The following article contains spoilers.Ending a television show comes with a tremendous amount of expectation because loyal viewers want to ensure that their time has been rewarded. While a comedy show may only have situational scenarios in which the narrative development doesn’t lead towards a dramatic finale, drama shows can be judged based on whether they are perceived to have a satisfying finale. There’s no better example of this than Game of Thrones; although it was once considered to be one of the best drama shows of all time, it now has a more mixed legacy as a result of its terrible last episode.

The pressure to be successful has grown stronger in the last decade because of the obsessive relationships viewers have with their favorite shows within the streaming era. Here are the best drama television finales of the last ten years, ranked.

10

“Prisoners of War” (Season 8, Episode 12)

‘Homeland’ (2011–2020)

Image via Showtime

Homeland was an uneven series that managed to pull off a great finale with “Prisoners of War” because it ended in a realistic way. It was never possible for Carrie (Claire Danes) to completely escape from her responsibilities to protect the United States from terrorist threats, but “Prisoners of War” at least put a solid finish to her relationship with Saul (Many Patinkin), a character who was her ally, mentor, and occasionally adversary.

“Prisoners of War” was a cleverly named title because it’s shared with the original Israeli television series that inspired Homeland. Although “Prisoners of War” indicated that one chapter of Carrie’s story had come to an end, there’s always the possibility that the series could have a revival, especially given that it has seen a surge in popularity after being made to stream on Netflix, which resulted in a significant uptick in viewership.

9

“Lock and Key” (Season 6, Episode 6)

‘Peaky Blinders’ (2013–2022)

Everett Collection

Peaky Blinders is one of the most satisfying British crime dramas because it was a rare show that seemed to get better with each season. While it began as an underrated BBC series with a niche viewership, Peaky Blinders became a phenomenon when it became available internationally on Netflix, and managed to make an icon out of Cillian Murphy’s Thomas Shelby.

Peaky Blinders ended perfectly with “Lock and Key” because it resolved the succession of the Shelby family and provided a satisfying end to each of the characters, including a clever last-minute twist involving Thomas’ destiny. While it was as great a conclusion as any loyal fan of the show could have asked for, it’s not the ultimate ending, as Murphy and most of the original cast are returning for the spinoff film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man on Netflix.

8

“Jedha, Kyber, Erso” (Season 2, Episode 12)

‘Andor’ (2022–2025)

Image via Disney+

Andor is the best piece of Star Wars storytelling since Return of the Jedi, and the series ended on a perfect note that beautifully set up the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which Cassian (Diego Luna) sacrifices himself to ensure that the Rebel Alliance gains access to the Death Star plans. While grounded within the mythology of Star Wars, Andor was praised for its timely parallels to real-world politics.

Andor ended on the appropriately bittersweet note, as it was always going to be somewhat depressing that Cassian would not live to see the Empire fall to its knees. However, the twist that Bix (Adria Arjona) was pregnant with his child was an emotional way to signify that his heritage of heroism would continue well into the future, and that the name “Andor” would be remembered throughout galactic history.

7

“Green Queen” (Season 1, Episode 10)

‘The Curse’ (2023–2024)

Image via Showtime

The Curse is one of the weirdest shows of all time because it combined the awkward, psychologically unnerving black comedy of Nathan Fielder with the relentless thrills of Benny Safdie. Although The Curse was a series that hinted at supernatural elements as a conflict that emerged between the white characters and the people of color whom they try to “save,” the finale, “Green Queen,” takes a surprising twist by including something completely fantastical.

The Curse’s ability to take a hard slant into the inexplicable was a daring choice that resulted in an ending that left viewers scratching their heads in a way television hadn’t seen since the ending of The Sopranos. Perhaps the greatest surprise is that Fielder, a comedian at heart, was capable of giving a profound, dramatic performance and proved himself worthy of sharing the screen with Emma Stone.

6

“The Book of Nora” (Season 3, Episode 8)

‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)

Image via HBO

The Leftovers is the best show that Damon Lindelof has ever written, and in many ways makes up for some of the mistakes that were made on Lost regarding plot contrivances. The Leftovers may have started as an HBO show that was almost too bleak for its own good, but it evolved into a surprisingly thoughtful, moving expose on the way that people respond to the unexplained facets of life.

The Leftovers dropped any semblance of spectacle in its finale by reverting to focus singularly on the relationship between Nora (Carrie Coon) and Kevin (Justin Theroux), whose romance had been the guiding light of the series. Whether the story that is told within the final monologue should be believed is a debate that fans of The Leftovers still have, which is only further proof that the finale has a lasting power.

5

“START” (Season 6, Episode 10)

‘The Americans’ (2013–2018)

Image via FX

The Americans is one of the best contemporary dramas because it was both a thrilling espionage series and a thoughtful examination of the burdens placed upon a family. Although there was a threat hanging over Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) from the beginning that suggested they would eventually have to choose between their loyalties to the Soviet Union and their new home in the United States, “START” forced them to confront this question in the most dramatic way possible.

“START” managed to finally pay off the storyline involving the character Stan, played by Noah Emmerich, in a remarkable performance. It’s even more impressive in retrospect to consider how authentically The Americans was as a depiction of what married life is like, especially since Rhys and Russell became married in real life after forming a bond while shooting the series together.

4

“Hello, Elliot” (Season 4, Episode 13)

‘Mr. Robot’ (2015–2019)

Image via USA Network

Mr. Robot didn’t have the finale that fans of Sam Esmail’s brilliant hacking drama expected because it didn’t center on a major showdown between Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) and Whiterose (BD Wong), who has commanded the cyberterrorist organization Dark Army. Instead, the “Hello, Elliot” unpacked how Elliot’s various personalities had been born out of his desire to escape childhood trauma, and brought a satisfying conclusion to his relationship with Mr. Robot (Christian Slater).

Mr. Robot is a perfect example of why planning out a show in advance is a good thing, as Esmail knew exactly how Elliot’s story would end from the moment he began working on it, meaning that all the foreshadowing within the previous seasons paid off perfectly in “Hello, Elliot.” It also featured a staggering performance by Malek, who was able to unpack new layers to Elliot after shocking truths were revealed throughout the fourth and greatest season of the series.

3

“Saul Gone” (Season 6, Episode 13)

‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)

Image via AMC

Better Call Saul ended with a finale that was perfect and seemed to confirm that it was a masterpiece worthy of Breaking Bad, the series in which Bob Odenkirk had first debuted the character of Jimmy McGill, also known as “Saul Goodman.”

Better Call Saul had used a split narrative device since its beginning to show the events that lead Jimmy down a path of corruption and crime, as well as what his life looked like in the aftermath of the Breaking Bad finale, “Felina.” “Saul Gone” not only completed flashing back to the events of Breaking Bad and showing them from Saul’s perspective, but finally forced him to face the consequences of his actions; like Walter White (Bryan Cranston) before him, Saul became a narcissistic anti-hero who was incapable of being redeemed because of his unwillingness to show any change.

2

“Part 18” (Season 3, Episode 18)

‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ (2017)

Image via showtime

Twin Peaks had a rocky road to its finale because David Lynch’s brilliant crime mystery was initially canceled by ABC in 1991, only for him to revive it in 2017 with a third and final season. Twin Peaks: The Return had trapped Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) in the body of the childish character for the majority of its eighteen episodes, but the ending saw him finally returning in an attempt to save Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the past before the murder that set up the show.

“Part 18” is among the bleakest hours of television ever aired because Cooper sees the misguided notion of trying to change the past, which inevitably leads Laura to suffer even more. It’s not only a perfect ending to Twin Peaks, but a poignant ending to Lynch’s work as an artist, as he did not direct any other movies or shows before his tragic passing in 2025.

1

“With Open Eyes” (Season 4, Episode 10)

‘Succession’ (2018–2023)

Image via HBO

Succession ended in the only way it possibly could by finally facing Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) with the consequences of aspiring to fulfill the legacy of their late father, Logan (Brian Cox). Although the question of who would take control of Waystar RoyCo had been debated throughout the entire show, “With Open Eyes” made a cruel twist; Shiv’s spurned husband, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), would be placed as the new CEO, even though he had sold out the company to the invasive investor Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard).

Succession ended on a Shakespearean note that confirmed the tragic fates that each of the characters was doomed to after failing to come together to save the company. Nicholas Britell’s score has always been brilliant, but the musical cues he used within the final moments of “With Open Eyes” may be his greatest contribution to the show.

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Succession

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Release Date

2018 – 2023

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Network

HBO Max

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Showrunner

Jesse Armstrong

Directors

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Mark Mylod

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Blueface and Nevaeh Akira apparently have a little one on the way, and Karlissa Saffold Harvey has reacted to the news.

RELATED: New Circus Addition? Internet Users Weigh In After Blueface Reacts To Pinkydoll Asking Him To Be Her Valentine (WATCH)

Karlissa Saffold Harvey Reacts To Blueface & Nevaeh Akira’s Apparent Pregnancy Announcement

On Sunday, February 22, Harvey took to her Instagram Story with a reaction to Blueface and Nevaeh Akira’s announcement. Furthermore, Harvey wrote, “Kids are a blessing if he happy I’m happy [heart hands emoji] congratulations to them both and may God bless the baby.”

Afterward, she even shared a follow-up post:

“It’s a girl and I already knew she was coming [crying face emoji]”

More On Blueface & Nevaeh Akira’s Apparent Pregnancy Announcement

As The Shade Room previously reported, on Sunday, Blue and Nevaeh Akira took to a livestream via Twitch. Furthermore, ahead of the stream, Blue reportedly told his fans that he would be sharing whether he and Nevaeh were expecting.

Well, as their stream rolled, the pair ultimately shared a positive pregnancy test with viewers.

“Congratulations, you’re having a Blueface baby!” the rapper told Navaeh as they hugged and shared a kiss, seemingly excited for their new chapter ahead.

Have Chrisean Rock & Jaidyn Alexis Publicly Reacted To The Pair’s Apparent Pregnancy Announcement?

As Blueface and Nevaeh are likely basking in their excitement, the other mothers of Blueface’s children have apparently remained mum on his announcement. Chrisean Rock, who shares a two-year-old son named Chrisean Jr. with Blue, has not yet shared a public message in reaction. This, although she recently shared a post via Instagram earlier this evening.

Additionally, Jaidyn Alexis, who shares Blueface’s eldest children, Journey and Javaughn, has not yet publicly reacted either.

RELATED: Baby OTW! Blueface Seemingly Confirms His Boo Nevaeh Akira Is Pregnant After Test Reveal (VIDEOS)

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 27 seconds ago

For one glorious moment in time, Baywatch was the most-watched show on the planet, turning Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, and Carmen Electra into stars, but even those three paled compared to the popularity of David Hasselhoff. The star of Knight Rider found the perfect role for his second act as Mitch Buchannon, a veteran lifeguard who often said it was the only job he ever had, but secretly wanted to be a detective.

Baywatch Nights, the 1995 spin-off, let Mitch live his dream as a detective straight out of a 1930s pulp novel, solving murders, finding missing people, battling sea monsters, uncovering an alien conspiracy, exploring a parallel dimension, and even going 20 years into the future. Baywatch Nights is a bizarre fever dream that would never, ever get made today. 

Baywatch Nights Is The Strangest Spinoff In TV History

Baywatch Nights is really two shows: the noir crime thriller of Season 1 and the X-Files knockoff it became in Season 2. Hasselhoff’s Mitch wasn’t the only familiar face. Garner Ellerbee (Gregory Allan Williams), the police officer from Baywatch since the beginning, established a private detective agency and brought in his buddy Mitch to help him, alongside Detective Ryan McBride (Angie Harmon’s debut, known today for Law & Order and Rizzoli and Isles). Legendary musician Lou Rawls not only played the owner of the nightclub that housed the new detective agency, but also performed the opening song, “After the Sun Comes Down,” which played over the opening montage of mostly daylit scenes. 

Right away, fans were incredibly confused when the opening montage had Mitch running in his Baywatch red trunks and then fading in wearing a white Miami Vice-style suit. In 1995. Multiple shots of Hasselhoff behind a car were supposed to remind fans of his time on Knight Rider, but it had nothing in common with the campy, light-hearted show it was spinning off from. Faced with cratering ratings as the first season went on, the studio, The Baywatch Company, retooled into a monster-of-the-week format even further removed from the original beachside drama. 

From Noir Detective To Paranormal Investigator

Season 2 of Baywatch Nights is one of the worst shows to ever make it to air. Or one of the best, in practice, this was close to a 90’s version of Kolchak the Nightstalker. There was no myth arc, no character development, and no real point to the series other than that X-Files was exploding in popularity. The lack of commitment went all the way down to keeping Mitch as a character on Baywatch, making him a lifeguard by day and a paranormal investigator by night. 

Episode 4, “Strike” starts off with Mitch saving a young man from drowning when a strange lightning strike causes the two to start sharing their feelings. Spoiler: he’s an alien, and instead of letting himself be captured by the government, he chooses to go back to his home planet. There’s no ambiguity. There’s a bright, white light, and he fades from sight as he teleports back home. Again, this is a Baywatch spin-off. With aliens. 

A later episode is somehow even stranger: Episode 13, “Frozen Out of Time,” pits Mitch against Vikings, and, of course, it ends with David Hasselhoff getting into a sword fight with a broom. Four episodes later, and the team is hunting down a werewolf. At the same time these episodes are airing, Hasselhoff is still playing Mitch on Baywatch, and somehow the topic of aliens is real, and vampires, and werewolves, and yes, even mummies, never comes up. You’d think “I’m friends with an alien” would make great water cooler conversation at work. 

Baywatch Nights falls solidly into the “so bad it’s good” category. There’s no question that at the time, it was a massive flop and one of the least successful spin-offs of all time. Describing it today will make people question your sanity, and yet, there are more episodes of Baywatch Nights than there is Stranger Things. 

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 7 seconds ago

You can tell a lot about someone by asking them their favorite spaceship. Ask 100 sci-fi fans, and you’ll get dozens of different answers ranging from Star Trek’s Enterprise-D and Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon to the more offbeat, including Farscape’s Moya and that one Whovian who insists the TARDIS counts. If you’re lucky, at least one person will choose the truly bizarre Lexx from the offbeat late 90’s series Lexx.

A biomechanical ship that resembles a wingless dragonfly, Lexx is the most powerful weapon of destruction in the two universes. It can talk, achieve ludicrous speeds, and has a tail, all of which put together make it the weirdest ship to ever appear on a sci-fi series. 

The Power To Destroy Planets Used to Find A Date

Lexx (voiced by Tom Gallant) was designed by His Divine Shadow as the tool he would use to wipe out humanity and bring all of existence under the insects’ control. That doesn’t quite work out after hapless security guard Stanley (Brian Downey) accidentally kickstarts the spaceship during an escape and becomes Lexx’s captain. Instead of bringing doom and destruction to the universe, Lexx is tasked to use his incredible powers to find planets of open-minded women. Lexx, the series, is very strange with deep lore stretching back thousands of years, but it’s also very horny. 

The biomechanical design of Lexx gives it a unique look on both the outside and the inside, similar to Farscape’s Moya, except it’s considerably more squishy on the inside. Passages are smaller, the crew’s quarters resemble organs, and even the ship controls look like fleshy, bulbous nodules. That’s the controls for everything from the shower to the steering, and the toilets. Instead of a bidet or toilet paper, Lexx’s toilets come complete with a tongue. Yes, it’s a strange show. 

Lexx Is The Strangest Sci-Fi Show In History

Lexx isn’t a great series, but it at least dared to do something different within the sci-fi genre by acknowledging sex exists. That part is obvious within a few minutes of watching an episode. Lexx, the ship, though, you’d think would be super-advanced, maybe thanks to an “organic computer” or accumulated hivemind memories from other insectoid ships, but no, Lexx makes Stanley look smart. The courier/security guard turned captain often has to explain simple concepts to the ship, but once he finally understands, he’s willing to do basically anything Stanley wants. 

The exception is when it comes time for food. Throughout the run of Lexx, Stanley keeps asking for fancy, exotic foods, and each time, the ship provides goop. There’s no fancy technology creating limitless amounts of food here. Only what the carnivorous ship is capable of producing for the rest of the crew, including Zev (Eba Habermann)/Xev (Xenia Seenburg), the rescued love-slave and later her clone, and Kai (Michael McManus), the thousands-year-old undead assassin. Fast, powerful, capable of feeding and taking care of the crew on the inside, Lexx is, thankfully, a one-of-a-kind ship. 

During the four seasons that Lexx was on the air, the quarters and bridge took on different appearances, explained by Lexx himself that he was growing, but in reality, the result of different budget levels for each season, letting the production crew go absolutely wild or, for Season 4, forced to restrain themselves. Throughout it all, Lexx is destroying planets both for noble reasons and Stanley’s selfish impulses, eating other ships and people, and remaining the weirdest ship in sci-fi that could only ever be a part of the strangest sci-fi series.

NBA Youngboy
Welcomes Baby No. 13!!!

Published
February 22, 2026
4:45 PM PST

By Robert Scucci
| Updated 40 seconds ago

There’s a time and a place for one-note humor, and more often than not it’s used wrong. South Park’s most recent seasons proved you can only stretch “the President has a small wee-wee” jokes so far before they fall apart. There are only so many punchlines that can land before the humor goes stale.

Speaking of wee-wees, I expected that same kind of thin delivery when I fired up the 2018 Netflix Original, The Package, which does the unthinkable by taking a one-note joke about somebody getting their wiener chopped off and trying to get it reattached, stretching it across 94 minutes, and somehow keeping things fresh the entire time.

I went in fully prepared to hate-watch it. I wanted to channel my inner old man and say, “They don’t make raunchy teen comedies like they used to,” right before complaining about how restaurant menus are all QR codes now. The Package is a perfect example of a one-note joke done right because it constantly escalates, pushing itself from one extreme situation to the next.

Knowing full well, as a 37-year-old father, that my days of regularly enjoying movies like The Package are well behind me, I’m glad the next generation of young adults still gets raunchy comedies like this one. Had it come out around the same time as Road Trip (2000) or Without a Paddle (2004), everybody my age would treat The Package with the same level of reverence, because it’s just that funny.

The Worst Kind Of Whoopsie

Here’s the plot to The Package. Sean (Daniel Doheny) is planning a bros only weekend in the woods with his best friends, Jeremy (Eduardo Franco) and Donnie (Luke Spencer Roberts). At the last minute, Jeremy announces that his twin sister Becky (Geraldine Viswanathan), who has a crush on Sean, and Sarah (Sadie Calvano), who Donnie used to date, will be tagging along for the camping trip.

The kids head deep into the woods and start drinking and doing spring break stuff, which is par for the course in your typical teen comedy, and then everything goes to hell. Jeremy, who’s been practicing party tricks with his razor-sharp switchblade, accidentally lops off his penis while peeing over a cliff because he’s having just a little too much drunken fun slicing through his own stream. That’s the joke.

Rightfully panicked, a now penisless Jeremy goes into shock and is airlifted to the hospital, his member packed in a cooler after Sarah and Donnie find it in the bushes. For a brief moment, all is right in the world. Until the hospital staff learns that the cooler handed to the first responders was actually the one full of food and drinks, meaning Jeremy’s unit is still with Sean, Donnie, Becky, and Sarah, who are miles from their car and without cell phones because Sean accidentally dropped them off the cliff while searching for service.

The Package Goes Hard

The reason this one-note setup works so well in The Package is because of how fully it commits to the bit. And in this context, “bit” means “Argyle from Stranger Things’ severed dong.” I can’t remember the last time I crossed my legs and winced while watching a comedy, but they truly go all out here.

Bit by a rattlesnake? Someone has to suck out the venom. Covered in dirt and wilderness debris after a chaotic trek? Don’t worry, the gas station clerk will rinse it off in the soda fountain and buff it clean because, strangely enough, he was a military combat medic previously, and this isn’t his first rodeo. Finally make it to the hospital with the package, only to find out it was sewn onto Redneck Reginald (Blake Anderson), whose girlfriend Sheryl (Sugar Lyn Beard) landed him in the hospital at the same time by cutting off his pee pee and “flushing it like a poo poo”? Don’t worry, the gang will figure it out.

The Package will make you want to gag. It will make you cringe and wince. You’ll throw your hands up and yell, “Oh, come on!” to nobody in particular. But nearly every joke lands. It’s juvenile and vulgar in all the right ways, and I give The Package serious credit for taking a one-note joke and committing to it so hard that it keeps paying off.

The Package is a Netflix Original, and you can stream it if you’re a member.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 5 seconds ago

Rick and Morty is one of those shows that even if you’ve never seen a single episode, you’ve seen the memes: Pickle Rick, “20 minute adventure, quick in and out,” “What is my purpose?” It’s a show packed with jokes that range from the absurd to the multilayered, which makes sense since it shares a creator, Dan Harmon, with the equally acclaimed comedy Community.

Harmon explained in an interview with The Independent that Season 4’s “The Old Man and the Seat” was originally a plot for Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) about shy pooping. True to the spirit of the absurd sci-fi series, the original concept ended up attached to a take on Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, featuring one of the cartoon’s most heartfelt and emotional endings to date. 

The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Shy Pooper

The Season 4 Rick and Morty episode starts with the reappearance of the butter-passing robot at breakfast, when Rick (voiced by Justin Roiland back then) announces he has to go. Summer (Spencer Grammer) explains to everyone that her grandfather’s a shy pooper, and she’s right. Rick uses his portal gun and works his way to a toilet overlooking a cliff on a picturesque alien world with no other humanoids for hundreds of miles, if not even further. Once he’s done, Rick notices a broken branch, which sets off a manhunt for whoever intruded on his poop sanctuary. 

Turns out that an alien named Tony (Jeffrey Wright) found the isolated toilet and started using it, since he’s also a shy pooper. Rick responds in his usual way, by building a giant robotic Rick mech to sit on Tony when he uses the toilet and then putting Tony in a vat of red goo that shows him his ideal version of Heaven (complete with his dead wife). Tony’s shocked, wondering why Rick can build a virtual Heaven but isn’t able to share a toilet? 

The question hits Rick like a ton of bricks and succinctly sums up the smartest man in existence. Soon after, Tony dies in a skiing accident from “living his life to the fullest” and Rick goes to use the toilet, revealing he rigged a series of holograms and a speech about how Tony is sitting there, all alone, because no one wants to be around him. It’s not subtle; it’s clearly Rick coming to terms with his own sense of loneliness and how Tony, against all odds, seemed like he legitimately wanted to be his friend. Rick sitting on his toilet, all alone, taunted by his own prank, hits even harder after his loneliness and lack of connection became a major part of the last two seasons. 

Rick And Morty Manages To Be Both Very Stupid And Very Smart

“The Old Man and the Seat” wrings the most emotion possible out of a storyline about pooping, but then there’s the other half of the episode. Jerry (Chris Parnell) agrees to develop an app for Rick’s assistant, Glootie (Taika Waititi, no, seriously), which turns out to be a dating app designed to distract the humans while aliens steal Earth’s resources. This is explained by the Monogtron Leader (Sam Neil, and yes, Rick and Morty has surprising stars drop by for cameos) and his Queen (Kathleen Turner, see the prior parentheses), until it all goes crashing down with the addition of a pay wall. 

Normally, the thought of a simple pay wall turning a wildly successful app into an instant disaster would be the highlight of an episode, but “The Old Man and the Seat” is all about Rick coming face-to-face with his own loneliness. The B-plot doesn’t matter, even if it has some good moments, notably Summer’s soul mate constantly changing, though it does raise the question of how a shy pooping storyline would have been handled on Community. Dan Harmon could never quite get it to work, but by leaning into Rick’s self-induced loneliness, he managed to turn shy pooping into an episode that was true to the character and revealed new depths to his narcissistic nihilism. Rick and Morty isn’t Shakespeare, but it gets close.

Ilia Malinin is reflecting on his “redemption skate” at the 2026 Winter Olympics after his shocking 8th place finish.

When asked by a reporter how “important” it was to be at the Gala Skate, Malinin, 21, replied, “It just was really important especially for what happened.”

“I mean, it’s just something that we go through as athletes, as people. It’s just all this constant voices, these attention, the pressure, just everything forced upon you,” he said on Saturday, February 21. “It’s very hard to deal with and honestly it’s what makes us very special, very grateful for what we can do. Really it’s just the reason why I wanted to go back out there. Just give it a redemption skate, just prove them all wrong.”

While looking back at the Olympics, Malinin — nicknamed the “Quad God” — noted that his experience has changed him in “many ways.”

Related: Ilia Malinin Had ‘Traumatic’ Thoughts Before Shocking 8th Place Finish

After a heartbreaking performance in the men’s free skate final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, figure skating phenom Ilia Malinin said he felt “overwhelmed” in the moment. “It was really just something that overwhelmed me, and I just felt like I had no control,” Malinin said on Friday, February 13, after his shocking eight place […]

“I think that now I’ve really understood my purpose in skating, and that is just to bring joy and happiness to the people that enjoy watching me,” he said. “So that’s what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my career.”

Earlier in the games, Malinin missed the podium after a series of mistakes during the men’s free skate on February 13. He ultimately earned eighth place despite being a gold medal favorite. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov ultimately took home gold, with Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama earning silver and Shun Sato, also from Japan, receiving bronze.

Malinin took the ice for one last time at the 2026 Olympics on Saturday for the exhibition gala, where there was no judging and no medals — instead, just an opportunity to entertain.

He sported a dark sweatshirt and distressed jeans, performing to “Fear” by NF.” Malinin previously shared that his routine would represent the negative impact social media has on the younger generation’s mental health. Malinin completed his signature backflip, which was illegal from 1977 to 2024, and became visibly emotional.

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Related: Figure Skater Ilia Malinin Speaks Out After Falling in Olympic Free Skate

Days after he stumbled during his 2026 Olympics free skate, Ilia Malinin is taking some time to reflect. “On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” the figure skater, 21, captioned a montage of highlights via Instagram on Monday, February 16. “Even your happiest […]

“On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” Malinin wrote after he failed to podium. “Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise. Vile online hatred attacks the and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure.”

He continued, “It all builds up as these moments flash before our eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story. Coming February 21, 2026.”

While looking back at his performance during the men’s free skate, Malinin shared that he was “not expecting” it to go the way that it did. He also admitted to feeling “overwhelmed” at the moment.

“It was really just something that overwhelmed me, and I just felt like I had no control,” he said on February 13. “Honestly, I still haven’t been able to process what just happened. It’s a lot of mixed motions. Going into this competition, I felt really good. This whole day, I felt very solid, and I just thought that all I needed to do is go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition. But of course, it’s not like any other competition, it’s the Olympics.”

Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams kicked off their romance with an epic summer of love — and they’re still going strong.

In between their busy 2024 schedules — he worked on the blockbuster film Gladiator II while Abrams opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras tour — the pair found time to make a special connection.

Mescal and Abrams sparked romance rumors in June 2024 when they were spotted enjoying a meal in London. It wasn’t until the following July that Abrams seemingly confirmed their relationship, posting an Instagram photo with Mescal from Glastonbury Festival in England.

In January 2026, Abrams professed her “love” for Mescal while praising his role in Hamnet, which came out in late 2025. The following month, Abrams shared a series of PDA-filled photos with fans in honor of Mescal’s 30th birthday.

Scroll down to see how Abrams and Mescal’s private bond unfolded into a special love story:

June 2024

Let the romance rumors begin! TMZ obtained photos of both Mescal and Abrams enjoying a meal together at BRAT Restaurant in London. In one picture, the actor reached over during the meal and stroked Abram’s cheek.

August 2024

In a profile for The Sunday Times, Abrams addressed the interest in her personal life. “It’s all spooky,” she said. “You hope for just privacy in your life as anyone else would. That’s just the truth.”

August 2024

Two months after first being spotted, Mescal and Abrams were photographed together again in London. This time, however, they were captured holding hands. According to the Daily Mail, the duo enjoyed a shopping trip before attending the All Points East Music Festival. While enjoying Mitski’s set, the pair were joined by Mescal’s Normal People costar Daisy Edgar-Jones and her boyfriend, Ben Seed.

October 2024

When kicking off The Secret of Us tour, Abrams received some support from Mescal in the audience on October 5. According to People, the actor showed up at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to witness his rumored girlfriend’s set. And yes, he was spotted dancing and singing along to her performance.

Less than one week later, Mescal expressed his hopes that he can keep his personal life a bit more private. In an interview with GQ, the actor said that he’s “learned that there’s certain lines in the sand now for me that just are going to be impenetrable for the benefit of my own sanity.”

“The speculation has been kind of mad for the last x amount of years,” Mescal added about his relationship status. “I’m not comfortable inviting any access into that part of my life. How I am in my private life is so precious to me because I get very little of it, and it might be public interest, but it’s not public-obligated information.”

Swifties spotted Mescal attending Swift’s Eras tour on October 20 to watch Abrams’ opening set at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. He seemingly watched the show from one of the private VIP sections on the floor of the stadium. Because there were no tent covers on the VIP suites in Miami, fans have a better view of who was in attendance.

November 2024

Abrams supported Mescal at the Los Angeles premiere of his movie Gladiator II, according to social media footage. They were also seen hugging at the official afterparty.

December 2024

They made their respective Saturday Night Live debuts one week apart. Mescal hosted the December 7 episode, while Abrams served as the musical guest one week later. After Abrams’ December 14 performance, they were spotted holding hands in New York City.

Days later, Abrams made a rare comment about her private life. “Abrams keeps it brief when I ask how she’s found navigating personal relationships under this new public microscope,” Nylon’s Lauren McCarthy wrote in an interview published on December 17. “‘That has nothing to do with me,’ she says, straight-faced. ‘It doesn’t affect me.’”

July 2025

After Abrams’ set at England’s Glastonbury Festival, she shared a recap of her highlights via Instagram.

“❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️,” she captioned a carousel.

In one of the uploads, Abrams snapped a selfie with Mescal during a beach day.

Mescal’s sister, Nell, replied, commenting, “At any moment we can just say we’re so back.”

September 2025

The Normal People actor made a rare comment on his love life by explaining to Rolling Stone why the couple decided to go “Instagram official” over the summer.

“I actually do have an answer [as to the timing], but everything to do with that is deeply precious to me and I don’t want to. … This isn’t … I don’t really … umm … I want to protect those things fundamentally,” he told the outlet.

January 2026

“Also I love him surprise,” Abrams wrote via her Instagram Story alongside a photo of boyfriend Mescal wearing a “Will Power” T-shirt that had William Shakespeare’s face on it.

In the picture, Mescal smoked a cigarette and threw open his jean jacket so Abrams could properly see the witty pun on his shirt, which was a nod to his portrayal of the iconic playwright in 2025’s Hamnet.

Abrams also applauded Mescal and Hamnet his costars in a series of Instagram Story uploads on January 16, calling them all “singular.” She added, “Thank god for what they made. Go see it and you will be better off.”

February 2026

Abrams celebrated the birthdays of two very special people in her life via Instagram on February 2, including her longtime friend she calls “Clemmy” and boyfriend Mescal, who turned 30.

“P❤️Clemmy❤️ My whole heart!!!!!!!!!” the singer captioned a series of Instagram pictures of moments with both the birthday girl and birthday boy. “I love February 2 … Happy birthday❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️I love you both more than words could ever describe. Thank you for making everything better.”

Among the photos, Abrams gave fans a glimpse at her PDA-filled romance with Mescal. In one snap, the couple attended a Boston Red Sox game together, while another image showed them kissing in a photo booth.

Mescal was also spotted kissing his girlfriend at one of her gigs in a third photo, while Abrams shared a cute snap of the actor at a candlelight dinner in another.

February 2026

Mescal and Abrams made their official red carpet debut at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards in London, where they cuddled up in sweet snapshots.