Related: Beach, Cruise, You Name It! These Vacation Dresses Scream ‘Luxury Resort’
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Finding a vacation dress that’s comfortable enough for long travel days and cute enough for dinners, photos and sightseeing can feel nearly impossible, especially on a budget. That’s why I immediately added this backless maxi dress to my suitcase before my last trip, and somehow ended up wearing the affordable find everywhere, from brunch to beach walks to dinner by the water.
At first glance, the dress looks way more expensive than its under-$20 price tag. The flowy silhouette, open-back detail and lightweight fabric give it that effortless vacation vibe fashion people always seem to nail on Instagram. But unlike pricier resortwear styles, this one is comfortable enough to actually wear all day, even in hot weather.
Get the backless SCRRMZO Backless Cami Dress for $13 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
What makes the dress especially travel-friendly is how versatile it is. During my trip, I wore it with flat sandals and a straw tote during the day, then swapped in gold jewelry and heeled sandals for dinner. The relaxed fit kept me cool in humid weather, while the open-back design made the simple silhouette feel elevated and stylish without trying too hard.
It’s also one of those rare dresses that doesn’t require a ton of packing strategy. The lightweight material folds easily into a carry-on and doesn’t wrinkle nearly as badly as linen or cotton styles tend to during travel. Instead of overpacking multiple “just in case” outfits, I kept reaching for this same dress over and over because it worked for almost every occasion.
Amazon shoppers are just as obsessed with the dress’s flattering fit and expensive-looking design. One reviewer wrote that the “fabric feels soft, and the fit is relaxed without looking baggy.” Another shopper said “the color is gorgeous and the adjusters on the back are easy and flexible.”
If you’re looking for one affordable piece that can simplify your entire vacation wardrobe, this maxi dress is worth grabbing before summer travel season ramps up. Trust me — you’ll end up wearing it everywhere, too!
Get the backless SCRRMZO Backless Cami Dress for $13 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more backless maxi dresses here, and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
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Blind from the age of 1, Carter’s envelope-pushing music won a Grammy and later found new life in Eddie Murphy’s remake of “The Nutty Professor.”
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Judge Gassia Apkarian ruled that the nonprofit organization will no longer be permitted to broadcast the ads because they omit details about its religious affiliation, location, and beneficiaries.
Fantasy television has gifted audiences with countless magical worlds over the years, but only a rare few in the genre fully commit to building structured magical systems, detailed mythology, political tensions, and believable internal logic. Often referred to as “hard fantasy,” those rare few shows tend to take their fantastical worlds quite seriously, grounding even the most outlandish supernatural tropes in carefully crafted lore and rules. Sadly, most of these series tend to fade into the background over time, due to the debut of flashier fantasy epics that take the spotlight.
Entertaining fantasy gems like the two-season series, Atlantis, which approaches magic and mythology in very different yet equally compelling ways from most in the genre, and the historical fantasy epic that builds an alternate historical England shaped by political tension and structured magic, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, are two shows that have both quietly slipped from mainstream attention despite their creativity and remarkable depth. Compiled on this list are such series, near-perfect hard fantasy shows that most have forgotten ever existed.
This 2003 hard fantasy wields layered symbolism and a haunting atmosphere, while presenting its fantasy features through grounded spiritual conflict rather than through unnecessary spectacle. The HBO fantasy drama, Carnivàle, is set during the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression and follows carnival worker and drifter Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), who discovers he has healing powers — and the charismatic preacher with dark visions, Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown).
Carnivàle‘s deliberate storytelling and mythology helped to make it one of the most ambitious fantasies ever created. Although mostly forgotten by audiences, the show remains admired for how seriously it approached the topic of religion, prophecy, and supernatural destiny. With a seamless blend of biblical prophecy, mythological fantasy, and Depression-era Americana in a way very few television shows have attempted—especially for its era—Carnivàle delivers a truly near-perfect hard fantasy that disappeared far too quickly despite its remarkable depth. The show’s cinematic beauty and complex characters mark it as a quiet standout that has faded from popular memory, yet somehow still lingers mainly in lists of underrated fantasy gems.
Hellbound is a South Korean horror-fantasy thriller on Netflix that doesn’t rely on traditional fantasy aesthetics, instead building tension through supernatural rules and humanity’s reaction to them. Set in near-future Seoul, where otherworldly angels have suddenly appeared, declaring certain people damned, along with brutal, nightmarish demons, the series centers on individuals’ survival as they navigate religious fervor and lawlessness.
Though Hellbound isn’t “hard fantasy” in the strict Tolkien-style worldbuilding sense, it takes its supernatural premise very seriously and explores the political, societal, and religious consequences in a grounded and rather rule-focused lens. With its thrilling approach to fantasy through theology, horror, and social collapse, the series creates a remarkably believable and quite unsettling world that remains one of Netflix’s finest despite going mostly unremembered. Hellbound is an ambitious hard fantasy that too many have simply moved on from, but since the genuinely exceptional watch arrived in the wake of Squid Game, it was quickly overshadowed by that global phenomenon, marking it as the perfect addition to this list of near-perfect gems that no one remembers.
This 2013 underrated gem may come as a surprise as a “hard-fantasy,” but in actuality, it’s the perfect addition to this list due to its commitment to serialized storytelling, mythological worldbuilding, and its grounded use of Greek legends. The BBC fantasy-adventure series, Atlantis, focuses on a young man, Jason (Jack Donnelly), as he is mysteriously transported into the ancient city of Atlantis, where he becomes entangled with figures considered legends, like Pythagoras (Robert Emms) and Hercules (Mark Addy), and is forced to navigate monsters, prophecies, gods, and political strife.
Atlantis may be on the lighter side tonally than most on this list, but it does approach mythology with a seriousness viewers adore, steadily building a thrillingly immersive fantasy world rife with supernatural threats and recurring lore. Though quite a few fans have found the show’s adventurous energy, likable characters, and creative reimagining of Greek myths quite the perfect mixture of pure fun, Atlantis has sadly been shelved in the realm of the forgotten. It’s a truly underrated fantasy gem that is remembered mostly by viewers who still admire its ambitious mix of serialized fantasy storytelling and mythology.
Carnival Row is a compelling Victorian-era fantasy drama with a host of hard-fantasy elements, including detailed mythological creatures, worldbuilding, political conflict, and deeply structured social systems. The Prime Video series follows faerie refugee Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) and human detective Rycroft “Philo” Philoctetes (Orlando Bloom), as they navigate the rising tensions between humans and magical beings while beginning the journey of falling in love despite their differences.
Carnival Row is a fantastic bout of ambitious worldbuilding and lush visuals in the realm of R-rated fantasy series. Fans adored the show’s production values and willingness to blend noir storytelling with themes of prejudice, class, and immigration. Unfortunately, Carnival Row never broke into mainstream conversations, despite its ambitious mythology and strong visual identity, and the four-year gap between its two seasons certainly didn’t help, as the show silently began to slip into the background. It’s a genuinely addictive fantasy that stands as a near-perfect gem with a solid cult following but sadly remains largely overlooked.
This underrated Syfy gem is a fantasy work of art that wields a willingness to mix expansive fantasy mythology with emotional trauma that gives it remarkable amounts of depth. The Magicians focuses on a depressed young man, Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph), who discovers that magic is real after being accepted into a secret institution for magicians known as Brakebills University.
The Magicians is a true standout that constantly evolves its worldbuilding while also maintaining strong character-driven storytelling. The series is often hailed as a near-perfect watch for treating fantasy with emotional realism, blending addiction, grief, trauma, and identity with detailed magical systems. The Magicians delivers a masterful balance of dark storytelling with humor and surreal creativity, genuinely admired by fans for its low-key brilliance. Alas, The Magicians may be quite the near-perfect hard fantasy series with a rather devoted fanbase and critical appreciation, but the show has increasingly faded from wider discussions after its ending, leaving it as an unremembered cult favorite.
Legend of the Seeker is an excellent high-fantasy adventure series based on Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth novels. The near-perfect series centers on woods guide Richard Cypher (Craig Horner), as he discovers his status as the long-prophesied Seeker destined to defeat the tyrannical Darken Rahl (Craig Parker).
Even without ever entering the realm of mainstream phenomena, Legend of the Seeker held its own quite well, developing a passionate fanbase due to its adventurous tone, sincerity, and commitment to classic fantasy worldbuilding. Fans still frequently praise the series for its willingness to fully embrace prophecy-driven fantasy without irony, and for the captivating chemistry between the leads. Legend of the Seeker may have been abruptly cancelled after only two seasons, which had a hand in the series being thoroughly forgotten, but it remains a near-perfect example of old-school hard fantasy television that made hearts race in excitement for more.
The Dresden Files fantastically builds a supernatural world hidden beneath modern Chicago, and delivers a mix of detective noir and urban fantasy. The series centers around the professional wizard Harry Dresden (Paul Blackthorne), who works as a private investigator and uses magic to solve supernatural crimes, becoming entangled with vampires, ghosts, demons, faeries, and hidden magical organizations.
With an enticing blend of fantasy mythology and procedural storytelling, The Dresden Files makes for quite the standout, especially in comparison to more traditional supernatural dramas of its time. The series stands as a cult fantasy that deserved far more attention than it received during its time on air. The Dresden Files‘ approach to magic, with enough lore and structure, gives its world a rather believable feel in internal logic. It’s an urban fantasy that still earns a place on this list through its surprisingly detailed worldbuilding, grounded rules, and entertaining supernatural politics.
This historical fantasy miniseries is a captivating bout of intricate magical logic. Set in an alternate version of 19th-century England where practical magic once existed but has long faded into history, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell follows reserved scholar Gilbert Norrell (Eddie Marsan), who searches for a way to restore English magic through careful control and discipline, and the naturally gifted Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel), whose reckless curiosity challenges Norrell’s rigid philosophy.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a truly unique watch that has earned acclaim for its restrained but richly layered fantasy storytelling, grounding magic within academia, historical realism, and politics. Audiences have often praised the series for its immersive atmosphere, intelligent writing, and subtle worldbuilding, which elevated the show’s fantasy elements to feel unusually believable. Despite the fact that Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was quite admired due to its brilliant craftsmanship and genuine ambition, the compelling miniseries has quietly and rather tragically disappeared from memories over time since its conclusion.
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For fans of true crime and psychological character studies that don’t verge into queasy exploitation.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Dina Manzo and her daughter, Lexi Ioannou, took aim at Bethenny Frankel after the Real Housewives of New York City alum allegedly failed to properly credit her recent outfit.
Frankel, 55, shared a photo of strapless, polka dot sundress to her Instagram Stories on Friday, May 15, writing, “This dress is insane and the price is ridiculous.”
After a follower told Frankel that she loved her black peep-toe pumps, the Bravo alum pointed to a Bloomingdales pair ($375) “for the same look.”
Manzo, 54, however, wished Frankel told social media users that her actual shoes were sent to her by Ioanno’s own fashion brand, Nou.
“‘Wow Bethenny Wow!!’ So odd of you to post a dupe of your GIFTED @shopnou shoes instead of giving a young woman entrepreneur credit,” Manzo wrote via her Instagram Stories on Friday. “You wear them often so we know you like them??”
Manzo added a link to the OG Nou shoes if fans wanted “the real thing.”
Nou was founded by Manzo’s 30-year-old daughter, who also addressed the apparent brand slight.
“Bethenny Frankel is a weirdo,” Ioannou said in an Instagram video that day. “I sent her a pair of shoes from Nou almost a year ago because I look up to her. [She is a] female entrepreneur [and from the] Bravo universe like me.”

According to Ioannou, Frankel allegedly “didn’t tag” Nou in her posts despite wearing the mules multiple times across various social uploads.
“OK, that happens, but then she posted a video today that’s going viral and a bunch of people are asking where the shoes are [from]. Instead of linking them, she linked a dupe with an affiliate link,” Ioannou claimed. “I guess she’s got to get that bag in some sort of way? So, she got the shoes for free from a woman-founded brand, mine, and then she made money sending her followers somewhere else.”
Manzo responded in the comments, sharing her support.
“Proud of you for standing up for yourself and the brand you’ve worked so hard to build ❤️,” Manzo replied to her daughter.
Frankel later subtly addressed the drama by sharing an “Outfit of the Day” video.
“FYI I always give credit where credit is due,” she wrote via her Stories, alongside the video.
In her OOTD clip, Frankel did shout-out Ioannou’s brand.
“The shoes are Nou,” the Skinnygirl founder explained. “N-O-U, I think.”
Brooke Hogan is defending her decision to cover the late Aaliyah’s 2000 hit “Try Again” as she marks her return to the music industry.
“Obviously, I have talked about this whole debacle with ‘Try Again,’ right?” Hogan, 38, said in a video shared via Instagram on Friday, May 15. “It’s like, literally, ‘Dust Brooke off and have her try music again’ is the theme. So we did.”
Because Hogan said producers and music executives “want nostalgia” and wanted “old school Brookie,” she decided to do a “couple covers” after she revealed she would be releasing new music for the first time in years with her new single “Wanna Go Back,” a complex ode to her late father, Hulk Hogan. (Hulk died in July 2025 at the age of 71 after suffering cardiac arrest.)
“I love Aaliyah. I love ‘Try Again.’ This makes sense with my whole vibe, what I’m going through,” Brooke explained. “I love her.”
She added, “You’d think I was, like, dropping the American flag on the ground. Some people were like, ‘This is not cool. She’s trying to’ … Uh, what’s the word for it — not ‘associate,’ you know what I mean. ‘Trying to be Black.’ I’m like, ‘I know I’m not Black.’ That doesn’t mean I can’t like Black culture. Doesn’t mean I can’t be an Aaliyah fan. It doesn’t mean I can’t do a cover.”
Brooke went on to recall the word she was trying to remember — “appropriation” — before denying claims she was trying to steal parts of Black culture and pass it off as her own.
“No, I’m not doing that,” she continued in the video. “But you can’t be mad at a girl if she likes Black culture. Sorry. I have spent the last 15 years being tormented over it, but you know — can’t help it. Love what I love. Like what I like. I was raised on hip hop, funk, you name it. Some people are raised on country music. I was not.”
Brooke then detailed what she says happened to the comments section of her social media after she posted a picture with a producer that she worked with “back when I was with Lou Pearlman.” The producer was Black, and she says the comment she received in the wake of the public picture is proof positive that racism is “alive” and well.
“I made a comment on my own post saying, ‘If you question, if you wonder if racism is alive, just look at my comments section.’ Just check it out,” she said. “Just ask a white girl who has truly had a relationship with someone who is Black — just ask if they think that racism is alive. If you have experienced being with somebody of another race, or if you are that person of another race dating a white person, it’s very much alive and that’s very sad.”
She added, “So you know, I’ve never seen color and I’ve always liked Black music.”
Brooke captioned the honest upload, “‘TRY AGAIN’ IS FINALLY OUT AND I HAVE ALL THE MUSIC BUTTERFLIES AGAIN!!! Man, this feels good!”
“Thank you SO MUCh for your support!” Brooke continued in the caption. “Fans old and new! I love you! You have always allowed me to be my authentic self and YOU made my dreams come back to life. THANK YOU!”
Boxer Tyson Fury’s eldest daughter, 16-year-old Venezuela, is officially married.
Venezuela and Noah Price tied the knot on Saturday, May 16, according to wedding photos published by the Manchester Evening News. The bride subsequently updated her Instagram profile, indicating that she took her spouse’s last name.
Venezuela’s now-husband popped the question at her 16th birthday party in September 2025.
“Congratulations to @venezuelafuryofficial and @7noahprice on getting engaged,” Tyson’s wife, Paris Fury, wrote via Instagram at the time. “Both only young but when you know you know! Still in shock, but very happy for you both. Me and your Dad couldn’t be prouder.”
Paris, 36, helped her eldest child plan the elaborate nuptials.
“I haven’t taken over. I’ve been given the wedding,” Paris quipped on the U.K.’s This Morning in April. “It’s been passed to me because all Venezuela cares about is her dress and the DJ. She just wants to know she’s going to party all night and wear her dress and marry the boy she loves.”
While Paris enjoyed picking out the likes of Venezuela’s wedding venue and invitations, she acknowledged her daughter was still “ridiculously young” to be a bride. (Paris and Tyson, 37, also got engaged when the mom of seven was just 17.)
“Venezuela is ridiculously young, even in gypsy standards. Like, she’s really young,” Paris said on the “Great Company” podcast last month. “She’s 16, but Venezuela has always been a woman. She’s always been the oldest of all [my and Tyson’s] kids. She’s always been very confident in herself, and she has met the person that she wants to be with.”
Paris further shut down any criticism of Venezuela getting married as a teenager.
“I don’t understand [the backlash],” Paris stated. “To me, my child has met the person she wants to be with. If she moved in and lived with this person, no one would bat an eyelid. It wouldn’t be any problem.”
She continued, “She wants to get married, to me which is a celebration of their relationship, [and] it’s beautiful and that’s what they want to do. She is happy, he is happy and they want to commit to each other that way. I don’t see the problem.”
Paris and Tyson also approve of Venezuela’s husband.
“He’s a really nice young man,” Paris gushed of her son-in-law. “He’s very much like her. The two of them are real quirky. They’re, like, vibrant, out there. He’s a bit shy of the cameras … but he met Venezuela in a situation where she was just a normal person. She was just a normal face in the crowd and he came over. He liked her [and] he liked the fact that she was tall, I think that’s what he said.”
Brooke Hogan, 38, recently returned to music following the death of her father, WWE legend Hulk Hogan. However, some listeners aren’t feeling her new vibe or sound. In fact, after promoting her new single, “Try Again,” a cover of the late singer Aaliyah’s original track, some netizens flooded her social media accounts with critical comments. According to a handful of online users, Aaliyah’s music shouldn’t be remade, especially by Brooke.
Speaking directly to her Instagram followers, Brooke said that she was eager to return to the studio and put out music after the release of her 2006 and 2009 albums, “Undiscovered” and “The Redemption.”
According to Brooke, she chose to cover Aaliyah’s 2000 single, “Try Again,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, because she felt the lyrics accurately reflected her life.
“Obviously, I have talked about this whole debacle with ‘Try Again,’ right?” Brooke said in her video. “It’s like, literally, ‘Dust Brooke off and have her try music again’ is the theme. So we did.”
Brooke said that the producers she worked with on her latest project encouraged her to bring back an old-school sound, so she decided to experiment with different covers.
“I love Aaliyah. I love ‘Try Again.’ This makes sense with my whole vibe, what I’m going through,” she said. “I love her.”
Brooke released her version of the single on May 15; however, she teased the R&B track days in advance.
In the comments of one post, a user said, “Brooke, please read the room. We’re going through a lot right now already, we don’t need this, okay?” Another said, “As much as I like Brooke and her music, Aaliyah’s music should never be redone. There is no need to remake a classic. Mad fan of both ladies.”
In her video responding to the criticism, Brooke implied that she was surprised by the reaction, saying, “You’d think I was, like, dropping the American flag on the ground.”
According to Brooke, some people told her that her latest move wasn’t “cool,” while others allegedly told her she was “trying to be Black.”
Brooke explained that while she’s aware she isn’t Black, she still has admiration and respect for “Black culture.” She added, “Doesn’t mean I can’t be an Aaliyah fan. It doesn’t mean I can’t do a cover.”

Continuing, Brooke, who appeared on the reality series “Hogan Knows Best” from 2005 to 2007, maintained that she’s not engaging in cultural appropriation with her new song.
“No, I’m not doing that,” she said before defending her right to perform the songs she likes most. “But you can’t be mad at a girl if she likes Black culture.”
Brooke didn’t stop there, though. She said she’s spent “the last 15 years being tormented” over her appreciation of Black culture. “… but you know — can’t help it. Love what I love. Like what I like. I was raised on hip hop, funk, you name it. Some people are raised on country music. I was not,” she said.

According to a previous report from The Blast, Brooke’s dad, Hulk, was the subject of intense backlash in 2015 when an audio clip of him using the N-word to describe Brooke’s then-boyfriend was shared online.
At the time, Hulk said, “I guess we’re all a little racist” before saying if his daughter were to marry a “n—er,” he’d “rather her marry an 8-foot-tall n—er worth a hundred million dollars.”
Hulk later apologized for his actions, saying he was a product of his environment before mentioning his upbringing in South Tampa, Florida.
In a 2026 Netflix documentary (filmed before his death), Hulk expressed regret over his words, saying he “didn’t man up” at the time.
“I’m a person who got very mad over a personal situation. I used a word. Yeah, I regret it, because even under that heavy, crazy fire, I should have remained still and kept my mouth shut,” he said, per PEOPLE. “But what I said resonates and has an echo effect. It keeps vibrating for years.”

In July 2025, reports surfaced that Hulk had died after suffering a heart attack. He was 71.
Before his death, Hulk reportedly attempted to fix his strained relationship with those closest to him, including his daughter. However, a source said they were unable to put their differences aside, according to The Blast.
“The last few months of Hogan’s life had a lot more ups than downs,” the insider said. “There was a little strain with his daughter and their relationship that had taken quite the emotional toll, but he always thought he would eventually be able to rectify that.”
Meghan Markle arguably has the best (and cutest) stylist around — her 4-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet.
“Mama’s little helper 💜,” Meghan 44, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, May 16, sharing a sweet selfie from her closet while giving fans a glimpse of her daughter’s fiery red hair.
In the snap, the Duchess of Sussex stood in front of a mirror and tried on a lilac trench coat over a matching sheath dress. Lili, for her part, knelt at her mom’s feet to lend a hand. The young princess dressed casually in a pair of red pajamas, which perfectly matched the hair tie in Lili’s strawberry-colored locks.
In addition to Lili, Meghan shares 7-year-old son Prince Archie with husband and famous red-head, Prince Harry. The royal family of four live in Montecito, California, where they moved in 2020 after Meghan and Harry, 41, stepped down from their duties as senior working royals.
“We were looking in this area, and this house kept popping up online in searches,” Meghan recalled of her family compound in a 2022 interview with The Cut. “We didn’t have jobs, so we just were not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible. It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping. It’s like, ‘I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford. That doesn’t feel good.’”
Despite their hesitations, Harry and Meghan still toured the property.
“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” the As Ever founder told the outlet. “They’re connected at the bottom. He goes, ‘My love, it’s us.’ And now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, ‘Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa.’ … You walk in and [feel] joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.”
After their move, Meghan also relaunched her social media presence to share glimpses of her far more private, U.S.-based life. (Meghan previously shuttered her accounts upon her royal engagement to Harry in 2018, as is customary.)
“It doesn’t feel like a drag, it feels liberating,” she gushed on the “Aspire” podcast in June 2025. “I have to look again, what was my intention? I came back, started the account in January of this year. … Part of it is just being able to authentically share in real time the things that are happening that I think someone might be able to laugh with or enjoy or be inspired by.”
In addition to sharing her latest inspirations, Meghan also shares occasional photos of Harry, Archie and Lili.
“Happy birthday to our beautiful girl! Four years ago today she came into our lives,” Meghan wrote via Instagram in June 2025, sharing rare pics of Lili for her birthday. “Each day is brighter and better because of it. Thanks to all of those sending love and celebrating her special day!”
Being a pre-teen in the ‘90s had its ups and downs, but being able to take in the cinematic hits of the decade was a rite of passage all on its own. It was the decade that allowed Leonardo DiCaprio to catapult and hold onto stardom thanks to titles like The Basketball Diaries, Romeo + Juliet, and, of course, Titanic, while it also redefined the idea of what a “teen movie” could be thanks to timeless favorites such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless and Scream. And, while every genre had plenty to add to the discussion, growing up with the range of action films that hit screens throughout the decade was a treat all on its own.
Michael Mann paired with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino to keep audiences on their toes while positioned at the edge of their seats with Heat, while Brian De Palma and Tom Cruise paired top-tier stunt work with an explosive storyline in what would be the first of many Mission: Impossible movies. Speaking of franchise territory, the decade was bursting at the seams with plenty of new universes, including Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s The Matrix and the continuations of already well-established fan-favorites from Die Hard to The Terminator. Right smack-dab in the middle of it all, George Gallo saw space for a new kind of buddy-cop movie when he first established the idea for what has blossomed into the Bad Boys franchise.
In 1995, then up-and-coming director Michael Bay brought high-octane energy and perfectly timed comedic one-liners to screens around the world with Bad Boys, the first film in the series that introduced audiences to Martin Lawrence and Will Smith’s pair of narcotics detectives. The film served as Bay’s first foray into feature-length filmmaking and paved the way for him to lend his vision to other favorites like The Rock, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor — just to name a few. Soon, interested viewers will be able to stream the first two films in the Bay-built franchise completely free of charge when Bad Boys and its 2003 follow-up, Bad Boys II, crash onto Tubi on June 1.
In the more than 30 years since Bad Boys first graced our screens, the franchise has gone on to spawn three other films. After raking in huge dollar signs at the global box office as the helmer of the first two installments, Bay stepped away from the director’s chair, clearing a path for Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to take over and return audiences to their favorite action universe with 2020’s Bad Boys for Life and 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Head over to Tubi on June 1 to stream Bad Boys and Bad Boys II.
1996 – 1996-00-00
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