor makes it impossible for me to stay silent.”
Despite the cast’s firm condemnation against domestic violence, they haven’t completely iced Taylor out.
“A lot of the girls have texted her to make sure she is OK. People are concerned about her mental health,” a source told Us, adding that Taylor “hasn’t been responding and is a mess.”
As for the future of the show, a second insider told Us, “The girls know they can continue without Taylor and want to keep going.”
The second source added, “This has brought them closer in a way, and they all have been leaning on each other, checking in. They want to make it work and finish out season 5 on a high note.”
Jessi and Jordan’s Divorce Bombshell
The rest of the cast has its own drama, too. Jordan Ngatikaura filed for divorce from Jessi Draper on March 19, 2026, after five years of marriage and just hours after the footage from Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2023 arrest made headlines.
Jessi later claimed on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that she told Jordan she wanted a divorce on March 13 — but he blindsided her by filing first.
“We had made an agreement to do it together, and he blindsided me and filed because he wanted the headline first,” she claimed. “We agreed to tell our children together before filing, and we haven’t done that. … A betrayal.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast is keeping their distance from Taylor Frankie Paul following her alleged altercation with on-off ex Dakota Mortensen. “The [Mormon Wives] cast is afraid of losing more brand deals and money,” a source exclusively tells Us, claiming the group is “refusing to film” with Taylor, 31, if and when […]
And Then, Jessi Kissed Miranda’s Ex
Days after the divorce filing, Jessi Draper was spotted kissing Chase McWhorter — Miranda McWhorter’s ex-husband — at a birthday party. DeuxMoi first reported the sighting, and a source confirmed to Us, “They were having fun at a party and it’s not serious between them.”
Miranda then told Entertainment Tonight she felt blindsided.
“Jessi reached out only after she knew Chase had told me something was going on with them,” she said in a statement. “I feel slighted by my friend. … I also hold my friends to a high standard and believe in girl code.”
After Miranda found out her ex-husband kissed her pal, she received an arrangement of flowers from Jessi.
“I completely understand you being upset with me,” Jessi wrote in a note, which Miranda shared via Instagram. “[I] wanted to send you a little something to let you know I’m thinking about you and I am so so sorry.”
One question remains: Can MomTok survive this drama? Stay tuned.
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.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
Vanessa Trump has returned to social media just days after boyfriend Tiger Woods was arrested for an alleged DUI.
In an Instagram Story on Saturday, March 28, Vanessa reposted daughter Kai Trump’s upload of her at the Miami Open Tennis Tournament with golfer Allan Kournikova and tennis coach Jason Stacy. (Vanessa shares Kai and four other children with ex-husband Donald Trump Jr., whom she divorced in 2018.)
The next day, Vanessa also reshared Kai’s series of photos from the event, including with Aryna Sabalenka.
“I had a great time at the Miami Open! Huge congrats to my friend @arynasabalenka for getting the win,” Kai, 18, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, March 29. “I love what @arynasabalenka and @cocogauff are doing for women sports!”
President Donald Trump expressed concern and sympathy for Tiger Woods following reports of the golf star’s DUI arrest and rollover car crash in Jupiter, Florida. “I feel so bad. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump, 79, told reporters when asked about the incident on Friday, March 27. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know.” […]
News broke on Friday, March 27, that Woods was arrested in Florida after being involved in a rollover accident. He was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit a lawful test.
Authorities claimed that Woods refused a urinalysis test when officers arrived at the scene, but did submit a breathalyzer test — which resulted in triple zeros, suggesting he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Authorities allege Woods was under the influence of drugs, not alcohol.
Woods spent about eight hours in jail before being released around 11 p.m. ET on Friday. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, shared a message of support for Woods.
“I feel so bad. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump, 79, told reporters when asked about the incident on Friday. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. A very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump are two peas in a pod. Woods, 50, and Trump, 48, were seen getting affectionate at a recent golf match in Florida. Before taking a swing, Woods gave his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek, which she returned while wrapping her arms around him. Trump attended the TGL Finals, which […]
The golfer and Vanessa initially sparked dating rumors in 2024. One year later, she was seen supporting Woods at the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational in California. The next month, Woods made their relationship Instagram official.
“Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side!” he captioned a post of the pair. “We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.”
One month later, the president reacted to Vanessa and Woods’ romance.
“I love Tiger and Vanessa,” he told reporters in the Oval Office in March 2025, per a clip shared by the Associated Press. “Vanessa and Don had a very good relationship. They have incredible children, five incredible children, all good athletes, all great students. And they broke up quite a while ago, which was, to me, very sad, because I think they’re both right.”
He noted that Woods “called me a few months ago” to tell him about his new relationship.
“I played golf with him a couple of times over the last month, and he’s a fantastic guy and a fantastic athlete,” he stated. “And he told me about it, and I said, ‘Tiger, that’s good.’ I’m very happy for both [of them]. Let them both be happy. Let them both be happy. They’re both great.”
Back in 1979, Ridley Scott made one of the biggest sci-fi game changers with Alien. The feature revolutionized the genre by seamlessly blending brutal horror with Sigourney Weaver’s action hero final girl and a blood-curdling extraterrestrial creature. The success of the feature spawned a franchise that’s entertaining fans worldwide even today. Now, over 40 years later, the whole franchise is about to arrive on a new streaming platform in just a few days.
In the years since the original movie, the franchise has featured numerous entries from many talented directors, with names like James Cameron and David Fincher picking up the reins and putting their own spin on things. Since the first movie’s success, the franchise has grown with seven titles — nine if you count the Alien vs. Predator crossover films, and you absolutely can with this particular news. Most recently, Fede Álvarez stepped in to deliver Alien: Romulus, bringing the franchise back to life.
The film single-handedly revived fans’ interest in the franchise, with various movies now springing up on streaming services’ top 10 lists. Now, fans have an opportunity to watch the franchise in one place as it’s dropping on HBO Max. Come April 1, Alien, Alien 3, Alien 3: The Assembly Cut, Alien Resurrection, Alien Resurrection: Special Edition, Alien: Director’s Cut, Aliens, Aliens: Director’s Cut, along with crossover films Alien vs. Predator: Requiem: Extended Cut, Alien vs. Predator: Extended Cut and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem all will be available to stream on the same platform, as per ComicBook. As for Romulus, it is available on Disney+ and will arrive on HBO Max with the rest of the franchise on April 3. Prequel films Prometheus and Covenant are already available on the streamer.
Solve the Whodunnit in TV’s Best Mystery Show Today With Collider’s TV Quiz
Do you know Only Murders like the back of your Arconia? We’re about to find out, as you piece together the facts of this quizzical case.
What Do We Know About the Next ‘Alien: Romulus’ Movie?
After the success of Romulus, a sequel was swiftly announced. While Álvarez was originally expected to helm the sequel, he has decided to pass the baton to another director, but stays on as a writer of the feature. He previously told Collider’s Steven Weintraub, “I think with this movie, we kind of check the boxes of all the things that I want to see, and that’s my bet that if I want to see it as a fan, some of you will agree with me and want to see the same things that I want to see. So this was done because there were many things I wanted to bring back, and I wanted to see again.” Further teasing the sequel, he added:
“For a sequel now, I think there’s a vast horizon in front of us for where we can go because Alien is so many things. Alien is Alien, it’s Prometheus, and everything in between. It’s such a big universe. I think now I would love to go, and the plan is to go into truly uncharted waters for the franchise.”
Meanwhile, check out the Alien franchise when it drops on HBO Max April 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more such services.
- Release Date
-
June 22, 1979
- Runtime
-
117 Minutes
- Writers
-
Dan O’Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Yellowstone‘s spinoff Marshals featured a chilling sex trafficking case with Luke Grimes‘ Kayce Dutton pushing his authority as a U.S Marshal.
During the Sunday, March 29, episode of the hit CBS series, Kayce and Miles (Tatanka Means) paired off after a teenage girl from the Reservation — who went missing — was seen by Tate (Brecken Merrill). This led to them discovering multiple women who were catfished into sex trafficking, with Kayce and Miles determined to find justice for them under any means necessary.
That involved giving Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) one of the accomplices to deal with as they decided to in Broken Rock. It also took them on a mission where they appeared to find the missing girls — except they weren’t there once the Marshals tracked them down. A “To Be Continued” message appeared as the case remained unsolved — for now.
Yellowstone, which aired from 2018 to 2024, introduced Us to Kayce as a former U.S. Navy SEAL who became the new owner and operator of his family’s Yellowstone Ranch. He sold the property by the finale, but there was still more story to tell.
Since Yellowstone debuted in 2018, the story of the Dutton family has had enough potential to inspire six spinoffs (and counting) to add to the Paramount Network roster — but with that has come delays. Yellowstone focuses on a powerful family that runs the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Amid their success, the […]
“They started bringing it up when we were filming the last few episodes of the original series. There started to be some offers for a spinoff, and I hadn’t gotten one yet, and I was like, ‘I guess that’s it for me,’” Grimes recalled to Entertainment Weekly in February. “And then I got a call and it was like, ‘It’ll be CBS primetime, and it’ll be more of a procedural format.’”
Despite getting the chance to lead his own show, Grimes was unsure what the story would be.
“In that first conversation with Luke, he was like, ‘Kayce’s happy. That’s not very interesting,’” Marshals creator Spencer Hudnut told EW about working with Grimes on a Yellowstone spinoff. “So we knew that something had to shake him out of that.”
Hudnut and Grimes hinted that Marshals will throw fans for a loop, with the actor teasing, “There’s a reason why Kayce is the only one with the black hat. He’s got a lot going on in his soul. Clearly, he’s got demons, and his arc was trying to heal and find his path. In the original Yellowstone, he did that.”
The next stop in the Yellowstone universe is a spinoff starring Luke Grimes’ character, Kayce Dutton. Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018, introduced viewers to the fictional Dutton family, who own the largest ranch in Montana. After finding success on Paramount, creator Taylor Sheridan grew the Yellowstone world with prequels 1883 and 1923. CBS ordered Marshals, […]
Grimes also addressed the criticism that Kayce isn’t a Dutton who deserved his own Yellowstone spinoff, Marshals.
“I’m my own worst critic,” Grimes said. “I was like, ‘If you take a poll of who people want to have a spinoff, I don’t know if Kayce would be top of that list. I think there’s other characters that they would rather see.’”
Grimes used that as motivation, adding, “So there was a fire under me. Like, it has to be good. If it’s not good, I’d rather not do it. We tried really hard to make sure that any of the original Yellowstone fans would have something to grasp onto.”
He continued: “But if you’d never seen Yellowstone, we wanted this show to make sense on its own as well. I think we accomplished that as much as we possibly could.”
Marshals airs on CBS Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
Amy Duggar King is subtly addressing cousin Joseph Duggar’s claim he’s reading the Bible in jail following his arrest for child molestation.
“OK, I just had to get something off my chest real quick. The bible is not a PR strategy. You can read scripture day and night, all the time, and still avoid the truth. I mean, highlighting verses isn’t going to rewrite your actions. We cannot use faith as a coverup,” Amy, 39, said in a Sunday, March 29, Instagram post. “So, God isn’t impressed by your reading.”
She continued, “He’s impressed with transformation. He’s impressed when someone steps out and literally heals by telling the truth. If there’s no change in your life, then there’s no real repentance.”
Amy captioned the post, “You shall know them by their fruit. Can I get an Amen?”
News broke earlier this month that Joseph, 31, was arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. The arrest came after a 14-year-old girl alleged that Joseph molested her when they were on vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2020.
Joseph appeared in court virtually on March 20 and did not enter a plea. He also waived his right to an extradition hearing. He is currently awaiting extradition to Florida.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time reading, uh, reading the Bible, they got me a Bible in here,” Joseph told wife Kendra Duggar during a phone call from the detention center obtained by People on Friday, March 27. “I’m in solitary [confinement].”
Joseph told his wife, with whom he shares four kids, that he’s spending “23 hours of the day” in “an 8-by-10 area” at the detention center.
“Pretty small area, but I’ve been able to read a lot actually, and resting some, but I’m not sleeping great through the night,” he said.
Amy Duggar King has thanked fans on behalf of her family following the arrests of her cousin Joseph Duggar and his wife, Kendra Duggar. The 19 Kids and Counting alum, 39, shared a message from the “God Lady Talk” Instagram account on Friday, March 27, which read, “Surround yourself with people who pray for you […]
Days after Joseph’s arrest, Us Weekly confirmed that Kendra, 27, was also arrested. She was released that same day on a $1,470 bond. The pair are both facing charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.
A source with knowledge of the case exclusively told Us on March 21 that Kendra’s arrest “has nothing to do with Joseph’s” molestation charge, but claimed “one precipitated the other.”
“After his charge, they automatically do a home study if minors live there. They came to her house,” the source said. “Apparently, they had two rooms where the lock of the doorknob was on the outside instead of inside. They arrested her and took her kids for that, saying it’s evidence that she wrongly detains her kids.”
A spokesperson for the Duggar family told Us in a statement, “[Kendra’s] is a misdemeanor charge totally unrelated to the Florida case.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
Luke Grimes has worn Kayce Dutton’s boots for nearly a decade. First introduced in Yellowstone, the epic neo-Western series about the family behind the largest cattle ranch in Montana, the youngest son of patriarch John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) evolves from living under his father’s thumb to building up a life of his own and finding peace with his wife and son. As the show’s success skyrocketed, it launched a franchise of prequels and sequels and cemented creator Taylor Sheridan as a force in Hollywood. Before Season 1 had even started shooting, Grimes made a trip to Boot Barn outside of Los Angeles to pick up a pair of Ariat boots, wanting to be ready for cowboy camp after landing the role. As luck would have it, the costumer liked them, bought a few extra pairs, and Grimes is still wearing the same boots, hat, and jacket while leading CBS’ Yellowstone sequel spin-off Marshals.
“The jeans are a little different. I think I was just skinnier back then. But everything else still fits,” Grimes jokes on a sunny day in New York as we talk about the character that he has become most closely associated with — and one that is clearly very special to him. Wearing a plaid Pendleton and looking as if he could have just stepped off a ranch, even though Season 1 has already wrapped, doesn’t feel especially surprising. After all, he has played Kayce through five seasons of Yellowstone and now 13 episodes of Marshals, which has since been renewed for Season 2. Landing the role of the former Navy SEAL-turned-rancher marked a turning point in his life and career — one that has made him more recognizable, but also brought a sense of stability in an unpredictable industry.
“I’m a little more recognizable now than I was when we started,” Grimes says. “I hadn’t really dealt with that at all in my life. It’s not to some crazy level. I’m not Brad Pitt walking around. But I do get recognized a lot, and that was very new and very different.”
Since first becoming a Dutton, he also moved to Montana, got married, had a child, and, by his own account, became a completely different man.
Grimes Is Ready To Play Kayce Dutton for As Long as They’ll Let Him
Before filming began on Yellowstone, Grimes wasn’t quite sure what he’d gotten himself into. He arrived in Montana during a massive wildfire, with ash in the air and zero visibility of the mountains. “I remember thinking, ‘Why are we shooting here? This place is ugly.’ And then, the day before we started, it rained, and it cleared all the smoke out of the air. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, this place is absolutely gorgeous.’” That’s where his Yellowstone ride began.
When the series wrapped, five seasons and 53 episodes later, Grimes was convinced he had closed the book on Kayce Dutton and was done forever. “There was no part of me that thought I was going to be going on with any sort of a spin-off,” he says. “For me, it was the last day of Yellowstone. It was like saying goodbye to family. I remember Kelsey [Asbille] and I gave little speeches telling everyone, ‘Thank you,’ and what a beautiful experience it was. Kels was so choked up that she could barely talk. That’s how much it all meant to us. I’ll be lifelong friends with some of the people I worked with there. It was the end of a really beautiful chapter in my life.”
The series finale saw Kayce sell his family’s land to the Broken Rock Reservation on the condition that he could remain there with his wife, Monica (Asbille), and their son, Tate (Becken Merrill), which is about as happy an ending as you could have hoped for on a series with its fair share of violence, murder, and family strife.
When the series wrapped, after having made it out the other side of the reported feud between Sheridan and lead Kevin Costner that resulted in the actor and character’s departure, Grimes was ready to bid Yellowstone farewell. But it turned out that his character wasn’t ready to let him go. The initial pitch of “How about doing a Kayce Dutton procedural?” wasn’t something he was immediately sold on the prospect of.
“I thought it sounded like a really bad idea,” he admits. “I didn’t really, truly know what procedural meant, so I called my friend, and he explained it to me because he’d done one. He said, ‘Dude, that’s going to be a lot of work. It’s a lot more work for you, especially to be the lead of a procedural.’ I was worried about it because it was the unknown.”
After spending five seasons with Sheridan as the driving force behind Yellowstone, Grimes understandably had questions about a Kayce Dutton spin-off on a new network with a new showrunner. What ultimately won Grimes over was a conversation with Marshals showrunner Spencer Hudnut, who brought the experience of seven SEAL Team seasons and a vision for something more than a standard procedural — a hybrid that blends case-of-the-week storytelling into arcs that unfold over a full season or even multiple seasons. “Fundamentally, what it’s about is this team of people, this team of good guys who are going out to find the bad guys. It’s a very simple concept at its core, so the procedural element really works for that.”
I feel very at home with him, and I feel like I would play this guy as long as they would let me.
At the same time, Sheridan is only a phone call away if the need arises, though the goal is for Marshals to stand firmly on its own. “I got a sense from Taylor that he would really appreciate [it] if this thing could stand on its own because he has so much going on,” Grimes says of his former boss. “I also got the sense that if we ever did need him for anything, he was there, and he would make himself available.” In one instance, Grimes did reach out over a casting issue that Sheridan helped resolve. “Honestly, I don’t think it would have been very valuable to anybody had we been bugging him all the time about helping us. That wasn’t the point. The point was he gave us his blessing, and we want to go make something and bring it back done and say, ‘Here it is. I hope you like it.’”
Successfully pulling off a TV series like Marshals is a tricky balancing act: It has to offer enough Yellowstone history to please longtime fans while still telling a story that’s fresh to new viewers. The challenge is reminding audiences why they connected with Kayce in the first place without alienating those unfamiliar with his family’s complicated history. Grimes was keenly aware of that balance. “That was the needle we were trying to thread. If you like the original show, there’s got to be enough in there that you feel like it’s a homage. But also, if you’ve never watched it, we want you to be able to come in fresh and start from Episode 1 and not feel like you were missing out on anything.”
Once Grimes committed to Marshals, his first day on set was very surreal, reminding him of where it all started. “We’re back shooting on the same soundstage that we started Yellowstone on in 2017.” An actor could easily feel boxed in by playing the same character for such a long period of time, but when Grimes says that he feels really blessed, the sincerity is unmistakable. “There are a lot of characters, over the years, that I’ve played that it would feel like torture to have to play for eight or nine years. But with Kayce, if there was going to be one, it would be this one. I feel very at home with him, and I feel like I would play this guy as long as they would let me.”
When Kayce Dutton Lost His Soulmate, Grimes Had To Say Goodbye to a Dear Friend
Kayce Dutton is a character defined by an underlying sadness, carrying a weight that you can feel even when he doesn’t put it into words. Taking a man who seemingly found his happy ending and ripping his soulmate away would understandably have that effect, but as Grimes sees it, pain just finds this guy. “Watching him be happy would be a very lame television show,” he says with a knowing smile. “Part of what’s great about watching him is that he always gets back up. Otherwise, we should have just left them alone and let them be happy. Taylor would be the first to tell you that happiness just isn’t really an option for Kayce Dutton.”
At the start of Marshals, which picks up over a year after the end of Yellowstone, Kayce may have gotten back up after Monica’s death, but he’s still a bit lost with that piece of his life now missing. Grimes himself was heartbroken that Asbille, with whom he had formed a close friendship, wouldn’t be part of the series. “I just felt like, if he still has her, and he still has his dream life, then there’s no show and no point in doing it,” he says. “She’s made her peace with it. She understands that it’s the motor for the whole story.”
Monica’s death — attributed to cancer caused by toxic exposure on the rez — also points to a very real issue. Native American reservations have historically and systematically been targeted as sites for toxic waste disposal, leading to exposure that has long-lasting health impacts. The loss of this wife becomes even more poignant when their son, Tate, holds up her photo (one that they got permission from Asbille to use) at a protest about those toxins underneath the land and clashes with his father as he tries to keep the peace.
“This guy has had the most painful thing that could possibly happen to him happen, after everything else that’s happened to him,” Grimes says, as someone who’s really been through it all with this character. “He’s got to find a whole new direction, or he’s going to fall apart. He’s got to go out and fight for good because otherwise, he will be consumed by his grief. There’s something interesting in watching someone have to find the strength to do something like that.”
Along with procedurals, broadcast TV also tends to love romantic entanglements. Clearly, Kayce isn’t in any kind of space where he could or would entertain that, but Grimes is aware that it won’t stop the network from asking. “I think it’s going to take some time,” he says about whether Kayce will have a love interest. “We’ve talked about it. I understood there were going to be notes from up top about, ‘How do we get this guy back into some sort of romantic thing?’ I just think the audience is going to be mad enough that Monica is dead. If we move on from that too quickly, then I’d be mad, and everybody would be mad. We have to really honor that first, and we do.”
Taylor would be the first to tell you that happiness just isn’t really an option for Kayce Dutton.
He points to a beautiful, profound memorial service scene on the rez in Episode 6’s “Out of the Shadows” as proof of that. “It’s going to be a second,” he continues. “You can maybe play with people coming into Kayce’s life that have some interest, but it’s going to be a while before anything like that is reciprocated.”
With Monica gone, Kayce’s most important relationship is with his son, Tate, his last semblance of family, and the only person who can carry on the Dutton name. That dynamic forces Kayce to confront something uncomfortable: holding onto his dream of a ranch when it’s not what Tate wants mirrors exactly what his father did to him. Now, with his own dream shattered and Tate still too young to know what he wants, the future feels wide open. “Maybe Tate has to move somewhere, and then maybe Kayce has to follow him. Who knows?”
While Yellowstone often felt more like a melodrama for Grimes, Marshals is faster-paced and far more action-packed, forcing him to realize just how unprepared and undertrained he was to shoot 13 episodes. It’s not a mistake he plans to repeat for Season 2. “Honestly, it was unexpected how taxing it was going to be, physically,” he admits. “We started filming, and the scripts kept coming in, and I was like, ‘Oh, another gunfight. Oh, I’m chasing someone in an SUV on a horse.’ It’s just constant. I was like, ‘I’ve made a big mistake. I didn’t train for this. I did not get in shape for this.’” With the plan to do 18-20 episodes in the second season and shooting set to pick back up in May, Grimes jokes that he’ll have to increase cardio and stretch a lot more. “I want to train for longevity. It’s a marathon and a sprint, at the same time.”
Grimes Never Saw ‘American Sniper’ Coming, but Learned Invaluable Lessons From Bradley Cooper
If you rewind to the years before Yellowstone, that marathon arguably began in 2012 with Taken 2, the action-thriller sequel to Liam Neeson’s hit about a retired CIA operative forever being pulled back into danger and forced to rely on his “very particular set of skills.” Grimes was lucky to make it out of that flick alive, and not because of any big fight sequence, but because he played the boyfriend of Neeson’s character’s daughter. “I was only there for one day,” he says with a laugh. “It was very quick. If you blink, you’ll miss me in that movie. It did not feel like I was in a Liam Neeson action movie. It was a very easy day.” Still, he counts the fact that Neeson was very nice to him as a win.
When Grimes moved to New York at 18 to start learning how to act, then to Los Angeles two years later, he wasn’t thinking of anything other than wanting to “get good.” He read every play he could and studied Shakespeare without any real plan to pursue a particular genre or type of character. But growing up hunting, fishing, and watching Westerns with his dad gave him a distinctly American quality. What he never saw coming was that he’d end up playing a Navy SEAL twice.
“I was a very skinny, not athletic, not badass guy at all,” he admits. “To have someone cast me as a Navy SEAL was like, ‘Are they sure? I think they’ve got the wrong guy.’ I could see the Americana thing, and I could see the outdoorsy guy thing, but the team guy/special operator was completely out of left field for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so honored to do it. I just never saw it coming.”
His first turn as a Navy SEAL was in American Sniper, where he played Marc Lee, the first SEAL to lose his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom in a fierce firefight. As one would guess, he found the experience of being directed by Clint Eastwood to be incredibly intimidating, not because he wasn’t nice (Grimes called him “a very kind person”), but because he doesn’t coddle anyone. “You’ve just got to be ready and be on. You’re going to get one take, and then you’re moving on.”
Working alongside Bradley Cooper also left a deep impression on Grimes. As one of the younger guys in that cast, he found Cooper gracious and genuinely invested in lifting his co-stars — something Grimes deeply admired. “There was no, ‘I want to be the person who’s good in this movie, and I want to cut you off at the knees, so you have no opportunity to steal my thunder.’ I see that a lot. People do that. It’s very weird, diva behavior. They’re not all like Bradley. I learned a lot by watching him. If I ever get to that position, I want to be like that. I want to be that guy, and not the other guy.”
Thanks to Clint Eastwood, Grimes Found His Way to ‘Yellowstone’
Grimes credits American Sniper with leading him to Kayce Dutton. Sheridan saw the film while writing Yellowstone, a reminder that acting is only partly about talent and skill, while fate and timing have a hand in it, too. “I’ve definitely thought about that,” he admits. “When you get the sort of job that changes your life in every way, you think about everything that could have gone wrong. The fact that I get to do what I get to do and play a character that I love — it very easily could not have happened. There was a 99.9% chance that this didn’t work out for me. I try to never forget that.”
“Any time I want to complain about anything, or I feel like it’s too much or too crazy,” he continues, “I just have to remember, ‘Dude, you made a bet that you should have lost, and you won. No matter what, be grateful and know that not everybody has their dream come true.’ And now, with my family, it’s even more like that. I have a beautiful wife and a child, and not only do I get to do what I love, but it provides for them. I do pinch myself all the time because I know how incredibly lucky I had to be for all this to work out for me.”
Before riding into the modern Western that is Yellowstone, Grimes appeared in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Magnificent Seven. Set in 1879, the film follows a frontier town that falls under the control of a ruthless robber baron and gold-mining tycoon, protected by an army of hired guns, prompting a widow and her friend (Grimes’ character) to enlist a group of bounty hunters to help free it. The role found him in scenes alongside Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, and Vincent D’Onofrio. But unlike American Sniper, his experience on that set was more of a mixed bag. “I felt imposter syndrome,” Grimes says candidly. “That was the first time I’d been around that many big, powerful people in the business. I definitely felt a little bit out of my element. There were some people there who were very gracious, and some who weren’t. I continued to learn about the way that I would like to be, one day, if I ever got to that level.” The experience also clarified the kinds of roles he didn’t want to keep playing.
Grimes Originally Dreamed of a Career in Comedy
While there’s a clear throughline between projects like Taken 2, American Sniper, and The Magnificent Seven, what seems out of place on Grimes’ resume are the Fifty Shades films — Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed. He admits that when he signed on, he knew the books were popular, but didn’t fully understand what he was stepping into. “When I signed on, Charlie Hunnam, who I was a fan of, was going to play Christian Grey, and I was going to be his brother. The attractive thing to me was that I would be working for two days on the movie. I signed on for all the sequels at the same time, and it was two days on each of those movies.” At the time, it made him more money than he had ever made in his life. “It was a chess move,” he explains. “Not that I’m not grateful. It was amazing. I was able to eat for years because of those movies.”
But then, Hunnam dropped out, and they asked Grimes if he wanted to audition to play Christian instead of Elliot, which he knew wasn’t the right move. “I don’t know if I would have gotten it or not,” he says. “That’s not what I’m trying to say. I knew that I didn’t want that level of responsibility on that movie. I was like, ‘I’ll take my two days, but I don’t know if I’d be very good at being the guy on the poster of this thing.’”
Playing Elliot Grey — and becoming something of the comic relief in the Fifty Shades films — presented another potential path for Grimes: the chance to do comedy. “Believe it or not, when I was growing up, my dream was to be on SNL, as a cast member and not just to host it,” he says. “I was a huge comedy fan. When I was little, I loved Jim Carrey. I loved comedy movies. I always thought that would be something I would do more of, and I hope to. I got to do Eddington last year with Joaquin [Phoenix] and Ari Aster, and that was a dark comedy. I’d love to do more comedy.”
That’s when it felt like, “Okay, I probably will never have to get a normal job again. I can just be an actor now.”
Instead of doing more comedy, Grimes jokes about how he now plays “the saddest guy of all time” as Kayce Dutton. But if Fifty Shades was the job that let him live comfortably for a while, Yellowstone was the one that made him realize he wasn’t going to have to wait tables again. “Yellowstone hit really big around the time we were shooting the fourth season,” he says, “Very early COVID is when the show took on a different life, and everybody started watching it. It wasn’t just middle America anymore. It was New York and L.A., as well. I would get recognized there just as much, which I was very surprised by. That’s when it felt like, ‘Okay, I probably will never have to get a normal job again. I can just be an actor now.’ It took a long time. I was probably 35 years old when that happened.”
Now 42, Grimes is not only more famous but also the guy on the poster. In Marshals, he may just be one member of an elite U.S. Marshals unit — along with Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos), and Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means) — where Kayce can combine his skills as a cowboy and former Navy SEAL to deliver justice across Montana. But he’s also the face carrying on the Dutton legacy. In Episode 2, “Zone of Death,” there’s a moment where Kayce gives teammate Miles some advice the way that only a Dutton can: “There’s always going to be a snake. You can’t reason with it and hope it will back down. You’ve got to be more dangerous than it is.”
It’s a moment that not only shows that Kayce understands what it means to be a Dutton, but it also hints at what’s still to come. “You’re seeing Kayce really in his element, taking Miles under his wing,” explains Grimes. “We’re not really used to seeing Kayce take that leadership position or give anybody advice, so for him to open up and start becoming someone who’s really taking care of business and taking care of other people, it’s a nice change of pace for him.”
Grimes Hopes There Will Be a Dutton Family Reunion in His Future
The spin-off’s strong performance across both live and streaming platforms earned it an early Season 2 renewal — welcome news, considering Grimes reveals that the first season ends on “a very, very big Yellowstone-style cliffhanger.” He also notes that, because Sheridan never told him anything that was coming on Yellowstone, he enjoys being taken along for the ride with everyone else and not having all the details in advance. “I’m getting the scripts a little bit before we’re making them and shooting them, but not too much before, and I really like that. I get some big, broader story ideas just because Spencer wants to know if I have any input on anything.”
After shooting a season of the CBS series, Grimes has a much clearer sense of what a procedural is and how they can push the boundaries of the genre. He’s excited by what could come next and hopes that they can widen the scope even further in the future. “I think the options are endless,” he adds. “We’re not stuck anywhere location-wise anymore. These marshals can get placed anywhere. Maybe not right away, but maybe at some point, we could all get stationed somewhere else. Maybe for a few episodes, we have to go out of the country somewhere and get them all out of their comfort zone. The world is our oyster, in terms of what these marshals can actually get sent to do.”
Marshals isn’t the only Yellowstone spin-off in production. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) are also headed to South Texas for Dutton Ranch, where there will surely be plenty of drama to follow. That also raises the possibility of siblings Kayce and Beth crossing paths again at some point. Grimes lights up at the idea. “I think it’d be great. I think it’d be super fun. I do know that when I signed my contract, there was a stipulation in there for, if we ever do that, how it would work. They haven’t boxed themselves out of being able to do that. Why not?” It may simply come down to what makes more sense: bringing Beth into the Marshals world or sending Kayce over to Dutton Ranch.
Grimes may not have imagined the path his career would take, or that his journey as Kayce Dutton would carry him from one hit series to another, but he remains grounded and ready to follow wherever it leads. As for what comes next, he’s looking to branch out beyond acting and step behind the camera. Whether that means directing an episode of Marshals or tackling material of his own is still an open question. “We’ve talked about possibly directing,” he says. “I have always wanted to direct and write. I have a couple of ideas right now that I’m tinkering with. It’s definitely on my bucket list to write and direct a film for myself.”
Photography: Andrew Lipovsky | Groomer: Benjamin Thigpen | Location: The East Wing, New York
- Release Date
-
2026 – 2026
- Showrunner
-
Spencer Hudnut
- Writers
-
Spencer Hudnut, Tom Mularz, Dana Greenblatt
Crypto World1 second ago
The Connection Between SocialFi and the Blockchain Industry
Entertainment2 minutes ago
The 35 Best ‘Harry Potter’ Spells, Ranked
NewsBeat4 minutes ago
The natural birth movement empowers many women but pressure can also work the other way
-
NewsBeat5 days agoManchester United reach agreement with Casemiro over contract clause amid transfer speculation
-
News Videos4 days agoParliament publishes latest register of MPs’ financial interests
-
Sports7 days agoGary Kirsten Accuses Pakistan Cricket Board Of ‘Interference’, Mohsin Naqvi Responds
-
Sports7 days agoRemo Stars and Kano Pillars Strengthen Survival Hopes in NPFL
-
NewsBeat3 days agoThe Story hosts event on Durham’s historic registers
-
Business4 days agoInstagram, YouTube Found Responsible for Teen’s Mental Health Struggle in Historic Ruling
-
News Videos7 days agoCh 9 Financial Management Part 1 | Detailed One Shot | Class 12 Business Studies Boards 2026
-
NewsBeat5 days agoTesco is selling new Cadbury Dairy Milk bar and people can’t wait to try it
-
Entertainment7 days agoCynthia Bailey Dishes on ‘RHOA’ Season 17, Discusses Kandi
-
Tech7 days agoSamsung will soon let you control smart home devices from your car’s dashboard
-
Entertainment1 day agoLana Del Rey Celebrates Her Husband’s 51st Birthday In New Post
-
Business6 days agoMore women enter wealth management, but few in advisory roles: study
-
NewsBeat7 days agoColombian military plane with 110 soldiers onboard crashes following takeoff
-
Fashion7 days agoFringe Bags for the Season
-
Fashion6 days agoDoes It Matter What You Wear When You’re Laid Off and Looking?
-
NewsBeat6 days agoEntrepreneurs Forum survey reveals optimism in North East
-
NewsBeat6 days agoNASA Artemis II Astronauts enter 14-Day quarantine as moon rocket reaches launchpad
-
Business6 days agoLate-paying firms face multimillion-pound fines under new crackdown
-
Politics7 days agoHow Media Platforms Balance Performance and Accessibility in Image Delivery
-
Crypto World6 days agoBTC gives up $70,000 level as markets mull higher interest rates
You must be logged in to post a comment Login