There aren’t many shows where every episode can be its own starting point. This is especially true of major franchises, which tend to attract audiences by their connections to other projects, but Star Wars: Visions defies those expectations. With three seasons’ worth of shorts, the series is a unique entry into the Star Wars universe, and because of that, it is also one of the franchise’s best shows.

Star Wars: Visions is an ambitious project, as the three-season anthology explores everything from the distant past to the far future. However, it allows for interesting world-building that no other Star Wars show can achieve. While it may seem confusing at first, Star Wars: Visions has a major advantage over other series in the franchise since it only requires a basic understanding of Star Wars, making it accessible to new viewers and dedicated fans alike. The beautiful artwork and individual styles of various international studios allow Star Wars: Visions to stand out, even in the ever-growing list of Star Wars content. Ultimately, Star Wars: Visions is an easy commitment, with no required viewing order and plenty of fascinating stories to choose from as a starting point.

‘Star Wars: Visions’ Explores Every Part of the Galaxy

Star Wars: Visions consistently expands the galaxy with storylines that introduce new planets and timelines. While the anthology series isn’t technically canon, it never defies what already exists, fitting within established continuity to provide a more thorough understanding of the world. It also expands the timeline, with episodes like “The Twins” set after the events of the Sequel Trilogy, while others, like “The Elder,” take place before any established story. Star Wars: Visions isn’t banished to the fringes of the galaxy either; some episodes even take place in familiar settings, such as “Tatooine Rhapsody,” which is on the Skywalkers’ home planet during the reign of the Empire. By exploring the Jedi and Sith, parent-child relationships, and more, Star Wars: Visions honors the beloved stories fans already know while offering a different perspective.

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Every ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Season 3 Episode, Ranked

The vision is clear for this anime series!

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‘Star Wars: Visions’ Has a Rich and Diverse World of Animation Styles

Star Wars: Visions‘ greatest strength is its range of animation styles, thanks to different anime studios working on each short. The overall concept of the series is to present Star Wars “through the lens of the world’s best anime creators,” and it does exactly that, though Season 2 expands to animation studios around the world. The experimental style allows each episode of Star Wars: Visions to truly be a unique work of art.

Additionally, this stunning and unique approach to the franchise enables the series to incorporate influences from other cultures into the Star Wars universe. With samurai-inspired stories like “The Duel,” influences from Irish folklore in “Screecher’s Reach,” a tribute to famous Spanish painters in “Sith,” and more, Star Wars: Visions is truly a global series where no two episodes are alike.

‘Star Wars: Visions’ Is an Accessible Answer to Franchise Fatigue

Image via Disney+

Among the many things to love about Star Wars: Visions is its low bar for entry, as the show doesn’t require the viewer to be an expert in franchise lore. In a world where too many series don’t make sense without being up to date on every project that came before, Star Wars: Visions is easy to digest. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how these shorts fit in the overall timeline, as they can all stand on their own, which takes the pressure off and allows viewers to simply enjoy the stories in their own right.

More uniquely, fans can begin with whatever story interests them most. Of course, there is a specific release order, but it’s easy to skip around or watch particular episodes without the context of others. This comes with a small caveat, as Season 3 does revisit the stories of three Season 1 episodes with sequels to “The Duel,” “The Ninth Jedi,” and “The Village Bride.” However, while these follow-ups build on characters from earlier in the series, their stories also work as standalone adventures. There is no show quite like Star Wars: Visions, making it a can’t-miss addition to the Star Wars universe.

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Release Date

September 22, 2021

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Disney+

Franchise(s)

Star Wars

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  Michael Sinterniklaas

  Tuskan Raider

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[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Project Hail Mary.]

Much like the visionary directors behind Project Hail Mary, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, audiences have seen the powerful collaboration between author Andy Weir and screenwriter Drew Goddard on screen, even before critics began raving about Ryan Gosling‘s breathtaking space mission. In 2015, their first seven-time Academy Award-nominated alliance on The Martian showed audiences what could be done with a whip-smart script and the guts to put it to screen, and they’re ready to recreate that magic again.

Project Hail Mary is topping the charts with Gosling starring as Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher on a mission to save worlds with his cohort, a rock being and engineer Grace affectionately dubs “Rocky” (James Ortiz). The movie also stars Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller, The Bear‘s Lionel Boyce, Milana Vayntrub, and Ken Leung.​​

In this interview with Steve Weintraub, Weir and Goddard discuss their interest in a third team-up, how Gosling got involved with the project, and Weir’s approach to writing epic science fiction. Goddard shares the biggest lessons learned while working on The Martian, the pair discuss why Project Hail Mary‘s on-screen ending had to have minor adjustments, and tease what’s next for them.

Andy Weir and Drew Goddard Talk Future Team-Ups

“We’d be happy to just keep cranking ‘em out.”

Image via Amazon MGM

COLLIDER: After watching The Martian and now watching Project Hail Mary: You two need to do more together.

ANDY WEIR: That works for me

DREW GODDARD: We agree.

More. And it needs to be more than every 17 years.

GODDARD: Absolutely. From your mouth to God’s ears. Yes.

WEIR: All you’ve got to do is make sure studios are willing to give us, like, $150, $200 million to make a movie, and we’d be happy to just keep cranking ‘em out.

GODDARD: Also, you need to keep writing faster.

WEIR: I need to write faster.

GODDARD: But then again, I’m not the fastest either. [Laughs]

WEIR: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we waited for him. We had to wait months for him. We weren’t interested in having any other screenwriter do this, so we actually just held up the project because he was busy on something else. Our list of potential screenwriters was one: Drew Goddard.

GODDARD: Thank god they waited.

I say again, thank you. I really mean this when I say the movie is spectacular, and in IMAX, it’s just incredible.

WEIR: Spectacularer?

The IMAX experience, when it goes full frame, is really just like, “My god, this is why I go to the movie theater.”

GODDARD: Honestly, I hadn’t seen the finished version until last week at the full IMAX. I’ve watched this movie hundreds of times at this point, and I felt like I was seeing it for the first time. It’s stunning. You just see the majesty of what Chris [Miller] and Phil [Lord] were able to do. It was a magical experience.

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Ryan Gosling Chose ‘Project Hail Mary’

“That’s even better.”

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

Getting it into real specifics, [Andy], you sent this to Ryan [Gosling] in 2020 and said, “I’d like you to be the star, and I’d like you to produce.”

WEIR: Didn’t quite work that way. I think Ryan approached us. Or I did not personally do any of that. MGM, which at the time was just MGM before Amazon bought them, I think maybe approached talent with it, but Ryan was the one who said, “I want to do this.” So, that’s even better.

When you were writing the book, did you envision a certain actor in mind? How does that work?

WEIR: So there are two things to say on that. First off, I don’t have a very visual imagination, so in my mind, I just see sort of blobs of characters, blobs of this, blobs of that. When I’d finished the book, I couldn’t have told you what color Ryland’s hair was or what color his eyes were or anything like that. When I’m writing a book, and this is advice I give to any writers, you’re writing a book. Don’t think about movie adaptations. Don’t do that. If you want to write a movie, write a screenplay. Go for it. But if you’re writing a book, take advantage of the enormous space and infinite canvas you have on the book. Don’t try to think about things in terms of a potential adaptation.

What did you learn making The Martian in terms of the screenplay that you took with you to this, that sort of helped give you confidence in certain scenes? What were those big lessons learned?

GODDARD: I think the biggest lesson from The Martian was we learned from the audience that you don’t need to dumb it down. In fact, the audience likes it when you speak up to them, when you assume they’re smart enough to figure it out. That just gave us strength. Because I think you have this natural feeling of, “Well, we need to make sure everything gets explained,” and we learned it’s okay if you don’t understand everything, because audiences prefer that, because then they can learn. People love to learn, right? It’s part of the movie. This movie is a celebration of teaching, and it’s like, “Don’t be afraid. Just put it out there, and the audience will come to it.”

Andy Weir and Drew Goddard Fought to Keep ‘Project Hail Mary’s Ending Intact

“Thank God they did.”

With the ending of the book, was it always that ending, and how did you come to that? There are slight changes in the movie ending, so how did you determine what you wanted to do?

WEIR: Well, for writing the book, I knew what the last scene was going to be before I wrote the first words. I absolutely knew that’s how the book was going to end. There was never any other option in my mind. That is exactly how I wanted it to end. As for the film adaptation, I don’t know how spoilery we’ve been getting, but I think it’s exactly the same.

GODDARD: There are some minor differences, for sure.

It’s very, very close.

WEIR: Very minor.

GODDARD: It’s funny because there are like four scenes in the book that I was like, “Oh, I’ve never seen anything like this. This is why I want to do this.” The ending is definitely one of them. I also knew this was going to take some fights. People are not going to want this because people get scared when anything’s different, right? So we had to sort of gently remind our studios along the way of why this ending was so special and powerful. I think they did come around, and thank god they did. But any changes that were within it were to maximize the effect of the ending.

You’re making this on a budget, obviously, and you have a lot of money, but it’s never enough. So when you’re writing the screenplay, how cognizant are you in terms of budget?

GODDARD: It’s always in the back of my head because I want to make sure we can do it. The problem is that Chris and Phil are so visionary, and they come from animation, so they always figure they can figure it out. They always do. So, I think that push-pull between us led to what is on the screen. I cannot say enough about the visuals they put on the screen. I was there, and I still don’t know how human beings did it.

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

I said to Chris and Phil that they need to make more live-action movies. They’re incredibly talented.

GODDARD: Without question.

I obviously have to ask you as a fan, what are you currently writing or thinking about? Are you writing something that is not being talked about? What’s going on?

WEIR: I’m working on my next book now. I’m not talking about it publicly. I can tell you it’s science fiction, and it’s another standalone story. It’s not a sequel to anything I’ve written.

How long ago did you start writing?

WEIR: Well, this one I probably started about a year ago, and it hasn’t been going very fast because of a combination of duties on the Project Hail Mary film and having a toddler. So, those two things. [Laughs]

GODDARD: It does slow things down.

WEIR: It slows things down. [Laughs]

What else are you working on this year?

GODDARD: Right now, it is all Hail Mary all the time, so I am excited for this movie to come out.

Project Hail Mary is in theaters and IMAX now.

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March 20, 2026

Runtime

156 Minutes

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Director

Christopher Miller, Phil Lord

Writers

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Drew Goddard, Andy Weir

Producers

Ryan Gosling, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Aditya Sood, Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, Rachel O’Connor

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Most people assume that thrillers feel violent and bleak, and they’re not exactly wrong. The genre is essentially built on tension, which can feel heavy and unsettling to many. Though for true-blue thriller enthusiasts, that is exactly what keeps them wanting more. However, that alone isn’t always enough. The secret to a truly gripping thriller is the delicate balance between weight and momentum.

When a thriller manages to sustain its intensity without emotionally exhausting its audience, looking away becomes impossible. This is a list of the greatest thriller TV shows that perfectly embody this balance and deliver compelling stories that practically demand to be binged in one week.

10

‘Sharp Objects’ (2018)

Image via HBO

Few thrillers manage to feel as personal and relatable as HBO’s Sharp Objects. The show begins as a murder mystery and evolves into a haunting exploration of inherited trauma. The eight-episode limited series adapts Gillian Flynn’s debut novel and begins with the murders of two young girls in Wing Gap, Missouri. The story follows Amy Adams as Camille Preaker, a journalist freshly out of psychiatric care, as she battles alcoholism and years of self-harm. When she returns to her hometown to cover the killings, she is forced to interact with her neurotic mother, Adora (Patricia Clarkson). This mother-daughter dynamic is the show’s biggest source of dread and feels more unnerving than the actual crimes Camille is trying to investigate. Sharp Objects is deliberate in its pacing to the point where the suspense becomes nearly unbearable.

However, everything in the show is intentional to make the audience feel how suffocating and oppressive Wind Gap is as a town that’s drowning in secrets. The narrative is fractured and constantly shifts between the past and the present, which might feel disorienting at first but eventually becomes the show’s greatest strength. As the investigation unfolds, each episode casts doubt on someone new. The mystery never overshadows the story’s emotional core, though, and keeps forcing Camille to turn inward and face her trauma head-on. After all this, the final revelation feels earned and reframes practically everything that the audience believed to be true. Ultimately, Sharp Objects is a perfect, self-contained story that forces the viewers to keep watching till the very end.

9

‘The Night Agent’ (2023–Present)

Image via Netflix

The Night Agent might not be the most realistic political thriller out there, but it definitely makes up for that in its bingeability. The series, created by Shawn Ryan, follows FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), who is assigned to a lowly White House basement post to monitor a secret emergency line that never rings. When it finally does, though, it’s cybersecurity Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) calling to report the murder of her aunt and uncle, and all of a sudden, Peter is pulled into a conspiracy that leads to the Oval Office. From there, the show rarely slows down and thrives on its sense of urgency.

Each episode delivers new revelations without giving the audience any time to question the logistics of it all. This is a show that definitely requires a healthy suspension of disbelief because it focuses on momentum over realism. The Night Agent commits to its slick action, tight pacing, and clear stakes. That’s exactly why the exciting Netflix show is so easy to binge in a single week. The narrative is complex and widens with each season, but the structure of it all is dangerously easy to consume in large chunks. Every cliffhanger, character arc, and new mission is designed to compel the viewer to stay glued to their screens, and that’s the genius of The Night Agent.

8

‘Behind Her Eyes’ (2021)

Image via Netflix

Behind Her Eyes is one of the most immersive miniseries of recent times. The six-episode adaptation of Sarah Pinborough’s psychological thriller novel centers on single mother Louise Barnsley (Simona Brown), who begins an affair with her new boss, psychiatrist David Ferguson (Tom Bateman). The situation grows complicated when Louise forms an unlikely friendship with David’s wife, Adele (Eve Hewson). On paper, Behind Her Eyes starts as a messy love triangle. However, it doesn’t take much time for the story to turn into something far more unsettling than just that. From the beginning, the audience can’t help but feel like something is off. The show carefully plants small inconsistencies in the narrative that don’t fully add up, and that’s the hook.

The audience is forced to keep watching in the hopes of receiving answers, but Behind Her Eyes genuinely commits to its slow-burning emotional realism before shifting into supernatural territory. The twist involving astral projections and body-swapping changes the whole story within minutes. The ending is definitely a gamble, but once it comes, everything else starts to make sense. Behind Her Eyes uses its early episodes to plant doubts, the middle stretches the tension, and the finale delivers a blow that the audience never sees coming. That kind of payoff is exactly what makes it impossible not to race to the end.

7

‘You’ (2018–2025)

Image via Netflix

Netflix’s You became a cultural phenomenon overnight. The series, based on the novels by Caroline Kepnes, experienced a second life on the streaming giant and gave the world one of the most compelling stalker stories of all time. The story follows Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager whose internal monologue essentially guides the audience through every heinous crime that he commits. This is a romance story told entirely from the villain’s point of view, and that storytelling device never really gets old. The catalyst in the narrative is Joe’s chance encounter with aspiring writer Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), which kickstarts his obsessive behaviour toward her. The fact that the audience gets to watch all of this unfold from Joe’s perspective while Beck is blissfully unaware of how dangerous he is is disturbingly addictive.

At the same time, You explores social media culture to show how easy it is for someone like Joe to weaponize online identities to cause real harm, all in the name of love. You Season 2 introduces Victoria Pedretti as Love Quinn, whose dynamic with Joe has to be the highlight of the show. Every installment of the show features Joe reinventing himself in several ways while deepening the consequences of his actions. Badgley’s performance, which is equally unhinged and restrained, anchors the show, and his narration gives the story a constant sense of discomfort. After a point, it’s difficult for the audience to say whether they are subconsciously rooting for Joe because once they’re inside his head, it’s impossible to leave, no matter what he does.

6

’24’ (2001–2010)

Image via FOX

24 is an action-packed ride that never gets old. The show premiered long before binge-watching became a thing, but it’s genuinely meant to be watched in one go. 24 Season 1 features 24 episodes covering 24 consecutive hours, and it’s one of the most adrenaline-charged approaches network TV has ever taken. The story unfolds in a ticking time-bomb format where every single decision holds extreme weight. Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is at the center of the narrative, but he’s not the typical hero who always does the right thing. Jack is forced to make decisions where the ends justify the means, and despite this moral ambiguity, the audience can’t help but admire him.

24 commits to its real-time structure and trusts the audience to keep up with its fast pace, and that made the show extremely addictive to watch. As the show expanded beyond Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., New York, and even London, its scale expanded to nuclear threats, bioterrorism, and deep government conspiracies. However, the show thrived because its emotional core remained the same, where Jack stood as one man dealing with the cost of protecting millions. This ongoing personal toll of the job is what turned 24 from a mere action thriller to a deeply personal character study. The show remains extremely rewatchable to this day and is an experience that just can’t be missed.

5

‘The Fall’ (2013–2016)

Image via BBC

The Fall is a psychological thriller like no other. The series, written and created by Allan Cubitt, breaks one of the most central rules of the genre and begins by introducing the killer in the story. The show follows Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), who is reviewing a stalled murder investigation, only to realize that she is dealing with a serial predator. Now, the predator in question is Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), a seemingly ordinary bereavement counselor, loving husband, and father. However, no one knows that he’s leading a double life where he stalks and murders young women with chilling precision. The Fall completely lets go of the whodunit structure and builds its tension through psychology. The audience watches Stella build her case, and on the other hand, Spector goes about his life while also planning his next attack.

This dual perspective is the show’s biggest strength, one where both the hunter and the hunted are fully visible to the viewer. What the story is then left with is the question of when Paul will slip up. The Fall isn’t a fast-paced procedural with last-minute saves. The show is deliberately slow because it aims to focus on Paul and Stella’s psychology. It’s the kind of story that anyone can easily lose themselves in and finish before they even know it. The series proves that a thriller doesn’t need constant twists to remain compelling. Sometimes, the horror comes from knowing that evil doesn’t always look the part.

4

‘Ozark’ (2017–2022)

Image via Netflix

Ozark is a crime thriller that feels relentlessly tense in the best way. The show follows financial advisor Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his wife Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney), who are forced to relocate their family from Chicago to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks after a money-laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes disastrously wrong. However, their desperate attempt to survive quickly evolves into a story about ambition and control as they find themselves dealing with local criminals, cartel politics, and FBI investigations. From there, the show thrives on escalation.

Marty genuinely believes he can calculate his way out of anything, but it’s actually Wendy who transforms into a ruthless force as she learns how to manipulate the chaos around her. When Julia Garner’s Ruth Langmore enters the picture as a member of a local criminal family, the dynamic shifts completely. Ozark is addictive because it refuses to offer easy answers. The characters have to live with the choices they make, and just when the audience thinks they have it all figured out, things shift in unimaginable ways. That’s why it’s impossible to stop watching until the characters’ consequences finally catch up to them.

3

‘The Americans’ (2013–2018)

Image via FX

The Americans remains one of the greatest shows to have aired in the 2010s. The series is set in the early 1980s at the height of the Cold War and follows undercover KGB officers Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), who pose as an ordinary couple in suburban Washington, D.C., who run a travel agency and raise their two children. However, by night, they head out to eliminate threats. Now, the twist is that their neighbor and closest friend is FBI counterintelligence agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), whose very job is to hunt Soviet spies like them. The best part about the show is that it’s actually created by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg, so it doesn’t operate like the typical, flashy spy procedural. The stakes in The Americans feel more grounded and unsettling.

The espionage element is thrilling, of course, but the real tension lies in the psychological toll of the double lives that the Jennings are living. This tension seeps into their marriage, how they raise children, and eventually, their loyalty to the Soviet cause. Even with all this, though, The Americans never presents anyone as purely heroic or evil. Instead, it works overtime to humanize its characters and present different perspectives on the issue. The show strikes the perfect balance between action and layered, character-driven storytelling. All of this culminates in a finale that is considered one of the greatest in TV history. Watching all six seasons of The Americans is definitely a commitment, but once a viewer starts the journey, they just have to see it through to the very end.

2

‘Prison Break’ (2005–2017)

Image via FOX

Very few long-running shows manage to stay consistent, but that was never a problem with Prison Break. The crime thriller series opens with structural engineer Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) deliberately robbing a bank so he can be incarcerated in Fox River State Penitentiary alongside his brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), who is sitting on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. That premise is enough to hook just about anyone in, but believe it or not, it only gets better from there. Turns out Michael is actually there to break his brother out of prison, and to do that, he begins assembling a team of inmates. Prison Break Season 1 unfolds as a tightly-wound thriller. Every episode introduces a new complication.

The stakes only get higher with Lincoln’s execution inching closer, and when the escape finally happens, it comes after a season’s worth of setup and feels earned. The story doesn’t stop there because Prison Break Season 2 widens the scope with a nationwide manhunt as FBI agent Alexander Mahone (Willian Fichtner) attempts to track the brothers down. From there, the show pulls the duo into international prisons, corporate conspiracies, and secret government operations. The momentum never falters, and every episode leaves the audience with a cliffhanger that’s just too intriguing to be ignored. Prison Break maintains its fast pace and remains gripping until the very end, which makes it the perfect show to binge.

1

‘Killing Eve’ (2018–2022)

Image via BBC America

Killing Eve, based on Luke Jennings’ Villanelle novels, is a dark spy thriller that begins as a classic cat-and-mouse chase, but quickly turns into something much darker. The series follows Sandra Oh as MI5 analyst Eve Polastri, who becomes fascinated with a female assassin known as Villanelle (Jodie Comer). The story begins when Eve is fired from MI5 and recruited into a secret MI6 unit led by Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw), where she is tasked with tracking down Villanelle and uncovering the shadowy organization she works for. What unfolds is a psychological tug-of-war as Eve and Vilanelle are repeatedly pulled back together. Sometimes, they have to operate as enemies, and sometimes, as reluctant allies.

Be prepared for a messy, complicated dynamic between these two because this isn’t a typical hero and villain dynamic. Killing Eve treats its two female leads as mirrors of one another. They are both ambitious women navigating systems that underestimate them. The show is groundbreaking simply because no other spy thriller has ever dared to portray this kind of female dynamic as its narrative core. Now, there’s no denying that Killing Eve has received mixed reception, especially in its later seasons. However, the cultural impact of the show remains undeniable. It’s the kind of show that is compulsively watchable with a story that stays with the audience long after the credits roll.

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Killing Eve

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Release Date

2018 – 2022-00-00

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Network

BBC

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Directors

Lisa Brühlmann

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Oftentimes, the best part of the weekend is finally having the time to check out a new television show. What could be better than watching a fun new series with your favorite snacks? But having a limited amount of hours means you never want to waste your precious downtime with a sub-par show. That’s why a fantastic 3-season Hulu series that nails the balance between comedy and drama is the perfect choice for your next weekend binge.

What Is ‘Reservation Dogs’ About?

The dramedy Reservation Dogs arrived on Hulu in 2021, and earned a devoted following until it wrapped up in 2023. Netting five Emmy nominations, it consistently landed on lists of the best television shows, and by the time the first episode ends, you’ll completely understand why. The series, created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, follows four Indigenous teenagers living on a reservation in Oklahoma. They coin themselves the Rez Dogs, gaining inspiration from the classic 1992 film, Reservoir Dogs. The teens get into plenty of mischief (to often hilarious results), but their lives have also already been shaped by tragedy. A year before the first episode takes place, their dear friend, Daniel, dies by suicide. As the teens decide whether to follow through with his dream of moving to California, they do their best to deal with their grief and their broken hearts.

‘Reservation Dogs’ Is a Perfect, Moving, Coming-of-Age Story

The series is filled with colorful characters, while also including a mystical, supernatural element that allows the show to tread into magical realism territory. One of the teenagers named Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) gets followed around by the ghost of his ancestor (played by Dallas Goldtooth). This is a wonderful nod that ties to the Indigenous past that Bear experiences, and is an opportunity to offer some laughs since the ghost shows up in the most unlikely places. One of the best episodes in the whole series happens in Season 3. It features an Indigenous mythical character called Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn), who is half-woman, half-deer, and who takes revenge on evil men.

The narrative illustrates some of the storytelling aspects of the culture, while also getting into the horrifying history of American Indian boarding schools that stripped Indigenous people of their heritage and culture. The mix of fantasy with more somber themes creates a tone for the series that is hard to match. Reservation Dogs also thrives because it branches out from just telling the story of the four teenagers. Stand-alone episodes also dive into a flashback of some of their elders in their youth and Bear’s mom and aunts. This is an insightful window into the various generations on the reservation, showing overarching generational trauma and joy.

‘Reservation Dogs’ Thrives Because of Its 10/10 Cast

Image via FX

It can be risky to cast virtually unknown, young actors in a television project, but Reservation Dogs manages to avoid that issue. Along with Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Lane Factor, and Paulina Alexis are perfectly cast, bringing out all of the complexities of what it’s like to be a teenager. By effectively portraying both naivety and fierce survival instincts, these actors bring you into their characters’ lives in an effortless way.

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But it’s not just the young actors who shine. Sarah Podemski, Jennifer Podemski, and Zahn McClarnon (currently starring in AMC’s Dark Winds), all help the series feel grounded in authenticity. There are also several guest actors that elevate the series to even greater heights, including Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone, the late Graham Greene, and Ethan Hawke. Each member of the cast allows Reservation Dogs to depict a moving coming-of-age story that reminds you of the importance of the connections you make in life, whether it’s to your friends or family, or to your community.

Reservation Dogs consists of just 28 episodes, with each one lasting about 30 minutes, making it an ideal weekend binge. Harjo decided to end the series after three seasons, and the final episode is a masterpiece. Although you’ll be sad to leave these characters behind, there is plenty of closure to be found in the last episode. Plus, if you finish Reservation Dogs and are still wanting more, you can always check out Harjo’s latest series, The Lowdown, which also takes place in the Reservation Dogs universe (complete with cameos from a few of the characters). Even if you decide just to binge Reservation Dogs, you’ll definitely never regret teeing it up for the perfect entertainment experience.

Reservation Dogs is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

The hype behind Dune: Part Three may be extreme, but it also happens to be warranted. Director Denis Villeneuve focused all his powers of filmmaking and became the Kwisatz Haderach of cinema with his sci-fi films. Both Dune: Part One and Part Two fire on all cylinders, and in 2026, the final entry of the franchise is looking to do the same. This could mean that Part Three might do the impossible and clinch the sought-after award that even Paul Thomas Anderson didn’t get until this year.

Franchise films rarely get recognized for Best Picture, especially when they are the last entry in a trilogy. The last time this happened was in 2003 when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept that year. The final film in the trilogy earned Best Picture when the other films in the series hadn’t. Dune was a frontrunner for the award last time around but did not secure the accolade. Now it is Villeneuve’s last chance in the Dune saga to achieve what the series has been building toward.

‘Dune’ is a Timeless Story Practically Made for the Oscars

Like The Lord of the Rings before it, Dune uses its genre to tell a story that is more timely than ever. While the fantasy franchise tackled fascism, Dune is notable for its criticism of idol worship and religious zealotry. This is the type of story that never goes out of style, considering Frank Herbert first wrote it half a century ago.

Paul Maud’Dib Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) rises from a duke’s son to the greatest power in the universe. Burdened with the power of prescience, he becomes the very thing he meant to fight when he radicalizes an entire planet and becomes the supreme Emperor of the Imperium. Dune was a seminal novel that influenced the genre to such a degree that it inspired Star Wars and even George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. The first two parts of the series were near-perfect depictions of sci-fi, but Dune: Part Three has a chance to drive the series home.

Adapted from Frank Herbert’s sequel, Dune Messiah, the third film will bring Paul’s story full circle as he comes to terms with the consequences of his actions. Part Three takes place 17 years after the previous film, when Paul first ordered his Fremen legions to bring the galaxy “to paradise.” In the new film, the Fremen are as fanatical as ever and have killed billions all in the name of Atreides.

Dune: Part Three looks to be a tour de force for Chalamet and the returning cast members. The conclusion of the trilogy will also bring Anya Taylor-Joy to the forefront as Alia Atreides, Paul’s eerie and mystical sister. Taylor-Joy appeared in all of one scene in Dune: Part Two, but will be central to Paul’s storyline in the new film.

Considered an “Abomination” because she was born fully sentient, Alia is arguably the only person who is 100% supportive of Paul. She is an incredible asset to his regime and just as dangerous as her older brother, which will be explored in the new film. With her acting prowess, Chalamet’s return to form, and Villeneuve’s mastery of film, Dune: Part Three should be a frontrunner in next year’s Academy Awards.

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Release Date

December 18, 2026

Director

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Denis Villeneuve

Writers

Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Frank Herbert

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