By Robert Scucci
| Published 17 seconds ago

At its heart, South Park has always been about boys being boys. For the first several seasons, the South Park parents weren’t much more than ancillary characters, though their presence slowly ramped up throughout the early days. There are great standalone episodes that show this parental dynamic, like Season 3’s unofficial Meteor Shower Trilogy and Season 6’s “Asspen,” but for the most part, we’re still dealing with one-dimensional characters that the boys could riff off of.

The episode that changed everything, Season 9’s “The Losing Edge,” is what gave us the version of Randy Marsh that would come to dominate the series to this day. This is not to say that Randy Marsh wasn’t a standout character leading up to this point, but this specific moment in South Park history was the shot heard around the world, the moment that proved Randy Marsh is more than a background character and capable of being a lead in a show that was previously focused on four foul-mouthed kids.

From Ancillary Character To Taking Out The Bat Dad 

While there were previously hints at Randy Marsh’s unhinged characterization throughout South Park’s entire run, “The Losing Edge” is the first instance where he has a full B story alongside the kids. Season 7’s “Grey Dawn” sees a hysterical Randy running through the streets, screaming at the top of his lungs because he thinks his kids are in danger.

Old people are out driving, and they’re primed to run over at least a dozen children before settling down for an early bird special at Country Kitchen Buffet.

Season 8 brought us “Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes,” with Randy Marsh quitting his job as a geologist so he could work at the big-box retailer. His reasoning behind this career change? He’s addicted to the bargains and powerless to fight them.

Season 9, though, sees Randy Marsh ramp things up with “The Losing Edge,” where he becomes the drunk dad at Stan’s little league games, gets into fights, and constantly reminds the authorities that “he thought this was America!”

Up until this point, Randy’s potential was evident but never fully tapped. Here, we get South Park firing on all cylinders as the boys try to sabotage their baseball team so they can go back to playing video games for the A plot, while Randy trains harder than he’s ever trained before because getting into scraps with local rednecks is nothing compared to the fights he’s about to face on the regional circuit for the episode’s B plot.

I Thought This Was America!!!

“The Losing Edge” is a historic South Park episode because these A and B storylines are perfectly intersected. The boys keep winning their baseball games, which is a death sentence for their summer vacation. Instead of hanging around town and enjoying their preteen lives, they get loaded onto buses and carted around the country. They’re horrified to realize that literally nobody their age wants to play baseball, and all of their opponents are trying equally hard to throw the championship games so they can stop playing.

Randy, who’s the token drunk dad, never hesitates to rip his shirt off, throw beers, and engage in fisticuffs with whoever’s willing to fight him. It’s like Rocky, but with obnoxious sports dads, complete with training montages and inspirational, against-all-odds underdog tropes pushed to their most ridiculous extremes.

Playing perfectly off the kids’ dynamic, Randy’s behavior humiliates Stan every step of the way, resulting in him getting dragged away by the police, beaten to a bloody pulp, and exclaiming that he thought this was America, and that it’s his God-given right to get belligerent at little league games. It’s also the first time that Randy’s actions have a direct consequence that affects the outcome of the story.

When the boys are about to win and advance to the national circuit, the last thing they want, Randy unknowingly saves the day. After coming to blows with the bigger, badder, and infinitely more drunk Bat Dad, the South Park team gets disqualified because Randy “didn’t hear no bell,” and the rest is history. The kids get their summer vacation back, and Randy becomes the hero of the day, even if the other parents might not be too thrilled with the outcome. 

In a single episode, Randy Marsh transitioned from a side character with a few standout moments to one of the main characters in the series. Season 9 would continue to ramp up Randy’s presence with episodes like “Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow,” which sees the Marsh patriarch going full-on action hero in his rescue efforts, and “Bloody Mary,” which was so controversial upon release that it was temporarily pulled from syndication.

“The Losing Edge” Started It All

Without “The Losing Edge,” Randy Marsh’s transition to lead character status in South Park may never have happened. Constantly escalating his behavior, something he still does to this day, we’d eventually get classic Randy Marsh bangers like Season 11’s “More Crap,” where Randy tries to set the record for the world’s largest bowel movement, Season 12’s “Over Logging,” where Randy gets covered in “ectoplasm” from a “spooky ghost” after sneaking off to watch Brazilian fart porn, and Season 15’s “Broadway Bro Down,” where Randy gets really into writing musicals, but only because he thinks he’ll be rewarded with oral sex for doing so.

Though Randy has evolved over the years, largely because Trey Parker used him to poke fun at his own father, only to realize he’s basically become his father, his presence in the show as we know it can be traced directly to “The Losing Edge.” It’s the exact moment the show stopped being just about the boys, and the adults started getting more screen time. It’s what kept South Park fresh in its ninth season instead of trying to rest on its laurels and do more of the same.

South Park is streaming on Paramount+.

Taylor Frankie Paul may be dealing with another consequence of her viral domestic violence incident.

The “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star has been facing the wrath of the internet after a resurfaced video from a 2023 incident. The footage captured her attacking her then-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.

The video cost Taylor Frankie Paul the chance to have her season of “The Bachelorette” air; however, sources claim she found love on the show before the scandal.

The Controversy May influence Taylor Frankie Paul’s Alleged Relationship

According to new reports, Taylor experienced the joys of being a Bachelorette during filming and even made it to the end with a newfound love. The lucky man, per sources, is a 28-year-old lifeguard and surfer from California.

The contestant, Doug Mason, reportedly stole Taylor’s heart from among the 22 suitors on the ABC show and emerged as the winner. Similar to past installments of the dating series, Doug got down on one knee and “proposed” to Taylor.

However, the backlash surrounding Taylor’s past domestic violence incident may influence their romance. “Frankie and Doug are still in touch, but it’s unclear what will happen now. That’s to be determined,” a show insider told Page Six. 

The Entertainer’s Ex Was Reportedly ‘Jealous’ Of Her Attempts To Move On

An industry insider echoed similar sentiments about a proposal, claiming “there may be a ring.” Other sources alleged that Taylor had joined the show in hopes of moving on from her ex-boyfriend, Dakota, who was peeved by her plans for a new chapter.

Sources noted that Dakota was “jealous that she was getting another show, and she was going to be around all these guys.” One insider described Taylor’s relationship with her ex as “toxic,” stressing that she “desperately” tried to leave.

Doug seemingly confirmed that his relationship with Taylor had grown during their time on the show when he reacted to the resurfaced domestic violence video. The Blast covered the story, reporting that he sent his prayers to Taylor and lamented the cancellation of what should have been “her moment.”

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The Reality TV Star Is Under Investigation For A Third Domestic Violence Allegation

Taylor’s woes continued, with The Blast recently reporting that a third domestic violence allegation had been leveled against her. A police spokesman confirmed that Dakota had accused his ex of attacking him while speaking to the West Jordan Police Department.

Although Dakota told the authorities about the incident in February 2026, he claimed the attack had happened sometime in 2024. The spokesman noted that investigators were currently reviewing multiple videos related to the alleged event to determine the details and timelines.

The allegation marked the third domestic violence allegation against Taylor, as Dakota accused her of a second incident in February. She also fired back with a domestic violence allegation that same month, sparking a separate investigation into what happened.

The TV Personality Temporarily Lost Custody Of Her Son

The aftermath of the resurfaced video did not end with the cancellation of Taylor’s show, as it impacted her rights as a parent. The Blast shared that Dakota filed a protective order against Taylor, citing a horrifying incident that allegedly took place in their son’s presence.

A judge granted his request, ordering Taylor to stay at least 100 feet from Dakota and his home. He was also granted temporary custody of their son, while Taylor was barred from any form of parent time with the young boy.

Taylor won’t be allowed to see her son again until the outcome of the April 7 hearing is known. She was scheduled to appear in court to face off with Dakota over his request for sole custody of their son. Taylor’s rep has since slammed her ex for allegedly trying to ruin her image.

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Taylor Frankie Paul Slammed The Resurfaced Video’s Impacts On Her Children

Losing temporary custody of her son did not stop Taylor from fighting for her kids amid the growing drama. The Blast reported that she had reacted to the resurfaced video underneath a fan’s TikTok post, slamming the footage.

Taylor implied that she was less concerned about the public’s outrage and more worried about how the video affected her kids. She explained that her daughter had to relive the events of that night after “extensive work with her and apologies.”

Additionally, the TV personality was upset because the video resurfaced on her son’s birthday and ruined what should have been his moment. Nonetheless, fans called BS on Taylor’s stance, stressing that she took zero accountability for her actions.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper is breaking her silence on husband Jordan Ngatikaura filing for divorce after five years of marriage.

“In the last year, I’ve told him, actually, a few different times I want to get divorced. But he always calms me down,” Jessi claimed during the Wednesday, March 25, episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “I had been in limbo for a while, and anyone that’s lived in limbo knows it’s excruciating. Where I’m like, ‘I don’t know if this is right or not.’ I literally woke up one day and — it’s such a simple thought — but I was like, ‘I can change this. I can change my life. I can be happy.’”

She added, “It was like something flipped and I was like, ‘I’m done,’ and I could not go back after that.”

Jessi claimed she told Jordan on March 13 that she wanted to to get a divorce.

“I did end it with him, so I knew it was coming, but we had made an agreement to do it together, and he blindsided me and filed because he wanted the headline first,” the Mormon Wives star said.

Related: Mormon Wives’ Jessi Claims Jordan Blackmailed Her, More Affair Revelations

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Ngatikaura made some startling confessions about husband Jordan Ngatikaura including how he blackmailed her after her affair, what they lied about on screen and more. During the Wednesday, November 19, episode of “The Viall Files” podcast, Jessi, 33, opened up about her relationship with Jordan and shared […]

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Jessi further claimed that she got a head’s up about Jordan’s divorce filing after getting a message from TMZ, noting that her “heart sunk” after getting that alleged message.

“We agreed to tell our children together before filing, and we haven’t done that,” she added, calling it “a betrayal.”

Jordan filed the paperwork on Thursday, March 19. In a statement to Us Weekly at the time, Jordan shared that it “has not been an easy decision and it comes with a heavy heart.”

“I’m grateful for the shared memories and the lessons,” the statement read. “While our paths are now moving in different directions, my priority remains my children and ensuring they feel loved, supported, and protected through this transition.”

The statement continued, “I am committed to handling this next chapter with kindness and respect. I kindly ask for privacy and understanding as we navigate this as a family.”

Jordan filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) request on Friday, March 20, and Jessi filed her opposition the same day, per court documents obtained by Us. No further details about the claims in the documents were made available. News broke on Tuesday, March 24, that the TRO request was denied.

Jessi and Jordan, who tied the knot in 2020, share son Jagger and daughter Jovi, whom they welcomed in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

She claimed during Wednesday’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast episode that Jordan “attempted” to include a clause in their divorce so Jessi “couldn’t go on any podcast to talk about him.” However, she “didn’t sign anything” before sitting down with host Alex Cooper. (Us has reached out to Jordan for comment.)

Related: Mormon Wives’ Jessi Worried About Losing ‘Millions’ From Jordan Prenup

Jessi Ngatikaura revealed on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that she worried about her prenup being voided if she split from husband Jordan Ngatikaura. During season 4, which premiered on Thursday, March 12, Jessi and Jordan weathered ups and downs while fighting for their marriage in the aftermath of her affair with Marciano Brunette. […]

The pair were open about their marital ups and downs on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, with Jessi being accused of infidelity in season 2. She ultimately revealed she had an emotional affair with Bravo star Marciano Brunette after meeting while filming Vanderpump Villa. Jessi informed Jordan of the emotional affair, and the pair continued to work on their marriage during season 4 of the Hulu series.

Jessi said during Wednesday’s podcast episode that Jordan claims the divorce was because of what happened with Marciano.

“He put in the papers that we ended it because I had an affair, and he’s talking about Marciano, the person I kissed a year and a half ago. That’s what he put as the reason. I was like, ‘What?’ We’ve worked through that, it’s already been proven on TV that I didn’t sleep with him, so crazy.”

Jessi alleged on Wednesday that Jordan slept with escorts ahead of Mormon Wives season 1, before before anything even went down with Marciano.

At one point in their marriage, Jessi and Jordan had a fight about her changing her last name back to Draper. During Mormon Wives season 4, she got emotional when she revisiting their prenup.

“Jordan is still really upset about the name change, even though I know it’s what’s right for me. Even though I haven’t made a decision about Jordan and I, I met with my dad to go over this prenup,” she explained. “But it’s been over five years.”

Related: Mormon Wives’ Jessi and Jordan Ngatikaura‘s Relationship Timeline

Jessi Ngatikaura’s marriage to Jordan Ngatikaura made headlines after she admitted on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that she had an affair with Marciano Brunette. The couple started dating and got married before the hit Hulu series premiered in September 2024. During the first season, Jessi’s personal life wasn’t in the spotlight, but that all […]

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While Jessi didn’t remember what was in the initial paperwork, she voiced concern about Jordan being a “hard person to be married to” and a “harder person to divorce.”

“We discovered that me and Jordan did not have witnesses sign [the prenup], so that could mean that the prenup is voided,” Jessi revealed to her costars before becoming emotional. “This information has really rattled me because I just don’t know what that could mean for me, my business and the security of my family.”

Jessi explained that she was worried about putting her business and family in a “terrible situation.”

“I just don’t know what will happen,” she said. “I’ll probably lose millions. He’s entitled to anything in the last five years that I’ve created. When we got married, I was worth a lot less than I am now. So it just sucks and I don’t want to do that to my family.”

She continued, “He’s entitled to it, so I could see him doing it [where he asks for] child support or I would owe him alimony. … Jordan has made a lot of changes, but if I’m basing it off of the Jordan that I was married to for four years — that Jordan would be a very hard person to divorce. He would be spiteful and vindictive. I think he would play a little bit dirty. So I just have to prepare myself that if we do get divorced that it could go that way.”

Usher has sparked strong reactions after stating that Diddy has been “misrepresented” and he doesn’t “have anything negative to say” about him.

RELATED: Another One! Diddy’s Prison Release Date Reportedly Updated Amid His Fight To Appeal His 4-Year Sentence

Usher States That Diddy Has Been “Misrepresented” & He Doesn’t “Have Anything Negative To Say”

Last week, Forbes released a sit-down interview with Usher titled, “Inside The Business of Usher Raymond.” Furthermore, the interview was released via YouTube. And about 23 minutes into the interview, correspondent Jabari Young asked Usher about a 2015 interview. This, in which he spoke about staying focused amid distractions while on tour. Young mentioned that Usher avoided the things we’ve seen happen recently with Diddy.

“I think certain people are prosecuted and maybe not recognized for the greatness that they offer. I don’t have anything negative to say about Sean Combs because my experience was not what the world has seen and how he’s been misrepresented — I’m not saying that every man is perfect. I’m not saying that all of us don’t have flaws. But I can’t, with any sense of humanity, not recognize the valuable contributions that this man made for us as Black entrepreneurs… so many people benefited from what he created, and I acknowledge that,” he said.

Additionally, Usher explained that he learned a lot from Diddy as a “mentor” in business.

He Sparks Strong Reactions

Social media users slid in TSR’s comment section with strong reactions to Usher’s words about Diddy.

Before Usher Stated That Diddy Has Been “Misrepresented” & He Doesn’t “Have Anything Negative To Say,” Yung Miami Also Spoke About Him

Before Usher stated that Diddy has been “misrepresented” and he doesn’t have anything negative to say about Diddy, Yung Miami made headlines by speaking about him. As The Shade Room previously reported, earlier this week, Charlamagne Tha God released an interview with Miami. During their conversation, they spoke about Diddy. Ultimately, Miami explained that she and Diddy’s relationship wasn’t a “crime.” Additionally, she said she supported him amid the abuse allegations because the man she met was “changed.”

RELATED: Yung Miami Speaks On Diddy & Why She Wrote Character Letter Supporting Him Despite Footage Of Him Assaulting Cassie (WATCH)

Every generation has its stoner movie, whether it’s the oeuvre of Cheech and Chong and Jay and Silent Bob, the heightened take on the genre with The Big Lebowski, or the absurdist comedy of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. But it’s strangely a type of comedy that has started to go away in recent years, the type of ridiculous, dumb humor that is enjoyable because of how silly and stupid it can be. But this year, writer-directors Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney (also known as the sketch comedy duo BriTANicK) attempt to revitalize the genre with Pizza Movie.

For this type of stoner college comedy, Pizza Movie has an impressive amount of ambition, a strange but brilliant concept full of wild ideas it can gleefully explore, all in the guise of a goofy comedy. Pizza Movie not only feels like an homage to the films that came before it, the types of movies that you’d watch over and over again, catching and memorizing every little joke, but a solid new step forward in the stoner comedy canon.

Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone Need To Walk Down Just 2 Flights of Stairs in ‘Pizza Movie’

Pizza Movie centers on two college roommates: Montgomery (Sean Giambrone), a shy kid who has a crush on music major Ashley (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), and Jack (Gaten Matarazzo), who the entire campus seems to be mad at. After another night of getting picked on by Logan (Marcus Scribner), who has made farting in their faces a ritual, Jack convinces Montgomery to take a 10-year-old drug that just fell from their dorm room ceiling in a mint container. However, the drug is far stronger than they anticipated, which sends them on a multi-phase adventure…to go down two flights of stairs and pick up the pizza they ordered.

As explained by the drug’s creator, Frankie (Sarah Sherman), this drug has six distinct phases that they will have to explore. For example, one phase makes several of the drug’s users switch bodies Freaky Friday style, while another phase makes it so that the users can only tell the truth. If they don’t eat pizza soon, they’ll have to reckon with the final phase of the drug: their worst nightmares come to life and shove a chainsaw up their ass. Montgomery and Jack are joined by Lizzy (Lulu Wilson), who used to be their friend but now tries to impress Logan and his friends. Together, they have to get down those two flights of stairs, eat some pizza, and avoid this chainsaw conclusion. Oh, and they also have to avoid a group of militant RAs who have it out for them and want to send them to the dreaded Gralk Hall, a nightmarish dorm that’s 4 hours away.

‘Pizza Movie’ Makes the Most of Its Ridiculous Concept

Image via Hulu

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Kocher and McElhaney take an absurdly simple premise — three students need to go down two flights of stairs — and manage to make an entire film out of it. Pizza Movie sets up these characters nicely, leaves a little mystery for us about each of them, then sets them out on an adventure that will allow us to dig even deeper into this trio. In one of the phases of the drug, we’re basically stuck in all flashbacks, while another might just be for fun, like the phase where if they curse, their heads will explode. But still, at 90 minutes, Pizza Movie does clock out right when it starts to exhaust its premise, and that’s probably for the best. Kocher and McElhaney took the most bare-bones idea and found a way to expand it and make it interesting, all in an entertaining narrative centered around character.

Also, for a comedy that clearly had limitations (again, this is a story that is about going down two flights of stairs), Kocher and McElhaney make this feel grander and look better than you’d expect. Kocher and McElhaney ensure that every new phase is distinct and often has a specific look to it that differentiates it from the others. Some of these are clearly more bombastic than others, like the one where heads are literally exploding every few seconds, but others, like the body swap or flashbacks, are taking very basic concepts we’ve seen in movies plenty of times before and doing them justice. Pizza Movie really proves how much you can do with a little and make it really work.

Gaten Matarazzo, Sean Giambrone, and Lulu Wilson Are Fun Comedic Leads

Pizza Movie’s three stars are a delightful way into this story as well. As Matarazzo’s first project since the conclusion of Stranger Things, the character of Jack allows him to embrace a more adult character, while playing a guy who’s still a goof. But it is wonderful to see Matarazzo embrace the weirdness of this story and be an overtly comedic character in this way. The same is especially true of Giambrone, who is probably best known for playing Adam Goldberg on The Goldbergs for a decade. Montgomery is a role that lets him play to his nerdy strengths, but again, allows him to push a little bit further than the performances one might expect from him. Wilson is also a great addition to this crew, and it’s a delight watching her try to navigate her old friend group and the new one she’s still trying to get to appreciate her. Together, this trio is a solid group to follow on this journey.

Kocher and McElhaney also know how to utilize its fantastic cameos, whether it’s Sarah Sherman as a drug creator, Marcus Scribner as a guy who loves to fart on nerds’ faces, or, yes, Daniel Radcliffe as the voice of Montgomery’s pet butterfly. But the star of these is easily Caleb Hearon as Sidney, who went to college a decade later than most, has joined the militant RAs, and is trying to fit in. Hearon is fantastic, and it’s such a strange dynamic to throw him into, but it works beautifully.

Pizza Movie is a charming throwback to the stoner comedies that inspired it, an ambitious college movie that knows how to take a simple idea and turn it into something broad, wild, and expansive. While the joke might start to get a bit thin near the end, Pizza Movie is a clever bit of fun, and we definitely need more broad comedies like this in the world.

Pizza Movie premiered at the 2026 SXSW Festival. It comes to Hulu on April 3.

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Release Date

March 13, 2026

Runtime

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92 minutes

Director

Nick Kocher

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Writers

Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney

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Producers

Billy Rosenberg, Jeremy Garelick, Max A. Butler, Molle DeBartolo, Gaten Matarazzo, Will Phelps

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Pros & Cons

• Pizza Movie finds great ways to expand a very simple premise.
• The cast, including Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone, are a blast.
• Pizza Movie is inventive, playful, and a clever homage to stoner comedies.

• The story starts to grow a bit thin by the end.

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By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 20 seconds ago

You can tell a lot about someone by asking them their favorite spaceship. Ask 100 sci-fi fans, and you’ll get dozens of different answers ranging from Star Trek’s Enterprise-D and Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon to the more offbeat, including Farscape’s Moya and that one Whovian who insists the TARDIS counts.

If you’re lucky, at least one person will choose the truly bizarre Lexx from the offbeat late 90’s series Lexx.

A biomechanical ship that resembles a wingless dragonfly, Lexx is the most powerful weapon of destruction in the two universes. It can talk, achieve ludicrous speeds, and has a tail, all of which put together make it the weirdest ship to ever appear on a sci-fi series. 

The Power To Destroy Planets Used to Find A Date

Lexx (voiced by Tom Gallant) was designed by His Divine Shadow as the tool he would use to wipe out humanity and bring all of existence under the insects’ control. That doesn’t quite work out after hapless security guard Stanley (Brian Downey) accidentally kickstarts the spaceship during an escape and becomes Lexx’s captain. Instead of bringing doom and destruction to the universe, Lexx is tasked to use his incredible powers to find planets of open-minded women. Lexx, the series, is very strange with deep lore stretching back thousands of years, but it’s also very horny. 

The biomechanical design of Lexx gives it a unique look on both the outside and the inside, similar to Farscape’s Moya, except it’s considerably more squishy on the inside. Passages are smaller, the crew’s quarters resemble organs, and even the ship controls look like fleshy, bulbous nodules. That’s the controls for everything from the shower to the steering, and the toilets. Instead of a bidet or toilet paper, Lexx’s toilets come complete with a tongue. Yes, it’s a strange show. 

Lexx Is The Strangest Sci-Fi Show In History

Lexx isn’t a great series, but it at least dared to do something different within the sci-fi genre by acknowledging sex exists. That part is obvious within a few minutes of watching an episode. Lexx, the ship, though, you’d think would be super-advanced, maybe thanks to an “organic computer” or accumulated hivemind memories from other insectoid ships, but no, Lexx makes Stanley look smart. The courier/security guard turned captain often has to explain simple concepts to the ship, but once he finally understands, he’s willing to do basically anything Stanley wants. 

The exception is when it comes time for food. Throughout the run of Lexx, Stanley keeps asking for fancy, exotic foods, and each time, the ship provides goop. There’s no fancy technology creating limitless amounts of food here. Only what the carnivorous ship is capable of producing for the rest of the crew, including Zev (Eba Habermann)/Xev (Xenia Seenburg), the rescued love-slave and later her clone, and Kai (Michael McManus), the thousands-year-old undead assassin. Fast, powerful, capable of feeding and taking care of the crew on the inside, Lexx is, thankfully, a one-of-a-kind ship. 

During the four seasons that Lexx was on the air, the quarters and bridge took on different appearances, explained by Lexx himself that he was growing, but in reality, the result of different budget levels for each season, letting the production crew go absolutely wild or, for Season 4, forced to restrain themselves. Throughout it all, Lexx is destroying planets both for noble reasons and Stanley’s selfish impulses, eating other ships and people, and remaining the weirdest ship in sci-fi that could only ever be a part of the strangest sci-fi series.

Twenty-three years’ worth of content of a singular project is a lot to keep up with. Some take on the task and catch up at a terrifyingly fast rate, while some have enjoyed the slow build, watching the growth over time. For NCIS fans, any combination is possible. The series is now in its 23rd season, and with that also comes the milestone of 500 episodes. The series has had multiple iterations of the Major Crime Response Team, and is even bringing one member back as the show crosses the milestone. This week, as NCIS celebrates such a momentous milestone, we are looking back at those 23 years as part of our retrospective Collider Rewind series, as Maggie Lovitt​​​​​​catches up with the cast and crew.

As new actors have joined the series over the years, it’s not necessarily a requirement that each new addition be well-versed in the two decades of the show’s history. After the exit of Pauley Perrette, who played Abby Scuito from NCIS‘ earliest days, in came Diona Reasonover as the team’s new forensic scientist, Kasie Hines. For Reasonover, becoming a regular in Season 16 came first, and her admiration for the already long-running procedural followed after. She told Lovitt:

“I actually joined and then became a fan. Not only have I brought myself into the fandom, but I’ve also gotten my wife into the fandom and my mom and my extended family into the fandom, which is great.”

Reasonover caveats her excitement with the fact that “whenever NCIS is on in real life, I’m not allowed to talk. I have this fantasy that we’d be watching the episodes, and I’d be pointing out like, ‘Oh, this camera angle came up because the director did it, or the writers suggested X, Y, and Z,’ but instead my family is just like, ‘Could you not talk? You’re interrupting my show.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m on that.’ They’re like, ‘Yeah, we can talk to you any time.’”

Related

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And Just Like That… we’re going back to where it all started for Carrie Bradshaw. On Sarah Jessica Parker’s birthday, it’s a Sex and the City check.

Diona Reasonover Credits “The Fans” for Huge ‘NCIS’ Milestone

Image via CBS

What keeps a show going for 23 years and counting, though? There are many things: the studio’s commitment to the show, the cast, the writers, the crew, the list goes on. NCIS is consistently in Paramount+’s Top 10 on the streamer, showing its continued watchability outside of people tuning in every Monday night for a new episode. It’s also supported by spin-offs such as NCIS: Origins that take fans back to the days when the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was simply called the NIS. It’s those same fans, tuning in eagerly to see the “origins” of their beloved franchise, that have carried it from the beginning. Reasonover shares big props to them, along with those behind the scenes, for getting NCIS to the 500-episode milestone:

“It really is the fans. I can’t give credit to anyone but the producers, the writers, and the fans. Really and truly, they are keeping it alive. Every time they send us theories, or they’re DMing me, like, ‘Is such-and-such coming back?’ I know that they’re tuned in, and hey, thank you. Thank you for watching, and thank you for making this show great, amazing. Thank you for making this such a cool vehicle to be a part of.”

The 500th episode of NCIS will be available to stream on Paramount+, and new episodes arrive every Monday on CBS. Stay with Collider for the latest updates and more from Collider Rewind.

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Release Date

September 23, 2003

Showrunner

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Donald P. Bellisario

Directors

Dennis Smith, Terrence O’Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. Wright, Michael Zinberg, Arvin Brown, Rocky Carroll, Diana Valentine, Leslie Libman, Tawnia McKiernan, Colin Bucksey, William Webb, Bethany Rooney, Alrick Riley, Jeff Woolnough, Alan J. Levi, Lionel Coleman, Martha Mitchell, Peter Ellis, Michael Weatherly, Edward Ornelas, Stephen Cragg, Tom Wright

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Writers

George Schenck, Frank Cardea, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Don McGill, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh

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• 

  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  david mccallum

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  Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard

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Desiigner, whose real name is Sidney Royel Selby III, was reportedly arrested in South Carolina, and his mugshot has left social media users stunned.

RELATED: Desiigner Plans To Admit Himself Into A Facility After Exposing Himself On A Plane: “I Am Ashamed Of My Actions”

More On Desiigner, A.K.A. Sidney Royel Selby III, Arrested In South Carolina

On Wednesday, March 25, The Shade Room learned that Desiigner was taken into custody in Horry County, South Carolina, on the evening of Monday, March 23. Furthermore, Desiigner was reportedly brought in on domestic violence charges. Then, by Tuesday, March 24, he was reportedly released.

At this time, details of his arrest remain unknown.

Desiigner’s Mugshot Has Social Media Users Stunned

Social media users began reacting to Sidney Royel Selby III, a.k.a. Desiigner’s mugshot in TSR’s comment section.

More On Sidney Royel Selby III’s Previous Viral Arrest

As The Shade Room previously reported, in April 2023, Desiigner made headlines for speaking out after exposing himself during an international flight. At the time, he explained that he had been struggling with his mental health for “months.”

“While overseas for a concert I performed at, I had to be admitted to a hospital, I was not thinking clearly. They gave me meds and I had to hop on a plane ride home,” he posted on social media at the time. “I am ashamed of my actions that happened on that plane. I landed back to the States and am admitting myself in a facility to help me…”

Later that month, Desiigner was charged with indecent exposure. By September of that year, the charge was reportedly lowered to a federal misdemeanor. Then, the following year, Sidney Royel Selby III reflected on the incident, per The Shade Room.

In 2025, Desiigner reportedly welcomed a baby with a woman named Joyce Bryant. At this time, the status of their relationship remains unclear.

RELATED: Desiigner Discusses Self-Healing After Revealing Why He Exposed Himself On An International Flight (WATCH)

Since starring in The Dark Knight Rises as Bane over 10 years ago, Tom Hardy has maintained his status as one of the biggest action stars in the world. Before that, he worked with Christopher Nolan on the mind-bending sci-fi epic, Inception, which has charged back onto streaming charts around the world, solidifying its status as one of the all-time great sci-fi movies. Hardy returned to the sci-fi genre in 2015 with his critically acclaimed blockbuster, Mad Max: Fury Road, which co-stars Charlize Theron, and he’s since starred in three Venom movies that have grossed over $1.5 billion at the box office. Hardy has plenty of notable movie roles, but many would argue that his most powerful TV performance is playing Alfie Solomons in 13 episodes of Peaky Blinders, the hit crime thriller series starring Cillian Murphy.

Hardy’s Alfie Solomons is sometimes an ally to Tommy Shelby, and others a thorn in his side. They seemingly conclude their business at the end of Season 4 when Tommy delivers a bullet to Alfie’s face. It’s later revealed that this didn’t kill Alfie when he returns with a brutal scar on his cheek. Four years after going off the air, Peaky Blinders officially returned last weekend with a sequel film, The Immortal Man. Mere days before the premiere, as fans around the world were questioning Hardy’s potential return as Alfie Solomons, it was revealed that he would not have a part to play in the film. Series creator and film writer Steven Knight recently sat down for an interview, though, and he revealed there was once a plan for Hardy to appear in the film that was ultimately scrapped:

“I had an idea, which I haven’t really spoken about. Ever since he was shot on the beach at Margate, you’ve only ever seen Tommy and Alfie together alone. I thought, maybe Alfie appears, and we realize he’s been dead all that time. Now, I nearly did that, and I didn’t do that, but that was thought.”

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What Does This Mean for ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’?

Steven Knight’s comments about Tom Hardy’s almost-return in The Immortal Man confirms that there were at least talks of having Alfie make an appearance. The film has already been quite controversial, though, mostly due to its ending, and this would have only further driven a wedge between fans learning that Alfie was dead the whole time. Still, despite the mixed response from long-time Peaky Blinders fans, the film is having no trouble reaching the top of the streaming charts.

Check out The Immortal Man and all six seasons of Peaky Blinders on Netflix and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the franchise.

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Release Date

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March 6, 2026

Runtime

112 minutes

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Director

Tom Harper

Writers

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Steven Knight

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