Netflix is one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, if not the biggest. The streamer loses titles every month but still offers a robust catalog of shows and movies with significant rewatch value. From horror flicks to documentaries, thrillers, and epic dramas, there is always something to see. Series like Liam Hemsworth’s The Witcher, Shadow & Bone, and Gordon Cormier’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, represent some of the streamer’s most ambitious action fantasy projects ever undertaken.

Thankfully for Netflix, these projects have proven to be major hits for the streamer, with even more ambitious strides being taken. KPop Demon Hunters, which is already an award-winning animated feature, and the much-beloved One Piece series adaptation, whose second season is one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory, signal that ambition. Several Asian series, such as All of Us Are Dead, have already succeeded on the platform. Netflix is poised to expand its catalog into the region with its upcoming Taiwanese fantasy series.

Production began in 2019, and after a seven-year wait, Agent from Above, Netflix’s latest fantasy offering, is finally set to arrive on the platform in 2026. The large-scale action-fantasy series, whose production was slowed in 2022 after the series’ lead, Kai Ko Chen-tung, sustained significant facial injuries on set, is based on the first book of the popular novel series The Oracle Comes by Taiwanese author Teensy. Inspired by Taoist mythology, Agent from Above is set in a universe of gods, monsters, humans, and other mythical beings.

What Is ‘Agent From Above’ About?

The series follows Ko’s Han Chieh, a former drug user turned spirit medium, who is recruited by the legendary Chinese god San Tai Zi as an agent on Earth. Han Chieh’s charge from San Tai Zi is to help bring balance between the human and demon realms by resolving supernatural disturbances. Seizing the opportunity, Han Chieh sees it as a chance for redemption given the sins of his past. According to a report from Netflix, Agent from Above will arrive on the streamer in Q2 2026, and the fantasy series’ official synopsis reads:

“Bound by a deity’s pact, Han Chieh fights demons on Earth. When he uncovers an old enemy’s plan for a second invasion, he must fight to save humanity.”

Agent From Above is one of the most ambitious and expensive Chinese-language productions for Netflix to date. The first season will have only six episodes and will premiere sometime between April and June 2026. For action fantasy fans awaiting the premiere, Netflix declares it “a visual tour de force that delivers spectacular world-building and artistry, setting a new benchmark that stands shoulder to shoulder with high-end fantasy productions globally.” The series is directed by Kuan Wei-chieh and Lai Chun-yu, with Melvin Ang and Rita Chuang serving as executive producers. Kai Ko (You Are the Apple of My Eye) leads the acting talent from Taiwan, with Wang Po-chieh (Life of Pi), Buffy Chen (The Silent Forest), Johnny Yang (Warrior, The Rip), and Hsueh Shih-ling (Taiwan Crime Stories) also part of the cast.

Agent From Above arrives on Netflix in Q2 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.

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Netflix

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Donnie Lai Cheun-Yu

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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan issued a public apology after a video surfaced showing him using a racial slur during a livestream with streamer Yonna Jay. The clip, which circulated widely on social media, sparked mixed reactions from viewers. Former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant later spoke out in McMillan’s defense, adding to the ongoing discussion.

Related: Yikes! DJ Akademiks Enters The Chat After DDG Claims Streamers Make More Money Than Celebrities & NFL Players

Viral Clip Shows McMillan Using Slur During Streamer Bowl Event

In a viral video, Panthers rookie Tetairoa McMillan, who is of Native Hawaiian descent, is seen playing Madden 26 when he yells the N-word twice after making an interception in the game. At the time, McMillan was seated next to streamer Yonna Jay. Following the comment, Yonna appeared visibly shocked and covered her mouth before asking, “Can he say that?”

The moment quickly gained attention online, with clips reposted across multiple platforms.

Shortly after the video went viral, McMillan addressed the situation on Instagram. He wrote, “Yesterday while on live stream I used a term I should not have. There’s no excuse for what I said. I sincerely apologize for speaking thoughtlessly and will do better.”

Dez Bryant Defends McMillan Following Online Backlash

The incident and McMillan’s apology prompted reactions from fans, commentators, and former players. Dez Bryant publicly defended McMillan, suggesting the comment was not made with harmful intent.

“Bruh. The way he said it… no harm no foul… he been around,” Bryant wrote. “Folks need to chill because it’s really not that serious.”

After McMillan’s apology, Bryant continued his support, adding, “Somebody tell bro to never apologize for being honest.”

On Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers shared photos of McMillan attending the 15th annual NFL Honors ceremony. Bryant later quote-tweeted the post, writing, “My n****”  amid the ongoing controversy.

Social Media Users React With Mixed Opinions

The viral moment sparked debate across social media, with users expressing a wide range of opinions. Some criticized the situation and Bryant’s response.

Instagram user @blackculturegalore wrote, “Black men of those realms really be bending down and taking it. Cause huh! Not serious?”

Another Instagram user @theedejamonae wrote, “When I say I love Yonna … I LOVEEEEEEEEE Yonna !”

While Instagram user @19xbri wrote, “He’s gonna keep saying it.”

Instagram user @_shaunyisthatyou wrote, “Did he say it in an offensive way?? Cause I see black people claiming him so I mean.. if he wasn’t disrespecting anybody then cool.”

Another Instagram user @mss.beautiful wrote, “It’s always not that deep to BM this is why we in the situation we in now they be letting too much slide.”

While Instagram user @ariellalucie wrote, “YONNA IS SO MEEE 😂! She was really appalled lmfaooo”

Instagram user @maskedman_jt wrote, “The islanders good in the hood 🤘🏾”

Another Instagram user @xsta.siii wrote, “You cannot try to make me ever think ts okay. Stop tryna speak for us tf we didn’t ask you too @dezbryant”

While Instagram user @ihxten1ck wrote, “During Black history month ?????”

Related: Social Media Reacts After Toosii Calls Syracuse Football Coach A “Bozo” & Announces First Day At Louisiana State University (VIDEOS)

With nine nominations in total, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is gearing up for a thrilling takeover at the Academy Award ceremonies in March. The director’s latest creature feature leaned on the immense talents of its leading trio of performers — Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and Mia Goth — to bring his version of Mary Shelley’s classic gothic novel to life. Since his feature-length debut with 1992’s Cronos, del Toro has brought his fresh and oftentimes freaky vision to all types of stories, from original ideas to characters and tales that have long been loved and adored. With one hit after the next, the Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water helmer has been no stranger to the award season circuit, but there’s one movie that he recently admitted to having been developing that has tragically been lost to the past.

During a back-and-forth on X, in which a fan posted about their wish for del Toro to front an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, that would see Elordi, Isaac, and Goth star, the critically-acclaimed filmmaker gave a response that made us clutch our pearls. Making us wish we had a time machine and a boatload of cash to produce it, del Toro said, “I have the screenplay! Which we developed w Francis Coppola in and around 1997-1998, and its [sic] a Gothic Western!”

While there have been plenty of on-screen adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo over the last several years, including the most recent one, which featured Sam Claflin in the titular role, we now officially feel robbed of not seeing del Toro and Coppola’s Western take. For a reference to what was happening during their careers at this time, the former was full-speed ahead on his sophomore feature, the sci-fi horror flick Mimic, while the latter was busy bringing another piece of literature — John Grisham’s The Rainmaker — to the big screen. Although both of these films are absolute classics and important pieces in both filmmakers’ catalogues, what we wouldn’t have given to see their version of The Count of Monte Cristo take form.

‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ in Cinema

For years upon years, The Count of Monte Cristo has been a favorite of directors to tell the tale of adventure, love, and vengeance first penned by Dumas in the mid 1800s. Standout on-screen productions include Rowland V. Lee‘s Robert Donat and Elissa Landi-led 1934 feature, the French-language Jacques Weber-starring 1979 miniseries, and Kevin Reynolds’ 2002 film, which starred Jim Caviezel, Henry Cavill, and Guy Pearce.

The newest version of The Count of Monte Cristo is now streaming via PBS Masterpiece.

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2026 – 2024-00-00

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Rai 1, France Télévisions Jeunesse

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Bille August

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Greg Latter

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By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 hour ago

If you have enough clout in Hollywood, like Jerry Seinfeld did after his eponymous series finished its run in the late 90s, just about any idea you have while you’re still hot will be bankrolled with a blank check made out to cash. 2007’s Bee Movie is a perfect example of what happens when somebody like Steven Spielberg chats with Jerry Seinfeld, who at the time was playfully frustrated over his wife’s new beekeeping hobby. The joke suggested that his wife was having an affair with the bees, and that he should make a movie about insects that pushes this concept to the extreme.

He said he’d call it Bee Movie, or something along those lines, because of the double entendre. You know, like a B-movie, but with actual bees. This was apparently all Spielberg needed to hear to chat with DreamWorks, the company he co-founded in 1994, so Jerry Seinfeld could secure roughly $150 million and make what might be the most misguided animated kids movie to ever grace the silver screen.

Why You Gotta Bee Like That?

Bee Movie attempts to tell a wholesome story about Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld), a young honey bee who’s about to graduate and enter the workforce. Barry is immediately disillusioned by the fact that whatever career path he picks at this point in his short life cycle will be the only job he ever has until he ultimately perishes, as bees are known to do. In a stroke of luck, paired with a dash of daring insubordination, Barry’s invited to tag along with the Pollen Jocks before officially declaring a proper job.

The Pollen Jocks keep everything back at the hive running like clockwork. They’re disproportionately jacked, gather pollen, and allow all the bees back at the hive to produce that sweet, sweet nectar known as honey.

After getting separated from the pack because he’s a grossly unqualified Pollen Jock wanna-bee, Barry has a run-in with a human woman named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger) and her boyfriend Ken (Patrick Warburton). The latter tries to kill Barry because he’s allergic to bees. Vanessa, on the other hand, values all life, scolding Ken for being so aggressive toward one of God’s beautiful creatures. Naturally, Barry becomes attracted to Vanessa, and the two form an interspecies romance, which leads Bee Movie directly into its true conflict.

Barry is horrified to find out that humans collect, jar, and sell honey made by bees for profit after a trip to the grocery store with Vanessa. According to Barry, the only reasonable thing to do at this point is sue humanity for exploiting bees, which conveniently allows Jerry Seinfeld to jam in as many celebrity cameos as humanly possible, including Ray Liotta and Sting.

Do Bees Brush Their Hair With Honeycombs?

On paper, Bee Movie has all the beats you’d expect from an animated kids movie made by DreamWorks Animation or Pixar. There’s one important distinction you need to consider, however. Jerry Seinfeld’s public persona is patently unlikable by design, which is something I’ll openly admit as a fan of Seinfeld, because that’s what makes Seinfeld such a satisfying watch. That energy transfers directly over to Bee Movie, making for a confusing watch despite his best efforts.

Jerry Seinfeld’s Barry B. Benson is witty and charming, and he points out the systemic flaws surrounding bee culture in the form of oppressive work conditions made even worse by their incredibly short life spans. Barry B. Benson also asks the Pollen Jocks what pollen is. Barry B. Benson romantically pursues a human woman while simultaneously undermining her live-in boyfriend’s relationship with her. Barry B. Benson, who has no legal experience and confirms earlier in the movie that he doesn’t know how to tell time, somehow represents every single bee in the world in a massive class action lawsuit against the entire human race.

Oh yeah, and Barry B. Benson, after realizing the error of his ways, casually suggests a suicide pact with Vanessa when his plan epically backfires and puts the entire world in jeopardy.

What’s All The Buzz About?

A tonally disjointed mess of a kids movie, Bee Movie has rightfully earned its cult status after the internet turned the entire thing into a meme in 2015. Its storylines and in-universe logic make absolutely no sense, which is a fundamental filmmaking problem because movies are supposed to tell coherent stories. The result is a surreal, half-baked, high-budget mess of one-liners, bee puns, and implied interspecies erotica that anybody could get bee-hind if they’re in the right mood for it.

Bee Movie is dripping with Seinfeldian humor, and that adds to its charm in small doses. Jerry Seinfeld has a grating personality, and much of his humor is based on complaining about trivial, relatable things. The problem is that bees aren’t relatable, and making an entire movie about Jerry Seinfeld working out his bee-based puns is something you truly have to see to bee-lieve. Of course the internet hivemind would chomp at the bit years after the film’s initial release, because it’s simply too weird not to celebrate for its inherent audacity alone.

As of this writing, Bee Movie is available for on-demand rentals and purchases through YouTube, Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.

It might sound hyperbolic to throw out the name of a band or artist and call them one of the best of all time, but when it comes to The Beatles, such lofty praise is unlikely to make anyone blink an eye. They are The Beatles, they were made up of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, they were active and releasing albums for a bit under a decade, and most of the albums they released are among the greatest of all time.

You’re always best off tackling those albums (especially the ones from the second half of the band’s career) in whole, but hey, all albums are made up of songs, and songs are the focus of the ranking below. Specifically, these are the relatively rare Beatles songs that aren’t very good. Many of these are throwaway/forgettable ones, and some function more like interludes than full-fledged songs, but if you’re to count every song on any Beatles album as a full song, then these all rank among the very worst put out by a band that was, arguably, the very best.

10

“Savoy Truffle”

From ‘The Beatles’ (1968)

Without a doubt, The Beatles (sometimes called “The White Album”) is one of the most important rock albums of all time. It’s one of the wildest and most varied of all time, in a manner that still feels unparalleled within the realms of non-experimental music, since most of the tracks here are legitimate songs. There are a few points where things do get kind of experimental (see “Revolution 9”), but usually, it’s just out there because there are a whole variety of sub-genres covered from song to song.

Of the 30 songs featured on the self-titled Beatles album, “Savoy Truffle” sure is one of them. It’s a George Harrison-written and sung track, and might well be one of his weakest Beatles-era efforts. The whole song is annoying, and might’ve been tolerable if it had just been an interlude (there are certainly worse songs by The Beatles that only go for a minute, or just under), but it’s three minutes long, almost, and it adds very little to the overall album.

9

“Run for Your Life”

From ‘Rubber Soul’ (1965)

To the credit of “Run for Your Life,” it is a successfully creepy song, but whether it was supposed to be truly horrifying is a bit harder to discern. It’s about a very intense man directing a series of statements toward his partner/girlfriend, saying he’d rather see her dead than with another man and stuff, and that if she did that, she should indeed “run for” her “life.”

Maybe it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek or darkly funny, but the execution is off. It’s just a sour song that really tanks the album it belongs to, Rubber Soul. There is one other sort of weak song on that album, so more on that in a bit, but “Run for Your Life” stands out for being the closing track; one that, because of its placement, ensures the otherwise strong album cannot actually end on a high.

8

“Your Mother Should Know”

From ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ (1967)

There are some great songs featured on Magical Mystery Tour (especially the LP version, rather than the EP one), but “Your Mother Should Know” is not one of them. It’s a lesser Paul McCartney song that puts on, in full display, his traits that tend to receive the most criticism/scorn. It’s a plinky-plonky, corny, and grating track, and this is coming from someone who honestly doesn’t mind “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.”

There isn’t anything of substance in “Your Mother Should Know,” and it doesn’t even have the decency to offer listeners something earwormy or catchy in nature. It’s just tedious and not memorable. What else can be said about it? Your mother shouldn’t know this one, and nor should you. No one should know about – or remember – “Your Mother Should Know.” It doesn’t deserve it.

7

“What Goes On”

From ‘Rubber Soul’ (1965)

This whole ranking is going to be quite kind to Ringo Starr, because while he gets quite a bit of criticism for being the least essential Beatle (it’s not a fair criticism, but you do tend to see it), there are only two songs sung by Starr featured in this ranking. Side-note, but it feels weird to call him “Starr.” It’s much more fun to call him “Ringo.” It’s a bit like awkwardly calling Kanye West “West” when “Kanye” feels so much more appropriate.

Uh, wait, where were we? Oh yeah, Ringo singing. He sings “What Goes On.” It’s not as creepy a song as “Run for Your Life,” nor does it derail Rubber Soul at as pivotal a point as that song does, but it is the most boring and tacky Rubber Soul track. The vibes are bad on “Run for Your Life,” but at least there’s some kind of misguided passion there, and an attempt at making things feel memorable. “What Goes On” is pure filler, and it feels out of step with what’s an otherwise very high-quality Beatles album.

6

“Little Child”

From ‘With the Beatles’ (1963)

Hmm. “Little Child” is another slightly creepy song, just not in as violent or menacing a way as “Run for Your Life.” It was featured on the second album The Beatles ever released, With the Beatles, but even then, it still feels lackluster by the standards of their early stuff. It’s got very little going for it, and it’s also very short (that’s a contributing factor to the feeling of nothingness), clocking in at under two minutes.

Maybe that’s kind of merciful. But it is also disappointing. There are just a few lines repeated a bunch of times, but not in a fun Blondie doing “Atomic” kind of way. Those lines are a bit off, what with the “little child” thing and all, and musically, “Little Child” also does almost nothing of note. It is, to put it mildly, entirely inessential.

5

“Honey Don’t”

From ‘Beatles for Sale’ (1964)

Another Ringo track, on a vocal front, “Honey Don’t” has nothing going for it. It appears on Beatles for Sale, which is an album that’s easy to get mixed up with With the Beatles, since both albums came out fairly early within the band’s discography, and neither album’s very good. Well, some songs on those albums work. They’re not irredeemable; it’s more just that neither is on the same level as Please Please Me, A Hard Day’s Night, or Help.

Since “Honey Don’t” is a cover, maybe you could give it a bit of a pass, not being a full-fledged Beatles song and all… but it was still recorded by them, appeared on an album with their name on it, and ultimately underwhelmed as a song, too. “Honey, skip that track,” you might tell a loved one, if you were sitting down with them listening to Beatles for Sale and track #10 came on. This joke will be repeated in a few entries when talking about another bad Beatles song with the word “Honey” in it. Deal with it.

4

“Maggie Mae”

From ‘Let It Be’ (1970)

This one’s a cover, and a very short one at that, but still, “Maggie Mae” is a tremendously worthless inclusion on Let It Be, which is the only Beatles album that came out in the 1970s (also the second-last one recorded, and ultimately the final one ever released). It goes for 40 seconds, so it might well take you longer to read these 160-ish words about the song than it would take you to hear the whole thing.

You should absolutely avoid hearing the whole thing, though. “Maggie Mae” is terrible. It doesn’t matter if it’s supposed to be a joke, or an interlude, or whatever. It’s an annoying public-domain folk song re-recorded and inserted onto Let It Be for absolutely no reason. It’s this song and one other very useless interlude track that ultimately make Let It Be the weakest of all the albums by The Beatles that came out during the second half of their career, as a group.

3

“Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?”

From ‘The Beatles’ (1968)

Back to the self-titled album from 1968, “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” is a throwaway song that’s at least two times longer than it should be, and it’s still short in the end, being a few seconds shy of two minutes all up. It doesn’t stop said self-titled album from being a classic, necessarily, as the quantity of music there means a few dud tracks are forgivable, but still… you might well be tempted to skip this one whenever you return to The Beatles (1968).

It’s a Paul McCartney song, and it’s supposed to be funny, probably, but it’s not very funny, and it also doesn’t sound very good. If you want to read into the inspiration behind this uncomfortably sexual song, knock yourself out, but also, maybe, the less you know, the better. And the more tempted you are to listen to the whole album while skipping “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” the better, too.

2

“Wild Honey Pie”

From ‘The Beatles’ (1968)

To keep the hate against The Beatles (1968) and the lesser songs found on it going for a bit, here’s “Wild Honey Pie.” More like, “Wild. Honey, why?” That’s what you’d ask a member of The Beatles at the time, were you in an intimate or romantic relationship with them. Just, “why?” Why put this song on the album?

“No, no. I hear you. Your self-titled album is supposed to be crazy and wild and a bit inconsistent. You’re experimenting. I get that,” you’d say. Then you’d ask again: “But why this crazy? Can you not just leave it off? It’s 53 seconds long and it’s terrible.” But your words would fall on deaf ears, and in November 1968, come the release of The Beatles, the world would experience the horror of “Wild Honey Pie.” At least you tried to stop the horror from spreading to so great an extent.

1

“Dig It”

From ‘Let It Be’ (1970)

Just as confounding as “Maggie Mae,” on Let It Be, is the similarly short and useless “Dig It.” The former comes after the title track, on the album, and the latter is placed before the title track. And the title track is great, obviously, and also undeniably moving, but if you listen to Let It Be from start to finish, you find that deeply felt title track sandwiched between two all-time terrible interludes.

At the risk of sounding conspiratorial, it’s like someone wanted to sabotage “Let It Be,” the song. Maybe John Lennon did. Maybe he, or someone else, wanted to diminish the power of “Let It Be,” which is an all-out Paul McCartney song (written and sung by him). That’s the only possible way to explain why these two terrible mini-songs are featured on Let It Be, and why they’re placed on either side of the title track. If not, then why else would anyone think the inclusion of either was a good thing for the overall album? It’s truly baffling stuff.

The world was left in devastation last week when it was announced that the great Catherine O’Hara had tragically passed away at the age of 71. O’Hara was one of the biggest stars in the world, dating back to her time acting opposite Macaulay Culkin in the Home Alone movies, and she had recently been featured in an Emmy-nominated capacity in The Studio, the hit Apple TV series starring Seth Rogen. Tributes to O’Hara began pouring in in the hours and days following her death, including from her The Last of Us Season 2 co-star, Pedro Pascal.

O’Hara has been nominated for 10 Emmys in her career, and she’s even taken home two awards, first for her work writing for SCTV Network. However, her most recent and final Emmy came from her performance in Schitt’s Creek, the beloved sitcom that ran for six seasons between 2015 and 2020. O’Hara stars alongside Eugene and Dan Levy in Schitt’s Creek, which follows a rich video-story magnate, Johnny Rose, and his soap-star wife, Moira, along with their two kids, David and Alexis. But, when they lose their fortune and suddenly find themselves broke, they are forced to leave their pampered lifestyle behind and regroup in a small town called Schitt’s Creek.

At the time of writing, all seasons of Schitt’s Creek are currently streaming on Hulu. However, HBO Max has announced that the show will also begin streaming on the platform tomorrow, February 7. With 80 episodes all under 30 minutes, Schitt’s Creek is perfect for binging. The show was written and created for TV by its co-stars, Eugene and Dan Levy, and the latter also directed four episodes of the show in its final three seasons.

What’s Streaming on HBO Max Right Now?

Schitt’s Creek is expected to become an immediate streaming contender on HBO Max starting tomorrow, but it will have some major competition at the top of streaming charts. The most popular show on HBO Max right now is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new fantasy series set between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been trading the top spot with The Pitt, the medical drama starring Noah Wyle. The steamy hockey romance Heated Rivalry is also in the HBO Max top 10.

Be sure to watch all episodes of Schitt’s Creek when they arrive on HBO Max tomorrow and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 35 seconds ago

Originally, the preview for the latest episode of Starfleet Academy had me quite nervous because it was clear the story would focus on Benjamin Sisko, the legendary captain of Deep Space Nine. DS9 remains my favorite Trek, but SFA’s writing has been so wildly inconsistent that I was scared the writers would do something to tarnish the legacy of this amazing show and its most powerful performer: Avery Brooks. To my surprise, Starfleet Academy offered a surprisingly sweet tribute to Sisko, though its nostalgic triumphs were nearly undermined by the show’s forced whimsy and clunky humor.

The framing device for this Starfleet Academy episode is that holographic character Series Acclimation Mil (SAM) is told by her people to enroll in a course about understanding the unknown. They figure this will help SAM with her mission, which is to understand humanity and ultimately decide whether they are ready to co-exist with a whole race of holograms. To get into this course so long after it’s started, though, SAM must impress its teacher by answering a centuries-old, seemingly impossible question: what happened to Benjamin Sisko, a man who either died in the fire caves of Bajor or is still living outside of corporeal time with the godlike prophets.

Sisko Did It For More Than The Uniform

While the presentation of SAM’s story is overwhelmingly, distractingly twee (more on this soon), the central question is a great hook for longtime fans. We’ve spent decades wanting to know more about Sisko’s fate, so it’s easy to get invested in this plucky hologram’s Quixotic quest to learn more about him. When it comes to delivering the goods (and beware some major spoilers from here on out!), Starfleet Academy finally shows that it knows the meaning of restraint.

You see, SAM doesn’t get any kind of definitive answer, which really relieved me. I was really scared the show would have Sisko return as some kind of AI monstrosity, or maybe awkwardly insert him into franchise lore by saying he left the Celestial Temple to end the Temporal Cold War or something equally contrived. Instead, SAM’s investigation mostly uncovers what Star Trek fans already knew: that Sisko was an amazing Starfleet officer, world-class father, and killer cook on top of reluctantly becoming space Jesus to an entire planet full of strange aliens.

More Than Jake

In this way, Starfleet Academy pulls off a fairly successful bait and switch, teasing an investigation into a beloved franchise character before settling into a nostalgic tribute. The tribute goes to some truly unexpected places, like having Lower Decks icon Tawny Newsome play the latest alien host of the Dax symbiote. The real show-stopping cameo, though, came from Cirroc Lofton returning as Jake Sisko, one who talks to SAM via an interactive hologram (or perhaps a Prophet-like vision) in Anslem, his first novel that he secretly completed but never published.

Lofton is as great as ever, and his presence helped cement that this was a sweet, loving tribute to a character made famous by Avery Brooks, who will never be coming back to the franchise. Brooks gets the last word via an older recording that the show passes off as narration from Benjamin Sisko. While that’s admittedly a little weird (hey, at least they got Brooks’ permission… probably), it served as a sentimental capper to a surprisingly deft, often-moving tribute to the coolest captain in Star Trek history.

When Star Trek Talks Down To Its Audience

While it gets the Sisko tribute just right, everything else about this Starfleet Academy episode remains a hot mess. The episode is all about SAM, and they lean into this with a prolonged opening where she talks to the camera while cartoony pop-ups helpfully label things (like “me” and “my makers”) for viewers. That might have been cute on paper, but by the time the show monosyllabically defined “emissary” as “big job,” I realized this was definitive proof (definitive=big deal!) that the writers think everyone watching is a complete idiot.

Speaking of complete idiocy, this Starfleet Academy episode is held back by a terrible subplot in which Chancellor Ake is helping Commander Kelrec prepare to host a visiting dignitary. They end up having a rehearsal dinner attended by the Doctor and Jett Reno, but things immediately go off the rails, with characters doing goofy banter and using table implements as ersatz loudspeakers. The 800-year-old Doctor inexplicably gives everyone spoons with holes in them, and all of this builds to everyone but Kelrec laughing at a deflating fish making farting noises (no, really).  

Open Wide, Here Come The “Jokes”

This is part of Starfleet Academy’s overly broad humor that never really lands. It’s not like the show can’t do comedic writing: Caleb’s one-liners are often funny, and if you can get over all the vulgarity and 21st-century slang, the cadets’ constant teasing of each other will make you laugh more often than not. But the show often tries way too hard at comedy, as evidenced by the show’s digital dean (voiced by Stephen Colbert) using the term “morning wood” before laughing in delight at his own boner joke.

The broad humor reminded me of a grim irony: over a decade ago, the Star Trek podcast The Greatest Generation became a success because its hosts (Ben Harrison and Adam Pranica) embraced low-brow humor to talk about a franchise that other podcasters took deadly seriously. In their own words, they were the “d*ck and fart joke” Trek podcast, one made for fans who just wanted a few laughs rather than an in-depth discussion. For franchise fans looking for a consistent chuckle, this remains the best podcast in the entire quadrant.

Now, though, this latest Starfleet Academy episode has proven that this is the d*ck and fart Star Trek show, but these writers can never really land lowbrow humor the way Ben and Adam do. Plus, the constant influx of dirty jokes and foul language constantly cheapens the show’s attempts to discuss anything more serious. Like, ask yourself: is this Sisko episode stronger or weaker for having an awkward boner joke straight out of a Judd Apatow movie?

Go Home, Star Trek, You’re Drunk

It doesn’t help that Starfleet Academy is still trying to straddle the line between being a show concerned with Trek’s legacy (look, they just did a whole episode on The Sisko!) and a show that wants to channel every teen movie ever made. Like, SAM’s revelations about Sisko occur partially while she is blackout drunk at a bar, and her antics lead to a barfight between the Academy types and their rival cadets at the War College. This doesn’t really move the story forward (with the exception of accelerating Caleb and Tarima’s inevitable relationship), and it felt like the writers just wanted to check a few more tropes off a list.

Overall, this latest episode of Starfleet Academy is good, but not great: it lands almost shockingly well as a tribute to Sisko, and as a lifelong Deep Space Nine superfan, I found much of this (especially the cameo from Cirroc Lofton) genuinely moving. The episode also works well as an extended introduction to SAM, but her character development is held back by writers trying to make her a photonic pixie dream girl with the personal log aesthetic of a direct-to-video Nickelodeon film. Throw in the d*ck and fart jokes, and you’re left with a Star Trek show that still can’t figure out if its core audience is old-school fans or modern teens who inexplicably watch nothing but ‘80s boner comedies.

Tired of hearing about Fallout and Bridgerton? Looking for something to watch this weekend that goes against the grain?

Watch With Us can help with that. We understand there’s almost too much TV to watch, and it can get exhausting hearing about the same popular shows over and over again.

If you need something a little more lowkey, head to Netflix for some of the best hidden gems.

Our picks include Minx, the HBO comedy-drama that was canceled too soon, and Documentary Now!, the mockumentary series from Bill Hader and Fred Armisen that spoofs popular docs.

Related: 28 Best Netflix Sitcoms to Stream Right Now (January 2026)

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‘Minx’ (2022-2023)

Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond) has big dreams for how to use her liberal arts degree, seeking to launch a feminist magazine in 1970s LA. But when no publisher will take her seriously, Joyce finds backing from an unconventional source: the adult entertainment industry. Joyce ends up joining forces with the sleazy Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson) to kickstart a porn magazine that’s geared towards women, by blending feminist writing with smut and full-frontal images of nude men.

Despite having the kind of nudity scenes that would give Game of Thrones a run for its money, Minx nevertheless was cut short by HBO before being saved by STARZ — and then canned for good. Thankfully, you can still watch the series in its entirety on Netflix, with two seasons worth of some fantastic writing, great character development and genuinely touching moments. At the end of the day, it’s the chemistry between Lovibond and Johnson that is truly what makes Minx sing.

‘Documentary Now!’ (2015-2022)

SNL alums Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Seth Meyers take their love of iconic non-fiction films and lampoon them in this hilarious series. Each episode features a parody of a different documentary: from Grey Gardens and its portrait of the eccentric Kennedy family outcasts Big Edie and Little Edie, to The Talking Heads’ legendary concert film Stop Making Sense and the Netflix true crime doc Wild Wild Country, everything is fair game on Documentary Now! Hosted by the great Helen Mirren, guest performers include John Mulaney, John Slattery, Maya Rudolph and Anne Hathaway.

You may not understand every niche film reference in this sharp mockumentary series, but regardless of your cinephile credentials, it’s guaranteed that you won’t be able to resist the hilarious cameos and sharp writing of Documentary Now! Far from taunting jabs, the parodies in the show could only be done by artists who feel deep affection for their subjects, and each mini-documentary excels in laugh-out-loud humor and genuinely impressive production value.

‘Search Party’ (2016-2022)

This black comedy series stars Alia Shawkat as Dory, a rich housewife’s assistant living in Brooklyn who leads the charge on a search party for a missing acquaintance from college, Chantal Winterbottom (Clare McNulty). Joining Dory are Elliott (John Early), a flamboyant narcissist, chatty actress Portia (Meredith Hanger), doofy but sweet Drew (John Reynolds) and Dory’s blunt, cynical ex-boyfriend Julian (Brandon Micheal Hall), who also happens to be a journalist. Ultimately, each wacky friend possesses a unique quality that may help solve Chantal’s disappearance.

Search Party is first and foremost a true showcase for Shawkat’s acting talents. But it’s also an absorbing mystery series that is carried by its equally fantastic supporting cast, who portray eccentric, self-obsessed characters that manage to be both unlikable and likable at the same time. Basically, you can’t help but be compelled to keep watching Search Party, which works its way to a wild ending while providing a humorous send-up of selfish twentysomething New Yorkers.