It’s been four years since the conspiracy thriller series The Capture was last on our screens, and since then, there have been rapid advancements in the technologies the show focuses on. When it was first released in 2019, AI deepfakes were still an emerging technology, so the way The Capture paired a crime thriller with the underbelly of the digital era felt novel. It took another three years for the second season to air, in which the political implications of deepfakes and surveillance were ramped up with the evolution of AI. Now, four years later, Season 3 is bound to grow bigger and hit harder, so there’s no better time to catch up with The Capture in preparation for June 18, when this alarmingly timely show returns on Peacock in the U.S.

‘The Capture’ Plunges Viewers Into the Terrors of the Digital Age

The Capture‘s first season kicks off with a crime that may or may not have occurred, depending on how much you trust the live video footage. DI Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) investigates the assault and kidnapping of lawyer Hannah Roberts (Laura Haddock), and a CCTV camera that captured the entire scene points to Corporal Emery (Callum Turner) as the perpetrator. The thing is, not only is there plenty of evidence that Emery is innocent, but also that the video is a terrifyingly convincing deepfake, tossing the viewer into the uncertain waters of conspiracy and betrayal. This continues into Season 2, where the use of deepfakes expands from framing innocent people to manipulating the public.

The Capture‘s premise already feels very Black Mirror-esque, but the show is a uniquely invigorating entry in the thriller genre. With a plot that is meticulously mapped and swiftly paced, the series remains an engaging narrative on a personal level for its characters while still connecting to the larger implications of surveillance and AI. Ironically enough, this conspiracy thriller barely leaves the viewer time to form their own theories, as the plot sets up and lands twists and revelations with a startling precision. As such, the audience is simply tossed into the deep end and carried away by the current of mind-boggling deceptions and high-stakes political maneuvers, while still feeling the acute sense of danger that defines a thriller.

The Capture‘s tech-horror can be deeply outrageous in its portrayal, almost dystopian in the sheer magnitude of how deepfakes and surveillance can be weaponized against the public, but it is this quality that also makes the series alarmingly relevant. There’s a chilling horror in watching footage being doctored in real-time, where the words on live footage are dissonant with the words actually coming out of someone’s mouth. This digital threat hangs heavy in the air, constantly evolving in ways neither the audience nor the characters can keep up with.

‘The Capture’ Questions Technology Through Compelling Characters

Alongside simply reflecting technology’s most dangerous aspects, The Capture raises ethical dilemmas about how law enforcement employs it in the name of justice and service. It questions the line between protection and invasion, as well as commitment to justice versus individual autonomy. Grainger’s Carey becomes the anchor that sifts through these questions, with her own grit, determination, and slight paranoia making her a lead we are happy to follow, yet she also has to confront and take accountability for her own role in this dynamic between the police and the public. On the other side in Season 1 is Turner’s Emery, a layered and flawed antagonist who complicates the line even further, while Season 2 gives us an idealistic politician (Paapa Essiedu) whose morals are tested in this AI-plagued society.

With The Capture‘s return just around the corner, now is the time to submerge yourself in a world that feels just as dystopian as it is hyperrealistic. While the show constructs its dramatic vision of the modern age, the humanly flawed characters and the rapidly-moving plot will sweep you away into larger conspiracies that are impossible to tear your eyes from. It makes for the perfect weekend binge, one that will make you second-guess every picture, video, or livestream you see on a screen from that moment on.

Some films are so fun and surprising that you’re almost certain they’re going to be a sensation with audiences as well as critics — especially if it’s connected to an already beloved IP that’s long been in need of a good adaptation. One key example of this had a great cast and a pair of directors who are sharp as a tack. What could go wrong? Sadly, everything.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is streaming for free on Pluto this month, giving viewers a chance to catch up with the 2023 movie, which will now only be successful on streaming. Based on the iconic tabletop role-playing game, the film follows charming thief Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and a ragtag crew who set out to retrieve a lost relic, only to get pulled into a much bigger magical mess.

The ensemble cast also includes Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious) as Holga Kilgore, Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton) as Xenk Yendar, Justice Smith (Pokémon Detective Pikachu) as Simon Aumar, Sophia Lillis (It) as Doric, Hugh Grant (Paddington 2) as Forge Fitzwilliam, Daisy Head (Shadow and Bone) as Sofina, and Chloe Coleman (My Spy) as Kira Darvis.

Was ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Successful?

Tragically, this one was a total flop in terms of financial return, which was a terrible shame because of how charming and funny it is. It opened strongly with about $37–38.5 million domestically and topped the box office in its first weekend, beating John Wick: Chapter 4 in North America, but the big issue was the budget, because it reportedly cost around $150 million, and it only took in $208 million worldwide. Once marketing and distribution costs are factored in, that means disaster.

Critically, though, it did extremely well. Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus calls it an “infectiously good-spirited comedy with a solid emotional core,” and it sits in the low 90s with critics. Collider’s Carly Lane gave it a B+ in her highly positive review, praising directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night), who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Michael Gilio, for how they let their affection for the game shine through, as well as the performances of the stars, particularly Page.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is streaming for free on Pluto this month.

The thriller genre has come a long way from simply making the audience question what comes next. There’s no denying that suspense and shocking twists are still important to a great thriller story, but tension alone isn’t enough. Modern thrillers are striking a chord with the audience because they aren’t afraid to explore the depths of fear, obsession, morality, and the darker sides of human nature.

Of course, this evolution didn’t happen overnight. Over the years, a handful of groundbreaking series pushed the genre into new territory and reinvented it through layered, character-driven storytelling. Here is a list of six such shows that have helped shape the thriller genre into what it is today.

1

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–1991)

Image via ABC

Without Twin Peaks, thriller television would probably look very different today. Before the show set an entirely new benchmark for the genre, thriller shows were generally pretty straightforward, where the audience would follow investigators as they gathered clues to solve a crime, and every episode ended with a clear resolution. However, David Lynch and Mark Frost completely disrupted that formula. Twin Peaks begins with the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), which leads FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) to the small town of Twin Peaks. The murder investigation immediately takes a turn as Cooper uncovers secrets hidden beneath the town’s seemingly peaceful surface. Almost every resident here has something to hide, and each new revelation only deepens the mystery surrounding Laura’s death.

The show constantly shifts between crime drama, psychological thriller, dark comedy, soap opera, and supernatural horror without ever feeling disjointed. This kind of tonal blending was almost unheard of on television at the time and constantly kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Instead of just focusing on who killed Laura, Twin Peaks explores the slow unraveling of a community built on lies. The narrative introduces strange dreams, cryptic clues, unsettling visions, and forces that are beyond explanation. It practically forces the audience to follow along without ever fully receiving any definitive answers. In fact, Twin Peaks is still influencing thriller TV to embrace ambiguity and long-running mysteries. Few series have had a greater impact on the evolution of the thriller genre, which is why Twin Peaks remains essential viewing even over three decades later.

2

‘Mindhunter’ (2017–2019)

Image via Netflix

Mindhunter is far from the average crime thriller because the show actually focuses on understanding criminals, rather than just catching them. The series is set in the late 1970s and follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) alongside psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), as they begin interviewing imprisoned serial killers in an attempt to figure out how these offenders think and why they commit such horrific acts. In many ways, Mindhunter serves as the origin story of criminal profiling and shows how the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit developed techniques that would eventually transform modern homicide investigations forever.

Holden, Bill, and Wendy travel across the country speaking to notorious killers, based on real-life criminals including Edmund Kemper, Jerry Brudos, and Charles Manson. These conversations give the show its sense of tension because every meeting feels like a psychological chess match, with the agents trying to extract information without being manipulated in return. Mindhunter transformed the seemingly simple process of interviewing people into one of the most suspenseful premises ever aired on TV. The series proved that getting to know a killer could be just as gripping as hunting one down. The show’s emotional depth and commitment to realism redefined what thriller television could be.

3

‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)

Image via AMC

Breaking Bad is one of the clearest examples of how to keep audiences hooked for years without ever losing momentum. The series follows high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who learns he has terminal cancer. In a desperate attempt to secure his family’s financial future, Walter teams up with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to produce and sell methamphetamine. The plan is initially only supposed to be temporary, but soon enough, Walter finds himself pulled deeper into the criminal underworld. The show’s five seasons follow Walter dealing with ruthless drug dealers, violent cartels, and increasingly dangerous situations.

All of this pushes Walter further from the man he used to be until he becomes one of the most feared figures in the drug trade. Every choice Walter makes brings him closer to the power and control he secretly craves. This transformation is the reason Breaking Bad became such a compelling thriller. Rather than relying on mysteries or twists alone, the show built suspense around character decisions and consequences. The show turned its main character’s moral decline into the source of its tension and set a standard for long-form storytelling that hasn’t been matched to this day.

4

‘Broadchurch’ (2013–2017)

Image via ITV

Broadchurch is a no-frills thriller that strips the genre to its essentials. The show opens with the body of an 11-year-old boy being discovered on a beach in the small coastal town of Broadchurch. Detectives Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) are assigned to investigate the case. However, instead of a straightforward murder investigation, they discover secrets hidden throughout the community that place almost every resident under suspicion. As the detectives follow new leads, friendships begin to fracture, and families turn against one another.

Through this premise, Broadchurch explores the emotional fallout of a crime like this and gives as much weight to the victim’s family as it does to the investigation. Every episode peels away another layer of the mystery and forces both the detectives and the audience to reconsider what came before. Broadchurch builds suspense through constant uncertainty, and this approach is exactly why the show became so influential. The series combines a gripping whodunit premise with an extremely realistic portrayal of grief, and in doing so, it became a blueprint for many prestige thriller shows that followed.

5

‘24’ (2001–2010)

Image via FOX

24 completely changed television in general by introducing a concept that felt revolutionary at the time. Each season of the show follows counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) over the course of a single day, with every episode representing one hour in real time. This pacing gave the show a level of urgency that few thrillers had ever achieved back then. Jack is constantly forced to make impossible decisions as he deals with terrorist attacks, political conspiracies, assassinations, hostage situations, and more, with almost no time to think.

Every hour raises the stakes, and this relentless escalation became one of the show’s defining strengths. Not just that, but 24 also popularized the serialized thriller format that dominates TV today. The show premiered when most network dramas were still largely episodic. Its continuous, high-stakes storytelling demanded that the viewers keep watching and created a level of weekly suspense that turned every episode into an event of its own. Many other shows have tried to replicate 24’s intensity, but almost none have managed to do justice to it.

6

‘Lost’ (2004–2010)

Image via ABC

Lost not only redefined thriller TV but also became a cultural phenomenon thanks to its immersive storytelling. The series begins after Oceanic Flight 815 crashes on a mysterious island and dozens of survivors are left stranded. Initially, the narrative unfolds like a typical survival story as the passengers search for food, shelter, and a way to escape. However, it quickly becomes clear that the island is hiding secrets of its own. Soon enough, the characters start spotting strange creatures roaming the jungle, discover mysterious hatches buried underground, and encounter a group known as the Others, who seem to know far more about the island than anyone else. The mystery only expands as the seasons progress.

The show uses flashbacks and flash-forwards to reveal how nearly every survivor on the island was connected way before the crash. At the same time, though, every discovery raises several more questions to deliver a compelling narrative that kept evolving in new ways for the show’s entire run. Lost combines a nail-biting mystery with a character drama about the people it follows, and somehow manages to keep expanding its mythology without ever feeling inaccessible. However, what makes the show so important is the way it transformed television into a communal experience. Every new clue, theory, and revelation sparked endless discussion between episodes. The show turned viewers into active participants who would analyze every clue and theory online while waiting for the next episode to air. Given all this, it’s evident that modern prestige TV owes a lot to Lost.

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Lost

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Release Date

2004 – 2010-00-00

Showrunner

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Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse

Directors

Jack Bender, Paul A. Edwards, Tucker Gates, Eric Laneuville, Bobby Roth, Greg Yaitanes, Daniel Attias, J.J. Abrams, Karen Gaviola, Kevin Hooks, Rod Holcomb, Stephen Semel, Adam Davidson, Alan Taylor, David Grossman, Deran Sarafian, Fred Toye, Mario Van Peebles, Marita Grabiak, Mark Goldman, Matt Earl Beesley, Michael Zinberg, Paris Barclay, Robert Mandel

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

When I went to see Masters of the Universe, I couldn’t help but be a little nervous. I was a huge fan of the original He-Man cartoon as a kid, and I remember being disappointed by all the ways that the 1987 live-action movie with Dolph Lundgren changed what I loved about the show. While I’ve since grown to appreciate the earlier film, the fact remains that it was such a critical and commercial bomb that we didn’t get a new one for nearly four decades. Plus, the new movie had problematic king and certified franchise killer Jared Leto playing the iconic Skeletor, so I mentally braced myself for the worst.

To my surprise, though, the new Masters of the Universe was fantastic. From the character designs to the action and quirky humor, this film brought my favorite childhood cartoon to life. I’m not alone in my love for He-Man’s latest adventure: certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 87 percent audience score, this movie is clearly a crowd-pleaser. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it had the power to please enough people, as it is projected to earn a little over $30 million in its opening weekend. Factor in the high budget and the costs of marketing, and Masters of the Universe may not make enough money to justify a sequel.

He-Man Can’t Get A Grip

On paper, Masters of the Universe’s opening weekend was relatively solid. It’s going to earn over $30 million, which indicates just how eager audiences were to revisit this high-flying, sword-slashing sci-fi franchise. However, He-Man faced some stiff box office competition, and not from the films you’d expect. Going into the summer, many assumed that The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars film in seven years, would dominate the box office. But it continues to lose ground against boot-strap, low-budget horror movies like Obsession and Backrooms. Speaking of horror, the newly premiered Scary Movie is on track to be the number one movie this weekend. 

If not for this surprisingly strong competition, Masters of the Universe might have earned even more. Why, though, is $30 million in its opening weekend not good enough? Part of the answer is the budget. It cost $170 million to bring this new He-Man film to life, and that doesn’t count the costs for marketing, which is always more expensive than you might think. Accordingly, big-budget sci-fi blockbusters often need a major opening weekend to make a profit because they earn less and less at the box office with every subsequent weekend. Superman (2025) made $125 million in its opening weekend, but between marketing costs and splitting profits with theaters, it may have actually lost money.

Bone, Thugs, And Disharmony

Masters of the Universe cost less to make and presumably less to market than Superman, but it’s also earning 76 percent less money in its opening weekend. The film will hopefully benefit from solid word of mouth, but you can bet every weight bench in Eternia that it’s going to make less than $30 million each week from here on out. Possibly a lot less: The Mandalorian & Grogu, for example, dropped about 70 percent in its second weekend. If Star Wars can falter like that, then it’s entirely possible that this fan-favorite He-Man movie could suffer an even worse fate.

That’s a shame because Masters of the Universe is a genuinely great film. It’s got all the ingredients (including faithful character designs, deep lore, and Easter eggs galore) to make franchise fans happy. It’s also got everything it needs (including great humor, fun performances, and epic action sequences) to win over general audiences. As a sci-fi movie that breaks free of the Marvel (and Marvel wannabe) mold, Masters of the Universe is everything most moviegoers claim they want out of a summer blockbuster. Should this new film franchise prove to be dead on arrival, it will make movie studios even more averse to taking big, creative swings.

It Could Still Have The Power

Now, more than ever, I’m really hoping to be proven wrong. Maybe Masters of the Universe will follow in the footsteps of Obsession and earn more in its second weekend. Or maybe all of the positive word of mouth will keep its box office from plummeting as fast as The Mandalorian & Grogu. Ultimately, I’m just hoping more people give this movie a chance. It’s genuinely the most thrilling film I’ve seen this year, and one that gets the action/adventure formula better than Marvel has since Avengers: Endgame. Want to see some fun, funny, and genuinely freaky sci-fi on the big screen?

Then go watch it today, and by the power of Grayskull, be sure to tell your friends how awesome it was!

Alexis Bledel made a very rare public appearance at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.

The former Gilmore Girls star, 44, walked the red carpet for the prestigious film industry gathering at New York City’s Village East Cinema on Saturday, June 6, to promote her new movie Ponderosa.

Bledel looked elegant as always in a golden top with a cutout collar and bow over a knee-length black skirt, with matching pumps.

The veteran TV star made this rare appearance to celebrate Ponderosa’s world premiere alongside writer-director Rob Rice and costar Jack Dylan Grazer (Luca).

Related: When Were Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel Last Together Before 2025 Emmys?

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel’s upcoming joint appearance at the 2025 Emmy Awards will be their first reunion in eight years. Graham, 58, and Bledel, 43, stepped out for a joint outing at Deadline’s “The Contenders” panel in April 2017, where they discussed their costarring turn on The WB’s Gilmore Girls and Netflix’s Gilmore Girls: […]

The horror-comedy centers around a young man (Grazer) who fends off the advances of an odd older man who is insistent on becoming his stepfather after his mom loses her job at a local buffet. The Queen’s Gambit actor Bill Camp also appears in Ponderosa.

Ponderosa marks Bledel’s first movie role since 2019’s crime thriller Crypto, though she did appear sporadically on the small screen as Emily in The Handmaid’s Tale up until 2025.

Her last major public appearance before attending the Tribeca Film Festival was at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2025, where she reunited onstage with her Gilmore Girls costar Lauren Graham to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the classic show on a replica of the Stars Hollow set.

“25 years ago, a show called Gilmore Girls premiered and apparently took the season of fall hostage,” Graham, 59, joked during the segment.

The duo reflected on initially having a meager budget on Gilmore Girls, which required the cast to get creative when it came to catering.

“If there was a birthday at The Drew Carey Show next door, they would send us their leftover sheet cake,” Graham said.

“We looked hungry … Basically we were bullied and starving,” Bledel chimed in.

The Gilmore Girls alums mimicked the show’s fast-talking dialogue by insisting that, whatever hardships they faced on set, they were always more than satisfied with the “great scripts,” “big scripts” and “terrifyingly lengthy scripts.” (Gilmore Girls originally aired for seven seasons between 2000 and 2007 and later returned for the Netflix miniseries, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, in 2016.)

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The duo later presented the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Emmy Award to Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory and Frida Perez for The Studio.

Related: Alexis Bledel Recalls Upsetting ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Arc in Rare Interview

After taking a step back from acting, Alexis Bledel gave a rare interview in which she reflected on her last role before her hiatus. Bledel, 43, discussed her time on The Handmaid’s Tale with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, May 22, ahead of the show’s series finale, saying, “I was actually offered the role [of […]

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Prior to presenting at the Emmys alongside Graham, Bledel had not attended any public events since she made the guest list for the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 32nd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood, California, in March 2024.

Bledel spent the first four years of the 2020s almost entirely out of the spotlight, aside from attending the Screen Actors Guild Awards (now known as The Actor Awards) in January 2020. The following year, Bledel looked back on the legacy of Gilmore Girls during a Zoom interview on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in May 2021.

War films can be very serious at times. Understandable, given the utterly grim subject matter at play. After all, war isn’t fun. But it can be chaotic, and pleasure and entertainment can be derived from it. Why not make suffering frantic, in a rock-and-roll kind of way? That’s exactly the vibe that this movie has going for it.

Fury is streaming for free on Pluto this month, giving viewers another chance to check out one of the most bruising and mental World War II movies of this century. Set during the final days of the war in Europe, the movie follows the increasingly deranged crew of an American Sherman tank as they push deeper into Nazi Germany on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Stars Jon Bernthal and Shia LaBeouf are the standouts from a “you didn’t need to go this hard” perspective, with the latter actually removing his own tooth forcibly just for authenticity. Crikey.

The cast also includes Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) as Don “Wardaddy” Collier, Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as Norman Ellison, Michael Peña (Ant-Man) as Trini “Gordo” Garcia, Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) as Captain Waggoner, and Scott Eastwood (The Longest Ride) as Sergeant Miles.

Was ‘Fury’ Successful?

Financially, Fury was a solid success, especially given that it was a mid-budget adult war movie rather than a giant franchise IP exposion extravaganze. It opened at No. 1 domestically with $23.7 million, knocking Gone Girl out of the top spot, and went on to gross $85.8 million domestic and $211.8 million worldwide against a reported $68 million budget. Once marketing is factored in, it wasn’t some runaway monster, but it made more than three times its production budget worldwide, so this one definitely landed in the win column.

Critically, it did well too. Rotten Tomatoes called it a “rock solid war film,” praising its bracing battle scenes and you-are-there authenticity, while Metacritic lists it at 64, indicating generally favorable reviews. The audience response was strong as well, with an A- CinemaScore, which is pretty impressive for a bleak, muddy WWII tank movie.

Fury is streaming for free on Pluto this month.

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Release Date

October 17, 2014

Runtime

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135 Minutes

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The power of a great plot twist is undeniable. It can completely transform a show by forcing the audience to rethink everything they thought was true, whether that be a character’s motivations or the rules of the story’s world. Given that, it’s not surprising that thriller TV has practically become obsessed with twists over the years. Of course, some element of surprise is essential to the genre, but when shows start relying on shock value alone, that’s where things start to fall apart.

Genuinely effective twists are much harder to pull off because they require careful setup, emotional payoff, and enough subtle clues for the reveal to feel earned in hindsight. Now, the problem is that most thrillers mistake constant unpredictability for good storytelling. Not the ones on this list, though, because these thriller shows have truly mind-blowing plot twists that completely rewire the audience’s brains.

10

‘Shining Girls’ (2022)

Image via Apple TV+

Shining Girls is one of Apple TV’s most underrated thriller shows because it refuses to follow the traditional rules of the genre. The series, based on Lauren Beukes’s novel, stars Elisabeth Moss as Chicago Sun-Times archivist Kirby Mazrachi, who survived a brutal attack years earlier and still struggles to make sense of reality. Things take a turn when a new murder feels eerily similar to Kirby’s own assault, which leads her to team up with reporter Dan Velazquez (Wagner Moura) and investigate a string of connected cold cases that all lead back to a mysterious serial killer named Harper Curtis (Jamie Bell). The deeper the investigation goes, the clearer it becomes that this is more than just a straightforward crime mystery. Shining Girls does a great job of weaponizing the confusion in its narrative. Kirby’s reality constantly changes without warning. Her apartment shifts, relationships suddenly become different, and even the people around her seem altered from one moment to the next.

Instead of immediately explaining these changes, the series slowly allows the audience to piece things together alongside Kirby herself, so when the twist is finally revealed, it lands with full force. That storytelling approach turns Shining Girls into a thriller that demands complete attention because nearly every detail eventually matters. Unlike most murder mysteries that hide the killer’s identity until the very end, Shining Girls reveals Harper surprisingly early. The real mystery then revolves around understanding how he operates and why reality itself seems to fracture around his victims. Shining Girls, but once the puzzle pieces finally start connecting, it’s impossible to look away.

9

‘Alice in Borderland’ (2020-2025)

Image via Netflix

Alice in Borderland is easily one of the most unpredictable thriller shows Netflix has ever produced. The Japanese survival series, based on Haro Aso’s manga, follows Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), a directionless young man who suddenly finds himself trapped inside a deserted version of Tokyo alongside his friends. Now, survival in this strange world depends on competing in a series of deadly games that test intelligence, teamwork, betrayal, and psychological endurance. Each game is categorized by playing cards that determine both its difficulty and the type of challenge contestants will face, which immediately gives the series a constant sense of unease.

Alice in Borderland quickly establishes that absolutely nobody is safe. The series wastes very little time throwing its characters into horrifying situations where every misstep can lead to immediate death. Yet despite all the spectacle, the show heavily focuses on the emotional and psychological impact these games have on the people forced to participate in them. The twists in Alice in Borderland are effective because they don’t just exist for shock value. In fact, every major revelation completely changes the audience’s understanding of the world itself. Just when viewers think they understand how Borderland operates, the series introduces new information that reframes the stakes all over again, and that becomes the show’s greatest strength.

8

‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)

Image via HBO

Mare of Easttown is one of the strongest crime thrillers in recent times. The HBO miniseries follows Kate Winslet as Marianne “Mare” Sheehan, a detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigating the murder of a teenage mother while simultaneously dealing with a divorce, her son’s suicide, and a custody battle with his formerly heroin-addicted girlfriend over her grandson. Mare of Easttown immediately establishes that Mare is emotionally exhausted long before the central investigation even begins, which is exactly why the murder case slowly affects every aspect of her personal life in unexpected ways. The most interesting part about the show is how it hides its biggest twists inside ordinary conversations and relationships.

The series constantly shifts audience suspicion from one character to another, but none of it ever feels forced. In fact, the show’s small-town setting, where everybody is connected through family histories, generational friendships, and buried secrets, becomes the perfect foundation for those revelations to unfold naturally. Mare of Easttown spends just as much time exploring grief, addiction, loneliness, and broken families as it does solving the murder itself. This gives the series a level of emotional realism that keeps the audience invested until the very end.

7

‘Black Bird’ (2022)

Image via Apple TV

Black Bird is a show that becomes more unsettling as it progresses, especially since it’s based on true events. The Apple TV miniseries follows former high school football star turned drug dealer Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), who is sentenced to 10 years in prison without parole. However, things take a turn when the FBI offers him a dangerous deal. Jimmy is then transferred to a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane to befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) in exchange for a reduced sentence. The catch is that during his time there, he has to gain Larry’s trust and convince him to reveal where the bodies of several murdered women are buried. The seemingly simple task becomes increasingly complicated as the story goes on.

The interesting thing is that Black Bird doesn’t really make use of graphic violence to drive its point. Most of the suspense in the series comes from conversations between the two men, where one wrong move could lead to disaster for Jimmy. The show slowly transforms into a psychological chess match where viewers are never completely sure of who is in control. The twists in Black Bird work because they are tied directly to Jimmy’s growing understanding of Larry. The series constantly forces audiences to question whether Larry is manipulating Jimmy or telling the truth. Every new confession or detail quietly changes the emotional stakes of the story. Not to mention how chilling all of this feels because the audience knows these events are rooted in reality.

6

‘You’ (2018–2025)

Image via Netflix

Netflix’s You, based on Caroline Kepnes’ novels, is a haunting psychological thriller that follows Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a charming bookstore manager whose idea of love quickly spirals into obsession, stalking, manipulation, and even murder. Joe has this habit of inserting himself into the lives of the women he becomes fixated on because he is convinced that every horrific thing he does is somehow justified in the name of love. The series is extremely addictive because it essentially traps the audience inside Joe’s perspective. His internal narration drives the story. The fact that he is intelligent, funny, and self-aware almost convinces the audience of his twisted logic before he does something to remind them how dangerous he really is.

That psychological manipulation becomes one of the show’s smartest tricks because the series constantly blurs the line between romantic fantasy and outright horror. That’s also why the twists in Netflix’s You land so well, because Joe is never allowed to fully control the narrative. Every season introduces characters and revelations that completely destabilize his carefully constructed version of reality. Sometimes the biggest surprises come from the women Joe becomes obsessed with, who often turn out to be far more complicated and unpredictable than he initially assumes. Other twists emerge from Joe himself, especially once the series starts exploring his past and the psychological consequences of him constantly reinventing his identity to escape it. You is an unconventional thriller because it understands that Joe’s charm is part of what makes him dangerous. Just when viewers think they understand Joe Goldberg or where the story is heading next, the series finds another way to pull the rug from under them.

5

‘Behind Her Eyes’ (2021)

Image via Netflix

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Behind Her Eyes is one of the most unpredictable psychological thrillers of all time. The series, based on Sarah Pinborough’s bestselling novel, follows single mother Louise (Simona Brown), who begins an affair with her new boss David (Tom Bateman), only to unexpectedly strike up a friendship with his mysterious wife Adele (Eve Hewson). At first, the setup feels like a fairly familiar domestic thriller built around a love triangle and hidden secrets. However, Behind Her Eyes slowly reveals that there is something far stranger and far more unsettling happening underneath David and Adele’s seemingly perfect marriage. The show thrives in restraint and carefully controls information. The audience gets just enough clues to sense that something is off without fully understanding why.

Adele’s behavior, in particular, becomes increasingly difficult to read because she shifts so effortlessly between vulnerable, lonely, manipulative, and terrifying. At the same time, David constantly feels like a man trapped inside a situation the audience cannot fully understand yet. That uncertainty becomes the driving force of the series because every episode subtly changes the audience’s perception of these characters and their relationships. The stakes rise when Behind Her Eyes slowly introduces supernatural elements involving lucid dreaming and astral projection, which completely transform the direction of the story. By the time the miniseries reaches its infamous final twist, it almost feels inevitable because the clues leading up to it were always there from the very beginning. That kind of intentional storytelling is exactly why Behind Her Eyes stays with the audience long after the credits roll.

4

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–1991)

Image via ABC

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Twin Peaks is an unsettling mystery series that completely redefined television back in the day. The show created by David Lynch and Mark Frost is surreal, psychological, funny, and shocking at the same time in a way that still feels unique over three decades later. The series begins with the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the quiet town of Twin Peaks. FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) arrives to investigate the case and quickly realizes that the seemingly ordinary town hides an endless web of secrets, corruption, strange relationships, and increasingly bizarre supernatural forces. The initial murder mystery slowly transforms into something far stranger and more unpredictable than audiences could have anticipated at the time.

Twin Peaks constantly destabilizes the viewers’ expectations. The series hops between genres, including soap opera melodrama, dark comedy, supernatural horror, and detective fiction, in ways that should absolutely not work together, yet somehow do. That unpredictability becomes one of the show’s greatest strengths because viewers never fully know what kind of emotional or narrative turn is coming next. The mystery surrounding Laura Palmer’s death drives the series, but as the investigation deepens, the show introduces dream sequences, cryptic visions, supernatural entities, and clues that often feel impossible to interpret. In fact, the show often treats its twists less as answers and more as doors to even stranger realities. Twin Peaks remains one of the boldest thriller series ever made because it refuses to explain itself in conventional ways fully.

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‘Dark’ (2017–2020)

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Dark is Netflix’s first German-language original series that is both mind-boggling and gut-wrenching. The story begins with the disappearance of a young boy in the small town of Winden, but what initially feels like a missing-person mystery quickly expands into a narrative involving time travel, generational trauma, and interconnected family secrets spanning multiple decades. As different characters begin uncovering strange connections between the past, present, and future, Dark slowly reveals that nearly everyone in Winden is trapped inside a cycle they barely understand.

The series keeps introducing new information that forces its characters and the audience to reevaluate everything that came before. Family trees become increasingly complicated, and timelines overlap in unexpected ways. This obviously means that Dark demands the viewers’ full attention because not one scene in the show is random or poorly planned. Despite how complex the narrative becomes, it all comes together perfectly in the end. Yet somehow, despite all the twists and tangled storylines, the emotional core of the show never gets lost. That balance between deeply human storytelling and genuinely jaw-dropping twists is exactly why Dark remains one of Netflix’s most unforgettable thriller series.

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‘Severance’ (2022–Present)

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Severance is undisputedly one of the smartest psychological thrillers television has produced in years. The Apple TV series follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott), an employee at the mysterious biotechnology company Lumon Industries, where workers undergo a surgical procedure called severance that completely separates their work memories from their personal lives. Their innie exists only inside the office, while their outie remembers nothing about what happens during the workday. At first, the process appears to be an unsettling corporate experiment about work-life balance.

However, it doesn’t take long for things to take a darker turn. Nearly every episode of the sci-fi thriller show introduces strange rules, cryptic corporate rituals, or employee behavior that quietly suggests Lumon is hiding something much larger beneath the surface. The audience experiences the mystery almost entirely through the perspective of the innies and their limited knowledge. That alone creates an existential horror that never leaves the viewer. The series spends most of its time trapping the characters and viewers inside Lumon’s suffocating environment, which makes every revelation feel massive. What truly separates Severance from most thriller series, though, is how the show’s twists are always tied to larger ideas about identity, memory, grief, and corporate control.

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‘1899’ (2022)

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1899 is a thriller mystery created by Dark showrunners Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. The Netflix series follows a group of passengers traveling from Europe to America aboard a steamship called the Kerberos in 1899. However, things take a disturbing turn once the crew discovers another ship, the Prometheus, drifting aimlessly in the middle of the ocean after having vanished months earlier. From there, the story transforms into a disorienting psychological maze filled with hidden identities, shifting realities, and increasingly impossible events. Nearly every passenger aboard the Kerberos is hiding secrets, which immediately creates an atmosphere where nobody fully trusts each other.

The show also uses its multilingual cast brilliantly because characters constantly struggle to communicate despite sharing the same space. That disconnect adds another layer of tension to the series since misunderstandings and isolation become just as dangerous as the central mystery. 1899 embraces its ambiguity and makes sure that every twist lands with purpose. The show constantly rewards audiences who pay close attention to visual clues, repeated symbols, and subtle details hidden throughout the narrative. By the time the final episodes arrive, the audience is so fully immersed in the show’s shifting realities that they almost feel like passengers themselves.

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1899

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Release Date

2022 – 2022-00-00

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Network

Netflix

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Writers

Jantje Friese, Dario Madrona López Gallego, Emma Ko, Jerome Bucchan-Nelson, Juliana Lima Dehne, Emil Nygaard Albertsen

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Movies become cult classics for a reason, presumably because they were practically engineered to be watched on a lazy Saturday afternoon as a kid with the rest of the family. Treasure maps? Check. Booby traps? Got those too. Pirate legends, weird gadgets, even weirder looking kids in the best possible way, and everyone’s getting grimy and dirty almost from the get-go? This movie is perfect.

The Goonies is streaming for free on Pluto this month, making now a perfect time to never say die and go back to the 1980s. Directed by Richard Donner and based on a story by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of kids who discover an old treasure map and set off on a dangerous adventure to find the lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy.

The cast includes Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) as Mikey Walsh, Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) as Brand Walsh, Jeff Cohen as Chunk, Corey Feldman (Stand by Me) as Mouth, Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Data, Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope) as Stef, John Matuszak (North Dallas Forty) as Sloth, and Anne Ramsey (Throw Momma from the Train) as Mama Fratelli.

How Successful Was ‘The Goonies’?

Financially, The Goonies was a solid success, especially for a family movie that wasn’t built around a pre-existing franchise. It reportedly cost around $19 million and grossed about $64.3 million domestically, with its total usually $65 million worldwide. It was not a huge hit overseas, as you can tell. Adjusted for today, that means its budget would be about $57 million, while its domestic gross would be around $192 million.

Now, critically is where it gets interesting, because the movie is pretty much universally considered a classic. Not the case at the time, however. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 77%, with the consensus calling it “an energetic, sometimes noisy mix of Spielbergian sentiment and funhouse tricks” that appeals to kids and nostalgic adults. Obviously, this is a classic example of a movie that found its audience on home video, and repeat watches are what cemented it in the minds of American youths all through the 1980s and beyond.

The Goonies is streaming for free on Pluto this month.

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Release Date

June 7, 1985

Runtime

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114 minutes

Director

Richard Donner

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Producers

Harvey Bernhard

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Jennifer Lawrence always looks effortless, but her latest sandal style takes it to a whole new level. She proved that comfy and chic can totally go together, and all it takes is this $25 look on Amazon.

Lawrence was spotted with her little one in the West Village, iced coffee in hand, wearing a soft T-shirt, slouchy lounge pants and easy cork sandals that channeled instant cool-mom vibes. These classic slip-ons are identical, giving you the same off-duty vibes, effortless polish and real arch support for two digits, not three. Thousands of five-star reviews don’t lie!

Get the Odoly Cork Slide Sandals for $25 (was $34) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

The Odoly Cork Slide Sandals mirror J.Law’s in every way: two clean straps across the top, a sleek cork footbed and adjustable buckles that let you customize the fit. They’re a summer staple that works with absolutely everything in your closet, from linen pants and trousers to denim skirts and sundresses. Rich mom style, zero effort.

Related: Jennifer Lopez‘s Summer Red Bag Style Is the Easiest Rich Mom Upgrade

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If you associate red with winter, think again! Rich moms are swapping summer pastels for red, including Jennifer Lopez, who recently approved the red bag trend we’re seeing all over New York, Los Angeles and Paris. Her pick, of course, has a designer label, but we found an eerily similar version on Amazon. Lopez attended […]

What sets these timeless slides apart from average sandals is the arch support. The contoured insole cradles your foot the way orthotics do, except it’s sleek and doesn’t require a podiatrist’s referral. Cork magically molds to the shape of your foot over time, so the longer you wear them, the more comfortable they get.

Walkers are exceptionally enthusiastic. One happy reviewer wrote, “I ended up wearing them to Magic Kingdom later in my trip, too, because they were comfier than my regular Adidas sneakers.”

Another five-star fan shared, “I’m a travel agent and do several resort/site inspections . . . On an average day of visits, I can clock in about 14,000 steps . . . My last pair lasted me eight years, two passports and countless site inspections and even a trek up the pyramids in Egypt. So yeah, I love these for walking.”

Lawrence styled hers with relaxed loungewear, but these cork sandals earn their keep across an entire summer wardrobe. Throw them on with a midi skirt and a tank for brunch, then cropped trousers and a button-up for date night. They’ll carry you through farmers’ markets, travel days and school pickups alike.

At just $25, this celebrity-inspired look is already in our cart!

Get the Odoly Cork Slide Sandals for $25 (was $34) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

Not what you’re looking for? Shop other chic sandals and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

Related: Skip Chunky Sneakers — These Rich Mom Walking Sandals Are Comfier

‘Walking’ and ‘sandals’ might feel like contradictory terms, and for a while, they were. But it’s 2026. Designers have finally heard our wishes, creating chic walking sandals that deliver the support of sneakers with the style of summer. They’re still hard to come by, but we found 15 comfy sandals that effortlessly balance comfort and […]

Brad Pitt cuddled up with girlfriend Ines de Ramon during a visit to the French Open.

The couple made a rare public appearance on Saturday, June 6, to watch Mirra Andreeva secure the first Grand Slam title of her tennis career with a 6-3, 6-3, win over Maja Chwalińska in the women’s singles final on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris, France.

At various points during the finals match, Pitt, 62, draped his arm over de Ramon’s back while they cheered for the exciting action.

The two-time Oscar winner sported a goatee and wore aviator-style sunglasses with a casual styling of his hair. His girlfriend opted for a green leather jacket over a flowing cream-colored dress.

Pitt and de Ramon, 33, rarely step out in public, although they put up a united front to promote Pitt’s racing drama F1 on the red carpet at its London premiere in June 2025.

In addition to keeping their public appearances to a minimum, Pitt has rarely discussed his latest relationship in interviews. One exception was a 2025 profile in GQ where he shut down speculation over whether he and de Ramon purposefully made their public debut at the 2024 British Grand Prix and then walked the red carpet for his Formula One-themed movie one year later.

“It’s not that calculated,” he insisted. “If you’re living … oh my God, how exhausting would that be? If you’re living with making those kinds of calculations? No, life just evolves. Relationships evolve.”

Pitt and de Ramon started dating in 2022 after both got out of very high-profile relationships in the past. Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston from 2000 to 2005 and later to Angelina Jolie from 2014 to 2019 while de Ramon’s three-year marriage to The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley ended in September 2022.

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Related: Why Brad Pitt’s Romance With Ines de Ramon Is ‘A Big Deal’ for Him

Brad Pitt’s romance with Ines de Ramon is the real deal. “They’re super in love,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly of the couple. “Ines has been a huge support system for Brad during the legal feud with [ex-wife] Angelina [Jolie] and what’s happened with their kids. It’s been devastating for him. He hasn’t addressed […]

Us Weekly exclusively reported in December 2025 that Pitt and de Ramon were “still going strong and are very committed,” per a source. The insider suggested that the relationship partially works because de Ramon “has no interest in being in the spotlight and that is what Brad admired about her when they met.”

As for whether they will ever tie the knot, the source told Us, “They aren’t interested in getting married and are on the same page about that. [There are] no wedding plans at the moment. They are super happy in this phase of their relationship and not rushing into anything.”

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Meanwhile, Pitt seemingly has strained relationships with at least some of the six children he shares with ex Jolie, 51. (The former couple are parents to Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 17.)

Amid reports that Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh have all distanced themselves from using Pitt’s last name in recent years, a source exclusively told Us in May that the actor feels “hurt” that his children have disconnected from him, though he remains hopeful of reconnecting someday.

“[Brad] still does hope and keeps the door open to eventual reconciliation, hopefully with all of them, but it is their decision,” the insider explained. “He has no power and he can’t force them.”