By Robert Scucci
| Published 38 seconds ago

If there’s one piece of media that sums up our current consumption habits, it has to be Adult Swim’s Too Many Cooks. It’s an 11-minute musical short that plays out like a classic family sitcom intro before quickly going off the rails, devolving into sci-fi, crime procedurals, medical dramas, and even slasher territory before it concludes. The song itself is about how when there’s too many cooks in the pot, everybody loses the plot, and then we just kind of have to roll with it.

The segment originally aired on October 28, 2014 during Adult Swim’s Infomercials block, debuting at 4:00 a.m. Having seen this one live in real time, I remember wondering what the hell I ate before bed, and then when I looked it up the next day, it all started to make sense. It wasn’t a fever dream, but it plays like one. When you’re drifting in and out of sleep, it just seems like a bunch of senseless non sequiturs, but the more you unpack it, the more obvious it becomes that this bit, written and directed by Casper Kelly, was more prophetic than it had any right to be.

It’s slop, but it’s satirical slop. Looking back at it now, it feels like a warning shot.

It Takes A Lot To Make A Stew, A Pinch Of Salt And Laughter Too!

Too Many Cooks starts out like any other family sitcom from the ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s. A sickeningly upbeat song plays while the principal characters are introduced. The problem is, the characters never stop being introduced. It just keeps going. First, it’s your typical nuclear family. Then there’s a talking puppet cat. Then we’re introduced to people in the neighborhood. Suddenly, you start to notice that one guy has been lurking in the background the entire time, and he just so happens to be a serial killer on the loose, primed to go on a rampage.

The short runs its audience through every genre imaginable, and the characters keep coming. Even worse, everybody living in Too Many Cooks becomes vaguely aware they’re trapped in a never-ending sitcom intro loop, and there’s no escape. The glowing floating signs that tell us each character’s name are actually real, and they follow the characters around. This becomes especially inconvenient when a damsel in distress hides from the crazed killer in her closet, only for her name sign to illuminate through the slats in the door.

Pushing into increasingly dark territory, the most harrowing sequence in Too Many Cooks involves the girl running through the production lot, the music coming and going depending on where she’s located. It creates a Doppler effect that’s infinitely more unnerving if you’re listening with headphones. It makes everything feel real, as if you’re running for your life while an upbeat song plays from the other room, almost like it’s laughing at you.

Things get truly absurd when Too Many Cooks goes full-on Battlestar Galactica, introducing an entire sci-fi premise where the serial killer is now loose in space, and C.O.O.K.S. stands for Cybernetic Operational Optimized Knights of Science, who defend humanity against the Beast Rebels of the Hellscape, or B.R.o.T.H., boasting the tagline, “When it comes to the future, you can never have too many cooks.”

Too Many Cooks Predicted Conformity Gate

Too Many Cooks is a prime example of what happens when too many people get involved in a single project. Without a hint of irony, it reminds me of Stranger Things Season 5. What started as a simple cosmic horror Netflix series with a tight, ensemble cast playing into our fear of the unknown, suddenly named its primary antagonist Henry and made him a weird tentacle tree monster. The mysterious Upside Down that robbed Hawkins, Indiana of its safety and innocence suddenly had dozens of rules and explanations, and none of it made sense. It just kept barreling forward, becoming increasingly ridiculous, convoluted, and unhinged, completely unaware of the fact that it lost the plot after Season 3.

Suddenly, the ensemble cast featured way too many secondary, tertiary, and ancillary characters taking on more significant roles, leaving little room for the growing staff writers, producers, directors, guest stars, and guest directors to properly housekeep. It got so bad that by the time Stranger Things wrapped for good, half its fanbase had a psychotic break, broke down every continuity error, and used them as “evidence” to suggest there’s actually a secret series finale coming that will somehow make it all better. An embarrassing blip on our screens known as “Conformity Gate.”

That’s the pun. That’s the joke. There were too many cooks in the pot, and what started as one thing became something else entirely. Across 11 minutes, the shift is gradual at first, but then it barrels headfirst into a surreal void of insanity that never lets up or makes any sense. Too Many Cooks is funny as its own standalone bit, but looking at the bigger picture, and how shows are jammed through a slop machine and written by committee today, it certainly feels like one writer’s desperate attempt to warn us about what was coming, and we didn’t listen.

It’s only fitting that Too Many Cooks, which is available to watch on Adult Swim’s YouTube channel, plays out like a show that jumped the shark years ago but doesn’t know how to call it quits. After all, it’s 12 years later, and we’re still getting new episodes of The Simpsons. 

Here’s a look at what celebrities have been up to as of late!

Olivia Rodrigo poses in the ROOTS limited-edition Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary bomber jacket after hosting the show in New York City.

Alicia Keys appeared on American Idol wearing KSUBI’s Barrel Jacket in black.

Chase Infiniti attended the 2026 Met Gala celebrating Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the DELPHINE Florence Gown in Citron.

Jennifer Lawrence enjoyed a stroll in New York City while carrying CYKLAR’s Perfume Oil in Modern Patchouli. 

Nikki Glaser attended Netflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: Night of Too Many Stars in Los Angeles, California, where she carried the Hazel Bow Bag from Charles & Keith.

Doja Cat, Tate McRae, Simone Ashley, Lisa, and Alexa Chung attended the 2026 Met Gala celebrating Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City wearing Stringys. The brand also launched their first-ever bra.

Kylie Jenner stepped out in Los Angeles, California wearing Helsa’s Beckette Knit Capris.

Nina Dobrev walked her dog in New York City while wearing the Seeley Double Breasted Longline Coat by ASTR The Label.

Becky G celebrated the release of her single “EPA” in West Hollywood, California while wearing Outcast’s Niko Shorts in Black Stripe.

Lily Collins filmed Emily in Paris in Mykonos, Greece while wearing high-waisted floral shorts from Maje.

Shay Mitchell posed on Instagram in a pair of Alana Stiletto Pumps from JUSTFAB.

Miranda Kerr, Karlie Kloss, Ciara, Lindsey Vonn, and more attended the 2026 Met Gala celebrating Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City after getting facials by celebrity aesthetician Mimi Luzon.

Doechii snapped a selfie for Instagram wearing the KSUBI Low Rider Exposed Swept Mini.

Bella Hadid vacationed in Saint-Tropez, France in OTRA’s Esme sunglasses in Olive to Gold / Olive.

Eva Longoria posed for a picture on Instagram in the Kinley Earrings in gold by Petal & Pup.

Lindsay Hubbard celebrated the premiere of In The City in New York City while wearing the Natalie Rolt Julietta Dress.

Selena Gomez attended the premiere of Marty, Life Is Short at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood in Los Angeles, California wearing feathered diamond earrings and a round, brilliant cut diamond ring from Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry. The singer also enjoyed a stroll in London, England while wearing the AGOLDE Dame Short in Convert.

Suki Waterhouse snapped a selfie for Instagram in the DUCIE Holly Long Hair Jacket.

Emily Ratajkowski shopped at the gimaguas pop-up in New York City.

Tina Fey attended a press day for The Four Seasons in Los Angeles, California wearing the INEZ Lola Heels and again to the premiere of the television show.

Emily Blunt, Sarah Pidgeon, Grace Gummer, Sarah Paulson, Luke Evans, and more attended the 2026 Met Gala celebrating Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City after getting their skin prepped by celeb facialist Lord Gavin McLeod-Valentine and Skin Lab lead facialist Desireé Delia using The Method by Augustinus Bader.

Katie Couric hosted a live conversation with Cameron Rogers at the Reinventing Relationships event at City Winery in New York City, where they discussed generational healing, family dynamics, and the importance of open conversations around mental health.

Heidi Montag appeared on the Coming in Hot podcast to discuss her comeback as a pop artist with her album, “Superficial”, her marriage to Spencer Pratt, and losing their Pacific Palisades, California home in the Palisades Fire.

Jamie Lynn Sigler shared her love for CYKLAR’s Vanilla Verve Body Oil with New York Magazine.

Terry and Heather Dubrow celebrated the college graduations of their twins, Max and Nick Dubrow, at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. 

Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power partnered with PAIGE to kick off Summer Fridays season by offering shoppers a complimentary Avaline Wine every Friday from May 22 through Sept. 2.

Hudson Williams starred in a BVLGARI jewelry campaign wearing the SIMKHAI Gibson Leather Shirt Jacket.

Gia Giudice hosted the social takeover of NBCUniversal’s 2026 Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. 

Jesse Solomon appeared on the Summer House reunion wearing ALDO’s Axwell Loafers.

Amanda Frances announced the relaunch of the Vibe Membership with a lower price point and added value.

Holly Humberstone participated in Free People’s FP Sessions performance and interview series wearing the brand’s Clarise Mini Dress, Viola Over-the-Knee Socks, Aurora Flats, In This Groove Mini Slip, Frye for FP Campus Boots, Feeling Again Lariat Necklace, It’s Romantic Brami, In Full Swing Shorts, and Cecily Clogs.

Jimmy Butler attended the 2026 Met Gala celebrating Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in a custom ALO outfit.

Lux Pascal attended the 2026 Met Gala celebrating Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in a custom Cult Gaia look.

Maude Apatow attended the 2026 Met Gala celebrating Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the Brilliant Earth Perfect 4-Prong Diamond Stud Earrings and Brilliant Earth Diamond Rings and HUE’s Opaque Sheer to Waist Tights.

Jennie stepped out in New York City in Black Suede Studio’s Easy 50 Mule and again in the Reformation Amelia Thong Wedge.

Deacon Phillippe strolled in New York City in ATM’s Slub Jersey Long Sleeve Destroyed Wash Tee. 

Mika Abdalla posted on Instagram wearing the Skye Top in Espresso by Atelier Solana.

Sandra Vergara attended the Vulture Reality Masterminds Celebration at The Lawn Club in New York City wearing The Transformer in Crystal/Black by ROCKNOT.

Allie Eklund appeared as one of the newest cast members in the Season 3 trailer of McBee Dynasty at NBCUniversal’s Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Ella Bright appeared on Off Campus in Simone Pérèle’s Karma Sheer Demi in black and Intrigue Sheer Demi in black.

Melinda Melrose attended the Dolce&Gabbana beauty pop-up in New York City after being appointed as the brand’s Global Makeup Expert.

Kim Gravel appeared on the LegendsNLeaders podcast to discuss her live selling playbook.

Miranda McKeon hosted a Fill Your Tank community hike and farm-to-table lunch in New York.

Brittny and Jenson Button attended the Dior Cruise 2027 Show at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, California.

Cassidy Montalvo attended the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada with Amazon Prime Video.

Aimee Smale celebrated the release of her Pretty Busy podcast. 

Kai Stone appeared on Getting Real with RED podcast.

Violet Witchel celebrated the launch of her Dense Bean Salad at BIGFACE Coffee in Miami, Florida.

Paige Lindgren promoted her debut cookbook, Sync & Savor, in New York City and Los Angeles, California.

Avantika Vandanapu attended the screening and conversation for Not Suitable For Work at 92NY in New York City. 

Kacey Musgraves teamed up with Lee® to launch Kacey Lee, a 100-piece collaboration for Walmart with men’s and women’s denim bottoms and tops, sleepwear, swimwear, accessories, and pet items.

Shelton Wilder showcased listings in Brentwood, California, Malibu, California, and Beverly Hills, California.

Kat Velasco released her single “Shutting Down Midtown”.

Madison Woolley attended the Carla Zampatti show during Australian Fashion Week in Australia.

Jordan Chiles celebrated her birthday with a ’90s theme in Los Angeles, California.

Susan Holmes-McKagan celebrated the release of her paperback book, The Velvet Rose, at Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood, California.

GIRLSET attended 5th Annual Gold Gala at The Music Center in Los Angeles, California wearing the Manhattan Chain Link Statement Bracelet, Juliette Pave Bangle, Margaux Pave Ring, Plaza Ring, Nairobi Chain Bracelet, Camille Statement Drop Earrings, Knockout Collar, and Signature Midi Knockout Studs by Dean Davidson and the Golden Whirlwind Ring by Kaimanna by Samara.

Nick Arrojo hosted salon services including haircuts, color, and blowouts at the ARROJO pop-up in Los Angeles, California to celebrate three new additions to the ARROJO product collection.

Olivia Ponton attended the premiere of Amarga Navidad during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.

Michael Dupouy celebrated the release of his book, All Gone at the GUESS JEANS Melrose Flagship in West Hollywood, California, where guests enjoyed a book signing, custom denim experiences, and more.

Preslee Faith attended the Pink Palm Puff VIP pop-up event in Miami, Florida to celebrate the brand’s new store opening.

Katie Austin celebrated her sixth year as a SI Swimsuit model by appearing on Good Day New York, the Tamron Hall Show, and TODAY in New York City.

Shoshanna Raven celebrated her wedding to Christian Martin in Puerto Rico.

TJ Palma appeared on Harry Jowsey’s podcast, Boyfriend Material.

Glenn Adamson released ACHILLE, Assouline’s latest title, to celebrate the bespoke creations of the eponymous Italian architect, artist, and designer. 

Lindye Galloway celebrated her 14-piece apparel capsule and 8-piece eyewear collaboration with Z SUPPLY at Common Thread in Costa Mesa, California.

RIXO co-founders Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey hosted a RIXO gifting suite at The Honeyman Agency in Beverly Hills, California. The brand also launched its May collection, Golden Haze, featuring new shapes, ’70s, vintage references, gemstone colorways, lightweight cottons, and fluid chiffons.

Lily Easton celebrated the opening of the With Jéan pop-up in West Hollywood, California.

Chase DeMoor is preparing for the Fame Fighting vs. Misfits boxing event in Leverkusen, Germany on June 6.

Jamie Milne welcomed her second baby with husband Brandon.

Sophie Saint teased new music, set to be released in June.

Levi’s® celebrated the debut of the Levi’s® Bungalow in Venice, California, where guests enjoyed music, food, and the spirit of summer.

Nick Fouquet and Jacques Marie Mage celebrated the launch of their eight-piece limited-edition collaboration featuring two JMM eyewear styles and one Nick Fouquet signature hat in two colorways with a private party at JMM Galleries in Venice, California.

Everist hosted a breakfast event at Ardor at The EDITION in West Hollywood, California to celebrate the launch of the brand’s EverBoost Multi-Peptide Scalp Serum.

Charles & Keith hosted a preview event in Los Angeles, California to present its summer collection alongside branded moments and more.

Hammitt hosted an intimate presentation for the Summer ’26 collection at Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills, California, where guests enjoyed sips, light bites, music, fashion, and more.

Hourglass hosted an immersive event at The Grove in Los Angeles, California to celebrate the launch of the Phantom Blur Balm, where guests enjoyed personalized lip wardrobe consultations with Hourglass Lip Stylists, access to the Ambient Lighting Edit: Charms palettes, and more.

CHANEL hosted a private preview of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ landmark exhibition, Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon, in Los Angeles, California, to highlight the enduring connection between the actress and CHANEL No.5.

Quince hosted a preview for its furniture collection at Sunset Tower in Los Angeles, California, where guests shopped for home essentials including linen bedding, cashmere throws, and candles, as they enjoyed bites from Leora, Alfred Coffee, and Fleur et Sel. 

G&B Digital Management and College of Influence selected five winners of their inaugural College Creator Micro-Grant ’26.

elysewalker Southampton announced that it will be a permanent store location open year-round in Southampton, New York.

BTS The City Arirang teamed up with Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada to debut the “Our Love Song” combo, which includes the K-Town Chicken Sandwich and Strawberry Cheesecake Classic Shake, available through May 31.

SASHA THERESE launched a new limited-run collection filled with hardware-led sexy minimalism designs with built-in belt detailing, buckle accents, and draped accessories.

SEV Laser conducted a survey with Gen Z and Millennial women, where they found that 1 in 3 have cancelled summer plans because they didn’t feel beauty ready, with over 40% saying it happens more than once a month, highlighting what the brand is calling the Spontaneity Gap. To reduce time spent on routine grooming and upkeep, SEV Laser suggests aesthetic treatments like their laser hair removal, which saves 50 days of shaving and waxing over ten years.

Levain teamed up with Sweet Rose Creamery to bring back cookies à la mode, alongside new offerings like mini-ice cream sandwiches and affogatos.

NassifMD, founded by Paul Nassif, launched The Instant Peptide Lift Face Mask and The Instant Peptide Lift Undereye Patches.

OMI introduced two targeted additions to its Hair Growth Peptides™ collection, HARMONIZE and REVITALIZE, peptide-powered formulas designed to address specific causes of thinning and shedding.

Lee launched the Tee Shop, a curated selection of crew necks, logo styles, relaxed silhouettes, pocket tees, and statement graphics across men’s and women’s styles.

Melissa teamed up with GANNI to launch the Melissa/GANNI collaboration featuring the Thong Kitten Heel and Flip Flop Swim.

Prequel launched the Lip Visor SPF 30 in 4 new tinted shades, including Blush, Nude, Mahogany, and Berry.

Assouline launched Football: The Impossible Collection, Football Roots: The Spirit of the Game, and Basquiat: The World of Jean-Michel.

PatPat launched a new Star Wars-inspired collection to celebrate the theatrical release of The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Augustinus Bader launched The Overnight Restorative Cream with the brand’s Advanced TFC8® technology to work in sync with the skin’s circadian rhythm and peak regeneration hours for a complexion that appears firmer, smoother, and revitalized.

ONE/SIZE launched the Oil Sucker Liquid Blotting Paper Spray, which delivers the oil-absorbing power of a blotting paper without the pressing or patting.

Tower 28 launched the ShineOn Plumping Lip Jelly in five shades, powered by VibePlump™, Volulip™, tortula oil, arnica, and hyaluronic filling spheres for a fuller and smoother look without stinging or irritation. 

Néccessaire launched The Hand Wash and The Hand Lotion Santal to combat dryness and stripping with niacinamide, vitamin B5, and essential minerals.

KSUBI launched its pre-fall ’26 collection, Higher Than Heaven.

Kosas launched the Impressionist Multistick in 7 nature-inspired shades to provide a flushed-from-within effect for blush and lip color.

Le Monde Gourmand launched the Tomate Bébé Eau de Parfum and Tomate Bébé Candle in collaboration with Jon & Vinny’s, featuring tomato leaf, garden basil, and green pepper with sparkling citrus and warm woods.

Thierry Lasry teamed up with Faena Hotels to launch a limited-edition sunglasses collection, which reinterprets two of Lasry’s signature styles, including CLANDESTY and SOCIETY.

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Thrillers get ranked too neatly when people talk about them. As if there is one obvious answer and the rest are just honorable mentions orbiting below it. I do not buy that for a second. The greatest thrillers do radically different things to your nervous system. Some tighten one room until it feels like the whole world is trapped inside it. Some weaponize curiosity. That is why the best thriller ever argument never really ends, and thank God for that.

What matters is not only quality. It is a specific kind of possession. The movie that keeps you leaning forward even when you know the turn. The one where every rewatch makes the setup feel more ingenious or the dread feel more intimate. The one whose images have stopped being scenes and turned into permanent furniture in your mind. These ten all qualify. I could absolutely imagine somebody planting a flag on any one of them and saying, no, this is it, this is the greatest thriller ever made. And honestly, on the right day, I might agree with them.

10

‘Zodiac’ (2007)

Image via Paramount Pictures

What makes Zodiac worthy of this conversation is that it understands obsession as suspense. That sounds simple until you really sit with what David Fincher is doing. The killer is terrifying, yes. The murders matter, yes. But the movie’s deepest hook is that the case becomes a slow spiritual infection in the lives of the men trying to understand it. Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) does not just get curious. He gets claimed. The further he moves into the case, the more the movie stops being about crime-solving in the ordinary sense and starts becoming about the terrifying human need to force pattern onto chaos before chaos humiliates your whole idea of order.

That is why it gets better every time. The basement scene is famous for obvious reasons, though the movie’s real power lies in how mundane obsession can look while it is eating a life. Offices, paperwork, handwriting samples, phone calls, awkward home-life deterioration, long stretches where nothing thrilling in the conventional sense is happening, yet the movie keeps tightening. That is a rare skill. Zodiac proves a thriller can be procedural, melancholic, and almost anti-climactic on purpose.

9

‘Memories of Murder’ (2003)

Image via CJ Entertainment

Pain is what gives Memories of Murder its place in this conversation. It starts with the shape of a serial-killer procedural, rural detectives, women being murdered, clues half-grasped, mounting panic, incompetent local policing trying to become adequate under pressure. The cops are often foolish, brutal, improvisational, vain, out of their depth. That is the point. Evil has entered a world not prepared to meet it, and the unpreparedness becomes part of the horror.

The reason somebody could call this the greatest thriller ever is that it never treats the murders as isolated mystery beats. They alter the moral atmosphere of the town, the investigators, the weather, even the fields. Rain starts feeling cursed. Darkness starts feeling like accomplice terrain. Detective Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho) becomes the movie’s central wound, a man who begins with arrogant instinct and gradually discovers instinct is useless against certain kinds of absence. It is a thriller about the unbearable emptiness after the thrill should have ended.

8

‘Oldboy’ (2003)

Image via FilmDistrict

There are thrillers that twist. Then there are thrillers that take your sense of emotional safety out back and beat it with a hammer. Oldboy is in the second category. The premise is already bizarre enough to hook anyone, a man imprisoned for years without explanation, suddenly released, then thrown into a revenge mystery where every answer seems designed to make the question worse, but that only explains the skeleton. What makes the movie genuinely great is the way revenge mutates from purpose into poison here. Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) moves through the story like a person whose whole identity has been distorted by captivity and hunger and the need to know why.

That is what gives the film its terrible rewatch power. The corridor fight is spectacular and brutal and deservedly iconic, but the real violence in Oldboy is architectural. The villain has built a psychological space for Dae-su to suffer inside long before the two men meet face to face. Every encounter, every clue, every erotic beat, every tenderness, all of it has been contaminated in advance. That is why someone could argue it is the greatest thriller of all time. Very few thrillers are this formally alive and this emotionally cruel at once. It is not content to surprise you. It wants to leave your soul feeling rearranged.

7

‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)

Image via Orion Pictures

Control alone would give The Silence of the Lambs a place in this argument. It is almost offensively precise. Not a wasted scene. Not a wasted gesture. Not a wasted piece of information. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster)’s journey works because the film understands from the start that suspense becomes more charged when it is running through a character who is not just trying to solve a case but trying to move through rooms built to diminish her. That is the first genius. Clarice is always reading menace on more than one level, literal violence, sexual scrutiny, institutional condescension, male pathology dressed as intellect, and Foster makes all of that visible without ever turning Clarice into a symbol instead of a person.

Then there is Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), obviously, but what makes him unforgettable is not mere creep-show brilliance. It is that the film uses him as a different kind of threat than Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). Lecter attacks psychologically, aesthetically, conversationally. He makes insight feel invasive. The movie becomes extraordinary because Clarice has to move between two distinct nightmares, the cultivated one that wants to know her and the chaotic one stalking women’s bodies in literal space. That is why the climax works so hard. The basement sequence, in particular, is the whole movie cashing its emotional checks at once. Gender, vulnerability, darkness, training, fear, instinct. It all converges. If someone called this the greatest thriller ever made, I would not fight them much.

6

‘Se7en’ (1995)

Image via New Line Cinema

Disease is what gives Se7en its claim. Fincher here does not just stage a murder investigation. He creates a whole city where moral decay seems to have turned into weather. Rain, grime, cramped apartments, fluorescent fatigue, everyone in the movie looks like they have already been sleeping badly for ten years. That matters. John Doe’s (Kevin Spacey) crimes do not feel like intrusions into ordinary life but like a monstrous logic emerging naturally from a world already halfway broken. That is what makes the film so sickeningly persuasive.

The structure is brilliant because it keeps the two detectives from becoming simple archetypes. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is not only weary wisdom. David Mills (Brad Pitt) is not only a hotheaded youth. They are two different reactions to living in a world that keeps forcing the soul into uglier and uglier shapes. Their conversations matter because the movie is really asking whether despair is intelligence or surrender. Then once John Doe enters physically, the whole film changes temperature without losing momentum. That is hard to do.

5

‘Rear Window’ (1954)

Image via Paramount Pictures

This may be the purest movie ever made about the way suspense and spectatorship are secretly married. Rear Window gives you L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) stuck in his apartment with a broken leg, looking out at windows across the courtyard, watching strangers live pieces of their lives, and then slowly starting to believe he has seen evidence of murder. That setup is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most beautiful acts of cruelty.

It makes the audience complicit immediately. Watching becomes the movie. Curiosity becomes danger. Distance becomes intimacy. You are not just seeing Jeff be trapped. You are trapped inside the same act of looking. What makes the film universal is that it understands voyeurism as something almost embarrassingly human. You do not need to be bad to start looking too long. You only need time, proximity, fragments, boredom, imagination, and a slight suspicion that what you are seeing may add up to something awful. Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) and Stella (Thelma Ritter) are incredible additions because the suspense gains extra emotional texture once Lisa starts entering the danger physically while Jeff remains forced to watch. That helpless-watchfulness is the whole genius of the movie.

4

‘North by Northwest’ (1959)

Image via MGM

Elegance is what lets North by Northwest make its case. Hitchcock takes Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) mistaken for a nonexistent spy and turns the whole American landscape into a running misidentification nightmare. Thornhill is witty, vain, poised, and then slowly forced to discover that poise is not protection once the plot stops caring who you think you are. That gap between style and vulnerability becomes part of the movie’s rhythm, and it is one of the reasons the film remains so easy to fall into.

The set pieces are immortal, the crop duster, the auction, Mount Rushmore, all deservedly, but they are not iconic just because they are well staged. They are iconic because the movie knows how to isolate a person inside open space. Vastness can be as claustrophobic as a locked room if the threat is organized correctly. Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) matters enormously too, because the romance is not decorative. It is part of the trap and part of the thrill. North by Northwest makes suspense feel sexy, funny, and expansive without ever going soft. That is almost impossible.

3

‘Jaws’ (1975)

Image via Universal Pictures

Jaws is such an unbeatable contender for thrillers too and precisely because of primal fear. The shark matters, obviously. The attacks matter. The beach dread matters. But the film is perfect suspense because it never relies on the creature alone. It gives you town politics, masculine pride, public denial, class arrogance, economic cowardice, parental terror, sea-myth bravado, and one of the best dramatic escalations ever built in studio filmmaking. Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) becomes the center of that escalation because fear enters through the shark and then infects the whole social body around him.

Once the movie leaves the shore and goes onto the Orca, it becomes almost impossibly good. Brody, Quint (Robert Shaw), and Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) are three different relationships to fear, knowledge, and masculinity locked on a boat with a force of nature that does not care about any of them. By the end, the water is no longer setting. It is judgment. That is why Jaws sits near the very top of this argument.

2

‘Psycho’ (1960)

Image via Paramount Pictures

This is such a radical piece of thriller storytelling that even now, after decades of imitation, Psycho still feels like the genre realizing how much it can get away with. The film begins as one movie, stolen money, guilt, escape, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) making increasingly bad choices while the audience gets pulled into the nervous momentum of her attempted reinvention, and then Hitchcock tears that movie apart midstream and replaces it with something much stranger and more destabilizing. That move alone would secure Psycho’s place in the canon forever.

But the reason somebody could call it the greatest thriller ever is that the film keeps getting better even after the famous shock. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is the reason for that. He is unsettling not just because he is off, but because he is recognizable. Lonely, eager to please, trapped inside family poison, awkwardly boyish, desperate to seem gentle. That is what makes the horror inside him so effective. The Bates house, the motel, the stuffed birds, the swamp, the conversations, all of it feels like a complete psychological landscape. And the shower scene is not only iconic because of violence. It is iconic because the film has taught you to care about Marion’s panic before it destroys her. That is the deepest thriller trick of all: take away the future you had already started projecting. Psycho still does that better than almost anyone.

1

‘Vertigo’ (1958)

Image via Paramount Pictures

This is number one because Vertigo feels like the thriller genre dreaming about itself and then waking up sick with desire. It is not the most propulsive film on this list. It is not the most overtly violent. It is not even the one with the most conventional suspense clock. What it has, and what almost no other thriller has in this exact measure, is obsession as atmosphere. Everything in the movie bends toward fixation, Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart)’s fear, Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton (Kim Novak)’s performance, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore)’s scheme, San Francisco’s dreamlike geography, color, repetition, mistaken identity, the impossible fantasy that love can be preserved by remaking the object of love until it becomes what your grief and desire demand. That is extraordinary thriller material because it makes looking itself dangerous.

Every rewatch deepens the wound too. The first half plays like haunted romantic mystery. The second becomes one of the cruelest studies of male obsession and erotic control ever put on film. Stewart is astonishing. Scottie’s weakness is the movie’s engine. It makes Steward a man whose acrophobia, yearning, vanity, and susceptibility make him usable by the plot long before he understands he has been used. Novak has one of the hardest jobs in cinema and delivers something uncanny, split, vulnerable, manufactured, and heartbreaking all at once. Vertigo is the greatest thriller ever, or close enough that the argument barely matters, because no other thriller on this list fuses suspense, romance, pathology, and visual hypnosis with this much power.

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Vertigo

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Release Date

May 28, 1958

Runtime

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128 minutes

Writers

Alec Coppel, Samuel A. Taylor

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• 

  James Stewart

  Det. John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson

• 

  Kim Novak

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  Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton

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Social media users believe Latto revealed her baby’s gender on her recently released album ‘Big Mama.’

RELATED: Mommy Era?! Fans Say Latto Is Giving Full “Big Mama” Energy With Baby Bottle Prep In Interview Teaser Clip (WATCH)

Did Latto Just Reveal Her Baby’s Gender On Her New ‘Big Mama’ Album?

On Friday, May 29, Latto’s fourth studio album was released to the world. On the 17th track, titled ‘Mama,’ Latto initially paid homage to her mom, Misti Pitts. But then, on the second verse of the song, Latto seemingly directed her focus to her newborn baby. Ultimately, she seemingly revealed that she’s now a girl mom.

Social Media Users Think So

Social media users gathered in TSR’s comment section, sharing their thoughts on Latto seemingly becoming a girl mom.

Before Latto Seemingly Revealed Her Baby’s Gender On ‘Big Mama’ Album, 21 Savage Showed His Love

Hours before Latto’s ‘Big Mama’ album was released, 21 Savage showed his love. As The Shade Room previously reported, social media users believe Latto welcomed her first child with 21, who previously shared three children with two women.

RELATED: Congrats! Latto Shares Personal Footage Showing Her Pregnancy Journey As 21 Savage Makes Cameo (WATCH)

On Thursday evening, 21 took to Instagram to share a post promoting Latto’s album.

RELATED: That’s You? Social Media Users Are In 21 Savage’s Comment Section Following His Post About Latto’s Album (PHOTO)

Social media users are diving into 21 Savage’s comment section following his post about Latto’s recent album release.

RELATED: Awww! Fans Think 21 Savage Confirmed The Arrival Of His Baby With Latto & The TL Is In Shambles (PHOTOS)

21 Savage Posts About Latto’s Album

On the evening of Thursday, May 28, 21 Savage took to Instagram to share a post in promotion of Latto’s latest album, ‘Big Mama.’ To note, the album was released at midnight on Friday, May 29. Furthermore, 21 captioned his post, which featured the album’s cover art, “Midnight 🤯🤯🤯🤯”

Social Media Users Are In 21 Savage’s Comment Section Following His Post About Her Album

Social media users hopped into 21 Savage’s comment section following his post about Latto’s album.

More On Latto & Her Album

As The Shade Room previously reported, on Thursday, April 28, Latto teased that her interview with Apple Music would be dropping on Friday. Furthermore, the interview would seemingly highlight her now-released album and her stepping into the new chapter of motherhood. Latto teased the sitdown by sharing a short visual of what her life is looking like nowadays.

RELATED: Mommy Era?! Fans Say Latto Is Giving Full “Big Mama” Energy With Baby Bottle Prep In Interview Teaser Clip (WATCH)

Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for Star City’s premiere.From the very first scene of Apple TV’s Star City, it’s clear that this is going to be a very different show than what For All Mankind fans are used to. When a cosmonaut’s wife is pulled out of her bed in the middle of the night by the KGB, her first instinct is to assume much worse has happened — until the Soviet space program’s Chief Designer (Rhys Ifans) informs her that her husband, Alexei Leonov (Sam Wilkinson), has just become the first man to set foot on the Moon. That sense of tension, paranoia, and secrecy threads through the spin-off, with the very different opening credits only solidifying your impression of the type of show you’re about to watch.

According to Star City (and For All Mankind) co-creators Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert, that was absolutely intentional. “I think audiences can watch Star City without having seen a frame of For All Mankind,” Nedivi told Collider during our sitdown with the creators ahead of the show’s premiere, “and that was intentional on our part.” Below, Wolpert, Nedivi, and Ifans discuss where Star City sits in the overall franchise, whether we’ll ever learn more about the Chief Designer’s real identity, how many seasons the creators have in mind, and more.

COLLIDER: Matt and Ben, in terms of approaching this show, which sits in a really fascinating place in For All Mankind history, how did you want to strike the balance between building the backstory of characters that we already know, like Sergei and Irina, while you’re pulling back the curtain on what’s happening in Star City within the overall timeline?

MATT WOLPERT: Honestly, it was such a great creative challenge because it was very important to us that the show was not just constant Easter eggs of For All Mankind, and winking at the audience like, “Oh, you recognize this, you recognize that!” There is a little bit of that, but I think what excited us more was introducing the audience to these other fascinating characters who, because they were kept behind the Iron Curtain in this secret city in the middle of the woods that wasn’t on any map, there would be no way for them to interact with Americans at all. So that gave us a freedom. Because so much of what happened in the Soviet Union was kept secret, it gave us a freedom to tell different kinds of stories that didn’t have any overlap with For All Mankind.

One of my favorite elements with that is the story we tell with Anastasia Belikova, because in For All Mankind, you see her smiling on a television screen once, and maybe her photo in a paper, and it seems like this kind of triumphant moment, and you only get this small glimpse of her. We took that challenge to build her out, and everything that led up to that moment, but even more so, what came after that moment and how difficult her life was when she came back to Earth, because that really is the essence of the difference between the two shows — is that in Star City, it’s more dangerous once you get back to Earth than it even is in space.

‘Star City’s Chief Designer Is Meant To Be Mysterious (and Anonymous)

“It was one of the key inspirations of doing the show in the first place.”

Image via Apple TV

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Rhys’ character is obviously such a focal point of the show, but we only ever really know him as the Chief Designer. Is there a storytelling reason for that, and will we ever get a little more about his real identity?

BEN NEDIVI: [to Ifans] I’ll have to kill you if you answer this question. [Laughs] Strangely enough, this was accurate to history. The real Chief Designer was anonymous, and there was a reason for that. One, they were worried about his security. They thought, if he were discovered, if his name and identity were out there, then the Americans or some foreign agents would come for him. He was that valuable to the Soviet Union. He was a genius who basically was responsible for almost all of the successes in the Soviet space program. And then there was another element to it, that if his identity was known within the Soviet Union, he would be so big and so famous and popular that it would threaten the state, which was just as worrying to them. So that, to us, honestly, was a fascinating approach to a character.

Even though we learned a lot about the character on which he was based and inspired, for us, it was more about these other elements, as writers, that make him so intriguing to us as a kind of lead of this ensemble to bring us into this world. Also, in For All Mankind, the divergence point happens in 1966 with his death. That’s how much we respected the man on which this is based. We felt he was so crucial to the space program and so crucial to space exploration that if he wasn’t to die in 1966, the Russians would have beat the Americans to the moon and achieved many other successes. It was one of the key inspirations of doing the show in the first place, and I think just as a character study, a fascinating way to approach this incredible figure.

Rhys, I couldn’t help but think, as I was watching this show, that this is the second spin-off series that you’ve been a part of now where you’re joining an existing world, following House of the Dragon. Is there something that appeals to you as an actor about getting to join an existing story and help fill in the margins?

RHYS IFANS: No, that’s never a consideration. A good role is a good role, whether you start with them or whether they appear further down the line. And I think, actually, in both these cases, they don’t feel like second seasons; they feel like just another limb, a necessary limb. So no, it’s not like the second album, you know what I mean? That’s a whole other thing. The second season or series doesn’t figure into my choices whatsoever.

NEDIVI: And just to be clear, we approach this not as an extension of For All Mankind or a companion piece. We really looked at this as a new show, a different show that happened to be in the filmmaking universe and shared some characters. I think audiences can watch Star City without having seen a frame of For All Mankind, and that was intentional on our part.

Star City definitely has its own distinct identity, and I think one of the ways it really does feel distinct is the opening credits. That was something I wanted to pick your brains about, deciding on what that was going to look like, because it’s just so stark and austere, and it really sets the tone for the type of show that this is going to be.

WOLPERT: It’s a brilliantly done piece. My favorite image in that is this concrete hand holding a rocket. It’s both inspiring and threatening at the same time. Part of what we were trying to capture with that is the juxtaposition of these massive brutalist structures and monuments, and then these tiny people in shadow, and living in the shadow of those buildings, and this city kind of rising up in the middle of the forest and surrounding everyone. But there’s also a sense of things moving up, as if launching up into the sky, that kind of draws you up into the final image. So, it felt like a great juxtaposition of those two ideas, which is really what Star City is all about.

Rhys, I spoke with your fabulous co-star, Anna [Maxwell Martin], and one of my favorite dynamics in this show is between Lyudmilla and the Chief Designer. You don’t know, anytime they’re in a scene, who’s going to walk away triumphant and who’s going to be licking their wounds, so to speak. In terms of the experience of working with her and also how we see these characters develop over the course of the season, what can you tease about how that dynamic evolves? It does feel like as much a personal conflict as a professional one.

IFANS: Yes, there’s a great tension, and working with Anna is exquisite, because she’s so generous and playful. It’s at once gladiatorial and affectionate between the Chief Designer and her. One likes to think that if they, God forbid, were ever to make love, it would herald the apocalypse.

[Laughs] That feels like an idea for a potential follow-up season.

IFANS: Why did I say that in front of two writers?

NEDIVI: [Laughs] Spoiler alert.

‘Star City’s Co-Creators Explain Why the Spin-off Won’t Follow ‘For All Mankind’s Format

“I don’t think we’d do those kinds of time jumps, but there might be some jumps in time.”

Image via Apple TV

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Talking about the future of the show, I will say, in speaking with some of the actors, someone did drop a, “Hopefully, if there’s another season…” so now, I feel like I have to turn that question to Matt and Ben.

NEDIVI: Who said that?

WOLPERT: We want names.

NEDIVI: I’m kidding.

I think it’s good your cast wants to do more! I’m just wondering about the overall plan for the show. We know For All Mankind is coming to its natural conclusion, but I feel like there’s also so much left to scratch beneath the surface with this series. I’m not going to hold you to a firm number.

NEDIVI: We have a 30-season plan. No, I’m kidding. Obviously, we would be so lucky as to continue to tell this story, because I agree. I think the characters are so rich, the world, the setting. But if we are able to continue, I think we wouldn’t do it the same as For All Mankind. The more we worked on this, we felt one of those time jumps in For All Mankind each decade cost Matt and I many years of our lives, including the prosthetics and the actors and everything. But on the other hand, I think this world, there’s enough story to tell within it with these characters where we can stay in the ‘70s in the world of Star City. I don’t think we’d do those kinds of time jumps, but there might be some jumps in time.

Doing any TV show is a magic trick, how you’re able to pull it off. I think what happened with this show was so special. This group of people that came together in the winter in Lithuania to make this happen has really come out beyond our expectations. So yes, if we’re able to continue telling the story, we’d love to.

Star City‘s first two episodes are now streaming on Apple TV.

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Star City

Release Date

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May 29, 2026

Network

Apple TV

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Showrunner

Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert

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Taylor Swift’s years-long battle over her music catalog is back in the spotlight after Scooter Braun made a surprising confession about their infamous fallout. 

During a new podcast appearance, the music mogul admitted he barely knew the pop superstar despite being painted as the villain in one of the music industry’s biggest feuds. 

Braun also reflected on the backlash he faced after purchasing Swift’s masters, while insiders close to the singer insisted that her eventual victory over the catalog was achieved entirely without his help.

Braun opened up this week about the fallout surrounding his feud with Taylor Swift over ownership of her masters. 

Appearing on the “Second Thought With Suzy Weiss” podcast, the music executive admitted that the controversy completely changed how the public viewed him.

He recalled going from being “loved and appreciated for over a decade to literally a villain the next night.” Braun also pushed back on the idea that he and Swift ever shared a close personal relationship.

“I don’t know Taylor Swift,” he said. “I think I’ve met her in my life three times. I have never had a substantial conversation with her in my life.”

According to Braun, one of those rare interactions happened at a party hosted by the singer herself, where they exchanged mutual respect.

The businessman insisted there has long been a misconception surrounding their history.

“But I think there’s this big misconception that, like, we knew each other and we had this feud and I managed her for years,” Braun explained.

“And people are usually shocked to find out that I legitimately don’t know her and didn’t have many interactions with her and never really knew her,” he added.

Swift’s Masters Battle Sparked Industry-Wide Debate

Scooter Braun said the experience ultimately taught him a great deal about the changing music industry. He admitted he still finds the situation bizarre years later. “I’m confused that this is part of my life,” Braun shared.

The former manager of Justin Bieber explained how traditional record deals usually work, noting that labels often retain ownership of master recordings while artists maintain publishing rights.

“Labels make bets on artists, and they own the masters and the artists own their publishing,” he explained. Braun also acknowledged that Taylor Swift’s highly publicized battle may have helped shift conversations throughout the business.

“As confusing as [the situation was] to me, I think what it did bring to light is that artists are going to start wanting to own their masters,” he said.

Last year, Swift officially regained ownership of her catalog after striking a deal with Shamrock Capital. The Grammy winner reportedly spent around $360 million to purchase back the rights to her music after Shamrock acquired them from Braun in 2020.

Taylor Swift Celebrated Regaining ‘Her Entire Life’s Work’

Swift addressed the deal emotionally in a handwritten letter posted on her website after reclaiming the catalog.

The “Cruel Summer” singer explained that proceeds from her massively successful Eras Tour helped finance the purchase. 

“All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy,” she shared per the Daily Mail.

Swift then thanked Shamrock Capital for the “honest, fair and respectful” way the company handled the deal. 

The 36-year-old added that she truly felt they understood what the music represented to her, including her memories, hard work, handwriting, and decades of dreams.

Swift Called Scooter Braun A ‘Bully’ During Masters Fight

The controversy first exploded in 2019 when Braun acquired Taylor Swift’s former record label, Big Machine Media, for $300 million.

The songstress later accused Braun and label head Scott Borchetta of trapping her in a deal structure that would have forced her to earn back her masters one album at a time.

The singer also shared an emotional Tumblr post after learning Braun had acquired her catalog. She described leaving behind “Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.”

Swift admitted the situation devastated her. She also accused Braun of years of “incessant, manipulative bullying.”

Swift specifically referenced incidents involving Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, who were two of Braun’s clients at the time.

The singer later began re-recording her first six albums in response to the ownership dispute, eventually reclaiming several major projects, including “Fearless,” “Red,” “Speak Now,” and “1989.”

Taylor Swift’s Team Insisted Braun Played ‘Zero Part’

After Swift officially regained ownership of her music, rumors surfaced suggesting that Scooter Braun quietly helped facilitate the deal between Swift and Shamrock Capital.

However, insiders close to the negotiations strongly denied that claim. “Contrary to a previous false report, there was no outside party who ‘encouraged’ this sale,” one insider told the Daily Mail.

“All rightful credit for this opportunity should go to the partners at Shamrock Capital and Taylor’s Nashville-based management team only,” they added.

The source also made it clear Braun was not involved in Swift reclaiming her catalog. 

“Swift now owns all of her music, and this moment finally happened in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him,” the insider shared.