Bill Cosby
Rape Accuser Says Cosby Won’t Take Stand At Trial

Published
February 27, 2026
5:45 PM PST
|
Updated
February 27, 2026
6:47 PM PST

Police in Washington state claim that a schizophrenic man who had been off his medications ended up murdering his own mother this week by viciously stomping on her neck up to seven times.

Antony Ton Le was arrested for criminal homicide on Tuesday, February 24, after allegedly choking out his mother and “curb stomping” her in the city of Auburn.

Curb stomping typically entails forcefully opening someone’s jaw and placing their mouth over a sidewalk’s edge, almost as if they are biting it. The perpetrator then stomps down on the neck from behind with the full weight of their body.

As he was being interrogated by police, Le, 30, allegedly explained how he “got into an argument about school and finances” with his mother, Thuy Nu Thu Ton, before attacking her,

Le, according to an affidavit shared with Us Weekly, admitted to investigators he “ultimately killed his mother.” He said that he’d been “experiencing rage and anger” toward his mother in recent weeks, having stopped taking his bipolar and schizophrenia medications.

Related: Son Found Mom Being Stabbed by Husband After Jail Release: Court Docs

A son who heard yelling coming from his mother’s bedroom shortly after waking up ended up finding his stepfather stabbing her to death inside a closet, police in Maryland said in charging documents. The woman, Amethyst Stephenson, 47, had a protective order in place against Alexander Stephenson, 53, who is her estranged husband and now […]

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“He grabbed Thuy in a ‘choke hold’ and threw her to the ground,” reads the affidavit. “[Le] began ‘curb stomping’ his mother’s neck. [Le] noted how angry he was and that he likely killed her on the ‘third stomp’ and ‘over-killed her’ and stomped her four or five more times. After the assault, [Le] tried to ‘help’ Thuy by putting pillows and blankets on top of her. [Le] stated that he heard Thuy ‘gurgling’ for about 30 minutes before she died. [Le] then gave her a hug.”

The son told detectives he decided not to call 911 because he knew his roommate, the condo’s owner, would be home soon and that they would contact police — which they did at approximately 2 p.m.

The condo owner told police that Le had recently become “increasingly hostile” and “prone to violence.”

First responders tried treating the 61-year-old at the scene, but she died before they could even load her into an ambulance.

A tactical team was called in to deal with Le and set up a perimeter around the entire area.

In time, the team forced its way into the condo and located Le in his bedroom. Authorities then arrested him and transported him to SeaTac City Hall.

Related: Man Accused of Killing Mother of His Children, Leaving Her Body in Trash Can

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A Colorado man was arrested this week after being accused of killing a woman he shared children with and stuffing her body into a trash can. The Colorado 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Thomas Perale has been charged with first-degree murder, violation of a protection order/domestic violence, abuse of a corpse and tampering […]

The condo owner told investigators that when he left for work earlier that day, Ton was on the couch in the living room, looking at her phone. Le, the roommate had assumed, was in his room.

When the condo owner returned from work, he told police he looked beneath the pile of blankets in the middle of the living room and found the victim “lying on her back with her eyes open and her arms folded across her chest.”

He said that it appeared that Ton had suffered severe and obvious facial injuries in the attack.

Le is currently being held in the King County Jail on a $2 million bond. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday, February 27. Plea and attorney information was not available at press time.

Before sitting down with the House Oversight Committee and testifying about Jeffrey Epstein, former President Bill Clinton is speaking out about his intentions.

“I’m here today for two reasons. The first is that I love my country. And America was built upon the idea that no person is above the law, even Presidents — especially Presidents,” Clinton, 79, wrote in a statement shared via X on Friday, February 27. “Democracy requires every person to play their part, and I hope that by being here today, we can bring ourselves a little further away from the brink and back to being a country where we can disagree with one another civilly — where the search for truth and justice outweighs the partisan urge to score points and create spectacle. I’ll do my part, and I hope you’ll do yours.”

Although Clinton’s deposition is closed to the press, the 42nd president of the United States wanted to share why he agreed to participate in the investigation.

“The girls and women whose lives Jeffrey Epstein destroyed deserve not only justice, but healing. They’ve been waiting too long for both,” he said. “Though my brief acquaintance with Epstein ended years before his crimes came to light, and though I never witnessed during our limited interactions any indication of what was truly going on, I am here to offer what little I know so that it might prevent anything like this from ever happening again.”

Related: Stars Who‘ve Addressed Being in Epstein Files: Bill Gates and More

Several celebrities are addressing their connection to Jeffrey Epstein following the release of files connected to the late convicted sex offender. Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Before the case went to trial, Epstein died in a […]

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Before the 2019 federal case went to trial, Epstein died in a New York City jail at the age of 66. His death was ruled a suicide.

In recent months, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department have released Epstein files required by law. While Clinton acknowledged that he may appear in the files, he denied any wrongdoing.

“First, I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing,” he said. “No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos: I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do. I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.”

Related: Bill and Hillary Clinton Through the Years

From Yale Law School to the White House! Take a look back at Bill and Hillary Clinton’s life through the years – including daughter Chelsea Clinton’s wedding, the former First Lady’s 2015 presidential campaign, and more!

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Although the public won’t be able to watch Clinton’s testimony, the politician warned the public that the committee may hear him say that “I don’t recall.”

“That might be unsatisfying. But I’m not going to say something I’m not sure of,” he said. “Since I am under oath, I will not falsely state that I am looking forward to your questions. But I am ready to answer them to the best of my abilities, consistent with the facts as I know them.”

Just one day before his testimony, Bill’s wife, Hillary Clinton, testified in front of the committee. In her testimony, the former Secretary of State said she never associated with Epstein.

Today cohost Savannah Guthrie has frequently appealed to the public for help following the mysterious disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, in Arizona.

Pima County police suspect that Nancy was abducted from her home in the Catalina Foothills north of Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of February 1, 2026. Per law enforcement, a friend of Nancy’s from church first noticed that she had not attended that Sunday’s virtual worship service and contacted one of Nancy’s children, who checked on her home and eventually alerted police.

Since Nancy’s disappearance, local police and federal investigators have recovered DNA evidence and surveillance camera footage from her home but have yet to publicly name a potential suspect in the kidnapping, as of publication.

Federal investigators are offering a $100,000 reward for successful tips, while the Guthrie family is putting up their own $1 million reward that will be “paid only for recovery of Nancy Guthrie,” per Savannah’s Instagram.

Related: Inside Savannah Guthrie’s Unbreakable Bond With Her Sister Annie Guthrie

Savannah Guthrie’s strong bond with sister Annie Guthrie is one that many parents dream of. “My sister is by far the most wise, intelligent, thoughtful, creative, generous and profoundly original person I know,” Savannah wrote in her 2024 book, Mostly What Goes Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere. “She is my forever […]

“Please bring her home. You can be anonymous,” Savannah urged the public on February 27.

Keep scrolling for everything Savannah has said about Nancy’s disappearance.

Savannah Guthrie Breaks Her Silence With a Message About Faith

Hours after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing, NBC News announced that Savannah Guthrie would no longer travel to Milan and Cortina, Italy, to cover the 2026 Winter Olympics. The journalist broke her silence to say that her family believed in “voices raised in unison, in love, in hope.”

“We believe in goodness. we believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him,” Savannah wrote via Instagram on February 2, 2026. “Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. We need you.”

The Today host closed the Instagram post with a slogan that would eventually become a rallying cry in the case: “Bring her home.”

Savannah Guthrie Posts Emotional Joint Statement With Siblings Annie and Camron Guthrie

As the statewide search for Nancy Guthrie entered its third day on February 4, 2026, Savannah Guthrie delivered a poignant video statement alongside her siblings, sister Annie and brother Camron Guthrie.

“On behalf of our family, we want to thank all of you for the prayers for our beloved mom, Nancy. We feel them and we continue to believe that she feels them too,” Savannah told her Instagram followers. “Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light. She is funny, spunky and clever. She has grandchildren who adore her and crowd around her and cover her with kisses. She loves fun and adventure. She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you’ll see.”

Annie spoke next, admitting to viewers that the “light” was missing from her entire family’s lives without Nancy.

“Nancy is our mother; we are her children. She is our beacon,” Annie said. “She holds fast to joy and all of life’s circumstances. She chooses joy day after day despite having already passed through great trials of pain and grief. We are always going to be merely human, just normal human people who need our mom. Mama, if you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you.”

Describing Nancy as her family’s “heart and home,” Savannah warned that her mother’s “health” and “heart” were in danger because she lives in “constant pain” and needs “medicine to survive.” The Today cohost also addressed reports that police had received a possible ransom note.

“We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” she said. “As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.”

Savannah went on, “Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, He is with you. Everyone is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again. We speak to you every moment. And we pray without ceasing, and we rejoice in advance that the day that we hold you in our arms again. We love you, Mom.”

Camron spoke last as he encouraged Nancy to “stay strong.”

As reports of multiple ransom notes swirled, a California man, Derrick Callella, was later arrested on February 5 on suspicion of making “an imposter ransom demand,” according to the FBI. The U.S. The Attorney’s Office charged Callella with transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce, and without disclosing his identity, utilizing a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person.

Savannah Guthrie Sends Direct Message to Her Mom’s Kidnapper

Savannah Guthrie confirmed in a February 7, 2026, Instagram video that her family had received a message from Nancy Guthrie’s alleged kidnapper.

“We received your message and we understand,” she said in a message where she was flanked by both siblings, Annie and Camron Guthrie. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”

The NBC News reporter captioned her message with a familiar plea, writing: “Bring her home.”

Savannah Guthrie Addresses Ransom Deadline Expiring

On February 9, 2026, Savannah released a new statement in order to “share some thoughts as we enter into another week of this nightmare.” At the time, the latest ransom deadline from a suspected kidnapper was mere hours away from expiring.

“We believe that somehow, some way, [Nancy] is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place,” the Today cohost said. “We believe our mom is still out there.”

Savannah and her siblings previously appealed directly to the alleged kidnapper in their February 7, 2026, video, though this time they asked for the public’s assistance.

“We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Savannah said. “So, I’m coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, you hear anything, if there’s anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.”

She captioned the video by pleading with viewers, “Please. Bring her home. We need you. She needs you. All of you.”

Savannah Guthrie Reacts to Pictures of Potential Suspect

FBI Director Kash Patel released new security camera images of a possible suspect in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance on February 10, 2026. The photos showed a masked individual approaching Nancy’s property and seemingly trying to disable her security camera.

“We believe she is still alive. Bring her home,” Savannah asked via Instagram following the release of these new photos. “Anyone with information, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department 520-351-4900.”

Savannah Guthrie Shares Home Videos of Her Mother Nancy Guthrie

On February 12, 2026, Savannah Guthrie shared an Instagram Reel of home movies featuring her mother, Nancy Guthrie. The archival footage showed Nancy hugging her young children in their garden and posing with them for family portraits.

“Our lovely mom. 💛,” Savannah captioned the video. “We will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope.”

Savannah Guthrie Offers Update on Her Family’s Mood 2 Weeks After Nancy Guthrie’s Kidnapping

Amid reports of continuing ransom demands, local authorities deployed a digital scanner to help track Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker. Savannah Guthrie subsequently told her Instagram followers that her family still had “hope” that her mother would be found.

“We still believe, and I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it’s never too late and you’re not lost or alone,” she said on February 15, 2026.

Savannah also reminded the kidnapper that “it is never too late to do the right thing and we are here.”

“We believe. We believe in the essential goodness [of] every human being, and it’s never too late,” she added.

The following day, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed in a statement that the Guthrie family had been “cleared as possible suspects in this case.”

“The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case,” Nanos noted.

Savannah Guthrie Raises Personal Reward to $1 Million

With the one-month anniversary of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance nearing, Savannah Guthrie announced on February 24, 2026, that her family was increasing its personal reward offer to $1 million. She clarified that the “family reward of up to $1 million will be paid only for recovery of Nancy Guthrie, consistent with FBI criteria for payment of its reward in this case.”

“Someone knows how to find our mom and bring her home,” she captioned the post.

In the accompanying video, Savannah said that her family was still “blowing on the embers of hope” amid Nancy’s disappearance, though they realized she may no longer be alive.

Related: Savannah Guthrie’s Brother Sends Stern Message to Mom Nancy’s Abductor

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Savannah Guthrie‘s brother, Camron Guthrie, has spoken out amid mom Nancy Guthrie’s continued disappearance. “This is Camron Guthrie and I’m speaking for the Guthrie family,” Camron said in a video shared via Savannah’s Instagram page on Thursday, February 5. “Whoever it out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard […]

“We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in eaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother, Pierce, and with our daddy, and if this is what is to be, then we will accept it,” she said. “But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.”

Two days later, she reiterated that “tips can be anonymous [and the] reward can be paid in cash.”

“Please bring her home. You can be anonymous,” she pleaded on February 27, 2026.

By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 40 seconds ago

The bidding war over Warner Bros. Discovery is over, and it looks like Paramount has emerged as the victor. Netflix has dropped its bid for the century-old studio and production company, and it is now in the hands of Paramount Skydance. This news has rocked the entertainment industry and sparked speculation about the future of Warner Bros. properties, including HBO, CNN, and the DC Comics cinematic universe, which includes Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman among its famous superheroes.

The sale of the Warner Brothers movie collection has been a hot-button issue for those who watch the entertainment industry. Netflix announced that it dropped its bid to acquire the catalog, leaving Paramount as the winning bid. It cost Paramount Skydance Studios an estimated $111 billion to secure a catalog going back more than a century.

Three Bidders Enter, One Bidder Leaves

Netflix was counting on Warner Bros.’s history of success in the entertainment industry to boost its own catalogue, given its relative newcomer status in movie production and distribution. So was Paramount, which made a bid for the floundering studio and its assets in September 2025. Warner Bros. formally rejected this offer in October, which enabled both Comcast and Netflix to make their own bid.

Eventually, Comcast dropped out, and as far as anyone could tell, only Netflix was a viable player on the field with an offer approaching $82.7 billion. This rankled WBD stockholder Ancora Alternatives LLC, which held out its vote on February 11, 2026, on the grounds that Paramount’s complaints of favoritism toward Netflix were true. This reopened the bidding and allowed Paramount until February 23, 2026, to make a qualifying “superior offer” for Warner Bros.

Netflix had three days to make a counteroffer and announced on February 26, 2026, that it would not do so.

Warner Bros Has Been A Tax Write Off For Years

The entire deal has been covered in controversy. For a few years, Warner Bros. has been writing off properties for tax purposes, including entire movies and television shows. This included digital properties people had purchased for themselves that suddenly disappeared from their libraries with no explanation. These tax write-offs were also an indication of how much trouble the company was in.

Paramount’s move to make its initial bid was seen as an attempt at a hostile takeover. Warner Bros. and Paramount have been competitors for over a century. Combining their libraries puts a significant amount of cinematic and television history under one umbrella. A successful Netflix bid would have given Netflix the lion’s share of the streaming market, as it currently controls over 19% while Paramount and Warner Bros. each control almost 11%. As it stands, Paramount is poised to control more of the market than Netflix and would be second only to Disney+ and its streaming partners, Hulu and Fubo.

Warner Bros. and Paramount also own several news services between them, including CNN and CBS. CBS News has been under fire of its own after the ascension of Bari Weiss as news editor. Social media has been abuzz with viewers who are wary of Weiss potentially controlling CNN because they think she is too friendly to President Trump in her editorial decisions. This is despite Weiss being a centrist who has been critical of Trump in her previous work.

More Content Silos In Our Future?

Another issue is the potential for reducing access to media that is already seeing increased siloing of content. Entertainment companies push out their own apps or merge with other companies to consolidate their smaller catalogs, as the union of Paramount and Warner Bros. is about to do. The Paramount Plus app is notoriously buggy and even failed for some users during the Survivor 50 premiere on Wednesday, February 25. Paramount already excludes much of its content produced before the 1980s, and obtaining a long-standing rival’s library could mean the Warner Bros. and HBO collections get the same treatment.

Paramount’s Destruction Of Beloved Properties

Finally, there is the issue of Paramount practically destroying its own properties. Starfleet Academy has been criticized for poor writing, the destruction of Star Trek lore, and gratuitous inclusion in places where such inclusion makes no sense. Coupled with the trajectory of programs like Survivor, the NCIS and CSI franchises, and endless reboots of Matlock, Hawaii Five-O, and MacGuyver, signs show that the entertainment division is heading in a direction that asks serious questions about what will become of Warner Bros. properties like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter series, and the DC Universe, among others. HBO Max runs numerous classic Akira Kurosawa movies, like The Hidden Fortress and Rashomon: what will become of them under Paramount’s supervision?

Now that the deal is finalized, the next step is to examine it for any antitrust issues it raises. This will require scrutiny from numerous governments besides the United States, because every country Paramount wants to do business in has a certain amount of input in the proceedings.

Neither Netflix nor Paramount should have been able to buy Warner Bros. All the players involved, including Comcast, represent significant portions of the American and foreign streaming markets, as well as entertainment and news media. It shrinks the pool of major entertainment companies to a mere four.

Now, if the deal passes muster with anti-trust laws, two of the oldest studios in Hollywood are about to join forces, for better or for worse.

The fallout of the Fallout Season 2 finale is still hitting some, as the series clings to the top five most-streamed shows on Prime Video in the U.S. Since Fallout came to an explosive end, its place at the top of the charts, albeit facing competition from Beast Games, is the return of Ben Watkins‘ Cross. The detective drama starring Aldis Hodge as the brilliant titular detective from the James Patterson novels has become an enormous hit on the streamer, but with episodes dropping weekly, it still leaves a big hole in the weekend viewing of most subscribers. To try and help you fill your valuable time wisely, here’s a look at three Prime Video shows you need to binge this weekend.

For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Prime Video.

3

‘The Gray House’ (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes: 50% | IMDb: 6.3/10

One of the hottest new arrivals to Prime Video this week, The Gray House is the perfect way to keep yourself entertained this weekend. Starring Emmy and Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker, the series follows four women who, against the backdrop of the US Civil War, turn their work on the underground railroad into a spy operation set to turn the tide of the war.

“The Gray House is a brutal, unrelenting exploration of the lives of history’s forgotten heroes,” wrote Collider’s Maggie Lovitt in her review of the series, with this historical drama leaving no stone unturned. Boasting eight easy-to-binge episodes, The Gray House features an eye-catching ensemble, headlined by Parker and including Daisy Head, Amethyst Davis, Ben Vereen, Keith David, Paul Anderson, Colin Morgan, Ian Duff, and more.

2

‘Kingdom’ (2014–2017)

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 8.5/10

Image via Audience Network

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For something gritty, look no further than Kingdom. Perfect for sports fans, the series tells the tale of former MMA fighter turned trainer Alvery Kulina, played by the DCU’s Frank Grillo, who fights to keep his mixed martial arts gym in business whilst also dealing with all manner of personal issues.

Realistic and hugely underrated, Kingdom is the sort of undiscovered gem that is desperate to be unearthed on Prime Video. Having made its way to the platform last year, some have found this 40-episode work of genius featuring one of Grillo’s best performances, and now it’s time for even more to lose themselves in this gripping story.

1

‘Detectorists’ (2014–2022)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.6/10

Simply one of the best British comedies of the last 15 years, Detectorists follows two eccentric metal detectorists, Andy (Mackenzie Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones), who spend their days bickering and searching for undiscovered treasure. Dreaming of one day unearthing a life-changing fortune, will they ever realize their goal?

A blissfully simple comedy that puts its emphasis on the talent of its stars and the relationship of their characters, Detectorists is the perfect cozy getaway after a tough week of work. A winner of two BAFTA awards, among many other accolades during its run, the series is a true diamond in a sea of forgettable sitcoms and is perhaps the best work in creator Crook’s career.

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In the last decade, the fantasy genre has exploded on TV, with nearly every streaming service offering its own epic fantasy story, ranging from HBO’s growing Game of Thrones universe, to Netflix’s The Witcher, and Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time. While these shows have made the genre bigger than ever, fantasy has a long history on network TV that has been forgotten. Years before these large-scale productions became so common, network TV was home to many fantasy stories. Unfortunately, as the genre gained prominence, these smaller productions have faded away.

While the spectacle of recent fantasies can be thrilling, a well-written, creative series doesn’t need a massive budget to thrive. Some of the best fantasy series have come from network stations with limited budgets and practical effects. Examples like Merlin, The Vampire Diaries, and Once Upon a Time managed to develop a large fanbase without the advantages that come with a streamer, but this kind of show is no longer made. In 2026, we need to remember the joys of network fantasies and bring back this forgotten section of TV, especially since this format could address some of the current issues modern fantasy series are facing. After all, can’t we have a show with dragons or fairies before or after episodes of shows like Matlock, Tracker, The Rookie, and Law & Order?

Fantasy Series Don’t Need Big ‘Game of Thrones’ Budgets To Work

The recent trend has been to create fantasy shows with massive special effects and give them some of the largest budgets of any show. While that method has led to several amazing series, it isn’t necessary for every fantasy show.What is required is a fascinating story and lovable characters. Series likeMerlin and Legend of the Seekerserve as prime examples of this. These shows are less about the epic battles and sprawling worlds, but more about the characters, and that’s why they don’t need quite as much spectacle as more recent entries into the genre.

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This Divisive 10-Part Fantasy Series Barely Made It To Season Over Its $7M Per Episode Cost

A ‘Stranger Things’ alum took the lead in this short-lived series.

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TakeMerlin, for example, which may not have the bloody wars of aGame of Thrones, but has the relationship between Arthur (Bradley James) and Merlin (Colin Morgan) that kept fans engaged for five seasons and continues to be popular. Network fantasies may be different, but they can succeed without the bells and whistles that streamers use.While streamers aim for cinematic effects that leave the audience in awe, network fantasies typically rely on practical effects and cheesy magical elements that ultimately give the network fantasy shows their charm. They may look different, but there is a place for both large-scale epics and the smaller, more character-driven shows in fantasy, if only the networks would start to prioritize them once more.

Network Fantasies Can Avoid the Genre’s Biggest Problems

As the fantasy genre has moved away from network shows, a major problem has become prevalent, especially with these big-budget series: streamers have been cutting back the number of episodes and taking very long in between seasons. While this is true throughout TV, it’s an especially noticeable problem for fantasies, which require thorough world-building that simply cannot be done effectively in eight or ten episodes. Network shows have an advantage here as they typically have a bigger episode count, and, on a smaller budget, could likely have a quicker turnaround between seasons while also having seasons that are longer than what streamers can generate.

Not only do longer seasons allow shows to explore the magic within these stories, but they also help the show’s longevity. It cannot be ignored that, as streamers have taken over the genre, too many fantasy series have been prematurely cancelled while network fantasies often lasted much longer. The inflated budgets of modern fantasy series make them easy targets, but network TV allows more time to develop the story. While there are examples of shows that didn’t last on networks, the fantasy shows of the 2000s and 2010s usually reached a conclusion, and many lasted for several seasons. With examples like Merlin, Legend of the Seeker, Charmed, Vampire Diaries, Once Upon a Time, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and so many more, it’s clear that network TV can make memorable fantasy series. TV thrives on variety, and that is what the fantasy genre needs right now.

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Release Date

2008 – 2012

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Network

BBC One

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Showrunner

Julian Jones

Directors

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Jeremy Webb, Alice Troughton, David Moore, Justin Molotnikov, Ashley Way, Alex Pillai, James Hawes, Metin Hüseyin, Ed Fraiman, Stuart Orme

Writers

Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Howard Overman, Ben Vanstone, Richard McBrien

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