Ian Fleming may have originated the genre, but John le Carré (real name David Cornwell) brought spy novels to new levels of realism, complexity, and relevance. He ditched the gadgets and derring-do, instead embracing blurred loyalties, inner turmoil, and disillusionment. In le Carré’s world, intelligence work is not a chess match between geniuses but a slow grind of paperwork, betrayal, ideological decay, and emotional damage.

In other words, le Carré’s novels dismantle the spy myth piece by piece, launching a new wave of titles that would come to define the genre for a world living through the Cold War and increasingly disenchanted with institutions. With this in mind, this list ranks the very best of them. The novels below represent his most powerful work, defined by rich commentary, careful plotting, and psychological depth.

10

‘A Murder of Quality’ (1962)

Image via Penguin Classics

“Love is whatever you can still betray.” A Murder of Quality is le Carré’s second novel and one of his most deceptively quiet works. On the surface, it seems like a traditional English murder mystery, following George Smiley as he investigates a killing at an elite boys’ school. However, rather than serving up the espionage spectacle one might expect, the book places its focus on themes like class, cruelty, and institutional rot.

Le Carré uses the school as a microcosm of British society, exposing how privilege protects abuse and silences dissent. The murder itself becomes less important than the environment that enabled it. Here, Smiley isn’t a flashy spy or death-defying secret agent, but a moral observer, someone attuned to human weakness and social hypocrisy. A Murder of Quality fits all this into a breezy 189 pages, making it a fairly accessible starting point for those curious about le Carré’s work.

9

‘The Russia House’ (1989)

Image via Penguin Classics

“The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for.” The Russia House is one of le Carré’s most humane novels, set during the thawing tensions of the late Cold War. The main character is “Barley” Blair, a British publisher drawn into intelligence work after receiving a manuscript from a Soviet scientist claiming to reveal the truth about Russia’s failing nuclear capabilities. The plot mechanics are fairly straightforward, but the book is elevated by a touching romantic storyline between Barley and a Russian woman.

Le Carré fans often cite this as the author’s funniest and most grounded book. The movie adaptation starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer was well-received, too, for similar reasons. The Russia House is also interesting as a time capsule. It was published in 1989, capturing a moment of major historical transition, where old certainties were collapsing without being replaced by anything better.

8

‘The Night Manager’ (1993)

Image via Penguin Classics

“There is no such thing as a private life.” The Night Manager was le Carré’s first true post-Cold War novel, exploring a much murkier world where loyalties and objectives were trickier to define. The novel follows a former soldier turned hotel night manager who is recruited to infiltrate the inner circle of an international arms dealer. On paper, this resembles a more conventional thriller, but le Carré subverts expectations at every turn. The arms dealer is not merely evil, but protected by governments, corporations, and intelligence agencies that benefit from his crimes.

In other words, corruption is the central theme in this one, with characters driven by self-interest rather than high-minded ideals or national power. As a result, the vibe is bleaker and more ambiguous than that of the novels that directly preceded it. There is suspense, but little satisfaction. Success feels temporary and compromised, failure systemic. A snapshot of unipolar malaise.

7

‘Smiley’s People’ (1979)

Image via Penguin Classics

“Smiley never forgot.” Smiley’s People serves as the elegiac conclusion to George Smiley’s long conflict with his Soviet counterpart, Karla. It’s a tragedy about two men shaped (and ruined) by ideology. We follow Smiley as he reassembles old networks and forgotten contacts for one final reckoning. Unlike more action-driven spy novels, this book moves slowly, deliberately, mirroring Smiley’s age and weariness. The Cold War is no longer a battlefield or a stage for heroism, but a graveyard of broken lives.

The book is fittingly claustrophobic and intense, a fitting payoff to the “Karla Trilogy”. As a capstone for that story arc, Smiley’s People defines le Carré’s worldview: intelligence work destroys both sides, and understanding your enemy does not make their defeat feel like justice. The title refers to those who choose reality over ideology and humans over institutions. The novel’s quiet final scenes are especially devastating.

6

‘The Honourable Schoolboy’ (1977)

Image via Penguin Classics

“We are not nice people.” Coming just before Smiley’s People in the Karla Trilogy, The Honourable Schoolboy is le Carré at his most sprawling and structurally ambitious. Picking up threads from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this one chronicles British intelligence’s attempt to exploit Karla’s networks in Southeast Asia. The plot moves across continents, mixing espionage with journalism, politics, and, of course, personal obsession. The cast of characters is massive, with multiple narrative plates spinning at once.

The Honourable Schoolboy clocks in at a sturdy 533 pages, all of them crammed with events and details. Le Carré deliberately overwhelms the reader, reflecting the chaos and moral confusion of post-imperial intelligence work. It’s a picture of spycraft under pressure, where improvisation and sheer survival are the name of the game. The characters are fittingly layered and three-dimensional. The central figure, for example, a journalist-turned-agent, embodies divided loyalty and self-delusion.

5

‘The Little Drummer Girl’ (1983)

Image via Penguin Classics

“She was acting even when she slept.” The Little Drummer Girl is le Carré’s most theatrical novel, both literally and metaphorically. It revolves around a young actress recruited by Israeli intelligence to infiltrate a Palestinian terrorist network. She is manipulated by a spymaster on a mission to find and kill a terrorist, but, while undercover, finds herself developing unexpected sympathies for the causes of those she is meant to be taking down. The protagonist’s empathy becomes both a liability and a weapon.

Le Carré refuses easy moral binaries, portraying both sides as capable of cruelty and conviction. The intelligence apparatus itself is shown as ruthlessly pragmatic, willing to sacrifice individuals for strategic gain. At the same time, Le Carré uses performance as a central metaphor, examining how identity is constructed, manipulated, and eventually erased. The lies are destabilizing, to the point that one either comes to believe them or collapses totally under their crushing weight.

4

‘The Constant Gardener’ (2001)

Image via Penguin Classics

“Love is the only reason to lie.” Some readers will know The Constant Gardener from the 2005 movie version starring Ralph Fiennes and an Oscar-winning Rachel Weisz. Drawing on a real-life incident, it tells the story of a British diplomat investigating his activist wife’s murder in Kenya, uncovering a web of pharmaceutical exploitation and government complicity. Unlike the author’s Cold War novels, this book is driven by grief and love rather than professional duty.

The protagonist’s awakening is painful and belated, driven by guilt as much as justice. The tale is smart as well as suspenseful, shot through with passion, conspiracies, double crosses, deadly diseases, and conniving bureaucrats. However, Le Carré himself says that his fictionalized account is less shocking than the actual case that inspired it. In the afterword, he writes: “By comparison with the reality, my story [is] as tame as a holiday postcard.”

3

‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ (1963)

Image via Penguin

“What do you think spies are? Priests?” The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is the novel that changed espionage fiction forever. In it, a British agent is sent on one last mission designed to appear as a defection, drawing him into a morally grotesque operation. What makes the novel revolutionary is its bleakness. Le Carré strips away any notion of honorable service, portraying intelligence work as indistinguishable from the brutality it claims to oppose.

The protagonist is exhausted, cynical, and ultimately disposable. While his superiors cloak his mission in ideals and altruism, all justified by the greater good, the reality is that his morally dubious work is corrosive to his soul. Here, the spy agencies of both East and West live in a moral void, each using the Cold War as an excuse to justify lies, violence, and betrayal. This approach was bold stuff for the early ’60s, carrying over well into the stellar film adaptation, too.

2

‘A Perfect Spy’ (1986)

Image via Penguin Classics

“He was born a liar, and he never stopped.” A Perfect Spy is le Carré’s most personal and psychologically complex novel. Loosely inspired by his life, it centers on a lifelong intelligence operative whose career is shaped by his relationship with his charismatic, deceitful father. The plot moves between espionage missions and childhood memories. Long before deception became the protagonist’s profession, it was a survival skill in a turbulent household.

In other words, Le Carré dismantles the spy myth entirely here, presenting espionage as an extension of emotional damage rather than patriotic duty. The protagonist’s identity fractures under the weight of lies told for love and career alike. His story is dense, introspective, and deeply sad, offering no redemption, only understanding. Not for nothing, author Philip Roth declared A Perfect Spy “the best English novel since the war”, and le Carré himself said it was “the novel of mine that is closest to my heart.”

1

‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ (1974)

Image via Penguin

“A fanatic is always concealing a secret doubt.” Far and away the author’s most famous book, not least due to the fantastic 2011 movie adaptation. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is le Carré’s most intricate and intellectually demanding novel. It revolves around George Smiley’s investigation into a Soviet mole embedded at the highest levels of British intelligence, leading to a tense hunt through memory, interrogation, and Smiley’s quiet deduction. At the time, these ideas weren’t fantasy at all but a reflection of real events, specifically the defection to the Soviet Union by British spy Kim Philby.

The structure mirrors the process of intelligence analysis itself: fragmented, slow, and deeply uncertain. Every character is compromised, emotionally or morally. For this reason, the novel rewards patience, gradually revealing how betrayal corrodes institutions from within. Themes aside, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is simply well written, laden with sharp dialogue and juicy plot twists, and the character of Smiley is compelling throughout.

Lindsey Vonn left a message of gratitude after dramatically crashing and breaking her leg at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, February 8.

Vonn, 41, responded to British journalist Dan Walker on social media on Monday, February 9, after he wrote a lengthy post praising her courage for competing with a torn ACL. 

“Thank you Dan 🙏,” Vonn commented. 

In his post Walker wrote, “I think her attitude is the very essence of sport. It wasn’t just about chasing glory…it was about defiance.”

“This is what sport looks like when you strip away the polish. It’s not comfortable…it’s painful,” he continued. “Risk instead of safety. Vonn knew she might not win. She knew it might hurt. She understood the risk. She embraced it because not going down that mountain would mean surrendering to the things that stop you getting out of bed in the morning.”

Walker concluded his post, “I hope her body heals quickly and she knows she will always be a winner 🏆.” 

Vonn crashed just 13 seconds into her women’s downhill run on Sunday, eventually being airlifted off the course by a helicopter to an Italian hospital. 

She “underwent an orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg” and is being “treated by a multidisciplinary team,” according to a statement released by the Ca’ Foncello hospital on Sunday. 

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team said Vonn was “in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”

“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” said Anouk Patty, chief of sport for U.S. Ski and Snowboard. “This sport’s brutal, and people need to remember when they’re watching [that] these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”

Vonn’s sister, Karin Kidlow, told NBC that the crash was “the last thing we wanted to see.”

“It happened quick and when that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s OK,” Kildow said. “She does have all of her surgeons and her PT staff here and her doctors, so I’m sure they’ll give us a report and we’ll meet her at whatever hospital she’s at.”

Unsurprisingly, Vonn’s name was left off Team USA’s roster for the first-ever women’s team combined event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which takes place on Tuesday, February 10.

Before hitting the slopes for the women’s downhill on Sunday, Vonn acknowledged she had a staggering task in front of her after completely tearing her ACL during a World Cup race last month. 

“Just getting to these Olympics has been a journey, and one that some did not believe in from the start,” Vonn shared via Instagram on Saturday, February 5. “I retired for 6 years, and because of a partial knee replacement, I had the chance to compete one more time. But why? Everyone seems to be asking me that question. But I think the answer is simple…I just love ski racing.”

She added, “I will stand in the starting gate tomorrow and know I am strong. Know that I believe in myself. Know that the odds are stacked against me with my age, no ACL, and a titanium knee- but know that I still believe.  And usually, when the odds are stacked against me the most, I pull the best of what’s inside me out.”

Breezy Bowl, but make it official, official? That seemed to be the energy Chris Brown was giving off on social media following the Super Bowl Halftime show. Bad Bunny was tapped to perform this year, and he brought Puerto Rico to the stadium, from the sugar cane fields to the domino matches. The internet is STILL sounding off about the performance and what it meant to the Latin community.

RELATED: Girl Dad Duties! Chris Brown Has Fans Losing It After Linking Up With Royalty & Her Friends For Viral TikTok Trend (WATCH)

Chris Brown Says “They” Need Him

One thing about Breezy, he’s got the confidence to say what he wants to say! Chris slid on IG Story, seemingly after Bad Bunny’s performance on Sunday. He dropped a written text that read like he wasn’t impressed by how Benito made the Bowl his own.

“I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY…THEY NEED ME,” he wrote.

That’s it, and that’s all he wrote aside from adding a slick-smile emoticon. So far, he hasn’t shared any additional thoughts on the Super Bowl or who should take the stage next.

However, this isn’t the first time Breezy has been vocal about the Super Bowl. Though, two years ago, he was singing a much different tune! In February 2023, Chris Brown riled up his fans after commenting “Go girl,” amid Rihanna’s halftime performance, in which she announced her second pregnancy. Soon after that, he shared a photo from Dublin, and in the comment section he cleared the air on expectations of seeing him on the Super Bowl stage.

“….never shawty,” Chris Brown wrote in response to “When are you performing at the Super Bowl. We need you at the next one!!!! He added, “American media AINT FA me. Rather be where I’m welcomed.”

RELATED: Been HIM! Bad Bunny Turns His Super Bowl Halftime Show Into Cultural Fiesta With Unforgettable Messages (VIDEOS)

TMZ Comedy Crawl Tour
Laugh Track on Wheels!!!

Published
February 9, 2026
12:17 PM PST

Some fantasy movies do indeed also work as family films, but not all. It would be wild to expect everything fantastical to also be fantastically appealing to all ages in a The Wizard of Oz or a Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory sort of way. Like any genre, things would get boring if you could only go for one tone, or target one particular demographic.

Enter the following films, which are notable for being fantasy in one way or another, and also hopelessly downbeat at the same time. These are some of the heaviest fantasy movies ever made, and sure, some of them only partially fit into the fantasy genre, but if “fantasy” is one of the genres listed on Letterboxd for a particular movie’s entry there, then it has a chance of appearing in the ranking below.

10

‘Heavenly Creatures’ (1994)

Image via Miramax International

Before he made movies set in Middle-earth, but after he made a bunch of low-budget/gross-out horror films, Peter Jackson also directed Heavenly Creatures, which is perhaps his most underrated work overall. It’s about two young girls who have a strange kind of bond, and a similarly uh, “unique” grasp on reality itself, and this makes things get very dreamy and sort of fantastical, at times.

But it’s also a low-key kind of fantasy, where some of the daydreams feel like escapes from more difficult things, and then when Heavenly Creatures deals with those difficult things, it gets pretty heavy. All that might sound a bit vague, but it’s a difficult movie to describe and put into words, in a good way. It’s a well-made film… just not a particularly fun or entertaining one, at least in the traditional sense.

9

‘The Seventh Seal’ (1957)

Image via AB Svensk Filmindustri

Another movie that’s probably more of a drama than a fantasy one, but it’s got enough that’s fantastical to count as both, The Seventh Seal is about a disillusioned man encountering Death and playing him in a game of chess. They discuss all sorts of heavy things, and then there’s more that happens after that, what with it being a movie about the Black Death and an exploration of some other people doing an R.E.M. and losing their religion.

There’s a lot going on, in other words, especially when you consider the fact that The Seventh Seal really isn’t an epic or anything, and clocks in at just over 90 minutes. It’s got a reputation for being a classic for many reasons, and it’s also heavy-going without being 100% despairing. It’s got a lot of despair and existentialism packed into it for sure, but parts of the film also prove life-affirming, making it overall kind of bittersweet.

8

‘Mandy’ (2018)

Image via RLJE Films

It’s hard to dig into Mandy without ruining much of it narratively, though if it’s any consolation, the experience of watching it is singular and so much harder to ruin. Basically, it plays out slowly at first, without really going in any direction narratively, until the couple at the movie’s center… well, one of them’s killed. And then the other goes on a violent rampage of revenge.

That whole revenge quest goes to some wild places, and it’s there where Mandy starts to feel like a bit of a fantasy, or maybe more comparable to a fever dream/nightmare kind of thing. Some of the nightmarish ultra-violence is also entertaining and cathartic, but the deep sadness of Mandy never really dissipates fully, and so it ends up being powerfully – and unpretentiously – about the destructive nature of revenge, and the difficulty of taking oneself out of a cycle of vengeance.

7

‘The Northman’ (2022)

Image via Focus Features

Speaking of violent movies about revenge that get weirdly fantastical in parts, here’s The Northman, which is about the legend of Amleth, which was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. So, no surprises with the central plot, then, because this is about a young boy who grows into a man, and spends his whole life wanting revenge against his uncle, because said uncle killed his father.

Don’t expect too many monsters or creatures or anything here, since it’s not really that kind of fantasy. But The Northman does have surreal and/or vaguely supernatural moments that make it feel a little more than just a drama/action movie with a historical setting. Also, given the fact that it inspired a heavy-going Shakespearean play, it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that The Northman also gets pretty bleak – and, indeed, tragic – at times.

6

‘Begotten’ (1989)

Image via World Artists Home Video.

It’s hard to even know where to begin with a movie like Begotten, including the notion of whether it should count as a movie. Maybe it’s more of a nightmare, and certainly one that doesn’t have much by way of a plot. That would make it a fairly normal nightmare, then. Uh… but if one had to get more specific… it’s kind of fantasy? Or maybe it’s like religious horror?

It seems to be about creation. The creation of life itself gets depicted in Begotten, and then Begotten also goes ahead and seems to suggest why life should never have been created, or like, become a thing. It’s the sort of thing you’ll never be able to unsee, even if you want to, or there’s a chance you’ll watch it and find it all very silly. It’s grim, though, either way. Perhaps that’s the only thing supporters and detractors alike would be able to agree on.

5

‘Belladonna of Sadness’ (1973)

Image via Nippon Herald Films

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Belladonna of Sadness might well be one of the heaviest animated movies of all time, and it also happens to fit into the fantasy genre, too. It’s about a woman who’s wronged by a feudal lord and then the whole ordeal ruins her life, which makes her turn to the devil, making a deal with him to get revenge on the lord, which naturally complicates (and arguably worsens) things further.

It’s a movie that starts dark and then just keeps on getting darker, which could be why it’s not quite one of the most popular or approachable animated movies out there, or anything. Still, if you’re up for something challenging, Belladonna of Sadness has a lot to offer, and the visuals here are also undeniably unique, as little else animated/released since looks quite like it.

4

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)

There really is something magical about Pan’s Labyrinth, and no, it’s not the fantasy elements. Well, it’s partly to do with the fantasy elements. There’s a genuinely interesting take on dark fantasy stuff here, and the ambiguity with which it might be real, or it might all be an imagined coping mechanism for the protagonist, seeing as she’s living in an immensely stressful situation.

Which… okay, that’s also a bit The Wizard of Oz, but Pan’s Labyrinth is very different from that movie, once you get past the idea of young girls traveling to different worlds and parts of one world being reflected in the other. Also, Pan’s Labyrinth might well be the greatest thing Guillermo del Toro has ever directed, but if you’re talking about his fantasy movies, there’s one that’s technically more harrowing.

3

‘The Devil’s Backbone’ (2001)

Image via Sony Pictures Classics

And that more harrowing Guillermo del Toro dark fantasy movie is The Devil’s Backbone, which was made a few years before Pan’s Labyrinth. It didn’t quite achieve the same level of popularity, but it’s almost just as good. Also fitting for a movie made a little earlier, The Devil’s Backbone is set slightly further back in time than Pan’s Labyrinth, taking place during the final stage of the Spanish Civil War, while Pan’s Labyrinth takes place after that same war.

Narratively, The Devil’s Backbone is about an orphanage that’s cursed, and follows a young boy discovering horrors there as a result, many of them of a supernatural variety. The whole film gets dark and even unpleasant at times, making it a little hard to recommend unless you’re prepared to feel a bit rotten. It’s amazingly atmospheric, though, and certainly visceral/hard to forget, once seen.

2

‘All of Us Strangers’ (2023)

Image via Searchlight Pictures

All of Us Strangers is about a man who finds connection with another man, both of them very lonely. It starts to develop into something possibly romantic, though around the same time, the first man also reconnects with his parents. He hasn’t seen them in a while, to put it one way. That might not sound very fantastical, but it is, when you take into account his parents had been dead for years, and when he reconnects with them, they’re the same age they were when they died.

There are further things that happen, possibly even definable as plot twists, so All of Us Strangers does end up being quite surprising. It’s also heavy-going, as part of the overall emotional roller coaster it provides. Some of it goes up and is exciting, and then other parts seem keen to break your heart into as many pieces as possible. In good ways, it should be noted.

1

‘The Green Mile’ (1999)

Image via Universal Pictures

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With The Green Mile, the fantasy elements are subdued, but they’re certainly there. It’s based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, which wasn’t necessarily an epic-length one by his standards, but the movie is about as long as you’d expect an epic to be. It takes place inside a prison, and mostly concerns prisoners on death row, and the staff who work there as well.

One prisoner has been falsely accused, and he also happens to have miraculous healing abilities, with a good deal of the drama in The Green Mile concerning desperate attempts to get such a man off death row. But this is a story all about death and confronting mortality and all that, and one that’s not afraid to get heavy and feel like a tearjerker, so it’s sobering stuff. Certainly about as far from whimsical and adventurous as a fantasy story can get.

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The Green Mile

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Release Date

December 10, 1999

Runtime

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189 minutes

Director

Frank Darabont

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 47 seconds ago

In 1987, Fox debuted Married…With Children, a subversive sitcom about the most dysfunctional family ever put onscreen. The show is filled with “how did they get away with that” jokes and, as an added bonus, happens to star two of the decade’s hottest actors. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a dime to experience these raunchy laughs for yourself, as Married…With Children is currently streaming for free on Tubi.

The basic premise of Married…With Children is that a slobby, schlubby shoe salesman is raising a family that includes a lazy wife, a ditzy daughter, and a dirtbag son. They get into various TV show shenanigans, but what sets this show apart is its dark humor and complete subversion of the family sitcom formula. Basically, this was a show as hilariously mean-spirited as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but it premiered back when the airwaves were dominated by more family-friendly fare like Who’s the Boss and Growing Pains.

A Shockingly Great Cast

The cast of Married…With Children includes David Faustino (best known outside of this show for his voice work on The Legend of Korra) as young Bud Bundy and breakout bombshell Christina Applegate (best known for Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead) as young Kelly Bundy. Katey Segal (best known for voicing Leela on Futurama) plays Peg Bundy, a stunning housewife who is despised by her husband. That husband is played to hapless perfection by Ed O’Neill, someone best known to younger sitcom fans for his long-running role as a perpetually-perplexed patriarch on Modern Family.

When Married…With Children came out, it was a smash with audiences looking for something other than another cookie-cutter sitcom about another overly perfect little family. The show’s comedy has also stood the test of time, and it currently has a 97 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While there are not enough professional reviews for the show to have a critical score (poor Al Bundy gets no respect), most of the critics who reviewed the show agree that it is perfectly cast and filled with writing as acidic as it is infectiously hilarious. 

Everyone Fell In Love With TV’s Crankiest Husband

It’s almost impossible to overstate what a monster hit Married…With Children really was. To this day, it is the longest-running sitcom ever aired on Fox, and at 11 seasons and 259 episodes, it’s also one of the longest-running sitcoms in television history. Whether you’re an old fan looking for some comedy comfort food or a new fan looking for a few dark laughs, this is the dirty, binge-friendly pleasure you’ve been looking for.

As an ‘80s kid, I watched Married…With Children at a young age, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t really process what was so subversive about its humor. All I really knew was that Kelly was hot, Peg was hotter, and Al’s cranky punchlines were funny. Returning to the show now as a family guy (complete with a Peter Griffin-like waistline), though, I find myself appreciating its dark humor now more than ever.

The Darkest Laughs The ’80s Had To Offer

You see, the central gag of Married…With Children is that Al Bundy has achieved the American dream: he has a steady job, a beautiful wife, two healthy kids, and a big house to raise them in. Nonetheless, he has inexplicably found that the dream has turned into a nightmare.

His customer service job offers endless abuse from the public, his children are idiots, and his wife has transformed henpecking into an art. All Al really wants to do at the end of a long day is disassociate and obsess about the good old days, which makes him an almost shockingly modern figure in the world of ‘80s television comedy.

Another way that Married…With Children was ahead of its time was how it focused on the comedy that can only come from dysfunctional and hilariously broken people. Seinfeld debuted two years later and became a cultural phenomenon, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (which debuted 18 years later) arguably perfected the formula of “jerks behaving badly.” Arguably, those other shows’ outsized success would have been impossible if Married…With Children hadn’t shown how hungry audiences were for an alternative to saccharine-sweet sitcoms.

The Original Doomer

In this way, Married…With Children is weirdly timeless: it still works well as a kind of antisitcom, and if you grew up watching ‘80s staples like Who’s the Boss, you’ll still laugh (and laugh hard) at how transgressively this show breaks all the rules. But if you’re a bit young for those vintage sitcoms, you’ll still enjoy the adventures of Al and Peg Bundy because they are of a piece with later cynical programming like It’s Always Sunny. Basically, Al Bundy is the original doomer, and whether you’re here to laugh at his jokes or ogle his wife, there’s a lot to love in this vintage sitcom.

Will you agree that Married…With Children is one of the best raunchy sitcoms in television history, or would you rather work in a shoe store than finish a single episode? The only way to find out is to run for the remote (go channel your glory days as a high school running back!) and stream it for free on Tubi. Come for the killer theme song and stay for the hottest ladies the ‘80s had to offer!

In a year stacked with great television, a handful of shows stand out as defining 2025 titles. From the outstanding Noah Wyle-led medical drama The Pitt to Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham‘s timely masterpiece, Adolescence, 2025 was home to some of the best and most vital television of the decade. The summer of 2025 was packed with plenty of popular projects, but it was the final installment of a Prime Video romance that had us all turning pretty.

The biggest teen series of the year, The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s (almost) final chapter saw Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Gavin Casalegno, caught in the fiery final stages of a gripping love triangle, all set against the gorgeous sunset of the fictional town of Cousins Beach. Earning 70 million viewers worldwide in its first 70 days, marking a 65% increase over Season 2, Season 3 was a greater success than most involved could’ve imagined. Despite the finale airing on September 17, 2025, The Summer I Turned Pretty has remained a constant on the streaming charts ever since.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and, at the time of writing, The Summer I Turned Pretty has bowed out of the Prime Video top ten in the U.S. In all likelihood, it will quickly find its way back into the charts, but a mammoth finale for Fallout Season 2 and the arrival of Bridgerton‘s fourth outing on Netflix have taken viewers’ gaze away from Jenny Han‘s coming-of-age gem.

‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Isn’t Going Anywhere Just Yet

Image via Eddy Chen/Eddy Chen/Prime – © Amazon Content Services LLC

Fear not, TSITP fans, as more is on its way in the form of a feature film. Set to serve as a direct continuation from the recent finale, the film was announced following the enormous success of Season 3, with Han returning to pen the story. There has been no word on when production might begin on the next installment of this love story, nor do we know what direction Han will take it in following Belly’s final decision between the brothers, so make sure to stay tuned for the latest updates. A logline of The Summer I Turned Pretty reads:

“A girl is caught in a love triangle between two brothers as she deals with her first love and first heartbreak during the perfect summer.”

The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for the latest streaming stories.

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Release Date

2022 – 2025-00-00

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Network

Prime Video

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Directors

Erica Dunton, Jesse Peretz, Jeff Chan

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• 

  Lola Tung

  Isabel ‘Belly’ Conklin

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  Christopher Briney

  Conrad Fisher

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Whether I’m flying, driving or taking the train, I’m pretty much always heading somewhere. That means my wardrobe is overflowing with travel outfits, but like anyone else, I have my favorites. Some live in the back of my closet while others are front and center, worn and washed every week. Rather than gatekeep, I’ve rounded up my top picks, a.k.a. the pairings I reach for on both travel and non-travel days.

My go-to travel outfits have to be loose, breathable and skin-soft. They also have to be layerable, since I can’t stand being too hot or cold on an airplane. Lastly, style is non-negotiable for a fashionista like me. These 17 picks check all the boxes. I’ve also included some outfits that are currently in my cart — because no, my closet isn’t large enough for all 17 travel outfits at once. Maybe someday!

The 17 Comfiest, Classiest Travel Outfits — From $7

1. Sporty Chic: This side-stripe outfit begs to be worn to Europe, so go ahead . . . plan that vacation. I’m wearing it to London!

2. Road Trip: You haven’t experienced ‘silky’ until you’ve tried this loose, buttery-soft outfit that’s perfect for long car rides.

3. Medium-Thick: If your body can’t decide between hot and cold, this medium-thick tracksuit is a smart pick. It has short sleeves and long pants for the perfect balance.

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4. Layering Staple: I love wearing this tank and pants combo with a cardigan for the plane and a jean jacket for lunch.

5. Warm Weather: This tee and shorts set is my easy but cute uniform for weekends in Florida and spring breaks in Mexico. It’s a lightweight dream!

6. Feeling Nauti: I’m adding this striped polo sweater and lounge pants set to my cart while it’s on sale! The nautical pairing channels pure yacht-wife energy.

7. Elevated Look: Everything about this tee and pants set is polished, including the ribbed texture, slouchy fit and practical waist tie.

8. Oui Oui: You don’t need a French passport to look Parisian, thanks to this cozy, classy knit set. The cap-sleeve top and joggers do all the talking.

9. Errand Outfit: Whether you’re stocking your Airbnb or grabbing coffee for your crew, Ekouaer’s stretchy set keeps you cool and comfy on the go.

10. Oddly Flattering: I wrote an entire article about this viral travel sweatshirt. This lounge set features the iconic hoodie plus flattering sweatpants.

11. Second Skin: Calling fabric snobs! This rayon-and-spandex-blend set might make you forget you’re wearing clothes.

12. Date Night: I wear this sophisticated knit outfit for date nights near and far. The pleated pants are elegant enough for the office, too.

13. Super Cozy: Imagine feeling like you’re wrapped in a cloud while looking like a millionaire. That’s the best way to describe this fuzzy ribbed outfit.

14. Boho Babe: People will think you bought this waffle-knit set at Urban Outfitters or Zara. They’d never guess it’s only $25!

15. Cool Mom: Classic and luxurious, Automet’s crewneck and pants combo is the easiest add-to-cart. The drapey silhouette screams ‘cool mom.’

16. Aspen Socialite: This color-blocked quarter-zip outfit makes you look like a wealthy ski bum. I’m grabbing it to wear both on and off the slopes.

17. Budget-Friendly: Considering this short-sleeved, pajama-like lounge set is just $7, you’ll want to scoop up a few in different colors.