ESPN’s Pat McAfee has revealed details from inside Taylor Swift’s private Arrowhead Stadium suite, including how enthusiastic she is while watching her Chiefs tight end husband, Travis Kelce.

“She is all in. She is, every snap, [it] was the most into-it suite we’ve ever been in,” McAfee, 39, said during the Tuesday, September 15, episode of The Pat McAfee Show. “Everybody in there was all in, I mean … then he had that 59-yard catch, oh my God, that is what being a football fan is like. Watching them experience the game was fantastic.”

The former NFL player shared further memories from inside the Kansas City venue when he and Swift, 36, watched the Chiefs win their Monday, September 14, NFL opener against the Denver Broncos, 31-10. He noted that while he did attend the Madison Square Garden wedding of Travis, also 36, and Swift in New York CIty on July 3, Monday offered McAfee his first chance to properly engage with the pop star.

“I got a chance to chit chat with Ms. Taylor Swift last night. Huge day,” he said before sharing a selfie he snapped with her with his show’s viewers. “[I said] ‘Ms. Taylor, is there any way I can get a selfie with you?’ and she said ‘Absolutely.’ She was so kind, so hospitable. Her mom [Andrea Swift] brought sugar-coated bacon strips, candied bacon.”

Related: Pat McAfee Shuts Down ‘Negative’ Critiques of Taylor and Travis’ Wedding

Pat McAfee has a message for those criticizing Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s star-studded Madison Square Garden wedding. “That was the most spectacular evening I have ever been a part of. I cannot wait to chit chat about that throughout the day,” the sportscaster, 39, said on the Monday, July 13, episode of his eponymous […]

McAfee also recalled how Swift ushered him in for a warm hug when he entered the exclusive suite. “It was a thousand degrees so we walk all the way up there, shout to Jason Kelce, I’m dripping in sweat, my shirt is just drenched [and] we open the [door, and the] first person I see: Ms Donna Kelce and Taylor Swift,” he shared. “I look at Ms. Donna, I go ‘Legend, how are you?’ I go to Taylor, ‘Ms. Taylor,’ [and] she goes, ‘Pat, how are you,’ big hug she wants and I’m drenched. This is how I’m meeting Taylor Swift for the first time really … just sweat all over her.”

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A production member of The Pat McAfee Show also added that the vibe inside the room was “absolutely rocking … so loud, hitting the roof every time.”

Swift was joined by Tom Cruise on Monday night, whom McAfee also recalled interacting with. “I potentially talked to Tom Cruise last night. I’ll tell you, I was dripping in sweat and he had a leather jacket on and didn’t have a single drop or bead of sweat anywhere. He doesn’t sweat. I had a big hearty laugh at that,” he said.

ESPN cameras had captured Swift chatting with Cruise, 64, another guest at Swift and Travis’ wedding, within the suite late in the first quarter.

James Ransone’s widow, Jamie “Skipper” McPhee, has slammed the Emmys for omitting her late husband from its “In Memoriam” segment.

“I didn’t watch the Emmys, so I only now understand how much of a snub this truly was. I am incredibly disappointed @televisionacad,” McPhee wrote in a Tuesday, September 15, Instagram Story shared one day after the event aired. “James Ransone was an incredibly gifted actor and it simply is not right to now acknowledge him and his work.”

The post followed an earlier Instagram Story that first revealed McPhee’s surprise over the omission of Ransone, best known for his roles in HBO’s The Wire and Generation Kill, who died at age 46 in December 2025.

“My husband James Ransone was not acknowledged in memoriam at tonight’s Emmys. He was also not at the Oscars earlier this year,” she wrote via Instagram Stories on Monday, September 14, per a report by Entertainment Weekly. “PJ [Ransone] was impossible, loveable, intolerable and incredible – depends on who you ask. But without question – he was a great actor.”

Related: James Ransone’s Wife Jamie McPhee Breaks Silence After His Death at 46

James Ransone’s wife, Jamie McPhee, broke her silence after the actor’s death at the age of 46. The Wire and It: Chapter Two actor died by suicide on Friday, December 19, per County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner records viewed by Us Weekly. Ransone leaves behind his wife, McPhee, and their two children: son Jack, […]

McPhee concluded in her first post, “But good news is PJ wouldn’t care. He’d actually think it’s funny.”

A spokesperson for the Television Academy, whom McPhee had tagged in her second Instagram Story, shared a statement regarding Ransone’s omission with the outlet on Tuesday. “Every year, the Emmy Awards presents an In Memoriam video for all three ceremonies. Given only a few minutes to honor those who have passed, there is a limit on how many people can be acknowledged on the broadcasts,” the statement read. “The Academy presents a more extensive video, listing the hundreds of names of television colleagues we’ve lost in the past year, on their website.”

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McPhee has spoken about her late husband in the wake of his untimely death via social media on several occasions. In May, she shared a candid message about solo parenting as she celebrated her son’s birthday without his father. “Baby king Jack is 7 today,” McPhee captioned a May 5 Instagram post. “I can’t believe it. The most handsome, stubborn, funny, affectionate, strong boy and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Love you to the moon and back! To all of our friends and family — it takes a village indeed. We love everyone so much. Thank you for all your support, love, kindness, food, tears, and laughs these last 5 months. I can finally see that every day is a gift so on this one we celebrate Jack together. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Ransone died by suicide last December. He is survived by McPhee, Jack and the couple’s daughter, Violet.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. https://988lifeline.org/

Scott Speedman has made the move from Grey’s Anatomy to a more permanent appearance on RJ Decker — but who does the actor and the rest of the cast play?

Based on Carl Hiaasen‘s novel Double Whammy, RJ Decker focuses on a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who “starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of South Florida, tackling cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre, with the help of his journalist ex, her police detective wife and a shadowy new benefactor — a woman from his past who could be his greatest ally … or his one-way ticket back to prison.”

Speedman plays the titular role while Jaina Lee Ortiz, Kevin Rankin, Adelaide Clemens and Bevin Bru round out the rest of the cast. Before RJ Decker, Speedman won over Grey’s Anatomy fans as a guest star, playing Nick on season 14. He then appeared as a main cast member during seasons 18 and 19 before taking a break from the show.

Speedman rejoined the cast as a recurring character for season 20 and has remained on Grey’s Anatomy since. His commitment to the medical drama hasn’t impacted his ability to also be front and center on RJ Decker.

Related: Midseason 2026 TV Schedule: See When Your Favorite Shows Will Air

The midseason 2026 TV schedule is stacked — but when is your favorite show coming back? On ABC, Grey’s Anatomy is returning after the season 22 fall finale ended with Jo’s (Camilla Luddington) premature emergency C-section. Jo’s fate was unclear and the trailer for the rest of the season hinted at a possible loss. Season […]

“Scott is great. He’s such a professional. He shows up, he has all his lines memorized and he is just so great,” Ortiz gushed exclusively to Us Weekly earlier this month. “He’s present and I love that every scene is different and it’s very unexpected and unanticipated. There’s something new that happens in every take and that’s what I love the most.”

Clemens had a similar reaction to sharing the screen with Speedman, saying, “He’s so fun. We have a great time and there’s a lot of unspoken stuff that happens. It’s really fun with our characters where they make each other laugh and even just the little things. When you’ve known someone so well, you know what they’re going to say and what a little twitch of their eyebrow means. Things that irritate you also charm you.”

Scroll down to see who is in the RJ Decker cast:

Scott Speedman

The actor portrays the titular role of a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who solves cases in Florida.

Jaina Lee Ortiz

Jaina Lee Ortiz plays Emilia “Emi” Ochoa who is responsible for sending R.J. to prison at the order of her corrupt father who is a state senator.

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Related: Where Is Scott Speedman‘s ‘RJ Decker‘ Filmed? Show‘s Location Explained

Scott Speedman is making the move from Grey’s Anatomy’s Seattle to RJ Decker‘s South Florida — but where is his show actually filmed? Based on Carl Hiaasen‘s novel Double Whammy, RJ Decker, focuses on a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who “starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of South Florida, tackling […]

Kevin Rankin

Aloysius “Wish” Aiken, played by Kevin Rankin, is R.J.’s former cellmate and a current bar owner.

Adelaide Clemens

R.J.’s ex-wife and journalist Catherine Delacroix is played by Adelaide Clemens.

Bevin Bru

Bevin Bru brings Melody “Mel” Abreu to life. The character is Catherine’s current wife and a detective at Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Melissa McCarthy is taking on a dramatic new role in Netflix‘s upcoming scripted series about the JonBenét Ramsey case. The actress will portray JonBenét’s mother, Patsy Ramsey, bringing a different character to the screen than many fans may be used to seeing her play. The series will revisit one of the most widely known and scrutinized cases in true crime that remains unsolved to this day.

On September 15, Netflix gave a first look at Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen as Patsy and John Ramsey in the upcoming limited series “The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey.”

The comedic actress looked almost unrecognizable as she transformed into Patsy, JonBenét’s mother who was thrust into the spotlight following her daughter’s murder.

The series will explore the unsolved case of 6-year-old JonBenét, who was discovered deceased in the basement of her Boulder, Colorado home on December 26, 1996.

Apart from McCarthy and Owen, other cast members include Emily Mitchell, Garrett Hedlund, Alison Pill, Shea Whigham, Owen Teague, Clifton Collins Jr., Angus Caldwell, and Jaime Ray Newman. The series will premiere on December 10, 2026, nearly 30 years after the murder.

The Actress Takes On A Challenging Role

McCarthy is best known for her comedic roles in movies such as “Bridesmaids,” “The Heat,” and “Identity Thief,” making her portrayal of Patsy Ramsey a notable departure from the types of characters she typically plays.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the 2025 Golden Globes, McCarthy said “it was quite a challenge” to step into the shoes of JonBenét’s mother. She also spoke about the media circus that surrounded the case, saying the Ramseys were treated like “blood sport” as their lives became the subject of intense public scrutiny.

McCarthy believes they did a “great version” of the story, and she hopes it gives JonBenét’s family their humanity. “It’s been rewarding and challenging at the same time,” she said of the series.

Melissa McCarthy Earned An Oscar Nod For A Dramatic Role

Just watched ‘Can You Ever Forgive me?’ Melissa McCarthy is outstanding as literary fraudster, Lee Israel. Quirky and brilliant. pic.twitter.com/wI0ZIbxkBk

— Neil Alexander (@neilalexander_) January 19, 2020

While McCarthy has built much of her career around comedy, she has also taken on some serious roles.

In 2018, she played real-life celebrity biographer Lee Israel in the biopic “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.

Other serious roles followed, including tough ’70s hosewife Kathy Brennan in “The Kitchen,” struggling romance novelist Frances Welty in “Nine Perfect Strangers,” and grief-stricken Lilly Maynard in “The Starling.”

“I started in standup, and then did all dramatic work, so I really love it. I gravitate towards it. I think the joy of doing both is kind of heaven,” McCarthy said about taking on projects comedic and dramatic roles.

John And Patsy Ramsey Faced Public Scrutiny After Their Daughter’s Murder

Sydney Sweeney likely expected her latest sports betting campaign to spark conversation. Instead, it ignited a debate that has stretched far beyond advertising. 

The actress is facing criticism from prominent female athletes after appearing nude in a promotional video for bookmaker Novig, using sports equipment to cover herself. 

While the ad generated millions of views and more than a million likes, it also sparked backlash that coincided with a noticeable drop in her Instagram following.

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The controversy began after Sydney Sweeney shared the Novig advertisement on Instagram last Wednesday. The campaign quickly drew online attention, but not all of it was positive. 

According to a Daily Mail report, Sweeney initially gained roughly 50,000 followers after the ad’s release before the trend sharply reversed.

By Sunday, the “Euphoria” actress had lost 136,848 followers, and the following day, another 68,000 had unfollowed her. 

The combined loss pushed the total above 200,000. While that figure represents less than one percent of her audience of more than 25 million followers, it showed the intensity of the reaction to the campaign.

Critics argued that the advertisement’s approach conflicted with the values many athletes had spent years promoting. 

Rather than celebrating sporting achievement, some felt the campaign shifted attention toward physical appearance.

Sweeney Faces Criticism From Olympic And World-Class Athletes

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Some of the strongest reactions came from elite female athletes who used their platforms to push back against the campaign.

British sprinter Amy Hunt addressed the controversy during a post-race interview after placing fourth in a 200-meter event at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

“It was incredible to be part of such an incredible race. Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. 21.4 [seconds, the winning time of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden], muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears. This is a beautiful evening,” she said.

As The Blast reported, former Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus also expressed frustration with the advertisement. “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” Titmus shared.

She continued, “Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who had dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity.”

Titmus then questioned the broader culture surrounding sports marketing, asking, “How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”

Sydney Sweeney And Novig Defend The Campaign’s Intentions

Despite the backlash, both Sweeney and Novig have defended the advertisement and its purpose. Addressing the criticism, Sweeney revealed that the campaign was about embracing a fun idea.

She added, “The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”

Meanwhile, Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky revealed that Sweeney, who owns an equity stake in the company, was actively involved in shaping the campaign. According to Fortinsky, the Hollywood star specifically pushed for the nude concept.

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He recalled Sweeney telling him, “I’m uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I’m going to wear.”

Fortinsky also praised her ability to command attention, saying, “Sydney is great at captivating audiences and being the center of attention.”

More From The Blast

Sweeney’s Romance With Scooter Braun Faces Fresh Scrutiny 

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The backlash surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s sports betting campaign may have dominated headlines for days, but it wasn’t the only conversation unfolding around the actress. 

As critics debated her latest advertisement, another story was quietly gaining traction in Hollywood circles: the increasingly intertwined nature of her relationship with Scooter Braun and her business decisions. 

The discussion intensified after Sweeney signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a move that quickly became the subject of industry chatter. 

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According to The Blast, Braun played a role in helping facilitate meetings that ultimately led to the representation switch. 

However, the story took an unexpected turn when Page Six reported that sources claimed super-agent Ari Emanuel allegedly advised Sweeney to distance herself from Braun if she wanted to strengthen her image as a serious actress and businesswoman. 

The report drew immediate attention because Braun reportedly encouraged Sweeney to meet Emanuel in the first place. However, a representative for Emanuel denied that the meeting and comments ever occurred. 

Sydney Sweeney And Scooter Braun Make Major Relationship Statement At Venice Film Festival

If questions about Braun’s influence were circulating behind closed doors, the couple’s appearance in Venice offered a very public answer to a different question: just how serious is this relationship? 

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Nearly one year after reports first emerged that Sweeney and Braun were dating, the pair stepped out together at the Venice Film Festival, turning what might have been a routine celebrity sighting into one of the event’s most talked-about relationship moments. 

The appearance carried added significance because Venice was also where their story first began. According to PEOPLE, the two seemingly connected during Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s wedding celebrations in Venice in June 2025. 

At the time, sources described their relationship as casual, but that quickly changed as they spent more time together. 

Over the following year, Sweeney and Braun reportedly traveled together, attended industry events side by side, and gradually became more comfortable being seen publicly as a pair. 

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Recent reports describe the pair as being in a committed relationship, while Braun publicly celebrated Sweeney’s birthday by praising what he called their “true partnership” and describing her as “the exception to every rule.”

Almost seven years after its inception, Apple TV has firmly established itself as the home of prestige science fiction. What began with the ambitious, high-budget cinematic storytelling of For All Mankind and See evolved with the patient pacing and serialized depth of the unapologetically cerebral Foundation and Severance, and set a new standard for high-concept world-building with Silo and Dark Matter. Trusting its audience to follow intricate details as they unfold not over episodes but across seasons, the platform has built an empire out of complex, philosophical television that uses spectacle to examine big-picture ideas rather than existing for its own sake.

No longer needing to prove itself, Apple TV has been dabbling heavily in sci-fi’s weird and wonderful subgenres, exploring post-humanist dystopia with Pluribus, Lovecraftian cosmic horror with Widow’s Bay, speculative neo-noir with Sugar, and high tech, low life cyberpunk with Neuromancer. But since so many of its biggest success stories are adaptations, the widening of the platform’s sci-fi remit presents a massive opportunity to finally bring some of the most epic novels ever written to TV. From 1Q84 to Children of Time, these are the books at the top of the queue; primed, ready, and waiting to become Apple TV’s biggest, most ambitious franchise ever.

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‘1Q84’

By Haruki Murakami

Image via Knopf.

1Q84 centers on two people who shared a single unforgettable moment as children who, 20 years later, independently find themselves in a surreal, alternate version of Tokyo where reality has subtly shifted, and two moons hang in the sky. Aomame, a fitness instructor and skilled assassin who eliminates abusive men for a wealthy dowager, and Tengo, a math teacher and aspiring novelist who ghostwrites a novella for a mysterious teenager, find their separate lives increasingly intertwined as they each navigate a sinister religious cult and a group of enigmatic supernatural beings whose influence in the altered reality is profound. A parallel-universe mystery and magical realism-laced journey of self-discovery; at its core, it’s a metaphysical love story where mutual desire and faith can shift the fabric of reality itself.

A three-volume journey clocking in at more than a thousand pages, Haruki Murakami’s masterwork could never be adapted as a movie without losing its core identity and becoming a standard-fare action or mystery thriller. But it has limitless potential as multi-season episodic television, the ideal medium for a visual translation of an exposition-and-monologue-heavy story; it’s a format that would allow for the epic dual narratives to layer and build, the deep-seated philosophy to weave its way towards earning its merit, and the magical realism to develop and expand on its own terms. While Murakami is extraordinarily choosy about where and how his stories get adapted, Apple TV’s auteur-first mentality might be the one time he might actually want a part in bringing his work to life on the small screen.

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‘Children of Time’

By Adrian Tchaikovsky

Images via Hachette

Children of Time tracks humanity’s attempt to relocate across the stars and their ongoing encounters with advanced species on distant worlds that, after a human terraforming mission went sideways centuries earlier, have evolved into highly intelligent races and created civilizations of their own. With every first contact, the trauma inflicted by human hubris is laid bare, and the vast disconnect between different forms of intelligence forces humankind, alongside an interspecies crew, to reconsider its understanding of society, identity, and the meaning of sentience. But as the struggle for survival becomes more interconnected, the series asks whether cooperation and radical empathy are enough to overcome the dangerous instincts toward domination that have shaped intelligent life from the very start.

The four books in Adrian Tchaikovsky‘s series are uniquely suited to television, as each one doesn’t simply continue the story but expands its universe, presenting a unique opportunity to lay the groundwork for a long-running series steeped in lore and mythology. But what makes it such a standout in a crowded world of sci-fi epics is its meticulous depiction of its alien civilizations, its intrinsic weirdness that stays with you, permeating your consciousness for weeks and months after reading it. Keeping the core oddities of the source material instead of softening them requires a level of creative fearlessness, which makes it an ideal franchise for Apple TV in its adventurous era, one with the potential to alter the way hard sci-fi is brought to life on TV going forward.

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‘The Deluge’

By Stephen Markley

Image via Simon and Schuster

The Deluge opens in an alternate 2013 rife with political discord and extreme weather, with a scientist issuing a public warning after discovering a climatological tipping point, only to find his message ignored, his career sidelined, and his life threatened. What follows is an epic journey through three decades of American collapse, experienced through a sprawling cast of characters across the country, including activists, politicians, experts, executives, extremists, and regular people. But as the crisis intensifies, political paralysis and government failure trigger economic and societal upheaval, making the consequences of inaction impossible to ignore and forcing the characters to converge in a high-stakes reckoning of what they’re willing to sacrifice to save even the smallest portion of humanity’s future.

Stephen Markley‘s novel already has all the makings of a prestige ensemble series: a massive cast, power struggles amid deep personal relationships and passions, warring American factions, and of course, a series of escalating disasters. Markley, who currently serves as a writer on Hulu’s hit series Paradise, is uniquely placed to tackle his 900-page source material in the slow-drip fashion that Dan Fogelman has mastered – and he’s worked under for the last three seasons – especially when considering the 27-year timeline. But what makes his novel so appealing for TV is how it tackles its story from every angle, bringing a fresh look at a world that, in many ways, mirrors ours, but extends into an unfamiliar sci-fi future​​​​​​, making it feel both incredibly plausible and urgent for the moment we’re living in.

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‘Sea of Tranquility’

By Emily St. John Mandel

Image via Knopf

The four timelines in Sea of Tranquility are linked by a single anomaly, a jarring glitch in reality that causes three people to experience a flash of darkness followed by the echoing sound of a violin in an airship terminal. From a distant British royal exiled to the Canadian wilderness in 1912, to a New Yorker searching for a long-lost friend in 2020, to a moon-based writer on a book tour in 2203, three people find their lives upended by an unexpected event that connects them across time and space, while a time-traveling detective tasked with investigating the anomaly in 2401 becomes more and more certain that reality is a simulation. A sweeping temporal mystery, the novel is a devastating examination of fate and isolation, and the transcendence of human connection across all imaginable distances,

A faithful adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel‘s book would work best in a limited-series format, as it’d require a steady hand to nail the eerie details that echo across centuries, and a tight focus to truly deliver the canny, quiet interior lives of its characters while capturing the vast scope of its visual landscape. But here’s where it gets interesting, and where things move into franchise territory: the book exists in the same universe as The Glass Hotel, and while the earlier work is a realistic white-collar literary crime drama, it adds a tremendous amount of color to the characters and plot of Sea of Tranquility. There’s a world where these two books come together to tell a much more expansive story that dabbles in genre-bending and literary boundaries, one perfectly suited to being a franchise for Apple TV.

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‘The Bone Clocks’

By David Mitchell

Image via Sceptre

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The Bone Clocks tells the extraordinary story of Holly Sykes, who runs away from home as a teenager in 1984 and begins experiencing unexplained visions and events that leave her certain a secret supernatural war is being waged in an invisible realm. The sweeping novel is divided into six sections, each spanning a decade, tracking Holly from rebellious teen to elderly grandmother as she becomes increasingly involved with the immortal beings who use her as a pawn, with her narrating the first and last sections. The other sections are narrated by individuals whose lives become part of her story, giving depth to a tale that begins as 80s realism, twists into supernatural horror, and ultimately leads to dystopia, a future on the brink of a collapse, where Holly must finally end the war that only she can see.

David Mitchell is a truly one-of-a-kind author, but when approaching his vast, interconnected body of work, it’s important to note that it’s incredibly unsuited to the brevity of a feature film – ahem, Cloud Atlas – but his spectacular writing lends itself beautifully to the format of a long-running television series. Each section of The Bone Clocks provides enough material to carry multiple episodes, if not a season, with Holly a strong, unforgettable anchoring protagonist, the supernatural lore begging to be turned into a mystery box, and a new leading character introduced at the top of each time shift to keep it fresh. Most importantly, it starts as a coming-of-age tale, morphs into an occult thriller, then becomes a dystopian journey, offering something for every type of Apple TV viewer in its franchise-ready story.

2026 has been a quiet year for Tom Cruise so far, but that’s all going to change soon when he returns to the big screen to star in one of the most anticipated movies of 2026, Digger. Co-starring Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, and John Goodman, the film was written and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu with help from Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jez Butterworth, and Sabina Berman. Cruise recently starred in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and while he never exactly came out and said it, it’s expected that it was his final movie as Ethan Hunt — the title also gives off that impression. After Digger, the only other movie that Cruise has on the release schedule is the highly anticipated sequel to Days of Thunder, which has already been dated for release on June 2, 2028.

Tom Cruise has also confirmed that he will star in another Top Gun sequel with Miles Teller and Glen Powell, but at the time of writing, it’s still unclear when the film will be released. After the colossal success of Top Gun: Maverick, most fans thought that Paramount would be further along on the third installment by now. The legacy sequel grossed $1.5 billion at the box office, and it’s also been one of the most popular movies on Paramount Plus for years now, but it’s officially set to join a new streaming library soon. Netflix has officially announced that Top Gun: Maverick, the movie Steven Spielberg once proclaimed “saved Hollywood,” will begin streaming on the platform on September 22. It’s also streaming for free on Pluto TV, and the streamer has not announced any plans for it to depart the platform.

What’s Going on With ‘Top Gun 3’?

Top Gun 3 is officially confirmed, but there haven’t been many updates on the film since last year, when Christopher McQuarrie confirmed that he had broken the story and just needed writer Ehren Kruger to turn it into a workable script. Once Cruise finishes promoting Digger later this year, he’s expected to begin shooting Days of Thunder 2 to prepare for its 2028 launch date. Thinking optimistically, even if Cruise begins working on Top Gun 3 after Days of Thunder 2, it’s unlikely the film will be released anytime before 2030.

Check out Top Gun: Maverick on Netflix starting on September 22 and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Tom Cruise’s future projects.

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Release Date

May 27, 2022

Runtime

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131 minutes

Director

Joseph Kosinski

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Writers

Christopher McQuarrie, Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Peter Craig, Justin Marks

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The best sci-fi books entice readers with an experience they’ll never forget. Whether it’s a highly sought-after planet, a dystopian treasure hunt, or an existential journey to discover the meaning of life, the genre is at its most entertaining when its imagination runs wild.

From the spice-covered deserts of Arrakis to a dystopian treasure hunt built around classic video games, these stories turn their wildest ideas into genuinely exhilarating adventures. If you’re looking for sci-fi that embraces the thrill of the journey without sacrificing imagination, here are five of the most entertaining books in the genre.

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‘Project Hail Mary’ (2021)

Image viaa Ballantine Books

Though many know it from its hit 2026 adaptation, Project Hail Mary is originally a sci-fi novel that tells the same story through Andy Weir‘s words. Right from the get-go, readers are whisked away into an unknown adventure through the eyes of Ryland Grace, who wakes up inside a distant spacecraft. He doesn’t remember his name, his mission, or the events leading up to his rocket launch. But soon enough, he discovers that he’s the missing puzzle piece in a desperate mission to save Earth from a Sun-consuming organism that threatens to end the world as people know it.

The apocalyptic appeal sends major Armageddon vibes, but the real excitement comes from Ryland’s adventure itself. A scientist by profession, Ryland must draw on his extensive but previously belittled knowledge of the organism to test his way out of lethal situations using actual scientific methods, without overwhelming readers with complicated technical details. At a moment when humanity is on the brink of extinction, connection is most needed. Even when he’s the only human in space, he finds the most genuine connection with a creature he least expects, providing the novel with its much-needed emotional anchor and giving all the more reason to root for Ryland.

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‘Ready Player One’ (2011)

Image via Crown Publishing Group

Ready Player One is set in a poverty-stricken 2040s. Humanity escapes a world ravaged by energy shortages, pollution, and economic stagnation through the OASIS, a virtual universe created by billionaire James Halliday. Upon his death, Halliday leaves behind a challenge: whoever finds three hidden keys and unlocks his Easter egg will inherit his fortune and control of the OASIS. Five years later, 18-year-old Wade Watts, a gunter living in Oklahoma City’s trailer stacks, discovers the first key through his knowledge of Halliday’s beloved 1980s pop culture. As he races against rival hunters and a corporation seeking to seize the OASIS, Wade’s quest transforms into a fight for humanity’s last refuge.

It’s the ultimate treasure hunt in Ready Player One. On top of the satisfaction of solving puzzles, readers can’t help but feel like they’re part of a video game themselves. What makes the quest unique is how the knowledge needed to solve its puzzles contrasts with its futuristic setting. If you’re a fan of classic arcade games, geek culture, Dungeons & Dragons, and the like, your expertise will come in handy. Ready Player One is ultimately a celebration of geek culture. One moment, Wade might be playing an arcade game; the next, he’s piloting a spaceship or exploring a fantasy world. It’s a nostalgic adventure for geeks everywhere.

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‘Dune’ (1965)

Image via Penguin Publishing Group

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The Oscar-winning sci-fi hit Dune is a tumultuous tale of prophecy and fulfilling one’s destiny. When Duke Leto Atreides is ordered to take control of Arrakis, the galaxy’s most valuable desert planet, he knows something isn’t right. Arrakis is the only source of spice, a powerful substance that extends life and makes interstellar travel possible, making the planet a prime target for anyone seeking power. Along with his partner, Lady Jessica, and their son, Paul, Leto soon finds himself caught in a dangerous political game involving the Emperor and their longtime enemies, House Harkonnen. But little does Paul realize that his prophetic dreams are key to saving the kingdom.

More than half a century later, Dune still holds up thanks to the sheer scale and imagination of its worldbuilding. It doesn’t take long for author Frank Herbert to throw readers into the middle of the conflict. Similar to the medieval disputes akin to Game of Thrones, readers are caught between warring noble families, desert politics, and the occasional giant sandworm. Arrakis itself is a character of its own, and the book describes the universe surrounding the planet, from the ancient Fremen culture to the politics that dictate the spice trade. It’s dense and loaded, but it’s the kind of packed that immerses you so deeply that you’ll feel like you’re in Arrakis yourself.

2

‘Ender’s Game’ (1985)

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Ender’s Game is essential sci-fi reading. With Earth threatened by an insect-like alien race known as the Buggers, the International Fleet turns to gifted children to prepare for another invasion. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is recruited into Battle School after proving he can outsmart his bullies. Despite being isolated and pushed to his limits by Colonel Graff, Ender becomes one of the school’s best commanders, mastering zero-gravity war games with unconventional tactics. Promoted to Command School, Ender trains under war hero Mazer Rackham.

Ender’s Game is essentially a battle playbook. But instead of focusing on the theatrics of entering battle, it gives readers the lowdown on all the mental preparation required before stepping onto the field. It takes more than brawn and weapons to defeat your enemies; true battle comes down to strategy, knowing your enemy, and choosing the most efficient methods to achieve the greatest success with minimal casualties. Ender may have started weak and vulnerable, but watching him grow through his loyalty to his troops, his willingness to study the craft, and his ability to adapt makes the book a fun read in itself. With the guidance — and sometimes the pressure — of Battle School, Ender gradually learns that winning a fight is about understanding how to use every advantage at his disposal.

1

‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ (1979)

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Audiences who want a sci-fi adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously don’t have to look any further than The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Author Douglas Adams introduces the seemingly ordinary Englishman Arthur Dent to an absurd space adventure after Earth is destroyed by the Vogons to make way for a hyperspace bypass. From there, Arthur travels across the galaxy with his alien friend Ford Prefect, the eccentric Zaphod Beeblebrox, the depressed robot Marvin, and Trillian, another human survivor. But Arthur has no time to dwell on his confusion, as his adventures lead him to uncover Earth’s true purpose, which, fittingly enough, is orchestrated by a supercomputer.

There is no telling where The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is about to go. It’s obvious that the author has every intention of making each page funny, and there’s an unexplained absurdity to everything that constantly throws readers off as they try to figure out why certain things are happening. There’s no particular explanation for why a hyperspace bypass requires destroying Earth’s population or why two-headed presidents exist, which is exactly the point of the novel. Humanity is so fixated on finding the meaning of life, but the book stresses that life and the universe itself could barely care less about the answer. And when it finally provides its infamous answer, it’s so unbelievably underwhelming that it’s hilarious.

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Release Date

January 5, 1981

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Cast

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  Sandra Dickinson

  Trillian

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  Mark Wing-Davey

  Zaphod Beeblebrox

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Gangsters and organized crime continue to be a favorite among movie and television fans thanks to iconic series such as The Sopranos and Peaky Blinders. Whether it’s a gang of loyal vigilante bikers like in Sons of Anarchy or the rise and fall of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar from Narcos, the gangster genre has evolved and expanded into various new territories with both fictional and historical tales of real-life mobsters that seem to have something for every television fan.

When it comes to television series, most audiences have a certain taste. Even though some may like traditional mafia shows over a rare niche of organized crime, some series are simply a must-see for anyone who claims to be a serious fan of the gangster genre. From lesser-known shows such as Magic City and Gomorrah to memorable gems like Boardwalk Empire and Godfather of Harlem, these are the 25 best television shows about gangsters, ranked.

25

‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ (2021– 2025)

Image via NBC

Christopher Meloni reprises his iconic role as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler in the spin-off series titled Law & Order: Organized Crime. He is now working for the organized crime unit where he encounters an array of gangsters and mafiosos. After suffering a devastating loss, Stabler returns to the job but, after being away for a decade, he soon learns that things have drastically changed in the Big Apple as well as the justice system, forcing him to adjust while coping with his personal issues.

Even though the series focuses on the police’s perspective, Law & Order: Organized Crime introduces a variety of gangsters who manage to keep things interesting and unpredictable. The series crosses over with Meloni’s former show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which makes it a unique spin-off out of the Law & Order franchise with endless possibilities of perps and suspects.

24

‘Wiseguy’ (1987–1990)

Image via CBS

Ken Wahl stars in the forgotten crime drama Wiseguy as a Brooklyn native and Fordham University graduate, Vinnie Terranova, who becomes an informant for the FBI under the supervision of a veteran agent, Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks). Wiseguy shows the darker side of organized crime with its gritty atmosphere, strong performances, and morally complicated storytelling, making it a landmark gangster series and an important influence on the crime dramas that followed.

The show’s long story arcs allowed the series to develop its characters and criminal organizations in a way that was unusual for television at the time. The series was a major hit and has been credited with ushering in the era of lengthy crime dramas that thrived on television during the 1990s and early 2000s. Throughout its four-season run, Wiseguy earned seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and in 1990, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for Wahl’s exceptional performance.

23

‘Crime Story’ (1986–1988)

Image via NBC

Crime Story is a vital crime drama that presents organized crime in a gritty, realistic, and uncompromising way and is also recognized as another series that paved the way for modern gangster shows. Dennis Farina stars as Chicago detective Lieutenant Mike Torello, whose job to take down the major players in organized crime leads him to cross paths with his childhood friend, Ray Luca (Anthony Denison), now a made man in the Chicago Outfit.

The series captures the rise of organized crime while focusing on the constant conflict between gangsters and law enforcement, but what makes Crime Story especially compelling is its complex characters, particularly Luca, whose ambition and ruthlessness reveal both the appeal and the destructive consequences of the gangster lifestyle. With its dark atmosphere, strong performances, memorable violence, and serialized storytelling, Crime Story is a crime epic that deserves more recognition for helping pave the way for later gangster dramas.

22

‘Brotherhood’ (2006–2008)

Image via Showtime

Brotherhood is a lesser-known gangster drama that boldly combines organized crime with a deeply personal story about family, politics, and betrayal, making it a unique contribution to the genre. Set in Providence, Rhode Island, the series follows an Irish-American gangster, Michael Caffee (Jason Isaacs), who returns home after seven years and tries to pick up where he left off while his brother, Tommy (Jason Clarke), has become a promising local politician on the rise. The premise of the show was inspired by real-life brothers, William M. Bulger, a prominent politician from Massachusetts, and his brother, James “Whitey” Bulger, who was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang.

Brotherhood stands out for its realistic portrayal of organized crime without romanticizing it. The gangsters are complicated, often self-serving people whose decisions have serious consequences for themselves and those around them. The show also explores the blurred line between legitimate politics and criminal activity, showing how power and corruption can operate on both sides. Its exploration of the darkness hiding in the corners of small-town America, strong performances, notably by Clarke and Isaacs, and emphasis on family relationships are just a few reasons why Brotherhood is one of the most underrated gangster television dramas of all time.

21

‘The Westies’ (2026–Present)

Image via MGM+

The Westies is one of the best recent shows about gangsters and stands out for bringing a gritty, old-school New York crime story to the small screen while giving the characters enough depth to make the violence and power struggles feel meaningful. Set in the 1980s in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, the series follows a local gang, the Westies, led by Eamon Sweeney (J.K. Simmons), who fight for a piece of an upcoming construction job while also dealing with the mounting pressure from the Italian Mafia and the FBI.

Despite being new to the scene, The Westies have several things going for it, notably its intense atmosphere, brutal street-level storytelling, and excellent performances, especially Simmons and Bosch star Titus Welliver, who plays Glenn Keenan, an NYPD detective whose past with Simmons’ character leads him to toe the line between the law and the criminal underworld. With its alluring story of political and criminal corruption mixed into an old-school mob drama, The Westies has quickly established itself as a compelling addition to the gangster genre.

20

‘Mayor of Kingstown’ (2021–Present)

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Jeremy Renner stars in Taylor Sheridan‘s edgy crime drama Mayor of Kingstown as Michael McLusky, whose family has played a crucial part in maintaining the peace in Kingstown, Michigan, by acting as mediators between the law and criminals, becoming a very lucrative business for the now-prominent family. Unlike the majority of other gangster shows, Mayor of Kingstown presents organized crime on a much larger scale and dives deep into the darker side of prisons, gangs, law enforcement, politics, and corruption, making it one of the best modern shows about gangsters to date.

The series also doesn’t romanticize gangster life; instead, it shows how crime spreads beyond the streets and affects entire communities, exposing a detrimental domino effect that rarely gets attention in other crime-driven series. With the show’s fifth and final season on the horizon, its intense action, unpredictability, and Renner’s outstanding performance are just a few things that put Mayor of Kingstown on the map, ultimately cementing its reputation as one of the most powerful contemporary crime dramas about the relationship between organized crime and the institutions surrounding it to date.

19

‘Falcone’ (2000)

Image via CBS

The CBS series, Falcone, is a gangster show that manages to slip through the cracks mainly because it only ran for one season, but despite its short-lived run, it’s still a series for any mafioso aficionado to check out. The show is based on the true story and harrowing experience of F.B.I. agent Joseph Pistone (Jason Gedrick), who went undercover and infiltrated the Colombo crime family.

In 1997, Pistone’s story made its initial debut on the silver screen in the essential gangster film, Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, which was a monumental success. While the film reigns supreme, Falcone adds a bit more detail and insight into Pistone’s story, giving audiences a more in-depth view of his time with one of the most powerful crime families in New York City.

18

‘Gangs of London’ (2020–Present)

Image via AMC+

Gangs of London is a marginalized gangster series based on the popular 2006 video game and hits the ground running with an immediate conflict. When the head of a powerful London crime family, Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney), is murdered, no one knows who ordered the hit, leading to an intense power struggle between local and international gangs that ultimately brings destruction and mayhem throughout the major city.

Even though the series has earned mixed reviews, with many noting the excessive violence, Gangs of London is celebrated for giving a raw, uncensored depiction of organized crime. It features an array of exceptional performances by the entire cast, which is just the cherry on top of this promising gangster series. With the third season underway, Gangs of London is currently one of the most promising gangster series and has all the potential to rank among the big leagues of similar series.

17

‘Mob City’ (2013)

Mob City gives viewers a look behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood during the 1940s and exposes the intense power struggle between a corrupt police force and organized crime, who are each determined to claim the West Coast as their domain. Jon Bernthal stars as a former Marine and Los Angeles detective, Joe Teague, who soon finds himself in the middle of a plot to take down the city’s elite gangsters, specifically Mickey Cohen (Jeremy Luke) and Bugsy Siegel (Edward Burns).

The show is based on the book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City, written by John Buntin, and gives real-life accounts from former LAPD officers and detectives, adding an authentic touch to this gangster show. Mob City is an absolute must-see for any viewers who are fans of the early days of the mafia and their journey to gaining control of not just the West Coast but practically the entire United States.

16

‘Get Shorty’ (2017–2019)

Image via MGM+

Chris O’Dowd stars in Get Shorty as an enforcer, Miles Daly, who works for a murderous crime ring in Nevada. After growing tired of his current situation, Daly decides he wants to change his profession and sets his sights on Hollywood. There, he makes connections while working to find a production crew and raise funding to produce a film, which he quickly learns is easier said than done.

Based on the 1990 novel by Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty is more of a homage to Leonard’s work than an actual adaptation and has no connection to the 1995 film version by the same name starring John Travolta. The series is a humorous spin on organized crime, oftentimes poking fun at the traditional tropes of the gangster genre, and is much more in line with Leonard’s dark sense of humor.