A great show should look different by Season 5. After all, the premise that hooked viewers in Season 1 can’t keep doing the work forever. There are only so many times before familiar conflicts start repeating themselves and characters begin running in circles. The best writers understand that reaching Season 5 should mean something has changed along the way. That can be in the form of character growth, changing relationships, and sometimes, even reworking the central conflict of the story.

That’s easier said than done, but thankfully, HBO has produced several shows that knew exactly what to do with the time they had. None of the five shows on this list ends as a longer version of what it was in Season 1. In fact, they evolve without losing what made them great in the first place, which is exactly why they are considered the greatest.

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‘Insecure’ (2016–2021)

Image via HBO

Insecure is easily one of the most accurate and realistic depictions of adulthood on television. The HBO comedy begins with Issa Dee (Issa Rae) approaching 30, stuck in a job she hates, questioning her long-term relationship with Lawrence (Jay Ellis), and wondering whether everyone around her has life figured out better than she does. Her best friend Molly Carter (Yvonne Orji) appears far more successful on paper, but her dating life and tendency to overthink everything practically reveal a different kind of insecurity. Together, they spend five seasons stumbling through careers, relationships, friendships, and the uncomfortable realization that becoming the person one wants to be usually takes longer than expected.

The most grounded aspect of the show is how Issa doesn’t suddenly discover some bigger purpose after a eureka moment. Instead, the show simply lets time pass as she goes through life’s ebbs and flows. That isn’t to say she doesn’t experience growth — Insecure comes full circle at the end of its five-season run. It doesn’t tie everything up into a neat little bow, but makes the audience realize that perfection was never the point anyway.

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‘Hacks’ (2021–2026)

Image via HBO Max

Hacks is technically a comedy, but this HBO series captures the full range of the human condition in completely unexpected ways. The show follows legendary Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), whose long-running residency is beginning to look increasingly outdated. On the other hand, Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) is a young comedy writer whose career collapses after an offensive joke leaves her practically unemployable. Deborah needs fresher material, and Ava needs a job, so their manager forces them together. Now, neither of the two ladies is particularly happy about this arrangement, especially since they are total opposites in terms of their approach to life and have a massive generational gap, which adds another layer of tension to the dynamic. However, the show follows the two as their relationship gradually starts changing.

Ava pushes Deborah to make her comedy more honest, while Deborah teaches Ava the ins and outs of an industry where women are rarely given their due respect. The clever part is that Hacks never lets either woman remain comfortably the mentor or student. Deborah and Ava keep butting heads, but they always find their way back to each other. Their conflicts keep Hacks from ever feeling stale, especially since they are always rooted in the characters’ individual journeys. Plenty of comedies can keep finding new situations for their characters, but Hacks found five seasons of new ways for its central relationship to evolve, without ever losing the friction that made putting these two women in the same room so hilarious in the first place.

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‘Boardwalk Empire’ (2010–2014)

Image via HBO

Boardwalk Empire tracks one of the most fascinating periods in American history. The five-season epic begins in Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition, with political treasurer Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi) realizing almost immediately that banning alcohol is going to make the right people extremely rich. Nucky already controls much of the city through political connections and corruption, but bootlegging gives him a chance to expand far beyond New Jersey. His local operation soon connects him to gangsters, politicians, businessmen, and rival organizations across the country, and the stakes just keep expanding from there. Boardwalk Empire’s historical progression is what gives this story a sense of scale that becomes more impressive with every season.

Nucky initially looks like the man perfectly built for this new America, but it starts feeling like he is in way over his head when his protégé Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) turns against him. Every time Nucky survives yet another rival, the show makes it clear that he cannot keep up with the changing criminal world around him forever. Boardwalk Empire Season 5 makes that shift impossible to ignore with a time jump. The show follows one man building an empire while simultaneously showing how history makes his version of power obsolete. Perfectly capturing a story like that across five seasons is no small feat.

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‘Six Feet Under’ (2001–2005)

Image via HBO

Six Feet Under tells the audience exactly how every story eventually ends, and then spends five seasons proving how everything that came before it is what matters. The drama, created by Alan Ball, follows the Fisher family, who run a funeral home in Los Angeles. After patriarch Nathaniel Fisher Sr. (Richard Jenkins) dies suddenly, his sons Nate (Peter Krause) and David (Michael C. Hall) are left to run the family business alongside their mother Ruth (Frances Conroy) and younger sister Claire (Lauren Ambrose).

Now, one would assume that being surrounded by death every day has prepared the family to deal with it, but it turns out they are just as confused about life as the grieving families who give them business. That contradiction gives the show five seasons of material without requiring increasingly ridiculous stakes. Everyone in the Fisher family is dealing with the loss in their own way, but Nathaniel’s death also forces them to confront whether they are actually living the lives that they want to. By Season 5, the audience is so attached to these characters that the whole emotional ending in the final episode feels strangely beautiful instead of bleak.

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‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)

Image via HBO

The Wire might just be the best show ever created. The series begins with detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) pushing his department to investigate drug kingpin Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris) and his organization, but that first case quickly exposes how much bigger the problem really is. The show turns the city of Baltimore itself into the main character to show how crime is connected to practically every institution around it. McNulty and his team can spend months building a case against Avon, but their work is constantly shaped by higher-ups worried about statistics, appearances, and closing cases more than actually fixing the conditions that create them. Every breakthrough is complicated by police politics, budgets, and unimaginable bureaucracy. At the same time, the show follows Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), who is trying to make the drug trade function more like a legitimate business, while young dealers on the corners are treated as replaceable pieces in a system much larger than them.

Now, The Wire refuses to keep its critique of the system confined to narcotics. Season 2 shifts the focus to the city’s dying docks; Season 3 brings the focus back to the streets as City Hall begins shaping what the police are allowed to do; Season 4 covers the public schooling system, while Season 5 turns toward journalism. The interesting part is how all of these institutions are interconnected, even when the people inside them rarely see the full picture. That is also why characters who seem powerful in one part of the city can look completely powerless in another. More than two decades later, The Wire still feels like a timeless piece of television that somehow keeps becoming relevant all over again. If there is one HBO classic every serious television fan should experience at least once, this is it.

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The Wire

Release Date

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2002 – 2008-00-00

Network

HBO

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Directors

Ernest R. Dickerson, Ed Bianchi, Steve Shill, Clark Johnson, Daniel Attias, Agnieszka Holland, Tim Van Patten, Alex Zakrzewski, Anthony Hemingway, Brad Anderson, Clement Virgo, Elodie Keene, Peter Medak, Rob Bailey, Seith Mann, Christine Moore, David Platt, Dominic West, Gloria Muzio, Jim McKay, Leslie Libman, Milcho Manchevski, Robert F. Colesberry, Thomas J. Wright

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Nicole Scherzinger is carrying on with her Pussycat Dolls tour after enduring a gnarly injury.

“Nothing like boiling water falling on your leg an hour before your set — But the show must go on,” Scherzinger, 48, wrote via her Instagram Story on Sunday, September 27. “Thanks Düsseldorf for keeping me going. See you soon Amsterdam.”

Alongside the message, Scherzinger shared a gruesome image of her leg covered in blisters from the burn she sustained from the boiling water.

Scherzinger is currently traveling with Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt for the Pussycat Dolls’ latest world tour, PCD Forever, which began in June. Ahead of the tour’s inaugural show, most of the North American dates were canceled due to low ticket sales.

“When we announced the PCD FOREVER Tour, we hoped to bring the show to fans across the world,” the group wrote via Instagram in May. “After taking an honest look at the North American run, we’ve made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to cancel all but one of the North America dates.”

Us confirmed at the time that the OUTLOUD Music Festival at WeHo Pride in June would host the only North American Pussycat Dolls show in 2026.

“The LGBTQ+ community has shown us so much love and support throughout our career, and we’re honored to be part of a weekend rooted in joy, pride, music and chosen family,” the group shared. “Our UK and European dates are still moving forward as planned, and the response has been incredible, with several shows already sold out.”

After several of the tour dates were canceled, a source exclusively told Us in May that Scherzinger is “disappointed” by the limited interest in the tour.

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Related: Pussycat Dolls Perform With Busta Rhymes at 2026 AMAs After Canceled Tour

The Pussycat Dolls took the 2026 American Music Awards stage alongside iconic rapper Busta Rhymes after canceling the U.S. leg of their comeback tour. Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt performed with Rhymes, 54, for a rendition of their 2005 hit “Don’t Cha” during the Monday, May 25, awards show at the MGM Grand […]

“She was really excited to get back out there with Ashley and Kimberly to celebrate a new era, but now she feels they didn’t get a chance to showcase what they can do,” the insider said. “They went from not touring for over 15 years to booking big arenas like Madison Square Garden with only one new song to back it. They overestimated the demand.”

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Earlier this month, Scherzinger was noticeably absent from the stage at the COS Torwar Arena while the others sang the hit track “Buttons” before later joining them in the performance. Her rep later explained the mishap in a statement.

“During a wardrobe change, there was an issue with Nicole’s in-ear pack, which meant an unexpected mid-show change was necessary,” the statement read. “Rather than the Dolls stopping the entire show and disappointing the fans, the decision was made to fully switch Nicole’s pack, and unfortunately, the change delayed her from joining the other Dolls in time.”

The statement added, “Nicole is devastated that the fans were let down in any way, and looks forward to coming back to Poland very soon to make it up to them.”

An outlandish beat, a disquieting whistle, the sound of the TARDIS popping in and out of existence lingering in the back… The Doctor Who theme is by far one of the most unique tunes in the history of television. Originally composed by Australian musician Ron Grainer (and Delia Derbyshire, but we’ll get to that), the theme remains pretty much the same since the classic BBC sci-fi series aired its first episode in 1963, with some alterations made by later composers working on the show. This unique theme song has its own wild history behind it. In an era in which now run-of-the-mill synthesizers were still far from becoming a thing, the song was put together through the use of hands-on techniques, from recording jugs of water being poured to simply pressing play on multiple tapes at the same time in order to turn them into a cohesive piece. The result was a distinctive tune that basically introduced the world to the possibilities of electronic music. Add to that a whole in-house debate about who the actual composers of the theme are, and you have yourself a story that deserves to be told.

How Was the Original ‘Doctor Who’ Theme Created?

Back in 1963, the BBC had just created a new science fiction series that few could imagine would become the cultural juggernaut it is today, still making waves more than 60 years after its inception. Doctor Who follows an Earth-obsessed alien who travels through space and time, always with at least one lucky companion tagging along. Things were all set in motion for the show to kick off its very first season, which starred William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the titular Doctor, but among many matters that still needed solving there was the issue of what tune would introduce Britain — and, eventually, the world — to the adventures of the TARDIS crew.

The BBC commissioned Ron Grainer to write the opening theme to its newest show. The piece would then receive a new treatment by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a sound effects project created in 1958 to produce new sounds for the British broadcasting company’s radio and TV stations. More specifically, the theme was to be reworked by the musician Delia Derbyshire, who would go on to become one of the greatest in the history of electronic music, influencing modern acts such as Aphex Twin, Portishead, and The Chemical Brothers. The final result would be something so different and so unique that Grainer himself would have trouble recognizing it as his original composition.

Delia Derbyshire Is Who We Have To Thank for ‘Doctor Who’s Iconic Theme

Grainer was very much aware that the crew at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop employed some very complicated techniques in their projects. Thus, he delivered them a very simple piece of sheet music, with just a handful of instructions such as “wind bubble” and “clouds.” In order to bring Grainer’s vision to life, Derbyshire employed techniques such as filtered white noise, plucking a single string, and hooking up a keyboard to equipment generally used to calibrate recorders.

In the absence of synthesizers and stereo equipment, Derbyshire and her team recorded the sounds in mono, putting them to tape “inch by inch by inch”, in her own words. An entire orchestra was built up from individual notes, as explained by Dick Mills, one of the sound engineers involved in the project. The notes were then cut out and merged together manually, as there was no digital editing software available at the time.

Mills goes on to explain, in an interview with the BBC, that most tunes are divided into three parts: the rhythm, the melody, and the “twiddly bits on top”. Thus, Derbyshire’s team recorded their sound onto three separate tapes that were then loaded into three different machines. In order to put these sounds together, the crew had to press play on the three devices at the same time. In case you’re a music buff and want to go into the specifics of how it all works, there’s a whole website devoted to breaking down the tune. It might sound simple enough, but only in theory: can you even begin to imagine how in sync they had to be for it all to work out in the end? Besides, this early form of multitracking was pretty much unheard of at the time, and Derbyshire and her team employed it for the first time.

The ‘Doctor Who’ Theme Became a Classic, But Derbyshire Was Never Properly Credited for Her Work

Image via BBC

The final result of this excruciating work went on to become the iconic theme of Doctor Who for the next seventeen years. Though some changes were made over the course of the series to match the new title sequences, it wasn’t until 1980 that the intro theme received whole new arrangements by Peter Howell, who used analog synthesizers to give the theme a new feel. From then on, composers like Murray Gold and Segun Akinola have also tried their hand at reworking Grainer and Derbyshire’s original composition. However, after all these changes, it is still hard to match the haunting melody of the original score.

But despite having been instrumental to the creation of the theme as we eventually came to know it, Delia Derbyshire was never properly credited for her work. Grainer tried to reason with the BBC to get her name recognized on the piece, but to this day, he remains the only musician credited for the tune. The story goes that this decision was made due to matters of anonymity: the BBC didn’t want the public getting acquainted with the members of the Radiophonic Workshop, wishing to keep it known simply as an ensemble. Nowadays, however, most dedicated fans of the show recognize Derbyshire’s essential role in the making of the series’ theme.

Delia Derbyshire Never Got To See the Revival of ‘Doctor Who’

Image via BBC

Still, it is sad to realize the BBC doesn’t extend the same kindness to Derbyshire as Whovians, especially considering how hard of a time she had before getting into the Workshop. Derbyshire once said that her love for abstract music came from the sounds of the air raid sirens during World War II, and she graduated from Cambridge with a BA in both Math and Music. In one of her first attempts to get a job in the recording industry, she was turned down by Decca because the company did not hire women. In 1960, however, she got a job as a trainee at the BBC, and, in 1962, one year before her work on the Doctor Who theme, she was transferred to the Radiophonic Workshop. Throughout her career, she collaborated with names such as Yoko Ono and The Royal Shakespeare Company. She eventually began getting credit for her BBC work, but only after the Doctor Who theme hit television sets.

Derbyshire left the BBC in 1973, feeling out of place in an environment that she perceived as more and more corporate and unfriendly towards creative work. Though she continued to work as a musician in private, she all but disappeared from the public eye. She died in 2001, at the relatively young age of 64, four years before her most famous creation made its way back to public introducing Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor.

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Release Date

1963 – 1989-00-00

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Network

BBC One, BBC Television

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Directors

Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Peter Moffatt, Richard Martin, Chris Clough, Lennie Mayne, Pennant Roberts, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Graeme Harper, Gerald Blake, Hugh David, Mervyn Pinfield, Rodney Bennett, Waris Hussein, John Gorrie

Writers

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Robert Holmes, Bob Baker, Malcolm Hulke, Dave Martin, David Whitaker, Brian Hayles, Robert Sloman, David Fisher, Dennis Spooner, Terrance Dicks, Eric Saward, John Lucarotti, Don Houghton, Chris Boucher, Ian Stuart Black, Louis Marks, Peter Grimwade, Henry Lincoln, Johnny Byrne, Mervyn Haisman, Jane Baker, Pip Baker, Robert Banks Stewart, Anthony Read

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• 

  Barry Jackson

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The last several years have been challenging for Brandi Glanville, but things seem to be turning around for the mother of two.

While promoting her appearance on season 5 of Fox’s “Special Forces,” the former “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star spoke about her health and her rising medical bills.

During the interview, Brandi Glanville also thanked her “RHOBH” co-star, Kyle Richards, who publicly donated to the 53-year-old’s GoFundMe.

Brandi Glanville’s Friend Sets Up A GoFundMe To Help Cover Her Medical Expenses

3

According to The Blast, Glanville’s friend, Gina Rodriguez, set up a GoFundMe page for the Bravo star to help cover her medical expenses related to a long-term illness causing facial disfigurement.

Rodriguez set the goal amount at $28,000 and encouraged Glanville’s supporters to “help Brandi on her journey to get her health back.”

“Brandi has been fighting this for years and still has months of costly treatments and surgeries ahead,” Rodriguez said.

Glanville revealed previously that her medical bills had reached upward of $7,000 per week.

‘Real Housewives’ Stars Rally Around Brandi Glanville

Kaia Gerber is reportedly stepping away from her packed professional schedule as she struggles to process the death of her older brother, Presley Gerber. The 25-year-old model and actress is said to be leaning on her parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, along with boyfriend Lewis Pullman and several longtime friends. Although Kaia has built a successful career of her own, those commitments are reportedly taking a back seat as she mourns the brother she considered her “best friend.”

Kaia Gerber Has Reportedly Delayed Work Commitments

5

According to the Daily Mail, Kaia has postponed several professional obligations following Presley’s death at age 27. “Kaia had a packed schedule, and she has delayed a lot of her work stuff to deal with this. Everyone has been understanding,” a source close to the family told the outlet. “I don’t know when she will go back to work.”

Kaia has maintained a busy career in modeling and acting, but the insider said no timeline has been set for her return. The pause reportedly allows her to remain close to family while processing a loss that still does not feel real.

Presley died on September 20 after he was found unresponsive at Resolutions Living, a recovery facility in Santa Monica, California. His death is being investigated as a suspected overdose, although the official cause and manner remain undetermined.

Presley Gerber’s Death Reportedly ‘Isn’t Sinking In’ For His Sister

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The insider claimed Kaia is struggling to comprehend that her brother is gone. “Kaia is very sad; it’s hard for her to believe her brother is gone forever. It’s not sinking in just yet; it’s a lot to digest, understandably,” the source told the Daily Mail.

Those closest to the actress are reportedly concerned about how she will handle the loss as the initial shock wears off. “Everyone in the family is worried about Kaia; they fear she won’t be able to handle this, but she has a good network around her. She has old friends that are making her feel better,” the insider continued.

Kaia previously spoke about trying to be the “easy child” while growing up because Presley required significant attention from their parents. Crawford and Gerber had reportedly spent years attempting to help their son as he struggled with addiction that began during his teenage years in the modeling industry. Now, their attention has reportedly turned toward supporting Kaia through the devastating aftermath of his death.

Cindy Crawford And Lewis Pullman Are Among Her ‘Biggest Allies’

5

Kaia is reportedly surrounded by a tight support system, including her parents and boyfriend, Lewis Pullman. “Her biggest allies are her parents and her boyfriend Lewis, even his dad Bill,” the source said.

The model is also said to have received support from friends she has known since growing up in Malibu. “She has plenty of Malibu friends, like a lot of old school pals that have reached out,” the insider shared. “She is well liked for sure.”

Members of Kaia’s celebrity circle have reportedly shown their support as well. “Kendall [Jenner] checked in on her and her mom Kris [Jenner] sent flowers,” the source claimed.

Kaia Gerber Considered Presley Her ‘Best Friend’

5

The loss is reportedly especially painful because of the close bond Kaia shared with Presley. “She and Presley were best friends,” the family source said.

Both siblings began modeling as teenagers and faced the pressures of fame at a young age. However, their paths into the industry unfolded differently. Presley left high school at 15 to pursue modeling opportunities in New York City and Europe. He continued his education while working and graduated at 17. Kaia remained in high school in Malibu through the completion of her junior year before beginning to model full-time at 16.

“Kaia and Presley were seriously decent, nice kids from Malibu who were getting their first taste of fame at the time,” the source said. “They were new models in New York City, and everyone thought they were amazing. They were just learning the ropes, though, and were not used to the ugly side of New York City.”

The siblings eventually returned to California after spending time working in New York.

Presley Gerber’s Cause Of Death Remains Undetermined

5

Presley reportedly checked into Resolutions Living approximately 12 hours before he was found unresponsive on September 20. The Santa Monica Police Department is investigating his death as a suspected overdose. However, the suspected overdose has not been confirmed as the official cause of death.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has completed an autopsy, but the cause and manner of death have been deferred pending toxicology results. Those tests can take several weeks or months to complete.

Police have stated that there is currently no indication of foul play. Investigators are reportedly working to determine the source and supplier of any substances that may have been involved.

Guillermo Rodriguez is putting in the work ahead of Dancing With the Stars week three — even when partner Witney Carson needs a rest.

“Anytime I sit down he keeps rehearsing,” Carson, 32, wrote over a Saturday, September 26, TikTok video.

In the clip, Rodriguez, 55, practiced his footwork in the rehearsal studio before blowing a kiss to the camera and continuing with his moves.

“Truly working so hard!” she wrote in the caption. “I’m so proud and I am so blessed to have the kindest partner ever.”

Related: Guillermo Rodriguez Says He’s Gained 10 Lbs During ‘DWTS’ Training

While many celebrities tend to shed pounds competing on Dancing With the Stars, season 35 contestant Guillermo Rodriguez said the exact opposite has happened to him. “It’s going good, Jimmy,” Rodriguez, 55, told Jimmy Kimmel of his DWTS rehearsals during the Tuesday, September 8, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “It’s a lot of work. My […]

Carson and Rodriguez, who rose to fame as late night host Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick, were saved from elimination during DWTS’ Viral Hits Night despite receiving low scores for their paso doble to Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been.”

“I feel like we’re slowly winning them over,” Carson exclusively told Us of judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli after the Tuesday, September 22, live show.

“Yeah, little by little,” Rodriguez replied. “We didn’t hear [any] bad comments, nothing.”

Rodriguez, for his part, shared that he felt more confident performing on Tuesday than he did during the show’s premiere earlier this month.

“I feel way better. Last week, I was nervous a lot. This week I was nervous a little bit … but it was a great music [choice]. Witney chose it,” Rodriguez said, while Carson added, “Rihanna makes him feel confident. So I was like, ‘We’re going with Rihanna this week,’ absolutely. [He] had so much confidence this week.”

Related: DWTS’ Witney Carson Calls Guillermo Rodriguez’s Premiere Scores ‘Lame’

Guillermo Rodriguez may have been “Mr. Big Stuff” in his Dancing With the Stars debut, but he didn’t have the judges’ scores to match. “I think, [for] this cha-cha, we worked on so much,” Rodriguez’s pro partner, Witney Carson, exclusively told Us after the Tuesday, September 15, live premiere. “We really worked on the timing […]

Rodriguez continued, “The most challenging part is to learn the steps. … I gotta memorize the step[s] and everything. I never danced before, but listen, I’m enjoying [it]. I’m learning, having a good time.”

Carson, who is expecting her third baby with husband Carson McAllister, told Us ahead of the season that Rodriguez was feeling “really nervous” that they were partnered — but they’ve since formed a friendship.

“I told him I was pregnant, and he was like, ‘That’s actually really relieving because you’ll just take a lot of breaks for food then.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, OK.’ So he’s feeling a little bit more comfortable, I think, around me,” she said.

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And Carson, who won season 34 with partner Robert Irwin, is looking toward obtaining her second consecutive mirrorball trophy with Rodriguez.

“I always want to win, so I told Guillermo, ‘I want to win again. I just got the taste of it and now I want to do it again,’” she recalled to Us. “And he was like, ‘Let’s not be greedy, Witney.’ He’s like, ‘OK, you need to settle down, let’s just have some fun.’ I mean, he obviously wants to do well too.”

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

Todd Meadows’ final moments were filmed for the Deadliest Catch season 22 finale.

Shortly before Meadows fell overboard the Aleutian Lady vessel in February, he spoke to his three young children via FaceTime call — a touching and heartbroken moment captured by the camera crew and featured on the Friday, September 25, episode.

“I hope you’re being safe. If you’re not being safe, you better be safe,” Meadows’ daughter told her dad during the conversation.

Meadows subsequently reassured his child, noting, “Oh, I’m being safe.” The pair then made plans for a family salmon fishing outing upon his return home.

After the call ended, he tragically died in a fishing-related incident. The moments during and after Meadow’s rescue were captured on film but weren’t shown in the finale episode. Instead, information about his death was displayed on the screen.

“On February 25th, 2026, deckhand Todd Meadows went overboard,” the text read. “After six minutes and 26 seconds in the water, he was recovered unresponsive.”

Elsewhere during the finale, the ship’s captain, Rich Shelford, could be heard telling his crew, “Keep doing CRP! Keep doing CPR! Keep pumping!”

News broke of Meadow’s death in early March.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows,” a spokesperson for the Discovery Channel said in a statement, announcing Meadow’s death. “This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Related: ‘Deadliest Catch’ Star Todd Meadows’ Bunkmate Recalls Night of His Death

Deadliest Catch star Trey John Green III was bunkmates with Todd Meadows before his untimely death at sea. “Todd was an amazing human,” Green exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 3, after news broke that Meadow died while crabbing off the Alaskan coast on Wednesday, February 25. The late fisherman was 25. Green recalled […]

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The United States Coast Guard confirmed to Us that Meadows’ body was “recovered unresponsive by the crew” within 10 minutes of him going overboard.

Captain Shelford later called the incident “the most tragic day” in the ship’s history.

“Todd was the newest member of our crew, he quickly became family,” Shelford wrote via Facebook at the time. “His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away. His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”

He continued, “Todd’s love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did. He worked hard, loved deeply, and brought joy to those around him. Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express. We ask that you lift Todd’s children and family in prayer and keep them in your thoughts as they face the days ahead without him.”

Shelford further noted that Meadows ”will forever be part of this boat, this crew and this brotherhood.”

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“Though we lost him far too soon, his legacy will live on through his children and in every memory we carry of him,” his statement concluded. “Rest easy brother, till we meet again.”

Meadows’ bunkmate, Trey John Green III, later exclusively told Us how the late deckhand was an “amazing human” on and off the screen.

“Todd was doing a great job,” Green  added, believing the accident was “none of Todd’s fault.”