Pavement is in the midst of their reunion tour. It’s the first time in over a decade that the band formed in Stockton, CA has been on stage and long-time fans have been understandably over the moon. Coupled with the band’s 1999 song “Spit On A Stranger” somehow finding new life by going viral on TikTok, Pavement is experiencing nothing short of a renaissance (oh, there’s also a Pavement Museum now in NYC!)
Next week, they’re set to play two shows in Austin, including one that will be taped for the famed Austin City Limits Live TV Show on PBS. Both shows are sold out and Pavement’s ACL Live episode won’t air until 2023, but the indie rock gods are smiling upon you, my friend, because you’ll be able to livestream the band’s performance on Monday, October 10th, beginning at 8 pm central time. This is a welcome advancement that will even be free of charge on the ACL YouTube channel; something not typically offered with ACL’s tapings.
The performances on Pavement’s tour have been nothing short of career-spanning and each stop has featured Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich, Scott Kannberg, and co. putting down completely different setlists from city to city. Last night in Philadelphia even saw Kurt Vile join Pavement on vocals for “Zurich Is Stained.” You can watch that performance below.
Pavement’s ACL Live set will be livestreamed on Monday, October 10th at 8 pm CST here.
LeBron James is a man of many talents. He’s one of the (if not the) greatest basketball players of all-time. He was an immensely talented football prospect in high school. However, we have found the sport that he does not excel in … yet.
I say yet because I’m here to help fix LeBron James’ golf swing, which we got a glimpse of in a video that hit the internet of him taking some cuts at TopGolf in Las Vegas.
Look, it’s not great, but we’re going to break out the Konica Minolta SwingVision camera and get to work. I believe we can get LeBron’s swing right if he’s willing to step into the lab with me. I wish we had a better video here that showed contact, but we can address some things even with this grainy cell phone footage.
First, let’s start with the backswing, where’s two things that concern me most and they’re going to be connected to the thing that stands out, which is how short his backswing is.
Twitter/SONTHoops
The first is the left arm, which we want much straighter on the way back to create the length needed to get that swing speed up. As you see, there’s a considerable bend at the top, which makes it much harder to consistently get back down to the ball and is also keeping him from creating the speed we want. Thinking about keeping that arm straighter is gonna naturally give him more width (and get that right arm from being so stuck inside) and get him higher hands which will clear him to get a more full turn.
Compounding the issue is the lack of hip turn here. Look at that right hip, it barely opens up. I know James has to have the flexibility for this part, it’s just about letting the hips turn. He wants to think about that hip opening up and feel like it’s turning behind him, which will, again, allow him to turn back through and create that speed.
Once we get that squared away, we can talk about the downswing and impact. It’s hard to critique a lot here when the backswing is causing most of the problems, but let’s hit some positives. For one, there’s not too much head movement and his eyes stay on the ball at impact, which is good, and there is an effort to rotate the hips and transfer body weight through impact — but again, we need more backswing rotation to make that really work.
Twitter/SONTHoops
There are some things to work on, though. For one, as an athlete he knows everything starts with the feet, and that back foot slippage is not what we want. We want to rotate and pivot off that foot more and slide it less — Scottie Scheffler is the exception, not the rule here for golf footwork.
Also, if you notice that lead elbow is really bent and pulling through at impact, which I’m guessing leads LeBron’s miss to mostly be to the right. We’ll get to the followthrough in a moment, but that front side is bailing out at impact and pulling the club through from outside to in, which is going to put cut spin on the ball. We want that to be more of a driving action down and through the ball, holding that shoulder in there a bit longer and attacking down, rather than pulling it through and around the body.
You can really see how that looks on the followthrough as we want these hands much higher, making an arcing swing down to the ball and then up and out with extension. Instead, you can see how LeBron comes much more flat and around himself, which is why that left elbow is so tight to the body instead of being out and up.
Twitter/SONTHoops
In short, LeBron’s swing, like many golf beginners, has some flaws but I find it hard to believe he couldn’t figure it out with some more time spent on the range with the right teacher. (LeBron, if you are reading this: That means me, call me, I got you.)
Kids have relentless curiosity and imagination galore. That magical quality often catches adults off guard in the most hilarious of ways.
Tennis pro Serena Williams recently posted a video to her TikTok showing her 5-year-old daughter Olympia (who is the spitting image of her mother, by the way) playing with a “toy” for their cat Karma.
By “toy,” I mean a tampon.
The preschooler—who seemingly snagged the product from mommy’s bathroom—took it out of its plastic wrapper, pushed the cotton through the applicator and immediately began rolling it and spreading it around in her tiny hands.
“It’s a cat toy for our cat?” Serena asks Olympia, while looking through the screen with equal parts bemusement and befuddlement on her face.
“For Karrrrrrrrma,” Olympia replies, exasperated that mom can’t keep up. It’s a toy for Karma, mom, why is this so hard to get?
In Olympia’s defense, cats do like all kinds of tiny, fluffy things with little tail-like strings attached, and tampons fit that bill perfectly. So she ain’t wrong.
As her daughter goes to get more “toys,” Serena can be heard saying, “OK, let’s not play with too many of those.”
People were quick to applaud Olympia’s adorable confidence.
“She rips them open like she’s been doing this all her little life 😂,” commented one person.
Others chose to commiserate with their own parenting stories. “When my daughter was little she was in my room being too quiet. I walked upstairs and she had taken all my pads and stuck them to the wall,” wrote a fellow mom.
“😂😂 At least it’s a cat toy. My son used them on a school project as clouds😂😂😂,” wrote another.
Serena might be a world champion, but Olympia has definitely won this round. In the video’s caption, Serena wrote, “who am I to steal her joy, it’s a Cat Toy!” These two are some of the sweetest mom-and-daughter besties on the internet. Their TikTok antics are purely wholesome (and ultra relatable) fun.
Jared Leto starred in 2021’s House of Gucci and now he’s a fashion guy. Everybody’s absolute favorite long-haired method acting Oscar-winner/star of cinematic catastrophe Morbius will play notoriously asshole-ish fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, per an exclusive report from Woman’s Wear Daily.
Karl Lagerfeld was the creative director for the fashion house Chanel from 1983 until his death in 2019 at the age of 85. The project will be produced by Leto with Emma Ludbrook through their production company, Paradox. The film is still in its early stages, with no director attached at this time. According to WWD, the film follows “key relationships in Karl Lagerfeld’s life, told through an unpredictable lens, much like the man himself.”
“I feel like this is a full-circle moment, and Karl would be proud of what we are doing,” Leto told WWD. “Karl was an artist. Period. He was a fashion designer, he was a photographer, he was an artist. There was no defining him. He was a creative powerhouse.”
Leto has already gotten some of the people who were closest to Lagerfeld involved in the film as executive producers: fashion house chief executive Pier Paolo Righi, senior VP of image and communications Caroline Lebar, and personal assistant and bodyguard Sébastien Jondeau.
“My role is to portray him on screen as honestly as possible,” Leto said. “With celebrity, most people don’t get to see under the surface. They see one or two facets of a person as presented through a public lens. Karl was a human being. We all have beauty within us and we all have faults. We have masks and then we have moments when we reveal the mask. I’m always interested in seeing what’s behind the mask.”
Earlier this week it was announced that the 2023 Met Gala will feature a Lagerfeld theme, prompting Good Place actress Jameela Jamil to blast the announcement, writing: This man … was indeed, supremely talented, but used his platform [in] such a distinctly hateful way, mostly towards women, so repeatedly and up until the last years of his life … Why is THIS who we celebrate when there are so many AMAZING designers out there who aren’t bigoted white men?”
So surely this film won’t generate any controversy! And let the stories about Leto’s insufferable method acting commence!
This “flip” is such an old drink that it predates the word “cocktail.” It also predates whiskey and rum. The drink goes back to old taverns and sailing ports in the 1400s/1500s and is meant to nourish and warm you to your very soul. Today, it makes for a great and still nourishing cocktail to try as fall sets in, the leaves turn, and the frost starts appearing.
This drink has had some varying iterations over the centuries (as things like this are wont to do). Originally, this was a hot ale drink/meal made by the fire and mixed with scrambled eggs, sugar, brandy, and spices and poured hot between pitchers until it was a creamy concoction suitable for quaffing (there’s a lot more history to it but that’s enough for now). Around the 1870s (at which point cocktail culture grown far more refined), the drink was still popular as a hot ale/egg/spice fireside drink but was also pushed more toward the cocktail we know today — which is a mix of brandy with fortified wine, whole egg, spices, sugar, and ice. It was served cold and carried with it a truly amazing creamy texture.
Fast forward another 150 or so years and you have a culture where the flip is one of those “secret” menu items that only bartenders in the know can make. It’s also a drink that can be made to honor any flavor whim you might have. Want to make it with bourbon pumpkin spice? Go ahead. How about rummy vanilla latte espresso bean? Sure thing! Root beer float flip? No problem.
The point is, this is a versatile base drink of brandy, fortified wine, sugar, and spice that can go in almost endless directions. So I’m going to make my go-to flip for you which combines dark cherry syrup and cinnamon with ruby port and cognac. It’s freakin’ delicious, trust me, so let’s get into it.
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
I’m using D’Usse Cognac VSOP. It’s a great base brandy that leans into sweeter, bourbon-like flavors (think vanilla, caramel, stewed apple). I’m also using Fonseca Bin No. 27 Reserve Porto which is ruby red and lush with notes of prunes, spices, and sour mulled wine.
The cherry syrup is from a jar of Filthy Black Cherries. The syrup has a lovely earthiness to it that’s beautifully cherry-sweet and helps amp up this cocktail nicely.
The rest is pretty easy. I’m using a farm-fresh medium egg. If you’re worried about that aspect, use a pasteurized egg instead. I’m also using Saigon Cinnamon which you should be able to find in any grocery store.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Champagne flute or lowball glass
Cocktail shaker
Cocktail strainer
Jigger
Zach Johnston
Method:
Prechill the glass in the freezer.
Add the cognac, port, syrups, and egg to a cocktail shaker (I like to break the egg into something else before putting it in the shaker to assure no shell gets in there). Affix the lid and shake without ice for at least 15 seconds. Since there’s no ice, there will be no vacuum. You’ll have to hold the lid tight otherwise you’ll get cocktail everywhere.
Remove the lid and add a handful of ice, and shake again for about 15 seconds to chill the cocktail (the shaker should be ice-cold to touch).
Remove the glass from the freezer and strain the cocktail into the glass. Make sure to shake out all the foam that you can.
Garnish with a dash of ground cinnamon. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
Lush, silky, luxurious, creamy … lavish. This feels heightened thanks to that texture. The egg emulsifies to the point of creating a truly creamy experience without the addition of cream (or any milk fat for that matter).
But the beautiful texture is only half of the story. The depth of the cherry is amplified by the spices and fruit from the brandy and port, which are both still felt on the palate. The cinnamon is fresh and adds a nice, sweet layer of spice to the cherry and port. The booziness is light but there with a sense of the fruity brandy and sour-ish port shining through the most.
Overall, this is a great sipper that feels like you should be sipping it next to a big backyard firepit with pumpkins sitting around. Plus, it’s filling, with that whole egg in there. You’re satisfied after just one with a nice “take the edge off” vibe.
“Adidas has always been about creativity, innovation, and supporting athletes and artists to achieve their vision. The Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history. We are proud of our team that has worked tirelessly throughout our collaboration with [Kanye West] and the iconic products that were born from it. We also recognize that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values. After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period.”
That phrase “mutual respect” appears to be a pretty pointed reference to Kanye’s earlier slew of Instagram posts in which he accused Adidas of stealing his designs, bullied a mid-level exec tasked with being his liaison to the company, and taunted the company’s former CEO when he decided to step down. In response, Kanye posted a screenshot of a headline about the story with the caption, “FUUUUUUCK ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS ADIDAS RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS.”
We’ll see how the situation plays out, but at this point, any decision either company’s leadership makes regarding whether to move forward with Kanye seems like it’ll be a win for them. Either they stick it out and make money, or kick him to the curb and lose one hell of a headache.
Andrade’s offscreen feud with Sammy Guevara escalated quickly over the span of a week, conducting an interview where he called out the latter and resulting in an apparent altercation backstage at AEW Dynamite Wednesday night.
More details have emerged on the altercation, with Andrade apparently working to get out of his contract with AEW, as detailed by the Wrestling Observer.
According to Dave Meltzer, roughly three people within AEW want to leave, Andrade is one of them, and “if a guy doesn’t want to be here, they become a cancer in the locker room.” The report details how Guevara and Andrade were both spoken with on Tuesday and told not to fight. Andrade was reportedly then told, “you’re not going to get fired if you fight, but you will be sent home.”
As far as the fight goes, Guevara “for sure” didn’t throw punches and stories differ on whether or not he was physical at all, according to Meltzer. Andrade, on the other hand, did, which is why he was sent home and Guevara went on to earn a pinfall in the main event with Chris Jericho against Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia.
Andrade’s move comes at a time when Triple H is bringing back a slew of ex-WWE star to fill out the roster in the wake of Vince McMahon’s departure. With years left on his deal, we’ll see whether Tony Khan cuts ties with the former WWE star or sticks to his decision to not allow any disgruntled stars out of their contracts.
Not everybody is in the Halloween spirit this year, especially people who hate fun and Stranger Things!Earlier this week, a Chicago couple went viral for their elaborate Halloween display that depicted Max from Stranger Things floating in the air, just like her viral season four moment.
Unfortunately, the neighbors did not like the floating teen, and the couple was forced to take Max down and leave her stranded in the Upside Down forever (probably). “Officers spoke to the owners of the display who indicated that they would take it down if problems persisted,” a spokesperson for the city said. “No further enforcement action was taken or needed.”
The couple was met with so much support that they decided that their display would stay up. “Yesterday, we were planning our tear down. Today we woke up to a flood of overwhelming support telling us to wait,” Dave and Aubrey Appel of HorrorProps wrote on Instagram. “We are not going to let one crazy neighbor ruin the fun for the amazing families and Stranger Things fans who have visited.”
After meeting with the City Manager, the couple was informed that they didn’t do anything wrong and an official complaint was never filed, leaving them perfectly free for their spooky shenanigans. The Halloween display will only be lit up on weekend nights for now, where fans of Stranger Things are encouraged to stop by and take pictures. Just be aware that Vecna can show up at any moment, so get your Kate Bush cassette tapes ready!
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
Disney continues its efforts to remake its iconic back catalog of animated treasures, bringing them to new audiences through live-action, big-budget adaptations. Thus far, the results have been mixed, but also highly profitable, so here we go again with Pinocchio. In their favor, a lead performance from Tom Hanks as Geppetto and the guiding hand of Robert Zemeckis as director and co-writer (with Chris Weitz). Zemeckis is, of course, a trailblazer when it comes to storytelling through a heavily CG-influenced lens, which is required here to bring the tale of a marionette turned real live boy to life. But the challenge is in doing that while maintaining the soul of a fable that is imprinted on so many of us from previous adaptations and, of course, Disney’s 1940-made gem which still looks fantastic despite being more than 80 years old. Basically, the degree of difficulty is high here and audiences are likely to be unforgiving if this impressive creative team either veers too far from the much-beloved classic or feels too much like a carbon copy. Watch it on Disney Plus.
Well, look at this. Rob Zombie made a reboot of The Munsters in hyper-saturated technicolor. In 2022. And you can just click on it and watch it. That’s a kind of wild thing to wrap your head around if you think about it a lot. Thinking is hard, though. Maybe just stick to the clicking. Watch it on Netflix.
Baz Lurhman’s Elvis biopic is trash. Beautiful, glorious trash. The kind you leave out on your front porch for your neighbors to marvel at in grotesque disbelief. It’s hip-gyrating, finger-thrusting, sweat-pouring theatrics packaged in lush cinematography, contained in a classic underdog story that reaffirms everything you thought you knew about the King of Rock and Roll, and then adds some weird personal fodder that makes you question everything you thought you knew about the King of Rock and Roll. Austin Butler is mesmerizing, and so is whatever the hell Tom Hanks is doing in this thing. Enjoy it for what it is – a beautifully-shot fever dream filled with some great tunes. Watch it on HBO Max.
Thor is back once again and he brought some new friends with him. Natalie Portman, to be specific. Which is fun. This follow-up to the also-fun Ragnarok has made the move from theaters to streaming and into your living rooms. That’s another fun thing. It is almost unreasonable how good Chris Hemsworth is in these movies. You should not be allowed to look like that and be that funny. Someone should make a rule about it. Until then… watch it on Disney Plus.
What do we have here? Well, Kaley Cuoco, for one, in a Groundhog Day-style situation that sees her living the same date over and over again, in a good way, thanks to a magical tanning booth. We’ve also got Pete Davidson doing his whole thing and tiny rips in the space-time continuum and little changes in the past causing big ripples in the future, kind of like if you crossed Back to the Future with Palm Springs. That’s a good place to start from. Watch it on Peacock.
7. Confess, Fletch (VOD)
Paramount
For years, the mythical list of failed reboot attempts stood out as the most interesting thing about the Fletch franchise, but here comes Jon Hamm to wash it all away in his highest-profile bet since Mad Men. Does it work? It all depends on your expectations. If you’re expecting a film in the same key as the Chevy Chase-starring original, you may be (slightly) disappointed, but for fans of the novels, Hamm will deliver as a breezily sarcastic former investigative journalist on the trail of some stolen art while trying to beat a murder rap. This is especially true when playing with other funny people such as Barb & Star‘s Annie Mumolo, former Mad Men co-star John Slattery, and Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr, who finally gets an opportunity worthy of his talents. Watch it on your VOD outlet of choice.
You have undoubtedly heard about Blonde. The fictionalized take on the life of Marilyn Monroe has flooded the news cycle for months now, partially because of its NC-17 rating, partially because of the truly wild swings it takes in its storytelling, and partially because the performance by Ana de Armas is drawing rave reviews. Is the movie good, though? Hmm. That’s just as divisive. It sure is a lot, in a bunch of ways, if that counts for anything. Watch it on Netflix.
Oh look! Another glorious sequel. Fans have been clamoring for a followup to this spooky childhood classic for so long that, now that it’s finally here, there’s some understandable apprehension. Can it capture the magic (pun intended) of its predecessor? Will the surprise musical numbers go as hard? Will Disney allow more tongue-in-cheek one liners about Satanic worship and child cannibalism to flourish (because we really need to hear Sarah Jessica Parker confirm she smells children, just one more time)? We don’t have all the answers but it’s never a bad thing when Bette Midler, Parker, and Kathy Najimy get together on screen. And we wouldn’t be caught dead talking smack about the Sanderson sisters. Watch it on Disney Plus.
A revenge fantasy set in an impossibly luxurious school where impossibly rich kids trade impossibly sharp and smart barbs, Do Revenge is not to be believed as a real slice of teenage life, but it is to be enjoyed. A lot. Led by Maya Hawke and Camila Mendes, Do Revenge is the perfect mean-teen movie, giving us all the fun and fierce cross of Mean Girls, Clueless, Heathers, 10 Things I Hate About You, Cruel Intentions, and Throw Momma From The Train (!?) that we didn’t know we needed, but we so, so did. Watch it on Netflix.
Mila Kunis stars in this adaptation of Jessica Knoll’s bestselling novel that will remind people of a glossier version of Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places. The story follows a writer (Ani) who happened to survive a mass killing at her high school. Naturally, some PTSD is involved, and a documentary filmmaker surfaces some memories that would best be forgotten. In the end, some dark truths might shake up her whole world even more, and here’s a bonus: Scoot McNairy’s along for the horrific ride. Watch it on Netflix.
So here’s what happened. The Dream Team took the world by storm at the 1992 Olympics, with Magic and Michael and Larry and a slew of other Hall of Famers coming together to win gold in almost hilariously dominant fashion. Then, over the next 15 years, playing for USA Basketball became less appealing and things all got weird. Until, that is, 2008, when everyone from LeBron James to Dwyane Wade to Kobe Bryant had enough and got the band together for what became known as The Redeem Team. Now, 14 years after that, there’s a documentary about it. Feels like a must-watch for hoops fans. At least a should-watch. So… watch it on Netflix.
You are probably at least a little familiar with Hellraiser, the 1987 horror classic directed by Clive Barker. It’s been depicted on the screen in one way or another 11 times now, so that feels like a pretty safe assumption. The 11th and most recent version comes to Hulu and stars Odessa A’zion and Jamie Clayton. The official description goes something like this: “A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.” It is always a bummer when that happens. Watch it on Hulu.
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
Alison Brie didn’t get to portray this “Allison Brie type” role, but hey, we’re getting Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany, who has so much fun relishing this role. She’s smart and silly and she Hulks out like a pro while also being the MCU’s very green attorney for superheroes. Expect a lot of cameos, and Mark Ruffalo is on hand as Bruce Banner. There’s no word on whether we’ll eventually see the Hulk Butt like we received in Thor: Ragnarok. Admit it, that’s on your wishlist, too. Watch it on Disney Plus.
According to Hasan Minhaj, the soul of his howlingly funny and revelatory new Netflix comedy special, The King’s Jester, came from a prompt from his director (and Patriot Act co-creator) Prashanth Venkataramanujam: “I just need you to bleed on the page. Anything that you’re too humiliated or scared to talk about, you should talk about it.” And he did. Packed with self-aware observations about his teen years, fertility struggle, time on Patriot Act, and how the show’s success and his “clout-chasing” collided with his family life, Minhaj showcases a level of vulnerability that many comics promise but never deliver on. It’s bold, visually compelling, and funny as hell. Watch it on Netflix.
Welcome to Wrexham is like Ted Lasso, if Ted Lasso was about Deadpool and Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia buying a soccer team. Other than that, it’s identical. The documentary series follows Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as they purchase and help run the Wrexham A.F.C. football club. Welcome to Wrexham looks sweet and sincere, which is a nice change of pace from getting mad at [your favorite sports team here] blowing it AGAIN. Watch it on FX/Hulu.
A comedy all-star team of Judy Greer, Keegan Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Rachel Bloom, and Paul Reiser come together to gently mock the reboot gold rush and the entertainment industry, providing a Larry Sanders-y kind of inside baseball show that benefits from the presence of Modern Family co-creator Steven Levitan and Party Down mastermind John Enbom. Did we mention Judy Greer? The legend that is Judy Greer grows as she totally steals these early episodes as an actress turned duchess turned actress trying to stave off Hollywood irrelevancy, which is something that could never happen to the real Judy Greer because she is an American treasure. But acting! Watch it on Hulu.
Steve Carell is back on television once again, this time not so much to make you laugh as to… well, creep you out. He plays a therapist who is held captive by a serial killer who desperately wants help curing his murderous urges. It does not exactly sound like light/fun viewing but it does sound intriguing. And it’s from the creator of The Americans. And he has a pretty righteous beard going on. While we cannot in good faith support kidnapping Steve Carell and holding him hostage in real life, this all could be worth checking out. Watch it on Hulu.
Atlanta is back — and back in Atlanta — for one last ride after a season-long jaunt to Europe. It’s kind of remarkable that this show has even existed. In a good way. It’s strange and silly, thoughtful and artistic, and not really like anything else out there. Donald Glover was a star before any of this got underway, but it’s made the rest of the main cast stars, too. That’s kind of cool. Get in there and appreciate this show while we still have it. You could be waiting a long time for anything even remotely similar. Watch it on FX/Hulu.
6. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime)
AMAZON
Jeff Bezos is finally getting his version of Game of Thrones, and this even more enormously expensive franchise looks to be worth the price tag to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age to the screen. A young Galadriel will be one of the bigger highlights of this series’ exploration of relative peace that’s shattered when evil reemerges. Expect stunning visuals that leap from the Misty Mountains to an island setting to majestic forests. Between this and House of the Dragon, we’re sure getting our fill of epic fantasy shows these days. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
George Lucas has frequently insisted that, like Wu-Tang Clan, Star Wars is for the children. But Andor sure looks like it’s geared more towards adults. The Rogue One prequel starring Diego Luna, reprising his role as Cassian Andor, is gritty, mature, and other words you use to describe movies and TV shows that aren’t messing around. And with this being the first Disney-era Star Wars show to be filmed in real-life locations, Andor isn’t messing around. Watch it on Disney Plus.
You’ve surely seen the 1990s movie starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Kirsten Dunst, and now, Anne Rice’s most popular gothic novel gets the small-screen adaptation. Great news: this version is better than the film for several reasons. Jacob Anderson of Game of Thrones gives us a very different Louis while Sam Reid swaggers about as Lestat de Lioncourt, and Claudia’s story gets expanded with Bailey Bass giving us a brazen and tragic performance and a secondary narrative framing device. The leading duo takes their sexual tension out of the closet, too, which adds a lot of layers (and fun) to this update. Watch it on AMC Plus.
Mike Flanagan might be the king of Halloween-streaming programming, given his success with The Haunting Of Hill House (and its followup), along with the more recent Midnight Mass. This series gears itself toward a younger crowd as it adapts Christopher Pike’s novel about a hospice for terminal teens. They form an organization devoted to telling scary stories at night, and there’s a twist: they all take a pact to send messages from the grave, if they go before the rest. Sadly, there will be no vampirish Hamish Linklater here, but hopefully, the show can do penance for this venial sin. Watch it on Netflix.
The first season of Abbott Elementary was a feel-good network sitcom that caught a massive wave of popularity and won a bunch of Emmys in a time when feel-good network sitcoms are kind of not supposed to do that. Credit for this goes to creator and star Quinta Brunson, who realized that an underfunded inner-city public school was exactly the right place to show us people with good hearts working inside a system that can be cold. Kind of like Parks and Recreation but in Philadelphia. The second season is underway and does not appear to be missing a beat. This is basically a miracle, all around. Watch it on Hulu.
Game Of Thrones seems like the easiest greenlight in the world. How could a sister project miss even with the mixed reception to the original’s finale? But House Of The Dragon is the second attempt (with one pilot failing to generate a series order) and it starts with one particular question hanging over its head: was it the world or the characters that inhabited it that made the original so widely adored? We’re about to find out as a new creative team tries to walk a line between old and new, creating fresh stories with a ring of familiarity. On their side: dragons, face-smashing combat, and Matt Smith’s good kinda bad energy. Watch it on HBO Max.
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