Former “Bachelor” contestant Ashley Iaconetti is laying into “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul. As Paul continues to deal with the aftermath of ABC canceling her season of “The Bachelorette” two days before it was scheduled to premiere, more and more people are speaking out about what drove the network to that decision.

Former ‘Bachelor’ Star Lays Into Taylor Frankie Paul, Questions If She Was The Right Choice To Begin With

Speaking with Variety, Iaconetti, who is reclaiming her star as the newest cast member on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” called Paul’s situation with the network “nuanced” before sharing even more of her opinion.

“It’s a good thing they didn’t go forth with the season,” she said. However, Iaconetti said the network should’ve decided to pull Paul’s season sooner. “That was a decision that should have been made more carefully earlier on.”

‘Bachelor’ Alum Says The Network Knew Taylor Frankie Paul Had A Troubled Background Before Casting Her

As reported by The Blast, ABC canceled Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” after a video of her appearing to assault her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, was shared online.

Paul displayed appalling behavior in the clip, striking Mortensen, pulling his hair, wrapping her arms around his body, and later throwing metal chairs at him.

Mortensen appeared distraught in the video, crying out for Paul to stop. “This is called physical abuse. This is all you do,” he could be heard saying. “It’s the only thing you know how to do is hurt me. You think this is OK? It’s not OK. Holy sh-t.”

ABC released a statement shortly after, saying it was focusing on supporting Paul and her family at the time, but Iaconneti said there was nothing new about the released clip.

“We knew very much in detail, based on a lot of the interviews that she’s given, exactly what happened in the video and what led to the arrest,” she said. “You guys did have her on a TV show for four seasons.”

This Previous ‘Bachelor’ Cast Member Said Taylor Frankie Paul Was Not ‘Appropriate’ For The Show

Elsewhere in the interview, Iaconetti called the events of that night in 2023 “terrible” and said it was one reason Paul wasn’t the right fit for the iconic franchise.

“That wasn’t an appropriate role for her to fill,” she said, adding, “and probably was not something that she was mentally, emotionally ready to take on for many reasons—the fact that she was so intertwined with Dakota going into it being one of them.”

Paul’s rep addressed the news in a statement to Variety, thanking the public for their support.

“After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,” their statement read.

Paul Is Being Investigated Right Now

Amid this, production on season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” was halted, according to NBC News, after Paul and Mortensen were involved in another alleged domestic dispute in February 2026.

While the details of the most recent alleged dispute have been kept under wraps, a friend of Mortensen’s called the Draper Police Department and said he was a “victim of a domestic violence assault by an ex-girlfriend at her Draper residence.”

The police department declined to share additional details, but a spokesperson confirmed there was an open investigation.

Paul Shares Candid Post On Social Media Saying She Is Distancing Herself From The Mormon Church

Remi Bader had a relatable fashion moment while trying on outfits.

Bader, 30, took to Instagram on Sunday, April 5, to share a potential Coachella look with her followers. “Coachella 2026! Bursting out of my pants,” she said while wearing a brown bra top and high-waisted jeans. “Why did I think this wasn’t going to happen? It always happens.”

She then put her hand in her pocket and added, “But this — also, clearly gained some weight — it’s fine!” The influencer noted that she needed a size or two bigger while showing her inspiration photo.

“I was like, ‘OK, I can copy her outfit but I’m gonna do fun, cool different pants,’” Bader explained of her floral-painted jeans. “Look what we’re working with,” she joked while putting on a cowgirl hat over her messy ponytail and accessorizing with a brown leather belt. “You know, it’s really giving a little bit of this from Coachella four years ago,” Bader joked, cutting the camera to a throwback clip of herself crying at the festival. “But worse. So I’ll see you in 2027, Coachella.”

Related: The Best 2025 Coachella Outfits: Paris Hilton, Alix Earle, More

The 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival may be over — but the fashion inspiration will carry Us through the rest of the year. Kylie Jenner turned up the heat at the Revolve x Sprinter pool party on April 11, dressing to impress in a fitted yellow minidress. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. […]

Ariana Madix offered some words of wisdom in the comments section. “Baby this is my TWELFTH Coachella, which makes me feel like the granny of the polo fields but plz listen to your elder and just wear something comfy! ❤️❤️❤️ i hope i see you there!”

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More of her followers saw the “vision” behind her outfit, but supported her wearing something more comfortable as well. “Babe, as someone who lives in Palm Springs, the high is 69 on Saturday and rain on Friday, just go for a comfy look. It’s going to be freezing cold,” one advised. A second suggested, “Do a long skirt! Would look amaze and be super comfy.”

The first weekend of Coachella takes place on April 10 through April 12, with the second weekend dated on April 17 through the 19.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 22 seconds ago

Science fiction is filled with incredible spaceship captains. Star Trek alone gave the world Picard, Kirk, and Janeway, Firefly has Malcolm Reynolds, Farscape’s John Crichton, and Battlestar Galactica’s Adama, all of them are fantastic characters. All are noble and inspiring figures who make their crews better.

On the other end of the spectrum is Stanley H. Tweedle, captain of the Lexx, the most powerful weapon ever created. He’s a coward, a traitor, self-centered, shallow, and the last man in existence who should have the keys to the most powerful weapon in both galaxies. 

Lexx’s Stanley H. Tweedle Is Sci-Fi’s Worst Captain

Stanley H. Tweedle, played by Brian Downey, kicks off the events of Lexx by skipping work to the point he’s deemed a fugitive from justice by the servitors inside His Divine Shadow’s headquarters and runs into another fugitive, Zev (Eva Habermann). Taking shelter on board the organic spacecraft Lexx, the command codes embedded in Stanley’s tooth are activated, and the ship recognizes him as the Captain. It’s not the most glorious origin story for the man who would eventually, sort of, save the galaxy. It gets worse. 

Technically, Stanley’s responsible for the deaths of 685 billion people. He didn’t give the order to fire, and he was being tortured, but he did give the codes to the Lexx over to a band of mercenaries, and then they sold it to His Divine Shadow, and 100 worlds ceased to exist. No other captain in sci-fi can say thay also have the title “Arch-Traitor.” 

During Season 2, “Stan’s Trial,” we learn that the root of Stanley’s cowardice is his fear of death. The threat of death causes Stanley to break under the smallest bit of pressure from any of the villains, which all comes to a head in Season 3 when he actually dies and has to face the judgment of Prince from the Fire Planet, Lexx’s version of the Devil. You’d think that anyone who’s that cowardly wouldn’t be respected by his crew, and you’d be right. 

No One Respects Stanley

Early on in Season 3, Stanley’s desire for women comes to a head when Prince offers to revive Maya, a gorgeous woman from the Water Planet, if he’ll use the Lexx to destroy the Water Planet. Stanley doesn’t only think about it, he spends most of the second episode actively devising ways to betray everyone. Not even Kirk, sci-fi’s most famous womanizer, would contemplate an offer like that for a single second. 

Stanley H. Tweedle is both sci-fi’s worst captain and one of the most interesting characters, because he is so detestable and openly not a good guy. At all. He helped save the galaxy from thousands of years of control under His Divine Shadow, but he’s still a coward and a lech. Worst of all, we never learn what the H stands for. 

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper is owning up to the mistakes she said she made after two failed marriages.

“I take full ownership over all the mistakes I’ve made and all the stupid decisions I’ve made, but I am realizing I can’t just get divorced and go live a normal life,” Jessi, 33, shared via an Instagram video on Monday, April 6. “I’m having so much come to the surface right now, and I have a lot of healing to do.”

While filming a video in her car, the Hulu reality star opened up about her mindset weeks after her estranged husband, Jordan Ngatikaura, filed for divorce after five years of marriage. (She was also previously married to Zach Gish from 2014 to 2019.)

“This is such a weird experience to go through, and I know a lot of you can relate, and it’s the second divorce I’ve been through, which has been awful,” Jessi — who shares Jagger, 5, and Jovi, 3, with Jordan — explained. “They’ve both been very different and doing it with kids is very unique and different from my first situation. I just feel, like, really lost to be honest.”

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 […]

When opening up to her 1.8 million Instagram followers, Jessi claimed her two marriages “were emotionally unsafe.” After navigating those two relationships for a combined 10 years, the reality star said she began to learn habits, routines, defense mechanisms “and things that keep you safe.”

“It’s crazy how getting out of that can kind of mess with your head a little bit and make you go a little bit crazy,” she claimed. “I feel like I’m going through that right now. It’s kind of like a purging and a detox of the patterns that I’m used to. I have a lot of patterns that I don’t love. I have a lot of behaviors that I don’t love either, and I’m really trying to work on that.”

Jessi confirmed she is going on a four-day therapy retreat, where she plans to mourn what she lost while also healing from her past.

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“I’ve had the darkest days I’ve ever had in the last month and it’s been really rough,” she told her fans. “It’s normal to feel all over the place and misplaced and sad and then happy and then relieved and then depressed. I’ve felt all of the emotions.”

While Jessi has made headlines in recent weeks after she was allegedly spotted spending time with Marciano Brunette, she confirmed in her latest Instagram that she is single and just wants “to have fun.”

“I want to enjoy life because I haven’t in so long, but I also want to do all of this in the right way, and I want to heal and not make mistakes anymore,” she explained. “There’s no perfect way to handle divorce …. I’ve received a lot of love and support and I want to thank you for that but I’ve also received a ton of hate and it’s totally warranted. I am trying to get through this the best possible way I can.”

You can read every single novel Stephen King has written and still find yourself far off from completing his body of work, so to speak, since he’s also been prolific as a writer of novellas and short stories on top of his nearly 70 (to date) novels. Most of these are compiled in collections, of which there are a dozen official ones. Seven are more short story-focused than novella-focused, as in they’re mostly made up of short stories, rather than novellas. Skeleton Crew is one, because while it kicks off with The Mist, which is a novella (and a pretty great one), most of the tales in that 1985 collection are of the short story variety.

So, there are five works by Stephen King that can be labeled novella collections, and all of them are ranked below. Four of them only have novellas and, funnily enough, all four of those are made up of four novellas each. There’s one other here that’s made up of three novellas and two short stories, but still, more than half are novellas, and in any event, the majority of your time spent reading that one will be on novellas rather than the short stories. These are spread out quite neatly through King’s bibliography (one from the 1980s, two from the 1990s, one from the 2010s, and one from the 2020s), and they range from decent to pretty great in quality, with the best novella collection written by King being up there among his most essential works to date.

5

‘Full Dark, No Stars’ (2010)

Image via Scribner

While Full Dark, No Stars might be the least interesting of all the novella collections here, it’s still not bad, and there are definitely things here that King’s constant readers will be able to appreciate. Also, people do seem to like this one a little more than some of the collections that’ll be ranked ahead of it, and maybe the stories here finding success with getting movie adaptations showcase that, to some extent. Granted, the movie adaptations haven’t been great, and were the sorts that were viewed as weaker than the source material, but still, they tried. There was interest in attempts being made.

There are also some references here to other Stephen King stories, which is always fun if you are someone very invested in everything he’s written (the guy has pretty much made his own multiverse, at this point). If you want more of a hot take than putting Full Dark, No Stars in last place, then how about this: “Fair Extension,” the shortest of the stories, is also the best one. It doesn’t waste any time and feels like vintage King. Every other novella here overstays its welcome, to some extent. “1922” doesn’t do so as drastically as the painfully drawn-out “A Good Marriage,” but both of them (and maybe “Big Driver,” too) could well have been made a little more impactful with a few words trimmed out here and there.

4

‘Hearts in Atlantis’ (1999)

Image via Scribner

Hearts in Atlantis is the one title that was a little tricky to add here, since it’s made up of three novellas and two short stories. But, you know, more of a novella collection than a short story collection. But wait! Things get more complicated, because Hearts in Atlantis has some continuity between the five stories it contains, with some recurring characters and similar themes explored across all the stories, so it almost feels like a novel, or it at least comes closest to feeling like one coherent story out of all the Stephen King collections. It’s further ambitious because it tackles the Vietnam War and its aftermath, really diving into a specific historical event to a pretty dramatic extent, by King’s standards.

He does so decently well, even if he lays it on a bit thick at times, and does seem insecure, as a writer, about his readers not “getting” certain things. So he really goes on and on, when you’re like, “No, I get it,” but then he keeps explaining things, it can feel frustrating. When Hearts in Atlantis is working, though, it’s pretty darn good. There are some fantastical elements, especially in the first (and best) story of the bunch, “Low Men in Yellow Coats,” which has some surprisingly direct ties to The Dark Tower series, too. That novella, plus the final story here, “Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling,” were adapted into Hearts in Atlantis, a 2001 movie, but with all the references to The Dark Tower and most of the fantastical elements pretty much taken out, which was disappointing. Oh well.

3

‘If It Bleeds’ (2020)

Image via Scribner

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While If It Bleeds is the most recent Stephen King novella collection, it’s not his most recent collection of stories, since You Like It Darker came out in 2024. That one was mostly short stories, but it speaks to King’s productivity that they both came out in the 2020s, and so too did six other novels (and counting). The man cannot be stopped. Anyway, If It Bleeds is pretty good. None of the novellas here are 10/10-worthy, necessarily, but none entirely miss the mark, either, and they are all indeed pretty good.

“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” is a better phone-related story than Cell, while “The Life of Chuck” is structurally interesting and perhaps a little sappy, but it works better than the (still fairly good) movie adaptation of the same name from 2024. The titular story here is the longest, and is one of many about Holly Gibney, who was introduced in the Bill Hodges trilogy, and got two novels as the protagonist post-If It Bleeds (Holly and Never Flinch). Then there’s “Rat,” which closes out the collection, and is one of many Stephen King stories about the struggles of writing. Also, like a fair few Stephen King stories, it doesn’t end ideally, but the ride before that point is engaging enough. If It Bleeds is just all-around solid. Nothing here represents King at his very best, and nothing here showcases him at his worst. It’s just pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

2

‘Four Past Midnight’ (1990)

Before getting to the first of Stephen King’s novella collections, here’s Four Past Midnight, which was his second overall, not to mention his second best, and his first novella collection to be generally horror-focused. Also, some of these novellas are really quite long, as some paperback editions of Four Past Midnight hover around the 1000-page mark. Take the first story, for instance: “The Langoliers.” This one is actually longer than some of Stephen King’s novels. Page counts can vary, depending on the formatting, but the audiobook version of “The Langoliers” is almost nine hours long, and the audiobook for Carrie will take you just under 7.5 hours to listen to. So…

Also, “The Langoliers” might be the highlight here, or it’s neck-and-neck with “The Library Policeman,” which is harder to read, admittedly, but incredibly effective as a work of horror. It’s the reason that Four Past Midnight can be considered up there among the most disturbing of all of King’s novels, short story collections, novella collections, you name it. “Secret Window, Secret Garden” is also good, albeit maybe a little too similar narratively to King’s novel The Dark Half, and then the final story, “Sun Dog,” is an engaging read, being one of a fair few Stephen King stories set in Castle Rock. Four Past Midnight is a strong collection overall, with all four stories ranging in quality from pretty good to pretty great.

1

‘Different Seasons’ (1982)

Image via Viking Press

It’s easy to single out Different Seasons as the best of Stephen King’s novella collections because of two stories here: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” and “The Body.” They both inspired two all-time great film adaptations (The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me), and are phenomenal in their original forms, too. “Apt Pupil” is another story here, and not quite a work of horror, but one that leans more into psychological thriller territory than those other two. It also got a movie adaptation, albeit not a great one.

Things conclude with “The Breathing Method,” which is the only adaptation-less story here, and probably the closest to the horror genre of the bunch, though Different Seasons overall was something meant to showcase King’s knack for writing non-horror stories. He’d largely been known for horror up until that point, and while nowadays, the idea of a Stephen King book not belonging to the horror genre doesn’t sound too wild, it was surprising back in 1982. So, Different Seasons was instrumental in demonstrating King’s range, and has endured because it houses some of his best writing, and two of the stories here went on to be adapted into two pretty-much-perfect movies. If you only ever have time to read one Stephen King novella collection, for whatever reason, then you’re best off making it this one.

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The Shawshank Redemption

Release Date

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September 23, 1994

Runtime

142 minutes

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Director

Frank Darabont

Writers

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Frank Darabont

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Candice Accola (née Accola) and more stars from The Vampire Diaries franchise have offered a glimpse at their families off screen.

Candice welcomed her first daughter, Florence, with Joe King in January 2016. The couple later expanded their family with daughter Josephine. (Joe also shares daughters Elise and Ava with ex-wife Julie.)

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In May 2022, Us Weekly confirmed that Candice had filed for divorce from Joe due to “irreconcilable differences.” According to court docs, the twosome pulled the plug on their relationship earlier that year after previously celebrating seven years of marriage.

In April 2026, Michael Trevino welcomed his first baby with wife Bregje Heinen.

Keep scrolling for a guide to The Vampire Diaries alums’ family members:

Wealthy women wear sneakers nonstop, but they’re not rocking the same gym shoes you see at fitness centers. Their go-to styles balance comfort and class, combining the plush feel of athletic shoes with the look of designer footwear. Luckily, you don’t need to spend thousands to get the look. There are plenty of chic pairs that nail the aesthetic without the high-end price tags, and you can even shop polished kicks for as little as $13.

Whether you’re running errands, hosting a picnic or strutting through TSA, these picks rise to the occasion, making you appear effortlessly polished wherever you go. See our favorites from brands like Skechers, Dolce Vita, Lucky Brand, Cole Haan and more!

17 Comfy, Luxe-Looking Rich Mom Sneakers — From $17

1. European Vibes: Made of a soft, suede-like material and featuring dainty lace embellishments as well as intricate stitching, these sophisticated sneakers look straight out of an Italian shoe shop. People will think you dropped hundreds on a single pair (but they’re currently priced under $45!).

2. Flower Girl: Imagine the feminine flair of flats with the comfort of sneakers, and you’ll get these Dr. Scholl’s platforms. Thanks to some fun embroidery along the side, they never feel too basic yet still work as an everyday staple.

3. Secretly Skechers: According to Martha Stewart, Skechers are totally ‘in’ again, and these knit wonders prove why. They’re flexible and airy, and fit your feet like a glove.

4. Boutique Find: Flowers, leather, gold accents! Complete with a fun side design, Lucky Step’s flat sneakers make every outing feel like an event.

5. Butter Yellow: Channel spring vibes in some butter-yellow sneakers that give any wardrobe a pop of color. They’re so cute and on-trend that if you see your size, you’ll want to snag it ASAP.

Related: These 19 Boutiquey, Pastel-Colored Pieces Work From Now Through Summer

Vibrant colors are fun, but pastels channel understated elegance like no other. The right hues scream ’boutique,’ making every outfit look five times the price — and we found 19 pieces to do just that. Playful and luxe, these stylish pieces work far beyond spring. These pastel-colored finds are lightweight enough for layering and wearing […]

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6. Go for Gold: In case you missed it, everyone’s wearing metallics lately. These memory foam shoes embrace the look without going overboard, feeling playful while remaining polished.

7. Could be Designer: If you’ve been lusting after a pair of Golden Goose kicks, you’ll adore this vintage-inspired star-adorned pair that looks much more expensive than its price.

8. Effortless Elegance: Score 37% off Cushionaire’s frilly sneakers, which couple a sleek silhouette with lace, ribbon and perforated detailing.

9. Logging Miles: We didn’t understand the No Bull hype until we tried these Allday Knit numbers. If you’re like Us, you’ll forget you’re wearing shoes.

10. Celeb Style: Trendsetter Katie Holmes wore a similar red-accent sneaker style a few months back, which means this outfit-boosting color is about to be everywhere. Time to replace your basic white trainers!

11. Cool Mom: Give your wardrobe a laid-back twist with some classic leather Reeboks that scream ‘L.A. cool mom.’ The fact that they’re made of real leather means they’ll last you for seasons to come.

12. Signature Print: Nearly 30,000 shoppers gave these Guess sneakers five stars, highlighting the plush feel, wear-everywhere style and high-end look.

13. Total Steal: Nobody would ever guess that these embroidered sneakers cost less than a Sweetgreen bowl. We’re adding both embroidered designs to cart.

14. New Balance: New Balance sneakers usually lean sporty, but these one-of-a-kind kicks feature a leopard print that gives them an elevated appeal.

15. Serious Sass: Dolce Vita nailed it with its snakeskin sneakers. They’re equally modern and timeless, combining a bold print with an understated profile.

16. East Coast: Unlock your inner East Coast socialite in preppy Allbirds cruisers that enhance air flow, reduce odors and support active lifestyles.

17. Pretty in Pink: The pink colorway is optional, but if you’re hoping to nail the cool look. . . . not really! Cole Haan recently launched these sneakers, and thanks to the retro design, they’re bound to sell out.

Related: Martha Stewart‘s Slip-On Sneakers Style Is the Ultimate Busy-Morning Hack

Martha Stewart often raves about her hands-free Skechers sneakers, and honestly, she’s totally onto something. No more bending, lacing or tugging on our way out the door? That’s ideal for those of Us on perpetually tight schedules. Slip-on sneakers streamline mornings like never before, which is why it’s worth adding a pair (or two) to […]

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 28 seconds ago

Starfleet Academy was canceled shortly after the end of its first season. Nonetheless, a second season had already been greenlit and filmed, so fans can look forward to more misadventures with their favorite band of space cadets. Even as those fans look forward to what Season 2 brings, though, at least one of the show’s biggest actors regrets that there won’t be a third season to tell his character’s most ambitious story yet.

Robert Picardo reprised his role as the Doctor for Starfleet Academy, and the first season provided a surprise follow-up to “Real Life,” one of his best Voyager episodes. In a recent interview, the actor revealed that he had pitched a Season 3 SFA follow-up to “Living Witness,” where he would encounter a backup version of himself that was left behind on an alien planet. Picardo saw the episode as a chance to grow the Doctor like never before. Unfortunately, his description of the plot makes it clear that the episode he pitched would have ruined his character altogether.

Is There A Doctor In The House?

“Living Witness” was a Star Trek: Voyager episode where a backup version of the ship’s holographic Doctor is activated on an alien planet seven hundred years after Voyager left. He is activated by a museum curator hoping to get to the bottom of a centuries-old conflict between two alien races. Eventually, the Doctor is able to make peace between the two groups and stays behind as their surgical chancellor before getting into a shuttle and very belatedly plotting a course back to Earth.

To many fans’ surprise, the first season of Starfleet Academy never followed up on “Living Witness.” However, Robert Picardo recently appeared on the D-Con Chamber Podcast (hosted by Enterprise alumni Dominic Keating and Connor Trineer) and revealed that he pitched a Season 3 story that would follow up on this iconic Voyager episode. “I wanted to do an episode—now we can talk freely about it, because the show’s canceled…I wanted to meet my Voyager backup, my old self, and be as I looked at 41 and play off my self.”

Doctor, Heal Thyself

At first, this would have the “Living Witness” Doctor chastising the Starfleet Academy version for programming aging into his subroutine. Eventually, they bond over the relationship they share with Lewis Zimmerman, the man who invented the Emergency Medical Hologram. “The Doctor and his backup program are two children of the same parent. One has resolved the issues, the other hasn’t, and after 800 years, those daddy issues, those parental conflicts, they don’t go away if you don’t deal with them,” Picardo said.

On paper, I love the idea of following up on “Living Witness,” and I previously wrote about how interesting it would be if the backup version was actually the Doctor in Starfleet Academy. Furthermore, Robert Picardo’s storytelling instincts are good in the sense that it would be fun to see multiple versions of this cranky hologram bouncing off each other. Unfortunately, the Starfleet Academy episode that he pitched was emblematic of the show’s biggest problem: that the adults on the show are no more mature than the young cadets.

Nearly Ruining A Beloved Character

Critics of Starfleet Academy have frequently dunked on the cadet characters for various reasons, including their vulgar language, constant insults, and frequent infighting. Fans of the show have traditionally responded to this criticism by pointing out that, as young characters growing up in a post-Burn galaxy, the cadets should be immature. 

However, one of the show’s biggest problems is that the adult characters were equally immature. The Doctor and Captain Ake have a combined 1200 years between them, but they spend their screentime making poop jokes and laughing at a farting fish. Plus, their dialogue is equally vulgar, with the Doctor infamously declaring that “debate is not for the chickensh*t” and Captain Ake telling her enemy to “blow it out your *ss!”

What does this have to do with the Season 3 SFA episode that Robert Picardo pitched? Simple: the last thing the show needs is another older character acting just as immature as the younger characters. For example, having daddy issues is part of Genesis’s character, which makes sense because she is supposed to be so young. But both versions of the Doctor are now over 800 years old, making them some of the wisest and most ancient living beings in the galaxy. Why in the name of Neelix’s stinky cheese would either of them have the same kind of daddy issues as a teenager in her freshman year of space college?

Meet The Trauma Teacher

It was already weird enough in Season 1 that Starfleet Academy turned the Doctor into a tragic figure haunted by the death of his holographic son from “Real Life;”; before this, he never even mentioned the kid after the episode. Now, Picardo’s pitch would further tweak his character to explain that, after the better part of a millennium, the backup Doctor is suffering from daddy issues that, like him mourning his son, were never really mentioned before in Voyager. I can’t help but think this would ultimately ruin his character, turning the whimsical comic relief character from a beloved Star Trek show into just another NuTrek character defined primarily by trauma.

Because of this, I’m glad that Starfleet Academy got canceled. I actually warmed up to Season 1 over time, but it had an insanely rocky first half that made it really hard to love these characters. If Season 3 was going to ruin the Doctor (one of my favorite characters from the Golden Age of the franchise) with Picardo’s pitch, it’s best that the show died. Fans will have to make peace with the fact that the best days of the Doctor are just like the best days of Star Trek: stuck a few decades in the past.

There’s a very specific kind of show Netflix is good at sneaking up on people with — the ones you don’t plan to care about, and then suddenly you’re five episodes deep, emotionally invested in teenagers making questionable choices. XO, Kitty falls squarely into that category.

This is funny because on paper, it shouldn’t feel like a phenomenon. It’s a spinoff; a side character from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before gets her own show, heads to Seoul, and gets tangled up in romance. You expect something pleasant, maybe a little disposable, but it’s something that keeps you gripped, especially if you cared about the movie franchise in the first place.

What XO, Kitty Is Actually About

Image via Netflix

Kitty Song-Covey (Anna Cathcart) ships herself off to the Korean Independent School of Seoul with a pretty straightforward goal: reunite with her long-distance boyfriend and feel closer to the mother she lost. That plan lasts maybe an episode because XO, Kitty isn’t really interested in letting anything stay simple. Relationships unravel, then re-form in slightly different shapes, crushes multiply, people lie, or don’t lie, exactly, but definitely don’t say the whole truth.

Kitty has always appeared to possess a certain knowledge of love, according to the films, but is discovering that perhaps she doesn’t truly understand it after all, and, rightly, is likely to come to that conclusion. Throughout this series of events, the show plays with the theme of someone who has believed they know what love is, only to be confronted with the reality that they actually don’t. The approach is very direct, but effective.

There are stretches of XO, Kitty that feel overstuffed. Too many plotlines, not enough breathing room, a tendency to jump ahead and expect you to just catch up. It can feel like you missed an episode even when you didn’t. And yet—it’s hard to stop watching. Part of that is the ensemble. The core group — Kitty, Yuri (Gia Kim), Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee), Dae (Choi Min-yeong), Q (Anthony Keyvan) — has that lived-in, slightly chaotic chemistry that makes even the clunkier storylines go down easier. When they’re all together, the show relaxes a bit; there’s a looseness to those scenes.

Also, and this matters more than the show probably gets credit for, Seoul isn’t just aesthetic window dressing. Kitty’s connection to her Korean heritage — something that started as a vague emotional pull — becomes more specific and more complicated the longer she stays. That thread gives the show weight when the romance starts spinning its wheels.

The Romance Is the Draw—But Not Always the Strength

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This is where things get a little uneven. XO, Kitty sells itself as a romance (and, yes, there’s plenty of that), but the actual execution can feel frustrating in a very specific, very familiar way. Miscommunication stretches on longer than it should. Big emotional beats get delayed, interrupted, sidestepped. You’ll probably find yourself thinking, just say the thing. They almost never do.

Season 3 leans heavily into Kitty’s relationship with Min Ho, which should feel like a payoff after all that buildup. Sometimes it does, but other times, it feels like the show is stalling — creating tension where a single honest conversation would clear everything up. But even when the romance falters, the show doesn’t completely lose you because it’s never just about the couple. it’s about who these characters are becoming around each other, and sometimes despite each other.

It’s Really a Coming-of-Age Story

Image via Netflix

Even though there are many moments consisting of love triangles, near-confessing to one another, and timing creating dramatic moments, the best moments of XO, Kitty are when romantic moments are completely removed from the series. There are scenes that feature Yuri as she copes with her family breaking apart, Q as he makes decisions he will not be able to easily take back, and also Kitty paying for her impulsive actions for once, and those scenes hit harder than big romantic gestures.

There is a version of this series that embraces that aspect; it embraces the craziness of growing up, and how your identity changes based on where you are located and who you are with. You can see it trying to be that show. Sometimes it gets there. Sometimes it veers back into safer, more familiar territory.

Being tied to To All the Boys is both a strength and a crutch. When familiar faces pop up — like Lara Jean (Lana Condor)— it’s hard not to feel a little hit of recognition. That world still works. The sister dynamic, especially, has an easy warmth to it that the show taps into effectively.

It’s not a perfect series, but it’s watchable in that specific, slightly compulsive way — one episode bleeding into the next, characters getting under your skin before you fully realize it. You start watching out of curiosity, you keep watching because, somehow, you’ve picked sides, and now you kind of need to know what happens next.