By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 39 seconds ago

Not every anime needs to go for hundreds of episodes to tell a fulfilling and thought-provoking story, and a few only need a dozen or fewer to leave a lasting impact. From Paranoia Agent to Afro Samurai, it’s not the length of the story that matters, but how well it’s told. To that end, one of the greatest anime of the 90s, Serial Experiment Lain, will haunt you for years after watching only 13 episodes.

Serial Experiments Lain is from the subset of horror that relies less on jump scares and more on a pervasive feeling of unease that there’s something not right with the world. Instead of scaring you, the series forces you to confront the terrifying reality of life and what it means to be human. From the slightly off-putting animation style to the use of discordant music, everything about the series puts you on edge, and it’s one of the best anime ever made.

A Dead Classmate Starts Sending Emails

I had forgotten how low-key the story of Serial Experiments Lain starts, when Lain, an introverted and meek teenage girl, becomes fascinated by the concept of the Wired, a virtual world. The interest starts when a dead classmate starts sending emails to her former classmates about the Wired, and it only picks up when Lain’s dad upgrades her home computer, and she slowly starts to lose herself in the virtual world.

What’s strange is that after Lain meets people in reality, they always say they’ve seen her before, yet her personality is the complete opposite of their description.

An Influence On The Matrix

Trying to describe Serial Experiments Lain is difficult, and there’s a reason that this is another anime cited by the Wachowskis as influencing the story of The Matrix, but it’s also widely compared to Twin Peaks and the work of David Lynch. Similar to the director’s work, the anime series isn’t a linear story, with later episodes turning the early events on their heads, but in the end, everything does tie together and make sense. Mostly. You’ll have some questions.

Whenever I hear that a piece of media, from a book to a movie or even a video game, deals with the nature of reality, I know to brace myself for an “artistic vision” that doesn’t make sense on purpose. Serial Experiments Lain takes this one step further by asking what we even mean when we use the term “reality” and how it changes for each person. And what happens when someone tries to enforce their understanding of reality on another?

Neon Genesis Evangelion has a mind-bending finale, and Akira goes well beyond where it starts as a story about a post-apocalyptic bike gang, but in my experience, nothing comes close to the strange world of Serial Experiments Lain.

Serial Experiments Lain Is Difficult To Find And Out Of Print

The exceptional Blu-Ray release, if you can find it, is the best way to watch Serial Experiments Lain, but it was released in 2014 and has been out of print for years. If other 90s anime classics like Ninja Scroll and Berserk can get incredible re-releases on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, so should this bizarre, twisted tale of technological psychological horror.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the DVD release years ago, as today, if you want to watch this amazing series, you need to purchase it from AppleTV or Microsoft.

Taylor Swift is getting candid about her relationship with her fanbase, and she’s not holding back. The pop superstar admitted that while she appreciates her loyal supporters, there’s a “corner” of Swifties who take things too far, especially when it comes to dissecting her music for clues about her personal life.

In a revealing interview, Swift addressed the intense scrutiny surrounding her lyrics, particularly from fans who treat her songs like real-life puzzles to solve. “There’s corners of my fanbase who are gonna take things to a really extreme place,” she told The New York Times. “There’s nothing I can do about that. There’s people who are gonna try to, like, do detective work, figure out the details – who is that about? What is this?”

She admitted that the speculation can sometimes cross a line. “When it gets a little bit weird for me is when people act like it’s a paternity test. Like, ‘This song’s about that person.’ Because I’m like, ‘That dude didn’t write the song, I did,’” she added.

Holding Onto Her Art Amid The Noise

Despite the intense attention, Swift said she’s learned to separate her work from public perception.

“You have to hold tight to your perception of your art and your relationship with it and then you kind of have to [mimes blowing it out],” she said. “There it goes. Hope you like it. And if you don’t now, hope you do in five years, and if you never do, then I was doing it for me anyway.”

Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Are Still Going Strong

The interview comes as Swift continues to make headlines for her relationship with Travis Kelce. As excitement builds around Swift’s upcoming wedding to Kelce, attention has also turned to who will and won’t make the guest list. That speculation has intensified amid reports of tension between Swift and Blake Lively, as Lively’s ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni continues to unfold.

According to a new report, Swift may be viewing the latest developments in the case as a turning point. “It’s a huge relief,” one insider said. “This case just got dramatically weaker. No one understands why Blake isn’t trying to settle. From the outside, it looks like she’s already lost.”

And reportedly, Taylor wants to stop being in the middle of it. “She wants this wrapped up before her summer wedding,” the insider added. “The timing couldn’t be worse.”

Swift Moves To Protect Her Voice And Image From AI

Swift is taking steps to safeguard her identity in the age of artificial intelligence. The pop superstar has filed new trademark applications covering two voice clips and one image, a move experts say is aimed at protecting her likeness from AI-generated content.

The filings, submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, underscore growing concerns across the entertainment industry as AI tools become increasingly capable of replicating artists’ voices and appearances, as well as generating realistic music and videos.

The applications add to Swift’s extensive portfolio, with her company, TAS Rights Management, already holding hundreds of trademarks tied to her brand.

Taylor Swift Targets AI With Voice Clips And Signature Stage Image

Among the most notable elements of the filings are “sound marks,” which aim to protect specific audio tied to Swift’s voice.

One clip features her saying: “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift, and you can listen to my new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ on demand, on Amazon Music Unlimited.” Another includes, “Hey! It’s Taylor. My brand new album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is out on October 3rd, and you can click to pre-save it so you can listen to it on Spotify.”

In addition to the voice recordings, Swift is also moving to protect a recognizable image from her performances, a photo of her on stage holding a pink guitar while wearing a sequined outfit, a look closely associated with her recent “Eras Tour.”

Swift isn’t the only star taking this approach. Actor Matthew McConaughey has also filed similar trademarks to safeguard his voice and image, signaling a broader shift in Hollywood as talent moves to maintain control over how their likeness is used in an AI-driven landscape.

Fans are weighing in after Summer Walker seemingly shared her stance on women being told to “pick better men.”

RELATED: From Sneaky Links To Pizza Hut: A Look Inside Summer Walker’s Relationship Timeline & Dating History (VIDEOS + PHOTOS)

Summer Walker Seemingly Shares Her Stance On Women Being Told To “Pick Better Men”

On Monday, April 27, Summer Walker took to her Instagram Story and reposted a message shared via Threads. Furthermore, the message read, “Stop telling women to ‘pick better men’ when men are out here pretending to be someone they are not for months and even YEARS at a time just to gain access to women who are out of their league. Then once they have access, turn around and reveal they ain’t s**t…”

Read the full message below.

Fans Weigh In On Summer Walker’s Stance

Fans shared thoughts on Summer Walker’s stance in TSR’s comment section.

Here’s Why Women Are Apparently Being Told To “Pick Better Men”

The conversation around women picking better men has apparently stemmed from Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson’s recent breakup. As The Shade Room previously reported, last week, Megan Thee Stallion took to her Instagram Story to share a message seemingly about Klay Thompson.

Subsequently, Megan confirmed their breakup, explaining that she decided to call things quits, per The Shade Room. Then, a WNBA player came forward, addressing speculation that she was the woman Thompson stepped out with. Since then, Boston Richey has weighed in with his reaction, and a subliminal tweet directed toward Thompson has gone viral.

RELATED: Oop! Internet Users Are Cracking Up At Viral Tweet Aimed At Klay Thompson Amid His Breakup With Megan Thee Stallion

In less than a week, the summer movie season will kick off with The Devil Wears Prada 2, the long-awaited sequel to David Frankel‘s 2006 hit. Reuniting stars Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, and Meryl Streep, the new movie will pick up with the Runway staff in the present day as they cope with an ever-changing media industry and dramatic scandals. Expectations are already high, and thus far, 20th Century Studios has given it a rollout that even Miranda Priestly would approve of, from countless brand partnerships to a buzzy single from Lady Gaga and Doechii.

At this point, legacy sequels to beloved older movies aren’t anything new. Big franchises have made a habit of recruiting their original stars to help anchor new entries, and once-standalone films like Top Gun and Practical Magic have opted to revisit properties from decades ago. The Devil Wears Prada 2, like any sequel coming more than ten years after its predecessor, runs the risk of struggling to recreate the passion that fueled its very creation in the first place. Luckily, however, there are already signs that it’ll be a runaway hit all over again, and that forecast comes from the first Devil Wears Prada itself.

‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Is the Ideal Early 2000s Comfort Watch

Based on the novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada follows aspiring journalist Andy Sachs (Hathaway) as she takes on a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), the icy and legendary editor-in-chief of a respected fashion magazine. What seems like a simple enough job proves to be far more trying, leading Andy on a transformative journey that forces her to question what she really wants in life. Upon release in 2006, The Devil Wears Prada became a critical and box office hit, and it’s only grown in popularity since then thanks to cable reruns and streaming. The film was also recently trending in the daily Top 10s for three different services: HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney+ (where a sneak peek at the sequel is also trending).

There’s a reason this movie has stuck around for so long in pop culture — several reasons, actually. Beyond the fact that Streep and Tucci are both Hollywood royalty, and that Hathaway and Blunt have only become bigger stars, The Devil Wears Prada is the perfect example of the aspirational movies that defined the early 2000s. As many have pointed out in recent years, the publishing world that the film depicts doesn’t really exist anymore, but Andy’s desire to write for a respected publication is one shared by thousands of others, and seeing her work her way up the corporate ladder through sheer determination and hard work makes that dream seem a little more possible. On a broader level, so many people know what it’s like to work for a horrible boss, and there’s a strange comfort that comes from watching Andy dash through the streets of New York while clutching several hot cups of coffee.

The Devil Wears Prada has long resonated especially well with women, even though it could easily be written off by naysayers as nothing more than a girlboss fantasy. Its three main female characters — Andy, Miranda, and Emily (Blunt) — are well-defined and flawed in unique, compelling ways. For women seeking authentic stories about other women, this one fits the bill. It also helps that The Devil Wears Prada is stylish and filled with memorable montages and quotes.

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Has Big Heels To Fill – but It Can Do It

The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been positioned as a major summer blockbuster. Case in point: Disney scheduled it for the first weekend in May, a slot that, save for a handful of recent exceptions, has typically housed Marvel Studios releases. In fact, May 1 was once slated to be the release day of Avengers: Doomsday, one of 2026’s biggest titles. That Disney and 20th Century Studios slid The Devil Wears Prada 2 into its spot shows just how confident they are in its success.

Related

The True Villain in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Depends On Where You Are in Life

Between Christian, Nate, and even Andy, is Miranda Priestly really the cruelest character in the classic comedy?

The original is undoubtedly a cultural phenomenon, but previous goodwill doesn’t always translate to surefire success. For every smash hit like Top Gun: Maverick, there are other long-awaited franchise continuations that struggle to draw crowds, like last year’s efforts Karate Kid: Legends and I Know What You Did Last Summer. To be fair, The Devil Wears Prada 2 isn’t quite like those; whereas most legacy sequels introduce a new ensemble to star alongside the returning cast, this one seems to be keeping its focus on the original characters. That could be an extra point in its favor, since the first movie is so beloved. So far, the trailers have indicated the sequel will serve up more of what fans love — from Emily snarking at Andy to Miranda remaining as imperious as ever — while bringing the story into today.

Early tracking put The Devil Wears Prada 2‘s opening weekend at a solid $66 million, but it could go higher as more and more people revisit the original on streaming and remember exactly why they love it so much. There’s even a good chance it enjoys long legs at the box office and sticks around, since it could appeal to older audiences who don’t feel the need to rush out to theaters immediately. Either way, it seems The Devil Wears Prada 2 is poised to make a splash — and that’s all because of the original movie.

General Hospital gives Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) telling his sister Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) that he is in love with Lulu Spencer (Alexa Havins Bruening). And it’s a red flag, I think, when Cassius said he is not going to lose her.

He is determined to keep his real identity a secret and he wants to keep pretending to be Nathan so he can hang on to Lulu. But is it love that Cassius feels for Lulu or is it obsession like we have seen with other Faison family members in the past?

We’re going to talk about how Cassius may be fixated on Lulu the same way that Faison was fixated on Anna Devane (Finola Hughes), and we’ll touch on some other fixated Faisons that we’ve seen on General Hospital.

Cassius Claims to Be In Love with Lulu on General Hospital

All right, so recently Britt was arguing with Cassius trying to convince him to end things with Lulu, but Cassius seems so certain that he is in love with Lulu. But Britt, I’m sure, does not believe Cassius genuinely loves Lulu or is even capable of that. But bottom line is he’s convinced himself, if not his sister.

Cassius does seem to genuinely also care about her son Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) and his nephew James West (Gary James Fuller), too. But obsession can look like )love until it gets out of hand. And , a good chance Cassius may be like his dad, like his mom, and like his wicked brother. He may not realize it yet, but Cassius may already be fixated on Lulu and it could turn unhealthy at any moment.

Cassius is a child of Faison after all, and it seems that obsessive affection runs in their family. If you’re a longtime GH watcher, you may remember how Anna was tormented by Faison back in the day and his twisted obsession with her that lasted for decades, pretty much till his death. He was dangerously fixated on Anna.

He went to great lengths to try and win her heart, win her body and soul. But if you remember, she was in love with Duke Lavery (Ian Buchanan) back in the day when a lot of their stuff was going on. You know, he was the great love of Anna’s life, I think, aside from Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers). Yeah, I know she and Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) had a thing, but her and Duke, I mean, come on.

Faison’s Obsession with Anna on GH

So, Faison created a Duke mask so he could impersonate Anna’s sweetie, hoping to get obscenely close to her. Because, let’s face it, Faison was crazy and crazy about Anna. And of course, when she found out he wasn’t really Duke, but Faison in a Duke mask, Anna was horrified. Faison honestly made Anna miserable for years. Because of his obsession with her and she’s still being tormented now.

At the moment, Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) and Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) are using Faison’s obsession with Anna to torment her psychologically and keep her locked up in this fragile mental state in that clinic in France. They used Faison’s fixation to gaslight Anna into a total breakdown so that they have the bandwidth to finish Faison’s Cold Fusion project with her out of the way.

Liesl Obrecht And Britt Also Fixated on General Hospital

So, let’s talk now about Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati). Although she’s only a Faison by marriage, she is also one who gets fixated. Liesl was obsessed with Cesar for many years and his obsession with Anna absolutely broke Obrecht’s heart.

And since she is Cassius’s mother, that means he inherited an obsessive gene from both sides. Twisted DNA from his mom and also his dad. Same with Britt. Honestly, while she is very different now, back in the day when she the britch fully, she was so fixated on Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) that she stole Lulu’s embryo to try and keep him.

Peter August’s Obsession with Maxie on GH

And of course, who could forget Faison’s other son, Peter August (Wes Ramsey,) His obsession with Maxie Jones was so twisted. Peter claimed to be in love with Maxie just as Cassius insists that he loves Lulu. And just like Cassius is pretending to be someone he’s not, remember that’s what Peter did, too.

You know, he hid the fact that he was Faison’s son and made sure that his dad Faison died so he couldn’t mess up his life any further. And his true identity was one of the many things that Peter hid from Maxie. Because he was absolutely obsessed with her. Peter was willing to do anything to have a life with Maxie and James and little Bailey Louise. Sound familiar?

General Hospital: Striking Similarities

Cassius is behaving a lot like Peter, but not quite as over-the-top as Faison did with Anna. At least not yet. And hey, stick around to the end. I have a huge update about Kirsten Storms for you guys. So, considering that Peter and Cassius grew up around Faison, I suspect they are worse than Britt and far worse than Nathan. So, Cassius may be capable of the same things that Peter did on General Hospital.

And remember when his lies began to unravel, that’s when Peter went bat crap crazy. He kidnapped Maxie, took her from Port Charles, made her give up Bailey Louise so that basically she could be all his. That was after Maxie finally realized how insane Peter was.

Cassius Could Turn Obsessive on GH

And that is a lot like what Faison did with Anna. Because Faison kidnapped Anna and her daughter Robin Scorpio (Kinberly McCullough). And Faison had this twisted fantasy about having a life and making a family with Anna and Robin. So the way Peter acted towards Maxie is a lot like the way Faison was with Anna. And Cassius may turn out to be the same way.

He’s already refusing to give up Lulu even knowing she’s in danger and the risk it poses. And I think part of it is that Cassius has never felt love before or honestly ever even been liked. Because he grew up with Faison. He’s pretty much been either a henchman in training or a henchman his entire life. He didn’t have a normal childhood or a normal life.

But now that Cassius is impersonating Nathan, you know, finally Cassius is getting to feel love and friendship for the first time in his life. Nathan was the one truly good Faison. So Cassius is loving this life that he has stolen from poor dead Nathan. And Cassius likes being close to Lulu and James and Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna), everybody who knew and loved Nathan. So of course Cassius doesn’t want to lose any of that, but especially not Lulu. So that’s why he told Britt he’s going to stay Nathan as long as possible. And while he’s saying things that sound like their true love and are romantic with anybody in the Faison family, there’s a thin line between affection and fixation.

General Hospital: Cassius’ Crazy Starts to Show

I expect Cassius could turn crazy obsessive at any moment. And I think we are really going to start to see his true colors when Cassius thinks his secret could be exposed, and especially if he thinks he might lose Lulu. That’s when I expect we’ll see the dark side of Cassius. And it could start soon. Because I suspect Sidwell may soon remind Cassius that he is not Nathan.

Billie Eilish is opening up about the deeper meaning behind her signature oversized fashion, and it’s more personal than fans might think. The 24-year-old Grammy winner, known for her baggy, unconventional looks, addressed her style choices in a candid interview, revealing they stem from a complicated relationship with her body.

Eilish didn’t hold back while reflecting on her past struggles, admitting her fashion choices were initially rooted in discomfort. “I had a really, really toxic relationship with my body. I had a lot of eating issues. I remember putting on, like, a big shirt and the relief that I felt,” she told ELLE. 

Over time, Eilish says her style evolved into something more intentional, tied to her identity and self-expression. She pointed to influences like Harlem fashion figure Bloody Osiris and artists like Missy Elliott and Tyler, The Creator, explaining that her aesthetic is connected to both hip-hop culture and how she views gender.

“At the same time, it was my love for hip-hop culture and wanting to be a man,” she said, before also acknowledging the internalized beliefs that shaped her thinking at the time. “This is the misogyny that we all have within us…which is that I didn’t want to be seen as feminine, and therefore weak. It’s not right. I’ve found a good way of not feeling like that.”

Eilish Says Body Image Struggles Began At Age 11

Long before her signature oversized style became a defining part of her image, Billie Eilish says her relationship with her body started to shift at a young age. Reflecting on her early years, the singer shared that her style wasn’t always rooted in baggy silhouettes. 

As a child, she gravitated toward dresses and skirts before a turning point around age 11, when she became fixated on the one-size clothing brand Brandy Melville, a phase that ultimately impacted her self-image. “What’s really interesting is that when I was a little girl, I loved big dresses,” she said last December. “All I wore was fairy dresses and skirts. I never wore pants or shorts when I was a little kid.”

She explained that struggling to fit into the brand’s limited sizing, combined with early physical development and her time in ballet, contributed to the beginning of her body image issues. “But when I got to be about 11, I got obsessed with this brand called Brandy Melville,” she continued. “And they only sold clothes in one size. I was chubbier, and I was obsessed with these clothes, but I’d buy a shirt, and it wouldn’t fit me.”

Billie Eilish Opens Up About Turning To Baggy Clothing For Comfort

Eilish added that this period marked the start of her struggles. “I wasn’t slim,” she shared. “Also, I was in ballet, and that’s this whole world of body problems.”

From there, she began leaning into looser clothing as a way to feel more comfortable and separate her appearance from her identity. “I didn’t want my body to be part of my outfit,” she said. “I wanted my outfit to be my outfit, and my body happens to be inside it.”

Eilish Says Feminine Era Was Her Way Of ‘Proving A Point’

When Billie Eilish embraced a more traditionally feminine look during her “Happier Than Ever” era, it wasn’t random; it was intentional. The Grammy winner explained that the shift was her response to ongoing criticism about her appearance, particularly claims that she “doesn’t look like a girl.” Instead of subtly adjusting her style, she leaned all the way in.

“So of course, classic me, I had to go with the completely extreme version of it,” she said. “I couldn’t just, like, wear a skirt once. I had to completely reverse everything and be this girly girl for a second and have these pink nails, blonde hair, skirts, dresses, button-ups, bras, and lingerie.”

Billie Eilish Reclaims Her Image

For Eilish, the moment was about reclaiming control over how she presents herself and making it clear she can shift between styles on her own terms. “I was just like, ‘F-ck you guys. I can do whatever I want. And then I can go back to what I was doing before, and you guys can eat it.’”

By Robert Scucci
| Published 56 minutes ago

If you grew up with cable in your house during the 90s or early aughts, you may remember a very specific, but hard-to-describe feeling. You fall asleep on the couch watching one of your programs (for me it was always Golden Era Simpsons), only to wake up hours later. Both of your arms are asleep from dozing off in an awkward position, and your show is no longer broadcasting.

Instead, you find yourself watching late-night paid programming that probably plays pretty normal when you’re more lucid, but comes off as straight from the uncanny valley because you’re stuck in that strange mental state that can only be experienced when you’re on the verge of sleep paralysis.

The short film Indistinct Chatter – Have You Ever Seen a Cow?, created by YouTuber KrainagrzybowTV, captures this hyperspecific mental state through its stop-motion visuals. The whole thing plays out like a TV left on overnight, as the sleeping subject (you, the viewer) absorbs whatever images show up on screen, creating a sort of alternate reality that makes sense in the moment but becomes increasingly disturbing the more you think about it.

Oddly Soothing, But Also Frightening

Indistinct Chatter is one of those shorts you have to see to believe. It clocks in at just over 30 minutes, and there are a handful of follow-up videos that range anywhere from one to two minutes. The content is all the same in the sense that it’s surreal, occupying that strange liminal space between consciousness and twilight that’s hard to put into words, but something we’ve all experienced before.

The main video in the series follows the life and consciousness of a little boy named Rajinder. He’s seen listening to his radio and watching television before bed, and then he’s whisked into a world full of windows and empty rooms, not unlike what’s seen in The Backrooms. From there, the whole thing becomes a stop-motion fever dream where in-universe advertisements (for products like Good Windows and a canned meat known as Bramble Bor) and television characters overlap not only with each other, but with Rajinder’s thoughts as he drifts in and out of sleep.

A Proper Visual Representation Of The Strangest Feeling

Like I said, if you’ve ever fallen asleep while watching late-night cable during your formative years, Indistinct Chatter feels all too familiar. I could be guessing on the inspiration for its title, but it reads like the kind of closed-caption display used when people are murmuring in the background, letting the viewer know something is happening just beyond the spectrum of what they’re supposed to hear. It’s like watching an episode of Home Improvement, falling asleep, and then imagining you’re in the episode too, but everybody is slightly off while acting like it’s just another wacky adventure filmed in front of a live studio audience.

As the film progresses, Rajinder’s imagination becomes increasingly unhinged as he befriends a sentient cabbage creature named Fungela, who is also featured in advertisements and becomes increasingly aggressive as he continues to play with her. By the time the whole thing wraps up, you will feel like a changed person. Not because it’s terrifying at face value, but because you’ll feel seen, as if somebody finally found a way to visually represent that weird, fleeting state of consciousness we all experience at one point or another, but struggle to put into words.

If you like surreal dreamscapes and sitcom allusions, and miss those weird blocks of late-night infomercials, Indistinct Chatter is well worth a watch and can be viewed on YouTube.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 13 seconds ago

Modern sci-fi owes a lot to the 1967 one-season wonder, The Prisoner, a surreal masterpiece that left the viewer wondering what the hero did to be trapped in such a bizarre seaside village, why he was trapped, and how he’d get out. Referring to its hero as only Number Six, The Prisoner’s influence can be felt in countless other series, but one of the best to pull from it aired on the SyFy channel for three seasons, from 2015 through 2017: Dark Matter.

Six strangers wake up on a spaceship with no memory of who they are or how they got there. They use the order they woke up in for names and start working together to solve the mystery. Unlike The Prisoner, they eventually figure everything out, but once they have all the answers, the questions are changed. 

Dark Matter Opens With A Twist

Dark Matter opens up with a dark, beat-up ship as one by one, the six passengers, four men, one woman (The Rookie’s Melissa O’Neil), and a teenage girl, wake up, each with no memory of who they are. On the ship designated Raza, they find a cache of weapons and an android, and learn that the last destination was a mining colony where the workers need protection from the Ferrous Corporation.  On any other sci-fi series, this would be a no-brainer, except the first big twist of the series is revealed at the end of the pilot: the passengers are the bad guys. 

Learning from the android that all of them are wanted criminals, except for Number Five, puts the recovered cache in a new light. They stole it from the group contracted to help the miners, and it’s up to them to kill the miners. It’s the first of many, many twists that Dark Matter throws at viewers during its three seasons, and as far as even the Season 1 reveals go, it’s fairly tame. 

The question remains: who wiped their memories, and why? For as long as that goes unanswered, the crew is left wondering, who can they trust? Who knows more than they are letting on? 

The Prisoner Influence Goes Beyond The Pilot

The universe of Dark Matter is small, as far as sci-fi universes go, with the story placing more emphasis on the characters themselves than any universe-shattering conflict. It has that too, but watching the group of bad guys grapple with their past actions, develop into better people, or fail to become better and embrace being the villain of someone else’s story, drives the story forward more than a hunt for a technological MacGuffin. 

The Prisoner was significantly smaller in scale, while Dark Matter lets the passengers out into the world, and yet, they can’t escape their past. From the pilot to the final episode, who they were will always define them.

Had the Patrick McGoohan classic series been allowed to continue, that was what was going to come next. Number Six would journey across the world but always remain under close watch, control, and unable to escape his fate as a prisoner. 

Dark Matter And Stargate Share The Same Creative DNA

Dark Matter is heavily influenced by another sci-fi series: Stargate. The series was created by Joseph Mallozzi, one of the most prolific writers for the other Star franchise, contributing to SG-1, Atlantis, Universe, and the upcoming Amazon series. If you’ve seen the back half of SG-1, you’ll feel right at home in the world of Dark Matter.

Like Stargate, Dark Matter was also treated unfairly by SyFy, which picked up the series but didn’t develop it, relegating it to the network’s lower-priority original programming in terms of budgets and marketing.

There’s a good chance you haven’t ever watched the series, or even heard about it. Those who have given it a chance, though, have fallen in love with the ragtag crew. 

A Sleeper Hit Streaming For Free

Finding Dark Matter is both easy and surprisingly difficult. It’s streaming for free on the CW website, but try to find anything about it, and you’ll wander into the 2024 Apple TV series, Dark Matter.

It’s such a common problem that even the Reddit for the SyFy series has been overtaken by fans of the new series. Like “Redemption” or “Rise of,” it’s time for the words “Dark Matter” to be retired from Hollywood for a few decades. 

Once you find it, you’ll enjoy Dark Matter. Yes, there are a lot of plot holes explained away by the memory wipe, but there are also a lot of expertly crafted character development and further twists to the story. For better or for worse, this is the type of sci-fi we always need more of: a crew, a spaceship, and morally dubious missions that may or may not save the day. 

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night lineup has undergone a sudden change following the terrifying incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

The scheduled guest for Monday’s show has been replaced after witnessing the shooting.

Meanwhile, Kimmel received heavy criticism from both President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, who slammed the TV host for referring to the First Lady as an “expectant widow” before the incident. 

Oz Pearlman is no longer set to appear on Monday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” following a dramatic shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD).

The renowned mentalist was the featured performer at the event when gunfire erupted in the Washington Hilton ballroom on Saturday night. 

While host Kimmel had previously announced that Pearlman would join him on the show just two days after the dinner, ABC’s updated guest list revealed that he has been swapped for “Pod Save America” cohost Jon Lovett, per Entertainment Weekly.

However, the episode will still feature “Grown-ish” star Anthony Anderson as originally planned. It is unclear if Kimmel’s comment about the incident played a role in the guest switch-up.

The shooting occurred while Pearlman was performing for a room full of dignitaries, leading to the arrest of 31-year-old Cole Allen. Allen has since been charged with attempting to assassinate the president, among other charges.

The Mentalist’s Trick Was Cut Short By The Chaos

The terrifying events in the ballroom left the night’s featured entertainment in a state of shock, especially as his performance was interrupted at a pivotal moment.

Pearlman, who served as both the entertainer and host for the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, was in the middle of a mentalism trick for the President and First Lady when the shooting began. 

According to witnesses and footage from the Hilton, Pearlman was interacting with Donald, Melania, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, presenting them with a sheet of paper just seconds before security intervened.

The Blast reported that the interruption brought the performance to a sudden and unresolved halt, leaving the audience and the participants in suspense as the room descended into panic. 

Melania Trump Demands Kimmel’s Removal Over His Monologue

The tension surrounding the event only worsened as political figures began to take aim at how the weekend’s events were handled by the media.

Melania issued a scathing response to Kimmel following a controversial monologue he delivered about her and JD Vance in connection with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. According to The Blast, the First Lady expressed outrage after Kimmel made jokes suggesting she looked like an “expectant widow.”

In a furious social media post, Melania called on ABC to take a stand and remove the comedian from the air, describing his rhetoric as both hateful and corrosive. She argued that Kimmel’s comments were intended to divide the nation rather than provide actual entertainment, stating that his words deepen the “political sickness” within the country.

President Trump Also Called For Kimmel’s Firing

The president similarly slammed Kimmel for his statements about his wife. He took to Truth Social to respond to the viral parody video, specifically addressing the “expectant widow” comment directed at Melania. 

Trump characterized the segment as a shocking and sinister display, pointing out that the video falsely made it appear as though the First Lady and their son, Barron, were sitting in the studio audience.

The President’s anger was further fueled by the timing of the broadcast, as he linked Kimmel’s remarks directly to the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, per The Blast. 

Trump concluded his remarks by demanding that Disney and ABC fire Kimmel immediately. He expressed his appreciation for the many supporters who were incensed by the broadcast, using his platform to urge the network to stop enabling what he described as dangerous behavior. 

While the President and First Lady characterized Kimmel’s late-night monologue as a dangerous incitement, the host himself is pushing back against the idea that his words were anything more than typical comedy. 

During his most recent broadcast, Kimmel addressed the intense controversy surrounding his “expectant widow” remark, which occurred just days before the security crisis involving Cole Tomas Allen.

He used his opening segment to clarify the intent behind the joke while expressing a rare moment of personal sympathy for the ordeal the First Family experienced over the weekend.

Addressing the calls for his firing, Kimmel explained that his description of Melania was “obviously a joke about their age difference” and not a threat to the president’s safety.

The Blast reported that he characterized the comment as a “very light roast,” pointing out the reality that Trump is nearly 80 years old while the First Lady is younger than Kimmel himself. 

Despite the tension, Kimmel offered a direct apology for the trauma caused by the shooting, telling Melania he was truly sorry that she and the other attendees had to go through that experience.