At a time when Netflix wasn’t taking risks, Altered Carbon had the makings of a sci-fi classic. Adapted from Richard Morgan’s book of the same name, the series showcases a cyberpunk future where the rich have become so powerful that not even death can stop them. This dark sci-fi series shows the worst-case scenario of how bodily autonomy can be disregarded — bodies are just flesh vessels to be used and discarded. Altered Carbon had a lot of potential, like so many Netflix series, but faded into purgatory. However, another show is just as relevant thematically while somehow being an even darker depiction of sci-fi.

Pivoting off the success of CD Projekt Red’s video game, Cyberpunk 2077, Netflix released an anime set in the same world. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners ran for 10 episodes and maintains all the hallmarks of the most emotionally traumatizing anime. With the use of animation, the series plumbs the depths of darkness that Altered Carbon could only dream of.

‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ is What Sci-Fi is All About

Just as Altered Carbon demonstrates the dangers of the uber-rich, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners wastes no time in showing the dystopian landscape of a world controlled by corporations. This is established early on in Cyberpunk 2077 when the protagonist V saves a woman wealthy enough to pay for the privatized Trauma Team, while others cannot. Even so, viewers don’t need to have played the game to understand Edgerunners, and in many ways, it hammers home the themes even better.

Edgerunners follows David Martinez, a poor teenager in Night City, a city run by corporations. His mother, Gloria, works as a paramedic, but that isn’t enough to help her son pull himself up by his bootstraps. David is looked down on at his private school because he can’t afford the upgrades to his school software. Things take a turn for the worse when Gloria is killed in a drive-by shooting, and their lack of funds directly impacts her quality of care.

In a thinly veiled criticism of capitalism, David’s only recourse is to become an Edgerunner. Arming himself with cybernetic upgrades, he becomes a mercenary for hire in a world that doesn’t accept anything but the ultrarich. As David tries to make his way in the world, he falls in with a found family, including Lucy, a netrunner.

David finds his place, but Night City is still unforgiving. Edgerunners makes no secret about its disdain for corporations and demonstrates how capitalism victimizes everyone. The series is a 10/10 when it comes to storytelling, but its animation is where the series really shines. Edgerunners benefits from the mesmerizing animation style as David goes through love, loss, and sacrifice. The visual beauty of the series accompanies the futile actions of the characters. As viewers fall in love with these nuanced people, they are all subjected to the inhumanity of living in Night City.

Edgerunners takes the fascinating lore of ripperdocs, cybernetic implants, and cyberpsychosis, elevating it beyond its original form. The first season is short and sweet, but viewers can catch it on Netflix before the release of Season 2.

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Release Date

2022 – 2022

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Netflix

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Writers

Mike Pondsmith, Yoshiki Usa, Masahiko Otsuka

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Cyberpunk

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There’s no doubt about it: Pants are beyond versatile and can look effortlessly stylish — but a tight, restricting silhouette can quickly erase those benefits. So, when I saw lululemon’s new sweatpant-like jean, my heart skipped a beat. Can there really be a pant style that is both chic and comfortable? Yes.

The EasyFive Wide-Leg Pant doesn’t make you choose between elegance and ease, offering a trendy low-rise waist and flattering design. But the real standout star is the fabric. The cotton-blend offers a hint of stretch, resulting in an unrestricting, billowy feel. The result? A silhouette that moves with you — and one that’s undoubtedly coming after your yoga pants.

Get the EasyFive Low-Rise Classic Wide-Leg Pant for $148 at lululemon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Petite and tall shoppers will also be pleased to know that the cut comes in three lengths, delivering the perfect fit. Four colors — navy, ivory, tan and black — also allow for peak wardrobe versatility. Plus, five carefully-placed pockets keep all of your belongings safe and secure.

Related: Athleta Dropped Tons of New Linen Tops, Pants and More — Selling Fast

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Everyone wants to feel cool and comfortable while running errands, dining alfresco and doing anything outdoors. But in the spring? There’s a whole other layer of complication. The tricky weather can be cool and rainy one minute, and then sunny and sweat-inducingly warm the next. If you ask Us, it’s why adding linen clothing to […]

Thanks to the unfussy design, the lululemon pants are simple to dress up or down. Style the bottoms with tennis shoes and a baseball cap for a laid-back look, or reach for strappy kitten heels and a tube top for something more elevated.

The pants’ fabric, fit and versatility aren’t just winning me over; reviewers are just as obsessed. “Best pants ever,” raved one shopper. “Rip to my wallet when I buy every color.” Another fan said, “These pants are amazing . . . ‘I love them’ is an understatement.”

The lululemon EasyFive Wide-Leg Pant is officially one of the hottest styles on the market — case closed. If you don’t want to miss out, snag a pair ASAP. After all, who wouldn’t want sleek, stretchy, do-it-all pants?

Get the EasyFive Low-Rise Classic Wide-Leg Pant for $148 at lululemon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more pants here and don’t forget to check out all of lululemon’s best sellers for more great finds!

Related: Tired of Jeans? These Chic Spring Pants Offer a Fresh, Flowy Upgrade

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If your jeans have been feeling a little too stiff, heavy or just plain uninspiring lately, it’s not just you. Spring has a way of making denim feel out of place — especially when lighter, breezier pieces exist. The shift in seasons calls for something that feels just as put together, but far more comfortable. […]

In the popular consciousness, John Wayne is primarily viewed as a cultural figure first and foremost, and an actor second. Wayne, despite winning a late-career Academy Award for True Grit, relied on familiar beats and recurring character archetypes as an actor, a formula that certainly won’t impress audiences raised on transformative method acting and naturalism in the modern age.

His best performances, including his refreshingly tender and wistful turn as a boxer acclimating himself to his Irish roots in The Quiet Man, see him subverting his unabashed patriotism and mighty heroism, which are routinely deployed in countless Westerns and war epics. No director utilized Wayne’s prodigious stature better than John Ford, and the director’s most ingenious casting of the star was in his St. Patrick’s Day classic.

John Ford and John Wayne’s ‘The Quiet Man’ Is a Gorgeous Love Letter to Irish Culture

Separating the art from the artist is a tricky act of compartmentalization when chronicling the filmography of John Wayne, whose staunch nationalist politics were often inextricable from his portrayal of American excellence. The harshest reflection of Wayne’s notorious history of racism is in his Westerns, which frequently demonize the existence and minimize the plight of Native Americans. Still, no matter how self-conscious he was about maintaining a squeaky-clean, government-approved image, Wayne’s most trusted collaborators knew how to imbue his persona with darkness and complexity. Howard Hawks and John Ford operated within the familiar Western genre, but films such as Red River and The Searchers were biting deconstructions of Western protagonists that plunged into the dark psyche of America’s core regarding violence and racism.

With The Quiet Man from 1951, Ford stripped away Wayne’s unflinching poise and fortitude, despite his character, Sean Thornton, being a retired professional boxer. Born in Ireland but raised in America, Sean returns to his birthplace, Inisfree, to purchase his family’s old farm. However, his return home is not entirely festive, as he encounters the cutthroat politics of the local land barons and the domineering presence of Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), over his free-spirited sister and love interest to Sean, Mary Kate (Maureen O’Hara). The film, which earned Ford his fourth Academy Award for Best Director, is a visual feast, with Winton Hoch’s photography of the Irish countryside and the luscious green fields representing the apex of Technicolor. Ford became the poet laureate of the American West, but his Irish roots were rarely explored with such passion as in The Quiet Man, which embraces the rambunctiousness and elegiac beauty of the culture.

‘The Quiet Man’ Is John Wayne Like We’ve Never Seen Him Before

Sean Thornton can brawl his way out of any skirmish, as displayed in the rollicking, extended climactic fistfight with Will throughout town. His burly stature is intimidating to the Irish natives, but he is no match for the fiery spunk of Mary Kate, the rare female character to upend the prowess of her male counterpart in a Ford movie. The Quiet Man is Ford’s utopia of a tight-knit community that’s unafraid to indulge in booze, pick a fight, but still love each other altogether. Frequent stock company player Maureen O’Hara symbolizes Ford’s ideal woman: a plucky redhead whose enigmatic aura makes her autonomous from all her surroundings. Wayne allows Sean to be openly smitten and hesitant around Mary Kate, making this perhaps Wayne’s most vulnerable and relatable performance. The actor’s subtle gestures and restraint embody the feeling of being unable to quit someone, even if you know they only bring turbulence.

Related

The 55 Best Westerns of All Time, Ranked

Reach for the sky!

After a series of Westerns like Stagecoach and Fort Apache, Ford dropped Wayne into uncharted territory in this romantic dramedy about societal etiquette and strict tradition. Between his distinct voice and gait, Wayne was a portrait of life unto himself, but in The Quiet Man, he never felt smaller. In various interactions with eccentric locals and priests, Sean is on his heels, oblivious to the otherworldly nature of a place of heritage that he thought he understood. This quality taps into Wayne’s effortless ability to appear aloof, a quality that always complements his lanky build. Rather than exerting brute force, the Duke was much easier to romanticize when he allowed himself to be naive and bumbling.

No one understood John Wayne’s strengths and vices better than John Ford, who fleshed out his worldview in the actor’s most soulful role. Radiating charm throughout The Quiet Man, a traditional viewing experience on St. Patrick’s Day, Sean Thornton is an avatar for Ford’s vision of the modern man — one defined by hard-nosed masculinity and wistful romanticism.

Of all the exciting returning shows in 2026, few were as hotly anticipated as The Boys. Prime Video’s gory superhero satire has been stunning audiences since it first arrived in 2019, and has picked up a total of four Primetime Emmys, alongside many other awards and nominations. A blood-soaked disassembly of modern American attitudes to celebrity worship, the series finally returned for its final season this past Wednesday, hoping to bounce back from a divisive fourth season.

And bounce back it has, with Season 5’s opening episode earning a huge 9.1/10 on IMDb. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Season 5 has already earned a near-perfect 98% score, although that is subject to change as more opinions are submitted. The consensus on the site reads, “The Boys stays true to its form and completes its mission with ample panache, narrative pay-off, and an excess of blood and guts to deviously glorious effect.”

Perhaps the most unsurprising of all The Boys Season 5’s early success comes on the streaming charts, where it has already flown straight to #2 in the global and U.S. Prime Video ranks. However, another superhero series stands between The Boys and the top spot, with Robert Kirkman‘s violent animated series Invincible continuing its impressive run at the summit. A synopsis for Season 5 reads:

“In the fifth and final season, it’s Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It’s the climax, people. Big stuff’s gonna happen.”

What Did Collider Say About ‘The Boys’ Season 5?

In Nate Richard‘s review of The Boys Season 5 for Collider, he agreed with most that the show has returned to form for its final outing. “Prime Video has been holding the series finale back for now, which makes perfect sense, but if the last episode can maintain the quality of the previous seven, The Boys Season 5 may just be one of the show’s best,” Richard wrote, adding, “It has all the gore, dark comedy, action, and vulgarity that you would expect, while also never veering too far out of control ahead of the final hour. In the words of Billy Butcher, Season 5 is bloody diabolical.”

The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.

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Release Date

2019 – 2026-00-00

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Showrunner

Eric Kripke

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Eric Kripke

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The Boys

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Taylor Swift is preparing for one of the most talked-about celebrity weddings of the year, but despite efforts to keep everything tightly controlled, key details have already slipped out. 

The global superstar and her fiancé, Travis Kelce, are reportedly planning a lavish summer ceremony, complete with strict privacy rules and a carefully curated guest list. 

Still, insiders say even the most airtight plans couldn’t stop information from leaking, offering fans a rare glimpse into what Swift has in store.

Taylor Swift Sets Strict Privacy Rules As Wedding Plans Move Forward

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are said to be tying the knot on July 3, marking a major milestone in their high-profile relationship. 

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the couple went to great lengths to ensure their big day remained private, requiring guests to RSVP with a signed NDA when save-the-date invitations were sent out.

Despite those precautions, details still found their way into the public domain. 

Sources say the couple is “disappointed” by the leak but has no intention of taking legal action. 

Instead, they are pressing ahead with preparations, focusing on making the day as special and controlled as possible.

Swift Chooses New York Over Expected Rhode Island Venue

While many fans assumed Taylor Swift would host her wedding at her well-known Rhode Island mansion, insiders say the ceremony will instead take place somewhere in New York. 

The exact venue remains under wraps, though it has been described as an arena or museum-like space, suggesting a grand and unconventional setting.

The decision aligns with the singer’s deep connection to New York City. Over the years, she has built an impressive real estate footprint in Tribeca, combining multiple properties into one expansive living space. 

She has also owned a nearby townhouse and a large loft in the same neighborhood. 

Beyond property, the city has played a central role in her creative life. From her hit “Welcome to New York” to the fan-favorite “Cornelia Street,” Swift has repeatedly drawn inspiration from the city she now calls home.

Taylor Swift Plans Indoor Ceremony To Maintain Control And Privacy

One of Swift’s biggest priorities appears to be maintaining full control over the wedding environment. 

Insiders say she has specifically chosen an indoor venue to avoid the unpredictability that comes with outdoor ceremonies.

“It will take place someplace indoors,” one source shared, noting that the 36-year-old wants to avoid the challenges faced at other celebrity weddings. 

The insider added that “Taylor doesn’t want it to be like Selena’s wedding,” referencing Selena Gomez’s outdoor ceremony in California.

According to sources, the concern is that outdoor settings make it harder to guarantee privacy. By opting for an enclosed space, the Grammy Award winner is ensuring tighter security and a more controlled atmosphere. 

The event is also expected to be fully documented, with insiders revealing that the “whole thing will be recorded,” possibly allowing the couple to revisit the day or even share moments with fans in the future.

Swift Reveals Wedding Size And Star-Studded Guest List

Taylor Swift has already hinted that her wedding will be anything but small. During an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” last October, she described the celebration as “huge” and admitted she was “so excited about it.”

She also offered a candid take on guest lists, explaining that smaller weddings could create unnecessary tension. 

According to Swift, having fewer attendees often forces couples to “have to evaluate or assess your relationship” with people. 

The star made it clear she intended to avoid that dilemma, joking, “Anyone I’ve ever talked to [is getting an invitation].” 

The guest list is expected to reflect her wide circle of friends and connections. Among those likely to attend are Travis Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany, as well as Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco. 

However, sources say Blake Lively may not receive an invitation, as her relationship with Swift is no longer as close as it once was following recent court drama.

Taylor Swift’s Romance With Travis Kelce Leads To This Moment

Swift’s upcoming wedding follows a whirlwind romance with Kelce that has captivated fans. 

The NFL star proposed last summer after two years together, in an intimate backyard setting at his Kansas home.

Swift shared the news in her signature playful style on Instagram, writing, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” 

The announcement marked a new chapter for the singer, who has had several high-profile relationships in the past, including Joe Alwyn, Taylor Lautner, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tom Hiddleston. Kelce, for his part, was previously in a long-term relationship with YouTuber Kayla Nicole. 

Now, as the couple prepares for their wedding, their relationship continues to draw global attention, especially as carefully guarded details continue to emerge despite their best efforts to keep things private.

Tom Sandoval is weighing in on whether West Wilson should be the next Bravo star to join House of Villains amid his ongoing scandal.

Tom, 42, admitted to Us Weekly that he hasn’t “been following” the controversy surrounding West’s romance with Summer House costar Amanda Batula. However, when it comes to which reality stars would be a good fit for the show, Tom could see the vision for West, 31, to join in a potential season 4.

“It’s like any other show. If somebody on a reality show is going to be able to hold their own — just like on Traitors — they seem to do better,” he told Us during a joint exit interview with Tyson Apostol. “You would have as good a shot as anybody else.”

Hosted by Joel McHale, House of Villains features a cast of reality television’s most memorable and notorious villains. The contestants live in a house while competing in challenges for power and safety, voting to banish each other until the last villain remaining wins a $200,000 cash prize.

Related: How Amanda Batula and West Wilson’s Romance Compares to Scandoval

Bravo’s biggest reality shows sure know how to bring shock and awe to the small screen. Vanderpump Rules fans will forever remember where they were in March 2023 when news broke that Tom Sandoval was having an affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss while in a relationship with Ariana Madix. The scandal, which earned the nickname […]

Tom joined the show in season 3 after his infamous cheating scandal with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss while dating then-girlfriend Ariana Madix. Tom has since moved on from the drama — and he hopes reality fans have as well.

“I have mentally moved on with my life and I’m focusing on all the positive things. I have some stuff coming up that I’m really excited about — that I can’t talk about — but I can’t help what people think,” he noted. “All I can do is just live my life and move forward.”

Being on House of Villains allowed Tom to take on “fun” opportunities, which helped him form friendships with people such as fellow contestant Tyson, 46. While speaking to Us, the Survivor alum had a different take on where he was in his villain era.

“I was never a villain. I’ve always been a hero,” he quipped. “I’ve always been a hero to my fan base.”

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Related: Messiest Bravo Breakups of All Time: Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula and More

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Tyson also spoke about the preconceived notions he had about Tom after watching his run on The Traitors, adding, “I just love that he was willing to just try and put himself out there and not really care. He was the only one that dared to try to sing backwards. So I was like, ‘Oh, I think that I will like this guy.’ Whenever I go on these shows, one of my goals is always to have fun and enjoy yourself a little bit.”

He continued: “With some of these personalities, it made it a little challenging to do that all the time. Tom was my rock of fun. I always know with Tom that we’ll have a good time, so all we have to do is get to our room and not let anybody else in.”

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Tom, meanwhile, called the experience “really surprising.”

“It was better than I expected. It was so much fun. It was awesome meeting Tyson, and being around a great group of people was just cool. I had my reservations about going on House of Villains — just mainly because of the name — but I feel like we’re different,” he added. “I’m stoked. I felt like we made a great show, and it was so much fun.”

New episodes of House of Villains drop on Peacock Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. The Official House of Villains Podcast airs immediately after new episodes on Peacock.

Dax Shepard opened up about an emotional moment involving his wife, Kristen Bell, and a touching gesture she made during a difficult period before his father died in 2012. The actor reflected on how the moment came at a time of deep emotional strain, highlighting the quiet support that helped him cope with the experience.

Kristen Bell Surprised Dax Shepard During A Trying Time

In a live conversation with broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper at the New Orleans Book Festival, Dax Shepard discussed grieving the loss of his late father, Dave Shepard. Dave died of small-cell carcinoma, an aggressive type of lung cancer, in December 2012.

Shepard then shared how Kristen Bell, then his fiancée, showed her support during that emotional time. Wiping tears from his eyes, the actor and podcast host recalled how he was having a hard time dealing with his emotions. His father’s friends were in and out of the hospital in Detroit, doing their final goodbyes, and while he knew they had good intentions, Shepard grew resentful about not having a moment alone with his dying father.

The actor then called Bell, who was in L.A., to tell her about the situation and say how overwhelmed he felt. “I was complaining, and she said, ‘It’s okay. I’m here. Look to the left.’ Mind you we lived in California and I’m Detroit. And I look to my left and she’s standing there seven months pregnant,” Shepard shared.

Dax Shepard Will Forever Be ‘In Debt’ To His Wife

Bell was in the third trimester of her pregnancy with the couple’s first child at that time, but they knew Dave would no longer be around for the birth. Bell, who Shepard said was very intuitive, knew how much he struggled and figured out which hospital to go to in Detroit. Cooper then read a passage from the Shepard’s blog dated 2013, months after Dave’s death.

Bell’s surprise visit allowed Dave to meet the newest member of his family, and Shepard said his father placed his hand on the actress’ stomach and left it there for about an hour while “smiling from ear to ear, sitting contently.”

“He wasn’t going to make it to the birth, but that didn’t get in the way of meeting the new baby. It was an emotional and triumphant moment. One I will never forget. If I live to be a thousand, I will still be in debt to my wife for giving him that one last thrill,” Shepard wrote.

The Actor Had A Complicated Relationship With His Father

While Dax Shepard didn’t have a close relationship with his father for most of his life, they formed a deep bond after Dave was diagnosed with cancer in August 2012. He wrote in his blog that most of their problems stemmed from issues when he was 3 to 15 years old. “He was a selfish as-hole, and I lived to hold a grudge, so it was a thoroughly symbiotic pairing,” Shepard noted.

The actor, who was busy with multiple projects and preparing to welcome a baby, flew back and forth from L.A. to Detroit to be with his father. “Whoever was writing my life couldn’t figure out which storyline they wanted to tell, and decided to tell them all at once,” he wrote in his blog.

Shepard said his father was largely absent during his childhood because of his addictions, but he boasted about Dave’s more than 25 years as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. The father and son grew close in the last four months of Dave’s life, taking long car rides, reminiscing, watching movies, and eating, which Shepard said was his father’s number one addiction. “He was like a perpetually stoned, pregnant woman,” he noted.

Dax Shepard Reconciled With Dave

Shepard noted that he and Dave “had fun” in the months before his death, adding that the car rides they took were therapeutic. “One of the hidden benefits of cancer is that it can erode grudges the way WD-40 dissolves rust,” he wrote, adding that they exchanged tearful apologies and let go of the past.

The actor was not present when his father passed away at 62 years old. He noted that they never built a tree house or a derby car together, adding that dealing with cancer was the first and only project they “teamed up on.” Shepard said the only regret he had was not taking on more projects with Dave.

Shepard’s Admiration For His Wife

Shepard and Bell started dating in 2007 and have been married since 2013. They share two daughters, Lincoln and Delta. Throughout the years, Shepard has been vocal about his admiration for his wife, highlighting her kindness, generosity, and thoughtfulness.

The actor has often said that Bell was “out of my league,” even agreeing with Cher that her wife is the “better half” in their relationship. As The Blast previously reported, the legendary singer was on Shepard’s podcast when she said that comment, adding that he’s “lucky.” When asked who she thinks Bell’s partner should be, Cher said, “The truth is I trust her. So, you might have something that I don’t see.”