Fans of Dolly Parton had grown increasingly concerned after the country music icon missed some scheduled appearances in recent months due to health concerns. Now, the singer has made her first major public appearance, offering reassurance to supporters who had been worried about her health.

Dolly Parton Explained Her Absence From Public Events

On March 13, Parton attended the opening day celebration of Dollywood’s 41st season, delivering the keynote address to the large crowd. The Queen of Country co-owns Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, that opened in the ’80s.

It was Parton’s first major appearance since revealing some health issues last year. Addressing the crowd, the singer shared the reasons why she hadn’t been seen in public the past several months. “I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them. I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” she explained.

Parton said that she needed the time to regroup “spiritually, emotionally, and physically,” adding, “All is good. It didn’t slow me down.”

The Singer’s Husband Died In March 2025

For six decades, Parton shared a loving and devoted marriage with Carl Thomas Dean, who famously preferred to remain out of the public eye.

The two met outside a laundromat in Nashville in 1964 when Parton was 18 and Dean was 21. Two years later, they married in an intimate ceremony. The couple renewed their wedding vows for their 50th wedding anniversary in 2016, and Dean recalled the moment he first saw Parton.

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“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin’. And that was the day my life began. I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth,” Dean stated, per ET Online.

Dean passed away in March 2025 after a long illness. In an interview with The Independent after her husband’s passing, Parton said, “Part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore. But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.”

Dolly Parton Had A Kidney Stone Infection

In September 2025, Parton skipped a Dollywood event, instead sending a video telling the crowd the reason for her non-appearance. She had a kidney stone that turned into an infection, and was advised by her doctor not to travel. “Don’t worry about me, I’m gonna be okay. Just can’t do it today,” she assured her fans.

That same month, the “Jolene” singer made an announcement postponing her December Las Vegas residency, citing health issues. Although she didn’t provide details about her health, she did say that she had to undergo “a few procedures.” Parton assured her fans that she won’t be “quitting the business” but needed some time to recuperate and put together a show that her fans deserved.

Parton also missed an event where she was inducted into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Hall of Fame and skipped the Academy Governors Awards, where she was awarded an honorary Oscar.

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The Queen Of Country Skipped Her Birthday Celebration

On January 19, Parton celebrated her 80th birthday. The Grand Ole Opry House hosted a birthday weekend celebration for the country icon. However, as The Blast previously reported, Parton wasn’t able to attend the festivities.

Parton expressed her deep gratitude to the Opry in a video and said she wished she could be there. The singer didn’t give a reason for her absence, but she appeared happy and healthy.

Fans sent birthday greetings to Parton, while some were concerned about her health. One commented, “What’s wrong with Dolly, is she still under the weather as in sick or she’s got other things going on? I’m starting to get worried about her.”

Another user wrote, “Let her get some rest. She hasn’t had the time to get over her precious husband, Carl.”

“God bless her and keep her safe. She’s such a treasure,” one commented.

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Dollywood’s New Attraction

Dollywood kicks off its 41st season with the “I Will Always Love You Festival,” a celebration of Parton’s hit songs, which will run through April 12.

In addition, the theme park has a brand new attraction, the NightFlight Expedition. The $50 million roller coaster features immersive elements, and according to Dollywood President Eugene Naughton, it will be the longest ride in the park at 5.5 minutes long.

“We have half a million gallons of water that’s going to rush by you as you’re riding NightFlight Expedition, and you’re going to get a chance to really, truly feel what it’s like to whitewater raft,” Naughton teased.

With the new attraction, they are hoping to attract more visitors and eventually have Dollywood open all-year-round. Dollywood’s 41st season will close in January 3, 2027.

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Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro have often been associated with one another because of their shared connection with Martin Scorsese. Due to the consistent quality of DiCaprio’s current output, he is considered to be the “De Niro” of his generation. Both men have been highly awarded by the Oscars; De Niro has a total of nine nominations (including Best Picture as a producer on The Irishman) and two wins, and DiCaprio has eight nominations (including Best Picture as a producer on The Wolf of Wall Street) and one single victory in the Best Actor category for The Revenant. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that both DiCaprio and De Niro have been in twelve films that were nominated for Best Picture. De Niro first appeared in a Best Picture-nominated film with The Godfather: Part II (for which he also won Best Supporting Actor), and DiCaprio was in Titanic, which tied the record for the most wins with eleven (alongside Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), even though he was not personally nominated.

De Niro and DiCaprio are not the only actors to have picked up significant attention from the Academy; Jack Nicholson has been in ten Best Picture nominees, earned the most nominations of any male actor with twelve, and tied the record for most individual wins for a male actor (alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Penn). Other actors with a significant number of appearances in Best Picture nominees include Tom Hanks (nine), Brad Pitt (nine), Gregory Peck (eight), Harrison Ford (eight), and, curiously enough, Jesse Plemons with seven, including his role alongside De Niro and DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon. However, DiCaprio and De Niro have shown a consistent interest in working with great directors, which explains why they’ve been in so many classics.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro Have Impressive Filmographies

De Niro has the benefit of being older than DiCaprio, and has been appearing in great films for over half a century. His filmography is not nearly as consistent as he has certainly been in disasters like Righteous Kill and Dirty Grandpa, but De Niro has evolved as a star who has been relevant in every generation. Some of his contemporaries, such as Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino, started their careers off very strong, but didn’t appear in as many acclaimed films in the latter half of their resumes in the 21st century. De Niro has never failed to do interesting work, and hasn’t cared about the size of his role; his performance in the Best Picture nominee American Hustle was little more than a cameo. De Niro’s name is enough to signify that the Academy should take notice, given that his Oscar-winning role in the Best Picture winner The Godfather: Part II was also his breakout. Playing a younger version of Marlon Brando’s character from the original The Godfather seemed like an impossible task, but De Niro pulled it off, making Vito Corleone the first character to be portrayed in two Oscar-winning performances (a record that would be tied by the Joker and West Side Story’s Maria).

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DiCaprio has a slightly more complicated history with the Academy, given that he was nominated for his breakthrough child performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, but would be snubbed for over ten years for his excellent roles in Titanic, The Basketball Diaries, Catch Me if You Can, and Gangs of New York. While the Internet took an interest in the fact that he hadn’t won, DiCaprio’s physical transformation in The Revenant was impossible to ignore. Since winning the Oscar, DiCaprio has only been more selective in his roles, as the last film he was in that didn’t get a Best Picture nomination was The Great Gatsby thirteen years ago.

De Niro and DiCaprio Have Been in 3 Films Together

Although they both developed longstanding partnerships with Scorsese, DiCaprio and De Niro finally shared the screen in Killers of the Flower Moon, an epic which earned an impressive ten nominations, despite zero wins. It was a major comeback for De Niro, who received his first acting nomination since Silver Linings Playbook for one of the most terrifying roles of his entire career. While DiCaprio was unfortunately snubbed in a tight Best Actor race, his efforts to promote the film certainly helped it perform better at the box office and allowed for a breakout moment for Lily Gladstone, who stole the film with her heartbreaking performance. Now that it has finally been issued on physical media with the Criterion 4K, Killers of the Flower Moon is being more broadly accepted as the modern masterpiece that it is.

DiCaprio and De Niro also appeared in two other films together that haven’t received as much fanfare, although both are quite good. This Boy’s Life was a powerful domestic drama featuring DiCaprio as a young boy and De Niro as his abusive stepfather, and has held up as a great coming-of-age story; they also appeared together in the generational family melodrama Marvin’s Room, which earned Diane Keaton a nomination for Best Actress. It’s not clear yet if they will be reuniting anytime soon, as DiCaprio is currently filming the new Scorsese film What Happens At Night with Jennifer Lawrence, and De Niro will next be seen in the comedy sequel Focker-In-Law. However, DiCaprio does appear to be fulfilling a different part of the De Niro legacy because of his involvement in the new Michael Mann film Heat 2, where it is strongly rumored that he will be playing Neil, the character that De Niro played in the 1995 classic. The original Heat was snubbed by the Oscars, but DiCaprio’s involvement might be enough to generate more awards attention for the sequel.

Killers of the Flower Moon is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

It’s been nearly six months since the Putman family tragically lost three relatives in a deadly crash and Blake Putman can still recall the accident as if it happened yesterday.

“I remember the entire thing,” Blake, 37, who was driving the car when it was struck by a semi-truck in September 2025, told People on Friday, March 13. “I remember the car hitting us. I remember being on the road. I remember a lot of scenes inside the vehicle.”

The Meet the Putmans star recalled, “He hit my door, and how God allowed me to be where I am today, I’m not really sure.”

Blake was driving one of three cars carrying the Putman family — who gained fame while starring on TLC’s Meet the Putmans in 2017 — as they headed home from watching Blake’s 15-year-old son Noah play football. Tragedy struck when they were about one mile from their house in Caro, Michigan, on September 26, 2025.

Related: ‘Meet the Putmans’ Stars Share Family Update After Fatal Car Accident

The Putman family is sharing an update on their injured relatives after several family members were involved in a fatal car accident.   “We wanted to share an update and continue asking for prayers for Noah, Gia and our entire family,” a statement shared via the family’s Growing Up Putmans Instagram account read on Wednesday, October […]

Blake’s vehicle was transporting eight family members, including his parents, Bill “Papa” Putman and Barb “Neenee” Putman, his wife, Megan Putman, Blake and Megan’s son Noah and daughters Lulu, 13, and Alena, 11. Blake’s brother Brandon Putman’s daughter Gia, 11, was also in the car when the semi-truck collided with it.

Papa and Neenee, who were both 65, died in the crash, as did Blake’s wife, Megan, who was 37.

“Megan had her arms around me when he hit us, and my dad was sleeping,” Blake recalled on Friday. “My mom and dad and Megan, they died on the scene. The autopsy said that they were immediately gone. There was no saving them.”

Blake, for his part, said he suffered a “couple broken bones” in his neck as well as a broken nose and some lacerations.

Brandon, 39, and his wife, Kacie Putman, were in one of the other two cars when the accident played out in front of them. (Blake, Brandon and their other two siblings, Billy and Blair, all live in one house with their spouses and children. Their late parents also lived with them prior to their deaths.)

“There’s only one thing that could come out of my mouth, and it was, ‘Dear God, save my kids,’” Kacie told People. “He did that. He saved every one of our kids.”

While all four kids in the struck vehicle did survive, they sustained injuries. Lulu had a pelvic fracture and Alena suffered a clavicle fracture. Noah and Gia had traumatic brain injuries.

“I remember pulling Noah out of the car, and I didn’t think he’d be the same as he is,” Brandon explained of his nephew. “The way he’s bounced back and is stronger in almost every facet than he was before in a short amount of time is amazing. Gia, the same thing.”

Noah spent two weeks in the ICU and underwent two months in rehab, but the family said he is now back at school, playing football and wrestling.

Gia has had a harder road after being airlifted to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery, which her father, Brandon, said saved her life.

“If she would’ve went by ambulance, she wouldn’t have made it,” Brandon revealed. “Her spleen went through her diaphragm and up into the left side of her chest. She broke her clavicle and broke her left humerus, which is not very funny — I got to throw a little bit of dad jokes in there — but it’s a miracle.”

After 10 brain surgeries and three months in the hospital, Gia returned home in January, but she still has a tracheostomy to help with breathing. (A tracheostomy is a surgically created opening in the neck that establishes an airway and ventilation, according to Mayo Clinic.)

As everyone continues to heal medically, the family said they are still navigating how to emotionally move forward from their losses.

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Related: Meet the Putmans’ Family Guide: Kids, Spouses, Grandkids and More

The Putman family members have been making a name for themselves since starring on TLC’s Meet the Putmans in 2017. The reality series followed the Putman family — Bill Putman and Barbara Putman, their four children, Billy Putman, Brandon Putman, Blake Putman and Blair Putman, their respective spouses and, at the time, 15 grandchildren — […]

“Megan is my soulmate,” Blake told the outlet, noting he still refers to his late wife in the present tense. “I remember telling her that I know that heaven exists, and she kind of looked at me like, ‘Okay, why are you telling me this?’ We were holding each other in bed, and I told her, ‘Because I can’t love someone as much as I love you, and this be it.’” (The couple celebrated their 18-year anniversary just weeks before Megan’s death.)

Brandon noted that they have leaned on each other to get through the tough season.

“But this family, we circle each other, and when one person’s weak, we pick them up,” he said. “God bless my dad for having the vision to bring us together like that and to teach us these principles to live by.”

In December 2025, the driver responsible for the crash, Pavel Schukin, pleaded no contest to three counts of a moving violation causing death, which is a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to one year and jail and at the sentencing the Putman brothers gave him a Bible and forgave him.

“At the funeral, a lot of people came up to us, like, ‘Wow. To see how you guys responded to the driver by gifting him a Bible and giving him forgiveness, that strengthened my faith,’” Brandon said on Wednesday. “Well, the feeling’s mutual. That was our goal when we had our show.”

Adrian Grenier is sharing the reason why The Devil Wears Prada fans won’t see him in the upcoming sequel — and confirmed it wasn’t his choice!

Speaking to Us Weekly on Friday, March 13, Grenier, 49, said he never got the call to take part.

“I would be bitter if I wasn’t so absolutely thrilled for Anne [Hathaway] and the crew, and excited for the sequel myself. I’m a fan of the movie, and so I look forward to seeing the sequel as well,” he exclusively told Us. “So yeah, I mean, obviously, I was disappointed [to not return], but you know, I can’t be in everything, you know?”

He added, “I mean, Andy’s moving up, and, you know, I get it. Nate’s the devil, according to some people.”

Grenier joked that while he won’t appear on screen, “I hope they invite me to the premiere at least, come on!”

Related: ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ Casts Patrick Brammall as Andy’s Love Interest

The Devil Wears Prada 2 story line is already looking promising for Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs. Patrick Brammall has joined the sequel as the leading man in Andy’s life, Entertainment Weekly reported on Monday, July 21. Brammall, 49, is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his roles in Colin From Accounts, Call Your Mother, […]

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The Devil Wears Prada was released in 2006, with Grenier playing Nate Cooper — the boyfriend of Anne Hathaway’s lead character Andy Sachs.

Based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel of the same name, The Devil Wears Prada follows Andy as she’s hired by high-powered editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Miranda forces Andy and assistant Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) to be on call 24-7.

Years after the film’s release, fans examined the character of Nate more closely and criticized him for not being supportive of Andy’s career as she worked hard to make her ambitions a reality.

Grenier addressed the backlash in June 2021 during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“When that whole thing [about Nate being the ‘real villain’ of the film] first came out, I couldn’t get my head around it. I didn’t understand it. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t mature as a man, just as Nate probably could’ve used a little growing up,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “I was just as immature as him at the time, so I couldn’t see his shortcomings, but, after taking time to reflect and much deliberation online, I can realize the truth in that perspective. Nate hadn’t grown up, but Andy had … she needed more out of life, and she was achieving it.”

While Nate does provide some necessary grounding for Andy — who ultimately wants to be a journalist — fans turned against the character quickly for being upset with his girlfriend for working so hard for Miranda.

“He couldn’t support her like she needed because he was a fragile, wounded boy,” Grenier said. “On behalf of all the Nates out there: Come on! Step it up!”

Hathaway, Streep and Blunt are all set to return for the latest iteration, which is due for release in May 2026, while Entertainment Weekly reported in June 2025 that Grenier would not be back.

Australian actor Patrick Brammall was previously spotted filming scenes alongside Hathaway for The Devil Wears Prada 2 and is reportedly playing a love interest for Andy.

The days of crime television being cozy police procedural entertainment where the heroic cops apprehend the criminals and make the world a safer place are long behind us. The emergence of prestige drama in the medium throughout the early part of the 21st century has imbued crime shows with a license to tackle more confronting and urgent subject matter through a lens of unflinching realism and bleak despair.

As such, many crime shows have come to be defined by the intensity of the viewing experience they craft, be it through piercing thematic insights into such issues of police corruption and gangland morality, graphic displays of violence and inhumanity, or complex and challenging examinations of the human condition. Some of these series follow disturbed and damaged cops, while some focus on the innate savagery and amorality of criminals. All of them are defining titles in crime television that elevate the genre with the heavy and harrowing nature of their stories.

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‘True Detective’ (2014–2024)

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Typically, when people discuss the brilliance of True Detective, they refer solely to the atmospheric excellence, cinematic quality, and enrapturing storytelling of its first season. This is understandable. Season 1 is a trend-setting masterpiece of detective drama that marries a sinister and elaborate case with a powerful sense of human drama relating to the personal lives of its two protagonists. However, concerning the sense of thematic wrath and piercing subject matter, all four seasons of True Detective deserve praise for their conviction.

While Season 1 does strike a powerful heaviness with its investigation revolving around an occult serial killer with ties to a pedophilic ring of powerful people in Louisiana, Season 2 is similarly evocative with its story of wealth, corruption, and power in L.A., Season 3 compels with its more grounded focus on family trauma and the toll police work has on a cop’s family, and even Season 4 has some interesting and weighty ideas of intergenerational trauma, the environmental impact of industrialization, and the subjugation of Indigenous communities in modern-day America. Its quality may vary from season-to-season, but True Detective always wields a visceral thematic might that makes for heavy, hard-hitting viewing.

9

‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)

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Mare of Easttown hits audiences with a grueling and bleak view of the world on all fronts. It captures a suffocating sense of small-town claustrophobia grounded in economic hardship and community despair. It depicts confronting issues like depression, trauma, drug addiction, domestic abuse, and the inescapable nature of poverty with dull hopelessness. It even presents the world with a weighted gloom, with its visual display comprised of dreary greys and cold blues that amplify the story’s thematic heaviness with a flattening atmospheric moodiness.

The story itself is just as grim, following Marion “Mare” Sheehan (Kate Winslet) as she investigates the brutal murder of a 17-year-old mother while still coming to terms with her own son’s recent suicide. Anchored by Winslet’s arresting performance, Mare of Easttown hits its mark as a harrowing murder mystery steeped in a palpable sense of aching defeat. There is a pressing feeling that the best days of every character are well behind them, conjuring an air of pessimism that makes every thematic note land that much harder. Given that the feeling of desolation only grows more pungent with every revelation in the case and every insight into Mare’s life, the HBO miniseries holds a sullen moodiness that is relentless across its seven-episode run, making for one of the heaviest miniseries of any genre.

8

‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)

Image via HBO

The Sopranos excels at a great many things. It is a landmark pioneer of prestige television drama. It is an absorbing character study of one of the most complex and compelling figures to have ever graced the small screen. It is a captivating immersion into the nature of the mafia in the 21st century. It is even a show of inspired comedic brilliance when it wants to be. However, the defining aspect of The Sopranos will always be its ability to deliver debilitating drama that marries the volatility and violence of organized crime with the peculiar humanity of its leading man, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini).

An enthralling anti-hero, Tony is introduced as an integral member of a New Jersey crime syndicate, one who begins seeing a psychiatrist in secret when he experiences panic attacks due to his complicated work-life balance. The psychological depth the series invests in Tony alone makes it a heavy viewing experience, especially as he grapples with his own depression, his often-strained relationships with his family, and his drifting moral compass that is torn between cultural tradition and societal evolution. The presence and vulnerability of Gandolfini’s performance only heighten this sense of dramatic intensity, as does the ever-present threat of violence, the litany of issues the supporting characters are confronted with in their lives, and the air of realism that hangs over every element of the series. This piercing weight makes The Sopranos the enduring masterpiece of television that it is.

7

‘Oz’ (1997–2003)

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A sentence in a maximum-security prison is a nightmare that nobody wants to face in life. Oz takes the terror of such an environment and realizes it in the most hellish and hostile way imaginable. Set in the Oswald Maximum Security Correctional Facility, it follows the inmates based in “Emerald City,” an experimental new ward designed to prioritize rehabilitation and reform over punishment. However, with gangland tensions running hot and personal feuds always erupting, the threat of violence, abuse, and dehumanizing humiliation never wavers.

With racial conflict, the power struggles of gangland warfare, the savage nature of survival, and the fine line between pure evil and complex immorality being key features of the story, Oz holds a visceral and often deeply disturbing might. The authenticity of its approach bolsters this distressing, stomach-churning intrigue significantly, with the series running less as a plot-fueled drama and more as a harrowing immersion into the chaos of the prison yard. It constantly questions the divide between one doing whatever is necessary to endure and losing all semblance of themselves and their morality in the process, delivering relentless turmoil that is as visually graphic as it is psychologically draining.

6

‘The Corner’ (2000)

Image via HBO

David Simon is a genius of television. The Baltimore crime reporter has an outstanding ability to soak his series with a palpable sense of realism, whether he is exploring police corruption in We Own This City, the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Treme, the pitfalls of military bureaucracy and miscommunication in Generation Kill, or the all-encompassing rot of crime and institutional corrosion in The Wire. However, one of his best and most piercing projects is the sadly forgotten HBO miniseries The Corner, which follows a poverty-stricken family in West Baltimore as they try to live their lives in the midst of a rampaging drug war.

Based on Simon’s own nonfiction book, the six-part miniseries holds a devastating authenticity as it tackles the cyclical struggle of addiction and recovery, the way in which systemic issues impact ordinary people, the economic brutality many in America face, and the strain familial love endures amid the traumatizing circumstances of substance abuse. The fact that the series is based on the experiences of real people only makes it that much more heartbreaking, enshrining it as a masterpiece of television drama that is incredibly difficult to watch, given how it depicts the hope and humanity of family clashing with the grim reality of heroin addiction.

5

‘When They See Us’ (2019)

Image via Netflix

Another powerful miniseries that finds tremendous gravitas in its foundation on true events, When They See Us delivers a harrowing story of institutional failure in the legal system as it dramatizes the trial and wrongful conviction of the Central Park Five. When a woman is raped in Central Park in 1989, five Black and Latino youths from Harlem are arrested for the assault and coerced into giving false confessions that see them imprisoned. The acclaimed Netflix original miniseries examines their trial and their 13-year fight to gain exoneration.

Told with an emphasis on the psychological and emotional strain of not only the five incarcerated men but their families as well, When They See Us delivers a story of exceptional balance as it delves into the faults of the judicial system and the turmoil of trying to overturn a conviction. Its sense of injustice and tragedy is overwhelming, with director Ava DuVernay imbuing the story with a deft elegance even as she tackles issues of systemic racism and trauma with unflinching and ferocious ire.

4

‘The Shield’ (2002–2008)

Image via FX

Police corruption is always a heavy and hard-hitting theme to explore, one that comes with complex notions of power, immorality, and institutional rot as well as the damning inefficiency of consequence and accountability. No show has explored it with the insight and detail of The Shield, with the FX series’ seven-season run following the Strike Team, a small unit of LAPD officers operating out of a precinct in a district of L.A. marred by gang violence who, under the command of Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), use illegal and unethical methods to uphold the law while profiteering off the crime they fight.

Heavily inspired by the real-life Rampart Division CRASH scandal, the series’ brutality and cutthroat morality make for difficult viewing. However, The Shield isn’t merely a parade of police malpractice, with each of the officers in the Strike Team realized with a twisted though complex moral code and a compelling depth of personal drama, ranging from Julien’s (Michael Jace) agonizing clash of masculinity and closeted homosexuality to Shane’s (Walton Goggins) downward spiral of criminal opportunism, desperation, and self-destructive recklessness. Combining such rich character drama and a confronting thematic focus on police corruption, The Shield shines as a landmark achievement of crime television, but a bleak and brutal one.

3

‘Adolescence’ (2025)

Image via Netflix

A defining title of television in 2025 that made an enormous cultural impact with its timely and urgent story of rampant misogyny in modern youth culture, the dangers of the internet, and the toll a crime takes on a family, Adolescence stands as one of Netflix’s most masterful and mighty original series. It also stands as one of the streaming platform’s heaviest, with its four-part story revolving around the murder of a schoolgirl by her classmate and, by extension, the impressionable nature of extreme internet subcultures on vulnerable youths.

Anchored by an incredible performance from young lead Owen Cooper, a brilliantly aware and thought-provoking screenplay from Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, and a richly immersive one-take approach to each episode, Adolescence manages to be completely enthralling while simultaneously being viscerally disturbing. It grapples with the horrors of the modern world of online interactivity and the spreading of toxic and dangerous ideas with sublime skill, capturing a chilling nightmare of violence, overloaded impulse, and hatred from a multitude of angles that showcases just how helpless parents are when it comes to sheltering their children from harmful ideologies, or even just having the opportunity to educate their kids on such matters. Compelling, commanding, and confronting, Adolescence is a harrowing call for awareness and action on one of the most topical issues of the modern day.

2

‘Unbelievable’ (2019)

Image via Netflix

Another emotionally draining and venomously frustrating analysis of the inadequacies of the legal system that operates with a basis on true events, Unbelievable is a soul-crushing story of sexual abuse and injustice that should be essential viewing. The miniseries runs with a two-pronged story. It follows Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever), a sexual assault survivor who, after being convinced to recant her accusation, faces charges of false reporting, while also tracking detectives Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) and Karen Duvall (Merritt Weaver) in their investigation of a serial rapist.

It is a numbing descent into trauma, victim-blaming, and rampant injustice, one that highlights the many obstacles sexual assault survivors face in trying to bring their attackers to justice, while also exploring the way good police work is stifled in the modern world. Unbelievable is wise to offer a sense of cantharis, avoiding being a solely heartbreaking and bleak story with a quiet focus on empathy, understanding, recovery, and the power of humanity at the darkest of times. However, it is still a striking and deeply affecting viewing experience, one that epitomizes the devastating impact television drama is capable of.

1

‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)

Image via HBO

A full-scale epic that examines both the hierarchy and complex morality of the drug trade and the institutional ineffectiveness across a city, The Wire is a defining masterpiece of crime television that still stands as the most substantial and relevant title in the genre. Across its outstanding five-season run, the HBO series explores every facet of drug-related crime, from street-level dealers to leaders calling the shots, while also serving as a deep dive into the culture and systemic failings of law enforcement, public education, city politics, and even the media.

Armed with a piercing realism courtesy of David Simon’s in-depth understanding of Baltimore’s criminal infrastructure and co-creator Ed Burns’s decades-long career as a BPD detective, the series can overwhelm viewers with its enormous scope as well as with its gritty brutality and the coarse values of its multitude of characters. The fact that so little has changed in the world regarding the inadequacy of so many integral societal institutions—and the detrimental effect such inadequacy has on the most vulnerable and in-need people in society—ensures The Wire remains just as hard-hitting today as it was when it was airing 20 years ago.

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The Wire

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Release Date

2002 – 2008-00-00

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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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Kelly Osbourne is continuing to grieve for her late father Ozzy Osbourne.

Taking to her Instagram Story on Friday, March 13, Kelly, 41, shared a glimpse of her family’s private estate in Buckinghamshire, England where the rock star is buried.

“Spent some time with my daddy this morning!” she wrote alongside a photo of the countryside where the words “Ozzy F***ing Osbourne” were spelled out in capital letters.

Ozzy’s family announced the Black Sabbath star’s death after a battle with Parkinson’s on July 22, 2025 via a statement. He was 76.

Related: Kelly Osbourne Shares Message for Fans After Dad Ozzy’s Death

Kelly Osbourne is grateful for fans’ support in the wake of her dad Ozzy Osbourne’s death. “I’ve sat down to write this a hundred times and still don’t know if the words will ever feel like enough … but from the bottom of my heart, thank you 💜,” Kelly, 40, wrote via her Instagram Stories […]

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” they said in the statement at the time. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

Ozzy had been married to Sharon Osbourne, 70, since 1982. As well as Kelly, the couple shared son Jack Osbourne and daughter Aimee Osbourne together.

Kelly broke her silence about the loss of her dad via social media two days after the news of his death.

“I feel unhappy, I am so sad,” Kelly wrote via her Instagram Story on July 24, 2025. “I lost the best friend I ever had.”\

Since then, Kelly has hit back against body-shaming trolls who criticized her for losing weight amid her grief.

“I don’t even know how to say this, so I’m just gonna say it,” Kelly said in a video shared during her mom Sharon’s appearance on a December episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored. “To the people who keep thinking they’re being funny and mean by writing comments like ‘Are you ill?,’ or ‘Get off Ozempic,’ [or] ‘You don’t look right.’”

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Ozzy Osbourne was reportedly laid to rest on the grounds of his family’s estate in England. Osbourne’s casket was buried beside a lake at his Buckinghamshire home on Thursday, July 31, according to The Sun. The outlet reported that a wreath reading “Ozzy f***ing Osbourne” was placed on the bank of the water during a […]

“My dad just died. And I’m doing the best that I can, and the only thing I have to live for right now is my family,” Kelly continued in the clip. “And I choose to share my content with you and share the happy side of my life, not the miserable side of my life.”

She added, “So to all those people, f*** off.”

In February, she doubled down when responding to more body-shaming remarks. Posting via her Instagram Story, she shared a comment that was written about her which labeled her “too thin” and “fragile,” while comparing her to a “dead body.”

“Literally can’t believe how disgusting some human beings truly are! No one deserves this sort of abuse!” she captioned a screenshot of her comments section.

For a Star Wars movie that is still keeping most of its cards very close to the chest, Starfighter has already started to build a pretty serious level of curiosity. A lot of that comes down to the team behind it, of course, but it also has to do with the fact that Ryan Gosling does not exactly sign up for this kind of thing unless he sees something special in it, and based on his latest comments, he clearly does. Alongside Gosling, the cast includes Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. While Lucasfilm has not publicly revealed most character names yet, we’re pretty sure we won’t be disappointed with what this star-studded cast is going to bring to the table.

Speaking to Collider’s Steve Weintraub while promoting Project Hail Mary, Gosling was asked why both longtime Star Wars fans and complete newcomers should be excited about Starfighter. Considering he can’t actually talk about the film in great detail yet, it’s pretty clear he’s very excited about this one. Giving fans a vote of confidence ahead of the film’s arrival, he told Collider:

“It’s such a great story on its own, and the characters are amazing. The journey is epic. I think that Shawn Levy, he’s got it. He’s got the tone. He’s got the enthusiasm for this. It’s infectious. Everybody involved is just sucked into his love. He’s so passionate about this that he’s really so in his element. It was a beautiful thing to see. It felt like someone who’d been working their whole life to be making this, and I think we all felt like we were a part of something really special. I’m saying too much!”

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Because today is Friday the 13th, let’s march our way through the iconic slasher franchise. Ch-ch-ch-ch. Ha-ha-ha-ha.

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Ryan Gosling Promises ‘Star Wars’ Fans Won’t Be Disappointed By ‘Starfighter’

What makes Gosling’s comments especially interesting is how heavily he leans on Levy. He is not just saying the movie is cool or that the scale is big. He is talking specifically about Levy’s tone, his passion, and the feeling on set that everyone was part of something unusually meaningful. Gosling’s perspective should reassure fans that the new Star Wars movie has a point of view worth your time, not just a release date attached to a big franchise.

When it was pointed out that he hadn’t actually revealed anything, Gosling still seemed hilariously wary of “saying too much.” When pressed again that he still had not actually given away any story details, Gosling doubled down with the line fans will probably latch onto most: “I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.” As for whether Gosling has already seen a rough cut, he shut that down fast, too: “I need to stop talking. [Laughs]”

Star Wars: Starfighter lands in theaters in May 2027. Stay tuned for more from Weintraub’s conversation with Gosling for Project Hail Mary.

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Release Date

May 28, 2027

Writers

Jonathan Tropper, George Lucas

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Leave it to Kaley Cuoco to remind Us that comfy shoes can still be seriously cute. The actress recently stepped out in lavender Crocs that instantly caught our eye — and now we can’t stop thinking about them for spring. Even better, her exact pair is available on Amazon for just $35.

Cuoco wore the Crocs Classic Clogs while out and about in Los Angeles, pairing the comfy shoes with a relaxed off-duty outfit. The soft lavender shade adds a playful pop of color that feels perfect for warmer weather. It’s the kind of easy, slip-on pair you’ll want to wear everywhere once spring arrives.

Get the Crocs Classic Clogs for $38 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Related: PSA: Taylor Swift Wore These $75 Retro Sneakers — On Amazon

When it comes to Taylor Swift’s fashion, we’re used to paying close attention — especially when she wears something new. Whether it’s a street-style outfit or a full on-screen moment, her looks always give Us something to talk about. The latest style detail we couldn’t miss? A pair of $75 retro sneakers she wore in […]

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Beyond the seasonal color, the Classic Clogs are famous for their comfort. The lightweight Croslite foam cushioning helps create a soft, supportive feel, while the ventilated upper keeps things breathable on warmer days. An adjustable heel strap adds versatility, allowing you to wear them as a quick slip-on or flip the strap back for a more secure fit.

These shoes are also designed to handle a little water, which makes them even more practical for spring and summer. The durable, easy-to-clean material means they’re perfect for beach days, poolside hangs, gardening or quick errands around town. Style-wise, the pastel lavender shade looks especially cute with relaxed athleisure sets, denim cutoffs or flowy spring dresses.

The celebrity-approved shoes are a favorite among shoppers, too, earning more than 5,500 five-star ratings.

One reviewer raved about their “insanely comfortable” feel, adding that the pair even “got compliments” from kids, coworkers and strangers. Another shopper — who calls them their go-to “gardening shoes” — praised the “easy to clean” design and lavender shade, saying it’s “so pretty.”

If Cuoco’s outfit proved anything, it’s that comfy shoes don’t have to sacrifice style. The soft lavender shade adds a fun pop of spring color, while the lightweight design delivers the comfort Crocs are famous for. With the pair ringing in at just $35 on Amazon, it’s an easy way to brighten up casual outfits all season long.

Get the Crocs Classic Clogs for $38 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more from Crocs here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

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Jennifer Aniston’s airport style always strikes the perfect balance between relaxed and polished. No matter where she’s headed, a comfortable pair of sneakers is a non-negotiable in her travel wardrobe. And lucky for Us, her exact $75 pair is still available, so we can easily copy her first-class style. Which style does the Friends star swear by? Aniston has […]