By Robert Scucci
| Updated 17 seconds ago

While I spend most of my time watching bargain-bin, straight-to-VHS trash that’s typically found streaming on Tubi, I’m not averse to the occasional rom-com that the whole family can enjoy. Meet the Parents (2000) came out when I was 12, and I fondly remember watching it in theaters with my parents and eventually getting some reps on it when it was added to our DVD collection. I had similar feelings about Meet the Fockers for the same exact reason. They’re the kind of comedies that border on awkward and raunchy, but you could have your girlfriend or a group of friends over, watch it with your boomer parents, and have a good laugh.

Here’s what’s strange about the Meet the Parents franchise, though: I have fond memories of the first two movies and the people I watched them with, but I actually had to undergo hypnosis (read: fire up Netflix) to remember what even happened in the third film, 2010’s Little Fockers. It’s a total nothingburger of a movie that doesn’t come close to capturing the charm and charisma of its predecessors.

I’ll approach the release of this year’s Focker-In-Law with guarded enthusiasm. If it’s anywhere close to the first two movies, I think it’ll fare well. If it’s more like the 2010 film, however, the franchise is as good as dead.

Two Near-Perfect Escalations

In Meet the Parents, Gaylord “Greg” Focker (Ben Stiller) is dealt the worst hand imaginable, making for a fantastic comedy of errors. He has to ask his girlfriend Pam’s (Teri Polo) father, Jack (Robert De Niro), for his blessing to marry her, only to find out that he’s a retired CIA agent with serious trust issues. To make matters worse, Pam’s ex-fiancé Kevin (Owen Wilson) is like the final boss of ex-lovers who are still adored by your partner’s family. It’s a total nightmare situation for Greg, who gets caught in one little white lie after another. It’s exactly what anybody would do in his situation, but it’s also what prompts Jack to keep him under heightened scrutiny in search of bigger, more life-ruining lies.

The main source of comedy in Meet the Parents comes from the walls of insecurity that both Greg and Jack have in spades, and how that has a hilariously adverse effect on their willingness and ability to communicate with one another when they both have the same exact goal in mind: making sure Pam is happy.

Meet the Fockers is a perfect continuation of the franchise that keeps things fresh by adding new characters. The wedding date is six months out and Greg and Jack are on friendlier terms, so the film has to pivot with its humor. This time, it’s sourced from the addition of Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand’s Bernie and Roz Focker, Greg’s parents. Bernie and Roz are free spirits, warm, compassionate, and just a little too intrusive. When thrown into a room with Jack, who spent most of his adult life closing himself off from the people closest to him for the sake of national security, the clash of personalities alone is enough for some truly legendary moments.

The film adds depth to Greg’s character because we learn how he was raised and why he’s so reluctant to open up to his future in-laws. The fact that he loves his parents but is simultaneously embarrassed to death by them tells you everything you need to know.

There Is A Such Thing As Too Reliable

Which brings us to Little Fockers, a film that now has to work with the above-mentioned dynamics that have already demonstrated themselves to resonate with audiences. Bernie and Roz are reliably Bernie and Roz. Jack reliably reacts to how reliably Bernie and Roz act, and hilarity ensues (allegedly). Kevin reliably gets under Greg’s skin, while Pam reliably gets caught in the middle of this weird, one-sided love triangle.

Jack is reliably tight-lipped about some of his health issues, and Greg is reliably put in a tough spot because he needs to respect his father-in-law’s wishes for secrecy while withholding important information from the rest of the family. Jack is also reliably suspicious of Greg when he assumes he’s having an extramarital affair, and those suspicions reliably spiral to ridiculous proportions when Jack pursues every lead like a secret agent instead of just having a frank conversation with his son-in-law.

This flash flood of reliability is exactly why Little Fockers failed to resonate with audiences. Every setup and bit of wordplay feels borrowed from the previous films, to the point where Greg and Pam’s kids, Henry (Colin Baiocchi) and Samantha (Daisy Tahan), feel like an afterthought. It’s as if the studio was looking for a reason to justify bringing everybody back together, and the solution was, “Throw some kids in the mix.”

Having rewatched Little Fockers on Netflix for the first time since its initial theatrical release, I can safely say I waited 97 minutes for almost nothing to happen. I’m not even mad, and I was too underwhelmed by the film to feel disappointed. It’s just … nothing, which is an absolute shame because the first two films still hold up shockingly well. 

The biggest date in the cinema calendar is getting closer, as the world will pack into the theater ready for a double feature of epic proportions. On December 18, both Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three will make their theatrical debuts, in an event playfully being dubbed Dunesday. Although the former is likely to take the overall box office crown, it’s the latter that might prove most enduring, especially with most expecting the final installment in Denis Villeneuve‘s acclaimed adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s Dune novels to perform well at the Academy Awards.

Doomsday might’ve pulled out all the stops to collect the most star-studded ensemble of the year, but Dune: Part Three is following closely behind, with many famous faces part of the sci-fi trilogy’s explosive climax. This includes serial Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Jason Momoa as Hayt, and many more. Of course, Villeneuve is back in the director’s chair, and he co-wrote the space opera’s script with Brian K. Vaughan.

So, how are fans getting in the mood for Dune: Part Three? Well, the simplest answer is to head back to the other installments in the franchise. In doing so, the only TV series in Villeneuve’s Dune universe (Duneiverse?) is currently back in the streaming charts. Dune: Prophecy, which first premiered in late 2024, is one of the ten most-streamed shows on HBO Max in the U.S., at the time of writing, as subscribers indulge in all six episodes of this slow-burner.

Will ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Return?

The tale of the two sisters from House Harkonnen, Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams), isn’t over yet. It was confirmed following the Season 1 finale that Dune: Prophecy had been renewed for a second season, which is unsurprising given the streaming success of the first outing. Season 2 is set to feature several exciting new faces, including Indira Varma, Tom Hollander, and Ashley Walters. In a statement at the time of the show’s renewal, Sarah Aubrey, Head of HBO Max Original Programming, said that the show “has captivated audiences around the globe thanks to the visionary leadership of showrunner and executive producer Alison Schapker, who will continue to guide this grand tale of truth and power.”

Dune: Prophecy is streaming now on HBO Max. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

November 17, 2024

Directors

Anna Foerster

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Writers

Diane Ademu-John, Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert

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By Robert Scucci
| Updated 19 seconds ago

Here’s some insight into just how stupidly my brain is wired. I love John Cusack. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) is one of my favorite comedies of all time, and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) always gets by on its ridiculousness. I also love Stephen King, his philosophy on writing, and most adaptations of his work. However, I never watched 2007’s 1408 for just about the dumbest reason imaginable: somebody I trust said it wasn’t very good. I barely put any thought into it. It was probably a five-second conversation nearly 20 years ago, and then poof, the thought of checking out the movie left my head forever.

The moral of the story is to trust no one, because 1408 is not only one of John Cusack’s best thrillers (though I’m partial to his collaboration with Nicolas Cage in 2013’s The Frozen Ground), it’s also up there with some of the best Stephen King adaptations of all time.

It’s based on the 1999 short story of the same name, but takes on a life of its own. Visually, it makes some baffling choices, but the story itself is so baffling that it feels more like a feature than a bug. If you’re looking for a haunted escape room experience with one of the most expressive leads for the job, John Cusack’s performance in 1408 is worth your time, and not a single minute is wasted thanks to its constant escalations.

A Classic Setup That Goes Hog Wild

1408 has such a simple setup that the only thing it can really do after establishing its characters is to keep escalating. John Cusack’s Mike Enslin is an author whose writing centers on debunking supernatural phenomena. While promoting his latest book, he receives a tip about a supposedly haunted New York City hotel known as The Dolphin. The note he receives says, “Don’t enter 1408,” so naturally, he decides to do just that. He packs his bags, grabs his little tape recorder, and heads to the hotel to see the room for himself.

He’s met with resistance from the hotel’s manager, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson), who’s overtly cautious about the haunted room but otherwise seems like a reasonable man. Gerald initially refuses Mike access to the room, but when he’s threatened with a lawsuit, the best he can do is warn him about the previous 56 guests who stayed there, all of whom died within less than an hour of checking in.

From this point forward, the haunted room simply does haunted room stuff with exponentially increasing intensity, pushing Mike to the edge of sanity as he comes to terms with the fact that he’s finally found the real deal. Not only does he come face-to-face with the room’s previous tenants, but he also sees visions of his deceased daughter Katie (Jasmine Jessica Anthony) and his terminally ill father (Len Cariou).

While the alarm clock on the bedside table slowly ticks down from 60 minutes, Mike has to plot a daring escape, not just from the room trying to swallow him whole by any means necessary, but also from the trauma of reliving his worst memories on a constant loop while navigating the very real physical threats waiting behind every corner.

If One Ending Doesn’t Satisfy, You Have Options

Aside from the film’s theatrical cut, 1408 has three alternate endings, all of which offer a different fate for Mike. I’m not going to spoil any of them for you, but they’re all solid in their own right depending on your mood and the kind of vibe you’re going for. While I prefer the theatrical ending to the alternates, they all provide satisfying conclusions.

You can rest assured, though, that John Cusack absolutely kills it in 1408, and I can’t think of many movies that have been cast more perfectly. His ability to shift from bored cynicism to terrified bewilderment is unmatched, and as all hell breaks loose in his hotel room, he leans fully into the physicality of the role as he’s confronted by ghouls, disasters, and one of the peskiest thermostats you’ll ever see somebody try to adjust.

As of this writing, 1408 isn’t available through any regular streaming subscriptions, but it can be rented or purchased on demand through Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.

General Hospital saw Brook Lynn Quartermaine’s (Amanda Setton) plan to frame her rival take a big leap forward. But her hubby Harrison Chase (Josh Swickard) is going to be disgusted when he finds out the lengths that she has gone to.

Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) lied to Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) and pointed the cops at Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen). But now Lucy is blackmailing Brook Lynn and clearly Lucy is not going to help Brook Lynn destroy Willow for free.

General Hospital: Lucy’s False Statement and Blackmail Scheme

So, this week we saw Lucy go down to the PCPD and make a false statement to Detective Dante. And we had Lucy telling him she saw Willow at the Quartermaine Mansion the night of Jordan Ashford’s (Tanisha Harper) accident. And of course Lucy fibbed because Willow was there during the day and their visits didn’t overlap. The only person Lucy saw that night was Brook Lynn. The two of them were talking about deception and their Sidwell problem and they were drinking and then Lucy left and Dante called Brook Lynn and told her come down to Charlie’s Pub to see Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza) perform. So Lucy said Willow would have been on the road where Jordan crashed that night which is all lies.

Lucy didn’t see Willow at the scene and Lucy had no idea where Willow was at the time of Jordan’s crash. So, we had Dante asking why Lucy was just coming forward now. And she told Dante she looked at her calendar and all of a sudden it clicked. And this is all part of the plan Brook Lynn and Lucy cooked up to frame Willow as the second driver that Jordan nearly crashed into, driving on the wrong side of the road because she and Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) were behaving like teenagers.

General Hospital: Lucy’s Blackmail and the Price of the Frame Job

Let’s be real, Lucy is a huge schemer and a gold digger, and she always has been. And she started this scheme with Brook Lynn, acting like she was doing it to help her. Lucy was sympathetic about Brook Lynn trying to keep Willow away from her husband, Chase. But until the recent episode, Lucy had never mentioned there was a price tag attached to her help. But now, Brook Lynn clearly sees that Lucy isn’t helping her for free. And worse yet, it’s too late. Brook Lynn’s going to have to pay off Lucy or face the consequences. So, this could turn into a colossal nightmare for Brook Lynn for two big reasons.

First of all, Lucy has already made a blackmail demand on Brook Lynn. We heard Lucy saying that it’s only fair that Brook Lynn gives her something of equal value in return for lying to the cops. How do you put a price tag on her marriage and perjury? Already, Lucy is trying to get a big payday out of Brook Lynn. And second, once Lucy remembers that Brook Lynn was on the road the night of the crash, wow, I can see Lucy coming back for an even bigger payday. Blackmailers rarely settle for just one payment when they can keep getting more.

General Hospital: Lucy’s Memory Triggered

Because also, Lucy knows Brook Lynn was drinking that night since they shared a bottle of wine. Not a lot, but enough. And Lucy also knows the path from the Quartermaine Mansion to Charlie’s Pub. And that means once it dawns on her, once she thinks it through, she’ll realize Brook Lynn was probably on the road driving after drinking. Plus, she may get more info because, you know, Lucy’s always snooping.

She’s in everybody’s business. She’s a town gossip. So, if she hears anything about Brook Lynn’s car being damaged, Lucy will figure it out really fast, just like Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson) did. If she hears Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) mention taking Brook Lynn’s car back to the shop, that may jar Lucy’s memory. And already she can threaten to tell Chase everything if Brook Lynn doesn’t pay up.

General Hospital: The Unraveling Plan and Chase’s Discovery

And even if she goes ahead and pays off Lucy now, well, she might come back for a bigger payday if she realizes that Brook Lynn is framing Willow for something that she actually did. And the more Lucy and Brook Lynn go back and forth, the greater the chance Chase overhears. Or even worse, Willow overhears Lucy and Brook Lynn. And she would definitely tell Chase. Or Willow could just take it back to the police in her own defense, knowing Chase will eventually find out from the cops what Brook Lynn did.

And as you know from General Hospital history, Tracy absolutely hates Lucy. Always has. From way back when Lucy was gold digging and married Tracy’s brother, Alan. I can see Tracy confronting Lucy and it turning into a whole thing. And at this point, Tracy doesn’t know Brook Lynn’s framing Willow, but she may confess to Tracy if Lucy doesn’t go away quietly.

I don’t think Tracy would mind her granddaughter plotting against Willow, but Tracy would have an issue of her being sloppy and working with Lucy. Tracy cannot stand Willow and think she’s a viper who’s going after Chase. And I mean, she’s not exactly wrong. So Tracy, I think would be all for Brook Lynn’s plan, but I’m not sure that Tracy or Brook Lynn can stop Lucy’s blackmail unless they go to the cops and say that she lied trying to get her in trouble, mutually assured destruction.

But in that case, Willow would be off the hook and Lucy could then turn around and say Brook Lynn paid her to make the false statement. And if there’s a paper trail or a digital money trail from Lucy or going to Lucy from Brook Lynn right after she made the false statement, that would look really bad.

General Hospital: Chase’s Moral Reckoning

As for Chase, when he finds out Brook Lynn had Lucy make a false statement to frame Willow, he’ll be horrified. And when Chase finds out Brook Lynn was framing Willow for something she did, I think Chase will be disgusted by his wife’s antics. I doubt there’s anything that Brook Lynn could say to excuse what she and Lucy are doing in Chase’s mind. He’s a by the book guy with morals. He always wants to see the right thing done. That’s why he defended Willow. He really did think she was innocent and was framed for Drew Cain’s (Cameron Mathison) shooting. So, Chase won’t be able to live with a wife who’s framing Willow.

It’s even worse because Chase thinks Willow is so darn perfect. And then here’s Brook Lynn having Lucy go to the police to tell lies on her. It’s a really bad look. And Chase will find out about Brook Lynn’s car and that she was actually the second driver. So Chase will see not only was she framing Willow, but she didn’t come clean about being on the road that night.

General Hospital: Brook Lynn’s Actions Led to Isaiah’s Injuries

Brook Lynn not coming forward is the reason Curtis assaulted Isaiah Gannon (Sawandi Wilson). And Brook Lynn’s the reason Isaiah may never be a surgeon again. And she’s the reason little Derek almost died. If you look at it from a broader angle and Brook Lynn’s guilt is why she covered his family’s cost for him to get surgery elsewhere. So, Chase will see, oh, this wasn’t generosity that led my wife Brook Lynn to help that family. It was guilt for her own actions.

I think Chase is going to be sickened by Brook Lynn’s behavior. And in the end, her scheming could actually cost her Chase, not Willow, you know. So, when Brook Lynn did all this trying to hold on to him by keeping him away from Willow, it seemed like a good idea.

But official General Hospital summer spoilers say that Brook Lynn’s plan to set up Willow does not go as expected. But it will go for a while. So, it looks like Dante is going to question Willow by the end of this week. And when Curtis goes on trial for felony assault, the frame job that Brook Lynn has done on Willow is going to mess up his defense plan because Curtis was hoping to smear Isaiah in court as a bad man who fled the scene of an accident, left them for dead, when it’s not true. Not at all.

So, before all is said and done, Brook Lynn may lose Chase on top of losing a big pile of money because she’s going to have to pay blackmail to Lucy. Maybe once, maybe more than once. So, in the end, Brook Lynn may lose Chase, not necessarily to Willow, but Chase may just walk away from his wife because he can’t live with a liar.

Mia Calabrese has been keeping an eye on Summer House costar KJ Dillard following his split from Dara Levitan.

“KJ is great. He was just at my house, like, a week ago,” Mia, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with Walgreens to unveil her “Ultimate Summer Must-Haves” available at the retailer.

Mia recalled having both KJ — her newfound brother after bonding during season 10 of the Bravo series — and her real-life brother over to help her move her couch and new rug.

“He was like, ‘All right, I’m gonna leave.’ And my brother’s like, ‘Ah, KJ, we’ve got work to do.’ So I have a hilarious video of him, like, taking my whole living room apart and moving my rug and my couch,” Mia shared. “But KJ is great.”

Related: Summer House’s KJ Dillard Reveals Shocking Connection to Mia Calabrese

Before KJ Dillard and Mia Calabrese were roommates in the Hamptons, the Summer House stars had a connection through their extended families. “My mom and @miagcalabrese’s sister were college roommates and friends,” KJ shared via Instagram on Tuesday, May 12, with a throwback photo. “This is me as a baby with both of them.” The […]

The influencer noted that from her “understanding” KJ and Dara, 33, “did break up” recently, so she has been looking in on them both.

“I checked on Dara, I sent her a text, and just let her know I’m thinking of her, because breakups are difficult, no matter what,” Mia told Us. “But they’re obviously even more difficult when you have the public eye watching your breakup. So I checked on Dara, KJ is doing well, and he’s navigating the breakup as well.”

KJ, 28, and Dara, both of whom made their reality TV debut during season 10 of Summer House, became a couple while filming the show in summer 2025.

During the three-part season 10 reunion, filmed in April, Dara and KJ hinted that they had briefly parted ways at some point in 2025 as KJ was struggling with his mental health.

KJ revealed on the show that he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in fall 2025 and was hospitalized for self-harm before getting the help he needed. (KJ confirmed in early June on the “More Life With Carl Radke” podcast that Dara broke up with him during that timeframe because “she had to” while he was in recovery.)

When Dara joined KJ during part 2 of the reunion, she told host Andy Cohen that they were happily together, holding his hand and smiling.

However, rumors of another breakup circulated in May when KJ untagged Dara in their couple pictures.

Andy, 58, asked Jesse Solomon earlier this month why KJ and Dara allegedly unfollowed each other on social media, to which he responded, “They broke up, yeah.”

Jesse, 32, explained on the June 9 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that “last I heard they were broken up. Sorry if that’s not public.”

A few weeks later, Dara confirmed her relationship status, revealing on the Thursday, June 18, episode of the “Five More Minutes” podcast that she is single.

“That’s all we’re going to say about it because I can’t do tears this morning, and there’s no way I’m talking about it without crying,” she said, referring to her heartbreak over no longer dating KJ.

As KJ and Dara navigate their split, Mia told Us she hopes they “do what is going to make them happy.”

“If what’s going to make them happy is being together, life is short, that’s what you should do,” she added. “And if what’s going to make them happy is being separate, that it is what it is.”

Mia, meanwhile, revealed that she doesn’t “know what my summer plans are” but her motto for the season is “live and have fun and see what happens.”

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Part of her feel-good plan includes teaming up with Walgreens to share her beauty routine for the summer and her “Ultimate Summer Must-Haves,” which includes lightweight serums and La Roche-Posay Anthelios Sunscreen.

“I have been going to Walgreens since I was a little girl, and that was like a place we went every other day, me and my family, because you always needed something,” Mia told Us of her easy decision to work with Walgreens. “I’m so grateful that there’s so many Walgreens all over the country, because I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, there wasn’t, like, you know, a store on every corner. But I was always able to depend on Walgreens.”

She added, “I’m so thankful to be partnering with them, because it is such a full circle moment in my life.”

Titus Welliver and Harry Bosch have been synonymous for 12 years. From the 7 seasons of Bosch and three seasons of Bosch: Legacy, Welliver has been the face of Michael Connelly’s TV universe. With Bosch: Start of Watch, that chapter concludes. In this new production, Cameron Monaghan is playing a young Harry Bosch, and Welliver is not involved at all.

This change to the character makes Bosch: Start of Watch the biggest test of whether the franchise can survive without Welliver’s presence. For years, any new series added to the universe featured Welliver to comfort existing fans. Amazon and MGM+ are now asking audiences to embrace Bosch’s character without the actor who has brought him to life for years. If the prequel does well, it will prove that Monaghan can make the character work and that the franchise can survive beyond the original actor.

Titus Welliver Has Been the Anchor of the ‘Bosch’ Franchise Since the Beginning

Image via Prime Video

From the moment Bosch debuted in 2015, the series revolved around Welliver’s performance. Connelly’s novels provided the foundation, but Welliver’s quiet intensity and world-weary presence turned Harry Bosch into one of television’s most dependable detectives. Even as streaming trends changed and crime dramas came and went, Bosch built a loyal audience around its leading man.

That reliance didn’t disappear when the original series ended; Bosch: Legacy essentially continued the story, with Welliver still at its center, allowing the franchise to evolve without losing its identity. When Prime Video introduced Ballard, it expanded the universe again, but Harry Bosch himself remained part of the equation. His appearances helped establish continuity and reminded viewers that they were still watching the same world they had spent years investing in.

What makes Start of Watch different is that, for the first time, the franchise won’t have Welliver as a bridge between old and new. Fans won’t have the comfort of a cameo, narration, or even a supporting appearance. Instead, they’ll have to accept a completely new interpretation of a character who has belonged to one actor for more than a decade.

‘Ballard’ Expanded the Universe Without Letting Go of Harry Bosch

Image via Prime Video

Ballard represented a natural next step for the franchise. Maggie Q’s detective brought a fresh perspective, but the series still maintained ties to its predecessor. Welliver’s appearances made the transition easier and reinforced the feeling that Ballard existed alongside the events of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy rather than replacing them. This approach is common among successful franchises, but walking away from the actor audiences most associate with them is something else entirely.

Procedural franchises like Law & Order and CSI have thrived for decades because they were built around institutions rather than individuals. Bosch has always been different because, despite its supporting cast and sprawling cases, the series was fundamentally a character study. Harry Bosch was the franchise, not just the lead, and this puts Start of Watch in a much riskier proposition than Ballard ever was.

‘Bosch: Start of Watch’ Is Turning Harry Bosch Into a Franchise Character

Image via Amazon MGM

By casting Monaghan as a 26-year-old Bosch in 1990s Los Angeles, Amazon and MGM+ are making a bold bet, putting their money on viewers’ love for Harry Bosch himself, not just Welliver’s version of him.The prequel makes that gamble even more interesting because it isn’t adapting a specific novel. While Connelly’s books contain glimpses of Bosch’s past, Start of Watch ventures into largely unexplored territory, giving the writers freedom but also removing the safety net that comes with adapting beloved source material.

Fortunately, the series still has several advantages working in its favor. Connelly remains involved behind the scenes, longtime franchise producers are returning, and early comments from the author have been enthusiastic. Welliver himself has voiced support for Monaghan’s casting, and Connelly has praised the actor’s performance. Still, none of that guarantees success. Fans have spent 10 seasons watching Welliver embody Bosch’s uncompromising moral code and relentless pursuit of justice. Replacing that familiarity won’t be easy.

Success Would Make ‘Bosch’ One of TV’s Rarest Franchises

Image via Amazon Prime Video

Television history is full of spin-offs. Very few character-driven franchises survive the departure of the actor who made them popular in the first place, which is what makes Bosch: Start of Watch so fascinating. The series isn’t merely telling another story in this universe, but is attempting to answer a much bigger question: Is Harry Bosch larger than Titus Welliver?

Amazon clearly believes the answer is yes. After seven seasons of Bosch, three seasons of Bosch: Legacy, and a growing universe that now includes Ballard, the franchise is evolving beyond the man who started it all. Whether audiences are ready to do the same remains to be seen. One thing is clear, however: Bosch is officially saying goodbye to Welliver’s detective for now, and Start of Watch will determine what comes next.

Muni Long is opening up about one of the most frightening chapters of her life. The Grammy-winning singer recently shared how a severe health crisis left her facing an impossible decision after years of battling lupus.

From collapsing health and emergency surgery to a remarkable recovery, her story offers a deeply personal look at resilience, motherhood, and survival.

For years, Muni Long knew something wasn’t right with her body. The singer, who was diagnosed with lupus in 2014, had been coping with symptoms while continuing to build her career and maintain a demanding schedule.

Her condition became far more serious in late 2025 when she developed pneumonia. The illness forced her to leave Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” tour before its conclusion.

Looking back on that period during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” Long admitted she had been struggling long before the situation reached a breaking point.

“I knew for a really long time that something was wrong. Every day I’m, like, spitting in cups and coughing all the time,” she said per the Daily Mail.

Long Details Her Difficulties Dealing With Symptoms

The singer explained how difficult it became to keep up appearances while dealing with worsening symptoms.

She said, “Trying to take all these medicines to get through the day. With this industry, you’re always in people’s faces. So, I’m taking pictures, and I’m just huffing and puffing like I just ran a marathon.”

Despite her declining health, she continued performing. Eventually, however, she realized the tour may have been too much for her body to handle.

“I should have never taken that tour. But there was so much going on in my life where I had to do it,” Long said.

Muni Long Faced A Life Or Death Decision

Things became even more alarming around Thanksgiving when Long’s condition rapidly deteriorated. She later woke up in the hospital and received devastating news from her medical team.

Doctors informed her that she had only a short time left to live unless she agreed to undergo a double lung transplant.

The shocking prognosis left the singer stunned.

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“My jaw dropped,” she recalled. “Literally. I was like, ‘That’s rude.’ But they were kind of like, ‘This is not a joke. You need to make a choice. You can either go to hospice or you can get these lungs.’”

The conversation forced Long to confront the reality of her situation. Suddenly, the future she had envisioned for herself depended on a decision that needed to be made immediately.

Faced with a choice between hospice care and major surgery, she had little time to weigh her options.

Her Son Helped Shape The Final Choice

While Muni Long initially worried about what the transplant could mean for her singing voice, another consideration ultimately became far more important.

The singer shares a son with her former husband, Raysean Hairston, and thoughts of her child helped bring clarity to an overwhelming situation.

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“The ego and the vanity was just like, ‘But what about my voice? What’s going to happen?’” she admitted.

As she considered the future, she realized there was something more valuable than protecting her career.

“But then I look at my son, and I think about how much more life that I have to live. Quality of life was first. I can’t sing if I’m not here,” she said.

Long also reflected on the emotional weight of that moment, explaining that she was “faced with my own mortality.”

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The experience changed her perspective and ultimately led her to prioritize survival over everything else.

Muni Long Shares Positive Recovery Update

Six months after undergoing the transplant, Long says her recovery has exceeded expectations.

The singer told viewers she is feeling better than she has in a long time and remains optimistic about her future. While she still has follow-up appointments ahead, her progress has been remarkable.

Describing her current condition, Long said she is doing “fabulous.”

She also shared encouraging details about her medical progress, revealing, “Tomorrow is my last appointment for all the things.”

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The good news continued as she added, “No symptoms. Asymptomatic. No infections. None of that. Then I have my vocal checkup, six months will be in August because I had to have vocal surgery, as well.”

The successful transplant has allowed her to focus on rebuilding both her health and her career.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 24 seconds ago

After news broke that Amazon had canceled the new Stargate series being put together by long-time franchise writer and director Martin Gero, the fan base decided to make their voices heard. There hasn’t been a new Stargate series Stargate Universe went off the air in 2011 but that doesn’t matter as the franchise has a loud, vocal fanbase that might be the nicest in sci-fi. Until you tick them off, which is what Amazon did with its short-sighted decision to cancel a series being developed for fans in order to, potentially, retool it as a mass-market generic sci-fi. 

#SaveStargate

Less than a year ago, Amazon made the grand announcement that it was bringing back Stargate. At the time, the streaming giant was excited about getting Martin Gero as the showrunner and Dean Devlin, one of the original producers, was back alongside Roland Emmerich as executive producers. For the first time this decade, the long-suffering fanbase allowed themselves to feel….hope. 

Like Lucy with the football, Amazon yanked the new series away and left fans to fall flat on their back, cursing themselves for falling for it. Again. They started a Change.org petition to help convince Amazon to bring back the Gero series. As of this writing, over 101,000 fans have signed, including myself, and the fan action is going a few steps further. On forums and social media, Stargate fans are canceling Prime memberships, boycotting Amazon, and finding other ways to show their support for the beleaguered franchise. 

David Blue, who played Eli on Stargate Universe, is proving he’s a multi-hyphenate by putting together a new sci-fi movie with lots of familiar faces for fans of Stargate. If you’re so inclined, he has a Patreon that includes access to his podcast, Out of the Blue, where he interviews other stars, directors, producers, anyone who has made a career in the entertainment industry. The first set of episodes includes Doug Jones and Robert Picardo. If the studio won’t give fans new Stargate content, the stars will do it themselves. 

The Best Time To Rewatch Stargate SG-1

Ironically, the flagship series Stargate SG-1 is gaining in popularity thanks to its inclusion on Netflix. New fans are discovering O’Neil, Carter, Jackson, and Teal’c for the very first time, and hopefully, this will lead to Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe being included as well. Stargate’s unique blend of military sci-fi, campy goofiness, humor, and elaborate, years-long storylines some of which have run through all three shows, is unmatched by any other sci-fi franchise out there. 

Amazon allegedly canceled the new Stargate series because it was being developed for the hardcore fans. In doing so, they told fans who have stood by the franchise for over 30 years that they don’t matter. It’s why #SaveStargate is trending on all social media platforms, why a petition has over 100,000 signatures already, and why the stars themselves are fighting for the fans. Amazon doesn’t care about them, so it’s good that someone is. 

If you haven’t experienced Stargate for yourself, start binging Stargate SG-1 on Netflix.