The power of a great plot twist is undeniable. It can completely transform a show by forcing the audience to rethink everything they thought was true, whether that be a character’s motivations or the rules of the story’s world. Given that, it’s not surprising that thriller TV has practically become obsessed with twists over the years. Of course, some element of surprise is essential to the genre, but when shows start relying on shock value alone, that’s where things start to fall apart.

Genuinely effective twists are much harder to pull off because they require careful setup, emotional payoff, and enough subtle clues for the reveal to feel earned in hindsight. Now, the problem is that most thrillers mistake constant unpredictability for good storytelling. Not the ones on this list, though, because these thriller shows have truly mind-blowing plot twists that completely rewire the audience’s brains.

10

‘Shining Girls’ (2022)

Image via Apple TV+

Shining Girls is one of Apple TV’s most underrated thriller shows because it refuses to follow the traditional rules of the genre. The series, based on Lauren Beukes’s novel, stars Elisabeth Moss as Chicago Sun-Times archivist Kirby Mazrachi, who survived a brutal attack years earlier and still struggles to make sense of reality. Things take a turn when a new murder feels eerily similar to Kirby’s own assault, which leads her to team up with reporter Dan Velazquez (Wagner Moura) and investigate a string of connected cold cases that all lead back to a mysterious serial killer named Harper Curtis (Jamie Bell). The deeper the investigation goes, the clearer it becomes that this is more than just a straightforward crime mystery. Shining Girls does a great job of weaponizing the confusion in its narrative. Kirby’s reality constantly changes without warning. Her apartment shifts, relationships suddenly become different, and even the people around her seem altered from one moment to the next.

Instead of immediately explaining these changes, the series slowly allows the audience to piece things together alongside Kirby herself, so when the twist is finally revealed, it lands with full force. That storytelling approach turns Shining Girls into a thriller that demands complete attention because nearly every detail eventually matters. Unlike most murder mysteries that hide the killer’s identity until the very end, Shining Girls reveals Harper surprisingly early. The real mystery then revolves around understanding how he operates and why reality itself seems to fracture around his victims. Shining Girls, but once the puzzle pieces finally start connecting, it’s impossible to look away.

9

‘Alice in Borderland’ (2020-2025)

Image via Netflix

Alice in Borderland is easily one of the most unpredictable thriller shows Netflix has ever produced. The Japanese survival series, based on Haro Aso’s manga, follows Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), a directionless young man who suddenly finds himself trapped inside a deserted version of Tokyo alongside his friends. Now, survival in this strange world depends on competing in a series of deadly games that test intelligence, teamwork, betrayal, and psychological endurance. Each game is categorized by playing cards that determine both its difficulty and the type of challenge contestants will face, which immediately gives the series a constant sense of unease.

Alice in Borderland quickly establishes that absolutely nobody is safe. The series wastes very little time throwing its characters into horrifying situations where every misstep can lead to immediate death. Yet despite all the spectacle, the show heavily focuses on the emotional and psychological impact these games have on the people forced to participate in them. The twists in Alice in Borderland are effective because they don’t just exist for shock value. In fact, every major revelation completely changes the audience’s understanding of the world itself. Just when viewers think they understand how Borderland operates, the series introduces new information that reframes the stakes all over again, and that becomes the show’s greatest strength.

8

‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)

Image via HBO

Mare of Easttown is one of the strongest crime thrillers in recent times. The HBO miniseries follows Kate Winslet as Marianne “Mare” Sheehan, a detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigating the murder of a teenage mother while simultaneously dealing with a divorce, her son’s suicide, and a custody battle with his formerly heroin-addicted girlfriend over her grandson. Mare of Easttown immediately establishes that Mare is emotionally exhausted long before the central investigation even begins, which is exactly why the murder case slowly affects every aspect of her personal life in unexpected ways. The most interesting part about the show is how it hides its biggest twists inside ordinary conversations and relationships.

The series constantly shifts audience suspicion from one character to another, but none of it ever feels forced. In fact, the show’s small-town setting, where everybody is connected through family histories, generational friendships, and buried secrets, becomes the perfect foundation for those revelations to unfold naturally. Mare of Easttown spends just as much time exploring grief, addiction, loneliness, and broken families as it does solving the murder itself. This gives the series a level of emotional realism that keeps the audience invested until the very end.

7

‘Black Bird’ (2022)

Image via Apple TV

Black Bird is a show that becomes more unsettling as it progresses, especially since it’s based on true events. The Apple TV miniseries follows former high school football star turned drug dealer Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), who is sentenced to 10 years in prison without parole. However, things take a turn when the FBI offers him a dangerous deal. Jimmy is then transferred to a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane to befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) in exchange for a reduced sentence. The catch is that during his time there, he has to gain Larry’s trust and convince him to reveal where the bodies of several murdered women are buried. The seemingly simple task becomes increasingly complicated as the story goes on.

The interesting thing is that Black Bird doesn’t really make use of graphic violence to drive its point. Most of the suspense in the series comes from conversations between the two men, where one wrong move could lead to disaster for Jimmy. The show slowly transforms into a psychological chess match where viewers are never completely sure of who is in control. The twists in Black Bird work because they are tied directly to Jimmy’s growing understanding of Larry. The series constantly forces audiences to question whether Larry is manipulating Jimmy or telling the truth. Every new confession or detail quietly changes the emotional stakes of the story. Not to mention how chilling all of this feels because the audience knows these events are rooted in reality.

6

‘You’ (2018–2025)

Image via Netflix

Netflix’s You, based on Caroline Kepnes’ novels, is a haunting psychological thriller that follows Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a charming bookstore manager whose idea of love quickly spirals into obsession, stalking, manipulation, and even murder. Joe has this habit of inserting himself into the lives of the women he becomes fixated on because he is convinced that every horrific thing he does is somehow justified in the name of love. The series is extremely addictive because it essentially traps the audience inside Joe’s perspective. His internal narration drives the story. The fact that he is intelligent, funny, and self-aware almost convinces the audience of his twisted logic before he does something to remind them how dangerous he really is.

That psychological manipulation becomes one of the show’s smartest tricks because the series constantly blurs the line between romantic fantasy and outright horror. That’s also why the twists in Netflix’s You land so well, because Joe is never allowed to fully control the narrative. Every season introduces characters and revelations that completely destabilize his carefully constructed version of reality. Sometimes the biggest surprises come from the women Joe becomes obsessed with, who often turn out to be far more complicated and unpredictable than he initially assumes. Other twists emerge from Joe himself, especially once the series starts exploring his past and the psychological consequences of him constantly reinventing his identity to escape it. You is an unconventional thriller because it understands that Joe’s charm is part of what makes him dangerous. Just when viewers think they understand Joe Goldberg or where the story is heading next, the series finds another way to pull the rug from under them.

5

‘Behind Her Eyes’ (2021)

Image via Netflix

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Behind Her Eyes is one of the most unpredictable psychological thrillers of all time. The series, based on Sarah Pinborough’s bestselling novel, follows single mother Louise (Simona Brown), who begins an affair with her new boss David (Tom Bateman), only to unexpectedly strike up a friendship with his mysterious wife Adele (Eve Hewson). At first, the setup feels like a fairly familiar domestic thriller built around a love triangle and hidden secrets. However, Behind Her Eyes slowly reveals that there is something far stranger and far more unsettling happening underneath David and Adele’s seemingly perfect marriage. The show thrives in restraint and carefully controls information. The audience gets just enough clues to sense that something is off without fully understanding why.

Adele’s behavior, in particular, becomes increasingly difficult to read because she shifts so effortlessly between vulnerable, lonely, manipulative, and terrifying. At the same time, David constantly feels like a man trapped inside a situation the audience cannot fully understand yet. That uncertainty becomes the driving force of the series because every episode subtly changes the audience’s perception of these characters and their relationships. The stakes rise when Behind Her Eyes slowly introduces supernatural elements involving lucid dreaming and astral projection, which completely transform the direction of the story. By the time the miniseries reaches its infamous final twist, it almost feels inevitable because the clues leading up to it were always there from the very beginning. That kind of intentional storytelling is exactly why Behind Her Eyes stays with the audience long after the credits roll.

4

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–1991)

Image via ABC

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Twin Peaks is an unsettling mystery series that completely redefined television back in the day. The show created by David Lynch and Mark Frost is surreal, psychological, funny, and shocking at the same time in a way that still feels unique over three decades later. The series begins with the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the quiet town of Twin Peaks. FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) arrives to investigate the case and quickly realizes that the seemingly ordinary town hides an endless web of secrets, corruption, strange relationships, and increasingly bizarre supernatural forces. The initial murder mystery slowly transforms into something far stranger and more unpredictable than audiences could have anticipated at the time.

Twin Peaks constantly destabilizes the viewers’ expectations. The series hops between genres, including soap opera melodrama, dark comedy, supernatural horror, and detective fiction, in ways that should absolutely not work together, yet somehow do. That unpredictability becomes one of the show’s greatest strengths because viewers never fully know what kind of emotional or narrative turn is coming next. The mystery surrounding Laura Palmer’s death drives the series, but as the investigation deepens, the show introduces dream sequences, cryptic visions, supernatural entities, and clues that often feel impossible to interpret. In fact, the show often treats its twists less as answers and more as doors to even stranger realities. Twin Peaks remains one of the boldest thriller series ever made because it refuses to explain itself in conventional ways fully.

3

‘Dark’ (2017–2020)

Image via Netflix

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Dark is Netflix’s first German-language original series that is both mind-boggling and gut-wrenching. The story begins with the disappearance of a young boy in the small town of Winden, but what initially feels like a missing-person mystery quickly expands into a narrative involving time travel, generational trauma, and interconnected family secrets spanning multiple decades. As different characters begin uncovering strange connections between the past, present, and future, Dark slowly reveals that nearly everyone in Winden is trapped inside a cycle they barely understand.

The series keeps introducing new information that forces its characters and the audience to reevaluate everything that came before. Family trees become increasingly complicated, and timelines overlap in unexpected ways. This obviously means that Dark demands the viewers’ full attention because not one scene in the show is random or poorly planned. Despite how complex the narrative becomes, it all comes together perfectly in the end. Yet somehow, despite all the twists and tangled storylines, the emotional core of the show never gets lost. That balance between deeply human storytelling and genuinely jaw-dropping twists is exactly why Dark remains one of Netflix’s most unforgettable thriller series.

2

‘Severance’ (2022–Present)

Image via Apple TV

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Severance is undisputedly one of the smartest psychological thrillers television has produced in years. The Apple TV series follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott), an employee at the mysterious biotechnology company Lumon Industries, where workers undergo a surgical procedure called severance that completely separates their work memories from their personal lives. Their innie exists only inside the office, while their outie remembers nothing about what happens during the workday. At first, the process appears to be an unsettling corporate experiment about work-life balance.

However, it doesn’t take long for things to take a darker turn. Nearly every episode of the sci-fi thriller show introduces strange rules, cryptic corporate rituals, or employee behavior that quietly suggests Lumon is hiding something much larger beneath the surface. The audience experiences the mystery almost entirely through the perspective of the innies and their limited knowledge. That alone creates an existential horror that never leaves the viewer. The series spends most of its time trapping the characters and viewers inside Lumon’s suffocating environment, which makes every revelation feel massive. What truly separates Severance from most thriller series, though, is how the show’s twists are always tied to larger ideas about identity, memory, grief, and corporate control.

1

‘1899’ (2022)

Image via Netflix

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1899 is a thriller mystery created by Dark showrunners Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. The Netflix series follows a group of passengers traveling from Europe to America aboard a steamship called the Kerberos in 1899. However, things take a disturbing turn once the crew discovers another ship, the Prometheus, drifting aimlessly in the middle of the ocean after having vanished months earlier. From there, the story transforms into a disorienting psychological maze filled with hidden identities, shifting realities, and increasingly impossible events. Nearly every passenger aboard the Kerberos is hiding secrets, which immediately creates an atmosphere where nobody fully trusts each other.

The show also uses its multilingual cast brilliantly because characters constantly struggle to communicate despite sharing the same space. That disconnect adds another layer of tension to the series since misunderstandings and isolation become just as dangerous as the central mystery. 1899 embraces its ambiguity and makes sure that every twist lands with purpose. The show constantly rewards audiences who pay close attention to visual clues, repeated symbols, and subtle details hidden throughout the narrative. By the time the final episodes arrive, the audience is so fully immersed in the show’s shifting realities that they almost feel like passengers themselves.

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1899

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Release Date

2022 – 2022-00-00

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Network

Netflix

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Writers

Jantje Friese, Dario Madrona López Gallego, Emma Ko, Jerome Bucchan-Nelson, Juliana Lima Dehne, Emil Nygaard Albertsen

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Movies become cult classics for a reason, presumably because they were practically engineered to be watched on a lazy Saturday afternoon as a kid with the rest of the family. Treasure maps? Check. Booby traps? Got those too. Pirate legends, weird gadgets, even weirder looking kids in the best possible way, and everyone’s getting grimy and dirty almost from the get-go? This movie is perfect.

The Goonies is streaming for free on Pluto this month, making now a perfect time to never say die and go back to the 1980s. Directed by Richard Donner and based on a story by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of kids who discover an old treasure map and set off on a dangerous adventure to find the lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy.

The cast includes Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) as Mikey Walsh, Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) as Brand Walsh, Jeff Cohen as Chunk, Corey Feldman (Stand by Me) as Mouth, Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Data, Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope) as Stef, John Matuszak (North Dallas Forty) as Sloth, and Anne Ramsey (Throw Momma from the Train) as Mama Fratelli.

How Successful Was ‘The Goonies’?

Financially, The Goonies was a solid success, especially for a family movie that wasn’t built around a pre-existing franchise. It reportedly cost around $19 million and grossed about $64.3 million domestically, with its total usually $65 million worldwide. It was not a huge hit overseas, as you can tell. Adjusted for today, that means its budget would be about $57 million, while its domestic gross would be around $192 million.

Now, critically is where it gets interesting, because the movie is pretty much universally considered a classic. Not the case at the time, however. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 77%, with the consensus calling it “an energetic, sometimes noisy mix of Spielbergian sentiment and funhouse tricks” that appeals to kids and nostalgic adults. Obviously, this is a classic example of a movie that found its audience on home video, and repeat watches are what cemented it in the minds of American youths all through the 1980s and beyond.

The Goonies is streaming for free on Pluto this month.

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Release Date

June 7, 1985

Runtime

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114 minutes

Director

Richard Donner

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Producers

Harvey Bernhard

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Jennifer Lawrence always looks effortless, but her latest sandal style takes it to a whole new level. She proved that comfy and chic can totally go together, and all it takes is this $25 look on Amazon.

Lawrence was spotted with her little one in the West Village, iced coffee in hand, wearing a soft T-shirt, slouchy lounge pants and easy cork sandals that channeled instant cool-mom vibes. These classic slip-ons are identical, giving you the same off-duty vibes, effortless polish and real arch support for two digits, not three. Thousands of five-star reviews don’t lie!

Get the Odoly Cork Slide Sandals for $25 (was $34) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

The Odoly Cork Slide Sandals mirror J.Law’s in every way: two clean straps across the top, a sleek cork footbed and adjustable buckles that let you customize the fit. They’re a summer staple that works with absolutely everything in your closet, from linen pants and trousers to denim skirts and sundresses. Rich mom style, zero effort.

Related: Jennifer Lopez‘s Summer Red Bag Style Is the Easiest Rich Mom Upgrade

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If you associate red with winter, think again! Rich moms are swapping summer pastels for red, including Jennifer Lopez, who recently approved the red bag trend we’re seeing all over New York, Los Angeles and Paris. Her pick, of course, has a designer label, but we found an eerily similar version on Amazon. Lopez attended […]

What sets these timeless slides apart from average sandals is the arch support. The contoured insole cradles your foot the way orthotics do, except it’s sleek and doesn’t require a podiatrist’s referral. Cork magically molds to the shape of your foot over time, so the longer you wear them, the more comfortable they get.

Walkers are exceptionally enthusiastic. One happy reviewer wrote, “I ended up wearing them to Magic Kingdom later in my trip, too, because they were comfier than my regular Adidas sneakers.”

Another five-star fan shared, “I’m a travel agent and do several resort/site inspections . . . On an average day of visits, I can clock in about 14,000 steps . . . My last pair lasted me eight years, two passports and countless site inspections and even a trek up the pyramids in Egypt. So yeah, I love these for walking.”

Lawrence styled hers with relaxed loungewear, but these cork sandals earn their keep across an entire summer wardrobe. Throw them on with a midi skirt and a tank for brunch, then cropped trousers and a button-up for date night. They’ll carry you through farmers’ markets, travel days and school pickups alike.

At just $25, this celebrity-inspired look is already in our cart!

Get the Odoly Cork Slide Sandals for $25 (was $34) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

Not what you’re looking for? Shop other chic sandals and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

Related: Skip Chunky Sneakers — These Rich Mom Walking Sandals Are Comfier

‘Walking’ and ‘sandals’ might feel like contradictory terms, and for a while, they were. But it’s 2026. Designers have finally heard our wishes, creating chic walking sandals that deliver the support of sneakers with the style of summer. They’re still hard to come by, but we found 15 comfy sandals that effortlessly balance comfort and […]

Brad Pitt cuddled up with girlfriend Ines de Ramon during a visit to the French Open.

The couple made a rare public appearance on Saturday, June 6, to watch Mirra Andreeva secure the first Grand Slam title of her tennis career with a 6-3, 6-3, win over Maja Chwalińska in the women’s singles final on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris, France.

At various points during the finals match, Pitt, 62, draped his arm over de Ramon’s back while they cheered for the exciting action.

The two-time Oscar winner sported a goatee and wore aviator-style sunglasses with a casual styling of his hair. His girlfriend opted for a green leather jacket over a flowing cream-colored dress.

Pitt and de Ramon, 33, rarely step out in public, although they put up a united front to promote Pitt’s racing drama F1 on the red carpet at its London premiere in June 2025.

In addition to keeping their public appearances to a minimum, Pitt has rarely discussed his latest relationship in interviews. One exception was a 2025 profile in GQ where he shut down speculation over whether he and de Ramon purposefully made their public debut at the 2024 British Grand Prix and then walked the red carpet for his Formula One-themed movie one year later.

“It’s not that calculated,” he insisted. “If you’re living … oh my God, how exhausting would that be? If you’re living with making those kinds of calculations? No, life just evolves. Relationships evolve.”

Pitt and de Ramon started dating in 2022 after both got out of very high-profile relationships in the past. Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston from 2000 to 2005 and later to Angelina Jolie from 2014 to 2019 while de Ramon’s three-year marriage to The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley ended in September 2022.

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Related: Why Brad Pitt’s Romance With Ines de Ramon Is ‘A Big Deal’ for Him

Brad Pitt’s romance with Ines de Ramon is the real deal. “They’re super in love,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly of the couple. “Ines has been a huge support system for Brad during the legal feud with [ex-wife] Angelina [Jolie] and what’s happened with their kids. It’s been devastating for him. He hasn’t addressed […]

Us Weekly exclusively reported in December 2025 that Pitt and de Ramon were “still going strong and are very committed,” per a source. The insider suggested that the relationship partially works because de Ramon “has no interest in being in the spotlight and that is what Brad admired about her when they met.”

As for whether they will ever tie the knot, the source told Us, “They aren’t interested in getting married and are on the same page about that. [There are] no wedding plans at the moment. They are super happy in this phase of their relationship and not rushing into anything.”

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Meanwhile, Pitt seemingly has strained relationships with at least some of the six children he shares with ex Jolie, 51. (The former couple are parents to Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 17.)

Amid reports that Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh have all distanced themselves from using Pitt’s last name in recent years, a source exclusively told Us in May that the actor feels “hurt” that his children have disconnected from him, though he remains hopeful of reconnecting someday.

“[Brad] still does hope and keeps the door open to eventual reconciliation, hopefully with all of them, but it is their decision,” the insider explained. “He has no power and he can’t force them.”

Have you ever wondered what happens when a movie throws subtlety out the window? Well, this insane ’90s action-fest is your answer. This is not a “cop chases bad guy” situation; this sees the cop and bad guy take each other’s identities, hamming it up to high heaven while doves, bullets, speedboats and blood all fly past the camera in slow motion.

Face/Off is streaming for free on Pluto this month, so you absolutely must stop what you’re doing and designate two hours to watch John Woo‘s cataclysm of majestic and balletic nonsense. The film stars John Travolta as Nicolas Cage, and Nicolas Cage as John Travolta. That’s what the movie is. Genuinely. It’s that good, and it’s that utterly deranged.

But the thing is, this would not work unless everybody truly committed 100% to the bit. These are exaggerated good guys and bad guys, and there’s utterly nothing subtle about it, because if the film tried to play it straight, it would never work. It’s like if professional wrestling decided it wanted to become a blockbuster movie, and it’s all the better for it.

Alongside the A-list double-bill of Cage and Travolta, Face/Off also stars Joan Allen (Room) as Eve Archer, Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark) as Pollux Troy, Gina Gershon (Bound) as Sasha Hassler, Dominique Swain (Lolita) as Jamie Archer, and Nick Cassavetes (The Wraith) as Dietrich Hassler.

Was ‘Face/Off’ a Success?

Financially, Face/Off was absolutely a hit, and honestly a pretty big one for how completely deranged the premise is. It opened at No. 1 domestically with $23.4 million, beating Disney’s Hercules, and went on to gross $112.3 million domestic and $245.7 million worldwide against a reported $80 million budget. And to the surprise of nobody, it was a critical smash too. How can it not be? It is one of the stupidest ideas ever committed to celluloid and ends up being two hours of utter genius. Rotten Tomatoes currently has it at 93%, while it also earned a strong 82 on Metacritic, and audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore, which is a great score when you consider… they actually swap faces!

Face/Off is streaming for free on Pluto this month.

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Release Date

June 27, 1997

Runtime

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139 minutes

Writers

Michael Colleary, Mike Werb

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Producers

Barrie M. Osborne, Christopher Godsick, David Permut

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This is a plane nobody will ever want to get off, even if you’re being roughly ordered to do so. It’s built around some very simple questions like: What if terrorists didn’t take over a building, but took over the most famous plane in the world to use it as ransom? But what if the most powerful man in the world was on the plane, and he decided that now was the time to pretend to be Rambo? See how good that sounds?

Air Force One is streaming for free on Pluto this month, bringing one of the great ’90s action thrillers back into rotation. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the film follows the dignified yet hard President James Marshall (Harrison Ford), a decorated veteran and sitting president whose plane is hijacked by terrorists led by the Russian criminal, Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman). All the while, on the ground, the rest of the White House cabinet tries desperately to negotiate and regain some measure of control.

The cast alongside Ford and Oldman includes Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction) as Vice President Kathryn Bennett, Wendy Crewson (The Santa Clause) as Grace Marshall, Liesel Matthews (A Little Princess) as Alice Marshall, William H. Macy (Fargo) as Major Caldwell, Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap) as Defense Secretary Walter Dean, and Xander Berkeley (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) as Secret Service Agent Gibbs.

Was ‘Air Force One’ Successful?

Air Force One was a huge hit. This was the kind of original action flick that made serious bank that either wouldn’t get made today, or would just go straight to streaming. The film grossed about $172.7 million domestically and $315.2 million worldwide against a reported $85 million budget. Adjusted for today, that’s roughly $337 million domestic, $615 million worldwide, and a budget of about $166 million. So we’re talking a super smash hit here. But for a movie to be this successful, it also has to be good, and it was a hit with critics too. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 78%, with the consensus calling it “full of palpable, if not entirely seamless, thrills,” while Metacritic listed it as generally favorable and audiences gave it an A CinemaScore.

Air Force One is streaming for free on Pluto this month.

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Release Date

July 25, 1997

Runtime

124 minutes

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Director

Wolfgang Petersen

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Writers

Andrew W. Marlowe

Producers

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Armyan Bernstein, Gail Katz, Jonathan Shestack

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 4 seconds ago

The Battlestar Galactica reboot is renowned as one of the best sci-fi series of the modern age. Showrunner Ronald D. Moore got his start by writing extensively for Star Trek: The Next Generation. He took those early writing lessons to transform his own show into the polar opposite of Trek: instead of being an episodic, optimistic utopia, Galactica was a serialized, brutal dystopia. This was perfectly fitting for a show about humanity’s endless fight against genocidal robots. But as with all great sci-fi shows, Battlestar Galactica uses its futuristic tales to express the concerns of the present day.

At the time, one of the biggest national anxieties was the so-called War on Terror. After the 9/11 terror attack, many Americans were all too happy to wage battle against a ruthless foe that killed thousands of civilians in the most brutal attack since Pearl Harbor. Eventually, many began to wonder if the ultimate cost of the War on Terror would be our humanity. Battlestar Galactica was the boldest commentary on America’s post 9/11 anxieties, but not right away. In fact, it wasn’t until Moore clashed with the network over the episode “Flesh and Bone” that BSG became an unapologetic (yet surprisingly unpreachy) critique of the George W. Bush administration.

The War On (Space) Terror

“Flesh and Bone” was a Season 1 Battlestar Galactica episode in which Starbuck interrogated a Cylon, Leoben, who had infiltrated the civilian fleet. When the Cylon reveals that he has hidden a nuclear bomb somewhere in the fleet that will detonate in nine hours, Starbuck resorts to torturing him; rather than revealing the location of the bomb, though, he wants to rant about religion and the importance of the one, true God. The torture intensifies, and shortly before the nine hours are up, Leoben admits to President Roslin that there was never any bomb. In turn, she has him summarily executed by getting airlocked into space.

You don’t have to be a Political Science major to see how “Flesh and Bone” was meant to parallel the War on Terror. Starbuck is someone who must deal with the scenario that came up during every single debate about torture in the early aughts: “What if a bomb is about to go off, and this is the only way to find it?” The fictional Starbuck eventually takes her cue from real-life American soldiers and waterboards her foe (a religious extremist, no less!), but she doesn’t get any answers. The final revelation that there never was a bomb in the first place makes the torture look that much uglier because it was all for, quite literally, nothing. 

The Abyss Gazes Also

Interestingly, the torture in this episode was initially going to be much, much more severe. According to Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, episode writer Toni Graphia revealed that, “In one draft, Leoben had electrodes hooked up to him…Ron decided we weren’t going to do any fancy torture techniques, because the show doesn’t do a lot of high-tech stuff.” Plus, he eventually concluded that “the heart of the episode wasn’t really about the method of torture, it was about one of the show’s most tough-@ss characters developing a little empathy towards the enemy.” 

In an interview with Concurring Opinions, Battlestar Galactica executive producer David Eick revealed that this episode “represented the most extreme period of tension and disagreement between ourselves and the network.” He reiterated that earlier drafts of the script had more extreme torture scenes that “were emblematic of what was going on at Guantanamo and places like that.” While the final episode did tone things down a bit, it didn’t soften the ugliness of Starbuck’s actions. “It became our argument because we were trying to take something real and force the audience to have the same trouble with it that the network was having.”

All Of This Has Happened Before

Eick and Moore obviously won that argument, as evidenced by the prominent torture scenes in “Flesh and Blood” and the other uncomfortable War on Terror parallels (including suicide bombers fighting the Cylons) in future episodes. As recorded in Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, Moore claimed that “Flesh and Bone” “was obviously influenced by the Abu Ghraib incident, and all the other examples of prisoners being tortured.” He deliberately avoided any Picard-style speeches about torture, though, because “We wanted to really make viewers think about the issue, without preaching to anyone about it.” In some ways, that’s Battestar Galactica’s biggest strength: It expresses big ideas without telling you directly what to think.

According to Ronald D. Moore, the War on Terror commentary helped inform the show’s other big themes. “We wanted to do an episode that was complicated and also touched upon the larger sort of thematic and theological issues of the show,” he said. Eventually, the show regularly pulled off a narrative hat trick with stories that balanced thrilling narratives with crunchy themes and mind-bending religious questions. But Battlestar Galactica’s transformation into the best sci-fi show of the modern age began with “Flesh and Bone,” a Season 1 episode that helps prove an old adage: whenever you piss off the network, you know you’re doing something right!

Rebecca Gayheart and the late Eric Dane’s 14-year-old daughter, Georgia, completed her middle school career just four months after the Grey’s Anatomy alum’s tragic death.

“Congratulations Georgia!!! You have graduated middle school and survived an incredibly difficult year,” Gayheart, 54, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, June 6, sharing photos from the milestone ceremony. “I am so beyond proud of you — your tenacity, grit and grace has been on full display.”

She continued, “Welcome to high school — I have no doubt you’re ready. I am so excited for you! Not pictured is your MVP trophy for beach volleyball. Bravo, congratulations and I love you so much ♥️.”

Dane’s former Grey’s Anatomy costar Ellen Pompeo shared her well wishes for Georgia in the comments section.

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Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart’s relationship wasn’t always smooth sailing, but their daughters had always been their guiding light. The pair tied the knot in 2004 and expanded their family in March 2010 with the birth of daughter Billie. Their second daughter, Georgia, was born in December 2011. Gayheart filed for divorce in February 2018, […]

“Congratulations Georgia!!! Well Done,” Pompeo, 56, wrote via Instagram comment. “Your mama’s words are perfect!!!”

In addition to Georgia, Gayheart and Dane shared 16-year-old daughter Billie. The Euphoria actor died in February after a battle with ALS. He was 53.

“I think they would lead with I’m a reactive person. ‘My dad was a reactive person,’ [which is] not necessarily a negative connotation,” Dane said in a posthumous Famous Last Words interview, predicting what would be said during his kids’ eulogy. “Some of their core memories involve me reacting to something. … I think that they would say I was pretty tough [and] resilient.”

He continued at the time, “They would say I was loving and I was really endearing and compassionate and empathetic and trustworthy. I’m a good dad. We did some really great traveling. We went to Europe one year, and there was a time where we were ripping through the French countryside with the kids in the back of this crazy little car we rented.”

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Related: Rebecca Gayheart Addresses ‘Difficult Time’ After Eric Dane’s Death at 53

Rebecca Gayheart has spoken out after Eric Dane’s tragic death at 53. “I am so blown away by the outpouring of love and support from our community,” Gayheart, 54, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Sunday, February 22. “There aren’t words to express our gratitude.” She concluded, “You are truly holding us up during this […]

According to Dane, he was hopeful that Billie and Georgia always remembered his tireless support.

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“I think showing up is the No. 1 quality,” the actor said in the interview, which premiered hours after his death. “I haven’t been perfect with that, but I’ve always been there when it mattered. Well, their mother and I are no longer together. We’re still best friends, but we’re not together.”

Dane and Gayheart were married from 2004 to 2018 before the Jawbreakers actress filed for divorce. She ultimately withdrew her petition in 2025 after Dane was diagnosed with ALS.

“Just by virtue of the distance and us living in separate homes, there’s a lot of time lost there,” Dane added in Famous Last Words. “I made sure that I can be there as much as possible — and certainly when it counts. I’ve shown up to all of Billie’s ballet recitals. I’ve been to many Nutcrackers, and I’ll tell you, there’s a couple pieces in there that are beautiful but Jesus, that thing drones on, man. It’s three hours, but I’ve been to all of them.”

The way American families cook, snack and gather around the table is shifting faster than the dinner bell can ring. Three food trends are reshaping home kitchens in 2026: a protein push that touches every meal, the rise of grazing over sit-down dinners and a renewed focus on slipping vegetables into food kids actually want to eat.

For parents juggling sports schedules, hybrid work and after-school chaos, these changes are not just lifestyle tweaks — they are the new playbook for feeding a household.

Why Protein Is Leading Food Trends in 2026

Protein has graduated from gym-bag territory to the center of the family plate. Parents are building meals around it first — eggs, chicken, Greek yogurt, beans and tofu — and rethinking what goes in the lunchbox.

Kid-friendly snacks are following suit. Crackers are giving way to jerky, yogurt pouches and protein muffins. Breakfast, long the most carb-heavy meal of the day, is now the most protein-heavy in many homes.

Sarah Jenkins, writing for The Seattle Times, put it this way: “Protein remains a dominant force in what consumers buy and cook. One recent trend report names powerhouse protein as the top consumer driver for 2026, highlighting nearly 60 percent of global consumers seek protein for overall health across meals and snacks.”

That nearly 60 percent figure helps explain why supermarket aisles, restaurant menus and meal-kit services are all leaning into high-protein options at once.

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How Grazing Is Replacing the Traditional Family Dinner

The three-meals-a-day structure that defined the American household for generations is loosening its grip. In its place: smaller, more frequent eating moments that fit the rhythm of modern family life.

Snack plates — fruit, cheese, a protein, a dip — are stepping in for lunch on busy days. After-school grazing boards are becoming a household norm. The shift maps neatly onto schedules built around remote work, hybrid routines and back-to-back activities.

Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju, writing in The Washington Times, described the change this way: “This has real implications for how families cook and eat together. The sit-down dinner isn’t disappearing entirely, but it’s no longer the only model. Staggered work schedules, after-school activities, and the sheer unpredictability of modern life mean that getting everyone to the table at the same time is harder than ever. For busy households, having a rotation of ‘mini meals’ on hand, foods that can be eaten alone or assembled into something larger, may be more realistic than insisting on a 6 p.m. gathering every night.”

In other words, the dinner table is not gone. It is just sharing space with the kitchen island, the back seat and the after-practice couch.

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Why Hidden Vegetables Matter for Picky Eaters

The third trend tackles the oldest battle in family kitchens: getting kids to eat their vegetables. The new approach is less about negotiation and more about integration.

Michael Allen, CEO of Kidfresh, summed up the shift: “Hidden veggies, visible impact: Parents love when vegetables are integrated naturally into meals kids actually enjoy. The goal isn’t to hide nutrition; it’s to make it delicious and a seamless part of the eating experience.”

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That framing — nutrition as a feature of food kids already want, not a punishment tacked onto it — points to where packaged foods, recipes and meal planning are headed in 2026.

What 2026 Food Trends Mean for Family Kitchens

Taken together, these trends sketch a clear picture of the 2026 family kitchen, protein-forward, schedule-flexible and quietly nutrient-dense. Breakfast carries more weight. Lunch may look more like a board than a plate. Vegetables show up where kids are already happy to eat.

For parents trying to keep up, the takeaway is less about overhauling the pantry and more about giving permission to adapt — to swap the rigid dinner hour for a rotation of mini meals, the cracker pack for a protein muffin and the vegetable standoff for a meal that just happens to include broccoli.

Tony Goldwyn played two-term president Fitzgerald Grant III on Scandal, but would he ever consider tackling the job in real life?

“Do people constantly ask you to run for president in real life?” Goldwyn’s Scandal costar Kerry Washington asked her former TV love interest, 66, during the Saturday, June 6, episode of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series.

According to Goldwyn, he “generally” gets asked about any political ambitions while standing “on a street corner.”

“I used to say thank you so much, but that’s a really bad idea,” he added.

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For six years, fans witnessed Kerry Washington’s Scandal character Olivia Pope solve the impossible. The ABC drama quickly changed the landscape of TV — even after it concluded in 2018 after 7 seasons. Created by TV mogul Shonda Rhimes, Scandal follows Olivia Pope as she launches a crisis management firm. She left her position as […]

Washington, 49, took a different stance on the issue.

“I don’t think you would be a terrible president, to be honest,” Washington, who starred as Olivia Pope on Scandal, noted. “You’d assemble a really wonderful Cabinet and team around you. And you care!”

Goldwyn, who affirmed that he would care about the gig, noted his plans to enlist Washington for a cabinet position.

“You would not bring me. I would not be available,” she joked. “You’re such a nice guy, clearly.”

Scandal, created by producer Shonda Rhimes, followed a D.C. fixer named Olivia Pope amid her on-and-off affair with Fitz despite his presidency and marriage. Scandal wrapped in 2018 after seven seasons, with Olivia and Fitz getting back together.

“They weren’t the healthiest couple,” Washington admitted on Saturday’s episode. “That doesn’t mean they weren’t madly in love, but they had some difficulties, which is why people loved it. What did you think about the ending?”

Goldwyn and Washington both concurred that they “loved” the finale story arc.

“I feel that Fitz and Olivia are together,” Goldwyn predicted of the beloved Olitz ship. “I feel that what we had at the root of it was very real, and it’s why we could never get away from it — as opposed to being something that was ultimately dysfunctional. I thought ultimately these two people were their answer to each other.”

While Washington similarly believes Olivia and Fitz finally made their romance work, she noted that they’d likely be in “couple’s therapy.”

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Shonda Rhimes is one of the greatest TV writers of all time, creating iconic shows fans can’t stop talking about. But which of her shows’ stars — past or present — is she closest with now? “Oh, that’s interesting,” Rhimes, 55, said during the Wednesday, October 8, episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast before […]

“Yes, regularly!” Goldwyn quipped. “Because they know that’s what they have to do to survive, but I think Fitz [also] spent some time in Vermont. He needed to get out of the toxic patterns. I think Olivia probably taught him how to make jam, but then when she ate his jam, she’s like, ‘Your jam sucks!’”

Regardless of Fitz’s lack of jam-making talent, Goldwyn was sure of one thing about where Olivia and Fitz ended up.

“I feel like he was very supportive of her trajectory — whether she became president of the United States or whatever her thing was,” he said. “I feel like his real jones was to help this woman be, like, her best self.”