The year was 2018 and Lil Baby and Gunna were both just beginning to break out of the Atlanta trap scene. Both had tremendous buzz surrounding their names, so when they teamed up for a joint album, Drip Harder, it and its lead single, “Drip Too Hard,” took off like a rocket to the stars, accelerating their ascent to household name status (and still hits new high watermarks).
Since then, though, their trajectories have diverged somewhat; while Lil Baby continues to rack up streams and endorsement deals, Gunna took a detour through the Fulton County Jail thanks to the ongoing RICO case against the two rappers’ shared mentor Young Thug and his YSL label, to which Gunna is signed. Gunna’s out now thanks to a plea deal, but many of his former peers have turned their backs on him as a result — including, it seems, Lil Baby.
This week, a video surfaced online in which Lil Baby apparently repudiates his former partner-in-rhyme in no uncertain terms during a recent show. As the DJ begins to play the beat from the duo’s signature hit, Baby apparently barks, “F*ck the rats — turn this sh*t off.”
Nah lil baby dissed gunna on stage when “Drip too hard” came on
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) December 4, 2023
At least, that’s how fans on Twitter have interpreted his exclamation. It’s hard to make out and there’s no real confirmation that he’s speaking specifically about Gunna but it’s hard to deny two facts: “Drip Too Hard” does feature the newly controversial rapper, and Gunna was villified earlier this year for “snitching” on Young Thug to get out — although even Young Thug’s closest family denies anything he may have said could hurt Thug’s defense.
If Lil Baby really has fallen out with Gunna, it’s sure to be disappointing to longtime fans who look back fondly on the duo’s shared breakout in 2018. it isn’t exactly Migos breaking up but it still sucks for the Atlanta trap scene.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The latest Billboard Hot 100 chart is historic: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” a holiday tune originally released in 1958, is the No. 1 song in the country, 65 years after it was released. 78-year-old Lee learned this news alongside the rest of the world yesterday (December 4), and the emotional moment was captured on video.
A message from Brenda Lee to her Brendanators Watch the exact moment @UMGNashville CEO Cindy Mabe tells the holiday music icon that “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” reaches No. 1 on this week’s #Hot100, breaking multiple @billboardcharts records along the way. pic.twitter.com/UrnzXlK28n
In a clip shared by Billboard, Lee (who was only 13 when she recorded her holiday hit) and Universal Music Group Nashville CEO Cindy Mabe reflect on the passion of Lee’s fans before Mabe drops the big news: “Today, we’re No. 1 on the Hot 100 Billboard charts, 65 years later.” Lee quickly wipes a tear from her eye and replies, “No.” Mabe reassures, “You are.” A stunned Lee asks, “Really?” Mabe reiterates, “You are,” and the two hug.
Lee later spoke to Billboard and showed appreciation for her record label, saying, “I’m happy for everybody here that’s worked so hard to make this happen because in today’s world, everything moves so fast and furious. But I’m telling you this: My label has come to bat.”
She also talked about the song’s late writer, Johnny Marks (who also wrote “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” by the way). Lee said, “He was such a gentle soul. He was Jewish and didn’t even believe in Christmas, and all that would come out of him was Christmas music. He told me he was laying on the beach in New York and I guess he took a nap or something and when he woke up, he saw the pine trees were kind of swaying. I said, ‘You got pine trees on the beach in New York?’ He said, ‘Yeah and I thought the pine trees are rocking and he went home and came up with ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.’
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.
Nothing / Full Of Hell – When No Birds Sang
Full Of Hell and Nothing both create brutally heavy music, but they take it in vastly different directions; the former adopting ferocious grindcore and the latter favoring shoegaze. On When No Birds Sang, the two bands’ approaches coalesce. Nothing and Full Of Hell meet somewhere in the middle, but it never feels like a compromise so much as a union of brilliant artists. All you can hope is that this isn’t a one-off collaboration.
Real Lies – Sinking Suburb
Real Lies are one of UK club’s best-kept secrets. Last year, they released Lad Ash, a stalwart album that paired rattling, bass-heavy grooves and ruminative, poignant vocals. Sinking Suburb, a three-track EP that includes the previously shared “Shirley Road,” plays like a DLC pack to an already wonderful video game. Even then, Sinking Suburb unearths a new side of the duo; “Shadowlands” is built on a spoken-word piece over lush synth pads, and “I Remember High Streets” is a full-throttle house banger. The duo’s latest EP, simply put, is another reason why Real Lies need more time in the limelight.
Future Islands – “The Fight”
Ahead of their new album People Who Aren’t There Anymore, Future Islands have churned out catchy, upbeat singles at a dizzying pace. The latest in that line, “The Fight,” considerably dials back the volume and tempo. It’s a glossy ballad that adorns frontman Samuel T. Herring’s powerful voice with triumphant, thunderous drums and opulent synthesizer chords. For a band that invariably delivers energetic, four-on-the-floor synth-pop tunes, the Baltimore group reminds us that they’re more than adept at slowing the pace while preserving their new-wave flair.
MGMT – “Bubblegum Dog”
Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser have always reveled in confusing their fanbase. From the rejection of fame on their second album Congratulations to writing a song about working out, MGMT have never been easy to pin down. But that’s a key part of their charm. “Bubblegum Dog,” the duo’s latest preview of the forthcoming Loss Of Life, maintains that playful eccentricity. What even is a bubblegum dog, anyway? Why are they banging their heads against the gong? Why are they tinkling on the lawn? “Bubblegum Dog” raises many questions, and part of the fun with MGMT is making sense of the insensible.
Militarie Gun / Bully – “Never F*cked Up Twice”
Hardcore is having a moment. One of its primary torchbearers is Ian Shelton, the person behind Militarie Gun who has virtually become the subgenre’s hypeman writ large. Alongside championing and collaborating with newer artists like Dazy and MSPAINT, Shelton is busy creating his own strand of hardcore that blends power-pop, pop-punk, and lo-fi post-punk. His debut album as Militarie Gun, Life Under The Gun, was less like a rite of passage and more like a long-awaited talisman. Now, Shelton has shared new versions of two songs from that album, “Very High” and “Never F*cked Up Once.” The latter, reworked as “Never F*cked Up Twice,” is a mellow duet with Bully’s Alicia Bognanno. Instead of his trademark bark, Shelton’s delivery is strangely soothing. For a man now at the forefront of hardcore, it’s a pleasant surprise to hear his songs in a completely unexpected context.
Real Estate – “Water Underground”
One of indie-rock’s quintessential 2010s bands is back in action. On the cusp of their sixth studio album, Daniel, the New Jersey quintet has shared “Water Underground,” its lead single. Frontman Martin Courtney said in a press statement that it’s “a song about writing songs,” exploring the subconscious element of making music, where listening to your instinct is just as vital as making a concerted effort to develop new ideas. Daniel, funnily enough, was recorded with Daniel Tashian, known for his songwriting and production work on Kacey Musgraves’ previous two records. If “Water Underground” is any indication, then February is destined to be a welcome return from Real Estate.
Katy Kirby – “Party Of The Century”
Singer-songwriter Katy Kirby is set to release an early highlight of 2024 with her new album, Blue Raspberry. Following singles “Table” and “Cubic Zirconia” is the lovely, swooning “Party Of The Century.” Kirby wrote its lyrics over FaceTime with Anti- labelmate Christian Lee Hutson, and it’s a gorgeous meditation on the impermanence of everything around us. “Baby, you’re a time-bound entity / Event, like me / And we’re the party of the century,” Kirby sings, as feathery, warm strings and acoustic guitar accompany her. It may be a quiet tune, but it also delivers on its namesake. Blue Raspberry couldn’t get here any sooner; it’s going to be the party of the century indeed.
The Jesus And Mary Chain – “Jamcod”
2024 will mark the 40th anniversary of seminal alt-rock legends The Jesus And Mary Chain, the duo comprising brothers William and Jim Reid. So, let the festivities commence. Alongside an autobiography, the Scottish icons will release a new album, Glasgow Eyes, this March. “Jamcod,” the first taste the JAMC have given us, is proof that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel; you can keep doing what you’re doing, as long as it’s done remarkably well. And given the magnitude of goth/new-wave/post-punk nostalgia the music industry is undergoing right now, you can’t celebrate the genre without one of its premier bands.
Snõõper – “Company Car”
Recent Third Man Records signees Snõõper released one of the best punk albums of the year. At just under 23 minutes, Super Snõõper traversed through fiery egg punk, garage rock, and chaotic, fun performance art. Just watch some footage of their live shows, in which vocalist Blair Tramel uses campy stage props like absurdly large dumbbells, gargantuan Magic 8 Balls, and dadaist puppetry. “Company Car,” Snõõper’s new single, is a two-minute shot of adrenaline, filled with thrashing guitar riffs and power-pop vocals that’d feel right at home on Super Snõõper.
Grandaddy — “Cabin In My Mind”
Jason Lytle, the indie rock vet behind Grandaddy, is about to release his latest record, Blu Wav. Lytle has previously said that this album contains plenty of pedal steel, which highlights a new side of his music. Well, that trend continues on the second single he has shared, “Cabin In My Mind.” Lyrically, Lytle says that it stems from the notion of an actual cabin in your mind, a place where you can shut off your senses and recharge. Just like the concept that inspired it, “Cabin In My Mind” is restorative and peaceful with its 6/8 sway and twangy guitars.
Although we have not been at a total loss for new TV shows during the Hollywood strikes, it’s clear that the schedule for “epic” series has been on hold for much of this year. Yellowstone reruns have been coming to the ratings rescue, but that won’t hold people’s attentions forever. Nope, and that’s why 2024 shall bring a bevy of new programming, not only including more Yellowstone-related drama but also shows from FX, which has still been hitting ratings into the sky with The Bear this year with more to come in 2024.
FX is now gearing up for an epic event series, Shōgun, which will adapt James Clavell’s beloved 1975 novel (and the most well-known in his Asian Saga) in 10 episodes. The series stars an acclaimed Japanese roster of actors star in an action-packed and visually lush series, which chronicles a 1600s civil war while Lord Yoshii Toranaga is opposed by “vultures” on the Council of Regents. Alliances and possible betrayals will follow, as a marooned newcomer adds new shades to the conflict, and a translator finds herself in the middle of the central disagreements both literally and figuratively.
Excellent news is also onboard: the FX show will not only stream on Hulu but also Disney+ And here’s a trailer, so you can get your feet wet on the battlefield before showtime.
With his sci-fi epic Rebel Moon dropping onto Netflix later this month, Zack Snyder is already prepping fans for his next epic tale: the animated series Twilight of the Gods. While Snyder has already teased the show’s voice cast, little has been known about the Viking anime. That all changed at 2023 CCXP in Sao Paolo where Snyder revealed a ton of details about the show.
Most notably, Twilight of the Gods will lean into Snyder’s penchant for sex and violence, particularly the former. “A lot of sex,” Snyder told Collider. “Because that’s fun.”
Snyder also shared a synopsis for the animated series:
It’s basically this: there’s a king and his queen in a small Viking village, and they want to get married. An event happens to them at their wedding that causes Sigrid, who is the bride to be, who is the child of giants, to go on a crazy mission of revenge. She enlists a cast of characters – a seer, a dwarf – and they come together to form a band that has this one mission to find a god and fight him. It’s a mission, it’s a revenge story. Sigrid is this beautiful, very Scandinavian kind of cold but passionate character that I’ve really enjoyed working through and with because she’s just so cool.
The one thing Snyder didn’t share is a release date because he didn’t have one yet. The filmmaker and his wife/producing Deborah Snyder were both unsure of when Twilight of the Gods will start streaming on Netflix. Deborah believes the show will be completed over the summer, so there’s a possibility it could arrive in late 2024. However, a 2025 release is also a possibility.
And so — surprise, surprise — Forbes has Swift at No. 5 on its 2023 “World’s Most Powerful Women” list, published this morning, December 5. The top five is rounded out by Ursula Von Der Leyen (No. 1), Christine Lagarde (2), US Vice President Kamala Harris (3), and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (4).
If the list were based solely on whose condiment choices lit up the Empire State Building, Swift would be alone at No. 1. (She is No. 1 among women under 45 years old, anyway.) In fact, over the weekend, my sister texted me from a local Shake Shack in Kansas City — yup, I live in the Swift Capital Of The World — to relay the restaurant was playing Swift’s “Karma,” and we delightfully observed that we can no longer go one day without crossing paths with something Swift-adjacent.
Jokes (and/or very astute observations aside), Forbes explained its reasoning for placing Swift so highly, as excerpted below:
“Most notably, Taylor Swift’s dramatic rise from #79 to #5 epitomizes a new archetype of influence, signaling a shift from the traditional political and corporate might, and that far transcends traditional entertainment boundaries. Her economic impact this year is staggering: The Eras Tour alone is reported to have brought in a record-breaking $850 million, and is estimated to have boosted the U.S. economy by over $5 billion. Her innovative business strategies have redefined industry norms.
Yet Swift’s most profound impact lies in her ability to sway the cultural and social currents of our time, particularly among a young, predominantly female audience. She symbolizes a new era of power, influencing people and culture independent of any country or company.”
That’s right. The theater company’s restrictive conduct guidelines didn’t stop the BeyHive from releasing their wiggle down the aisle of each show. However, after a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) questioning the limited screening availability, those looking to see the concert visual are riddled with questions. The first is how long Beyoncé’sRenaissance movie will be in theaters.
According to NME, US and UK theaters are expected to wrap up on Sunday, December 10. This is seemingly confirmed on the schedule posted on AMC’s official webpage for the film.
On average, a typical movie is shown in theaters for anywhere between twelve and twenty weeks, depending on the film. In Taylor Swift’s case, her The Eras Tour concert reportedly will be able to be enjoyed at AMC theaters for thirteen weeks but with limited locations. Although their schedules are different, Swift and Beyoncé’s films share something in common: Both concert works are set to broadly be shown on the weekends (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays).
So, if you want to see Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, and the tour’s dancers in all of their glory, your window is quickly closing.
It took a decade, but on Monday, Rockstar Games finally released the trailer for the Florida-set Grand Theft Auto VI. The previous game in the series, Grand Theft Auto V, is the second best-selling video game of all-time, behind only Minecraft, with over 190 million copies sold. That’s over $11.1 billion in sales, or nearly five times as much as the highest-grossing movie ever (Avatar).
Excitement is high. For everyone except Elon Musk and his cronies, that is.
After the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer was released, an X user and employee who goes by @KettlebellLife wrote, “A list of games I have not played: GTA1 GTA2 GTA3 GTA4 GTA5 GTA6.” Musk replied to the contrarian take by saying that he’s “tried” playing GTA before, but he “didn’t like doing crime. GTA5 required shooting police officers in the opening scene. Just couldn’t do it.”
This conservative talking point straight out of the 1990s — about aggressively violent video games like Doom or even the original Grand Theft Auto causing real-life violence — has been debunked time and time again. From Fortune, based on research from the Stanford Brainstorm lab:
We spent months reviewing 82 medical research articles that encompass all the reputed literature and scholarship in the field for any studies with any sort of causal link between playing video games and violent behavior. In short, current medical research and scholarship have not found any causal link between playing video games and gun violence in real life.
Musk (and Ian Miles Cheong, the Waylon Smithers to his Mr. Burns) not enjoying GTA because he doesn’t like “doing crime” is as silly as a vegan refusing to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder because they don’t want to crush turts. Here are some of the funniest reactions to his virtue signaling:
— DatNoFact (@datnofact.bsky.social) (@datnofact) December 5, 2023
Elon Musk has spread racist and homophobic conspiracy theories, tried to bribe employees for sexual favors, produced AI cars that kill people, and has been sued in numerous countries for poor or racist working conditions.
This week saw the release of a ton of great new pop music. Not only did Beyoncé and Taylor Swift celebrate together at the Renaissance Tour film premiere in London, but they also both released killer new songs. In other news, a BTS member delivered a spicier new remix of his song, courtesy of Usher.
Check out the rest of Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.
Beyoncé — “My House”
In honor of Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour film hitting theaters, she treated fans to a brand new song, “My House,” during the end credits. It finds her showing off her rap skills, as she wants to have an extravagant but private outing.
Taylor Swift — “You’re Losing Me”
Taylor Swift celebrated becoming Spotify’s Top Global Artist for 2023 by finally dropping her fan-favorite Midnights track, “You’re Losing Me,” on streaming platforms. Before, it had only been available on CD. The heartbreaking song finds Swift seemingly coming to terms with the end of a relationship, on one of her all-time best bridges, as she feels she is fighting in only the other person’s army when all they can give in return is ignore her.
ATEEZ — “Crazy Form”
ATEEZ’s “Crazy Form” is the highlight track from the group’s new record, The World EP.FIN: Will. The enthusiastic song instantly raises spirits, given the lyrics find them pointing out how their “ego’s in the show.” The music video finds them fighting off bad guys, making it a truly action-packed time.
Lana Del Rey — “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
Lana Del Rey covered John Denver’s classic hit, transforming it from a country piece into a smoother, chill piano rendition. Del Rey truly makes the song feel like her own — which seems to be the direction she wants to go next, hinting at making more classic songs.
Dove Cameron — “Sand”
“‘Sand’ is about a person who I loved very much, and who I thought I was going to spend my life with,” Cameron revealed about her vulnerable track, which she shared the music video for, just ahead of her album, Alchemical: Volume 1. “It’s about the experience of having that seemingly perfect relationship end so suddenly and without warning, the feeling of shock and overnight disintegration of the future you built together, realizing no matter how much I gave of myself, I still had so little of him in the end
Jung Kook, Usher — “Standing Next To You”
As the latest remix from Jung Kook, he invited Usher to join his “Standing Next To You” song. “Stop, can you feel that?” Usher asks in his added verse, giving some spicier vibes to the already-romantic track. “It’s like heaven and earth moves whenever we touch / No, for real, I know you feel that.”
Slayyyter — “James Dean”
“James Dean” is featured as part of the deluxe version of Slayyyter’s Starf*cker album, which dropped this past week. The track shows off the pop star’s confident side, while she disses the haters because, as she says, “I don’t need cash / I don’t pay for sh*t.”
Declan McKenna — “Elevator Hum”
“The freedom and playfulness of the lyrics, and the gentle but fun glide of the track, take me back to being a kid in a way,” McKenna said of his latest nostalgic “Elevator Hum,” which he created alongside producer Gianluca Buccellati. It is featured on his upcoming album, What Happened To The Beach?, which pulls inspo from Southern California.
Holly Humberstone, Muna — “Into Your Room”
Holly Humberstone and Uproxx cover stars Muna united this past week for the remix of “Into Your Room,” much to the joy and surprise of their fans. “Holly is such a talented artist, and we have been so impressed by her songwriting and musicianship for a long time now,” Muna shared in a statement. “We were so stoked when her record came out a few months ago so it was a total delight to be able to get to put our little spin on ‘Into Your Room.’”
Empress Of — “Femenine”
Empress Of’s “Femenine” is a hypnotic dance track that finds the bilingual singer wanting a man with a softer side. The video also brings the house party energy, under some dreamy neon lighting.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
You know, looking back on it now, 2023 was kind of a wild year for television. A bunch of our best shows wrapped up their runs, and a bunch of other shows were delayed by prolonged negotiations between labor unions and the studios, and a bunch of weird and fun shows popped up out of nowhere. We had spoiled children in New York and sandwich chefs in Chicago and rascal teens in Oklahoma. We had an apocalypse and time loops and trips to outer space. Jon Hamm was in about half of the hundreds of shows that aired. There was really something for everyone out there if you know where to look.
Which, as always, makes compiling a top ten list at the end of the year a little tricky. There’s just so much across so many genres and it makes it almost impossible to create a comprehensive list. So… we resorted to math. The members of the Uproxx team each submitted a top ten list and then we assigned points based on these individual rankings. (Ten points for the number one show, nine points for the number two, and so on through the list until one lonely point was assigned to everyone’s tenth-ranked show.) We took all those numbers and plugged them into the calculator and here we are.
It’s a pretty good list. If you disagree, blame the math, not us. Numbers can be cruel.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
I Think You Should Leave — The third season of this beautifully deranged little sketch show delivered once again, introducing us to a slew of unsettling comic characters like, to pick just one, the Driving Crooner. What did we ever do without him?
Yellowjackets — If you thought a thriller series that leaps between two time periods to cover the immediate and future dilemmas faced by a girls soccer team whose plane crashes in the woods was going to be a one-season phenomenon, buddy, were you ever proven wrong by the second season of this show.
Beef — A contentious traffic situation escalates beyond road rage into life-consuming obsession, but in a fun way, with Ali Wong and Stephen Yeun and the best Hoobastank needledrop you’ve ever seen delivering on a premise that could have been too ambitious to work in less capable hands.
Blue Eye Samurai — The animated series that followed a half-white, half-Japanese samurai on a mission for vengeance was a blast, with eight extremely bingeable episodes dropping in November and a voice cast that included everyone from Maya Erskine to Randall Park to George Takei to Kenneth Branagh.
Jury Duty — What happens when you take a normal guy and drop him into an absurd legal situation where everyone is an actor and everything is scripted and James Marsden shows up as a heightened goofball version of himself and the normal guy doesn’t realize it’s all a ruse? Well, you get a good television show, for one thing.
What We Do in the Shadows — It feels unfair that this show is buried in the honorable mentions when all it did this season was continue to deliver on its silly vampiric premise at a high-level the same way it has since its first season. It’s a gift and a curse, really, these expectations of greatness that make it hard for the show to surprise us sometimes. There are worse problems to have.
Swagger — The sports drama loosely inspired by the experiences of NBA superstar Kevin Durant came to an end after two seasons this year, which is a shame, because it delivered a kind of cultural commentary — thanks in large part to the stellar performance by O’Shea Jackson — that is rarely seen on television.
The Other Two — Another show that ended its run this year, which is a shame for a lot of reasons, some having to do with the razor-sharp satire of Hollywood it depicted and some having to do with the performances by Drew Tarver and Helena Yorke as the overlooked sinking of a teen megastar and some having to do with there just not being enough shows on television that let Molly Shannon run wild like this. Still, it was a good one.
The Golden Bachelor — Be honest, you did not expect a dating show about a 72-year-old former restaurateur with a massive lion tattoo looking for love among similarly aged women to be network television’s biggest smash hit of the fall. And yet, here we are. Life is strange like that.
Grief is at the center of Shrinking — the grief that comes from losing someone close, from losing one’s own dynamism, confidence, and control. But it’s also about the beauty that comes from refinding some of those things and discovering a way through with the help of love and friendship. Led by Jason Segel as a widowed therapist and Harrison Ford as his mentor, the show is a layered, funny, and heartful mess of broken people trying to fix other broken people. Few 30-minute comedies ever feel this deep and life-affirming.
Rian Johnson’s love letter to case-of-the-week detective shows with quirky sleuths a la Columbo and Murder She Wrote,Poker Face absolutely cooks with Natasha Lyonne as an on-the-run human lie detector who keeps bumping into hairy situations with morally dubious characters. From the soundtrack to the cool car and the idiosyncratic and lyrical dialogue, Poker Face is a surprisingly breezy watch for something that so often dips into murder.
Fans who dusted off their Dystopia Fatigue for this slow-burn murder mystery set hundreds of years in the future and buried deep beneath the earth’s “toxic” surface were rewarded with a surprising sci-fi thriller that finally convinced us that Apple TV+ knows what it’s doing when it comes to sci-fi. Based on Hugh Howey’s work of fiction, Silo introduces audiences to a community of thousands living in a sort of inverted skyscraper miles underground. They’re there because of some environmental catastrophe, but the hows and whys of who lives, who dies, who procreates, and who controls become muddled when a stoic mechanic (hello to Rebecca Ferguson and her greased-up biceps) escapes her Down Deep existence to serve as sheriff and solve a painfully personal homicide case. Twists and turns (both narrative and physical, especially when the show utilizes its 144-story winding staircase to ramp up the action) elevate Silo’s premise. This isn’t just about living past the end of the world, it’s about how we do it and the lies we tell along the way.
The Boys brand stayed impossibly strong in this offshoot’s first season, and to quote Bill Murray in Ghostbusters, the finale came, saw, and kicked ass for several reasons, including that Homelander cameo. The college-based show seamlessly integrates with the original series while also poking a lot of fun at shared universes. Did you have Amazon on your bingo card for outdoing the MCU and DCU this year on superheroes? Oi.
A lot of things had to go right for HBO’s The Last of Us to be as good as the video game it’s based on. It needed to find the perfect actors to play Joel and Ellie (Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey — check). It needed the right writers to find the humanity in a world overrun by monsters (Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, who also created the game — check). It needed to be violent, but sweet; hopeless, but ultimately hopeful; bleak, but with moments of genuine humor (check and check and check for the Bill and Frank episode alone). The Last of Us was a triumph, not just as a video game adaptation, but as one of the best TV shows of the year.
Horror maestro Mike Flanagan and original doom king Edgar Allan Poe added up to a macabre yet delightful meeting of the minds. Carla Gugino sizzles in several different ways (and guises) and stole back her Flanagan MVP crown from Hamish Linklater, and this show was so screwball that we did a death ranking if you want to live it all over again. This isn’t a literal telling of the Poe story but one that successfully incorporates modern ills while skewering the concepts of wealth, privilege, and power, and this is the most entertaining takedown of Big Pharma in years.
A few things worth noting about this show, which is now three seasons deep into its comedic look at a fictional family of televangelists:
Walton Goggins in old-man makeup as snake oil salesman Baby Billy Freeman continues to be one of the best performances on television, and the episode where he meets his long-lost son — featuring a gasp-inducing cameo — was one of the best half-hours of television this year
Everything Edi Patterson does as spoiled middle child Judy Gemstone is remarkable and she should have so many awards for it by now that she has trouble climbing over them to get out of the house
Barry wrapped up its run this year, bringing an end to the story about a skilled hitman who becomes depressed and tries to crawl out of the hole he’s in with the help of a local theater group. Bill Hader was the mastermind behind all of it and deserves the lion’s share of credit, but please never forget the performances by Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed and Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank and Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau and Stephen Root as Fuches and… wow. Just typing all that out again is a nice reminder of what a stacked cast this had. One of the best shows of the last five years and it went out with a bang. Can’t ask for much more.
Just a special television show that, in case you haven’t noticed a theme developing here, also came to an end this year. Sweet and profound, funny and sad, mixing the silliest jokes you’ve ever seen with deep contemplations on coming of age and death, this series about a group of rascal indigenous teens growing up in Oklahoma was truly one of a kind. We are better for the fact that it existed at all. Please binge it this winter if you haven’t seen it yet. Or watch it again next year if you haven’t. This is everything television can and should be.
The Bear burst onto the scene with a wonderful first season a couple of years ago, a story about a talented chef coming home to run the family sandwich shop after a death left its future in limbo. The second season continued to deliver, with a cameo-packed family meal and star-making performances by Ayo Edibiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the latter of whom was responsible for one of the better character arcs you’ll ever see. Everyone hated Richie in season one. Everyone loves Richie now. That’s not an easy trick to pull off. The only downside here is that watching this show will make you want a sandwich all hours of the day. Could be worse.
What a ride. From the very beginning to the very end, with countless F-bombs and shocking deaths and goofball failsons and hangers-on clinging to financial lifeboats, the time we spent with the Roy family was memorable. There’s not much else to say that hasn’t been said. Succession was the rare show to capture critical acclaim and a massive audience and it was just a lot of fun to have a huge water cooler show to talk about again in a time when everything else is all splinters and frayed. There was so much about it worth discussing, from Logan’s grumbling to Cousin Greg’s bumbling to Kendall quite literally staring out into the ocean looking for answers. Everyone on this show was an awful human being. We will miss them deeply.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
turn that
off” pic.twitter.com/H8YLkmMLFh
Watch the exact moment 
(@datnofact.bsky.social) (@datnofact) 
