If you’re the kind of fantasy TV fan who watches the credits roll on a series finale and immediately opens six tabs looking for more dragons, more magic, and more insane world-building, hi, hello, this list is for you.

These fantasy shows from the last 25 years, ranked from great to life-altering, each with a pitch for why it should be the thing you queue up for tonight. Some run tight; a few pile on the laughs; and one features a 6′ 5″ Lee Pace as a touch-averse pie maker. But all of them earned the descriptor “perfect” in an honest way: by giving us incredible stories we can’t stop thinking about.

10

‘A Discovery of Witches’ (2018–2022)

Image via Sky One

Deborah Harkness‘ academic-witch romance got a genuinely lush adaptation on Sky One, with Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop, a reluctant Oxford historian, and Matthew Goode as Matthew Clairmont, the vampire geneticist who won’t stop stalking her all over the Bodleian. Across three seasons and twenty-five episodes, A Discovery of Witches treats alchemy and evolutionary biology with the same straight-faced rigor it brings to the Congregation of supernaturals policing them both.

Cinematographically, it’s one of the prettiest fantasy shows of its era, shot with a painterly eye for English stone, Venetian canals, and the Auvergne countryside where the Clairmont family keeps its château. The plot layers together a lost alchemical manuscript, a genetic mystery about why the supernatural species are dying out, and a Season 2 time walk to 1590 London that lets Diana train with the School of Night and reintroduces Christopher Marlowe (Tom Hughes) as a member of Matthew’s old circle. The show’s real charm, though, is its worldbuilding: vampires, witches, and daemons are treated as distinct species with their own biology, history, and internal politics. All done in a three-season arc that’s as swoony as book fans could hope for.

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‘Preacher’ (2016–2019)

Image via AMC

AMC’s adaptation of Garth Ennis‘ comic stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, a small-town Texas preacher on the verge of quitting the church when a rogue entity called Genesis, the forbidden offspring of an angel and a demon, hurls itself into his body and hands him the Word of God. Basically, whatever he says out loud, people obey. He picks up his old flame Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga) and a chatty Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) and hits the road to find God Himself, who has abandoned Heaven and gone missing somewhere on Earth. Four seasons of that hunt, chased at every turn by a resurrected cowboy assassin from Hell and Herr Starr’s doomsday-cult bureaucracy.

Preacher is genuinely funny and, also, genuinely nasty, often in the same scene. There are chainsaw brawls, a Hitler subplot played for pitch-black laughs, angels getting killed and resurrected in motel bathrooms. The show swings hard at ideas most prestige dramas wouldn’t touch with tongs, and when it connects, which is often after the New Orleans arc kicks in midway through Season 1, it’s one of the most unhinged action-comedies of the last decade.

8

‘The Magicians’ (2015–2020)

Image via SYFY

Syfy’s college-set fantasy took Lev Grossman‘s novels and grew it into something the books never quite managed: a musical, a heist, a therapy session, a surprisingly insightful argument about the ethics of magic. Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) is depressed and reading a Narnia knockoff at a Brooklyn coffee shop when he’s yanked into Brakebills, a graduate school for magicians. There, he meets friends and foes, eventually going on an alternate-universe-spanning adventure with a bunch of gifted weirdos who become family.

What The Magicians figured out is that fantasy is the best available language for the stuff realist drama flattens: depression, grief, addiction, and assault. The show routes all of it through a magic system that runs on precision and memory, through a cast of unforgettable characters.

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‘Pushing Daisies’ (2007–2009)

Image via ABC

Bryan Fuller‘s candy-colored ABC confection about Ned the Pie Maker (Lee Pace), who can bring the dead back to life with a touch, was killed by the writers’ strike before it could stretch its legs. What Pushing Daisies left behind is 22 episodes so aesthetically committed that the visuals feel like a Wes Anderson pop-up book, and a central romance between Ned and Chuck (Anna Friel), who can never touch again, that made an entire generation of TV writers rethink what “will they, won’t they” could mean.

Kristin Chenoweth sings. Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene, as Chuck’s shut-in ex-synchronized-swimmer aunts, spend most of the series eating cheese and harmonizing in a kitchen that looks like a Fabergé egg. The fact that it existed at all, on network television, in the late 2000s, is a small miracle.

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‘Lost’ (2004–2010)

Image via ABC

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Yes, the ending. We’re all going to talk about the ending forever, and that’s fine, because it means we’re still talking about Lost two decades after the pilot aired. Damon Lindelof’s brainchild gave us six seasons, 121 episodes, one polar bear, and roughly 48 characters worth caring about. Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), Locke (Terry O’Quinn), Sayid (Naveen Andrews), Sun (Yunjin Kim), Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), Ben (Michael Emerson), Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell): pick a favorite, defend them to the death.

Structurally, Lost invented the modern mystery-box show. Oceanic 815 goes down over the Pacific, the survivors wash up on an island that isn’t quite an island, and across six seasons they contend with a smoke monster, a decades-old scientific cult called the Dharma Initiative, and an ancient feud between two immortal brothers who have been using the island — and the people who wash up on it — as pieces in a much longer game. It’s a fantasy show pretending to be a survival drama, and once you accept that, everything clicks.

5

‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2019–2024)

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Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement‘s 2014 mockumentary was already a cult object, but the FX series they developed from it did the near-impossible and improved on the source, trading Wellington flatmates for Staten Island housemates and giving the bit room to actually breathe. Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), and human familiar-turned-vampire-hunter-turned-something-else Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) share a crumbling New York house and, for a decade of viewer time, absolutely nothing changes about their vibe, which is the whole point.

Berry delivers every line as if he’s tasting it. Guillén’s slow-burn Guillermo arc is one of the great long-form character studies in recent comedy. Novak’s Nandor is a 750-year-old warlord rendered as the loneliest man on Staten Island, and Demetriou’s Nadja — Balkan-accented, monstrously vain, in a codependent feud with her own ghost trapped in a doll — is one of the funniest performances anyone gave on television in the 2020s. The comedy here makes the fantasy better…and vice versa.

4

‘Interview with the Vampire’ (2022–Present)

Image via AMC

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Rolin Jones‘ AMC adaptation of Anne Rice‘s novel reframes the story in 2022 Dubai, where an aging, Parkinson’s-afflicted Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) sits down with the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) for a second, more honest interview decades after their first one. What follows is Louis’ life across 15 episodes: turn-of-the-century New Orleans, his making by Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), the vampire child Claudia (Bailey Bass and Delainey Hayles) they raise between them, and the Parisian coven that eventually takes them all apart.

Anderson and Reid are the reason it works. Anderson plays Louis as a Creole man trying to hold his dignity together while the century and his boyfriend take turns dismantling it. Reid’s Lestat is theatrical, cruel, needy, and impossibly in love. Season 2 hands the back half to the Théâtre des Vampires, a coven that stages actual murders as avant-garde theater, and lets Ben Daniels devour every frame as Santiago. The trial and the ruined-house reunion in the finale are the best 20 minutes of television anyone put out that year. Bailey Bass and then Delainey Hayles are both extraordinary as Claudia, Assad Zaman‘s Armand reshapes the show’s power structure, and the universe the series built keeps expanding.

3

‘Arcane’ (2021–2024)

Image via Netflix

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Netflix’s League of Legends prequel had every reason to be a corporate cash-grab and instead turned into a two-season, 18-episode animated epic that made grown adults sob over sisters from an underground slum. Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell) grow up in Zaun; up in Piltover, Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) and Viktor (Harry Lloyd) invent Hextech and doom everyone. That’s the basic plot.

Arcane‘s animation, by the French studio Fortiche, is the best-looking work in the medium right now, and the show uses its soundtrack, filled with hits from Imagine Dragons, Stromae, and Ashnikko, to help its emotional beats land. One late-season episode set in an alternate timeline is, on its own, worth the price of admission.

2

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)

We know. But, the first four seasons of Game of Thrones are, minute for minute, still the best sustained run of fantasy TV ever produced. Ned Stark’s (Sean Bean) execution, the Red Wedding, Tyrion’s (Peter Dinklage) trial, Oberyn (Pedro Pascal) versus the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), Blackwater Bay. Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, and Diana Rigg circling each other for a decade, 73 episodes, and eight seasons. Yes, we’re all going to fight about which point the wheels came off. What still holds up is the cultural shift the show pulled off.

Fantasy went from a genre people apologized for liking to one dissected weekly by New York Times critics. It reset HBO’s budget ceiling. And it briefly made swords and dragons the default cultural conversation instead of a niche one.

1

‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)

Image via HBO

If you love fantasy TV for the way it can bend reality until something true falls out, The Leftovers is your show. Lindelof and Tom Perrotta built a series on one gorgeous, terrifying premise: two percent of the world’s population vanishes at the exact same second. Three seasons follow the people left behind, including Justin Theroux‘s grieving cop Kevin Garvey, Carrie Coon‘s Nora Durst (who lost her entire family in a single instant), plus Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Regina King, and Kevin Carroll as they try to figure out how to keep going.

The show leans all the way into its weirdness in the best possible way. There’s a cult that dresses in white and refuses to speak. There’s a hotel in the afterlife where Kevin has to sing karaoke to save the world. There’s a Season 2 opening credits sequence set to an Iris DeMent song that you will never get out of your head. It’s dreamy and devastating, and too good to spoil. If you’ve ever finished a fantasy show and wished the emotional stakes matched the mythology, this is the one.

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The Leftovers

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Release Date

2014 – 2017-00-00

Showrunner

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Damon Lindelof

Writers

Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta

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Brenda Song is opening up about a personal struggle she experienced after welcoming two children with Macaulay Culkin.

The “Running Point” star and Culkin welcomed their first son, Dakota Song Culkin, in 2021 before expanding their family with a second, Carson Song Culkin, the following year.

For Song, stepping into parenthood brought plenty of adjustments to her body and her style that also affected how she felt about herself.  

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During a recent interview, the “Scandal” actress did not shy away from detailing how it was difficult to find her personal style and feel comfortable with her appearance. 

“I actually really struggled the first couple years after having two kids because my body had changed,” Song told US Magazine.

 “What was important to me in my wardrobe changed, and there was a second there where I was like, ‘I don’t feel confident in my body, I’m just gonna wear sweats,’” she added.

However, a shift came for the 38-year-old when she realized that it was a “mindset” and started to focus on what would work for her. She began searching for pieces that offered comfort and were still fashionable. 

“And that was what it really took, was sort of me kind of breaking down, ‘What do I like now? What fits my body?’ I can’t wear what I was wearing when I was 27. I’m 38 now. My body has changed, and my lifestyle has changed.”

Brenda Song Had ‘FOMO’ While Juggling Motherhood With Her Career 

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While being candid about her body changes, the actress has also shared how she navigated work and parenting, admitting to feeling left out of some important milestones of her baby’s life. 

After having Dakota, the former Disney star shared that she felt the pressure to return to work soon. However, balancing her career with caring for her newborn proved challenging. She revealed that on some days, she returned home only to find her baby already asleep.

“The hours away from my son took a toll on me,” Song admitted, per People Magazine. “Missing those hours with my newborn son, it pains me, but at the end of the day, Mama’s got to put food on the table.” 

Despite handling the demands of motherhood and acting, Song has remained deeply involved in raising her sons. She previously revealed that she and Culkin are hands-on parents who chose not to hire a nanny, relying only on occasional help from her mother.

Why Macaulay Culkin Hides This One Thing From Their Kids

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As Song talks about parenting, Culkin has also offered glimpses into life at home, including how his kids react to one of his most famous films, “Home Alone.”

As The Blast reported, Culkin revealed that his children have a special fondness for the film and simply refer to it as “Kevin.” He added that they find the character funny, but he has chosen not to tell them he was the actor behind it. According to Culkin, he wants to “keep the magic alive.” 

Culkin continued that seeing the movie now is more meaningful because he experiences it through his boys’ reactions, and takes pride in knowing he was part of something they love.

How Macaulay Culkin’s Strained Relationship With His Dad Shaped His Parenting 

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While enjoying fatherhood, Culkin has reflected on his own troubled relationship with his dad and how it influenced the way he raised his boys. 

Per The Blast, the actor recalled that one of the earliest memories he had of his father was thinking, “This is not how I’m gonna be with my kids.” 

Culkin went on to share that they have been estranged for thirty years, and called him narcissistic, recalling how strongly he resisted seeing him as a child.

Macaulay Culkin Praised By Fans After Heartfelt Father’s Day Post

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Culkin’s commitment to his children has also resonated with fans, particularly given his difficult upbringing. For Father’s Day in June, the actor shared a photo of himself watching his children play with their train set. 

In the accompanying caption, he reflected on the ordinary yet demanding responsibilities of parenthood and the importance of being present, even when he is exhausted. 

Fans were quick to praise Culkin for embracing a different path from the one he experienced growing up.

According to The Blast, one commenter wrote, “Seeing men with sh-t dads turn around and be amazing fathers is such a beautiful thing.” 

Crime novels aren’t known for having quality prose. Rather than serving up well-crafted sentences, they typically lean into juicy plots and grizzled, world-weary protagonists, along with a hearty helping of murder, betrayal, and sexual tension. There’s nothing wrong with that; sometimes you just want a fun story to get lost in.

That said, there are a select few crime novels boasting genuinely strong writing that is just as compelling as the story itself. In the titles below, the word choices, sentence construction, and narrative flow are deliberate and impactful, adding to the book’s mood or simply reeling us deeper into its world.

‘Red Dragon’ (1981)

Image via Corgi Books

“The reason you’re here, Dr. Lecter, is that you know you’re going to get caught.” Though not as famous as its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris‘ Red Dragon is still a banger, certainly one of the best thrillers of the 1980s. In it, former FBI profiler Will Graham is drawn out of retirement to hunt a serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy. To understand the murderer, Graham reluctantly seeks advice from imprisoned cannibalistic killer Hannibal Lecter, leading to an unpredictable, unsettling relationship.

Obviously, Lecter is one of the finest villains in all of fiction, and his presence, limited as it is, greatly elevates the proceedings. However, Harris’ writing also does a lot of heavy lifting, helping us get inside the characters’ heads and just generally maintaining a tense, unnerving tone. Here, his prose is lean and focused, with virtually no wasted phrases, and the dialogue is especially strong.

‘Thus Was Adonis Murdered’ (1981)

Image via Constable

“… clearing aside the tangled thorns of Error with the keen secateurs of Intellect…” In this witty gem, the notoriously impractical young lawyer Julia Larwood joins an Art Lovers’ excursion to Venice, only for the holiday to end in murder, with Julia herself as the prime suspect. She and her friends frantically set out to uncover the truth and clear her name… before the real killer can strike again.

Interestingly, the story is told from the perspective of side character Hilary, an academic, and much of the book is epistolary. The structure is inventive, and the writing style is enjoyably ornate, defined by long, flowing sentences and grand descriptions. It’s also frequently funny, full of jokes, absurd situations, clever subversions, sarcasm, and wordplay. The result is a mystery that feels intellectually satisfying without sacrificing fun or momentum.

‘Small Mercies’ (2023)

Image via Harper Large Print

“People carry old wounds longer than they carry old grudges.” Penned by Shutter Island and Mystic River author Dennis Lehane, Small Mercies takes place in Boston during the turbulent desegregation crisis of the 1970s and centers on Mary Pat Fennessy, a tough working-class mother whose daughter disappears under suspicious circumstances. As Mary Pat searches for answers, she uncovers uncomfortable truths about her community, its prejudices, and the forces that control it.

While Lehane has written plenty of great books and scripts, Small Mercies may represent the peak of his craftsmanship. The book functions simultaneously as a mystery, a character study, and a portrait of a city in conflict, drawing on extensive research and the author’s Boston roots. Each element strengthens the others, and the cumulative effect is a lot more emotional and moving than you typically find in this genre.

‘Say Nothing’ (2018)

Image via Vintage

“Everyone involved had their own version of the truth.” This is a work of nonfiction, but it’s as gripping as any hard-boiled thriller. In Say Nothing, author Patrick Radden Keefe examines one of the most infamous unsolved crimes of the Northern Ireland Troubles: the disappearance of Jean McConville, a widowed mother abducted from her home in 1972. From this starting point, the book expands into a broader exploration of political violence, memory, justice, and the human cost of conflict, built on extensive interviews and Keefe’s stubborn pursuit of the facts.

The whole thing is remarkably tense, while also painting all of the people it describes in shades of gray. Refreshingly, Keefe refuses to reduce individuals to heroes or villains; instead, what we have is people shaped by impossible circumstances and difficult choices, not following a set plot but merely trying to go on. Thanks to his extraordinary skills, Say Nothing delivers both a suspenseful mystery and a masterful reconstruction of almost seven decades of history.

‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ (1926)

Image via HarperCollins

“The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it.” One of Agatha Christie’s classics. When wealthy businessman Roger Ackroyd is murdered shortly after receiving a shocking piece of information, detective Hercule Poirot (perhaps second only to Holmes in fame) is drawn into an investigation filled with secrets, lies, and hidden motives. The suspects rapidly multiply, and the case becomes increasingly difficult to untangle.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is rightly famous for its legendary twist, but the plotting and narrative techniques are immaculate, too; they need to be to pull the twist off. Particularly impressive is the subversive way Christie uses point of view. Every clue serves a purpose and every piece of misdirection is carefully calibrated. Thanks to this well-planned writing, readers get all the information necessary to solve the mystery, yet few succeed on their first attempt.

‘The Name of the Rose’ (1980)

Image via HarperVia

“Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry.” Set in a remote Italian monastery in 1327, The Name of the Rose follows Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and his novice Adso as they investigate a series of deaths. Although the plot mechanics borrow extensively from the murder mystery tradition, author Umberto Eco ultimately turns it into an exploration of religion, knowledge, politics, and the power of ideas… as well as the dangers posed by those who seek to suppress them.

The book is rich, thoughtful, and dense with allusions. For instance, William being from Baskerville is a wink to Sherlock Holmes, while the blind librarian character named Jorge de Burgos is a reference to the writer Jorge Luis Borges, one of Eco’s inspirations. The confinements of the monastery are both a blessing and a curse, and Eco brings them to life in stunning detail. The movie adaptation with Sean Connery and Christian Slater is great, too, and well worth checking out.

‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ (1955)

Image via W. W. Norton & Company

“I always thought it would be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody.” One of the most influential books of the 20th century, The Talented Mr. Ripley follows the titular con artist as he struggles to find his place in the world. When he is hired to travel to Italy and persuade wealthy playboy Dickie Greenleaf to return home, Tom Ripley becomes increasingly obsessed with the man’s lifestyle and freedom, ultimately leading him down a dark, deadly path.

What takes the novel from simply good to great is the psychological precision of Patricia Highsmith’s writing. Rather than focusing on a detective pursuing a criminal, the novel places readers inside the criminal’s mind. Ripley is treated with enough complexity that we find ourselves occasionally sympathizing with him even as we are incredibly disturbed by him. Indeed, Ripley is a fascinating antihero: intelligent, insecure, manipulative, and strangely vulnerable.

‘London Falling’ (2026)

Image via Doubleday

“It is easy to charm a person who talks too much: all you have to do is listen.” Patrick Radden Keefe strikes again. While not as ambitious in its historical sweep as Say Nothing, London Falling is doubly addictive as a mystery. At the start of the book, we know only a few things: 19-year-old Zac Brettler has been found in the River Thames, security camera footage shows him jumping from an apartment window to the waters below, and local businessmen come forward saying that they knew Zac, but that he had told them he was the son of a Russian oligarch.

From here, Keefe digs incredibly deep, going even further than the police in his quest for truth. In the process, he paints a vivid, damning portrait of contemporary London, where wealth and crime are uncomfortably interlinked, and uncaring authorities frequently turn a blind eye to wrongdoing. It’s sobering, occasionally harrowing, and always compelling.

‘The Big Sleep’ (1939)

Image via Penguin

“I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it.” The Big Sleep is one of the archetypal hardboiled novels. Here, the iconic private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by the wealthy Sternwood family to deal with a blackmailer. But what appears to be a simple case quickly spirals into a labyrinth of murder, corruption, gambling, pornography, and deception, drawing Marlowe into one of the most complex investigations in crime fiction—so complex, in fact, that the author himself said he didn’t know the solution to one of the subplots.

While the plot is famously intricate, the novel’s greatness lies less in its mystery than in its atmosphere, dialogue, and voice. Marlowe, especially, stands out from most detective protagonists with his wit, intelligence, and unyielding moral code. He operates in a corrupt world yet refuses to become fully corrupted himself, making him an easy protagonist to relate to.

‘In Cold Blood’ (1966)

Image via Vintage

“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.” Arguably the most influential work of crime writing ever, Truman Capote‘s In Cold Blood is a nonfiction novel about the brutal 1959 murder of the Clutter family in rural Kansas. The book traces both the crime itself and the lives of the murderers, constructing an unusually detailed portrait of what happened. Back in the mid-’60s, it was groundbreaking stuff, effectively creating modern true crime.

Indeed, few books have ever delivered so much painstaking, meticulous, deliberately crafted investigation alongside such compelling, near-irresistible storytelling. Capote never loses sight of the victims, yet he also examines the perpetrators and their circumstances with real psychological depth. On the technical side, the prose is elegant and controlled, and every scene contributes to a larger understanding of the tragedy. Not for nothing, In Cold Blood is still read and studied the world over.

Days of Our Lives early spoilers for the week starting August 24th with Theo Carver (Tyler Joseph Andrews) grieving after his mom Lexie Carver (Nikki Crawford) dies and he’s going to be lashing out at several people.

Plus, Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson) is crumbling over this horrible diagnosis that Joy gets and what it’s going to mean for little Kelsey. Also, the week of August 24th through the 28th, there’s more desperation from Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) and Xander Cook (Paul Telfer).

Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien) is playing let’s make a deal. EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) tries to avoid arrest and Javi Hernandez (Jacob Martinez) makes some really big life changes. And as we always do on early edition day, we’re going to talk about what’s happening the rest of this week and then we will get into what is happening next week.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Xander Gets an Offer

Wednesday, August 19th, on Days. Xander gets an offer to buy the Kiriakis mansion. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was EJ, just to be awful because that’s totally his style of revenge. But maybe it’s Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez). Maybe it’s even Gwen. Given how much of a crush she had on Xander in the past, you never know. But I think this is going to be pretty interesting.

Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow) is comforting Philip at the mansion on Wednesday and I’m sure he is distraught about them losing the Kiriakis family home and them being on the cusp of also losing Titan within the next few weeks. Also, Philip’s going to give it one more try to convince Gabi to lend him the $5 million to play in that high stakes poker game, but I suspect she thinks giving Philip that money would be like flushing it down the drain. But he might be able to guilt Gabi into it.

DOOL Spoilers: Leo Won’t Back Down

Still in Alamania, we have Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) not backing down and he tells Dimitri von Leuschner DiMera (Peter Porte) if he really loves him, then Dmitri should let him go. But he’s shaking his head no at Leo. Despite all of that, Leo is back in Salem by the end of this week. Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) and Sarah’s relationship takes a huge step forward. Brady’s going to tell Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey) that he loves her and she says she loves him, too. and they’re kissing and they seem happy, but her heart is with Xander.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Chessboard Mystery Continues

Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) gets pulled into the chessboard mystery even though she wanted no part of it. We are soon going to get a glimpse of the guy who’s been leaving the clues and that really has Chad worried. Then on Thursday, August 20th episode of Days of Our Lives, Theo is absolutely not going to forgive his cousin Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman).

As far as Theo is concerned, Johnny is a liar who is going to let his mom Lexie die alone in the DiMera basement. Johnny tried to explain he was honoring Lexie’s last wish. And I am curious if his mom is going to tell Theo that yes, that is what she asked EJ to do, and he was honoring her request.

Theo Furious with Johnny on Days

But Theo may never want to see Johnny again. Theo already told Johnny that he really is EJ’s son, and that was not a compliment. Gus (Michael Ocampo) gets some things off his chest with Javi, and I suspect that Gus is going to snap over Javi’s ongoing concern for Leo. The bottom line is Gus and Javi just aren’t compatible and they just need to go ahead and call it quits.

Meanwhile, Gwen is thrilled to see that Leo is back in Salem. She had asked Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) to help her bring him back. So, the big question is, did Dmitri stay behind in Alamania and just give up or did he and Leo come back to Salem together? Alex is supportive when Joy gets scary news from Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans) and she’s telling Joy that the worst case scenario would be paralysis.

So, Alex is hugging and comforting a devastated Joy while Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) is spying and watching this happen without context. And then Chad comforts and upsets Stephanie. Hopefully, she’s not assuming the worst and won’t lash out at Alex because he may snap on Stephanie given the stress that he’s under about Joy’s diagnosis and what this means for Alex’s daughter.

Days Spoilers: Death, New Life, and Desperation

Friday, August 21st on Days of Our Lives, we’ve got Jada grilling EJ. She got nowhere fast with Gwen. And I do love that she told Jada that she didn’t have a warrant, you know, and so she knows that that letter cannot be used in court because it was stolen from her lawyer. And I wonder if Jada is grilling EJ about Lexie or if it’s about Gwen. You know, maybe Jada hints that Gwen agreed to testify against him, which would be a lie. Jada may also have questions for EJ about Kristen DiMera’s disappearance. She may be asking him about points from Gwen’s letter.

But as a lawyer, I doubt EJ is going to entertain any nonsense from Jada. If Dmitri is in town, kidnapping charges might stick, though. Abe and Theo are hoping for more time with Lexie, but she passes away on Friday. This week, Theo and Abe Carver (James Reynolds) are at her bedside. Lexie’s crying, Abe’s crying. EJ comes in to check on Lexie, and Abe explodes and tries to throw EJ out of the room. At the same time, Chanel’s labor takes a turn for the worse.

DOOL Spoilers: Paulina Freaks Out

Kayla has to kick Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) and Lani Price (Sal Stowers) out of the room when Johnny says Chanel is bleeding. She’s really scared. The doc reassures Chanel that they are in the home stretch. She’s screaming in pain, though, because there’s no epidural allowed. So, Johnny’s thrilled when their baby is born, but Chanel might be in critical condition from blood loss and those chemo complications.

So, while this is happening, Lani and Eli are sitting outside waiting for an update, and Lani’s having some PTSD back to when she lost their baby during childbirth because of complications. I suspect that Chanel might have a near-death heavenly encounter with Lexie that will result in Chanel coming back to Johnny after a big medical scare. I’m also wondering if the baby is actually a girl and they’re going to name her Alexandra.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: A New Addition & Devastating Loss

Then the week of August 24th through the 28th on Days of Our Lives, we’ll have Chanel and Johnny’s baby born, but obviously it’s going to be bittersweet. Abe and Theo, of course, will be excited to meet the new addition to the extended family, but at the same time, completely devastated they’ve lost Lexie again. So, we’ll see Paulina happy for Chanel and Johnny, but absolutely devastated for Abe and Theo.

Losing Lexie again is more than devastating, and Abe and Theo are leaning on each other. Abe may remain furious with EJ, even if Lexie tries to smooth things over before she passes away. We’ll also see if Theo is going to quit his job at DiMera to get away from EJ and Johnny.

Plus, Stephanie and Alex face a rougher road now that Joy’s got this tragic prognosis. And if Stephanie’s not sympathetic, I think Alex will be annoyed. Also, this may have Joy rethinking her stance on Stephanie because Joy may realize that they’re going to need more support than just Alex.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Javi Listens to His Heart

So, she may, you know, back off on the Stephanie issue because they need help. Leo and Javi reunite soon because he’s realized Leo is his soulmate. He’s still in love with his ex and not Gus. But unless Dmitri gives up and stops chasing Leo, it’s going to be very, very messy.

We’ll see if Dmitri followed along to keep wooing Leo. Gwen may need witness protection if EJ truly believes that Gwen’s cooperating with the Salem PD or the FBI. She did turn them down, but she may be having second thoughts about all this, but she’s also very worried about antagonizing EJ.

DOOL Spoilers: Gwen Determined

I still don’t think that Gwen’s going to back off buying the hospital, though. Look for JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss) to make more effort to develop a brother relationship with Gwen. Also, watch for Belle Black (Martha Madison) and Chad and Marlena to dive deeper into this chess set mystery.

And I wonder if Belle and Chad are going to insist that Marlena comes with them to Italy after Chad does his father-daughter dance and is free to go explore. And we’ll see if Philip gets the ante for the high stakes poker game.

He’s trying to gamble their way out of this big Kiriakis and Titan mess. So, we’ll see also if Xander has to accept the offer on the Kiriakis mansion, even if it’s from somebody that he does not like.

Even as fashion writers, it’s hard keeping up with the ever-changing denim trends. They can be downright confusing, even to Us! When in doubt, we turn to celebrities, rich moms and fashionistas on the streets of New York and Los Angeles. And this year, they’re all in agreement on these denim styles.

If you ask Us, 2026 fashion is defined by unique hemlines, loose silhouettes, polished washes and occasional retro details. We rounded up the top styles dominating the fashion world right now, just in time for the summer-to-fall transition when every outing calls for denim. These trendy jeans are so chic, they’re bound to remain ‘in’ through 2027. Load up below!

7 Trendiest Denim Styles in 2026

1. Wide-Leg Wonders: Look no further for your new staple pair. These billowy pants are stretchy around the waist, and flowy everywhere else.

2. Cute and Cropped: Show off your shoes when you wear these leg-lengthening cropped jeans that flatter by default. According to reviewers, they work magic for petites.

3. Cool Cuffed: Cuffed jeans take ‘cool’ to a different dimension, making any outfit appear effortlessly sleek. This Amazon pair even has retro patch pockets.

4. Barrel Babe: Celebrities like Katie Holmes have been wearing this polarizing barrel-leg style since at least 2024, and everyone else is finally catching on. These Gap high-rise pants are 60% off, so run!

5. Beautifully Baggy: Ultra-loose and secretly stretchy, these baggy jeans are what you want on bloated days — and every other day of the week.

6. Fun Flare: Trust Us, your bootie will look incredible in these flare jeans that slim your thighs and lift the backside. They’re called ‘Next Level’ for a reason!

7. Sassy Straight: One of our writers spent a week in London, and this straight-leg denim style dominated the streets. Pair the pants with sneakers, loafers or Mary Jane flats for the office.

UsNow Summer Sale Alert: These Chic Fashion Finds are over 30% off – Plus Free Shipping

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Related: Before You Splurge on Free People, See These 17 Boho-Chic Staples on Amazon

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Like you, we’re also obsessed with Free People’s boho-chic aesthetic. In fact, we love the style so much, we can occasionally justify a $200 dress . . . even if we get grief from our significant other. Since discovering Amazon’s Free People-like selection, however, we’re not even tempted by the label. These 17 chic summery […]

Young and the Restless early spoilers for the week beginning August 24th with Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) furious at Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) and declaring war on him with nothing out of bounds. Plus, Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) is also going to be angry when she finds out what Billy is up to. And I expect we are going to see her explode at him.

Also, during the week of August 24th through the 28th, we’ll see Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) taking aim at a target, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) sticking to neutrality as long as he can. Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) arguing with Chelsea Newman (Melissa Claire Egan) and Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) struggling.

And as we always do on early edition day, we’ll go over what’s happening the rest of this week and then we get into what is coming next week.

Young and the Restless Spoilers: Nikki & Victor Get Romantic

Wednesday, August 19th on Y&R. Victor and Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) are enjoying some romance and they’re talking about going back to Venice. Once Nick’s out of rehab and recovered, Nikki gives Victor a poetry book and he’s reading to her. Very romantic. They agree that Nick’s at a low point of life and Nikki is just glad that Matt is off the ranch, but she’d like to see the guy gone forever. Speaking of him, Sharon is startled when Matt pops up at the coffee shop and Sharon tells Matt, “Go away.”

He asks how Nick is doing in rehab. Matt feels really bad for doing this to Nick and needs to know how he is. Sharon says Nick is feeling defeated and lost. Matt says he’s sorry. Offers to help any way he can. Sharon says just leave. Matt says he’s got a job with Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford), who’s the only one who accepts him, so he’s not leaving. But Sharon says he and Phyllis won’t last.

Matt says he’d rather stay with Phyllis than run off and escape the hate. Sharon says that she earned forgiveness she got because she is bipolar. And Matt admits, “Yeah, that’s not him. He’s sane when he did all these things.” Sharon does believe that Matt’s really changed, but she thinks he would be happier elsewhere.

Y&R Spoilers: Matt & Sharon’s Heart to Heart

And Matt tells Sharon he feels like he is meant to be in Genoa City. And she says to her, “Matt seems stuck.” And then he cries a little bit and says he is. and he really wants forgiveness from her and Nick if nobody else. But Sharon says maybe he should just forgive himself. And if Matt moves away to a new place, the people will only know the good version of him.

But he vows to stick around, earn their forgiveness, and tell Sharon he knows it may take years and she hates to hear him say that. But Matt says, “Please tell Nick I ask about him.” And then he goes. Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) finds Billy drinking champagne and he tells her Sally is back soon because her sister’s surgery went well. Audra wants to know what he’s celebrating and Billy says the Abbotts now own Chancellor and he should be running it by next week.

Young and Restless Spoilers: Audra & Billy Rub Sally the Wrong Way

Audra wants to know how, but he’s light on the details and she asks Billy what Sally thinks about it. Well, she doesn’t know, but Billy is certain that Sally is going to support him. Audra reminds him Chancellor was an issue between them before and she suggests that Billy try trusting her so they can talk this through. She says they can be friends for Sally’s sake. Billy reminds Audra she has no other friends and Audra says that’s why Sally is important to her. So, Audra proposes mutual trust and Billy says okay since you’ve been good with Sally.

They toast and as they’re boozing and smiling Sally walks in, sees them together. She does not look happy. Jack tells Kyle that Billy already confronted Cane Ashby and Lily. And Jack’s telling his son that Tracy and Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) want to reign Billy in, but the bottom line is Jack says Billy’s already mad that he tried to talk him down and he demanded that Cane and Billy turn over Chancellor by the end of the week. Kyle says the case is actually really strong, but Jack thinks somebody’s going to wind up suffering, whether it’s Billy or Lily.

Young and the Restless Spoilers: Jack Protective His Father

And Kyle suggests bringing in Jill Abbott (Jess Walton), but Jack says that might be bad for her heart. So Kyle and Jack agree to leave Billy to it, good or bad. Jack’s one concern is damage to John Abbott’s (Jerry Douglas) legacy. So, if they start taking hits at his dad, that’s the point Jack’s going to get involved. Lily tells Cane that her legal team gave her bad news.

If Billy’s documents are legit, they’re probably going to lose. Cane says the other Abbotts don’t like what Billy’s doing, but they won’t intervene. And Cane and Lily agree to fight and exploit Billy’s many weaknesses. Cane and Lily are ready to go dark.

Cane mentioned Jack’s warnings about John’s reputation. And while Lily really doesn’t want to fight with the other Abbotts, she’s not going to stop and she’ll do anything she has to to keep Chancellor. She will play dirty. She vows to make Billy regret this. Jack and Kyle run into them and Jack says sorry for what Billy’s doing.

Lily snarks that Jack hasn’t even tried to stop him. And he tells Lily he can’t talk Billy out of it. Lily doubts that and thinks that Jack is loyal to Billy, whereas Lily is motivated by loyalty to Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper). And Lily makes it clear she won’t stop. Thursday, August 20th on Young and the Restless. Billy’s new Chancellor plot isn’t sitting well with Sally. I’m sure she’s going to ask what he and Audra are celebrating together. And Sally is already annoyed about that.

Young and Restless Spoilers: Traci Gets a Happy Surprise

So, when she hears this is all about Chancellor, I expect her to completely lose it. Nina Webster (Tricia Cast), Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland), and Christine Williams reunite for a girls night at the Shadow Room and Chelsea and Adam are butting heads at the office. I’m sure this is about Billy making a grab for Chancellor. We’re also going to see Cane. He’s supposed to make a new alliance. Now, that spoiler was on Tuesday and that never manifested. So, it may be happening in another day because I think it’s going to happen pre-Friday based on a Friday spoiler or writers just wrote a bad spoiler, but I do expect Newman Media gets involved in all of this. So, Cane may go see Victor.

Young and the Restless: Chancellor War and Personal Struggles

Friday, August 21st on Young and the Restless. Lily goes to Jack asking for help. She’s hoping Jack will reign in Billy, but he already told her no. So, we’ll see if Lily has a better angle that might make Jack more sympathetic. Sharon gets an update from the rehab center about Nick and Victor has a plan to discredit Billy and Victor’s going to flip out and get in the mix once he hears that Billy is going after Chancellor.

So, he may be the one that Cane and Lily are allying with. Then the week of August 24th through the 28th, Cane and Lily are in war mode. They are gearing up to take down Billy. Even though Jack didn’t want to call Jill, Cane might actually do it. Matt keeps hoping for Sharon’s forgiveness. Matt, of course, really terrorized her, but Sharon does believe that he’s changed.

We’ll also find out if Jack has second thoughts about weighing in on this war with Billy, who’s going after Lily. We’re going to see more of Nick in rehab and whether he’s getting much closer to Marie Kirkland (Jade Harlow). You’re not supposed to be involved in rehab, but Nick might dive into something with Marie while they’re going through this same struggle.

Y&R Spoilers: Billy May Lose Everyone

Billy’s obsession with Chancellor is going to strain his relationship with Sally, with Jack, and also his sisters. And Billy could end up pushing everybody away. Phyllis should have a really fun reaction to Billy snatching Chancellor from Cane. And I think she’s going to love it because she loves chaos.

Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) and Stephanie are sparking. I’m excited to see where that goes. I’m also really hoping we get good news about the surgery on Nate’s hand. We should find out about that soon. Things are going to be tense between Chelsea and Adam because of Billy and this Chancellor chaos, but this actually might smooth things over with Victor and Adam working against a common enemy. Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) and Claire Newman (Hayley Erin) seem to be edging towards saying I love you.

But Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) growing connection with Kyle isn’t sitting well with Claire. She’s already giving a little side eye about it. And Holden might have some feelings about Nate sparking with his mom Stephanie. And we’re going to see Billy hitting back at Victor after the attack he launches on him the prior week. And I’m sure Sally is going to try and get Billy to stop before it’s too late and just focus on their growing family, but he won’t do it.

MLB star Pete Crow-Armstrong previously opened up about his surprising connection to the late Hayden Panettiere. Crow-Armstrong, a standout center fielder for the Chicago Cubs, revealed in 2022 that he met Panettiere through his mom, Ashley Crow, who once starred in the series “Heroes” alongside Panettiere.

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Crow-Armstrong, 24, revealed in a 2022 interview with NBC Chicago that he met Panettiere when he was younger through his mom. In fact, Panettiere, who played Claire in “Heroes,” used to babysit the major league baseball player. “I had the biggest crush on her. Yeah, I’d say she was probably the coolest one for me,” Crow-Armstrong said.

Crow-Armstrong said that he enjoyed being around some of the older actors and the rest of his mom’s co-stars. Even then, he stated that his parents tried to keep him as shielded from life in the spotlight as possible. “Nothing about my childhood had anything to do with the entertainment business, it felt like, because I think my parents wanted me as far away as possible,” he said.

Hayden Panettiere Died At Age 36

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Crow-Armstrong’s comments have resurfaced after Panettiere died suddenly on Sunday, August 16. According to The Blast, the “Remember the Titans” star was pronounced dead at a residence in South Carolina after first responders were called to a home about an “unresponsive” person.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” a statement from her team read.

Hayden Panettiere Suffered Cardiac Arrest

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First responders and officials are waiting to share more details about Panettiere’s death. However, medics shared that when they arrived on the scene, they found Panettiere in cardiac arrest. According to CNN, dispatch audio referenced a potential overdose. Even then, nothing has been confirmed yet.

According to several reports from The Blast, Panettiere spent the last few months promoting her book, “This Is Me,” in which she details her struggles with addiction. In 2023, she told a publication that she used alcohol as a “coping mechanism” after dealing with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya.

“Alcohol might make you feel better at that moment, but it makes you feel so much worse the next day, and then you do it all over again,” she said. Later, Panettiere said that she also used medication to help manage her depression, which she described as “extreme hopelessness.” Panettiere said that she should’ve “gone on antidepressants,” but said she used what worked. “They don’t mix well with alcohol, and I wasn’t ready to stop drinking,” she shared.

Panettiere’s Mother Said She Believes Her Daughter Is At ‘Peace’ With Her Brother

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Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, released a statement after her daughter’s death and reflected on the challenges that the “Bring It On” actress had navigating the world of Hollywood.

“I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way, and I wish it were different. I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes,” she shared.

Continuing, Vogel said she feels her daughter is “at peace” with her younger brother, Jansen, who died at 28 in 2023.

Tributes Pour In For Panettiere

Beyond the Gates early spoilers for the week starting August 24th, including Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) danger level increasing, but he’s got no idea he’s not on the road to recovery. Plus, we’ll see Dana Thomas (Trisha Mann-Grant) in a lonely spiral of her own making, and it is her mess to fix.

Also, the week of August 24th through the 28th, Nicole Dupree (Daphne Duplaix) rides to the rescue, Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman) is making some threats, Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom) suspicions grow, and Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) is not very happy to be interrupted.

And as we always do on early edition day, we talk about what’s happening the rest of this week and then we get into what is happening the week ahead.

Beyond the Gates Spoilers: Anita & Veron’s Plans Interrupted

On Wednesday, August 19th episode of BTG, we’ve got Vernon’s plans with Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) getting sidelined. And my guess is that’s because somebody in the extended Dupree family needs them for something.

Recently, Vernon made the family a little squeaky when he was talking about his and Anita’s very healthy sex life. So, Vernon might have been planning an evening of romance and, you know, bedroom activities. And I do wonder if Anita and Vernon though are going to be called to come to Uptown’s open mic night.

Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne (Arielle Prepetit) is taken by surprise. Ashley brings her to her apartment where Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Grayson Perez (Jordie Vilasuso) are waiting with food and drinks and they all yell surprise.

So, everything is stressing Naomi out all that’s going on with her dad, Bill. So this is a much needed night off from all of that. Plus Dani Dupree (Karla Mosley) and Andre are both coloring outside the lines of their marriage. She’s keeping the elevator sex with Bill a secret, plus her ongoing concern over him, and Andre is keeping the ugly truth about Heather stalking him secret.

So, they’re both trying to protect each other and their marriage, but Dani and Andre are heading for some upset. Nicole scores points with Noah after she saved the night for him. So, with her and Kyle going to his open mic night, I wonder if Nicole is going to bring in Anita since Noah is a total fanboy for Nicole’s mom.

BTG Spoilers: Ted & Bill Bond

Then, Thursday, August 20th on Beyond the Gates, we’ve got Bill and Ted bonding over similar shared history. When I say Bill and Ted, I always think Bill and Ted’s excellent adventure. So, both of them were married to Japri daughters. Both are now divorced and on the outs with the family.

I expect Ted to stop by and see Bill, who may complain to Ted about Hayley Lawson (Marquita Goings) getting kicked out of his hospital room. That little vixen was trying to stop his heart, and Bill’s too dumb to realize it. Kial Rollins (Greg Vaughan) sees Nicole having an unexpected reaction to something, and this causes her to do some self-examination while Kyle is right there watching Nicole work through it.

Beyond the Gates Spoilers: Marcel Clashes with Leslie

So, this may be something to do with Ted, maybe Carlton. I tend to think Ted. Maybe they run into Shanice Johnson (Earnestine Johnson) and Ted while they’re out and Nicole has some sort of jealous reaction. Leslie also has to face the issues from her romantic past before she can move forward. We all saw that lecture from Eva about the fact that she will never be with Ted. And then we had Leslie making a call to Marcel Malone (Daryl W. Handy) telling him to show up for her.

So, we’re going to see him at Leslie’s hotel room and things don’t go well. Marcel winds up walking out on Leslie who’s basically howling in frustration. So, I wonder if Marcel says he only wanted a fun time with Leslie or that he can’t be with her because she’s so hung up on Ted still. Eva Thomas Richardson (Ambyr Michelle) and Izaiah Hawthorne (Lami Friebe) have a difficult discussion and share some hard truths with each other. But they’re pretty good communicators, so I think this could be beneficial and they may get even closer to each other.

Beyond the Gates Spoilers: Randy Grows Suspicious

Then, Friday, August 21st on Beyond the Gates, we have Joey, of course, ordering Randy Parker (Maurice P. Kerry) and his other henchmen to keep a much much closer eye on Heather Armstrong (Ashley Jones). So, it could be that Randy is lurking right near her hotel room door or spying on it from nearby where he can see in her window.

Maybe he gets a room across the hall. But he has to carry out Joey’s orders. And I suspect Randy sees Andre going into Heather’s room, and that is information that Joey will find very intriguing. But Joey may worry that Andre is leaking information to Heather about Vanessa McBride (Lauren Buglioli) since she and Dani are so close. Joey might even share this with Bill or find another way to leverage what looks like very suspicious activity from Andre.

We’ve also got Dani and Hayley taking verbal swings at each other again. Ashley had security haul Hayley out of Bill’s room after she crawled into his hospital bed and triggered his heart monitor. So Dani may ream Hayley for risking Bill’s life like that, which is exactly what Hayley was trying to do.

BTG Spoilers: Dani & Hayley Spar

And then Madison Montgomery (Kenjah McNeil) gets conflicting info from two opponents. And since she’s back from Denmark and up at the hospital working on Bill’s case, I’m guessing she has to mediate between Hayley and Dani. Each has their own side to the story. Hayley’s desperate and Dani’s angry. All this fighting between Dani and Hayley could be what drives Bill to his breaking point. But this is also going to spark something in Chelsea Hamilton (RhonniRose Mantilla) who is haunted by unresolved trauma.

So I wonder if she’s going through some kind of flashbacks to her kidnapping and torment from her crazy stalker for some reason. Speaking of crazy, Andre is terrified of Heather. But he still rejected her when she tried to seduce him, but she’s not going to take no for an answer from Andre. They are face to face by the end of the week and things could get messy. I expect Heather to make some threats about Dani trying to force Andre’s hand. But I don’t think that he’ll respond like Heather wants.

Beyond the Gates: Hospital Drama, Threats, and Spirals

And in fact, I think Andre is going to clap back at Heather with some threats of his own. But Andre is on thin ice because let’s be real, Heather’s a sociopath. And I’m still waiting on her to show Andre that selfie that she took with Dani and Vanessa, so Andre will know that Heather can easily get to Dani. That means she can hurt her if Andre does not cooperate. And of course, we know he does not want to cooperate.

The week of August 24th through the 28th on Beyond the Gates, Joey’s got to figure out what to do with this information about Andre sneaking off to meet with Heather. I’m curious to see if Joey maybe has Andre picked up and brought to the casino to talk in private to find out what is his connection to Heather and if Vanessa is in danger. And of course, Andre is going to be stuck walking on eggshells around Heather because Andre knows whatever threat she makes, Heather is capable of following through on them. Meanwhile, Smitty is hot on her trail because he still wants to expose the identity of the Impaler.

BTG Spoilers: Hayley Desperate to Kill Bill

So, the journalist may wind up on Heather’s radar and Smitty might be in danger. Bill is frustrated with being stuck in the hospital and is pushing hard for his release. Little does he know, heading home is a dangerous proposition. Hayley will likely dose him again with those drugs and then try and ride him all the way to the grave.

Hayley has got to find a way to finish off Bill. And I’m confident she’s going to make another move soon. And of course, she wants to get away with it. So, she may need to meet with Randy again. But he’s a bit preoccupied trailing after Heather for Joey. And I wonder if Hayley’s going to wind up banned from the hospital, period, if she keeps acting up and trying to get frisky in Bill’s room.

Leslie is frustrated because Marcel walked out on her and Ted’s with Chenise and Nicole is happy with Kyle and Eva is in a really good place with Isaiah. So basically karma has come for toxic Leslie and she’s all alone and is going to be spiraling. The question is whether she can convince Marcel that she is worth pursuing for a relationship and that she can let this Ted thing go.

I don’t think she can. Tomas Navarro (Alex Alegria) is going to have some more run-ins with Naomi. And he basically just told her, “I answered to Bill, not you.” Which is fair and accurate. But Naomi is not going to take any disrespect from Tomas. And this is going to put Kat in a rough position because she supports Tomas. But she loves Naomi, too. So, another thing that’s about to get messy on BTG.

Solange Knowles shared a moving tribute to her late ‘Bring It On: All or Nothing’ co-star, Hayden Panettiere. The actress died on Sunday, August 16, at the age of 36.

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Solange Honors Hayden Panettiere After Actress Dies At 36

Solange Knowles shared a message with fans on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, August 18, honoring her late co-star. Knowles and Panettiere starred together as cheerleaders in the 2006 film ‘Bring It On: All or Nothing.’ Panettiere died on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina, and Knowles recently shared a heartfelt tribute to her former co-star with fans, per PEOPLE. In addition, the GRAMMY Award-winning artist shared images from the movie as part of the tribute.  

“Rest in peace Hayden. In peace, because you are so deserving of it,” read text over the Instagram Story. “We had so many parallels in our lives, and the world watched u so courageously live in your radical truth telling your story. we watched your endless quest for vulnerability, and healing.”

“I salute your journey and i honor the work we created together that became something that really means something to people,” it continued. “Reaching people we couldn’t have ever imagined at the time, as two young girls, trying to keep looking to the light. the light surrounds you now. rest easy Hayden.”

Hayden Panettiere Passed Away On August 16

The Shade Room reported that Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, in Greenville, South Carolina. At approximately 1:50 p.m, the Greenville Police Department responded to an emergency call about an unresponsive female at the Judson Mill Lofts on Easley Bridge Road.

The paramedics were also on the scene and performed CPR on Panettiere, but she was later pronounced dead, according to the Greenville Police Department, per NBC News. Her father, Skip Panettiere, also confirmed her death with ABC News.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” said Panettiere. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”

Did The Movie Star Pass Away From An Overdose?

The ‘Nashville’ star may have died from an apparent overdose. According to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office and PEOPLE, EMS responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive female.

“First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM.”

Furthermore, coroner Mike Ellis noted:

“At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” Ellis wrote. “The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies. This investigation remains active and ongoing. No further details are available for release at this time.”

No official cause of death was given, but PEOPLE noted that the life-saving life-threatening opioid emergency medicine Narcan was found on the scene. In addition, an overdose was mentioned on 911 audio, per WYFF 4 News.

“Easley Bridge Road. Overdose,” says a voice on the audio. “CPR in progress.”

RELATED: Tasia Fortune’s Mom Doesn’t Believe She Died By Suicide After Body Found Hanging From Miss. Tree As Person Of Interest Reportedly Interviewed