Entertainment
One of the Greatest 5-Part Fantasy Shows of the 2000s Is Still Amazing 18 Years Later
The King Arthur story has been adapted many times over and in every way imaginable. However, some are better than others. An often-ignored example is BBC’s Merlin, which came out in 2008. Though it adapts the legendary story, Merlin takes a unique approach, focusing on the wizard instead of the king. Certainly, Merlin takes liberties with the story, but it follows the same beats as Arthur rises to power and creates a legacy as the once and future king, with Merlin by his side. The show’s twist on the legend is a breath of fresh air, but what stands out most is Merlin‘s dynamic characters and creativity, making it deserving of more attention than it receives.
The series focuses on a young Merlin (Colin Morgan), who, in this retelling, is the same age as Arthur (Bradley James). Developing a hilarious friendship between the two central characters, Merlin thrives on this relationship, unlike other versions of the story, where Merlin is a mentor figure. But this distinction is not the only thing to recommend Merlin. The show includes fascinating character arcs, like Arthur’s progression from spoiled bully to noble king or the slow corruption of the once kindhearted Morgana (Katie McGrath), creating something new from familiar legends. Is it campy? Yes, but that is part of the charm. Merlin is not the bloody epic fantasy audiences have grown accustomed to, but a humorous and fun version of a familiar story that offers plenty of surprises. With the popularity of fantasy TV that came shortly after Merlin, the series is often overlooked, but it shouldn’t be.
What’s So Different About ‘Merlin’?
The King Arthur mythos is familiar to most, whether from the many literary versions or the many adaptations that range from Disney’s Sword in the Stone to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But Merlin is unlike any of them, reworking the legend into something entirely different. The most substantial change is Merlin’s age. Rather than introducing an aged wizard determined to guide the future king, Merlin centers on a young sorcerer who must hide his magic at the threat of death. Learning of the prince’s destiny, Merlin is forced to protect Arthur, becoming a servant and friend rather than fulfilling his traditional role as a guide. The unlikely friendship between Arthur and Merlin becomes the heart of the show as Merlin serves as Arthur’s manservant, hiding his secret and slowly earning the trust of the future king.
The relationship is unbalanced in many ways. Arthur is a skilled knight with position and power, while Merlin is a commoner who accidentally gets a job as Arthur’s servant that he doesn’t want. Conversely, Merlin is a powerful warlock, aware of Arthur’s destiny and equipped to handle magical threats, though he cannot reveal that. Yet all the things that complicate their friendship fall away as the two grow close. They may tease and insult each other at times, but they each risk their lives for their friend time and time again. In Merlin, Arthur’s respect for the title character helps him grow into the unbiased king he becomes known as, making this friendship more than just a crowd-pleasing and amusing change, but crucial to the story’s progression.
‘Merlin’s Characters Are Its Greatest Strength
Merlin makes it a point to begin the story before the characters become who they are in the legends, allowing the characters to undergo formative journeys as the story goes on. Though most have an idea of who they will be, it provides the chance for surprises. When Gwen (Angel Coulby) is introduced as a servant and daughter of a blacksmith, everyone knows she will become queen, but how remains a mystery. Combining the mythic figures of Arthurian legend with new characters like Gaius (Richard Wilson) and the Great Dragon (John Hurt), the show is not a straightforward retelling but something more akin to an origin story.
Merlin‘s characters grow in unexpected ways, creating complex arcs that surprise even those most familiar with the legends. Arthur is a good example of this, as he is introduced as an arrogant brute and, over time, becomes a caring and kind man, willing to change his father’s rigid laws to promote fairness and equality. Letting commoners become his most trusted knights, marrying a serving girl, and placing his trust in Merlin, Arthur earns his reputation as a just king, but his behavior at first leads the audience and Merlin to doubt. But Arthur is not the only one whose unfamiliar characterization changes over time. Throughout the series, Morgana goes from a caring, if rebellious, woman to a villain out to destroy everything Arthur and Merlin built. Her slow corruption, due to the lies she’s told and her unfortunate circumstances, turns her from an ally to an enemy in one of the show’s most compelling plots. These characters may have the most pronounced growth, demonstrating how the show uses the myths to create an interesting story.
‘Merlin’ Refuses to Take Itself Too Seriously
Merlin came out just before fantasy TV really hit its stride. With the massive popularity of Game of Thrones and shows like it, the genre is booming. But Merlin doesn’t exactly fit in with the gritty, violent shows that rule fantasy TV now. Instead, Merlin uses cheesy effects that betray its limited funding, but they force the show not to take itself too seriously, which is for the best. The show thrives on humor and outlandish plots that support the more important character development. Merlin is not an epic fantasy in the way audiences have grown accustomed to, but it never promised to be.
Merlin presents an immersive story with dynamic characters and enjoyable relationships, which is all that can be asked of such a show, yet it seems to fade into the background of the crowded genre. Although Merlin wasn’t a widespread hit, it has a loyal fanbase who are still talking about the series more than a decade after its conclusion and dreaming of a continuation, though it is unlikely to happen. Merlin‘s twist on the classic story and well-crafted characters mean it deserves the love and attention it rarely receives.
Merlin is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
Merlin
- Release Date
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2008 – 2012
- Network
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BBC One
- Showrunner
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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
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Addison Rae had a fiery message for her “haters” as she made her stage debut at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
“To my fans who have supported me from Day 1, I love you, thank you,” Rae, 25, quipped in the middle of her Saturday, April 11, performance, per social media footage. “And to my haters? Suck my d***.”
Rae dazzled the crowd with several of her biggest hits on Saturday, also enlisting Dance Moms alum-turned-actress Maddie Ziegler to dance to “Aquamarine.” The set kicked off Rae’s “The Fame and Glory Show” tour.
Rae, who rose to fame as a TikTok influencer before taking over the pop charts and earning her first Grammy nomination, has clear goals for her music career.
Stars didn’t hold back with their creative outfits at the 2026 Coachella Music & Arts Festival. Bachelor Nation’s Kit Keenan, for example, hand-made her sparkling ensemble with help from her designer mom, Cynthia Rowley. She documented the design process via TikTok earlier this month, sharing behind-the-scenes clips of her mom busy at work sewing pieces […]
“I walked in with a binder, and I made a slideshow,” Rae told Rolling Stone in a January 2025 profile. “I just mood-boarded my vibes. I literally had no music to play [Columbia Records CEO Ron Perry] at that point, so it was about trust. Like, ‘Yes, I’m in the clouds, and I enjoy being there. But I’m also serious.’”
Rae further stressed that she always tries to be unapologetically herself when she hits the stage.
“People have decided who I am,” she told the outlet. “I’ll be your girl next door, but maybe there’s a wild side to the girl next door.”
Rae continued, “TikTok definitely gave me a lot of things, so it would be really sad to [see it] go, but hopefully the things that I create and put out surpass that platform … but I won’t beg for it. I’ll work for it.”
As Rae’s career has only exploded, she’s taking each moment as it comes.
Coachella 2026 tickets sold out within roughly a week. Both weekends — General Admission and VIP — are gone, and the official waitlist is closed. For a festival that draws visitors from over 60 countries and expects 125,000 fans each weekend, that kind of demand signals something worth understanding, whether you’re hunting for resale passes […]
“I enjoy fame. I think fame is very exposing and raw, and it puts you in a position that not everyone gets to experience,” the “Diet Pepsi” singer told The Guardian in December 2025. “I enjoy the luxury of it all, though of course there is a price you pay.”
She concluded, “I trust that the people who indulge in my artistry treat it with kindness and acceptance and love and understanding, in a way that maybe I didn’t before, and that’s honestly the dream, that I’m never fully understood. If that ever were to change, I think it would be quite boring actually.”
Rae will return to Coachella during its second weekend on April 18.
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What’s going on with Smalls, Benny, Ham, and Squints? Let’s check in with the child stars behind the ’90s classic.
Back in 2023, John Cena fans were eagerly awaiting the summer arrival of his latest animated effort, Coyote vs. Acme, a hybrid feature with live-action featuring Cena as Buddy Crane. However, the baffling decision was then made to remove the film entirely from the release schedule, with its July release date replaced by Barbie. Finally, after being acquired by Ketchup Entertainment in 2025, the film was rescheduled for release in 2026, over three years after it was supposed to debut. Barring any glaring issues, Coyote vs. Acme will come to a theater near you on August 28, 2026.
Exciting as this Cena role is, it is far from his first work in the animation realm, the most underrated of which has just quietly returned to the streaming charts. Ferdinand, a 2017 animated movie from 20th Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studios, and Davis Entertainment, saw Cena star alongside the likes of Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale, Peyton Manning, Doctor Who favorite David Tennant, and more. Loosely based on the 1936 children’s book The Story of Ferdinand, the film follows a young bull who escapes a Spanish training camp and finds refuge on a farm, only for his solace to be broken when he is returned to his former captors. To escape, the bull joins forces with an unlikely team of other animals.
One of Cena’s more impressive voice performances, having been criticized for playing heightened versions of himself in other projects, Ferdinand rightfully earned praise from critics when it debuted nine years ago. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film boasts a positive 70% score, with the consensus on the site reading, “Ferdinand‘s colorful update on a classic tale doesn’t go anywhere unexpected, but its timeless themes — and John Cena’s engaging voice work in the title role — make for family-friendly fun.” Almost a decade on, Ferdinand is a streaming hit again, landing a place in the top ten most-watched movies on HBO Max in the U.S., at the time of writing.
‘Ferdinand’ Was a Box Office Hit
Although the film has fallen into obscurity since, there was once a time when Ferdinand was a popular mainstream option for families in theaters. Against a production budget of $111 million, the film returned an impressive global haul of $307 million. Split between $84 million in domestic revenue and a further $223 million from overseas markets, this December 2017 release was the early Christmas present millions enjoyed, and many are now rediscovering.
Ferdinand is streaming on HBO Max. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.
- Release Date
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December 9, 2017
- Runtime
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108 minutes
- Director
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Carlos Saldanha
John Wick may have introduced one of the world’s most iconic assassins, but there is plenty of action beyond his universe. In 2014, Keanu Reeves took on the role of the titular hitman, who goes on a rampage after gangsters break into his home and kill his beloved puppy. Fueled by grief and vengeance, Wick hunts down those responsible, only to uncover a larger, more sinister scheme. At this point, retirement proves anything but peaceful.
However, while Wick stands as Hollywood’s quintessential assassin, there is still a wide range of action films worth exploring. He may be known for his signature “gun-fu” style, but some audiences crave more variety beyond relentless carnage and repeated techniques. Without further ado, here are the movies with even better action than John Wick.
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (2003)
As the Bride (Uma Thurman) would learn in Kill Bill Vol. 1, never leave your former lover hanging — especially when he’s the ringleader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. The Quentin Tarantino classic is a pastiche of many elements: spaghetti western, martial arts, and samurai cinema. All of this is then greatly tied to the Bride’s quest to find the man who not only left her dead at her own wedding rehearsal, but also lost the child she was bearing.
Female rage is emotional, but being torn apart from her child becomes the perfect backstory for the Bride’s vengeance. She travels across the world to find the Deadly Vipers, battling each one with specificity. One standout is the scalp-cutting battle with O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) and the Crazy 88. In this sequence, she single-handedly kills dozens of armed enemies. Another is the suburban showdown with Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), where they try to stay as discreet as possible, given their neighborhood surroundings. Each encounter with a Deadly Viper highlights the Bride’s fighting versatility and makes every fight feel freshly exciting.
‘Police Story’ (1985)
Police Story not only popularized Hong Kong cop movies, but it also revolutionized the art of stunts in action cinema. Action scenes are often known for their brutality, but Jackie Chan, who plays Chan Ka-Kui, shows that there are layers to crafting a great sequence. Action scenes should have style, and that comes from choreography. With Chan’s background in Peking Opera training, his approach leans heavily into acrobatics. This influence explains the constant tumbling and aerial momentum, even during hand-to-hand combat.
Another defining feature of Police Story is how environmental the action scenes are. Forget fighting rings or evil lairs — most of these fights take place in public spaces, leveraging whatever is in Ka-Kui’s surroundings. Instead of chasing a double-decker bus with a car, he clings to it using nothing but an umbrella. He swings himself upward while villains try to kick him off. In the film’s peak ending, an extended shopping mall fight, Ka-Kui throws a henchman into a moving escalator, revs up a display motorcycle and crashes it into glass fixtures, and even slides down a pole from the upper floor to the ground floor, wrapped in light bulbs.
‘The Raid: Redemption’ (2011)
The premise of The Raid: Redemption is remarkably simple yet clever: a 20-man squad of MBC (Mobile Brigade Corps) infiltrates a rundown apartment. The objective is to arrest crime lord Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy), who sits calmly on the top floor. Taking over a building should be straightforward, especially when you’re a government-backed police force. But before they can even lay a finger on him, the MBC has to push through 30 stories of criminals, ranging from your everyday thugs to deadly assassins.
The Raid: Redemption takes claustrophobia to new, deadly heights. The moment the MBC officers enter through the front door on the ground floor, there is no escape. At every turn — every corridor and every door opened — a bloodthirsty killer is waiting to murder them by whatever means necessary, especially since they have been promised free residence by Tama. Being in a small, cramped space with threats coming from all directions creates constant urgency. There is no time for showmanship, and by the time the MBC officers have exhausted all their resources, they can only rely on their fists to fight their way through each floor.
‘Kung Fu Hustle’ (2004)
Beating the living lights out of gangsters doesn’t always have to be vicious. In Kung Fu Hustle, it can be whimsical and graceful. Inspired by the art of wuxia — the classic genre depicting martial artists in ancient China — much of the film’s fantasy draws on real spiritual elements. These elements form the basis of qi (life force), the energy that powers many of the action sequences in Stephen Chow‘s film.
Kung Fu Hustle emphasizes that fighting isn’t always about being on the offensive. To overcome injustice, one must first find inner peace to harness one’s qi. Only then can they unlock true power, and in the film’s case, even supernatural abilities like the Buddha’s Palm strike. Qi also serves as the foundation for many of the kung fu styles shown in the movie. These range from the rapid, grounded Hung Gar style to the low, coiled, yet explosive Hama Gong technique.
‘Hardcore Henry’ (2015)
In typical fashion, viewers watch movies from a third-person perspective. But if anyone has ever wondered what it’s like to literally be the one doing the action, Hardcore Henry is the go-to movie. Told from a first-person perspective, the film unfolds through the eyes of Henry, an amnesia-stricken man brought back from the dead by his wife (Haley Bennett). Moments later, she is kidnapped, and Henry — or rather, you — is thrust into the action, immediately under fire.
Hardcore Henry feeds your action-filled curiosities. One moment, you find yourself sliding down a crowded escalator and accidentally crashing into someone. Next, you’re peering through a sniper scope, picking off enemies from the top of a building. For adrenaline junkies, the film goes even further. You’ll be riding a high-speed motorcycle and ramming it into a van ahead of you. It’s a no-brainer action, but it pulls you in completely, letting you experience every moment viscerally.
‘Gladiator’ (2000)
For a movie filled with bloodshed, Gladiator still finds moments of humanity between its sword fights. Creative liberties aside — real gladiator battles did not typically end in death, and trained fighters were expected to survive multiple bouts — the film questions the universally troubling idea that people find violence entertaining. At the same time, it is this very violence that Maximus (Russell Crowe) is forced to endure. Each fight becomes part of his strategy to survive and move closer to Commodus.
The basis of Gladiator‘s action is embodied in the famous line Crowe improvised: “Are you not entertained?” The battles are designed to satisfy the masses watching them, and as a result, they go to extreme lengths. From decapitating an opponent to being trapped in a claustrophobic fight against heavily armored gladiators, to facing a former champion while real tigers circle the arena, each sequence is crafted to thrill. These battles are meant not only to entertain the crowds within the film but also the audience watching it.
‘RRR’ (2022)
Some think it’s kooky, while others call it camp. Either way, that doesn’t take away from the fact that RRR is packed with action from start to finish. The over theatrical nature of its stunts — reminiscent of the aesthetic in Baz Luhrmann‘s Romeo + Juliet — amplifies the film’s already fierce spectacle. Yet, beneath all the stylization, the story is rooted in history. RRR reimagines the resistance against British colonial rule through two real-life Indian revolutionaries of the 1920s: Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.).
When we talk about heroes, there is a tendency to present them as larger-than-life figures. RRR fully embraces this idea through its over-the-top spectacle. The film holds nothing back in portraying its national heroes — the men who fought for the liberation of their people. From Bheem unleashing a collection of wild animals on British soldiers, to Raju fighting atop Bheem’s shoulders, each sequence escalates the action. It’s one explosion after another.
RRR
- Release Date
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March 24, 2022
- Runtime
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185 Minutes
- Director
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S.S. Rajamouli
- Writers
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S.S. Rajamouli, Vijayendra Prasad
Steve Howey is leaving High Potential but did his character, Captain Wagner, die before season 3?
During the season 2 finale, Wagner (Howey) was shot and left bleeding out as first responders were called to help. It wasn’t clear whether he survived before news broke that Howey, 48, was exiting the hit ABC series. (Howey was previously cast in upcoming seasons of Off Campus and Ransom Canyon, so he could potentially be written off the show.)
Deadline later confirmed that the season 2 finale marked the last episode as a series regular for Howey. The actor initially wasn’t expected to return due to him signing a one-year deal.
Wagner’s story has not been fully determined yet though and there is a chance Howey could come back as a guest star at the beginning of season 3 to wrap up his arc.
High Potential is returning for a third season — but not everyone is coming back after that surprise cast exit. The hit ABC series, which premiered in September 2024, follows Morgan (Kaitlin Olson), a high-potential intellectual who teams up with the LAPD to assist the department in solving murders. Morgan gets paired up with Karadec […]
Howey previously teased his arc on the show while speaking exclusively to Us Weekly in September 2025, saying, “Nick comes in and does ruffle some feathers. But his motives and his intentions are not to do that. He wants to help and we start seeing that in different episodes.”
He continued: “That was my fear and my concern. When you have such a lightning in the bottle strong dynamic of these characters, throwing in another character can potentially thrown that off. I’m still working on not doing that. This is going to evolve into something really cool. We don’t know about the chemistry with Nick and Morgan. Obviously there is [something]. But as he’s incrementally gaining more trust with the department, hopefully it gets better and better.”
Howey, for his part, was thrilled at the chance to join one of his favorite shows.
All good things must come to an end, even when it comes to TV. Over the years, many television stars have suddenly left their roles — while others have been cut from a series without much notice. Anna Faris announced in September 2020 that she was leaving CBS’ Mom after starring as the lead character […]
“The first season was amazing. It is not your usual procedure. I love the insert shots and I love their style. But I have friends in real life that are police officers and are part of the sheriff’s department. So I talked to them and they definitely made fun of me because that’s what they do,” he told Us. “I’m taking my own leeway a little bit about who this guy is and that comes from the writers about who his family is and how they were in law enforcement and now in politics. So he has something to prove to the department and to himself. So it’s fun to work on it and see what comes out of it.”
The decision about Wagner’s future on the show will be made after a new showrunner is found. News broke in March that showrunner Todd Harthan exited the show to focus on the upcoming live-action adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s young adult [YA] book series The Inheritance Cycle. The adaptation — titled Eragon — is cocreated with Paolini and Harthan will serve as coshowrunner alongside Todd Helbing.
High Potential, meanwhile, has been renewed for a third season. All episodes are currently streaming on Hulu.
Entertainment
Frankie Muniz crashes “Malcolm in the Middle–”themed NASCAR truck hours after show's revival premieres
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“Hopefully, people are going to watch the ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ reboot right after this race!” the actor-turned-driver said.
The crime thriller genre is one of the busiest on streaming, with some of the most popular shows today featuring grizzled problem-solvers facing personal demons on the hunt for justice. However, few of these are better than Ben Watkins‘ Cross, which premiered its second season with three episodes back on February 11. Since its Season 2 debut, this adaptation of James Patterson‘s long-running novel series dropped another five acclaimed episodes, all culminating on March 18 with the finale, “Quemar,” directed by Edward Ornelas.
Led by Aldis Hodge‘s quick-witted, suave detective, Cross Season 2 somehow raised the bar from a stellar first outing, no doubt helped by the eye-catching addition of Scream and Five Nights at Freddy’s favorite Matthew Lillard to the cast. The second season ensemble also included Isaiah Mustafa, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Juanita Jennings, and Caleb Elijah, with the likes of Tiffany K. Guillen, R. T. Thorne, Stacey Muhammad, and Craig Siebels joining Ornelas in directing duties. A synopsis for the second season reads, “Cross is in pursuit of a ruthless vigilante who is hunting down corrupt billionaire magnates.”
Excitingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it was announced that Cross had been renewed for Season 3 on the day of the second season finale, with the pursuit of America’s most dangerous killers far from over. Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television at Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement about the renewal, “From the beginning, Cross has captivated audiences with its layered characters, pulse-pounding suspense, and emotionally grounded storytelling. Aldis Hodge has delivered a definitive portrayal of Alex Cross, anchoring the series with depth, intelligence, and heart.”
‘Cross’ Has Hit a New Streaming Milestone
Despite it now being almost a month since the second season ended, Cross is continuing to prove popular and hold onto its place in the American streaming charts. At the time of writing, the series has officially surpassed the 50-day mark on the Prime Video top ten. Sadly, in the global top ten, Cross has been overtaken by the likes of the acclaimed fourth season of Invincible, which tops the charts both globally and in the U.S. Other popular shows on Prime Video include the video game adaptation Fallout, the up-and-coming Hero Fiennes Tiffin team-up with directing veteran Guy Ritchie on Young Sherlock, Scarpetta starring Nicole Kidman, and others.
Cross is available to stream on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2024
- Network
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Prime Video
- Directors
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Craig Siebels, Nzingha Stewart
- Writers
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Ben Watkins
- Franchise(s)
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Alex Cross
The third season of “Euphoria” is finally set to debut on HBO, but the prolonged delay leading up to its release reportedly became a growing frustration for its lead, Zendaya. Insiders claim much of that tension was directed at creator Sam Levinson, who was said to be at the center of the holdups.
While production setbacks have been publicly linked to the 2023 actors’ strike and the tragic passing of Angus Cloud, sources claim there’s more brewing beneath the surface. Reports suggest tensions within the cast, including rumored disagreements between the “Dune” actress and Sydney Sweeney.
Zendaya Frustrated With Sam Levinson Over ‘Euphoria’ Delay
Zendaya is said to have reached a breaking point with Levinson over the long-delayed third season of “Euphoria.”
With the installment finally set to premiere on HBO, fans were quick to notice that the “Spider-Man” star was no longer credited as an executive producer, a role she held in the first two seasons. The change reportedly stemmed from the actress’s reduced involvement in the script development process, though she still played a key role in approving the overall storyline.
According to a source who spoke to Vanity Fair, her packed 2025 schedule made it difficult for her to commit behind the scenes fully.
Still, reports suggest the Emmy winner grew increasingly frustrated with Levinson as delays dragged on, especially after she intentionally kept space in her calendar for “Euphoria,” only for production setbacks to derail those plans.
Zendaya Is Not The Only Dissatisfied ‘Euphoria’ Star
The frustration surrounding delays on Season 3 of “Euphoria” doesn’t appear to be limited to Zendaya.
At the show’s recent premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, several cast members raised eyebrows when they noticeably did not join Levinson on stage, an unusual move for a major series launch.
While the stars were present and seated for the screening, many reportedly skipped red carpet interviews, avoided group photos, and kept interactions to a minimum.
Meanwhile, longtime collaborator Labrinth appeared to fan the flames with a cryptic Instagram post suggesting he was breaking the collaboration.
“Double f—k ‘Euphoria.’ I’m out. Thank you and good night,” he wrote.
How Levinson ‘Responded To Zendaya’
Amid all the chatter, Levinson addressed the delays that plagued Season 3 of “Euphoria” during the show’s premiere.
According to Levinson, a mix of industry-wide disruptions and personal losses played a major role in slowing down production.
“The fact that we’re actually here and we’re able to pull this season off, that’s nothing short of a miracle,” he said, per Vanity Fair.
He went on to explain that while the 2023 actors’ strike and the challenge of coordinating a high-demand cast contributed to the gap between seasons, the deeper delay stemmed from the emotional weight of losing members of the “Euphoria” family.
The Death Of Angus Cloud Affected The Script
The long gap between seasons of “Euphoria” was further complicated by heartbreaking losses within the cast, most notably the death of Cloud.
The actor, who played fan-favorite drug dealer Fezco, died from an accidental overdose in July 2023 at just 25 years old. His passing had a profound impact on Levinson, who admitted that the loss reshaped the show’s direction.
“When Angus died, it was tough. I loved him deeply, and I fought hard to keep him clean,” the filmmaker said.
A Fourth Season Is Highly Unlikely
After the breakout success of “Euphoria,” many of its cast members quickly became some of Hollywood’s most in-demand names. This, unironically, made a potential fourth season increasingly difficult to pull off.
Behind the scenes, Levinson also faced his own time constraints. The creator became heavily involved in “The Idol,” a project starring The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, despite initially not being expected to take on such a hands-on role.
Zendaya has in the past hinted that she kept her schedule flexible in hopes of returning to “Euphoria.”
“I will say, I have been off for a couple of years… I’ve been open, just waiting,” Zendaya told Vanity Fair in December 2024.
Sweeney echoed similar frustrations at the time, revealing she had to pass on major opportunities to remain available for the series.
Entertainment
Brandon Lee’s Other R-Rated Masterpiece Just As Memorable As The Crow, But It’s Been Buried
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Confession time. I only just now gave Showdown in Little Tokyo a proper watch because I’m lazy, and it’s not streaming on any of the platforms I subscribe to. I host a bad movie podcast with one of my best friends from middle school, and we spend our time railing on bad movies. My co-host absolutely despises The Crow, while I’ve written about the 1994 masterpiece on this site multiple times because it’s the best revenge movie ever made. In an effort to antagonize me, he suggested we review 1991’s Showdown in Little Tokyo, which, despite its 33 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, is just another Brandon Lee masterpiece that I now need to make sure everybody watches because it’s just that awesome.
Until this past weekend, The Crow was my only Brandon Lee reference point, and now I’m bummed out because had he lived through The Crow’s production, he would have been one hell of an action star who would have smoked the competition. This movie has everything you’d ever want to see in a buddy cop comedy, and it’s all thanks to Brandon Lee’s charisma, along with his chemistry with Dolph Lundgren.
Buddy Cops Gonna Buddy Cop
Showdown in Little Tokyo is the ultimate odd-couple comedy once you’re introduced to its protagonists. First, we have Chris Kenner (Dolph Lundgren), an American who was raised in Japan and hates American culture. His new partner, Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee), is an American of Japanese descent who doesn’t care much for tradition. They’re both martial arts experts, and they’re both tasked with taking down members of the Iron Claw yakuza clan operating out of Los Angeles.
Here’s where it gets personal. Chris recognizes the leader of this very clan, Yoshida (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), as the man who killed his parents when he was a child. To complicate matters, Yoshida is a ruthless crime lord who plans to distribute methamphetamines through a brewery he’s using as a front. Ready to kick ass and take names, Chris and Johnny throw hands, empty magazines, and fight their way through Yoshida’s henchmen.
Along the way, Chris falls for a lounge singer named Minako (Tia Carrere), who’s caught between her career and the criminal world surrounding it, and of course this adds another layer of complications to the premise. Not only do we have a revenge arc, we’ve got a damsel in distress who’s instructed to “shoot anything she sees moving” seconds after being taught how to hold a shotgun.
A Boilerplate Plot Elevated By Its Charismatic Leads
If you’re a fan of the Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, and Rush Hour franchises, you’ll find that Showdown in Little Tokyo follows all of the same beats, and its storyline is pretty standard. Two guys who shouldn’t stand each other are forced to work together to take down the same bad guy. Nothing new to see here. But within this framework, you get some of the most effortless chemistry you’ll ever see between two leads in this genre. Dolph Lundgren had already established himself as an action star, but this was Brandon Lee’s first major American film role in the United States. He’s so confident from the moment you’re introduced to him that you’d think he had been operating at this level for years.
The one-liners between Lundgren and Lee are corny by design, and you can tell they both understand it’s on them to carry the show. I’m not trying to throw shade at writers Stephen Glantz and Caliope Brattlestreet, or director Mark L. Lester, but the actual story in Showdown in Little Tokyo is about as unremarkable as it gets. It works because you can feel its leads winking at the audience, even if they’re not literally doing it. There are plenty of jokes about how well-endowed they are below the belt, and every exchange lands with a smirk.
When lines like “You have the right to be dead,” and “There are more bad guys than we’ve got bullets” get thrown around by Brandon Lee, right before Dolph Lundgren arms himself to the teeth with swords and daggers, it’s obvious you’re not supposed to take movies like this too seriously. You’re supposed to sit back, let the stars chew the scenery, and watch them start blasting.
Showdown in Little Tokyo delivers this in spades, and it’s a shame that it’s currently hidden behind a paywall. Having thrown down four dollars for this one for research purposes, I don’t regret the rental. If you’re a fan of Brandon Lee, Dolph Lundgren, or buddy cop comedies in general, just know that this one has earned its keep as a cult classic and is worth the purchase. And then you can weep over the fact that we could have had so many more Brandon Lee action movies if his other masterpiece didn’t claim his life.
Showdown in Little Tokyo SCORE
As of this writing, Showdown in Little Tokyo is available on-demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
Everyone loves a good fantasy series—a product that will take the audiences off their couches and whisk them away to another world unlike their own, because sometimes, the real world is a bit too hard. However, if someone’s going to spend their time in another world, it had better be a good one. One of the best in television history is the series known as Supernatural. It has its critics, sure, but it’s also hard to argue with the whopping 15 seasons they received—even crossing over with the Scooby-Doo franchise.
This doesn’t mean that Supernatural is the greatest fantasy series ever created (well, to most people), though. There have been some iconic, phenomenal television shows from the fantasy genre over the decades, and that’s provided audiences with plenty of them finding themselves being better than one of the pinnacle shows, Supernatural. Whether they’re in a world that reminisces ours, one way far back into the ages of knights, or even a steampunk-ish reality, all of these shows have something that sets them above the rest. Yes… even Supernatural.
‘Arcane’ (2021–2024)
One of the greatest series that Netflix originals has ever put out is, without a doubt, the fantasy/science fiction series, Arcane. It’s been able to take over the world because it takes the best of both fantasy and sci-fi genres and merges them into an amazing animated fantasy series with a steampunk makeup job. Based on the fantasy world built within the video game franchise, League of Legends, Arcane is exciting and thrilling. Fans of this franchise would never have guessed it’d birth something like this project, in the best way. This two-season journey made the ever-vast and diverse universe of League of Legends accessible to so many other people who have never touched or even heard of the actual game.
Audiences fell in love with the likes of Vi (Hailee Steinfeld), Jinx (Ella Purnell), Ekko (Reed Shannon), Viktor (Harry Lloyd), Jayce (Kevin Alejandro), and the many other characters in this universe almost immediately in 2021. The way that the show pretty much perfectly blends fantasy with the other steampunk elements that contrast it in all the best ways makes it so engrossing. While it may not last a massive 15 seasons, the two that it did stay on the air for are more than worth the watch and leave viewers feeling satisfied. With the journey they went on. Would people have taken more seasons of Arcane? Most definitely. But many would argue that where it ended is very fulfilling and wrapped things up neatly.
‘Games of Thrones’ (2011–2019)
Based on the extremely popular book series by George R. R. Martin—similarly titled, A Game of Thrones—this HBO show is one of the most impactful and important shows in television history. Game of Thrones was the biggest show in the world for quite some time. It brought record viewership to the studio and that popularity led to an ever-increasing budget, which made it have some of the largest scope on T.V. The first season’s budget was estimated to be somewhere between $50 million and $60 million, eventually leading to the last season having a budget of roughly $15 million per episode. With a budget like that, some amazing content was produced.
While people didn’t enjoy some of the last season, that doesn’t mean that the seven that came before that weren’t awesome. There’s a reason it’s not only become one of the largest television shows ever made, but one of the biggest fantasy franchises, period—up there with The Lord of the Rings. It’s hard not to love something with this much love, care, and effort placed into it. Everyone in the cast—who all gave almost perfect performances—and crew clearly had so much dedication to the series, trying to make it the best it could be (for most of the series). No series is perfect, no, but for the majority of its run, Game of Thrones feels like it came pretty close. Success at the scale and density this series experienced doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It has to be earned, and this show certainly did.
‘Adventure Time’ (2010–2018)
If people are looking for proof that animated shows for all audiences can stand up against and even be better than live-action ones, they need to look no further than the likes of Adventure Time. It has all the makings of a show that can be viewed by younger audiences (goofy humor, bright colors, etc.) but also includes plots, themes, and messages that older audiences can not only enjoy, but that they can relate to, as well. These factors are all the most important things that are needed to make a successful animated series, also making Adventure Time a show that helped set the standard for modern 2010s cartoons—fantasy or otherwise. Adventure Time was so successful that it got to run an incredible 10 seasons, a whole eight years. The world is beyond fun, with diverse biomes all across their planet that are fun, funky, and very fantasy-inspired.
The lighthearted tone is a huge part of what makes it so enjoyable to such a wide array of audiences, and, even to this day, it remains one of the best fantasy shows out there, given how much it can stand out among the rest. It’s not an easy genre to stand out in, either, which makes Adventure Time all the more impressive in the long run. Jake the Dog (John DiMaggio) and Finn the Human (Jeremy Shada) are a duo that are super entertaining to watch, and their friendship solidifies itself as the beating heart of the show. Everyone loves a sweet, “hopecore” show about friendship and how important it is.
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (2026–Present)
With how successful Game of Thrones ended up being, it only makes sense that HBO cashed in on that success and branched it off into a franchise, based on other works by George R. R. Martin. The most successful and well-received of the two that have come after the 2011 show is, without a doubt, this year’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This project takes a far more grounded and intimate approach to storytelling in comparison to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, which has helped people connect to it more, and invest deeper into the characters. After two whole shows that have gigantic casts with multiple protagonists, getting to sit back and take a journey with just two
Following the two underdog characters known as Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a prequel to Games of Thrones and a sequel to House of the Dragon. This newborn series shows that the franchise from George R. R. Martin has the potential to keep living, despite what some thought after the first prequel series’ second season. The world in this universe is a vast one filled with many characters left to meet and stories left to tell. People want more Game of Thrones and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is proof of why exactly that is. Regardless if one thinks the franchise as a whole should continue, almost everyone who’s seen it can say that, without a doubt, they want to see more of Ser Duncan the Tall and the ever-lovable Egg.
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005–2008)
Avatar: The Last Airbender is not only a great fantasy series, but is genuinely one of the greatest television shows ever put on screen, still being hailed as such over 20 years after it aired for the first time. The animation—done by the exceptional Nickelodeon Animation Studio—is fluid, fast-paced, and extremely expressive. It’s one of the most well-animated Nickelodeon shows of all time. That, paired with the beautiful, anime-based art style, makes Avatar: The Last Airbender a visual marvel the entire way through. Thousands of frames from this series could be hung on the wall of an art gallery, and the art only continues to get better, sharper, and cleaner as the series progresses into its second and third seasons.
To make matters better, on the other hand of the series—directing and storytelling—there’s just as much quality, if not more so. Avatar: The Last Airbender can be a genuine masterclass in good storytelling, character writing, and natural-feeling dialogue work. Not to mention, the same that was said about this show’s art applies to writing, too—it truly does only improve as the episodes goes on and the characters and plots are allowed to grow and expand. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators of the series, created something that branched into a franchise that truly feels like it had the legs to last for a very long time, still being actively developed today. All of this was only made possible because of how genuinely amazing Avatar: The Last Airbender truly is, and the way that it has stood the test of time to still be one of the best of the best to this very day.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Release Date
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2005 – 2008
- Network
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Nickelodeon
- Showrunner
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Michael Dante DiMartino
- Directors
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Giancarlo Volpe, Ethan Spaulding, Lauren MacMullan, Dave Filoni, Joaquim Dos Santos, Anthony Lioi
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