Bravo executive Frances Berwick can’t believe that the “Real Housewives” franchise is turning 20. That’s right. The series that started as a single-camera production following a group of affluent women in Orange County, California, has grown legs and taken on a life of its own, spawning hit series in cities across the country, including Atlanta, New York, Salt Lake City, and yes, Rhode Island. Heck, the franchise even expanded beyond the U.S., previously following glamorous women in Dubai. Ahead of the franchise’s 20th-anniversary special, “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th,” Berwick is reflecting on the program’s legacy and opening up about the moment the network knew it had a hit on its hands.

Speaking with Deadline at the season 20 premiere of “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” Berwick expressed gratitude that the series is still running 20 years later. (The first episode aired March 21, 2006.)

“Just feels incredibly gratifying and fun and joyous,” she said. “The fact that it’s still making people really happy to watch the show, that they love being part of this Real Housewives community, it just makes you feel good.”

When Did The Network Realize They Had A Hit On Their Hands?

Regarding the first season of “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” or “RHOC” for short, Berwick recalled the moment the network realized the series would be bigger than they imagined.

“The viewership had gone up with every episode,” she said. “We were like, ‘Oh my God… we’re going to do a Season 2.’ We had not thought that we would be franchising it, and it was only really as we started to see other casts like ‘Manhattan Moms’ that we thought this could be a ‘Real Housewives’ show too. They don’t have to be housewives. This is sort of like a modern interpretation of what a Real Housewife is.”

The season 1 cast of “RHOC” included Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough, Lauri Peterson, Jo De La Rosa, and Kimberly Bryant. (Gunvalson is still part of the cast today.)

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Berwick Remembers Being Nervous To Turn ‘The Real Housewives’ Into A Franchise

For those who don’t know, “Manhattan Moms” was the working title of what’s since become “The Real Housewives of New York City.” And while the latter has given Bravo viewers 15 seasons of excellent TV, thanks to stars like Bethenny Frankel, Luann de Lesseps, Dorinda Medley, and Sonja Morgan, Berwick and the rest of the crew were hesitant about turning it into a “Real Housewives” series.

“We were quite thoughtful about it, but then it felt like this could be a good thing,” she said. “And since ‘Orange County’ had resonated, perhaps this was a good way to sort of attract a different audience rather than the same audience and expand it.”

“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” had a similar beginning to “RHONY,” according to Berwick. “Ultimately, it was all about the cast. There were so many women who had amazing stories to tell who had these incredible bonds and friendships and were going through all sorts of life challenges and dealing with different things in their life. It just felt like a natural extension,” she said.

“RHOA” included breakout star NeNe Leakes, Shereé Whitfield, and Kim Zolciak.

Bravo Is Honoring 20 Years Of The Franchise With An Epic Special!

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According to a previous report from The Blast, Bravo is planning to honor the 20th anniversary of “The Real Housewives” series with a special edition of “Ultimate Girls Trip.”

The show will feature “a group of beloved Housewives from across the years embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, making their way through some of the most memorable locations in the franchise’s history.”

Throughout the episodes, more than 80 housewives from the past and present will appear, including Porsha Williams, Kyle Richards, Lisa Barlow, Teresa Giudice, and Gizelle Bryant.

Leakes Will Be Part Of The Series

Leakes will also make a special appearance when the main cast stops in Atlanta. It will mark her grand return to Bravo after she left “RHOA” in 2020 and sued the network in 2022.

“This has been a really long, long journey, and gosh, I’m happy, overjoyed to say that I will be returning to Bravo,” Leakes said in an emotional Instagram video. “I almost can’t believe the words that are coming out of my mouth. I’m so happy. I’m excited to see all of you girls. It’s going to be a time. Yes! B-tches, I am back. Now pick your faces off the floor. OK!? See you on Bravo. Love you.”

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Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time quickly gained attention as it adapted Robert Jordan‘s massive fantasy book series, but since the show’s premature cancellation, fans have been left wanting more. Luckily, Apple TV is already working on the perfect replacement. Anyone who enjoys fantasy books has undoubtedly heard of Brandon Sanderson, and The Wheel of Time fans certainly have, as he completed the book series after Jordan’s death. Now, Apple TV has acquired the rights to adapt Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, which includes one series that is especially perfect for this audience: The Stormlight Archive.

The popular book series has been begging for an adaptation, and with the growing interest in epic fantasy TV series, now is the perfect time for it. The Stormlight Archive is an ongoing series, currently consisting of five books, which tells a sprawling story of bloody war, mysterious magic, and complex characters that will interest any fans of the genre. Better yet, with a wide range of detailed cultures, ancient history to uncover, and an unassuming hero, Apple TV’s Stormlight Archive adaptation will be the perfect thing to fill that The Wheel of Time-shaped hole, as long as fans can wait for it.

The Stormlight Archives’ Worldbuilding is Perfect for ‘The Wheel of Time’ Fans

The Stormlight Archive tells an epic story full of history, unique cultures, and ancient magic set in a harsh world ravaged by lethal supernatural Highstorms. While their country is at war, the series follows Kaladin, an enslaved soldier, Dalinar, a once-revealed highprince seeking redemption, and Shallan, a clever young scholar, as they each become involved in the reemergence of ancient powers. While fantasy fans of all kinds will be able to enjoy Apple TV’s series, The Stormlight Archive adaptation will appeal to those missing The Wheel of Time, in particular. Besides the two book series briefly overlapping authors, the most notable thing they have in common is the sprawling size of their respective worlds. Each story introduces unique cultures and ancient history that shape the story and make the fantasy world complex.

Like The Wheel of Time‘s Dragon Reborn and Aiel storylines, the series relies on the cycle of history, as the powers of the legendary Knights Radiant continue to impact the world. This ancient and largely forgotten history becomes vital to the story, allowing the audience to discover the truth. Additionally, the series features a huge world, just like The Wheel of Time. Throughout its three seasons, the Prime Video show explored several cultures, from the brutal Seanchan to the peaceful Tuatha’an, and Apple TV’s upcoming series has the chance to do the same. The Stormlight Archive features a class system based on eye color and different cultures, including 13 distinct peoples. This creates an expansive world that the audience can get lost in, providing a new fantasy obsession for fans to enjoy.

Apple TV’s The Stormlight Archive Adaptation is in the Works

It may not be here yet, but Apple TV is already working on an adaptation of The Stormlight Archive. However, fans will have to wait a while yet. The series is part of Sanderson’s wider Cosmere universe, which the streamer acquired the rights to in January of this year. With the author’s own supervision, Apple TV is planning an interconnected universe, providing plenty of stories for fans of the genre. Yet, as thrilling as it is, The Stormlight Archive isn’t the starting point. Apple TV first plans to create a film adaptation of the Mistborn series, which serves as a more natural entry point.

Though Sanderson is reportedly working on this script now, the writer has confirmed that the pilot for The Stormlight Archive adaptation is next, placing the series early in Apple TV’s exploration of Cosmere. While this isn’t a concrete timeline, fans should be comforted by Sanderson’s prolific writing habits, which suggest the series will begin moving forward soon. Though it is still early in the project’s development, the adaptation of The Stormlight Archive is something to look forward to for any fans of the fantasy genre.

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One year before he officiated their star-studded wedding at the iconic Madison Square Garden, comedian Adam Sandler opened up about how his famous family reacted to the news that pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce were officially an item.

“You being together. You guys… I mean, when you guys first started dating, my god was my family like, ‘Yes! Look how good they are together! He’s a gentleman and she’s having so much fun with it!’” Sandler, 59, said during his July 2025 appearance on Travis and his brother Jason Kelce’s season 3 premier episode of their hit “New Heights” podcast.

“Every time Taylor is laughing with you, my whole f***ing family is high-fiving,” the legendary Saturday Night Live alum continued at the time. (Sandler shares daughters Sadie Sandler and Sunny Sandler with his wife of over 20 years, Jackie Sandler.)

After announcing their engagement in August 2025 following two years of dating, Travis, 36, and Swift, also 36, said “I do” at MSG on Friday while surrounded by 1,000 of their closest friends and family members. Sandler, for his part, served as the officiant for the highly anticipated ceremony.

“The bride and groom’s wedding ceremony looks have been created by Christian Dior Huate Coutour,” a press released shared by Swift’s rep shortly after the pair wed revealed. “They are designed by Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director of Dior’s Women’s, Men’s and Haute Coutoure Collections, in close collaboration with the Bride and Groom. This is the designer’s fist couture wedding dress for a world-renowned celebrity. Their shoes were custom made by Christian Louboutin and the bride wore Cartier jewelry.”

The release continued, “Taylor and Travis did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen. Instead, her brother Austin Swift served as Taylor’s Man of Honor and Jason Kelce was Travis’ Best Man. The ceremony joined both families together and was officiated by friend Adam Sandler.”

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During his July 2025 “New Heights” appearance, Adam opened up to the NFL star about what his now-wife and her music means to his family — particularly his daughters who, like their father, have pursued careers in entertainment.

Related: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Sweetest Quotes About Their Romance

It’s the celebrity wedding of the year. On June 3, 2026, pop singer Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce are reportedly tying the knot in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Over 1,000 guests are expected to attend, including Gigi Hadid, sombr, Dakota Johnson, Ellie Goulding, Benson Boone and more. […]

“By the way, what a girl. What a girl. I mean, she means so much to our house,” the comedian revealed at the time. “I think I was shooting, like, Grown Ups or That’s My Boy or something in Massachusetts, and the kids were little and we were listening to Taylor Swift and listening to every song. It was one of the first times that you listen to every song on a record. When I was a kid, I think The Beatles you did that with, maybe Elton John, when you knew every tune.”

He continued, “Taylor in our house, every tune, they knew every word. I love listening to her in the car. I loved what she has to say. Every message. Every melody. The production. How cool she was. What she means to young girls and what she means to women, what she means to guys doing the right thing in life.”

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 11 seconds ago

Have you played Marvel Rivals? If you can get over the fact that it’s basically a reskinned version of Overwatch, it’s a lot of fun. This is a hero shooter where you take control of a character from the wide world of Marvel. There are a variety of team-based multiplayer modes; this variety, along with the fact that the game is free-to-play, keeps players coming back for more. How do the developers make money, though? Simple: they charge players for “skins” which completely change the look of the character. Many skins are modeled after famous outfits from the comics, and others are modeled after character designs in the MCU.  

Whatever their original inspiration was, though, all of these skins have one thing in common: they are way hornier than you’d expect them to be. There are plenty of revealing outfits that pair perfectly with thirsty character designs that players can’t stop drooling over. Unfortunately, players recently discovered that the game had gone a little too far with Captain America’s latest summer skin. You see, the skin gave Cap a bulge so big that it messed up some of his in-game animations. This caused the Chinese developer to do the unthinkable: they shrunk Captain America’s penis, and they waited until the Fourth of July to do it! 

The Battle Of The Bulge

Every year, Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games releases skimpy summer swimwear outfits for various characters. This may seem like just a cheap way to appeal to gooner gamers, but it’s arguably a throwback to the ‘90s, when Marvel similarly appealed to horny comic book nerds with thirsty swimsuit specials. Captain America got an especially scandalous skin this summer, one that was basically short shorts and a skimpy tank top that showed off his hairy, muscled chest. Normally, fans would be panting about Cap’s thick legs and arms, but this skin made them fixate on something else: the comically huge bulge of the character’s penis.

Seriously, this thing wobbled with its own physics. While fans were both excited and scared (scaroused, if you will), some wondered if Captain America having such a huge package was an accident. Like, maybe the character model got tweaked in such a way that its pelvis was extending outward, giving the appearance of a much larger bulge. At any rate, it definitely seemed to be a mistake. In the game, Cap has an emote that echoes the recording in Spider-Man: Homecoming where he pulls out a chair and then sits in it. Previously, players activating this emote with the summer skin encountered a bug: Cap’s big, floppy unit clipping right through the chair!

Now, without making any kind of official announcement, NetEase games seems to have fixed the issue. While Captain America still has an impressive bulge, it’s not as obscenely huge as it once was. Furthermore, it no longer clips through the chair when players use the aforementioned emote. All’s well that ends well, right? Sort of. While the timing could be a coincidence, many players couldn’t help but notice how the Chinese developer waited until Independence Day to shrink Captain America’s weiner down to size. Do y’all really think this will even slow down an aroused Cap, though? It’s like the man says: he can do this all day!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s wedding may have been packed with celebrities, athletes, and entertainment icons, but a new report suggests the couple also shared a special moment with royalty before their big day. The revelation surfaced on the same day Prince William made a surprise appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast, creating an unexpected royal connection to one of the year’s biggest celebrity events.

According to PEOPLE, Prince William and Princess Kate privately met with Swift and Kelce ahead of their lavish Madison Square Garden wedding celebration.

The meeting is believed to have taken place in May when Swift and Kelce were spending time in England. Around that same period, Prince William also discussed his appearance on the “New Heights” podcast, which Travis Kelce co-hosts with his brother, Jason Kelce.

Prince William Made A Surprise Appearance On The Kelce Brothers’ Podcast

The Prince of Wales joined the Kelce brothers for a special episode of “New Heights,” where Jason Kelce welcomed him with an introduction worthy of royalty.

“That’s right, the president of the English Football Association, the vice-royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Cornwall, the Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Earl of Chester and the Prince of Wales … please welcome His Royal Highness, Prince William,” Jason said.

Laughing at the lengthy introduction, William responded, “That was quite an intro, guys, amazing!”

Jason quickly replied, “We had to do it big for you, had to do it big.”

During the conversation, William discussed his lifelong love of soccer and explained that it didn’t come from his father. When asked whether King Charles helped inspire his passion for Aston Villa, William immediately shut down the idea. “Absolutely not,” he said. “My father hates football.”

William explained that his love for the sport developed through friends rather than family traditions. “My family haven’t got a particularly long history with football,” he said. “My football love came from friends taking me to my first match.”

The royal recalled attending an Aston Villa versus Bolton match in 2000, which sparked a fandom that continues today.

Travis Kelce Calls Meeting The Royal Family One Of His Coolest Experiences

The private pre-wedding meeting wasn’t the first time Swift and Kelce crossed paths with the royal family. In 2024, Prince William attended Swift’s “Eras Tour” in London alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Afterward, Swift shared a now-viral selfie featuring herself, Kelce, William, George, and Charlotte, writing “Happy Bday M8” in honor of the prince’s birthday.

Kelce later reflected on the experience during a “New Heights” episode. “They were an absolute delight to me. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bow to them or curtsy, or just be an American idiot and shake their hand.”

The NFL star singled out Princess Charlotte as the standout of the encounter: “She was a superstar.”

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Jason agreed, saying, “She had fire to her, she was asking questions. That was the most electric part of it.”

Taylor Swift Has Long Shared A Special Connection With Prince William

William and Swift’s friendship stretches back more than a decade. In 2013, the future king famously joined Swift and Jon Bon Jovi on stage during a charity gala at Kensington Palace, where the trio surprised guests with a performance of Bon Jovi’s hit “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

More recently, William has spoken publicly about how much his children enjoy Swift’s music. During a May appearance on “Heart Radio,” the prince revealed, “Charlotte, my daughter, and Louis, to be fair, but Charlotte particularly, is obsessed with Taylor Swift.”

When asked whether he would attend Swift and Kelce’s wedding, William playfully dodged the question, saying, “No comment.”

He then joked, “That feels like a showbiz excuse, but it’s not. I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see.”

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Prince William Didn’t Attend The Wedding

Although PEOPLE reports that William and Kate met privately with Swift and Kelce before the ceremony, the outlet noted that the royal couple ultimately did not attend the wedding itself. Still, the reported meeting adds another notable chapter to the growing friendship between the Prince and Princess of Wales and one of the world’s most famous couples.

And while Americans may not be getting a royal wedding anytime soon, Swift and Kelce’s Madison Square Garden celebration apparently came with a touch of royal approval.

Taking your child to their first concert can become one of those core childhood memories, the kind they’ll talk about decades later. But pulling it off well takes more planning than just buying tickets and showing up. From protecting little ears to picking the right seats, here’s how to make a first concert experience something both of you actually enjoy.

Is Your Child Old Enough to Go to Their 1st Concert?

Before you start scanning ticket sites, take an honest look at whether your child is genuinely ready for a live show. Babies and toddlers typically don’t do well at concerts, and the volume levels at most venues can actually damage their hearing. “Overall, taking small children to large concerts is not recommended given the lack of regulation surrounding sound standards at different venues,” Abhita Reddy, MD, a board-certified pediatric ENT/otolaryngologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told Parents.com.

Beyond age, consider whether your child actually loves the artist. Authentic excitement carries a kid through the long lines, late nights and sensory overload that come with live music. If you’re chasing a hot ticket, hold off on telling your child until the tickets are officially in hand and look into signing up for the artist’s presale to improve your odds.

Choosing the Right Seats For a Kid’s 1st Show

Where you sit matters more than most first-time concert parents realize. If the artist plays multiple venue sizes on their tour, a smaller venue or outdoor amphitheater is often a gentler introduction than a packed stadium. The crowd feels manageable, the walks are shorter, and the overall experience is less overwhelming for a kid taking it all in for the first time.

There’s a common belief that floor seats are automatically the best because they’re closest to the stage. The reality is more complicated. Floor seating is level rather than angled, which means your sightline depends entirely on how tall you are compared to the people in front of you, which is a tough setup for a small child. Lower-level seated sections often strike the best balance, offering an unobstructed view of the stage without the pushing and competition of general admission floor, and they’re typically cheaper than floor tickets, according to GotStubs.

Whenever possible, grab aisle seats. They make bathroom runs, snack trips and early exits dramatically easier and you’ll want all three options available.

How to Prepare Your Child Before the Concert

A little prep work goes a long way toward avoiding meltdowns. Watch live concert clips of the artist together in the days leading up to the show so your child has a sense of what the volume, lights and crowd energy will feel like in person. Surprise can be exciting, but for first-timers, knowing roughly what’s coming helps them settle in faster once the lights drop.

A few practical items to pack:

• Kids’ earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. Children’s ears are more sensitive to loud sounds, and concert volumes can cause real damage without protection.
• Snacks and drinks, if the venue allows them. Concession lines run long and prices run high. If outside food isn’t permitted, arrive early to handle the lines before the show starts.
• Layers. Venues can swing from chilly to hot and sweaty in a matter of minutes once a crowd fills in.
• A small stuffed animal or familiar item for younger kids who might need something grounding if things get overwhelming.

If the show is going to run late, prep your child for a later bedtime and clear the next day’s schedule. A tired, overscheduled kid the morning after rarely remembers the magic of the night before.

What to Expect During the Concert

Get there early. Arriving before the crowd builds gives your child time to absorb the energy gradually, find your seats without rushing, handle bathroom and snack trips calmly, and visit the merch stand before lines balloon. A T-shirt or poster turns into a lasting reminder of the night well worth the detour.

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Once the show starts, watch your child more than you watch the stage. If they’re tired or overstimulated, leaving early is the right call. Pushing through a meltdown rarely ends well for anyone, and an early exit doesn’t erase the parts they enjoyed. Take a few photos before the lights go down, and try to catch a candid shot of their face during the opening song that look of disbelief and joy is the photo you’ll want years from now.

After the Show: Locking in the Memory

The car ride home is prime conversation territory. Ask what their favorite part was, what surprised them, and what they’d want to do differently next time. Those answers shape how you plan the next concert and they help your child process an experience that may have been bigger and louder than anything they’d been through before.

A first concert isn’t just about the artist on stage. It’s about your kid discovering what it feels like to be part of a crowd singing the same words, watching someone they admire perform a few hundred feet away, and realizing music hits differently when you’re hearing it live. Done right, it’s a memory that sticks.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 14 seconds ago

The 1996 summer blockbuster Independence Day is full of iconic moments that absolutely thrilled audiences. This includes the sight of alien vessels blowing up the White House and thrilling dogfights between American fighter jets and smaller extraterrestrial ships. Arguably, though, the most iconic thing in the entire film is Bill Pullman’s rousing “Today, we celebrate our Independence Day” speech. Onscreen, his powerful words rallied the entire world together in defiance of an alien invasion; offscreen, those words cemented Independence Day as the most patriotic movie of the ‘90s. Long story short? It’s impossible to think of this movie without remembering this amazing line.

Because of this, you may be shocked to discover that the movie’s script did not originally have this legendary line. Instead, it was added at the last minute to convince 20th Century Fox that the movie should be named Independence Day; Warner Bros. owned the rights to this title, and Fox wanted to name the movie Doomsday in order to avoid paying a rival studio. Fortunately, two weeks after Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich snuck the line into the film’s dailies, Fox approved using the title Independence Day.

Sneaking In The Perfect Line

When Independence Day premiered in 1996, many fans thought it was the first film with this title. However, they were wrong: in 1984, Warner Bros. released a movie of the same name. That earlier film didn’t feature invading aliens. Instead, it focused on a small-town artist (played by Kathleen Quinlan) trying to make her dreams come true. It got mixed reviews, and very few people saw the movie because it was only available on VHS until 2015. However, its success (or lack thereof) didn’t matter. Because WB already had a movie with this title, 20th Century Fox wouldn’t be able to name their own blockbuster Independence Day without paying for the rights.  

As you might imagine, Fox didn’t want to pay if they didn’t have to. Therefore, they used ID4 as a working title during production; for the theatrical release, they wanted to name the movie Doomsday to match the disaster vibe of other ‘90s films. However, writer Dean Devlin and director Roland Emmerich really, really wanted to name this movie Independence Day, so they hatched a plan. He knew that Fox executives were regularly viewing dailies from the film to ensure that their money (it had a $75 million budget) was well spent. Because of this, he teamed up with Bill Pullman to secretly convince those execs of the need for a name change.

The original script for Independence Day did have the big Bill Pullman speech, which his character used to rally the nations of the world together against the alien threat. However, it didn’t have the iconic “Today, we celebrate our Independence Day” line. Devlin and Emmerich conspired with Pullman, pulling him aside to add this new line. Their goal was simple: they wanted the Fox executives watching the dailies to be so moved by the end of the speech that they approved naming the movie Independence Day. Incredibly, the strategy worked: two weeks after execs viewed the dailies, 20th Century Fox negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. for the rights to the name.

All of this adds a wonderfully meta dimension to the ‘90s biggest blockbuster film. In the context of Independence Day, the end of the speech is used to rally the world together in the name of a righteous cause. In the real world,  the end of the speech was used to rally studio executives into making the smartest name change in Hollywood history. It was a great call, really; like, can you imagine if this crowdpleasing movie had a name as generic as Doomsday? Fortunately, two men making a movie about out-of-this-world invaders were able to do the impossible and bring a bunch of stubborn studio executives back down to Earth. 

It’s rare enough that a series over 40 years old finds new life in the present, with The Golden Girls being one of only a handful of series that come to mind. Rarer still is a Saturday morning TV staple of the same vintage that, likewise, finds a resurgence in the present. Yet She-Ra: Princess of Power has done just that, with the two-season animated series finding new life on the Apple TV store 41 years after its September 1985 premiere. And it’s not hard to see why.

‘She-Ra: Princess of Power’ Was a Series First

She-Ra: Princess of Power is a spin-off from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which itself was a spin-off of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe toy line. Unlike its parent, though, She-Ra: Princess of Power was developed as a series first, with Filmation and Mattel working together to create the show, with Mattel footing the bill. Writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski created the initial group of characters, which included She-Ra, sister of He-Man, her alter-ego Princess Adora, and her nemesis, the evil Hordak. They also came up with the premise, with Mattel releasing the accompanying toys after the series had begun production (but before the premiere).

Released at a time when the most empowering female protagonist on Saturday morning was Smurfette, She-Ra: Princess of Power stood apart from its Saturday morning kin. The series is set on the planet Etheria, where Princess Adora (Melendy Britt) has lived ever since being kidnapped at birth by Hordak from Queen Marlena and King Randor of Eternia. Raised by Shadow Weaver (Linda Gary), Adora grew up believing the Horde kept peace in Etheria and served as a Horde Force Captain. That changed while on a mission in the Whispering Woods, where she encountered He-Man (John Erwin).

He has been tasked by the Sorceress (Linda Gary) to find the one who is destined to wield the Sword of Protection, a sword similar to that of his own Sword of Power. That just so happens to be Adora, who, after touching the jewel on the hilt, is contacted by the Sorceress. She reveals the truths that Adora has long been denied: her kidnapping as a baby, the true atrocities of Hordak and his Evil Horde, and that He-Man is her brother, Adam. The Sorceress then instructs her to exclaim, “For the Honor of Grayskull!” transforming Adora into She-Ra for the first time, and transforming her horse, Spirit, into Swift Wind (Erik Gunden), a flying unicorn. Together, they foil Hordak’s attack against the rebels, with Adora breaking rank and joining the Great Rebellion as their leader.

‘She-Ra: Princess of Power’ Is Groundbreaking and Still Relevant Today

She-Ra: Princess of Power may have been a spin-off, but it differs significantly in tone and thematically from its He-Man. The setting allows for a more fantastical tone, not the medieval sci-fi feel of its predecessor. There are wielders of magic like the absent-minded Madame Razz (Gary), imaginative characters like Swift Wind and Kowl (Gunden), a flying creature that looks like a cross between a koala and an owl with bright, rainbow ears, and more adult themes, like Adora’s arc of guilt and redemption, not unlike the struggle of another Warrior Princess that would appear 10 years later in live-action.

There’s also a key difference in the intentions of the two main characters. It’s as clear as the difference in the phrases used in their respective transformations, “I have the Power” versus “For the honor of Grayskull.” He-Man uses the Sword of Power as a weapon for conflict almost exclusively. She-Ra, on the other hand, bears the Sword of Protection, and while she does use it in combat, it also magically transforms into a shield, nets, or helmets as needed to protect. Her purpose to protect is never seen as less than He-Man’s purpose to fight: she is his equal, a strong, heroic protagonist in her own right, and the leader of a rebellion that boasts heroic protagonists.

1985 also happened to be the year that another series centered around a female protagonist, Jem and the Holograms, premiered, making the year a touchstone for female representation on television. The two series, as a result, were ahead of their time. With female representation on television as good as it’s ever been now, it’s clear She-Ra: Princess of Power was far ahead of its time. Morally, it’s positive, with a clear delineation between good and evil. It’s a clever blend of sci-fi and fantasy, has diverse characters, and, like Xena: Warrior Princess after it, bears hints of queer representation that was decidedly against what was allowed on TV at the time (and definitely not on Saturday morning). All told, these elements and more make it unsurprising that this 41-year-old animated classic has found a renewed popularity on Apple TV. Turns out she has the power, too.

You need to brace yourself for how many great books will not be found below. This is a rather reckless endeavor, to try to rank just 25 of the best books ever published, since there are great works of literature that are centuries old, at this point. Some authors of great books lived and died so long ago that they couldn’t have processed the idea of such books becoming movies, because cinema wasn’t a thing yet. Some legendary authors lived, wrote, and died before they could ever be photographed.

The point is, the novel, as an art form, goes back a wildly long time. There are probably more books to choose from, for a ranking like this, than most other art forms. So, please don’t be too alarmed. There was no attempt to please anyone here 100%, and instead, an attempt was made to highlight some classic staples, a few modern books that are on their way to becoming classics, a handful of pulpier novels that might not be “high art,” but they are entertaining, and then a few personal (maybe even selfish) picks from the person currently yapping, just because it keeps things interesting, and because a top 25 filled exclusively with the books you’d expect might be a little boring. Brace yourself. Snubs are coming.

25

‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (1949)

Image via Simon & Schuster

Kicking things off with something that’s a bit of a downer, here’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is an undeniably essential read. It feels like some people think just knowing about Nineteen Eighty-Four is enough, and it is, admittedly, iconic enough that a good many things in it are knowable without reading it in full… but you are missing out if you don’t tackle the whole thing.

George Orwell really did write one of the greatest dystopian stories of all time here, and its influence on pretty much all the dystopia-related novels, movies, and games (plus other things) made after 1949 can’t be denied. It’s mostly about a desperate/probably futile attempt to stand up against – and stand out in – a world that’s been pretty much ruined by a totalitarian superstate. It remains relevant, sad as that might be to admit, and really does feel so ahead of its time in so many ways.

24

‘Dracula’ (1897)

Image via Penguin Classics

Jumping back another half a century now (and don’t worry; it’s not going to be the only book from the 1800s here), here’s Dracula, which is quintessential as far as the horror genre is concerned, much like how Nineteen Eighty-Four is incredibly important within the bounds of dystopian fiction. Dracula is an epistolary novel about the titular count, a vampire, causing chaos, and a collection of characters who want to hunt down and kill him.

It’s simple in terms of its premise, but the style here does make it feel like something a little more special. Dracula also can’t be overlooked for how important it was for the century or so of horror to come, following its publication, and there isn’t really a story about a vampire – or vampires – that comes close, for sheer influence and importance. Even if you might feel uneasy about reading books that are more than a century old, Dracula is still worth taking on and devoting your time to.

23

‘Wuthering Heights’ (1847)

Image via Chartwell

This might seem like it’s establishing a pattern of jumping back 50 years with every new entry, but that’s not the case (promise). Wuthering Heights is a real classic, since it’s not far off being 200 years old, which is wild to think about. It would’ve been very out there for its time, one would imagine, in terms of how dark and angst-filled it’s willing to get as a story about love… kind of? But not really a love story, being more centered on obsession and a dangerous kind of passion.

You get a very strong feeling in your gut from reading Wuthering Heights, and such an experience has proven hard to translate and capture on screen, though that hasn’t stopped various people from trying. With Wuthering Heights, you do just have to read it, or maybe listen to it in full, and then it’s pretty easy to see what all the hype (a hype that has persisted for nearly two centuries) is about.

22

‘Empire of Pain’ (2021)

Image via Doubleday

Yes, Empire of Pain is a work of non-fiction, and there is going to be one other non-fiction book below, but they’re still books. Documentary movies are still movies, with filmmaking skills needed to make a good one, and you do have to be a good writer to craft a genuinely interesting non-fiction book. Thankfully, Patrick Radden Keefe is a phenomenal non-fiction writer, and Empire of Pain might well be the best demonstration of his writing skills to date.

He condenses a lot of information into a coherent and surprisingly epic narrative, with the focus being on the Sackler family and what it did throughout the 20th century to bring about the opioid epidemic, which has, for the most part, been a 21st-century problem. There’s more drama and dread here than you get in a good many works of heavy-going fiction, and Empire of Pain also well and truly feels like one of the most important books published in the last decade or so.

21

‘Lolita’ (1955)

Image via Olympia Press

When writing Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov just went for it in a way few writers had before, and also very few writers have since. He tackled some of the most challenging subject matter a work of literature has ever tried to tackle, since Lolita is about a sexual predator who becomes infatuated with his 12-year-old stepdaughter, nicknaming her Lolita and doing little else but manipulating her – and those around her – so that he can get closer to her, and abuse her.

This guy’s also the narrator, which is a wild approach to take, and it makes the whole novel challenging to read, since you have to be in his head the entire time. Further complications ensue because his way of describing his life is poetically done and sometimes even funny, so it’s hard not to feel conflicted about finding the style of the writing engaging and compelling, and all the while, the story – and what it’s dealing with thematically – is more horrifying than a good many works of actual horror. It’s a real trip of a book, to put it (far too) mildly.

20

‘A Storm of Swords’ (2000)

Image via Bantam Spectra

The highlight of the Song of Ice and Fire series to date (and it might remain the best of them, should books #6 and #7 never actually come out), A Storm of Swords is both huge and hugely satisfying. The War of the Five Kings breaks out near the end of book #1, is explored throughout book #2, and then here in book #3, escalates further, with many of the most distressing and cathartic sequences of the whole series found here.

If you know, you know. And even if you’ve not read A Song of Ice and Fire, but have seen Game of Thrones, then you also know, since the events of A Storm of Swords are largely covered throughout that show’s third and fourth seasons. It’s nice to never say never, in terms of the possibility of George R.R. Martin finishing his series, but even if he might go down in history as someone who couldn’t finish a long-running saga, his reputation for starting and then developing such a saga well (just minus an ending) will still be intact, for what that’s worth.

19

‘Infinite Jest’ (1996)

Image via Little, Brown and Company

Infinite Jest is near-infinitely dense, and it goes on and on and on in a way that’s equal parts impressive and frustrating. Actually, not equal parts. It’s more impressive than it is frustrating, since it is almost always interesting, not to mention sometimes quite entertaining, and always admirable with its scope. It’s about several different groups of characters that generally feel pretty separate from each other, though there is a film referred to as “the Entertainment” that unites all, since it has the ability to transfix anyone who watches it, ensuring their death, because it’s apparently just that entertaining.

It’s a strange book, in other words. It’s also over 1000 pages long, and those pages are more packed with text than you’d find in a more ordinarily formatted book. Infinite Jest is also somewhat infamous for all its endnotes, which are like another novel entirely when viewed on their own, so that does add further to the postmodern-ness of it all. It’s not the easiest thing to get through, by any means, but it is worth tackling, and ultimately proves very rewarding.

18

‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ (1979)

Image via Pan Books

And now for something completely different, because The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a brisk read, and an overall short book, compared to the aforementioned Infinite Jest. Both are pretty funny, for what that’s worth, though The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy plays a particularly high number of things for laughs, in turn being a contender for the crown of “funniest book of all time.”

Humor in literature feels kind of rare, or at least books that are almost entirely comedic don’t feel as common as, say, movies that are 100% focused on being comedies. Though, to the further credit of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it also functions as an excellent piece of science fiction, and then if you find the whole thing too brief, for whatever reason, it thankfully kick-started a whole series, with Douglas Adams writing five Hitchhiker’s Guide books before his passing in 2001, with there being a sixth and final book, called And Another Thing…, written by Eoin Colfer and published in 2009.

17

‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ (1846)

Image via Penguin

One of the ultimate literary crowd-pleasers (or whatever you’d call the book equivalent of a crowd-pleaser), The Count of Monte Cristo also stands as one of the ultimate serial novels. It was published over a period that spanned 1844 to 1846, satisfying in the same way that the best TV dramas would more than a century later, with a good many cliffhangers found throughout to keep readers hooked.

For 180 years now, people have been able to read The Count of Monte Cristo as one complete work, and it delivers as a dramatic adventure tale about vengeance, crime, and justice all these many (many) years later. Of all the books published before 1900, The Count of Monte Cristo is up there among the easiest to read, and it’s all executed in a way that makes more than 1000 pages surprisingly digestible.

16

‘Wiseguy’ (1985)

Image via Simon & Schuster

Nyeah, this is a great book about the mafia, see? No, but for real, Wiseguy is incredible, and it’s that previously alluded to non-fiction book that deserves to be here. Maybe there should be more works of non-fiction here, beyond just Empire of Pain and Wiseguy, but to go back to that whole idea of not being able to please everyone, there might well be people who object to even two non-fiction books being here.

With Wiseguy, it tells a story you’d be familiar with, if you’ve seen Goodfellas, since it was the book that said Martin Scorsese gangster film was based on. Yet there’s also so much here that adds to what they were able to put into the movie, with Wiseguy feeling almost like the book equivalent of a Goodfellas extended/director’s cut. You get the style and narrative of the movie quite closely, just with more detail and events covered (and Henry Hill’s quoted extensively throughout Wiseguy, which mirrors the way Ray Liotta, as Hill, narrated so much of Goodfellas).