In the writers' room for Lucky, showrunner Cassie Pappas kept coming back to Heat. The Apple TV miniseries bears little resemblance to Michael Mann’s 1995 crime drama, but its writers were gripped by the age-old game of cat-and-mouse: two people locked in a chase because they know nothing else.

“We've seen this idea of a person on the run and a dogged law enforcement chasing him,” Pappas tells Marie Claire over Zoom ahead of Lucky’s two-episode premiere. “Our show now has three women doing that. We have a female criminal (Anya Taylor-Joy), a female mob boss (Annette Bening), and a female FBI agent (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). How does that genre change when women are at the helm?”

Based Marissa Stapley’s novel, the series was first popularized as a Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club selection before landing with Pappas (Silo, Griselda) and co-showrunner Jonathan Tropper (Warrior, See). Taylor-Joy, who was attached to the project from the start, plays a grifter often underestimated for her size, age, and gender. “Nobody thinks that she's the smartest person in the room—when actually, every single time, she is,” Pappas says.

While Tropper was in New York filming another Apple TV title, Your Friends and Neighbors, Pappas ran the set for Lucky, which unfolds as an electrifying desert chase across seven episodes. As action-packed as the series is, it never strays from its emotional core: the relationship between Taylor-Joy’s character and her con-artist father (Timothy Olyphant). With Olyphant’s John in federal prison and Lucky unsure whom she can trust, she grapples with an identity crisis while on the run.

“I won't give anything away, but a big action sequence ends in her realizing, ‘My cons have real consequences,’” Pappas says. “We were always trying to have an emotional depth piece connected. If we're going to crash a car, we want it to also make you feel something deep about the character.”

With the first two episodes of Lucky streaming now, Pappas tells Marie Claire about writing a conscientious con artist, working with a star-studded cast, and crafting a “muscular, propulsive” thriller with Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter of Hello Sunshine.

Marie Claire: Tell me about adapting this novel. There are some big changes from page to screen. What were the thought processes behind some of those choices—or sticking points?

Cassie Pappas: Reese and Lauren from Hello Sunshine got the rights to the book [and were] extremely involved every step of the way. They were always on set. They give very detailed notes on scripts. They are the most hands-on producers that I've ever worked with. This was more muscular and more action-packed than some of the shows they had done in the past, and they were super eager to go there—and they were responsible for attaching Anya. Every single word we wrote with her in mind.

But the thing that we gravitated towards the most in the book was this dysfunctional father-daughter relationship. Tropper, having written something like This Is Where I Leave You, I know he does dysfunctional families very well, and if I were to tell you any of my family stories, you'd be like, “Oh, you're primed and ready to write that.” But what made the stakes higher is that theme of, How am I like my parents? What baggage have I inherited? What am I genetically predisposed to?

Her dad's a con artist. He's a criminal, and he's raised her exactly like him, to be an extension of him. She was born into a life of crime that she didn't choose, but she's really fucking good at it because he raised her in his likeness. As she's trying to get out of this life and come of age, there's this self-awareness theme. She's physically running from those external forces, but internally, I liked the conflict of, What if the thing I'm running from is in my blood? What if I can't outrun it? Can I be the author of my own life?

MC: How involved were you in the casting process?

CP: We had Anya, and then we knew the next person we needed to cast was Priscilla. Annette Bening was always our number one, but I don't know that any of us really thought we were going to be lucky enough to get her. When we sent her the script, she leaned in and wanted to hear more. When it became real, it almost feels like any other actor is like, “Yeah, I'd love to be on board.” The Tim piece came because Jonathan Tropper had worked with him before, and I know that Lauren had a relationship with him—but my understanding was that he had heard about the part and was very, very interested in it as well.

MC: The first thing that gripped me from episode 1 was the action. It's brutal; it's very engaging. How did you go about mapping and executing that, and what role did Anya play in the process?

CP: I think the reason [Hello Sunshine] went to Tropper first is because he had a more action-heavy background. The word that kept being used a lot was “muscular.” In television, everybody wants something bingeable, they want something propulsive, so those are the words that kept being thrown around.

The pilot is a full sprint with a huge action set piece at the end, which then allowed us in episode 2 to go, “Let's take a downbeat, let's have her hide, let's have her lick her wounds, let's have her figure out her next move.” You can really do character in that episode. It was about managing both, and we never wanted to do action for action's sake. We wanted it to always have emotional depth or truth to it.

MC: In the first episodes, she's much more mysterious as a character. I would love to know more about writing Lucky in those early stages—what you choose to reveal, to obscure, and what you want the audience to think.

CP: One of the things that I really connected to was this idea of deep down underneath all the masks, she has no idea who she is—and I think that terrifies her. I think she spent her whole life reading the room. If she's talking to a mark, she's going to reflect back to the mark what they want to hear, what they think, and then she's going to con them. It's not until after she leaves the room that the person will realize, "Oh my gosh, I was just taken.” As long as she's living in that space of wearing a mask, she's been confident.

But as she comes of age and as she physically runs, I think there's something about the physical distance that gives her space to go, “Well, who the hell am I really? If I'm not doing this to people, I actually don't know who I am.”

MC: There's so much betrayal in this show. At some point, I thought I should stop being surprised by it.

CP: We did a lot of research in the early days of the writers' room about the art of the con. I'd never worked on a show that dealt with a con artist, so that was the piece of the show that I felt the most insecure about. I was like, “I can do the father-daughter thing, I'm all good on the character stuff, but I really want to dig deep on this world of con artists.” There was this book that we read called The Confidence Game, and that was really insightful. Con artists are apparently in a constant cycle of trust and betrayal. They gain your trust, they get what they want, then they betray you, and something in this book said that there might be a connection to that in your past as a child. You might be working out childhood trauma of experiences of trust and then betrayal, and not realizing it.

MC: As you said, Lucky was born and raised into this lifestyle and doesn't want to be part of it—but how do you feel that she fits into it? How do you view her moral framing within this?

CP: It lives in that space of nature versus nurture. Part of me is like, she's her father's daughter, so she's inherently born to be good at this stuff, but she might not want to use those skills. And then the choices that she makes throughout this seven-episode arc show her moral compass, her desire to be free, her desire to stop running. There's something beautiful about admitting that you don't know who you are, but that you are excited to figure that out, that you want to learn.

There are a lot of labels that women take on that really define who you are, or who you think you are. You're a mother, you're a daughter, you're a wife, you're a sister, you're a sibling—and if you remove each one of those labels and you untether yourself from them, well then who are you really? If you don't know the answer to that question, which I don't think Lucky does, then you get into that self-identity thing like, Who am I, and/or, Do I kind of maybe just want to be nobody? Do I just want to be free of all the masks and all the labels? I think she's fantasizing about “How can I get there, and what would that life look like?”

MC: Do you have a favorite scene or sequence?

CP: Episode 2 is one of my favorites when Lucky is hiding out in that ranch house in the desert, and the FBI agent is in the house. There's such simplicity to it. It's the opposite of an action sequence, and it is so tense, so edge-of-your-seat, and the acting from Aunjanue and Anya is so exquisite. What's interesting is once Aunjanue is in the house, there's not a lot of dialogue; it's just her crawling from one room to the other. It read well on the page, but then when we shot it, it got so much better.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This story contains spoilers about the Your Friends and Neighbors season 2 finale, "The Night of the Hunter." In art and in life, midlife has a way of piling on. Amanda Peet would know. On this season of Your Friends and Neighbors, Peet’s Mel—the ex-wife of Jon Hamm’s friendly neighborhood cat burglar—was a woman on the verge (or possibly in the midst of) a nervous breakdown. Fuming at a teenage daughter who refuses to follow her parentally-preordained path to Princeton; spinning out over her neighbors, both human and animal, who treat the property line dividing their yards as a light suggestion; enduring the sweaty, rage-inducing indignities of menopause, fearing that her days of being a sexually-vibrant person are behind her: Mel is pushed to the limits, and beyond them, in every aspect of her life.

Off-camera, as Peet recently documented in an essay for The New Yorker, she was diagnosed with (and underwent successful treatment for) breast cancer while her divorced parents were dying on opposite coasts. And with her husband of almost 20 years, David Benioff (of Game of Thrones showrunning fame), she’s a parent of three; her eldest daughter is about the same age as Mel’s daughter, Tori, and also just did the whole college-application rigamarole.

Ahead of the season 2 finale of the Apple TV series, Peet delves into it all, describing these trials in an endearingly matter-of-fact manner, whether delighting in her season of slapstick—including a particularly gross slip-and-slide experience with an overturned Port-a-Potty—or reflecting on aging, parenthood, and mortality.

Marie Claire: Tell me a bit about the creative process for Your Friends and Neighbors. How involved were you in what Mel's arc was going to be in this season?

Amanda Peet: Sometimes I beg [showrunner] Jonathan Tropper to give me a lot of pratfall or something like that, which he gave me. I really like a pratfall. I pitch him ideas, but he doesn't always take them.

MC: Was there anything in particular that you were really excited or nervous about?

AP: I'm excited, like most women my age, that menopause isn't a dirty word anymore and that we're seeing more of it on TV. And I thought it was great that Tropper made it funny, that she wasn't just this sexless couch potato.

MC: There's this moment in the first episode this season when Mel says, "I just feel like I'm getting older, and he's just getting better and better looking." Does it feel vulnerable or scary at all, even as a character, to be expressing an insecurity like that?

AP: Well, I mean after the movie I just did, [Fantasy Life], somebody came up to me and was like, "I love your wrinkles." And I was like, "Oh my God, that's the takeaway?" I mostly just feel lucky that I have a job, honestly. But it doesn't feel like I've done my job if the takeaway for an audience member is that they were bowled over by the amount of wrinkles I have.

MC: Well, we are in such a bizarre cultural moment with cosmetic interventions. It's so distracting as a viewer when someone has had work done that obviously their character would not. Like I'm supposed to believe someone's broke, but they have a very expensive face? But because that has become so common in your line of work, it is noteworthy, but it's also just a relief, [to see a face that moves].

AP: I want to do my job, and I want people to pay attention to the story. And she was distracted by the fact that there weren't cosmetic interventions on my face. So I was like, Maybe I should get some of those done so that I can sink into the story and not have people be so distracted by the level of droopiness.

MC: I did see you say recently that you think about getting a facelift every other day. Did I catch you on an ‘on’ day?

AP: Every time I look in the mirror, it crosses my mind. Maybe not every time. Maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration. But you're facing mortality when you look in the mirror.

MC: In the show, you're in this very fraught mother-daughter dynamic. In your New Yorker essay, you talk about how you and your mom had this super intimate, open relationship. What do you remember about what you were like as a teenager? Were you ever a difficult teen?

AP: I had these sort of really feeble rebellions, because I think I didn't really go through a period where I was repelled by my mom. I was quite close with her in so many ways, so it was hard to do the fuck you thing to her without then being like, "Wait, I'm sorry I hurt you. I know that's a vulnerable spot for you." I started smoking, that kind of thing. [And] I gave her a hard time. I'm sure I wore really slinky clothes.

MC: That’s a classic! I loved to scandalize with a very short skirt.

AP: Yes. But my version of a short skirt is not the same as my daughter's version of a short skirt, just so you know. Our takes on feminism and which wave of feminism we're in can be exemplified in mini skirt length. I sometimes don't know what qualifies a skirt anymore.

MC: I'm curious what you make of how Mel handles her daughter's choices, which would test even the most chill, accepting parent. And Mel is not the world's most chill parent. Were you in Mel’s corner?

AP: I always feel like you have to get in the corner of the person you're playing. It wasn't that hard for me, for all the reasons you can probably imagine. I had just gone through the college process with my daughter the year before, so it was very natural for me to be having this conversation, not at this heated level.

MC: I don't know if this makes me insane, but I think [Mel’s] completely in the right with the neighbors. I really felt when she brought the dog shit to the neighbor's doorstep: This is a perfectly valid response to what's happening.

AP: That's hilarious. I do know that you can't be judgy about that character. You can't look down on your character. It becomes too hard to play, I think, especially if your character is in the midst of becoming a loose cannon.

MC: How much of Mel's behavior do you think was clinical? She’s going through menopause and one of the symptoms—I think in the show somebody describes it as “you'll feel the urge to murder people.” Is that all innate to who she is and maybe it's just that menopause is taking the breaks off of feelings or behaviors that were always there?

AP: This is the million dollar question. I wonder this with my own menopause and with some of my parents' dementia, and we as a culture definitely over-pathologize, over-medicate. So sometimes I think that these things are just the natural course. Then with Mel, to your point about the college thing, she’s definitely way too involved and doesn't seem to have any idea that she needs to have more of a life. Those people can be kind of dangerous because they don't know that they're angry and they're quick to erupt at the wrong problem, get upset over the wrong thing.

MC: There’s so much wrapped up in how you perceive somebody in your own family, how you perceive your own kid—how hard it can be, it seems, to see them as clearly as other people do.

AP: Yes. I've had a lot of talks with my friend about this: She's much easier on her son and he's much easier on the daughter. You're overly identified with your same-gender child, and so it's easier to get overly invested in their journey.

MC: I think moms are harder on their daughters because moms know how hard it is to be a woman in the world, and so they're trying to prepare you for the world as it is. Whereas when you're the daughter, you're like: “I'm going to bend the world to my will.”

AP: In some ways, [as a mom], you're passing the baton and it's very hard not to be like, “Run your heat like this. That's how you succeed.”

MC: Are you a mom in the style that you imagined you would be?

AP: Sometimes. I'm getting there, but I had to build the bike while I rode the bike. I didn't think I would be this worried and alarmist. I thought I was going to be more... David will laugh so hard if he ever reads this, but I thought I was going to be more chill. And there's just nothing chill about me.

MC: Was your mom chill or was she just open? They’re related but, I do think, different qualities.

AP: I think she got more chill as she got happier. When she was able to get divorced and have the kind of work that she wanted and the kind of friends that she wanted. It took her a while to come out of those sort of 1950s social mores in which she grew up. She was such a good girl, and I think her spirit was more wild than it appeared to be. When she was able to let go and become more of who she was inside, she was more chill, because I think she was happier.

MC: Does it help you as an actor to be in a relationship with somebody who works in the same industry as you and understands what you do?

AP: I don't know if everybody who works in the same industry has what I think I have with David, which is just a very, we are very aligned—it's almost weird. Our tastes are very aligned. I don't want to sound un-feminist, but I do feel that he mentored me as a writer. I hope that doesn't sound un-feminist, but, I mean, he's brutal. But that's how I learned, is from him being so fucking brutal and hurting my feelings.

MC: What are you excited about, thinking ahead?

AP: I am really excited that Mel seems to be considering writing something. It seems like she's on a path possibly to do some kind of roman a clef or tell-all or something. I think putting her on a collision course with Coop might be very exciting because I think she's also in love with him.

MC: I don't want to be that person who's Parent-Trapping them, but it does feel like they like each other more maybe than they ever have in the duration of the show.

AP: I think that there's a lot there. I know [Tropper] can't get us together yet, but I just... The last scene when Mel’s with this agent who's like, "You got to write about what happened with Coop, with him being framed for murder and stuff," I thought that was very exciting. Because I think she has his number in a lot of ways.

MC: I'm glad that she was single long enough to get to hook up with Miguel. I just feel like that was important for her. And she manifested it by wearing a bra that matched her underwear, because that's not a thing you're just doing when you're not expecting someone to take your clothes off.

AP: That is correct. The last time I did that was probably my wedding night. And I don't even know if I did in my wedding. Did I? I don't remember.

MC: It depends on if you were wearing a wedding dress where you had to wear a bra or not.

AP: That's a really good point. And you know what? I think I didn't.

MC: Well, that's freedom. That's how you know it's true love, like good, I don't have to wear a bra with this fucking dress.

AP: Yeah! That is true love.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

When Lindsey Normington began stripping 10 years ago to support her acting and filmmaking career, she was obsessed with finding on-screen portrayals of sex work she related to. There weren’t many. Mostly, she had early memories of Law & Order—except the sex workers were almost always “a girl who’s already dead.”

“There’s a saturation of that trope where we never even hear from the girl in the first place,” Normington tells Marie Claire over Zoom. “I was looking for stories, but it was hard.”

But that's changing in Hollywood, thanks to recent films, which prioritize human stories over sensationalism. The 29-year-old is among the talent contributing to those strides forward. She even served as one of the strippers whom Sean Baker consulted and cast in his Oscar-winning film Anora.

This spring, Normington appears opposite Elle Fanning in Apple TV’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles as the lovable OnlyFans creator Rose. After originally reading for Rico Nasty’s role KC, Normington was brought back for Rose—which ended up being her “ultimate dream,” both because it meant showing her range and sharing the screen with the rapper. But the series, helmed by David E. Kelley, also presented another opportunity for Normington to give her input on her character, the show’s dialogue, and ultimately the representation of sex work in the media and beyond. (After a year’s worth of organizing, in 2023, she helped get North Hollywood’s Star Garden recognized as the first unionized strip club in the nation.)

“It’s very ironic: choosing something on the fringes purposefully and then working harder to legitimize it,” she says.

Here, Normington unpacks how she was heard on the set of Margo’s Got Money Troubles, why she’ll always advocate for her community, and what progress she hopes to see.

Marie Claire: You’ve been a part of projects like Anora and Margo’s Got Money Troubles. What does it lend to a film or series about this community to collaborate with people from these spaces?

Lindsey Normington: I feel really lucky that I’ve been brought on board by storytellers I have respected for a long time. With [Anora and Margo’s Got Money Troubles], the character is a sex worker, but it's a focus on their life, relationships, and inner lives, and less about sensationalizing the work—which is a hole that people exploring the topic fall into. I've been surrounded by people on both projects who are down-to-Earth and considerate of my experiences, and really want to inject that into the story as much as possible.

Sex workers are really important! We're always at the forefront of social issues. We're the first to feel a recession coming on. We're the first to suffer censorship online. I hope people see these stories and then become interested in seeking out more real-life perspectives. If it moves the needle a little bit for one person, I'm excited for that, but it has the potential to do a lot.

MC: What does it feel like when you’re on a set like Margo’s Got Money Troubles?

LN: I felt welcomed from day one with Margo. I feel very lucky because it's my first big recurring role on a TV show. You hear so much about how alienating studio work can be. But from the beginning, everybody was very kind, interested, and down to Earth. I met a lot of producers and directors and did a few rehearsals with Rico [Nasty]. I was a little nervous to meet Elle [Fanning] and Nick [Offerman]—these people I’ve been watching on screen for a long time—but there was such a culture of calm that I really appreciated because I didn’t know what to expect.

I felt that my input was always really well received. There were times when I was like, “No, I don't think a sex worker would say this. I think they'd use this word.” Or, there were times where I was nervous to actually really challenge something, and it was taken totally into consideration, and my suggestions were used. I felt very included.

MC: Your character Rose firmly believes that sex work is art. She really makes the point to Margo. Is that something that resonates with you?

LN: That was a very important point for me to get across. That was something we workshopped, and I was very grateful they let me wedge that in there myself.

If I say, “All sex work is art,” I know a lot of people think I'm talking about pole dancing or OnlyFans, where you do something really creative and can wear a cosplay costume. I'm talking about sucking dick in a car, too! Not everybody's going to understand it, but that's really what I mean. It's important to see how a job that somebody might take out of desperation can become a passion, and that is a huge privilege that not every sex worker is afforded. I understand very personally that there can be so much pressure to separate yourself from your work in a world that doesn't value what you do. So I love that [Margo] finds a route to do it in her own really specific way, and it ends up bringing her a lot of joy.

MC: Your character also tells Margo to check her “internalized whorephobia.” Was that another Lindsey original? Why was that important to get across?

LN: Yes, that was my insertion, as well. Like with any hierarchical identity issue we deal with in the world, [sex workers] deal with internalized misogyny, we deal with internalized racism. It’s something that I talked about a lot from the beginning of my audition process because there is a scene that deals with [Margo] wanting to separate, "Well, I do this, but I don't do this.” We see that in every facet of sex work—and we are all just working, trying to survive, and creating. It's almost impossible not to create hierarchies, but it’s something that we have to fight against because “a rising tide lifts all boats.” I really believe that, especially for marginalized communities. The more we learn to uplift each other, we can focus on what really matters in terms of being a community.

MC: Speaking of the community aspect, you’re very involved in labor organizing. How did you get involved in that aspect and what have you learned from it?

LN: When COVID happened, we had nowhere to work and began doing shows online. I started producing some of those shows, and we would work in a group tip system. Before, I was concerned with making my own money and clocking in, clocking out. Now I'm responsible for everyone making money, and making the same amount of money. I was like, We don't need a man to DJ, manage, count our money, take a percentage. This could be so different. So, going back to the club when they reopened, my perspective changed. I now had such great relationships with the girls, so when shit hit the fan, it was impossible not to want to organize and be behind each other.

It’s the hardest, most important thing I've ever done, and it’s still not over. We’re still awaiting another trial after we reopened with the union; there was so much union busting. On one hand, I'm like, "Oh my God, it'll never be over." On the other hand, I'm like, "Oh, it'll never be over because I love them. I love my friends and my union. And I love our wider community.”

MC: What progress do you hope to continue to see in terms of the representation of sex work in the media?

LN: Sometimes I feel so isolated. I occupy an interesting space by being an actor; I did sex work ultimately to support my acting. I understand an actor's desire to portray a sex worker as much as I understand sex workers fighting for our place to be seen for these roles, first and foremost. I do think it's important to consider us for these roles, but it goes far beyond that. I don't want to be tokenized or relegated to one type of work, in terms of expansion and creative work. I hope to be an example of people understanding that sex work is a creative art in itself, and it lends itself to roles as actors, but also writing, directing, and more. The show does a great job of demonstrating that Margo is a great OnlyFans creator because she is a great writer. I've met the most driven, creative, passionate, free-thinking people I have ever met inside strip club dressing rooms. We have so much to say, even in stories that don't deal in sex work.

I think [change is] happening—but I want it to happen faster and for more people. I will play more sex workers, as long as the role interests me, but I am ready to move into different roles and have the next person because I can't take up all of them. I want to keep the revolving door going.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

It’s a February afternoon in L.A., and Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, and Kate Mara are back in the same room. Five months after wrapping their Apple TV thriller Imperfect Women, the three sit around a table, between breaks in a photo shoot, slipping easily into conversation as good friends do—swapping notes on the latest prestige dramas.

For actors who’ve each anchored some of TV's most critically acclaimed shows, this project marks a first: sharing the screen as a trio. In Imperfect Women, they play longtime friends who realize how little they know about each other after one of them goes missing. Through illuminating flashbacks and switching POVs, viewers learn the secrets about their friendships at the same time as the titular women.

The newest addition to the rich-women-behaving-badly genre is a standout both in front of and behind the camera—Moss and Washington also served as co-executive producers on a set where the showrunner, directors, and top stars were all women.

Ahead of the series’ premiere (and its April 29 finale) Moss, Washington, and Mara sat down with Marie Claire to discuss adapting Araminta Hall’s novel for the screen, bringing the production to post-wildfires Los Angeles, and the importance of telling complex, female-led stories.

Marie Claire: I’d love to discuss how each of you came onto the project. What has it been like to work together—both onscreen and, for Kerry and Elisabeth, as producers?

Elisabeth Moss: I read the book at the end of 2019. It's highly likely I got it at the airport—I was flying to Hawaii to do Taika Watiti's film, and I thought, This looks like a good beach read—and I fell in love with it. I had just met my producing partner, Lindsay McManus, and we hadn't even started the company. This was the first thing we ever got together, so it's special to us because of that.

Kerry Washington: I'm a huge Lizzie Moss fan. Even just getting any correspondence from her was incredible. I feel like these opportunities to work with other women and really lift each other up and carry the weight together are so wonderful.

EM: It's really rare you get to go to another actress and say, "Do you want to partner up on something and both have great roles and have it be sort of an equal partnership as well?" I've never been able to do that before.

Kate Mara: The thing that I was most flattered by when you guys presented this to me before I read it was: "We need someone who presents as [perfect], but also has probably done some really messed up stuff." And I was like, "Oh my god, I'm so flattered." The thought that I could play that was much more exciting.

EM: There was literally one person that we thought of for Nancy, and luckily she said yes.

MC: Each of your wardrobes is very distinctive for your characters. Did each of you have a favorite look or element that really helped you embody your character?

KW: We need to lift up Tiffany Hasbourne, our costume designer. She was so committed to telling the story of who these women were through clothes and the subtle differences which also helped convey that we all were friends.

KM: Nancy's daily wardrobe is so fancy. Our rule for Nancy was she never wears pants unless she's just given birth. I’d show up [to set] in sweatpants and then put on these incredible dresses, and it does totally change your whole vibe.

KW: Eleanor came from money but didn't want to present that way in the world. She was very eclectic and kind of artsy in her choices, but underneath that it was like, 'Oh, that just happens to be McQueen, or it just happens to be Prada.' It was always mixed in with high-low and vintage finds.

EM: I presented Tiffany with a challenge with Mary. Part of me wishes I had said yes to some of her initial ideas because they were really beautiful; There was a lot of Zimmerman and things like that that I would have loved to have gotten to wear. But it didn't feel realistic for Mary, who is a stay-at-home mom and has two young kids. There were times when I had to dress up a little bit more to just look like I was going to the same party as these ladies, but the highest end we got was Dôen.

MC: Los Angeles is shot so beautifully in this series. How did the change from the novel’s U.K. setting to L.A. come about?

EM: I will point a very grateful finger at Kerry, who came up with the idea. It just worked creatively so well. I feel like I've seen the East Coast version of this show, and I thought, this is going to be different. And obviously to bring work to L.A. was really important to all of us. [Filming] ended up being after the [2025] wildfires.

KW: It was a gift to be able to give the crews here an opportunity to do what they do so brilliantly and not have to leave their families to do it. Also, I don't think people think of L.A. as being a place where there is old money and that's what I love about Nancy’s family story. Those families exist in Pasadena.

EM: It's a place too where you can reinvent yourself, right? You can be who you want to be, even if that person isn’t who you really are.

KW: It's part of our characters. We're all keeping so many secrets, like how much money we have or don't have, where we're from or not from. We're all sort of selling a misconception of those stories.

MC: Were there any elements of the original novel you really fought to make it to the screen?

EM: The distinct changes in point of view were really important to me. When I read the book, I really thought that I had it all figured out, and I was totally wrong about who Nancy was. That to me was something that was really important to keep.

KW: In the world that we're living in right now, to understand that you can be two people in the same room, in the same moment, and be telling two different stories, it is a muscle we all need to be building. We all need to be understanding that perspective really dictates so much and that you might learn something from seeing a moment from somebody else's point of view.

MC: There’s an interrogation scene teased in the trailer, where Detective Ganz says she wouldn’t call the women’s dynamic a friendship. Do you ultimately think Eleanor, Mary, and Nancy were friends?

EM: Look, we made a TV show. As far as I know, none of my friends have done some of the things that these women do in the show, but we needed to add a little drama. I do think they're friends.

KW: I do too. I think friendship—like women, like humans—is imperfect. I feel like the closest friends I have are the ones where we have fucked up and we made it through to the other side. Then you really know somebody.

EM: Also, it's so relatable. The idea that you tell one friend something that you're not going to tell your other friend. Everyone has a friend they go to that is maybe slightly less judgmental.

KM: Even with family as well. I'm going to tell this brother and not that brother.

EM: Absolutely. And when I read the book, I was like, yes, female friendships sometimes are not great. Sometimes someone messes up.

MC: The scenes that impacted me most, in terms of their bond, were when you could see the village they built together among their families. What was it like bringing that dynamic to the screen?

KW: I just got emotional, because it made me think of what it was like to make the show. We were saying yesterday that it's almost like the show had three number ones. We held it up together. There were weeks that were really hard for me and these girls were like glorified background actors. And then it became all about Kate and [Elisabeth and I] were like, 'We're just going to hang out and do our nails.' But we were there for each other and that allowed us to tell this story together as a community, as a circle. The way these women are sort of helping to raise all of their kids, that's how we were building the show, creating that support network for each other.

EM: This accommodation behind the scenes that no one would ever see; that quiet placing the other person in front of you. I wasn’t surprised at all, but it was very cool to see.

MC: Tell me about that experience working on a female-led set where all of the leads were working moms.

KM: There were babies and toddlers showing up all the time.

KW: My [eight-year-old] son was on set one day, and decided to be our still photographer. He was taking pictures of the crew and interviewing them, like, “What's your job?” It was really, really sweet.

EM: I'm kind of newer to the game and so I would just like constantly be trying to think of questions to ask them as working moms. 'How do you prioritize this? How do you make time for this?' There wasn't enough time to talk to them about everything I wanted to talk to them about.

MC: In each of your opinions, why do you think stories about the inner workings of “unlikeable” women and complicated female friendships are so fascinating to audiences?

EM: I think we like to watch ourselves on screen. We like to find things that we relate to, and it can be more fun when it's a heightened version. This show has moments that are so honest, vulnerable, and hard to watch. And then it also has watercooler, I can't believe she did that moments. I love watching that mix of highbrow and fun.

KM: People enjoy watching a mess. I don't think every show and every movie needs to necessarily have a message. Sometimes that's really important, but it can also just be a really fun watch. You can get lost in the story.

KW: I do think for a long time in film and television, women have been relegated to being the best friend, the girlfriend, the wife. I think we're in an era of knowing that we are at the center of our own stories and our own lives. It's shown in a beautiful way through this show where there are three interesting, complicated women, and you don't get to say one of them is the lead. That idea of making room for everybody to have the value where they are worth their own story. I choose as a mom and as a wife to sometimes be a supporting character, but in my day-to-day life, I also know that I'm the lead of my life, and we all deserve to know this.

EM: I'd love to get to a point where that's not even what we're talking about as related to women. Without calling out anyone specific, there's a lot of directors and actors that no one has ever asked them what it's like to play a messy person. Instead it's, "Oh my God, you were brilliant." Maybe we get to the place where it's not even a part of the conversation.

Photographer Tracy Nguyễn | Creative Direction Alexa Wiley | Art Direction Montse Tanús | Entertainment Director Neha Prakash | Producer Luciana De La Fe

Elisabeth Moss: Stylist Chloe Hartstein | Hair Stylist Sunnie Brook | Makeup Artist Sabriana Bedrani

Kerry Washington: Stylist Rob Zangardi & Mariel Haenn | Hair Stylist Davontae Washington | Makeup Artist Adam Burrel

Kate Mara: Stylist Johnny Wujek | Hair Stylist Mara Roszak | Makeup Artist Alisha Bailey

Fans of Brandon Sanderson’s sweeping Cosmere universe kicked off 2026 on a high note, as it was confirmed that Apple TV has acquired the rights to bring the fantasy universe from page to screen. Loyal fans will be thrilled (and relieved) to hear that Sanderson will retain creative control over the adaptations, including serving as a writer, producer, and consultant, and approval over casting, according to a January report from The Hollywood Reporter. That nearly unprecedented level of control is no doubt thanks to the massive influence he’s proven to have through the success of his many crowdfunded self-publishing ventures and the annual fan convention he hosts—on top of his massive book sales, having sold over 50 million copies, of course.

First up on the adaptation slate are the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive sagas, with the first taking the form of a film series and the latter arriving as a TV show. Though details are scarce, the Mistborn movie seems to be first in Sanderson's docket. Here’s everything we know so far about the Mistborn film adaptation.

What are the 'Mistborn' books by Brandon Sanderson about?

The Mistborn series is slated to span four “eras,” with two completed so far. The first three books in Era One—Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006), Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007), and Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008)—follow a group of powerful magicians known as Allomancers as they attempt to overthrow an empire in their dystopian, ash-covered world.

Next up are the four books of Era Two, also known as “Wax and Wayne:" Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2011), Mistborn: Shadows of Self (2015), Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning (2016), and Mistborn: The Lost Metal (2022). They take place 300 years after the original trilogy and feature characters capable of both Allomancy and another magic system, Feruchemy, as they investigate crimes in a gritty city.

Sanderson is now in the process of creating the third era of Mistborn, dubbed “Ghostbloods.” That trilogy will be set about 50 years after “Wax and Wayne,” in a world that looks a lot like the early computer age of the 1980s. Finally, the fourth era is expected to be a space opera with even more advanced technology.

When is the 'Mistborn' film adaptation coming out?

Unfortunately, as with the screen adaptations of several other beloved fantasy series—looking at you, Fourth Wing and ACOTAR—it may be a while. In an early February YouTube video answering fan questions about the Cosmere adaptations, Sanderson said that writing “a fantastic screenplay for Mistborn” would be his main priority for the next few months, with plans to turn it in sometime in summer 2026.

Indeed, the author appears to be making pretty swift progress on the Mistborn screenplay. He helpfully added a progress bar to his website homepage, so fans can keep track of how far he is on the project, and it’s already zoomed from 2 percent at the time of the YouTube video to 33 percent as of late March. (For the record, another progress bar on the site shows that he’s 100 percent done writing the next Mistborn book, which will kick off the third era of the series, though it's not due to be published until 2028.)

But while the screenplay seems to be coming along quickly, that’s about it on the production updates front. Sanderson noted in the February video that nobody else was attached to the project yet, saying, “We’re still not very far along. These aren’t coming next year.”

Considering how long casting, filming, and post-production can take, we suspect it may not be until late 2028 at the absolute earliest that Mistborn could be released.

What else has Brandon Sanderson said about the 'Mistborn' adaptation?

Elsewhere in that February 2026 YouTube video, the Mistborn author expressed his excitement over working with Apple TV to adapt his Cosmere universe. He chose the streaming service after meetings with “all the major streamers and studios,” he said, not only because of the creative control Apple granted him, but also because “the partnership felt right.” As he explained it, “I’ve long been looking for a partner, not somebody just to sell things off to.”

And though the writer warned viewers that there’s “no guarantee” that any of the projects will definitely make it to the screen, he noted, “This feels really different this time. I think this one is really going to happen.”

Fans may recall that Sanderson previously made it pretty far in the production process of a film version of Mistborn—even getting (never-disclosed) cast members and a studio attached, as he wrote in a 2024 blog post—before it fell through. Here’s hoping this one does indeed happen.

Who is in the cast of the 'Mistborn' movie adaptation?

There may not be any stars attached to the Mistborn onscreen adaptation just yet, but that’s never stopped devoted fans from brainstorming their dream casts. One longtime favorite for any of several characters in the series is former Superman and The Witcher star Henry Cavill. Sanderson even seems to be aware of the popular theory. He seemed to refer to it in a 2024 blog post, confirming that a previous adaptation attempt had fallen through and writing that while casting decisions had been made, “No, Henry C. was not one of them.” Maybe the second time’s the charm?

Many across the internet agree that Dafne Keen, who’s appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine, His Dark Materials, and more, would make the perfect Vin, a young Allomancer at the center of the first Mistborn trilogy. There’s also widespread agreement that What We Do in the Shadows star Matt Berry should be the well-spoken nobleman Breeze.

Fans are more split on casting for other key characters. Kelsier, the leader of the crew that recruits Vin, could be embodied by Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, The Boys actor Antony Starr, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, or a long-haired Chris Evans, to name just a few casting suggestions. Meanwhile, the role of Sazed, another member of Kelsier’s crew, could go to Babs Olusanmokun, Mahershala Ali, or Djimon Hounsou. And particularly interesting picks for the Lord Ruler include Mads Mikkelsen, Cillian Murphy, Lee Pace, and Nicolas Cage. Your move, Apple TV!

Based on the title alone, it's clear that Apple TV's new murder-mystery series Imperfect Women is an examination of the impossible expectations placed on women. But the drama, adapted from Araminta Hall's novel of the same name, is also about perspective.

Valuing different points of view and experiences was a throughline for Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, and Kate Mara, along with showrunner Annie Weisman, during a conversation with Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike at a Marie Claire screening and panel ahead of the show’s March 18 premiere.

At the event, held in N.Y.C.'s Crosby Hotel, the cast explained that the show’s shifting, multi-perspective structure drew them to the material and also sparked important conversations behind the scenes.

Ogunnaike pointed out that each character in the show—which unpacks the secrets and entanglements within a friend group, leading to one of their murders—has "their own version of the truth" and understanding of the world.

Star and executive producer Kerry Washington noted: "I think this is one of the beautiful exercises of the show. I think we are living in a time when it's really important to pause and understand that taking into account someone else's point of view may enhance your understanding of what truth is."

Washington also revealed that her character, Eleanor, was not originally written for the show as a Black woman. So when she took on the role, it was essential for her that it feel like Eleanor's "identity as a Black woman informed how she participated in the story."

"In my career, a lot of times if I had been cast in a role that wasn't written for a Black woman. It's like, 'Well, just play it as if you're not Black. Just the fact that you're Black is enough.' And so to be able to bring that cultural context and what it means to not just be Black, but to be from an old money, generational wealth Black family, those details were really important," she said.

Showrunner Weisman pointed out that Washington also ensured half of the writers on the show were Black, to which Washington added, "One Black writer in the room, all you get to be is Black. But when there are three Black writers in the room, you get to be human and bring your Black experience."

For Moss, who also served as an executive producer on the title, her character Mary's experiences as a mother were what grounded her decisions.

"Her heroism lies in making this perfect snack for her child," Moss said. "And to me, that's heroism that I want to celebrate: the heroism of parents and caretakers everywhere who know how to make the right snack."

Mara added that viewers may walk away with different interpretations of the series, but above all, hopes they enjoy the twists. "I kind of like not having any expectations of what someone is going to feel or take away," she said. "I like just going, hopefully it's a fun ride."

Ogunnaike spoke to all those nuances by bringing it back to the show's title. "Imperfect Women is such a beautiful, quiet rebellion against the way that women are often expected to present themselves," the Marie Claire editor said.

The cast—and nearly 100 guests in the audience who cheered enthusiastically throughout the conversation—couldn't have agreed more.

The first two episodes of Imperfect Women are streaming now on Apple TV.

If you're a diehard TV fan, chances are you're a bit behind in your watchlist. So many must-watch shows came out last year, from the returns of juggernauts like The White Lotus and Stranger Things to surprise word-of-mouth hits like The Pitt and Heated Rivalry. Now that 2026 is fully underway, it's time to take note of which upcoming shows will command the cultural conversation this year—and which are already out and worth bingeing.

That's where I come in, a full-time culture writer whose literal job is to keep up with the overwhelming amount of media coming our way. Throughout the year, I'll be keeping track of the best and buzziest TV shows coming to Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Apple TV, and more. Read on for my picks for the best TV shows of 2026 so far.

The Best TV Shows of Winter 2026

'The Pitt' season 2

Release Date: January 8, airing weekly on HBO Max

Starring: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, Patrick Ball, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Sepideh Moafi, Lucas Iverson, Irene Choi, and Meta Golding

Paging Dr. Robby! The Emmy-winning medical series is back for its second year, picking up 10 months later on a Fourth of July day shift. Some of the season-long arcs include Langdon's (Ball) first day back at work after rehab, the introduction of new med students Ogilvy (Iverson) and Joy (Choi), and Robby's (Wyle) power struggle with Dr. Al-Hashimi (Moafi), his replacement for an upcoming sabbatical.

WATCH IT

'Industry' season 4

Release Date: January 11, airing weekly on HBO

Starring: Myha'la, Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Sagar Radia, Miriam Petche, Kit Harrington, Kiernan Shipka, Toheeb Jimoh, Max Minghella, Kal Penn, and Charlie Heaton

After bringing its Pierpoint era to an end in the season 3 finale, HBO's most undersung series reinvents itself in its fourth season. Harper (Myha'la) now leads her own team funded by a powerful backer, while Yasmin (Abela) navigates her new role as Henry's (Harrington) dutiful wife. Add a buzzy fintech start-up that enters everybody's orbit, and we're promised a propulsive new season.

WATCH IT

'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette'

Release Date: February 12, airing weekly on FX/Hulu

Starring: Sarah Pidgeon, Paul Kelly, Naomi Watts, Grace Gummer, Sydney Lemmon, and Alessandro Nivola

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Ryan Murphy debuted his latest anthology based on a true story, after American Crime Story and American Sports Story. The first iteration of Love Story follows the whirlwind romance between Carolyn Bessette (Pidgeon), then a Calvin Klein employee, and scion John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Kelly). Their relationship was the subject of constant tabloid fodder before ending in tragedy, and the series imagines what went on in their private relationship. Come for the incredible performances, stay for the '90s fashion inspiration.

WATCH IT

'Boyfriend on Demand'

Release Date: March 6 on Netflix

Starring: Jisoo, Seo In-guk, Ha Young, Gong Min-jeung, Jo Han-chul, Lee Hak-joo, Kim Sung-cheol, Lee Soo-hyuk, Seo Kang-jun, and Yoo In-na

If you like your love stories more comedic than dramatic, this K-drama rom-com follows office worker Seo Mi-rae (Jisoo) as she tests a dating VR game with love interests based on all the best romance tropes. This series excels in balancing its escapist premise with a thoughtful, realistic look at love in the modern age.

WATCH IT

The Best TV Shows Coming in Spring 2026

'The Comeback'

Release Date: March 22, airing weekly on HBO

Starring: Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky, Laura Silverman, Damian Young, Tim Bagley, Jack O'Brien, Andrew Scott, Matt Cook, Ella Stiller, John Early, Barry Shabaka Henley, Abbi Jacobson, Tony Macht, Brittany O'Grady, Zane Phillips, and Julian Stern

Lisa Kudrow's cult-classic Hollywood satire returns for a third and final season, 21 years after its 2005 debut and almost 12 years since its 2014 sophomore season. We can't wait to see how sitcom star (and now executive producer!) Valerie Cherish (Kudrow) handles what Hollywood has become, from TikTok and Hot Ones to AI and streaming.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'The Testaments'

Release Date: April 8, airing weekly on Hulu

Starring: Ann Dowd, Chase Infiniti, Lucy Halliday, Rowan Blanchard, and Mattea Conforti

Brace yourselves for a return to Gilead. Hulu's follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale will adapt Margaret Atwood's 2019 sequel novel, with Ann Dowd returning as Aunt Lydia. The series will follow a new group of young women—including June's (Elisabeth Moss) now-16-year-old daughter, Hannah, known as Agnes (Infiniti), as she struggles to come of age in the dystopia.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Euphoria' season 3

Release Date: April 12, airing weekly on HBO

Starring: Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Eric Dane, and Colman Domingo

It's been a long wait for Euphoria fans—so long that its characters have aged out of high school and college—but season 3 of the pop-culture phenomenon is just months away. The new episodes will pick up five years after graduation, with dozens of new stars (including Rosalía!) filling out the East Highland crew's new lives in L.A., N.Y.C., Mexico, and...the suburbs?

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Margo's Got Money Troubles'

Release Date: April 15, airing weekly on Apple TV

Starring: Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Angarano, and Nick Offerman

All you need to hear to be excited for this show: David E. Kelley adapts Rufi Thorpe's buzzy 2024 novel, Michelle Pfeiffer and (newly minted Oscar nominee) Elle Fanning leading the cast. It follows Margo (Fanning), a 20-year-old single mom, as she searches for a way out of poverty after getting pregnant by her English professor.

WATCH THE TRAILER

'Beef' season 2

Release Date: April 16 on Netflix

Starring: Charles Melton, Cailee Spaney, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Song Kang-ho, and Youn Yuh-jung

Netflix and A24's acerbic drama finally returns, three years after its Emmy-winning debut. The anthology's second season is a tale of two couples employed at an exclusive L.A. country club. When the younger pair (played by Melton and Spaeny) witness a fight between the elder (Isaac and Mulligan), they "use the recording to get ahead in their own careers," per Vanity Fair.

WATCH THE TEASER

'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed'

Release Date: May 20, airing weekly on Apple TV

Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Jake Johnson, Brandon Flynn, Murray Bartlett, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg, Nola Wallace, and Dolly De Leon

Once again, Apple TV comes through with a star-studded cast and a can't-miss premise: "Convinced she witnessed a crime—while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis—Paula (Maslany) begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self."

The Best TV Shows Coming Summer 2026

'Lucky'

Release Date: July 15, airing weekly on Apple TV

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins Jr., and William Fichtner

In her first television role since The Queen's Gambit and Peaky Blinders, Anya Taylor-Joy returns to the small screen in this adaptation of Marissa Stapley's novel. The thriller miniseries follows the titular con artist (Taylor-Joy) as she flees from both sides of the law after a multi-million-dollar heist gone wrong.

WATCH THE TEASER

'The Vampire Lestat'

Release Date: TBA on AMC

Starring: Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, Jennifer Ehle, and Sheila Atim

The third season of AMC's Interview with the Vampire will adapt the second novel in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series, with Lestat (Reid) taking center stage as he ascends to rock royalty. Come for the original songs and Lestat-Louis (Anderson) toxicity, stay for the TV debut of legendary characters like Akasha (Atim).

WATCH THE FIRST LOOK

The Best TV Shows Coming Soon

'Hacks' season 5

Release Date: TBA on HBO Max

Starring: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs, Meg Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, and Christopher Briney

Though it's currently unclear whether season 5 will be Hacks's last, we're guaranteed at least one more season of Ava (Einbinder) and Deborah (Smart) hijinks. After that false death announcement in the season 4 finale, Deborah will return to the U.S. (more specifically, N.Y.C.!) for what's sure to be a hilarious comeback.

'Half Man'

Release Date: TBA on HBO Max

Starring: Richard Gadd, Jamie Bell, Mitchell Robertson, and Stuart Campbell

In his highly anticipated Baby Reindeer follow-up, the renowned series creator Richard Gadd once again examines masculinity, this time via a decades-spanning family drama. According to the logline, "When Niall's (Bell) estranged 'brother' Ruben (Gadd) shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives."

'House of the Dragon' season 3

Release Date: TBA on HBO

Starring: Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Harry Collett, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, and Phia Saban

2026 is a big year for Game of Thrones fans: Not only did A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere in January, but House of the Dragon returns for its third season. Though HotD has gone through some drama behind the scenes, here's hoping the battles foreshadowed in season 2 will be as epic as its predecessor's.

Apple TV’s Pluribus arrived in November 2025 with a lot of secrecy, and for good reason: The series is about an alien invasion that converts a majority of the world’s population into a “hive mind.” Rhea Seehorn stars as Carol Sturka, a reticent romance novelist who survives “the Joining.” In what is essentially a one-woman show, season 1 begins at the time of the life-altering event as Carol comes to understand what the hive mind wants, tracking her bouts of loneliness and desire for human connection along the way.

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan is the brains behind the must-watch series, which is a thinly veiled metaphor for society’s adherence to uniformity. By the end of season 1, it’s clear that the show has a lot more to say and explore, and is only just getting started. Below, we’re breaking down everything we know about Pluribus season 2.

Is 'Pluribus' renewed for season 2?

Yes, Pluribus will return to Apple TV for a second season. The streamer greenlit the Vince Gilligan project with a two-season straight-to-series order, meaning that Gilligan skipped the traditional pilot development phase as Apple committed to producing two entire seasons from the beginning.

When will 'Pluribus' season 2 come out?

Sorry, Pluribus fans: It might be a while before new episodes are available. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter following the release of the season 1 finale, Gilligan told the outlet that, although a writers's room is open, the team behind the series is in no rush to fast-track production.

"It’s going to frustrate some folks, just to be honest. We work at the speed we work at, much like glaciers melt at the speed that they melt at," the showrunner told the outlet. "For my own sake, as much as anybody, selfishly, I wish we could get this job done quicker because I don’t know how many years I’ve got left. I still want to do more things, but I go slower than I used to. So it’s going to be a while between seasons; it just is. Unless we invent a time machine or figure out how to stop time, it’s just the nature of the beast."

With that in mind, it's possible that Pluribus season 2 could follow the same schedule as season 1. The first installment experienced delays related to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, but filming began in February 2024, and then it wasn't released until November 2025. Should writing last throughout this year and production to begin in late 2026 or early 20227, it may not be until late 2027 or early 2028 that we see more of Carol and The Others.

Who in the 'Pluribus' cast will return for season 2?

The show is built around Rhea Seehorn, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance on the show, so she is certain to return, along with Karolina Wydra, as Carol’s hive mind companion, Zosia. The first season finale sets up a partnership between Carol and Manousos, two of the handful of immune individuals left on earth, which means Carlos-Manuel Vesga will also return as a major part of season 2.

Earlier in the season, Carol meets a few of the other English-speaking immune survivors, including Koumba Diabaté (Samba Schutte) and Laxmi (Menik Gooneratne). Now that Carol is working with Manousos, we’d expect these other survivors to be recruited for their plot to save the world.

Sadly, Carol’s partner, Helen, died during the alien invasion and has only appeared in limited flashbacks, meaning Miriam Shor would only return for season 2 in a minimal capacity. Season 1 guest stars, such as Jeff Hiller, Karan Soni, and John Cena, are unlikely to return.

What will 'Pluribus' season 2 be about?

Season 1 ends with Carol’s heartbreaking realization that she can’t ignore reality: Zosia is no longer fully human and, therefore, not a plausible life partner. The notion dawns on her when Zosia tells Carol she has only a month before “they” will use her frozen eggs to harvest stem cells, which would turn her into one of them. Reluctantly, she leaves the paradise she built with Zosia and returns to her Albuquerque home to meet Manousos, who has been trying to uncover the mystery of what happened by studying various radio frequencies to crack a code. Carol arrives with an encased atom bomb and tells him, “You win. We save the world.”

The second season will become a two-hander, as Carol and Manousos take his findings about the radio signal to figure out who’s behind the attack, how to stop it, and if they’re able to reverse its effects. We can assume that saving the world isn’t up to just them—we know there are other immune individuals out there—but seeing how they’re both loners forced to work together, it’s doubtful they’ll let anyone else into their circle quickly.

Gilligan has revealed that the team behind the series has "a pretty good idea" where it's going next. While speaking to THR, the show's creative team shared their thoughts on what Manousos's failed experiment might mean. Writer/executive producer Gordon Smith said, "An experiment within the scientific method, generally, moves through failure, and it keeps moving through failure. You learn more from saying, 'That's not right. It did not stop them from being joined, but I did learn something. So what did I learn?' What he learned and what he can do with it is hopefully going to be brought out in season 2."

Gilligan, meanwhile, confirmed the signal was not the same as the one that started the Joining.

With season 2 being a ways away, at least we have time to keep scratching our heads at all the lingering questions.

This story contains extensive spoilers for The Morning Show season 4, episode 5, “Amari.” For the first three seasons of The Morning Show, Karen Pittman’s Mia Jordan is the glue that holds the fictional talk show TMS together. Even when the Apple TV series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon veers into wild territory—including a space launch over a year before Gayle King’s—Mia weathers it all without getting the recognition or Head of News promotion she deserves. That is, until season 4, when she decides to quit TMS’s thankless game and play by her own rules.

“It's like when you finally break it off with that toxic boyfriend that you've been in a relationship with for years and years and years,” Pittman tells Marie Claire over Zoom. “You're like, look, this is not off and on, off and on. This is off and it's off, period.”

However, like a toxic ex, UBN just can’t let Mia get away. In season 4’s fifth episode, “Amari,” streaming October 15, the producer is pulled back into TMS’s orbit when Alex Levy (Aniston) blocks her from landing a job at a competitor. But rather than going back to her executive producer role, Mia finds an unlikely ally in Chris (Nicole Beharie), and comes to the former Olympian's support as she faces doping accusations. By the end of the episode, Mia has a rebellious confidence, a badass makeover (lob included), and new leverage after delivering a cathartic, “Fuck you,” to Alex.

“There is a different standard held for women in general, but certainly Black women,” Pittman says. “Alex can fuck her billionaire boyfriend, and Corey can leak a racist email, but I can't play this game too." Mia has faced a double-standard felt by many women of color in the corporate world, that has made her feel that she can't step a toe out of line and take the wild swings that TMS's executives have been getting away with for years. But now Mia's free to play dirty, Pittman teases, "and y'all are going to have to deal with it."

While Mia figures out her next steps, Pittman is reaching new heights in her career; last year she received her first Emmy nomination for The Morning Show’s third season, and this May brought her acclaimed turn as doting mom Dawn Edwards in the Netflix romance Forever. (Next up, both Forever season 2—which she only teases as “really good”—and Morning Show season 5.) The actress is aware that the tenacity she’s shown in her career translates to the kinds of roles she chooses—whether it’s Mia, Dawn, or Dr. Nya Wallace on …And Just Like That.

“I've made myself in the image of a woman who had great ambition, but was also able to do a lot of things well,” she says, referring to her mother. “That is the kind of character that I can create because I have a strong image of that in my mind, but I also can expand on that image in a lot of ways to bring emotion, feeling, heart, and all the other characteristics that these characters need in order to make them human, in order for you to believe in them, and be like, I know her. That's my aunt, or, I want to be like that, or, I don't want to be like that at all.”

Below, Pittman chats with Marie Claire about bringing strong female characters to life, filming those dramatic scenes with Beharie and Aniston, and where Mia goes from here.

Marie Claire: Your most well-known roles include a lot of determined career women. Do you actively look for these types of characters?

Karen Pittman: I have auditioned for roles with women who are in much worse circumstances—moms who are living in urban environments, struggling. I don't get those parts. I think part of it is because that isn't naturally what I exude, but I also think that I have a real take on who this woman is right now in our world, in the 21st century—what it looks like to be a woman of color with kids, with a job, who has ambition. I had a strong maternal figure in my mother, who was very smart and ambitious, [the] first in her family to go to college. I went to grad school [at NYU for acting] with an infant son—that's kind of the lore around me. But my mother studied at Fisk University with five children at home and got her master's degree in biology. [It's like], where did you find the grit and the determination and the fortitude to do it?

That's definitely part of the journey that I had with Mia Jordan this season. Where does she find it? Where does that come into her? How does she do it? In our culture, we refer to it as ‘Black girl magic,’ but sometimes I'm like, I don't think it's a magical trait. I think it's what we have to do in order to thrive. Certainly, in my own life, there were periods where it was like, You have two kids, you're a single mother. Girl, you need to stop acting. You need to go get a “real job.” But in order for me to raise my children and to thrive, I really had to do several things at once, and I had to be twice as good as everyone around me, and that was just the way I lived my life.

That's part of what Mia has done over the last three and a half seasons that we see her. She's been twice as good. She's been a company woman. She's held TMS together through the pandemic, through a merger, through the #MeToo crisis in season 1. And now, when it's time for her to rise to the top, suddenly the glass ceiling is there and she's hitting up against it. So episode 5, she comes back in and sashays her way into a new place.

MC: I loved seeing Mia with her bestie, Zaria (Nichelle Hines), especially when they’re dancing in the hall after the job interview. It’s so nice being able to see Mia outside of TMS and see how much life and joy she has.

KP: And the love that she has in her life. We go back to episode 2, where Chris is like, “I have relationships that matter to me. You don’t have anybody except for this job,” and that was hurtful. But it was important for us to see that Mia does have a life. She does have people who love her. Mia goes to this network that’s supposed to be kind of an OWN, and her friend works there. Nichelle Hines is a fantastic actress, and we had a really great time filming that. That was fun to see Mia in a different element at a different company. When [showrunner Charlotte Stoudt] said, “What do you think about Mia going over here and doing this?” I was like, “Yeah. Let's see what her energy is in someplace completely different from UBN. How cool would that be?”

MC: Mia and Chris finally join forces in this episode. What was it like to film that dynamic with Nicole Beharie?

KP: Nicole has this incredible process as an actor, so you really just want to be there to support her in her journey, and she's an awesome support as well. That [confession] scene was brutal as far as how the truth comes out about what was going on with Chris at the time, but also what a gift it was for Mia to support her. I don't think she thought even remotely that the outcome would be what ends up happening. [The] episode was directed by Millicent Shelton. She has a real finger on the pulse of what really good storytelling for people of color looks like, so it was a real gift to have her directing it.

MC: In season 3, Mia alludes to TMS being a plantation, and now, in blocking Mia’s new job, Alex demonstrates a kind of ownership of her. Tell me about filming that confrontation at the end of this episode.

KP: What Alex ends up doing is using her privilege to undermine Mia's ability to move on. She doesn't see it as that. She sees it as, Oh no, we want you here. You're part of us. And Mia's like, That's my choice. You don't get to decide that. Why do you get to decide it? That is a function of power and privilege that Alex doesn't understand that she can't make that choice for her. It’s a very well-written scene, so tricky, but Jen Aniston was game. She came busting through the door game and ready for it, which was fun.

It was very easy to keep Mia cool. It’s very important to me that she did not look like she was out for revenge, but that she had a clarity. You know what it's like as a woman of color when you were like, Oh, I'm Black. Suddenly you're like, Oh shit. This is where this Black thing comes in and keeps me back. This is what discrimination is all about, and it's a rude awakening when you discover that that’s the only reason why they can allow you not to move up. Not because you’re uneducated, not because you haven't spent years in the game, not because you haven't sacrificed and held the thing together and kept everybody moving forward. The only reason why they're holding you back is because of your skin color. For Mia [in that scene], it's like, Oh no, I'm clear. I'm clear about what this place is. I'm clear about who you are. I'm clear about what I'm doing, this is what I'm going to do, and you're not going to stop me. I’ll see you in the ring. That's a different person from now on—not because I've changed, but now I see who you are.

I have a hard time watching myself on these shows, but this is one of those scenes where I did. [In the final moments] I could feel that nervousness in Mia when she was like, “I think [Chris and I] make a great team.” It's sort of an out-of-body experience for me when I’m acting; I try to stay deep in the world of the character. But in this confrontation, I wanted to really be in it, and I could feel [Alex’s] energy and wanting to tell her, “This is done. I'm not going to back down. I'm going to stick by Chris and we're going to figure this out, and fuck you.” So when Mia walks out, it isn't a big “I'm done!” It's really calm, like, “No, no, no, this is it.”

MC: Now that Mia has more leverage after Chris’s confession, the question is whether they’ll go somewhere else or improve their situation at TMS. Can you tease what’s to come?

KP: I think part of the answer to that question is in what [her ex] André (Clive Standen) says to her across the pool table. He referred to covering Ukraine; the Ukrainian folks who couldn't take over and get rid of the Russian troops entirely, while he was there, but they did do some damage. I think that’s what Mia is intending to do in her own way: to do some damage as a sort of vigilante and, in the meantime, protect the people that she can.

She explores that as best she can over the next five episodes, but she does wreak some havoc. You'll see as we go through to episode 10 that there is damage to be done, because it’s inherent to the hierarchy in that company. There's always somebody who's got beef, who wants to go in there and do some damage as well. They have a bone to pick, and if you can help them do it, they'll do it with you. So, I think she will end up doing damage at UBN, but only in the way that Mia can do it. She knows where all of the bodies are buried, she has a lot of the secrets in her back pocket, and she'll have more before the end of the season.

I think she certainly can either leave her job at UBN, or do it in the way that she wants to do it if she does go back. But we'll see.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Prince William recently appeared on Apple TV+'s The Reluctant Traveler, where he discussed everything from raising his children to the "formal" relationship he had with grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. The Prince of Wales also reflected on some of the funniest remarks tourists have made while visiting Windsor Castle.

Speaking to host Eugene Levy, Prince William dished (via the Express), "The tour guides get to hear some funny stories." He continued, "We heard back one time, that—I won't name the nationality of the tourist, but—they're looking around the castle going, 'Wow this place is incredible, but why did they have to build the castle so close to Heathrow Airport?'"

As construction started on Windsor Castle in 1070, it's safe to say the royal building existed eons before Heathrow Airport. Unsurprisingly, this particular comment has "gone down as the sort of number one quote of a tourist going around Windsor Castle," William explained.

During his appearance on the show, William also discussed Prince George's educational abilities. "George, my son, is way better in history than I am, and I have to check with him now on my dates," the Prince of Wales told Levy (via the Express).

As the future king, Prince George's historical education, particularly in how it relates to the Royal Family, will serve him well.

Prince William was also candid about the relationship he had with his late grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. "I think when we were younger it was harder to have that very close relationship, because it was quite formal," he told Levy. "But as they got older and I got older, it got warmer and warmer." The Prince of Wales noted that, as Elizabeth and Philip aged, "they sort of relaxed a little bit."

Bring in Choreography and Merriment: Tramell Tillman has a lot to celebrate at the 2025 Emmys.

The Severance actor, who rose to fame as severed floor manager Seth Milchick, has officially become the first Black actor to win Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series. He is also the first openly gay Black man to be recognized in the category.

While accepting his historic win, Tillman dedicated the award to his mother, whom he described as his "first acting coach."

"You remember what you want to remember. You make time for what you want to make time for," he said. "'Do the work, show up, and, most importantly, for the love of God, don't embarrass me in public.' My first acting coach was tough, y'all. But all great mothers are."

The Severance star continued, "Mama, you were there for me when no one else was, and no one else would show up. Your loving kindness stays with me—and this is for you. Thank you to The Academy. I am full. I am humbled. I am honored, and, as my mama would say, 'Ooo, Look at God!'"

This was Tillman's first nomination and first win, for Severance's long-anticipated second season. He was nominated alongside Severance co-stars Zach Cherry and John Turturro, as well as Paradise's James Marsden, and The White Lotus's Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, and Sam Rockwell.

Earlier in the evening, Tillman walked the Emmys red carpet in a crisp all-white custom Dolce & Gabbana suit, paired with an Audemars Piguet timepiece.

Severance is the most-nominated show this year with 27 nods.

Shortly after Tillman's win, Britt Lower took home the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

The Apple TV+ drama has already been renewed for season 3.

September 8 marked the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022 at the age of 96. In honor of the monarch, members of the Royal Family have been paying tribute to her impressive achievements, as well as her idiosyncrasies. And according to her grandson, Prince William, the late Queen enjoyed watching something slightly peculiar on an "old iPad," even while traveling.

During a visit to the National Federation of Women's Institutes on Sept. 8, Prince William spoke about his late grandmother, revealing (via the Daily Mail), "She used to have an iPad so that she could watch all the foals being born, so wherever she was in the country she could see. She was very dedicated."

The Prince of Wales also highlighted Queen Elizabeth's lifelong love of horses, and her passion for Royal Ascot. "I think she would have loved a few more wins," the prince explained at the event. "She was very upset that she couldn't win a few more times."

Prince William also referenced the anniversary of his grandmother's death, telling attendees, "I can't quite believe it has been three years already."

Queen Elizabeth was reportedly encouraged to purchase an iPad in 2011 at the behest of her grandsons, Prince Harry and Prince William. At the time, a source told The Sun (via the Daily Mail), "The princes think it is hilarious. They love the fact that their gran wants an iPad and think she's really cool."

The source continued, "For a woman of her age, she is very switched on. It was only a matter of time before she asked someone to go and get her one."

Plus, it goes without saying that Queen Elizabeth II's passion for watching newborn foals was low-key adorable.

As K-pop continues to grow as a global phenomenon and reign over charts around the world, Apple TV+ is riding the hallyu wave with the release of KPOPPED. The new reality series, out August 29, highlights rising K-pop groups as they craft special performances alongside Western pop stars, reworking their hit songs with K-pop’s experimental flair.

Among the groups is Billlie, a seven-member girl group that is split into two teams to perform alongside vocal legend Patti LaBelle and rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who pulls double-duty as an executive producer on the series. In fact, the Grammy-winning rapper hit it off with Billlie so much so that five months after filming wrapped late last year, she took to TikTok to tell her 16 million followers to give them a listen.

They're sure to get even more exposure on KPOPPED, where they kick the series off with a standout first episode. Since their debut in November 2021, the seven-member girl group composed of Moon Sua, Suhyeon, Haram, Tsuki, Sheon, Siyoon, and Haruna has drawn in fans with their viral powerhouse performances and chameleonic range. The group has been widely lauded for taking on and perfectly embodying new genres of music with every comeback—from EDM to rock to bubblegum pop to jazz—according to their concept, bridging dreams and reality.

“To us, a performance isn’t just about the act itself; it’s about sharing a story and emotions,” Haram tells Marie Claire, in an emailed interview with the group. “I felt that [KPOPPED’s] theme of ‘connection beyond borders and generations’ perfectly matched Billlie’s identity. While preparing the stage, we tried to convey how much we love music and how sincerely we want to connect with people.”

Below, the members of Billlie chat with Marie Claire about rehearsing with Western artists, their dream collaborations, and the Billlie songs that new fans need to check out.

Marie Claire: What was your first response when you heard about the opportunity to be part of KPOPPED?

Moon Sua: I felt both excited and honored. It wasn’t just about having the chance to perform on a new stage—it was the significance of participating as a representative artist on a global platform like Apple TV+. Naturally, thoughts like, ‘What kind of performance can we show?’ and ‘How can we tell Billlie’s story?’ kept running through our minds, and the excitement grew day by day. Above all, having a stage with respected artists, exchanging our music with them, brought us so much joy. Just the idea of showing Billlie’s energy to a wide audience made us happy, and I felt that this project would become another important chapter in our journey.

MC: You’re the only group in KPOPPED who got the chance to work with star/executive producer Megan Thee Stallion. What was that process like?

Sheon: Every moment was so enjoyable. Megan wasn’t just energetic on stage—her honesty and vitality throughout the preparation process inspired us tremendously. Especially as we rehearsed together to perfect the performance, her confidence and free-spirited approach reminded us that enjoying the stage is the greatest strength.

We put a lot of effort into bringing out Megan’s energy while staying true to Billlie’s unique style. I feel this stage wasn’t just a collaboration, but a display of teamwork that drew out the best in both sides.

Siyoon: As a rapper, Megan has always been a huge inspiration to me. Her flow, the power in her lyrics, and the way she owns the stage felt even more special in person. During recording and rehearsal, Megan paid close attention to our ideas and tone, which gave us the confidence to really bring the performance to life. It also strengthened my desire to collaborate with her officially in the future.

MC: Siyoon and Moon Sua, was it nerve-wracking at all to perform your new rap verses for “Savage” for Megan?

Siyoon: Rather than feeling nervous, I felt motivated by the overwhelming confidence and energy I’d seen in Megan’s performances. So I practiced tirelessly, paying attention to every detail, from live performance to English pronunciation, and carefully adjusted the tone and breathing for the rap.

Moon Sua: I felt the same way. Of course, there was a pleasant sense of nervousness, but my desire to make the stage with Megan a success was even stronger. From the very beginning of practice, we focused on aligning every little detail together. I was more focused on enjoying the moment, and performing in sync with the members created a memory I’ll always treasure.

MC: One of the sweetest moments on the show is Tsuki tearing up hearing Patti LaBelle’s voice. What was it like rehearsing and performing with a vocal legend?

Tsuki: I’ve danced countless times to Patti LaBelle’s music since I was very young, so hearing we would perform together was unbelievable. Preparing alongside her and hearing her voice in person was overwhelming in the most wonderful way, and I couldn’t help but cry. Her voice carries not only technical perfection but genuine emotion, and each phrase on stage fills the space with resonance.

Suhyeon: It was truly an honor. Patti LaBelle is widely recognized as a legendary artist, but being close to her voice and performance showed me why. It’s not just skill—it’s how her voice can dominate a stage while warmly embracing the audience. Performing alongside her was a moment we felt really proud of as a team, and that feeling will stay with us for a long time. It was an experience that made me think deeply about the music and performances I want to create as an artist.

MC: Haram mentions in the show that “Lady Marmalade” is a song she's wanted to cover since she was a trainee. What are some other songs that have been on your wishlist to cover?

Haram: We even have videos from when we were trainees practicing “Lady Marmalade,” learning the choreography, and singing along. It was always a song we dreamed of performing on stage. Getting the chance to perform it with the legendary Patti LaBelle made the experience even more meaningful for me and the members.

Sheon: Our wishlist also included songs like [Megan’s] “Mamushi,” but the one that drew me the most was “Savage.”

Suhyeon: I’ve long admired Tori Kelly, so as a trainee I spent a lot of time singing her songs. “Confetti” and [her cover of Stevie Wonder’s] “Don’t You Worry ’Bout A Thing” were songs that accompanied me through my growth and training. Performing songs I once sang only in practice in front of fans, as an artist, would feel truly special.

MC: If you were to have another K-pop/Western pop crossover moment, who would you want to collaborate with?

Haram: I really admire Jorja Smith, and if I had the chance, I would love to work with her. Her music has depth while feeling very contemporary.

Sheon: I’d love to collaborate with my musical role model: Daniel Caesar. His soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics have always inspired me. Listening to songs like “LOVE AGAIN” [featuring Brandy] or “Best Part” [featuring H.E.R.] makes me imagine what it could be like with Billlie.

MC: What songs would you recommend to someone who just discovered Billlie and wants to dig in deeper?

Haram: “RING ma Bell (what a wonderful world).” Its hard rock-driven energy and powerful band sound showcase the force of our performance and our passion for the stage. It’s also one of the stages that helped shape Billlie’s powerful image, so I definitely recommend it.

Haruna: “trampoline” from our fifth mini album. With a nu-jazz foundation and warm melody, it highlights our vocals delicately and lets listeners naturally feel Billlie’s colors. Inspired by childhood memories of bouncing on a trampoline, it conveys freedom and hope. The song has been well-received on jazz charts both domestically and internationally, so I hope new fans give it a listen.

Suhyeon: “remembrance candy,” the title track from the same album. With lyrics written by IU, it’s a truly precious song that reflects on reclaiming lost memories and moving forward. It is important to understanding Billlie’s story and contains emotions everyone can relate to, so I think it resonates well with fans discovering us for the first time.

Tsuki: “GingaMingaYo (the strange world).” This song is especially meaningful to me, as it’s when I started receiving recognition for my expressive facial performance. Beyond the choreography, it expresses the confusion and questions everyone experiences growing up through bold sounds and unique moves. It showcases Billlie’s experimental and daring style, making it a perfect introduction to our diverse musical charms and stage presence.

MC: As you approach the group’s fourth anniversary on November 10, what goals do you have for the future as Billlie?

Moon Sua: Looking back, every moment wasn’t easy, but I know better than anyone that we’ve come this far because of the love and support from our fans. Looking ahead, we want to return that energy on even bigger stages. We hope to meet fans directly through various domestic and international performances and tours, while continuing to share music that carries our own stories and colors, expanding the world of Billlie. Our team has always aimed to push past our own limits through new challenges, and we want to carry that spirit forward—growing into artists who, five or ten years from now, will still be remembered for deep storytelling and powerful performances.

Suhyun: One of my biggest goals for the future is to expand Billlie’s musical boundaries through collaborations with artists from around the world. We’ve always enjoyed taking on new challenges and experimenting, and working with artists from different cultures and musical backgrounds is itself a huge source of inspiration. If we can use these encounters to express Billlie’s story and colors in new ways, we can share our music in fresh ways with even more people. Continuing Billlie’s story alongside diverse global artists is one of our major goals for the future.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Apple TV's girl-squad period drama The Buccaneers returned for its second season in 2025, reuniting die-hard viewers with the American rebels taking over England's old-fashioned social scene. After eight episodes full of coming-of-age drama, heartbreaking scenes, and epic love triangles, the installment ended with several huge secrets coming to light at Nan's (Kristine Frøseth) masquerade ball.

Now, fans are clamoring for news on whether the cult-loved series will return for more historical drama. Below, read on for everything we know about The Buccaneers season 3 so far.

Has 'The Buccaneers' been renewed for season 3?

Let's go, girls! Just two months after The Buccaneers season 2 finale, Apple TV announced via a press release that the show had been renewed for a third season. Along with the news, the streamer shared an adorable photo of the cast, all looking glam in their best Gilded Age fits, smiling and holding up number threes.

On social media, Apple TV also shared a teaser to get fans hyped. The steamy clip features Theo (Guy Remmer) and Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag) looking romantically into each other's eyes before smooching and running away together, holding hands. "Tintagel is abuzz. The Buccs will be back," the caption reads.

Series creator Katherine Jakeaways celebrated the return of the show based on Edith Wharton's final novel with a statement. "We couldn't be more delighted to be lacing up our corsets, slipping on our ball gowns, and running breathless across the cliffs of Tintagel for the third time to see what passionate adventures our beloved Buccaneers get up to next,” Jakeaways said, according to a press release. "Huge thanks to Apple TV and also to the devoted viewers for loving the show as much as we do."

When will 'The Buccaneers' season 3 come out?

It's unclear when The Buccaneers season 3 will premiere. However, based on casting news announced in late February (more on that below!), the show seems to have entered production in February 2026. Throughout the spring, eagle-eyed fans also spotted the cast looking dashing while filming in costume in Glasgow, as well as alleged newcomers (whose castings have yet to be announced) on set as recently as late May.

There haven't been any reports that filming has wrapped, so it seems to be underway still. Once they end production, though, it shouldn't be too much longer until episodes drop on streaming.

We can look at past seasons for examples of when season 3 might premiere. For example, after season 1 concluded in December 2023, season 2 was filmed in the second half of 2024 and premiered in June 2025. So, fingers crossed, new episodes may debut by the end of the year, or, at this point, more likely in early 2027.

Who in the cast will return for 'The Buccaneers' season 3?

Pending any huge changes, most of the ensemble cast is expected to return for season 3, including Kristine Frøseth (Nan St. George), Alisha Boe (Conchita Closson), Josie Totah (Mabel Elmsworth), Aubri Ibrag (Lizzy Elmsworth), Imogen Waterhouse (Jinny St. George), Christina Hendricks (Mrs. St. George), Guy Remmers (Theo, Duke of Tintagel), Matthew Broome (Guy Thwarte), and Barney Fishwick (Lord James Seadown).

One star whose future with the show is in question is Mia Threapleton, as Honoria Marable is off to pursue a teaching career abroad. We'll also have to wait and see if season 2 newbie Leighton Meester returns for more. And then it seems all but certain that Josh Dylan will not return after the tragic death of Lord Richard Marable.

Who are the new cast members in 'The Buccaneers' season 3?

Is The Buccaneers following a trend of casting former stars of teen soaps? It might just be! Of course, last season Leighton Meester came into the fold—and this time around, Vampire Diaries alum Paul Wesley joins the ensemble.

Deadline reported the news in late February 2027, teasing his character details. According to the outlet, the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds actor will play "Frank, who is a mysterious but charming stranger who arrives into Nan and Mrs. St. George’s world, turning it upside down."

Apple TV also teased the news by sharing a video of Wesley in costume and on set on Instagram. In the clip, the star—dressed in a period-accurate coat and with a suave beard—walks through town, and cheekily picks up and tosses fruit from a fruit stand, before pointing to a poster about his casting. "Formally inviting him in. Welcome Paul Wesley to The Buccaneers season 3," the streamer wrote in the caption.

He's certainly an exciting new addition, and in the coming weeks, we'll have to see if there are any other newcomers this season.

What will 'The Buccaneers' season 3 be about?

Apple TV has unveiled an official logline for season 3: "Our Buccaneers are fighting back. And they’re doing it together. When they arrived in England they were all navigating their first loves. Now, they’re looking for the loves of their lives, and with a new and enigmatic Duke at the helm, Tintagel is also facing an uncertain future. If polite English society thought our American girls rocked the boat, this new bad-boy Duke is about to sink the ship."

It remains to be seen who that bad-boy Duke is. Could it be Wesley's new character? Or, perhaps more likely, Theo's half-brother Kit, who's now to be the Duke of Tintagel?

As fans may recall, the events of The Duchess' Masquerade set up a very dramatic fight for Tintagel to come in season 3. After Theo decides to abdicate and divorce Nan, Blanche (Amelia Bullmore) reveals that his father had a secret son, Kit. He's said to be horrible, so it's likely that he'll become a major player in the next installment.

As for the Nan-Theo-Lizzy love triangle, Nan's pregnancy—of which Theo is still clueless—will continue to provide plenty of drama for the series, as he must choose between his all-consuming love for Lizzy and protecting his child.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kristine Frøseth admitted that she has no idea where her character is running off to in the finale's last scene. "I am just as curious as you are," she told the outlet. "I'm hoping she just keeps running. She meets a group of women, and they all raise the baby together somewhere, and she leaves all the drama behind."

With season 3 on the way, we'll hopefully get to find out more about Nan's next adventure soon! In the meantime, you can turn your attention to the Wharton classic on which the show is based, which is available on Bookshop.

The Buccaneers, AppleTV+’s foray into costume dramas based on an unfinished novel by Edith Wharton, bridges the gap between England and America with an ensemble cast led by Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Aubri Ibrag, Josie Totah, and Imogen Waterhouse. In the first season, the American girls arrived bright-eyed in England with hopes of marrying a rich nobleman. But when the series returns for a second season, Nan’s (Froseth) decision to rescue Jinny (Waterhouse) from her abusive marriage in the season 1 finale will reverberate across both of their personal lives.

The sophomore season is adding a host of new faces into the mix, including Leighton Meester and Jacob Ifan in roles that will directly impact our core quintet. Ahead is a refresher on the returning cast and characters of The Buccaneers, as well as a primer on those joining the fold.

Kristine Froseth as Annabel "Nan" St. George

Nan is the protagonist of The Buccaneers, a headstrong American woman who arrives in England without any expectations of matrimoney and winds up marrying Theo, Duke of Tintagel. In season 1, Nan found herself in a love triangle between Theo and Guy, and her feelings for Guy are top of mind in the second season.

Kristine Froseth, 29, broke out in 2019 on the Netflix series The Society and the Hulu adaptation of John Green’s beloved YA novel Looking for Alaska. She also appeared in the Showtime limited series The First Lady as a young Betty Ford. In film, Froseth has starred in the Netflix movies Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and Apostle, Lena Dunham’s 2022 sex comedy Sharp Stick, and the acclaimed 2022 drama How to Blow Up a Pipeline. In December 2024, she announced her participation in a forthcoming pickleball mockumentary alongside Adrianne Palicki and Harvey Guillén, and she’ll soon star opposite Sophie Thatcher and Havana Rose Liu in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell.

Alisha Boe as Conchita Closson

Conchita’s wedding to Lord Richard Marable is what initially brings the Buccaneer crew to England. In season 2, Conchita helps her parents and in-laws navigate their financial downturn by starting a business offering coaching to American women lookingg for English husbands.

Alisha Boe, 28, is best known for appearing on the Netflix young adult drama series 13 Reasons Why. She has also appeared in the long-running soap Days of Our Lives, Modern Family, Ray Donovan, Casual, and the films Paranormal Activity 4, Do Revenge, and When You Finish Saving the World.

Aubri Ibrag as Lizzy Elmsworth

Lizzy is part of the show’s core ensemble and was on the receiving end of Lord James Seadown’s manipulation and advances in the first season. She has a new suitor in the second season, an aspiring politician, Hector Robinson.

Aubri Ibrag, 23, is a Dagestani-Australian actress whose only prior credit is the Australian teen drama Dive Club. Ibrag initially gained a following on YouTube where she posted beauty content, though she deleted her videos in September 2021. She has yet to announce any other upcoming acting projects

Josie Totah as Mabel Elmsworth

Mabel is Lizzy’s younger sister. While her friends and sister are exploring relationships with men, Mabel realizes that she has feelings for a girl named Honoria. In season 2, the Marable family is in close quarters with Mabel, allowing their relationship to potentially blossom under the same roof…or be hindered by Honoria’s mother.

Josie Totah, 23, began her career on the Disney Channel with a recurring role on the show Jessie. Following her breakout, she appeared on the ABC comedy Back in the Game, the Mindy Kaling NBC series Champions, the Saved by the Bell revival, as well as the 2016 film Other People.

Imogen Waterhouse as Virginia "Jinny" St. George

Jinny, Nan’s sister, is married to Lord James Seadown…for now. After discovering he was abusive, Nan helped smuggle a pregnant Jinny out of the city and away from him with the help of Guy. In season 2, they’re posing as husband and wife in a faraway town, but it seems like only a matter of time until she has to face the consequences and the wrath of her husband.

Imogen Waterhouse, 31, is best known for her role on The Outpost, a CW series in which she also made her directorial debut. She appeared in Tom Ford’s thriller film Nocturnal Animals, the British drama film The Last Photograph, and the horror film Braid. She is the younger sister of actress Suki Waterhouse.

Matthew Broome as Guy Thwarte

Guy is Theo’s best friend who inadvertently falls in love with Nan, the woman that Theo was courting in season 1. Nan and Guy consummate their love the night before her wedding, but the discovery of James’s abuse towards Jinny causes Nan to enlist Guy’s help in securing Jinny’s safety. In season 2, Guy is still pining for Nan but is forced to safeguard Jinny and her newborn son.

Matthew Broome, 24, began his career on the stage in London, appearing in productions of Scandaltown, The Comedy of Errors, and Twelfth Night. The Buccaneers is his first television role, and his first film appearance was in the Prime Video film My Fault: London, which hit streaming in February 2025.

Guy Remmers as Theo, Duke of Tintagel

The Duke of Tintagel falls in love with Nan and marries her at the end of season 1, despite knowing she had deep feelings for his best friend, Guy.

Before The Buccaneers, Guy Remmers, 30, primarily worked on the stage in British theaters, like Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre in London. The Buccaneers is his first television role, and where he met Froseth, whom Remmers has been dating since 2022.

Josh Dylan as Lord Richard Marable

Richard Marable is married to Conchita, and their wedding is the inciting incident that brings Nan, Jinny, Lizzy, and Mabel to England in the first place. Richard’s siblings are Lord James Seadown and Honoria, though he has an opposite temperament to his brother.

Josh Dylan, 31, is best known for his film roles in Allied and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Before The Buccaneers, Dylan appeared in the British comedy series The End of the F***ing World. He’s also an accomplished stage actor, having won the 2017 Off West End Award for Best Supporting Actor in the production of Sheppey.

Barney Fishwick as Lord James Seadown

The out-and-out antagonist of the series, Lord James Seadown, is Richard and Honoria’s brother. He has an evil streak, pursuing and then humiliating Lizzy in private and later abusing his wife, Jinny. He’s hellbent on finding Jinny and their baby in the second season and will go to extreme lengths to take back what he thinks is his.

Barney Fishwick might look familiar to fans of House of the Dragon, where he played Ser Martyn Reyne. His other television appearances include Showtrial, Black Death, and Call the Midwife.

Mia Threapleton as Honoria Marable

Honoria is Richard and James’s meek younger sister who has a clandestine lesbian relationship with Mabel. She and her mother move into Richard and Conchita’s home, where Mabel is also living in the second season, providing new opportunities for their relationship to grow under the same roof.

You can catch Mia Threapleton, 24, as one of the leads in the latest Wes Anderson film, The Phoenician Scheme, opposite Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera. The daughter of Kate Winslet and filmmaker Jim Threapleton, she co-starred with her mother in the anthology series I Am… and can also be seen in the 2022 period drama Dangerous Liaisons.

Jacob Ifan as Hector Robinson

Hector is a new character introduced in season 2. He’s a member of parliament and courting Lizzy.

Jacob Ifan, 32, starred in the bilingual British/Welsh crime drama Bang and was a series regular on Rogue Heroes. His other credits include the BBC series Cuffs, A Discovery of Witches, and The Pact.

Christina Hendricks as Patricia "Patti" St. George

Patti is Nan and Jinny’s mother, who is unhappy in her marriage to Colonel Tracy St. George. She is harboring the secret that she is not Nan’s biological mother.

Christina Hendricks, 50, is best known for her role as Joan Harris on the lauded AMC series Mad Men, for which she was nominated for six Emmy Awards. Since her breakout, she has starred on TV shows like Good Girls, Hap and Leonard, and Another Period. Her film credits include Bad Santa 2, Drive, and The Neon Demon.

Leighton Meester as Nelle

Meester joins the season 2 cast as Nelle, Patti’s younger sister and Nan’s true biological mother. She had an affair with Patti’s husband, Tracy, when she was a teenager, which caused a rift between the sisters.

Leighton Meester, 39, broke onto the scene as one of the most iconic teen drama characters, Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl. Following that, she has appeared in films such as Country Strong and The Roommate, as well as the sitcom Single Parents. Meester also entertained a music career, lending her vocals to the Cobra Starship hit “Good Girls Go Bad.” Her debut album Heartstrings was released in 2014.

Adam James as Colonel Tracy St. George

Colonel St. George is Patti’s husband and the father of Nan and Jinny. After Nan’s marriage, Patti vowed to divorce him—something she doubles down on after reconnecting with her sister.

Adam James, 52, starred in Band of Brothers, Doctor Who, and, most recently, the Peacock thriller The Day of the Jackal. James had a small role as Galinda’s father in the film adaptation of Wicked and will appear in the sequel Wicked: For Good, due later this year.

Amelia Bullmore as the Dowager Duchess of Tintagel

The Dowager Duchess of Tintagel is Theo’s mother, a stern but fair woman. She helps Nan get Jinny away from Lord Seadown, but reminds her that it comes at a price: In this case, she must stay married to Theo and forget about her true love, Guy.

Amelia Bullmore, 61, is best known for her appearances on British shows like Coronation Street, I’m Alan Partridge, Ashes to Ashes, Twenty Twelve, and Scott & Bailey. She is also a screenwriter and playwright, working on shows like Scott & Bailey, Traces, and Attachments.

Fenella Woolgar as Lady Brightlingsea

Lady Brightlingsea is the mother of Richard, James, and Honoria. She is a terse and rude woman, especially towards her daughters-in-law, Conchita and Jinny. She moves in with Conchita and Richard in season 2 after the death of her husband.

Fenella Woolgar, 55, had her breakout in 2003 in the film Bright Young Things, for which she was nominated for numerous awards. Following that, she starred in movies such as Swallows and Amazons and Victoria and Abdul, and TV shows like Doctor Who, Inside Number 9, and Call the Midwife.

Anthony Calf as Lord Brightlingsea

Lord Brightlingsea is Richard, James, and Honoria’s father. He didn’t manage his finances well, and after his death early in season 2, his wife and daughter are forced to move in with his son.

Anthony Calf, 66, is best known for his roles in films like The Madness of King George, I Came By, and The Man Who Knew Infinity. He also appeared in the series Beau Geste, New Tricks, Poldark, and one episode of The Crown.

Maria Almeida as Cora Merrigan

Cora is another new character in season 2 and the wealthy American heir to the Merrigan’s department store who comes to England in search of a husband. Obsessed with Conchita and Richard’s fairytale love story, she and her mother agree to Conchita’s tutelage to help her land a noble English husband of her own.

Maria Almeida, 21, starred in the 2023 thriller The Strays and the tennis TV series Fifteen Love. She also had small roles in the acclaimed series Gangs of London and Tell Me Everything before joining the cast of The Buccaneers.

Grace Ambrose as Paloma Ballardino

Paloma is the final new addition in season 2. She is an adventurous young woman who met Guy and Jinny on their travels abroad and joined them on their journey home.

Grace Ambrose, 28, who plays the free-spirited character, hails from Rome. She has exclusively appeared in Italian productions, making The Buccaneers her debut role on American television. In the past, she appeared in shows like the long-running soap opera Il paradiso delle signore and films like 2023's Amen.

2025 is the year that medical shows flew to the top of every TV fanatic's watchlist. The medical drama has been a staple genre since the early days, with legendary classic TV shows bringing in hundreds of millions of viewers with their well-worn yet effective tropes. In recent years, several new series have revived the genre as a pop culture phenomenon with their refreshing takes on the everyday highs and lows (including global staffing and funding issues) that health care workers live through today.

Whether you're a longtime fan looking for your next re-watch or a Pitt-pilled newbie to the genre, we've compiled the best medical dramas, comedies, and miniseries, from the feel-good comfort watches to the emotional rollercoasters. Below, read on for our curated list of the best medical shows ever.

'Berlin ER' (2025– )

International TV offers a wealth of shows for viewers willing to overcome the one-inch barrier of subtitles, and the U.S. isn't the only country making great medical shows. Premiered during the medical-drama boom of early 2025, this German-language series has been likened to The Pitt for its no-holds-barred look at the pressures facing an under-resourced staff in an overcrowded hospital. (It may even be more anxiety-inducing than its peer, so fair warning.) When Dr. Suzanna Parker (Dear Child's Haley Louise Jones) is hired as the head of emergency medicine at KRANK, the "worst hospital in Berlin," she quickly learns just how massive a challenge she's facing.

WATCH ON APPLE TV+

'Call the Midwife' (2012– )

This long-running British period drama follows the women of Nonnatus House, a convent in a poor East London neighborhood where nurse midwives provide health care to the community. Starting in 1957, each season features diseases and issues ranging from tuberculosis, polio, and typhoid, to abortion, interracial marriage, and the invention of the contraceptive pill. While it doesn't shy away from the heavy realities of childbirth, the young midwives's friendships and love lives help Call the Midwife retain a comfort-show feel.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'ER' (1994–2009)

Of the early shows that led to the medical drama becoming a TV staple—from City Hospital to M*A*S*H to St. Elsewhere—ER stands apart. In addition to launching the careers of stars like George Clooney and Noah Wyle, ER raised the bar for dramatic storytelling and pacing, blowing the minds of the 1994 TV audience when they were introduced to the emergency room doctors at Chicago’s County General. Sure, the social issues they faced are now a bit dated, but if you're a medical-show fan who hasn't watched, the 300+ episodes will likely still blow you away.

WATCH ON HBO MAX

'Grey's Anatomy' (2005– )

Oh, where would TV be without Grey's? For 20 years, Shonda Rhimes's landmark series set at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital has become a Thursday night staple, dominated "best TV couples" rankings, and inspired a generation of fans to enter the medical profession themselves. From the original cohort with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina (Sandra Oh), and McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey), to recent favorites like Carina (Stefania Spampinato) and Taryn (Jaicy Elliot), there's a new favorite TV doctor for everyone among the show's 21 (and counting) seasons.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Hart of Dixie' (2011–2015)

Hear us out: It wouldn't be right not to include the city-doctor-moves-to-small-town subgenre on this list, and Hart of Dixie is the type of soapy-yet-lighthearted comfort show that deserves a slot. (It narrowly edged out Virgin River.) N.Y.C. doctor Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) learns that her late biological father was a general practitioner in the rural town of Bluebell, Alabama. When she moves there to take over the practice, she must adjust to both her new home and her dad's former business partner, Brick Breeland (Tim Matheson). Of course, there's also a dash of rom-com in the love triangle between Zoe and locals Wade (Wilson Bethel) and George (Scott Porter).

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Hospital Playlist' (2020–2021)

One of the most beloved K-dramas of the past five years, this series centers on the doctors, patients, and staff at the fictional Yulje Medical Center, a Seoul university hospital. Five doctors who met during medical school are now best friends working across different departments, and come together at night to rehearse for their band. If you fall in love with the charming cast, don't worry—the spinoff Resident Playbook is full of cameos, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that a Hospital Playlist season 3 is on the horizon.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'House' (2004–2012)

Most of the shows mentioned so far in this list have been heartwarming at their core; Dr. Gregory House would probably hate them. This is a pure procedural, with the titular doctor (played by Hugh Laurie) and his colleague James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) spending each episode diagnosing mind-bending afflictions (which are never lupus). The antisocial curmudgeon Dr. House is a legendary TV character, and watching the show get to the truth of him throughout the show's early seasons is a fascinating watch.

WATCH ON HULU

'Lenox Hill' (2020)

While scripted medical shows are filled with fictional versions of the everyday heroes in the healthcare industry, this Netflix docuseries spotlights four real-life doctors. Filmed in the titular N.Y.C. hospital over several months, the series was lauded for covering a wide scope of personal issues affecting medical professionals, from the immense emotional toll and stakes of their work, to the dearth of physicians of color, to the experience of delivering babies while carrying their own. Lenox Hill even ends with a special episode covering the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'M*A*S*H' (1972–1983)

M*A*S*H is one of the most well-known classic TV shows; 105.97 million people watched the series finale, which is the most-watched scripted TV episode in history. Based on the 1970 film of the same name, the Korean War dramedy centers on the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital staff, as they treat their fellow soldiers and struggle against the strict military bureaucracy. Though it shows its age at times, M*A*S*H is an essential watch for TV historians.

WATCH ON HULU

'New Amsterdam' (2018–2023)

If you didn't catch New Amsterdam during its Netflix boost in 2023, it's never too late to watch one of the most popular medical shows in recent years. Set at the New Amsterdam Medical Center and based on N.Y.C.'s oldest hospital, Bellevue, the warm-hearted series follows idealistic medical director Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) as he sets out to transform the hospital into one that puts patients before bureaucracy. (A common theme, if you haven't noticed, but Eggold sells it particularly well.)

WATCH ON PEACOCK

'Nurse Jackie' (2009–2015)

Several medical dramas have depicted health providers struggling with addiction, but these tend to be supporting characters. On this Showtime hit, Edie Falco plays Jackie Peyton, who does excellent work in an N.Y.C. emergency department, while also going in and out of rehab for her pill addiction. Falco and Merritt Wever both won Emmys for their performances as mentor Jackie and mentee Zoey, whose complicated relationship was a highlight of the series.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'The Pitt'

If you've made it to May 2025 without watching The Pitt, you're doing yourself a disservice. The series from star, writer, and executive producer Noah Wyle is another fast-paced series set in a beleaguered emergency department, but it grabs your attention by skewing away from all the well-worn tropes of contemporary medical dramas (much like another series did in its heyday). The illnesses, injuries, and treatments are mundane and hyper-realistic; the social issues the staff addresses are nationwide concerns; and every character is fleshed out and feels like a real person from the moment they step into the room (shoutout to the night staff). There's a reason every TV fanatic you know literally cannot wait for The Pitt season 2.

WATCH ON MAX

'Scrubs' (2001–2010)

This medical comedy from Shrinking creator Bill Lawrence is one of the most beloved comedies in TV history; think Grey's Anatomy, but tone down the soapy drama and turn up the goofball humor. (Fans miss it so much that a reboot is on the horizon.) Set at Sacred Heart Hospital, the workplace sitcom is powered by its charming ensemble, from medical intern J.D. (Zach Braff) and surgeon Turk's (Donald Faison) iconic friendship to chief resident Cox (John C. McGinley) and nurse Carla (Judy Reyes).

WATCH ON HULU

'St. Denis Medical' (2024– )

Fans of mockumentary comedies like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Abbott Elementary have a new series to add to their watchlists. This feel-good series follows the eclectic staff of an underfunded Oregon emergency department as they try to stay sane while doing their jobs. This show handles the woes of the healthcare system with a good mix of absurd, silly, and downright dark humor, featuring great characters, from clear-headed head nurse Alex (Allison Tolman) to know-it-all Dr. Ron (David Alan Grier) to ambitious administrator Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey).

WATCH ON PEACOCK

'This Is Going to Hurt' (2022)

This underrated gem gives an up-close look at the provider side of the U.K.'s National Health Service, based on creator Adam Kay's searing memoir about his time as a junior doctor. The seven-episode miniseries is set in an understaffed and underfunded OB-GYN unit in London, where the fictional doctor Adam Kay (Ben Whishaw) trains new hire Shruti (One Day's Ambika Mod) through exhausting shifts. The BAFTA-winning series doesn't pull any punches in showing how the strenuous work affects both Adam's mental health and his relationships outside of the hospital; by the end, viewers are left reckoning with a vocation that helps so many yet demands so much.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call' (2025– )

If you've ever wanted your medical show to have the same feel as an action movie, watch this K-drama. The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call centers on Baek Kang-hyuk (Ju Ji-hoon), a genius surgeon and former combat medic hired to revamp a Seoul hospital's trauma center. When he's not jumping out of a helicopter or saving a patient's life, he's butting heads with hospital administration and mentoring his new fellow Yang Jae-won (Choo Young-woo) through a trial by fire. Like many genre-bending K-dramas, Trauma Code skillfully balances thrilling scenes, laugh-out-loud comedy, and doses of emotional drama; fingers crossed it gets a second season.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

One of the most highly-anticipated TV shows of 2025 is finally here, and everyone will be talking about it. On March 26, Apple TV+ premiered The Studio, a Hollywood satire that combines laugh-out-loud comedy inspired by real-life studio execs with some truly gorgeous cinematography. Co-created by Seth Rogen and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg, Rogen leads The Studio as Matt Remick, the newly appointed head of a major Hollywood studio who has to balance his love of film with industry politics and corporate demands. As Remick says in the trailer, it becomes less and less clear whether his dream job is to make great movies or to "ruin them."

In addition to its mind-boggling parade of A-list cameos, The Studio is led by a hilarious cast playing Hollywood execs struggling to navigate the changing industry. Below, read on to learn more about the main cast of The Studio.

Seth Rogen as Matt Remick

In the premiere of The Studio, Matt Remick is named head of Continental Studios—a dream come true that quickly becomes a nightmare. Matt absolutely loves movies, and he wants to make auteur-driven, Oscar-winning films. However, the studio's bottom line and his need to be respected keep getting in the way.

Seth Rogen, 42, is a Canadian actor, writer, and filmmaker best known for his popular comedy films, including Superbad, Pineapple Express, This Is The End, and The Interview. He has also played dramatic roles in movies, including 50/50, Steve Jobs, Pam & Tommy, and The Fabelmans. He has been married to actress Lauren Miller since 2011, and he founded the cannabis lifestyle brand Houseplant in 2019.

Catherine O'Hara as Patty Leigh

Patty Leigh is Matt's mentor and the former head of Continental. She was unceremoniously fired after several of her pictures bombed. Over the course of the show, she pivots to producing and gives her mentee some sage advice from time to time.

Catherine O'Hara, 71, is best known for her comedic work in '80s and '90s movies like Beetlejuice, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Penelope, as well as several Christopher Guest mockumentary films. In 2020, she won an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy for her role as Moira Rose in the beloved comfort show Schitt's Creek. She's also set to appear in season 2 of The Last of Us.

Ike Barinholtz as Sal Saperstein

Matt's right-hand man Sal Saperstein is another Continental exec. He's more amenable to making lowbrow blockbusters than his new boss. Still, he struggles to relate to the younger generations—both at work and at home.

Actor and writer Ike Barinholtz, 48, rose to fame as Morgan Tookers on Mindy Kaling's sitcom The Mindy Project. He has also appeared in movies, including Neighbors (alongside co-star Rogen), Sisters, Suicide Squad, Blockers, and Late Night. Earlier this year, he co-created and executive produced Netflix's basketball comedy Running Point. He was also the winner of Celebrity Jeopardy!'s first season.

Kathryn Hahn as Maya Mason

Maya, the head of marketing at Continental, is a crass, streetwear-loving, blaccent-using media whiz. She seems absurd but can often be the voice of reason when Matt's highbrow aspirations and yes-man tendencies get in the way of making money.

Kathryn Hahn, 51, is a comedic actress who rose to fame with scene-stealing roles across TV and film, including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Step Brothers, Parks and Recreation, Transparent, Bad Moms, I Love Dick, Mrs. Fletcher, WandaVision, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Last year, she starred as Agatha Harkness in the Marvel series Agatha All Along.

Chase Sui Wonders as Quinn Hackett

Quinn Hackett, Matt's former assistant, is promoted to marketing exec once her boss becomes studio head. The Gen Z protégé wants to bring more cool indie filmmakers to Continental...if she can work around her older colleagues/competitors.

Chase Sui Wonders, 28, is an actress, filmmaker, and Harvard grad who is also the niece of fashion designer Anna Sui. After beginning her career in indie films, she has starred in projects, including the Max teen drama Genera+ion; the horror film Bodies, Bodies, Bodies; and the Apple TV+ drama City on Fire. She's next set to star in the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot.

Bryan Cranston as Griffin Mill

Bryan Cranston, 69, plays Griffin Mill, the terrifying CEO of Continental Studios. The acclaimed actor is best known for his incredible performance as chemistry teacher-turned-meth kingpin Walter White on AMC's Breaking Bad (as well as his early comedic role as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle). The six-time Emmy and two-time Tony winner also recently starred in the Wes Anderson movie Asteroid City and the Showtime crime drama Your Honor.

Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Petra

Keyla Monterroso Mejia, 27, plays Matt's new assistant, Petra. The Southern California native became a breakout comedy star with her 2021 role as bad actor Maria Sofia Estrada on Curb Your Enthusiasm, as well as her starring turn in the short-lived On My Block spinoff Freeridge. Monterroso Mejia's other scene-stealing appearances include season 2 of Abbott Elementary, the 2025 comedy films One of Them Days and You're Cordially Invited, and the Netflix basketball comedy Running Point (created by her co-star Barinholtz).

Dewayne Perkins as Tyler

Tyler, another member of Matt's executive team, is played by actor, writer, and comedian Dewayne Perkins, 34. The Chicago native got his start in improv and stand-up comedy before he became a writer for shows, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Amber Ruffin Show. As an actor, he has appeared in the Saved By the Bell reboot, Netflix's The Upshaws, the 2025 comedy One of Them Days, and the 2022 horror film The Blackening, which he also developed and co-wrote.

In episode 7 of Severance season 2, there is a split-second shot showing a round, white vanity in Gemma’s (Dichen Lachman) suite on the Testing Floor. Was that what I thought it was? I lunged for the remote and rewound. My suspicion was confirmed: It was the Luigi Massoni Dilly Dally, a coveted modular vanity from the ‘60s that looks like something Polly Pocket would own. (I know this because I had once inquired about purchasing one from a vintage furniture dealer on Instagram. Alas, it was a whopping $7,000... but a girl can dream.)

As the corporate dystopia drama rounds out its second season, eagle-eyed fans have taken to spotting pieces of vintage furniture featured in the show, flexing their design knowledge on TikTok and Reddit. "The Instagram brain rot girlies all screamed when we saw the DILLY DALLY," reads a comment on such a video. The Luigi Massoni vanity in particular has long been a niche obsession among the chronically online Pinterest crowd, its allure evident in the countless dupes found on Amazon and AliExpress.

For Jeremy Hindle, the Apple TV+ show’s production designer, furniture played a central role in shaping the world and mythology of the fictional workplace. “Lumon is a massive pharmaceutical company with deep pockets,” Hindle shares with Marie Claire. “They are rich in history and design. They love the best and want the best.”

From the outset, the production team wanted to find “particular, generally unknown” pieces. Led by set decorator David Schlesinger, they reached out to Margaret Schwartz of New York-based Modern Antiquarian to purchase one of her Italian-sourced Dilly Dally vanities. “It’s not unusual for set design teams to purchase or rent items from my business,” Schwartz says via email. She describes the experience of being featured in the episode, titled “Chikhai Bardo,” as “particularly rewarding” because the Dilly Dally vanity is such an “iconic design.” Its cameo in Severance has only increased demand—this blue one sold on 1st Dibs just three days after the episode aired.

At the top of Hindle’s wishlist, though, were two ‘60s Braun pieces designed by Dieter Rams: a TV and a stereo unit.

“I wanted it so bad,” Hindle says, referring to the TV. “We had it loaned to us from the [Braun] museum in Berlin. We had a props person jump on a plane to collect it.” The TV found its place in the “Christmas” room that Gemma visits, where she is forced to write thank you notes in Betty Draper cosplay attire. Like the TV, Gemma’s suffering is a form of entertainment for the sick and twisted Dr. Mauer.

The wall-mounted Braun stereo unit in Gemma’s suite is another furniture grail. It plays music in the background, winding up the scene's tension until Gemma can smack her captor with a chair and make a run for it.

Design nerds immediately clocked the piece, known for its rarity and museum-level quality (the MoMa in New York has one in their permanent collection). The stereo unit used in the show was sourced from Garrett Guanella, founder of LA-based Basa Vintage.

Guanella explains the appeal of the unit to Marie Claire: “Its rarity comes down to the fact that the full unit was never sold to the general public, only the individual parts [...] the unit was a custom piece in Rams' own office.” Over the course of his career, Guanella has only assembled and sold around five full stereo units, each selling for around $30,000 to $35,000.

Sourcing the stereo unit was one thing, but getting it assembled and functional was another. Guanella guided the set design team—who purchased one of Guanella’s stereo units in 2023— through the installation, mounting, and hertz modification over FaceTime calls.

Since season 2 has aired, Guanella has observed a spike of interest in Basa Vintage and the audio pieces they specialize in. “In the bubble that I’m in, everyone knows about it. But the show has definitely given Dieter Rams and these stereo units a lot more exposure,” he says.

In total, the production team sourced hundreds of pieces for the show—a massive logistical feat. “We are shipping pieces from all over the world. The Scarpa hanging wooden lamps in the Damona birthing retreat cabin came from Italy,” Hindle adds. Most pieces are purchased outright, but some are long-term rentals or loans from museums.

Hindle’s goal is to “create a world that’s familiar, yet not anywhere you have seen or been.” Surrounding the innies with rare collectibles that they can’t recognize while viewers can ultimately adds to the layered uncanny landscape of Severance and the corporate cruelty at play.

Sure, Lumon may be evil, but they have impeccable taste in furniture.

Apple TV+'s dark comedy series Bad Sisters has returned for a second season, continuing the Garvey sisters' story after season 1's familial murder mystery. Co-created by and starring Sharon Horgan, the series follows five adult sisters in the lead-up to and aftermath of their abusive brother-in-law's death, as Eva (Horgan), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eve Hewson) try to protect their sister Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) and cover their tracks, since there's ample proof that they wanted to send Grace's husband six feet underground.

In season 2, the Garvey sisters' secrets are once again under threat of coming out, as the police investigate a new mysterious death connected to the ill-fated family. In addition to the returning cast of Irish actors, several new faces joining the series include alumni of beloved shows and franchises like Harry Potter, Killing Eve, and Game of Thrones. Read on to meet the talented cast of Bad Sisters. (If you need a quick refresher before watching Bad Sisters season 2, we've got you covered.)

Sharon Horgan as Eva Garvey

Eva is the eldest of the Garvey sisters, who took on a matriarchal role after their parents died unexpectedly when the were young. She was previously in a long-term relationship, but it ended after she discovered she couldn't have children.

Sharon Horgan, 54, does quadruple-duty on Bad Sisters, as the show's co-creator, co-writer, co-executive producer, and star. The Irish star is best known for creating and starring in several comedy series, including BBC Three's Pulling, Prime Video's Catastrophe, as well as creating shows like HBO's Divorce, BBC's Motherland, and Starz's Shining Vale. Next up, she's set to play Amanda Knox's mother in Hulu's upcoming miniseries about the true-crime story.

Anne-Marie Duff as Grace Garvey

Grace is a loving wife and mother to her husband JP and their teenage daughter Blánaid (played by Saise Quinn). Unfortunately, JP is the absolute worst, but she still struggles with her grief after her husband's death.

Anne-Marie Duff, 54, is a prolific English actress who rose to fame in the late '90s with her breakout role as Fiona Gallagher in Shameless (the British predecessor to the U.S. adaptation). She's best known for starring in British TV series including BBC's The Virgin Queen, HBO's His Dark Materials, and Netflix's Sex Education. She also won a British Academy Television Award (the U.K. equivalent of the Emmys) for Bad Sisters' first season.

Eva Birthistle as Ursula Garvey

Ursula, the middle Garvey sister, is a nurse who shares three children with her husband. Before his death, JP tormented Ursula after discovering that she had cheated on her spouse.

Eva Birthistle, 50, is an award-winning actress best known for starring in projects in her native Ireland, including 2003's Ae Fond Kiss..., BBC One's Trust, 2007's Nightwatching, 2015's Brooklyn, and 2018's The Delinquent Season. She has also appeared in supporting roles in the Netflix shows The Last Kingdom, Fate: The Winx Saga, and Behind Her Eyes.

Sarah Greene as Bibi Garvey

Bibi, the second-youngest Garvey sister, was the first to suggest getting rid of JP in season 1. She was previously a crossbow champion, but she now wears an eyepatch after she was injured in an accident involving JP. She also has a wife and one child, and they're looking for an egg donor to have another in season 2.

Sarah Greene, 40, is an Irish stage and screen actress who received Tony Award and Laurence Olivier Award nominations for portraying Helen McCormick in the Martin McDonagh play The Cripple of Inishmaan, in which she co-starred alongside Daniel Radcliffe in 2014. She's also known for her roles in the TV shows Penny Dreadful, Ransom, Dublin Murders, Normal People, and Sexy Beast.

Eve Hewson as Becka Garvey

Becka, the youngest Garvey sister, is a free spirit and slightly chaotic, but fiercely loyal to her family. Before his death, JP rescinded his offer to help fund her massage business, leaving Becka unable to afford the studio.

Eve Hewson, 33, is a rising star and the daughter of Paul Hewson, better known as U2 frontman Bono. Since her acting debut in 2008, the Irish actress has appeared in projects including 2015's Bridge of Spies, Cinemax's The Knick, and Netflix's Behind Her Eyes. Earlier this year, she starred alongside Nicole Kidman and Meghann Fahy in the Netflix series The Perfect Couple.

Claes Bang as John Paul "JP" Williams

Grace's husband JP, or "The Prick" as his sisters-in-law call him, is one of the most hate-able characters ever put on television. He emotionally abuses and terrorizes his wife, her sisters, and his other acquaintances throughout the season 1 flashbacks before his death, leading viewers to cheer even harder for the sisters to get away with their murder plots.

Claes Bang, 57, is a Danish actor and musician who performs under the moniker This Is Not America. He's best known for starring in acclaimed films—including Ruben Östlund's The Square and Robert Eggers's The Northman—and TV shows like Showtime's The Affair, Netflix's Dracula, and Apple TV+'s The New Look. Next up, he's set to star alongside Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista in the comedy The Wrecking Crew.

Michael Smiley as Roger Muldoon

Roger is Grace's kind, churchgoing neighbor and confidant. Like everyone else in JP's life, Roger finds himself reeling from JP's abuse (and holding some big secrets) following his death. His life gets more complicated when he moves in with his sister, Fiona, in season 2.

Actor and comedian Michael Smiley, 61, grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has appeared in shows and films including BBC's Luther, 2011's Kill List, the "White Bear" episode of Black Mirror, 2015's The Lobster, and 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He has also collaborated with his former flatmates Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, appearing in 2004's Shaun of the Dead and 2013's The World's End.

Fiona Shaw as Angelica Collins

Roger's sister Angelica is introduced with the moniker "The Wagon," an Irish slang term for an obnoxious and annoying woman. It may not be an inaccurate term, as Angelica quickly begins nosing her way into the Garvey sisters' many secrets once she appears in season 2.

Fiona Shaw, 66, is an award-winning Irish stage and screen actress, best known for playing Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films. Stateside, she's also known for starring in shows including True Blood season 4, Killing Eve, Fleabag, Andor, and True Detective season 4. In 2020, The Irish Times listed her at No. 29 on their list of "the 50 greatest Irish film actors of all time."

Daryl McCormack as Matt Claffin

In season 1, Matt Claffin and his older brother Thomas's (played by Brian Gleeson, brother of Domhnall Gleeson) family insurance company is near bankruptcy if they have to pay out JP's life insurance claim. They spend the season trying to find the Garvey sisters guilty of murder, but things get complicated when Matt falls for Becka.

Daryl McCormack, 31, was born and raised in County Tipperary, to an Irish mother and an African-American father. He's best known for starring in season 5 of Peaky Blinders; the 2022 sex comedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; and the 2024 action movie Twisters. Next, he's set to appear in the ensemble cast of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Barry Ward as DI Fergal Loftus

Detective Inspector Fergal Loftus investigates both JP's death in season 1 and the mysterious discovery of a dead body in season 2, which puts him back in the Garvey sisters' orbit. He's played by Barry Ward, 43, an Irish actor who started his career as a child and went on to star in projects including 2014's Jimmy's Hall, Netflix's The End of the F***ing World, 2019's Extra Ordinary, and AMC+'s Anne Boleyn.

Thaddea Graham as Una Houlihan

Newly qualified Detective Constable Una Houlihan, who helps DI Loftus investigate throughout season 2, is played by Thaddea Graham, 27, a Northern Irish actress who was born in Changsha, China. She has starred in several TV shows including Netflix's The Letter for the King, Netflix's The Irregulars, BBC Three's Wreck, and season 4 of Sex Education, in which she played rival sex therapist O. Next up, she's set to appear in Noah Baumbach's upcoming film, as well as the Apple TV+ series Margo's Got Money Troubles.

Peter Claffey as Joe Walsh

Peter Claffey, 28, is a familiar face to Bad Sisters fans; he appeared in a small role as Callum in season 1, before being recast as Joe Walsh (above, far right), Becka's love interest in season 2. The Irish actor and former rugby player will soon become a familiar face for Game of Thrones fans, as he's set to portray Ser Duncan the Tall in the upcoming spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. He previously appeared in the BBC Three comedy series Wreck, and the Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla.

Owen McDonnell as Ian Reilly

Also joining the Garvey family in season 2 is Ian Reilly, who becomes Grace's new husband two years after the events of season 1. He's played by Owen McDonnell, best known for his role as Niko, the husband of Sandra Oh’s Eve Polastri in the hit thriller Killing Eve. The Irish actor's other notable projects include RTÉ's Single-Handed, Sky1's Mount Pleasant, RTÉ's Woman on the Verge (another series co-created by Sharon Horgan), BBC's Great Expectations, and HBO's True Detective season 4.

Don’t we all wish we could have a sisterhood as strong as the Garveys? The titular Bad Sisters from the Apple TV+ dark comedy have an unbreakable bond and will do anything for each other—even plotting to murder their in-laws. So was the plot of season 1 of the Ireland-set series co-created by star Sharon Horgan, about sisters Eva (Horgan), Bibi (Sarah Greene), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), and Becka (Eve Hewson) who try to protect their sister Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) from her mentally and physically abusive husband John Paul (Claes Bang) by attempting to kill him.

Bad Sisters season 1 was told through two timelines—one in the present when John Paul, a.k.a. JP, is dead and the Garveys are the subject of a life insurance investigation and one leading up to his death. It ended by revealing the answer to the mystery of who killed him, which still managed to come as a shock, even after the Garvey girls made multiple (at times convoluted) attempts on his life.

Season 2 of the must-watch series hits streaming on November 13, and there is much to remember before tuning into the new installment, which continues to examine the suspicion that still surrounds the Garveys from many fronts. Below, we’re breaking down what to remember before watching Bad Sisters season 2.

How does JP die in 'Bad Sisters?'

The Garveys wanted to get rid of their brother-in-law for several reasons: He was horrible and controlling to their sister Grace, a threat to their niece Blánaid (Saise Quinn), raped Eva years prior, and generally sadistic and manipulative for his self-interest. Though Eva, Becka, Bibi, and Ursula tried to kill JP by poisoning his meals and setting his cabin on fire, among other methods, he ended up dying rather simply—and Grace did the deed.

In a flashback, it’s revealed that Grace and JP were at his cabin when the two got into a violent argument. Trying to be intimate with her husband, JP has a vicious reaction when he can’t get an erection. Due to his anger and violent nature, he claims he can’t have sex with Grace because he raped her sister Eva a decade ago. He admits that he assaulted and impregnated her, which led her to have a miscarriage and become infertile. Grace can no longer stand his gaslighting and abuse, so they begin physically fighting and after JP hits Grace in the stomach, she defends herself by strangling him with his pair of pajama bottoms. As Eva says later on: “Ding dong the prick is dead.”

How is JP's death covered up in 'Bad Sisters?'

Grace had watched the classic Old Hollywood film Isadora, in which the main character dies after her scarf gets caught in her car—which is how she thought of the cover-up for JP’s death. She gets JP’s corpse dressed, puts him in outerwear and a red scarf, carries the body outside, and props him up on a four-wheeler off-road vehicle. Wrapping the scarf around both his neck and the wheel so it looks like it got caught and strangled him that way, she starts the vehicle so it crashes into a tree, effectively making his death look like an accident.

At the very end of the season 1 finale, it’s revealed that Grace had some help setting up JP's "death." It turns out that Roger (Michael Smiley), Grace’s neighbor, assisted her in carrying the body. Roger was another victim of JP’s abuse, as he told a harmful lie that Roger used his position and involvement in the church to molest children—all because Roger offered to be a companion and look out for Grace when he could tell she needed someone. Though the Garda, or police, couldn’t find any evidence, it hugely damaged his reputation, and JP never apologized, even when Roger found it in his heart to forgive him.

When Grace is getting ready to move at the end of the finale, she stops Roger on the street and thanks him for answering her call and coming to help her. Flashbacks show that he drove to JP’s cabin and helped her move his body.

In the present, insurance claim investigator Matt (Daryl McCormack) also pieces together what happened. He snoops around at JP’s cabin and sees the DVD of Isadora, realizing his death by scarf strangulation was staged. (He and his brother Thomas played by Brian Gleeson had been trying to prove JP’s death wasn’t an accident to stop Thomas from going to prison for the fraud committed by their late father.) Ultimately, the Garveys agree that they won’t accept the insurance claim, and Matt promises to keep his mouth shut.

Who killed JP's father in 'Bad Sisters?'

Minor spoilers for Bad Sisters season 2 episode 1 ahead. The season 2 premiere of Bad Sisters shows the new residents who’ve since moved into JP’s parents’ home discovering a suitcase in the pond, pulling it out, and finding skeletal remains. As it turns out, it's the decomposed corpse of JP’s late father George (Paul Bentall)—setting off another investigation into JP and the Garvey sisters going into the second installment.

The Garveys, however, have nothing to do with the death of JP’s father. It was JP who watched him die from choking on one of the glass eyeballs he used in his taxidermy hobby. JP didn’t interfere to save him. Rather, once his father was dead, he kept his body in the walk-in freezer in their basement.

In season 1, Becka discovered the freezer, having learned about it from spending time with JP’s mother Minna (Nina Norén). When she was helping Minna for the day and the elderly woman took a nap, the youngest Garvery went downstairs to investigate the freezer, which is when she discovered George’s frozen corpse.

Later, after Becka accidentally leaves the freezer open, Minna walks downstairs and freezes to death, which JP discovers. He makes it look like she died in her sleep and tells the authorities, but meanwhile puts his father’s body into a suitcase and dumps it in the pond. Even after his death, the prick manages to torment the Garveys, setting up just one of the conundrums on their hands in season 2.

Lukita Maxwell spent the past summer revisiting what first made her fall in love with acting: Shakespeare. When the 23-year-old moved from her birthplace of Indonesia to Utah in her teenage years, she discovered his complete works at her local library—becoming enamored with the language and how it comes alive when spoken. Several years later, the actress best known for playing Alice in the hit Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking spent her time off after season 2 participating in a Shakespeare intensive at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, immersing herself in the Bard so much that she began thinking in iambic pentameter.

“I think that I'm quite an academic, preppy kid at heart,” Maxwell tells Marie Claire. “All I wanted to do when I was a kid was grow up to be Hermione Granger. I think that Shakespeare School was nourishing to the young academic in my soul.”

The Jakarta-born actress brings that thoughtful, studious demeanor to the set of Shrinking, where she holds her own opposite Hollywood all-stars like Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, and Harrison Ford while giving a nuanced performance as a 17-year-old living with grief. Maxwell describes her character Alice as the “emotional anchor” of the series in season 1, as she and her father Jimmy (Segel) work to repair their relationship one year after a fatal car crash took her mother Tia's life. In season 2, Alice and Jimmy face another emotional curveball, when Louis, the driver in the accident, re-enters their lives, in a new role played by series co-creator Brett Goldstein.

As Alice, Maxwell brings a compassionate and realistically messy depiction of teenage mental health to the screen while she struggles to deal with Louis’s reemergence culminates in a cathartic confrontation in episode 6. You could say that Maxwell’s career so far has been defined by these complex Gen Z roles; she began her career by starring on the short-lived Max teen drama Genera+ion, which found a passionate fanbase who loved its ensemble of queer characters. “I think there's a great responsibility in every role I play to be truthful and find the honesty in scenes,” Maxwell says. “At the end of the day, filmmaking and storytelling in general is about connection, and it's for us to have something to relate to… Ultimately, I think that honesty is the conduit of connection.”

Below, Maxwell chats with Marie Claire about performing fight choreography with her on-screen bestie, performing one of the most emotional scenes of the season with Goldstein, and her hopes for her character in Shrinking season 3.

Marie Claire: Alice has more comedic moments in season 2. Were you excited to play more with comedy this time?

Lukita Maxwell: With Shrinking, I'm privileged with front-row seats to some of the best comedic performances of now. These legends that I get to work with are as brilliant in person as they are on screen. Season 1 Alice definitely serves as an emotional anchor to the ensemble. In season 2, I was given more opportunity to try comedy out a little bit. I'm grateful for that because I needed [time] to let the tone of the show seep into my bones. Going into season 2, we all as a cast and crew knew our machine, and it felt like a quicker production because we knew how everybody worked.

MC: You had a great physical comedy moment in the fight with Rachel Stubington’s character Summer in episode 5.

LM: We fucking sent it. That was so fun. Rachel Stubington is one of the funniest people that I have ever met. She is so intelligent, and doing scenes with her pushes me so much. I'm obviously the youngest of this main ensemble. Each one of these different actors is so specific and so individual. Everybody has their own approach to acting and comedy and I love that. This season, getting to work with Rachel more, as someone who's a peer of mine, was really inspiring. She just is an assassin in every scene, and her improv is so on point. It pushes me. Every day that I was on set with her, I was inspired.

MC: Alice and Jimmy have such open communication as a daughter and father. What has it been like portraying that familial relationship?

LM: Shrinking has been my first role playing the daughter of somebody, and having a close relationship with the person that plays my parent. The nature of Jimmy and Alice's relationship in season 1 is not close. I think that he is trying to be open to her and trying to communicate with her and she is very clearly shutting him down at every opportunity because she is not ready to let him emotionally back into her life after they've been hit with such grief. By the end of season 1, we see her chip away at that wall and they reform that communication and that openness. We get to see that absolutely blossom in season 2 where they have clearer and kinder and more open communication. Alice is very mature for her age and is a very good communicator when she is in the mood to tolerate Jimmy.

MC: Alice’s storyline with Brett Goldstein’s character Louis is really lovely this season. What was it like to have Brett as your scene partner in those very emotional scenes?

LM: I feel deeply grateful to have been able to act across from Brett Goldstein. He is incredibly present and very attentive. Even when he's on set, switching hats between producer and showrunner and writer, he's able to still be so present with me as an actor. I cannot believe that he wrote this scene for us to do, and we just got to play, sit in the emotion of it all, trust each other, give ourselves to the scene. In season 2, because the writers have a deeper sense of the characters and the tone, we're noticing as actors that they're starting to write in our own voices. It allows this freedom for us to play a lot more in season 2 as well.

MC: What was going through your mind while performing the scene in episode 6 where Alice visits Louis, and has this sort of epiphany of forgiveness?

LM: I don't think forgiveness was on the table when she walked into his apartment. When Alice goes to Louis's home, fueled by this morbid curiosity, she doesn't know what she's looking for. What she finds is something completely unexpected. It's a humanity in him. She sees his life, and she's in his apartment with his girlfriend and his Miss Congeniality poster on his wall. She's able to put a face and personify this great evil in her mind, and that humanity brings a lot of emotion to the surface.

Initially, I think she says her piece [about] how much he hurt her, but it doesn't give her the catharsis that we as an audience expect, or that she's expecting as well. I think the catharsis settles when she forgives him. It just happens in the moment. She forgives him after he gives her this gift of a memory of her mother that she has forgotten, and it becomes this beautiful scene that's unexpected.

MC: Shrinking has already been renewed for season 3. What do you hope Alice finds in terms of her happiness as she approaches the end of high school?

LM: I feel like it answers itself. I want her to find happiness. I don't think she is unhappy though. I hope that Alice continues to understand that making mistakes is all a part of the process, that her strength is very powerful and very necessary, and it will be a great tool for her in the future, and she should hold onto that, but not be married to it. I hope that she is able to re-enter a bigger world outside of her family and her chosen family and find a place for herself as whoever she wants to be, and have that person not be dictated by external expectations or perceptions of who she is labeled by the grief that she's been through. And then I hope she goes to college and moves away from everybody and starts her next chapter. I don't know if we're going to see that in season 3. I'm assuming we'll see her last semester of high school or [the] summer before college. We'll see.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Apple TV+'s mental health dramedy Shrinking is the kind of show guaranteed to give viewers all the feels. Co-created by Ted Lasso alum Brett Goldstein, Bill Lawrence, and Jason Segel, the acclaimed must-watch series follows a group of therapist colleagues and their families, as they're mourning the death of a loved one. One year after his wife's death, grieving therapist Jimmy Laird (Segel) starts to break the norms (and some ethics) of his practice to make major changes to his patients' lives, and his own.

A handful of Hollywood A-listers and comedy veterans fill out the cast of the feel-good series, which returned for season 2 in the fall of 2024, so, below, read on to meet the hilarious cast of Shrinking.

Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird

Jimmy is a therapist living in Pasadena, California, whose wife Tia died in a car accident one year before the start of Shrinking. The series begins as Jimmy reconnects with his teenage daughter Alice while starting an unconventional new therapy practice where the boundaries between himself and his clients blur.

Jason Segel, 45, is an actor, writer, and musician best known for playing Marshall Eriksen in CBS's long-running sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He made his major acting debut on the classic TV show Freaks and Geeks and starred in the shows Undeclared and Dispatches from Elsewhere, as well as a variety of comedy films—like Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You, Man, Despicable Me, The Five-Year Engagement—and The End of the Tour. Segel earned an Emmy nomination for Shrinking's debut season and has garnered Golden Globe nominations for seasons 1 and 2.

Jessica Williams as Gaby

Gaby, who works at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center with Jimmy and Paul, has been friends with Jimmy since college and was best friends with his wife Tia. She's a gifted counselor passionate about her work and became a psychology professor at the end of season 1. However, she's also been dealing with some personal issues, including divorcing her ex-husband Nico.

Jessica Williams, 35, grew up in L.A. County and got her big break as a senior correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show in 2012, becoming the youngest correspondent ever at age 22. In addition to Shrinking, she has also appeared in HBO's Girls and the second season of Max's Love Life, as well as films like The Incredible Jessica James, Booksmart, Entergalactic, two of the Fantastic Beasts movies, and Road House. She also co-hosted the podcast 2 Dope Queens alongside Phoebe Robinson from 2015 to 2018. She earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Shrinking season 1.

Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades

Jimmy's mentor Dr. Paul Rhoades is an esteemed, compassionate, and strict therapist, who disagrees with the widow's new methods. He's also a bit of a curmudgeon, and he's living with Parkinson's disease, though he hasn't stopped eating the unhealthy foods he loves. Over Shrinking's first season, he reconnects with his grown daughter and strikes up a relationship with his neurologist Julie.

Harrison Ford, 82, is a legendary actor best known for playing Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise, a role he portrayed over 42 years. He's also known for embodying classic characters in other action franchises, including the Indiana Jones movies, Blade Runner, and the Jack Ryan films of the early '90s. Most recently, he starred in the Yellowstone spinoff 1923 and as Thaddeus Ross in Captain America: Brave New World. At the 2025 Golden Globes, he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his Shrinking performance.

Lukita Maxwell as Alice

Jimmy's daughter Alice was mostly left to fend for herself in the year following her mom Tia's death, as Jimmy succumbed to his grief and guilt. She did find a mother figure in their next-door neighbor Liz. Over season 1, the 17-year-old and her dad begin to reconcile after their emotional estrangement.

Lukita Maxwell, 22, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, and grew up in Utah. Before Shrinking, Maxwell was best known for playing Delilah in the Max teen series Genera+ion. She recently starred alongside John Cho, Katherine Waterston, and Havana Rose Liu in the 2024 horror movie Afraid.

Luke Tennie as Sean

Sean is a patient who was originally supposed to work with Gaby before she asked Jimmy to help him. Recently discharged after serving in the army in Afghanistan, 22-year-old Sean still struggles with PTSD and anger issues, which has caused trouble with his family. He and Jimmy become closer throughout season 1, with Sean even moving in with the Laird family.

Luke Tennie, 29, is a Florida-born actor and writer, who landed his first major acting role in the SYFY series Deadly Class in 2018. He later appeared in Paramount+'s Players and CBS's CSI: Vegas. He also stars in the acclaimed 2024 drama film Nickel Boys.

Christa Miller as Liz

On the surface, Jimmy and Alice's next-door neighbor Liz seems like a prickly suburban mom and empty nester, but she's fiercely loving to her friends and family. With three sons in college, Liz was free to serve as a substitute mother for Alice while Jimmy was going through the worst of his grief.

N.Y.C. native Christa Miller, 60, started her career as a teen model before landing her breakout role as Kate O'Brien in the sitcom The Drew Carey Show. She also appeared in recurring roles in the TV comedies Clone High, Scrubs, and Cougar Town. She's been married to her husband, Ted Lasso, and Shrinking co-creator Bill Lawrence, since 1999.

Ted McGinley as Derek

Liz's husband Derek is a happy-go-lucky bundle of positivity, who has recently retired by the start of Shrinking. He's played by Ted McGinley, 66, a television veteran who has starred on shows including Happy Days, The Love Boat, Dynasty, The West Wing, and Hope & Faith. He's best known for playing Jefferson D'Arcy on Married... with Children.

Michael Urie as Brian

Jimmy's best friend Brian is a proudly narcissistic estate lawyer; his catchphrase is, "Everything goes my way." Though he and Jimmy are estranged at the start of season 1, they eventually patch things up, and at the end of the season, Brian marries his partner Charlie.

Michael Urie, 44, is a Texas-born actor and Juilliard grad best known for playing Marc St. James on Ugly Betty. The stage and screen actor has also appeared on the shows Modern Family, The Good Wife, Younger, and Krapopolis, as well as the movies Single All the Way and Maestro.

Wendie Malick as Dr. Julie Baram

Dr. Julie Baram, Paul's neurologist and eventual lover, is played by Wendie Malick, 74, an Emmy-nominated actress and former model who has appeared in dozens of TV series including HBO's Dream On, CBS's Good Company, NBC's Just Shoot Me!, NBC's Frasier, TV Land's Hot in Cleveland, ABC's American Housewife, and Netflix's Dear White People. She has also done voice-acting for dozens of animated projects, including The Emperor's New Groove, Fillmore!, and Bojack Horseman.

Lily Rabe as Meg

Paul's daughter Meg has a difficult relationship with her father, as he spent her childhood focusing on work more than his family. She's played by Lily Rabe, 42, an actress and Tony nominee best known for playing several roles in FX's anthology series American Horror Story. Her other recent projects include HBO's The Undoing, Prime Video's The Underground Railroad, Showtime's The First Lady, Max's Love & Death, and Apple TV+'s Presumed Innocent.

Rachel Stubington as Summer

Summer, Alice's chaotic bestie with a heart of gold, is played by Rachel Stubington, 24. The L.A. native made her TV debut on an episode of Max's Genera+ion. She has also appeared in Fox's Doctor Odyssey, and the movies Abaddon, A Rose for Her Grave: The Randy Roth Story, and Grassland.

Devin Kawaoka as Charlie

Charlie (right), Brian's kind husband who dreams of having a family, is played by Devin Kawaoka, 42. In addition to Shrinking, the biracial Japanese-American actor is best known for playing Dustin in the 2021-2022 Broadway cast of Slave Play, and Kai in NBC's Chicago Med.

Heidi Gardner as Grace

Grace is one of Jimmy’s patients, who has struggled for years to leave her abusive husband Donny (Tilky Jones). Jimmy makes a big effort to get Grace to leave him, which eventually lands Grace in a tricky situation by the start of season 2.

Heidi Gardner, 41, is an actress and comedian who has been a cast member on Saturday Night Live since joining the show for season 43, in 2017. The Groundlings alum has also appeared in films and shows including 2018's Life of the Party, 2022's Hustle, HBO's Veep, NBC's Superstore, and Netflix's Girls5Eva.

Brett Goldstein as Louis

Shrinking co-creator Brett Goldstein, 44, steps in front of the camera in season 2 to play a recurring character who greatly affects Jimmy and Alice's lives. The British actor, comedian, and writer is best known for playing surly footballer Roy Kent in Ted Lasso, which earned him two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Before Ted Lasso, he appeared in multiple U.K.-based shows and movies and created the AMC sci-fi series Soulmates. He has also hosted the podcast "Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein" since 2018.

Damon Wayans Jr. as Derrick #2

In season 2, viewers meet Derrick (above), Derek's (Liz's husband) old co-worker who becomes a new love interest for Gaby. The second Derrick is played by Damon Wayans Jr., 42, a sitcom favorite from shows like New Girl and Happy Endings. He has also starred in the movies Let's Be Cops, Big Hero 6, How to Be Single, Players, and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.

What if your breakthrough success resulted from a tragedy within your community? Maddie Morgenstern (Natalie Portman) faces this ethical conundrum in the Apple TV+ limited series Lady in the Lake. Set in 1966, two different murders in her Baltimore neighborhood inspire Maddie to make a bold leap from a dissatisfied housewife to an intrepid reporter. But in this adaptation of Laura Lippman's 2019 bestseller of the same name, showrunner Alma Har'el never positions Maddie as a flawless hero driven by selfless reasons on a quest to break the glass ceiling. Rather, Maddie's insatiable drive to crack a whodunnit reflects society’s true crime fascination that begins as newspaper headlines and evolves into books and now thrives across pop culture.

It’s in many ways like Hulu's Under the Bridge, one of this year’s true crime hits, which aired just several months before Lady in the Lake premiered on July 19. The series, starring Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone, similarly depicts how ambition, a writer reckoning with trauma from their past, and a horrifying act of violence intersect. In both series, too, exploration of who becomes a crusading voice for the victim—or even a messenger for the accused—doubles as examining the knotty crime-as-entertainment relationship.

Various think pieces and reports have been published trying to understand why women in particular are drawn to the true crime genre, in which the victims are frequently women. (The Saturday Night Live sketch "Murder Show" hits the nail on the head.) But what makes Lady in the Lake and Under the Bridge stand out is how concepts of girlhood and womanhood are a recurring motif in the depictions of the victims, investigators, and, in the case of Under the Bridge, the aggressors. Taking this feminized approach allows room for layered and complex depictions, and, notably, humanity (and even agency) is given to the deceased and the living. Each protagonist is not let off the hook regarding their failures, nor are they vilified. Exploring the moral gray area is a signature of Ha'rel’s. “I think that in everything I do—and I wish the whole world was capable of this—the goal is to humanize every experience, and not just find out who’s right and who’s wrong,” she recently told Variety.

Getting close to the alleged killer while covering a story is a common narrative choice. However, Lady in the Lake and Under the Bridge purposefully explore the push-pull of how the victim can get lost amid the noise of the living. Whereas Lady in the Lake is inspired by disparate media coverage of two unrelated disappearances in '60s Baltimore with an invented protagonist, Under the Bridge is adapted from Rebecca Godfrey's 2005 non-fiction book detailing events surrounding the 1997 murder of teenager Reena Virk. Rather than entering the scene after the arrests, creator Quinn Shephard and showrunner Samir Mehta ensure that Rebecca (Keough) is in the eye of this investigation storm as it unfolds. Each title utilizes a fragmented sense of time and place, toggling back and forth to illustrate the layers of history that led to current circumstances.

From its opening sequence, Lady in the Lake teases the body disposal that eventually plays out at the end of episode 4 (which hit streaming on August 2). Cleo Johnson's (Moses Ingram) initial voiceover makes no secret that she is the future woman in the lake. Serving as the narrator, Cleo's distaste toward Maddie's reporter-savior positioning is clear: "You said you knew who took my life from me, Maddie Morgenstern. You said no one cared until you came along. Truth is, you came at the end of my story and turned it into your beginning." Questioning Maddie's intention from the jump sets the tone, and guarantees audiences question her agenda throughout the season. It also signifies that Lady in the Lake has no interest in offering some sort of girlboss twist on history; racism, antisemitism, and sexism provide the undercurrent Cleo and Maddie swim in.

Far from living out a His Girl Friday fantasy of playful newsroom banter, Maddie has to claw for a mention in an exclusive story in the Baltimore Star which she facilitated with murder suspect Stephan Zawadzkie (Dylan Arnold). Despite her small credit, Maddie positively beams at her big break during the Hanukkah festivities. That is until Tessie's father (and Maddie's high school ex) Allan (David Corenswet) angrily confronts her and accuses her of doing “whatever it took to” get her name in print, “even if it meant drumming up sympathy for the murderer." Allan vibrates with rage, his comments fueled by raw grief, while Maddie harbors unfinished business with her ex.

Rather than slink away when Allan demands she leave, Maddie insists her only agenda is to find out what happened to Tessie. Not that Allan agrees: "Everybody here knows the truth. You're trying to recover your lost dreams, and you want to use the body of my dead child to do it," he spits with fury. Maddie's teenage son Seth (Noah Jupe) even sides with Allan, but her actions read as naive more than calculated. Everyone contains multitudes in these narratives, with Maddie swinging between exploiting others and being exploited. As a viewer, you may even see yourself in Maddie: wanting justice for the victim (fictitious or otherwise), and still wanting to consume the gory and salacious nuggets of information within these stories.

Nowadays, citizen detectives who pour over every detail of a case as it unfolds on TikTok and Reddit aren't unlike Maddie and Rebecca. But as those 21st-century platforms weren't an option for the characters, they instead become the voices of the victims and suspects through their research and reporting. Whereas Maddie finds freedom from being boxed in as a homemaker through Tessie's murder, in Under the Bridge, Rebecca confronts a past tragedy through her interactions with one of the accused killers, Warren (Javon Walton). Their kinship explores notions of punishment and forgiveness, and while Rebecca does lose sight of Reena at times, the series never does.

With that, it's as if TV is finding its footing in how to more thoughtfully cover crime stories that we can't look away from. Even when the pacing of the shows stumble under the weight of these different perspectives, it is a better series for showcasing each vantage point. This approach remains a consideration until the Hulu series’ very end: When the court case wraps, Rebecca is forced to confront her involvement and how the outcome has given her material for a book. While executed differently in Lady in the Lake, as the show plays out, Cleo's life has depth and shading, and the continuing voiceover ensures she will be more than how Maddie molds her to get ahead at the newspaper. The creators of these shows are done with thinly painted victims, proving that storytellers like Rebecca and Maddie need to give as many words and attention to Reena, Tessie, and Cleo as those accused of harming them. In doing so, they hold a mirror up to our fascination with the macabre and make witnesses of us all.

Cue the music and warm up the waffle maker: Severance is finally coming back. Apple TV+'s workplace thriller, created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller, premiered in February 2022 and quickly took over the Internet as viewers were sucked into the world of Lumon Industries. Season 1 ended with a major cliffhanger as the "severed" floor's Innies (their work selves, who have no memory outside of the office) uncovered a major secret about their Outies (or their outside selves) and their connection to the higher-ups at Lumon.

The sophomore season has faced several delays, leaving the show's passionate fan base (Sevvies? Sev Heads?) clamoring for new clues from the mystery box that is Lumon. The hype has built and built, and now that season 2 has a premiere date, it's set to become the winter's must-watch TV series. Ahead of the second season of Severance, here's everything we know about the upcoming installment.

When does 'Severance' season 2 premiere?

Severance season 2 premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 17, 2025. The streamer announced the show's highly-anticipated return in July 2024, giving fans tons of time to rewatch and theorize.

As with other Apple TV+ shows like Ted Lasso and Shrinking, Severance will run weekly after an initial multi-episode drop.

How many episodes are in 'Severance' season 2?

The second season of Severance will have 10 episodes total, with the series adding one more after the nine-episode premiere season. Season 2 begins with a two-episode premiere on January 17, followed by one episode a week every Friday until the finale on March 21.

Who is in the 'Severance' season 2 cast?

All of the core cast members of Severance are set to return for season 2. After the season 1 finale's bombshell cliffhanger, Mark (Adam Scott) Helly (Britt Lower), Dylan (Zach Cherry), and Irving (John Turturro) will continue working on the severed floor, under the watchful eye of their supervisor Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman). Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) and Burt Goodman (Christopher Walken) are among the group's higher-ups, keeping the many secrets of Lumon, who will be back, as well.

Meanwhile, Outie Mark's sister Devon (Jen Tullock), her husband Ricken (Michael Chernus), and Ms. Casey, who was (spoiler alert!) revealed to be his wife in the shocking finale, (Dichen Lachman) will also remain as regular characters.

According to Variety, season 2 will bring several new cast members in undisclosed roles, including Game of Thrones alum Gwendoline Christie, Search Party's Alia Shawkat, Unbelievable's Merritt Wever, and veteran actor Bob Balaban. Other new additions include Robby Benson, Stefano Carannante, John Noble, and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.

Is there a trailer for 'Severance' season 2?

Yes! On December 7, 2024, Apple TV+ dropped the official trailer for Severance season 2. Once Mark finds himself caught in Lumon's labyrinth again, he faces off with Mr. Milchick. Though the supervisor remains frustrated by the innie's defiant behavior, he turns his and his coworkers' rebellion into a positive for the company. "What you all did was one of the most painful moments in the history of this company," Milchick tells Mark. "But the four of you have become known as ‘The Face of Severance Reform.’” Clearly, though, Lumon is not really interested in having a company-wide reckoning.

Later in the trailer, Mark reunites with Helly, Dylan, and Irving to discuss what they saw outside Lumon. When he reveals that Ms. Casey is actually his wife Gemma, it appears as though they're going to set out on a mission to get her out of there. They might even try to get answers from Ms. Cobel, whom Mark runs into and demands information from. "Do you know something about Gemma?" he asks, to which she responds, "No, Mark. There will be no honeymoon for you."

There's also a new child supervisor named Miss Wong, lots more bizarre work on the computer and rooms of goats, and foreboding dialogue. It’s safe to say we’re ready to clock back in.

There's also a teaser available that Apple TV+ first shared on October 23. The clip features a stressed-out Mark running through the offices of Lumon, seemingly getting nowhere, while audio of Helly’s bombshell speech from the season 1 finale plays. He eventually ends up in an office space, but rather than being his typical cubicle and coworkers, he comes across three new faces at their desks, including Alia Shawkat, Bob Balaban, and Stefano Carannante. “Who are you people?” he asks concerned, before Milchick appears to greet him. “Welcome back, Marcus. Been a minute,” he says with an eerie smile and balloons in tow.

The streamer also dropped a cryptic date announcement video when it announced the premiere date. The clip begins with each of the severed floor employees entering the elevator at Lumon, with a voiceover of Helly's severance pledge. After several quick glimpses of future scenes (including Mark running and what looks like Helly in an air duct), Gwendoline Christie's character makes her debut. The angry-looking woman's words to the group are chilling: "You should have left."

What will 'Severance' season 2 be about?

Spoilers for the Severance season 1 finale ahead. The official season 2 logline from Apple TV+ reads: "Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe."

Little additional information has been revealed about season 2, but we can speculate over what "consequences" they'll face, given the major revelations from the season 1 finale. In the episode, when the Innies make their way to find help in the outside world, Helly discovers that her Outie is Helena Eagan, daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan. Helly also reveals to a party full of Lumon shareholders that the company is torturing its severed employees, despite the recently-fired Ms. Cobel's attempt to stop her.

Mark's Innie also discovers that Miss Casey is actually Outie Mark's supposedly deceased wife named Gemma, and publicly spills the news at Devon and Ricken’s book party. And while Innie Dylan's back at Lumon's control room trying to keep the mental gate open, his efforts are stopped when he's tackled to the ground by Milchick.

Back in April 2022, stars Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette and Tramell Tillman spoke with Variety about some of the big questions of the show, including why Helena chose to sever herself, why Lumon faked Gemma's death, why Outie Irving is researching Lumon, and whether Innie Mark and Innie Helly will explore their connection.

Meanwhile, series creator Dan Erickson spoke with Esquire about his plans for "some expansion of the world" in the upcoming season.

"There’s an overall plan for the show," he told the outlet. "I have an end point in mind, and I intentionally didn’t plan it season by season, because I wanted it to be flexible enough that we could get there in two seasons or six seasons. I want to allow us to be surprised by where the show goes. There’s a sense of what Lumon is trying to do and the role that our main characters are going to play in that, and where it all will culminate. It’s really exciting to think about taking the next step on that trip."

Sadie Dupuis was riding in a packed van through rural Montana, jostling around with her bandmates and their drum kit and merch boxes. She’d just learned that she had pneumonia after stopping at an urgent care clinic. 

Speedy Ortiz, the rock band for which Dupuis is the songwriter and guitarist, was headed to play a show in Canada. After three months on the road for back-to-back tours, the group was exhausted. Dupuis had been trying to figure out why her nagging cough hadn’t cleared up, and had squeezed in visits to a handful of different clinics over several weeks to try to get an answer. She finally had one, but it didn’t change anything about her plans.

“I hadn't lost my voice; it didn't even occur to me to cancel shows. A lot of musicians my age and older came up in that ‘the show must go on’ tradition,” says Dupuis, who’s 35. The headliner on that tour had also come down with pneumonia, and hadn’t backed out of any stops. “We’d perform through anything unless we were physically unable,” she says. “It was the reality of how people worked.”

That was back in 2014. Dupuis doesn’t stand by that mentality anymore—and she hasn’t since the start of the pandemic, which shifted her perspective. When tours across the country were canceled to prevent the spread of Covid-19, she started meeting with other musicians to strategize how to help those who were suddenly out of work. Without a lot of options, many ended up back on stage, even at the risk of their own health. They needed the money. Conditions for musicians were—and had been—dire: low pay from concert halls and festivals hadn’t increased in decades, public arts funding was limited, venues took hefty cuts from merchandise profits, and streaming services provided meager profits.

Dupuis wanted to change that; to really shift how the finances of the music industry worked. But she found there was really nowhere to go with her concerns.

Unlike many sectors of the labor market, the vast majority of musicians have historically not had union representation. Artists are considered independent contractors running their own businesses, meaning they aren’t able to unionize in the same way as, say, factory workers at an auto plant or journalists at newspapers.

Dupuis believed that without a larger collective voice, artists would continue to struggle. And so, she—along with 14 other musicians—formed the United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) group, an advocacy organization aimed at bringing music workers together to fight for a more just industry.

The group was announced publicly in May 2020. Since then, they’ve mobilized over 100,000 music workers, which includes not only musicians, but songwriters, venue staff, indie label employees, and booking agents. Members make a self-determined monthly dues payment of $3 to $15. They’ve opened local chapters in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. A steering committee helps direct the group as a whole, and smaller groups focus on specific campaigns.

Most members are gig workers who only have the opportunity to make money from touring and streaming—neither of which pay fairly. “Opening bands fees haven't really changed in several decades. A lot of opening artists make $250 a night, and that might be split between a five-person band with a couple people on crew—the money disappears very quickly,” Dupuis says.

As ticket sales have stagnated and the costs of touring have continued to rise, even headlining musicians are struggling. “It’s insane how much they have to spend,” says Ari Fouriezos, an artist manager at Friendly Announcer, who works with bands like Big Thief and Caroline Rose. “They spend on a corporate level, but they don’t get the benefits of a corporation—no discounts, no leveraging, no unifying force showcasing that these bands are stimulating the economy.”

A group that Fouriezos works with headlines venues in the U.S. that hold as many as 1,800 people. On a recent 60-day tour, the five-piece band brought in about $320,000 (excluding merch sales), but their expenses were so high that they only walked away with $15,000 of profit. “These artists have a ton of touring history and did this for 10 years before starting to make these numbers,” Fouriezos says. “Every single cost goes back to the artist. There’s so little room for profit on top.”

Exorbitant ticket distributor fees are becoming cost-prohibitive for fans, shrinking concert attendance and making it less likely for those who do show to be able to buy merchandise, Fouriezos says.

There’s little control over how their music can be shared with audiences, too. When Universal Music Group decided to pull all of its artists' songs from TikTok during a licensing war earlier this year, it hurt small, indie artists the most, greatly limiting their chances of exposure to new fans and the virality that wins better record deals and touring opportunities these days.

Then there’s the threats from AI. Many artists are concerned with how large companies will use it to avoid hiring real people. This led UMAW to call on Congress to block big corporations from holding copyrights on music that’s created with significant AI-enabled elements, protecting jobs for actual humans. “You aren't going to go to your local club and see an AI band,” says Zack Nestel-Patt, an organizer with UMAW and bassist of the indie rock band No Swoon. “Where the issue lies is in the true workhorse of music industry finances, which is TV and movie scores. It will for sure replace my friends who make their money as composers writing for ads. Instead of a musician making money, now there's just more corporate profit.”

Despite the challenges, there have been wins. UMAW has been focused on raising artists’ wages, including calling for fair pay at SXSW, which hadn’t increased its rates in a decade. After a UMAW petition, the festival raised rates from $250 for bands and $100 for solo artists to $350 and $150, respectively. Still paltry, UMAW believes, but it’s progress.

Then there’s arguably the biggest issue plaguing the music industry right now: payouts from streaming. Currently, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and Google pay an average of $0.00173 per stream—and a large percentage of that goes to the rights holders—typically labels—before an artist sees any money (if you can really see a fraction of a fraction of a cent).

“So many artists have been forced to not envision music as a career because of the finances,” Nestel-Patt says. “And that’s not to say you should make art to make money. I don't think anybody’s getting into music to do that. But you do have to pay rent, and it would be nice if more people could do that by making art and making beautiful things. You don't have to necessarily work other jobs on top of that if you envision a different way of finances flowing in the music industry.”

In the summer of 2021, UMAW turned their efforts toward public pressure, lobbying, and legislation. “We cold emailed a lot of Congress members to start conversations,” Nestel-Patt says. One member had worked with U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and made a connection. Soon, they had a Zoom round table with the Congresswoman and Detroit-area musicians regarding streaming and the #JusticeAtSpotify campaign.

Tlaib was supportive of UMAW’s work and partnered with them to draft a piece of legislation related to their concerns. In March 2024, UMAW announced the introduction of the Living Wage for Musicians Act—led and co-sponsored by Tlaib and U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York. The legislation would create a new streaming royalty, funded through an additional subscription fee and a 10 percent levy on non-subscription revenue. That money would allow for the vast majority of musicians who build wealth for platforms like Spotify and Apple Music to make a sustainable income in the digital age.

It could be years before the legislation is voted on and enacted, but it’s the first step in making streaming payouts more equitable—and proof that traditionally siloed musicians can come together to effect major change. “The [Living Wage for Musicians Act] is the first action-oriented thing I’ve seen that gives me a little hope,” Fouriezos says. “It would be a life-changing amount of money to so many people.”

Change will require consumers to play a role, too. Which may mean paying more to listen to music they love. But Dupuis and Nestel-Patt believe that listeners would be willing to shell out more for music if they knew that money was going to the creators. “People want to support their artists,” Dupuis says. “They want to see their favorite artists be able to tour for many years to come. And they're not aware of how low these payouts are and how they're becoming even lower and even less equitable.”

Raising awareness of those issues won’t happen unless there’s a cultural pivot away from the idea that making music should be somewhat miserable, Nestel-Patt says. Artists of all kinds have had to learn to romanticize the concept of suffering for their art—it’s a coping mechanism that every person in a creative industry has to let go of before they can demand more for themselves. But change will require artists to get brutally honest about the realities of trying to make a living off streaming and touring in order to build more public support for UMAW’s efforts, he adds.

Not that it’s easy. When artists do open up about how rough it can be, people jump on them—fellow musicians included—for not eagerly embracing a life of constant ramen. “Last year, the band Wednesday posted the economics of a tour to SXSW, and people were criticizing them for getting an Airbnb instead of sleeping in their van,” Nestel-Patt says. “This idea that you have to struggle for your art is ridiculous. If you're a salesman at a Xerox company, and you go on a business trip, no one's gonna be like, ‘sleep in your car.’ There's no expectation to hustle and struggle and live through hell for your work.”

Bringing artists together to have these types of conversations is important to UMAW. "Since musicians don’t have a central workplace, they see themselves as individuals, and usually only consider their own path and struggles and don’t see how all of these things play into larger patterns,” Dupuis says. The same reason someone might perform while they’re sick and not realize how that could put others at risk is the same reason they might accept unfair pay or gatekeep information about how much they’re making, she argues. Artists don’t always see how their personal problems connect to larger public, systemic issues. But for UMAW to keep moving forward, musicians need to recognize that they aren't operating alone.

The shifting of mindsets—of consumers and artists and big businesses—is not easy work. True transformation will require time. But who better to imagine a new way forward than a bunch of creators?

For the first time since her mother, Sarah Ferguson, was diagnosed with breast cancer and skin cancer just seven months apart, her eldest daughter Princess Beatrice is speaking publicly about her health, an update given during an appearance on the U.K. talk show This Morning.

Per People, Beatrice was actually in New York City for the interview, taping the segment on the top of the Empire State Building. The chat highlighted Beatrice’s support for The Outward Bound Trust, an educational charity that works to empower young people through challenging learning expeditions; the organization was once supported by Beatrice’s grandfather, the late Prince Philip. Beatrice was on top of the Empire State Building for a reason, as the charity had organized the first-ever rappel off of the building as a fundraiser.

During the conversation, Beatrice said that her mother—known formally as the Duchess of York and more informally as Fergie—was “all clear” following her cancer one-two punch of the past year. “She’s such a phenomenal icon,” Beatrice said to the ITV show’s co-hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle. “As a mum, she’s been amazing. She’s been through so much, and her sense of purpose and resilience really keeps me going.”

Beatrice continued “She’s doing really well. She’s had a bumpy health scare last year, but all clear now. At 64, she’s thriving. She’s been through so much, but I think really now she’s coming into her own. We’re just reminded when any parent or individual has a health scenario, just really get the checks that you need to get as early as you possibly can.”

Beatrice is the elder of Prince Andrew and Fergie’s two daughters, and is extremely close to her younger sister, Princess Eugenie. “Both my sister and I are so proud of her for taking those steps to get those checks, and it really modeled our health considerations on that,” Beatrice said, adding “There’s nothing more important than family.” (In addition to her birth family of four, Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020, and in doing so became a stepmother to his son, Wolfie; together they share daughter Sienna, who was born in 2021.)

Fergie was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in January, just six months after treatment for breast cancer and undergoing breast reconstruction surgery, Hello reports. In January, a spokesperson for the Duchess of York said that “Her dermatologist asked that several moles were removed and analyzed at the same time as the Duchess was undergoing reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy, and one of these has been identified as cancerous,” they said. “She is undergoing further investigations to ensure that this has been caught in the early stages. Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after treatment for breast cancer has been distressing, but the Duchess remains in good spirits.”

Fergie told Hello of her daughters “They support me through thick and thin, not least my recent illness,” she said. “We call each other ‘The Tripod’ because we prop each other up, come what may.” 

Royal commentator Phil Dampier told The Daily Mail that “Beatrice and her sister Eugenie are always very happy to talk about their mother, to whom they are very close,” he said, adding that “they are inseparable and always support each other through thick and thin.”

Beatrice is one of only two members of the British royal family—the other being her late aunt, Princess Diana—who has ever attended a Met Gala. Though in New York City yesterday on the day of the Met, Bea wasn’t in attendance like she was six years ago, when she made her Met debut in purple Alberta Ferretti. At that time in 2018, she was living in the Big Apple, and opened up during her This Morning interview about her love for the city. “New York for me, when I was figuring out my life and what I wanted to do, New York gave me a place to have a job and just get on with it,” she said. “So New York has always sort of had a special place for me and for mum, as well. She came out here, started her charity back in the day. So New York for us has always been a great city to spend some time in.”

She added that her “little ones” are “phenomenally about coming to travel” but said she “hasn’t yet braved the international flight” with her daughter, who will turn three in September.

By the final episodes of Shōgun, it becomes unmistakably clear that Anna Sawai has been the period drama’s most pivotal character all along. The critically-acclaimed FX miniseries, based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel, transports viewers to Japan in the year 1600, where rival lords on the country’s Council of Regents are on the brink of war. Sawai plays Mariko, a noblewoman and practicing Catholic, whose lord, Yoshii Toronaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), tasks her with translating for English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis). Mariko is the picture of a dutiful samurai woman—proper and preternaturally calm, hiding any inner turmoil behind her eightfold fence—and while portraying Mariko, Sawai is able to show the often-unacknowledged strength with which Japanese women have lived for centuries.

Considering Hollywood’s notorious history of diminishing female characters to one-note caricatures, it is a revelation to watch the 31-year-old slowly peel back layers of Mariko’s unshakeable social mask to reveal her nuanced internal world, as she balances her duty towards Toronaga with her deep-seated grief from losing her entire family in the wake of her late father’s disgrace. “Without Mariko and Fuji, Blackthorne could be dead by episode 3 or 4 maybe,” Sawai says, while chatting with Marie Claire over Zoom from her home country, Tokyo, where she's spending some well earned downtime following a whirlwind press tour.

Sawai, who cut her teeth with roles in F9 and the Apple TV+ series Pachinko and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, knows the significance of playing an Asian female character who isn’t reduced to a trope. “A lot of times the women are sidelined, and they're often just mentioned as the love interest of the male figures. In [Shōgun], they really have their own story… You see what they're going through and how much power they actually have.”

Below, the actress speaks with Marie Claire about Mariko’s heartbreaking arc in episode 9, the period-accurate details she learned to portray a female samurai, and how one of her dreams actually influenced Mariko’s reunion with her childhood friend, Ochiba.

Marie Claire: What attracted you to the role of Mariko, and to working with [show creators] Rachel [Kondo] and Justin [Marks]?

Anna Sawai: I was really moved by Mariko's story and the fact that she's based on Hosokawa Gracia, who actually lived in Japan in 1600. We really see this quiet strength. To be able to give voice to the Japanese women was a huge thing for me, because oftentimes, it's just like, 'Japanese people are very cute and submissive and maybe nerdy,' but it's so one dimensional. For someone who doesn't know Japanese culture, it might be fine, but a lot of times when I see the depiction of Japanese women, I never really felt like it was reflecting me. Finally with Mariko, it felt like, ‘Okay, this character feels real.’ Justin and Rachel made sure that they were going to do this right, and that it felt right for me as a Japanese woman. They were very respectful to the Japanese supervisors who came on board, the people who were playing the characters. They made sure that it was all properly done.

How deep did you get into the research? What was it like balancing the real-life historical figures the show was based on, but also knowing that Mariko is a fictional interpretation?

AS: I did my research on Hosokawa Gracia-san because I really wanted to know the core of her, but at the same time, I knew we weren't making a documentary on her. The names are different, for a reason—they're fictional characters. So it was a nice kind of guideline. But I think I definitely focused more on Mariko in the script. I talked to Rachel, because Rachel had been working on this project for many more years than me, even way before I got on board. Talking to her about why she wanted to bring Mariko to life; to give more voice to her was very important to me. What I received from [Rachel] was huge, and she is the reason why Mariko is so powerful.

I've watched the behind-the-scenes footage which showed the several experts on set for everything, down to gestures and movements including how to hold chopsticks differently. What was the most minute thing you had to learn how to do for the show?

AS: Going down the stairs, or walking on the stones... usually in modern day, you would just walk one step forward [each time]. Back then, you would have to put your left or right foot forward, and then you would put your other foot next to it. You would have to walk like that, and it was so time consuming. On days that they were trying to shoot a wide shot like we're walking into the house, it took three minutes to get into the house. Even just sitting down, there were different styles to it. If you're wearing a kimono, you're sweeping your hands underneath your knees and then sitting. Whereas if you're wearing a hakama—which is like pant-style; you'll see Mariko wearing it when she's on a horse or on the battlefield—she'll kind of hit her knees with both of her hands and then sit down. Even when I was crying and I wanted to wipe my nose—because I cry from my nose—they were like, ‘You're not supposed to put your hand like that. You have to take out the little sheet that's in your pocket and you have to fold it a certain way.’ I was like, ‘I can't do that. I'm just going to let it dribble.’ Everything's very specific.

After filming, was it weird going back to real life in modern-day Japan, while still having the period dialect and all those specific gestures in your head?

AS: It wasn't weird because, obviously, I would go back home, and I would be in my modern day PJs, and seeing Japanese people... they're not all talking the way that we talk on the show. I think it gave me so much more appreciation and understanding of why we're the way we are. They had to cut the tea scene [between Mariko and her husband Buntaro in episode 8] a lot—it was a 25 minute scene originally—but in the end, after the tea ceremony, we had a shot where she flips the cup and just admires the design and the way it's made. There's no words shared between Buntaro and Mariko, but you see that Japanese people have appreciated moments that way: in silence, giving their time to observe it, rather than saying a lot. So when people don't say too much, I think right now I'm much more appreciative of it.

You've had multiple lives in your career between being a pop star and an actor, and you also moved around a lot as a kid between New Zealand, Japan, and Hong Kong. Mariko also embodies a similar fluidity in terms of being both a Christian and a samurai. As you crafted the character, did you find yourself relating to Mariko, and as she says in the premiere, having “more than one heart”?

AS: It really felt relatable to me. I am Japanese, but I'm not like [most] people. Japanese people will look at me and say that I seem a little bit mixed in some ways, not in how I look, but in how I carry myself. I think Mariko definitely had these different faces which were kind of contradicting at times, because of the way you serve your lord. You will even give your life to serve your lord. Whereas, if she's a Catholic, you can't wish to die. I'm not religious like that, so I did have to do my research, and I did talk to Rachel who had a better idea of it. In the end, it made a lot of sense to me that Mariko wanted to die, and then she found Catholicism and she was saved by it. She was able to find more meaning in her life, but it could have been anything. It didn't have to be Catholicism; she's not into the politics and the money. She's just into it because it gave her meaning. Realizing that there could be something that really changes the way that you look at life, and questioning what that meant for me, made me understand what it was to be a Catholic and a samurai.

Her relationship with John Blackthorne could have been a trope that has played out for far too long in the media—the sexualization of Asian women—but instead it's very authentic and nuanced. What do you think are the elements of Blackthorne that intrigued Mariko the most?

AS: I think that he is the first person who makes her feel just human, not being seen as a woman, and not having to close her mouth in front of him. If anything he's like, 'Tell me, what are you thinking?' He's so accepting of everything. It's definitely not what she thought she was going to find. The relationship that they make is not what she expected. But I think that it's because she approaches him in the beginning as someone she doesn’t really care about. She doesn’t need to impress him, or give respect to him like she gives respect to the Japanese men. That allows her to be herself, and as he sees that, he’s so accepting of it.

What I love about the relationship is that the romance seems like a by-product. It's not the main focus, and that's not the point of her character. It's that they have this very human connection in the hot spring scene, and they're allowed to connect on a very deep level as just human beings. Then they have this beautiful sequence of their imaginary day in London. Mariko knows that she'll never have that, and I think Blackthorne understands that as well, but they’re sharing this ideal day that they would spend together. And then, after being accepted and feeling seen, that’s when the romance starts to ignite. I love that it’s more of a human connection.

In my opinion, it actually isn't Blackthorne who is the major relationship for Mariko. It's Ochiba. I love how the major turning point of the show is just getting these two women, who have been torn apart by male influence over their life, to actually reconnect. What was it like playing that episode 9 scene with Fumi Nikaido where Mariko and Ochiba finally talk?

AS: I just remember feeling like, I miss you. By that point, Mariko was like half of me; half of me was made by Mariko. Before shooting that scene, I had dreamt of my childhood friend who I have no contact with anymore, and I don't even know how to reach her. But in the dream I was like, I wonder what happened to us. What made us grow apart? And then waking up, I was like, That was so random. I haven't even thought about her in years. Then I opened the script and realized that that was what Mariko was going through with Ochiba. I stepped on set remembering my friend, and just looking into Fumi's eyes and realizing that what's coming out of her mouth is very sharp, but that she is trying to stop Mariko because she cares about her friend. That was very bittersweet. Fumi was just such a great scene partner. I received so much from her. I loved shooting that scene.

I know that a lot of the draw of episode 9 is that Mariko gets to actually fight—go full badass—and take a lot of her agency from behind the scenes into the forefront. What fascinated me is how she balanced anger and also peace with death. How is Mariko feeling when she arrives at that emotional place?

AS: The leaving the castle scene is the only scene where she's actually able to fully express what's going on inside. Even the scenes that come afterwards, they may feel like a release, but it's still constrained in a way. I feel like everything that she had been through was coming out in that scene. [My performance] wasn't really anything calculated. It was more just a visceral feeling going into the scene and then holding that naginata [blade], and seeing the lords upstairs just watching. Everything just landed in the way that it should have. I allowed Mariko to freely express it all, which was really nice, because in every other scene it's all very stoic and covered and concealed. I also think that the decision she makes [to die] is not made in that scene. It's made in the scene in episode 8 where she sees Toronaga-sama, for the first time, really [broken] down and grieving his friend. She realizes that that was all part of his plan, and that he was about to give her the next role to play out like Hiromatzu did. That was the pivotal scene, and I think people are only seeing the transformation in the naginata scene.

Do you believe that Mariko felt in her final moments that she was truly able to honor her father?

AS: I would like to think so, yes. When she is tasked with this role from Toronaga-sama, she realizes that she's going to serve her lord and also fulfill what her father wanted, which was for her to finish this battle. I think she doesn't realize that that is the way it's going to happen. She can’t read that they're going to get attacked during the night and that was going to be her final moment. But she realizes that during the course of leaving the castle, something could happen, and if anything is about to happen, then [she] is going to make it a statement. In the final moment, I think she definitely knows that her decision is allowing her to follow her father and his will and also fight against the injustice.

Though episode 9 is the end of Mariko’s story, it would be lovely to spend more time with the character. Would you ever return to the world of Shōgun in some way, like maybe exploring Mariko’s past?

AS: Yeah! I love Mariko so much that if there was more that I could explore, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I think that her story is now complete, and I don't know if anyone should be trying to like touch that. It's kind of perfect the way it ended. If there is a prequel then yeah, it would be when she's younger, and I don't know if I can play her younger.

How has the journey of playing Mariko impacted you? How do you hope that your portrayal of this woman will impact viewers of the show?

AS: It definitely made me think about my life and what I'm doing here; I had this whole life crisis last year. I think it will allow the viewers to think about that. This is really what Japanese women went through, and still there is the shadow of that [history] in modern day Japan. I think [Shōgun] will really inform people that Japanese women are not simple. They're very complex, and even if it's not shown too much, there's so much going on. You don't know someone's story unless you really sit down and talk to them. I hope that there's more respect for Japanese women, because I feel like a lot of times it has felt more surface level. I will carry Mariko with me for the rest of my life, because really she is that powerful. She has that strength. I just hope that people are able to really reflect on their lives and how they value it and how they want to live it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Is the era of the A-list movie star a relic of the past? Maybe, according to Reese Witherspoon, who spoke at an event for her Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, which she stars in alongside Jennifer Aniston. Witherspoon said, per The Hollywood Reporter, that she wasn’t sure that careers like her’s and Aniston’s were possible anymore thanks to streaming, the outlet reported.

Asked by interviewer Kara Swisher about this particular time in tech and media—roughly six months after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike—Witherspoon said that the streaming landscape has changed in recent months.

“Streaming was, like, the biggest thing for three to four years, and there was a never-ending constant smash for content, and, like, literally, we could sell anything,” said Witherspoon, who, in addition to acting, also frequently executive produces content. “What I’m seeing right now, I think from the buying and selling landscape side of it, is that probably part of the strike was a reset for these studios that are not profitable—the streaming services—and an opportunity for them to resize, rework, and cut costs. So we’re going to probably see less stuff, which is probably good, right? It was just chaos. It was a flea market. We can slow down a little bit. But there’s going to be more intention around it, and it’s going to be a little bit harder.”

Witherspoon said she wonders and worries what the future will be like for actors in Hollywood, pointing to her co-star Aniston beside her and asking “Are careers like ours possible ever again? Are there opportunities for people to really emerge as a star? How do you know with no data transparency? How do we even know if something did well or didn’t do well?” 

Witherspoon added that Netflix is “pretty transparent about it” and reveals some figures, but “the other people don’t. And it’s tough as an actor—how do you negotiate? How does a producer? How do you market? If you don’t know where you sit in a landscape, how do you value something?” She added “There’s real amounts of data, too, and they’ve got a lock on it. They don’t want you to have the advantage, and it’s tough.”

Aniston shared her own thoughts on working in Hollywood today: “We did start in this industry in a time when it was so glamorous and so fun, and [you would] just go on auditions and auditions and just hope that you get it,” she said. “And if you did get that Movie of the Week and then hope you get that little guest star on Quantum Leap. When it was so simple, and now it is becoming so…it’s too much sometimes.” 

As for when we can expect season four of The Morning Show, at the event it was noted that it wouldn’t be until sometime after the presidential election in November, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt said.

As Kaia Gerber prepared to join the family business—you know, becoming a supermodel and all—one of the most legendary supermodels of all time, Cindy Crawford (who Gerber knows simply as “Mom”) went the tough love route in preparing her daughter for a career in the industry.

Gerber told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that Crawford used to show her videos of models falling as Gerber prepared to walk in her first runway show. “I didn’t even know you could fall this many different ways,” Gerber told the talk show host. 

Gerber—who said her mom is “full of great advice”—told Fallon “I remember right before I was going to do my first-ever fashion show, she sat me down and had my whole family gather around and played me compilation videos of models falling,” she said. “I think to be like, ‘This is the worst case scenario.’”

Gerber made her runway debut at just 16 years old, walking in Raf Simons’ Calvin Klein show during New York Fashion Week in September 2017. “Knock on wood, I haven’t ever fallen,” Gerber said. “Maybe she scared me enough that I didn’t fall.”

To juxtapose, Crawford was 24 years old when she took the runway for the first time, walking for Donna Karan’s spring 1991 collection.

Gerber—who is currently not just modeling but also acting, and right now is starring in Palm Royale on Apple TV+ opposite Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, and Carol Burnett—told WSJ. Magazine that she has “reached a point of acceptance” about the ongoing “nepo baby” conversation. (Gerber’s dad is Casamigos founder Rande Gerber.)

“I personally am very aware of all the wonderful things it has done for me, and I would never, ever say anything negative about it, because that is my truth about it,” Gerber said. “I can actually ask my parents [for] advice on career things, on business things. That’s very rare, to have parents who are in the same industry or career as you, whose advice you can actually trust.”

Relatively speaking, the MTV Video Music Awards is a young ceremony. Making its debut in the '80s, and hitting its stride in the '90s and '00s, the VMAs quickly became the place for performers to lean in on their personas. It's earned a reputation of being bold, unpredictable, and controversial: in at least two cases, the cops have been called. Unlike buttoned-up affairs like the Oscars and the Met Gala, the VMAs is an arena where celebrities have traditionally felt empowered to go there.

So, if you enjoy drama, get ready: These are the wildest and most jaw-dropping moments from the VMAs.

Macy Grey's Dress

This one's fairly self-explanatory: Macy Grey used her dress to promote her upcoming album, quite literally: "MY NEW ALBUM DROPS SEPT. 18 2001,” the front reads (and the back reads, "BUY IT.") Sadly, the ploy didn't work, and album sales were underwhelming.

A Double Denim Reference

If you remember the Britney Spears-Justin Timberlake double denim outfit at another awards ceremony (the AMAs), so did Katy Perry and Riff Raff. Thirteen years after the original event, the pair gave us a slightly more modernized update to the "classic" look.

Britney and G-Eazy

This incredibly awkward encounter included Britney Spears putting her hand on G-Eazy's crotch and the duo grinding up against each other, but the most cringe-y part might have been G-Eazy going in for a kiss...and Spears dodging away from it and shaking her head no.

Fifth Harmony Dumps a Member

Wow, that felt...pointed! When Fifth Harmony took the stage in 2017, they started with five members, before the middle one jumped back and off the stage. It was a very not-subtle comment upon Camila Cabello, who had left the group at the end of 2016. Wow.

Beyoncé's Pregnancy Announcement

Instead of a card, or a gender reveal party, or a themed cake, Queen Bey chose a more dramatic way to reveal she was pregnant with her first child: At the end of her Grammys performance, she literally dropped the mic, unbuttoned her jacket, and cradled her bump. Epic.

Rihanna Dodges a Kiss

Oh goodness, this was awkward. While he was presenting Rihanna with the 2016 Video Vanguard Award, Drake admitted that he'd been in love with her since he was 22 (the two had dated years ago, and it was rumored they were dating again). Then he went in for a kiss...and Rihanna swerved.

T-Pain's Elephant

I bet it's hard to stand out on a red carpet with so many stars. But T-Pain, accompanied by circus performers and a literal elephant...certainly stood out! This was all to promote Three Ringz, his studio album. The elephant was covered in gold jewelry and cloth, and T-Pain called her "my beautiful woman." Okay.

"Miley, What's Good?"

Nicki Minaj is no stranger to beef or controversy (this isn't the only time she makes it on this list). But certainly one of her most memorable was during her acceptance speech, in which she called out Miley Cyrus as " this b**ch that had a lot to say about me the other day in the press. Miley, what's good??"

"Fartman"

The very popular Howard Stern was hoping to reinvent a National Lampoon character and start a movie franchise with a gross "Fartman" skit on stage (with bare butt cheeks in the back!). Needless to say, the skit flopped, there was no movie, and the whole thing became a punchline.

Andrew Dice Clay Is Banned

Banned for life, no less! On stage to introduce Cher, Andrew Dice Clay said some particularly colorful swear words and provided us with, among others, this nursery rhyme: “Rockabye baby on the treetop/Your mother’s a whore, I ain’t your pop.” So, you know, that did it!

Pee Wee Herman's Joke

Following an arrest for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater, Pee-wee Herman (whose show was aimed at kids) immediately faced an onslaught of backlash. Yet, in the face of cancellation, he got onstage and quipped, "Heard any good jokes lately?” The crowd roared in appreciation.

Van Halen's Tough Reunion

In a world of awkward moments, this one is right at the top: The strain between members of Van Halen (specifically Diamond Dave and David Lee Roth) literally played out right on stage as the group, ostensibly there to promote some greatest hits, tried and failed to make nice.

Courtney Love Interrupts Madonna

After throwing her compact at Madonna, who was mid-interview, Courtney Love was invited to the conversation. It was...so uncomfortable to watch, but included some impressively snarky Madonna commentary including, "Courtney Love is in dire need of attention right now."

Krist Novoselic Hits Himself With His Guitar

While performing onstage in 1992, the bassist for Nirvana later remembered, "We started playing this song and my amp just didn’t work. So I thought, ‘I’m gonna do this bass toss and walk off.' Well, the bass got caught in the TV lights, and then boom! It fell on my head." He noted in another interview, "The only time I’ve ever dropped it was then in front of 300 million people.”

Cobain Slips In Lyrics

In the same performance, Kurt Cobain was there to play "Lithium" but said he'd much rather prefer to play the more controversial, "Rape Me." He and the band was forbidden from doing so, but Cobain played the first few bars anyways before playing "Lithium."

Lil Mama Rushes the Stage

While Alicia Keys and Jay-Z took to the stage to play “Empire State of Mind," (which is, to be fair, a banger), native New Yorker Lil Mama was so inspired that she took the stage. Was she supposed to? No. Both performers looked befuddled and just tried to keep going.

Eddie Murphy Takes Us to the Bathroom

Eddie Murphy hosted the 1985 VMAs and decided to take viewers on a tour of Radio City in the middle of the show. What follows is spontaneous and funny, but in a bit that could have gone horribly wrong, he ends up in the women's bathroom, scaring the crap out of a very confused lady coming out of the facilities.

Taylor's Words for Harry Styles

As One Direction took the stage to announce Best Pop Video, the camera panned to Taylor Swift (who had previously dated Harry Styles). There was no audio, but it sure looked like Swift was whispering to pal Selena Gomez, "Shut the **** up." Then 1D announced Gomez as the winner, lol.

Fiona Apple's Speech

Pop icon Fiona Apple has never been one to shy away from speaking her mind. So, when she won Best New Artist, she had some thoughts for her fans. “This world is bull****...You shouldn’t model your life on what we think is cool, and what we’re wearing and what we’re saying and everything. Go with yourself.”

Lady Gaga "Dies"

After being nominated for nine awards that year, Lady Gaga took the stage to perform "Paparazzi”—and then gave a wild performance, in which she ultimately got drenched in blood and ended the performance hanging limply from a noose. Fame killed her, get it?

Miley Twerks on Robin

There was a lot at play in this performance, but the factors leading up to the "twerk heard round the world" involved some concerns about 1) Miley Cyrus' and Robin Thicke's age difference, 2) their not great live performance, 3) Cyrus' appropriation of twerking, 4) some lewd gestures made with a foam finger, and, ultimately, 5) Cyrus grinding up against Thicke.

Diana Ross and Lil' Kim

Diana Ross thought Lil' Kim's costume on stage (bodysuit plus strategically placed pastie) was so funny that she reached over and, uh, jiggled Lil' Kim's breast. Both of them laughed it off, but Mary J. Blige over on our left there looks like she's absolutely not having it.

Prince's Butt

In what I can only imagine must have been a funny sight gag for the audience, Prince took the stage in 1991 to deliver “Gett Off” in a yellow jumpsuit...that when he turned, revealed itself to be sheer. Specifically in the butt area. Yes, Prince showed everyone his butt on stage.

Madonna's Wedding Dress

Madonna's always been an iconoclast, but one of her most infamous moments was when she sang "Like a Virgin" in a wedding dress (yes, her belt says "Boy Toy"!). Apparently, lol, she was originally planning to sing the song to a Bengal tiger on stage, although clearer heads thankfully prevailed.

Lady Gaga's Meat Dress

If you're familiar with one wild VMAs outfit, it's probably this one. Lady Gaga appeared at the ceremony in a meat dress—and yes, it's actual meat—saying later that "If we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones."

Britney and the Python

To sing “I’m a Slave 4 U” on stage in 2001, a real, living python was placed around Britney Spears' neck—and she then proceeded to (carefully) dance around with it. In her memoir, Spears later said that she was terrified and the snake was hissing at her the whole time.

Eminem Threatens to Hit Moby

After an altercation with, of all things, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Eminem got onstage to call singer Moby "that Moby girl" and added, "I will hit a man with glasses." (Moby had previously called "a misogynist, a homophobe, a racist, and an anti-Semite." Eminem had responded by calling him a slur in one of his songs.)

Adam "MCA" Yauch Storms the Stage

In one of the weirdest moments from the show ever, Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch stormed the stage as his alter ego Nathanial Hornblower to protest Spike Jonze's winning for Best Director for R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts." In a largely incoherent speech, he said it was an "outrage" and a “farce."

Kid Rock Fights Tommy Lee

The 2007 VMAs were, even by normal standards, chaotic (and including more than one fight), but the crowning "achievement" may have been when Kid Rock attacked Tommy Lee. The two share an ex in Pamela Anderson, and Kid Rock later noted their beef had been "going on for five years."

Tim Commerford Climbs a Set

Rage Against the Machine band member Y.tim.K (Tim Commerford) was so mad that Limp Bizkit won for Best Rock Video that he climbed the stage scaffolding...and was arrested. He spent the night in jail and the incident was cited as a contributing factor for why the band broke up.

Madonna, Britney, and Christina

Yup! With a callback to her iconic wedding dress performance, Madonna took the stage with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera clad in white to perform and, ultimately, kiss them both on the lips. A lot of (frankly homophobic) backlash followed, and Spears in particular was vilified.

Taylor and Kanye

It was the beginning of a very complicated feud, but there's no denying that Kanye taking the microphone from a very stunned Taylor Swift to loudly proclaim that "Beyoncé had the best video of all time” was one of the most awkward awards show moments. Ever.

When the 2024 Academy Awards nominations came out last January, it was no surprise that Oppenheimer racked up the most noms of the year. The epic Christopher Nolan movie—a.k.a. one half of Barbenheimer—has been a frontrunner for the Oscars since it made its debut in theaters on July 21, 2023, with countless film fanatics heading to theaters in droves to see the nearly three-hour biopic of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb (played by Cillian Murphy). In that (admittedly vast) runtime, Nolan tells the story of Oppenheimer's life from his early days as a renowned scientist, to his complicated love life (featuring supporting performances from Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh), to his leadership of the Manhattan Project during World War II, to his public downfall in the years after the war, due to a private government hearing on his alleged communist ties spearheaded by Lewis L. Strauss (Robert Downey, Jr.).

As shown by the many awards Oppenheimer has racked up this season, from the Golden Globes to countless critics' organizations, the film stands tall as one of the best drama movies of 2023. Murphy and Downey give career-best work in the film, with the former transforming over the course of the movie from a theoretical thinker on science and faith to a disillusioned man who has been forced to face the consequences of his involvement in the dawn of the nuclear arms race. If that subject doesn't sound like it would birth an entertaining story, then you're underestimating Nolan's ability to imbue even a closed-door legal hearing with impressive dramatic stakes. Also, the Trinity Test detonation sequence is a must-watch for anyone looking for a scene that will literally take their breath away.

Luckily, the film arrived on streaming a good month before the Oscars (which is more than we can say for late-to-streamer films like Poor Things and Anatomy of a Fall).

How to Watch 'Oppenheimer'

Oppenheimer is currently available to stream on Peacock, after arriving on the platform on February 16. Though the NBC-owned streamer does offer a free tier, viewers will have to subscribe to one of the platforms paid tiers to watch the film. Peacock costs $5.99/month with ads or $11.99/month add-free. In addition, Oppenheimer is also available to rent or purchase digitally on platforms including Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and more.

For anyone hoping to catch Cillian Murphy's haunted expression on the big screen, Oppenheimer is still showing in limited theaters as of Oscar weekend; check here for Oppenheimer tickets.

Documentary filmmaking is an important part of our media intake here at Marie Claire. Sure, epic dramas, heart-racing action flicks and thrillers, terrifying horror tales, and laugh-out-loud comedies take up big chunks of our entertainment palette, but it's just as important to take time out of our weekends to learn something new. As with last year's stellar selection, 2024 has shaped up to be a great year for thoughtful, comprehensive docs about our society, from biopics on our most acclaimed public figures (like Jennifer Lopez and Frida Kahlo) to snapshots of everyday life to examinations of structural inequalities and troubled institutions.

Read on for the best documentaries of 2024. (If you're looking for your next true crime binge, read our list of 2024 true crime documentaries and series here.)

'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders'

This docuseries from the team behind Cheer and Last Chance U follows the legendary Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders throughout their 2023 season. From tryouts to the first game to the playoffs, viewers get an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the women who make up the NFL dance team and all of the highs and lows of their roles.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial'

In this doc, director J.M. Harper explores the criminalization of rap, pointing to the controversial practice of using lyrics as court evidence, from the 2000 conviction of New Orleans rapper Mac to the recent charges against Young Thug. The film, based on Erik Nielson and Andrea L. Dennis's book Rap on Trial, follows Bronx-based rapper Kemba as he speaks to other artists and academics on how the practice is based on the criminalization of Blackness.

WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

'Black Twitter: A People's History'

Based on Jason Parham's Wired article of the same name, this three-part docuseries speaks with dozens of scholars, critics, and influencers about the social phenomenon best known as Black Twitter. Per the official description, the series "charts the rise, the movements, the voices, and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life."

WATCH ON HULU

'Child Star'

Co-directed by Demi Lovato and Nicola Marsh, this doc follows the former as she has revealing conversations with other former child stars about the reality of growing up in the spotlight and the industry. Among the stars she speaks with are Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Raven-Symoné, Kenan Thompson, and Lovato's former Camp Rock co-star Alyson Stoner.

WATCH ON HULU

'Chimp Crazy'

Four years after Tiger King, producer Eric Goode brings viewers another stranger-than-fiction story about the exotic pet trade. This docuseries follows Tonia Haddix, a former nurse who refers to herself as the "Dolly Parton of chimps," and the wild years-long saga of what happened when her beloved Tonka, a 32-year-old retired Hollywood chimp, went missing.

WATCH ON MAX

'Dahomey'

Directed by French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop, this documentary centers on the complex question of repatriation of artifacts that have sat in Western museums for generations, having been stolen from African lands. It follows France's return of 26 objects that the country had looted from the kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin) in 1892.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Daughters'

This moving film from directors Natalie Rae and Angela Patton follows the latter's Date with Dad initiative, a 10-week therapeautic program that ends with a father-daughter dance, reuniting incarcerated dads with their young daughters. It features four girls, aged 5 to 15, and their fathers in the lead-up to the big event.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Ennio'

Acclaimed film composer Ennio Morricone—who scored some of the best movies of all time like Cinema Paradiso, Once Upon a Time In America, and The Hateful Eight—is the subject of this reverential doc from director Giuseppe Tornatore. Filmed before the musician died in 2020, the biographical film features Morricone speaking about his life and impressive career, with his contemporaries and admirers chiming in.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Faye'

Academy Award-winning actress Faye Dunaway is (finally) the subject of a feature-length doc, in which the Hollywood legend "candidly discusses the triumphs and challenges of her illustrious career," from her iconic roles in classic films in Bonnie & Clyde and Network to the camp favorite Mommie Dearest. "Through those reflections, she courageously explores personal discoveries including her struggles with mental health issues and bipolar disorder, her family history growing up in a small town in Florida, and how the intensity of the characters she played still impacts who she is today," per a press release.

WATCH ON MAX

'Frida'

Directed by Carla Gutiérrez, this wide-ranging documentary about the surrealist painter Frida Kahlo covers over 40 years of her life, incorporating her letters, print interviews, and illustrated diary (as well as vivid animated sequences) to tell her story in her own words and images.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Girls State'

In this follow-up to the 2020 Texas-set doc Boys State, directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss document a similar mock government program in Missouri, where 500 teen girls from across the state gather to build their own union. In addition to following the frenzied campaigns for elected positions, the doc also explores the disparity between that year's Missouri Boys State and Girls State programs that take place at the same time.

WATCH ON APPLE TV+

'God Save Texas'

In this trilogy inspired by Lawrence Wright's book God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State, three filmmakers from Texas return to their hometowns to show why the state is a "study in contradictions." Director Richard Linklater takes on the prison system in Huntsville, while Alex Stapleton explores how the oil industry impacts Black and brown communities in Houston, and Iliana Sosa examines the shared culture between the border cities of El Paso and Juáurez, Mexico.

WATCH ON MAX

'The Greatest Love Story Never Told'

This documentary from Jennifer Lopez shares a behind-the-scenes look at the multi-hyphenate's life, as she works on her ninth album and accompanying musical film This is Me... Now: A Love Story. The film also addresses some of the highly-publicized parts of Lopez's life, including her relationship with her then-husband Ben Affleck, and her decision to self-finance her musical.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'The Greatest Night in Pop'

This music documentary looks at the herculean effort behind the legendary 1985 recording session, where dozens of the world's most popular musicians—including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis—gathered to record the single "We Are the World." The film tracks the charitable project from planning stages to completion, mixing never-before-seen footage with testimonials from several of the stars.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project'

This majestic biographical doc from directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson looks at the life and influence of the famed queer, Black poet Nikki Giovanni. It uses new and archival footage of her public appearances and "visually innovative treatments of her poetry," including readings by actress Taraji P. Henson and the writer herself.

WATCH ON MAX

'I Am: Céline Dion'

This intimate doc on the legendary "Queen of Power Ballads" chronicles the star's battle with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that led the singer to postpone her career due to painful muscle spasms. According to the film's description, the "raw and honest" doc highlights "the music that has guided [Céline’s] life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit."

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Look Into My Eyes'

A nuanced, emotional documentary illuminating the lives of seven professional psychics? Yes, please! Per the film's description, it follows "a group of New York City psychics [who] conduct deeply intimate readings for their clients, revealing a kaleidoscope of loneliness, connection, and healing."

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'Luther: Never Too Much'

This Sundance hit is a long-awaited biography of beloved R&B singer Luther Vandross. Director Dawn Porter gives a comprehensive, illuminating look at the late Grammy winner's career and life, drawn from archival footage and interviews with his closest friends and colleagues.

WATCH IT IN THEATERS

'Patrice: The Movie'

This heartwarming film is a self-proclaimed "documentary rom-com about the next phase of marriage equality: disability." It follows Patrice Jetter, a school crossing guard and Special Olympics athlete, and her fight for the right to marry her loving partner Garry Wickham without being penalized by the federal disability benefits program.

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'Power'

This incisive documentary from director Yance Ford chronicles the history of American policing and criticizes the institution that claims to serve and protect the public. It charts a path from the slave patrols of the 1700s to troops forcibly moving Native Americans in the 1800s to the use of police in strike-breaking as well as the militarization of police departments.

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'The Remarkable Life of Ibelin'

This acclaimed documentary out of Sundance takes a posthumous look at the life of Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died at the age of 25 after living with a degenerative muscular disease. Though his disability kept him physically isolated, his time spent playing World of Warcraft (which he kept secret from his parents) allowed him to become "an integral and beloved part of a digital community that loudly mourned his passing."

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'Ren Faire'

This three-episode docuseries, which has drawn comparisons to a real-life Game of Thrones, centers on the Texas Renaissance Festival, the largest "faire" in the world. When 86-year-old George Coulam (known as King George) decides that he is ready to retire, several of his longtime employees—including an actor, a former elephant trainer, and a kettle-corn kingpin—begin an epic power battle to claim George’s throne, per a press release.

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'Seeking Mavis Beacon'

Mavis Beacon taught a generation of '90s kids to type, but in actuality, the iconic teacher from the famed software program was a marketing concept invented by the co-founder of MySpace. This doc from director Jazmin Jones covers the quest to find the real woman who modeled for Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing while digging into the complicated history and legacy of one of the most well-known Black women in tech.

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'Simone Biles Rising'

The 2024 Olympics saw the triumphant return of gymnast Simone Biles to the international competition, where she won three gold medals and one silver medal. This docuseries follows the legendary athlete during the aftermath of her withdrawal from the 2020 Games, all the way through years of training, the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Trials, and her performances in Paris.

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'Spermworld'

This FX/NYT documentary from Ren Faire filmmaker Lance Oppenheim delves into the accessible yet unregulated world of private sperm donors, where hopeful parents search for private donations on Facebook groups and sometimes meet the donors in person.

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'Sugarcane'

This acclaimed National Geographic documentary follows the aftermath of a series of discoveries in 2021 when unmarked graves were found on the grounds of several Native residential schools in Canada. "After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation, and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, Sugarcane illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere," per the film's description.

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'Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story'

In the late 1970s, Christopher Reeve rose to superstardom, going from a relatively unknown actor to the definitive Man of Steel. Then, after four Superman movies and dozens of other films, the actor was injured in a 1995 horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. This acclaimed doc chronicles Reeve's career, from superhero to disability rights advocate, and includes never-before-seen interviews with his three children.

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'To Kill a Tiger'

Director Nisha Pahuja's Oscar-nominated feature—which racked up dozens of awards—follows Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, who seeks justice after his 13-year-old daughter Kiran (a pseudonym) survives a brutal sexual assault. The unflinching doc centers the family's determination in the face of ostracization, and ultimately tells a story of "hope, resilience, and a father’s unwavering love."

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Union'

This searing doc follows the efforts of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), composed of current and former workers in N.Y.C.’s Staten Island, as they organize against tech and commerce behemoths. Directors Brett Story and Stephen Maing offer a wide-ranging look at both the workers' fight and the dynamics within the organization, including intra-union disagreements and concerns about gender and racial dynamics.

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'Will & Harper'

Will Ferrell and Harper Steele have known each other for over 30 years, with their creative collaboration on Saturday Night Live leading to a decades-long friendship. In this heartfelt doc, the pair embark on a cross-country road trip soon after Steele comes out as a trans woman.

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March 7 is three years to the day that Oprah with Meghan and Harry aired on CBS—the groundbreaking television special that saw Oprah Winfrey interview Prince Harry and Meghan Markle about their lives during their time in the royal family and after. (Harry and Meghan stepped back as working members of the royal family in January 2020.)

On the cusp of that anniversary, a recent dinner Meghan had in L.A. is stirring speculation that she might be collaborating with Winfrey again. Meghan—wearing gray jeans, a gray sweater, and ballet flats—had sushi at hotspot Asanebo with Terry Woods, the executive producer of Winfrey’s Harpo production company. Woods was behind Winfrey’s Apple TV+ mental health series, The Me You Can’t See, which Harry also collaborated on; Harry wasn’t present for the dinner at Asanebo.

Wood also worked with Winfrey on the Harry and Meghan special, and “the executive producer was reported to be possibly working with the Duchess on a second season of her podcast” after Rebecca Sananes, formerly head of audio at Archewell Audio, the podcasting portion of the couple’s Archewell Productions, left the company in late 2022.

“Their appearance together last night will undoubtedly spark rumors that Meghan and Oprah are planning to team up for a new venture in the coming months,” The Daily Express reports.

It was a busy day for Meghan socially, as earlier that same day, she had lunch at Cipriani Beverly Hills with Clare Waight Keller, the former creative director at Givenchy and also the designer of Meghan’s 2018 wedding dress when she married Harry that May.

After signing with talent agency William Morris Endeavor—and specifically powerful agent Ari Emanuel—last April, there has felt like something is in the works for Meghan. We now know that she has a podcast coming out at some point with Lemonada Media, which will also distribute Meghan’s “Archetypes” podcast more widely, not just exclusively on Spotify, where it has lived since its 2022 debut. Meghan has been out publicly more than ever recently, grabbing meals with high-profile folks like Woods and Waight Keller; rumors persist that Meghan is looking to foray into the lifestyle space, a content area she has deep experience with as the founder of “The Tig,” a lifestyle blog Meghan ran until she was preparing to marry Harry nearly six years ago.

The 1990s were an awesome time for TV and movies, specifically those marketed at teens and young adults. If you happened to appear in a show that hit it big, you immediately became a star known to everyone with a working TV and access to magazines. That led to some pretty iconic '90s icons who really "made it" in Hollywood, like Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo DiCaprio, but equally it gave us some stars that we don't hear much from anymore.

It's gonna be repeated throughout this piece, but it's worth noting right up top: A lot of young actors, including child stars, didn't have a "normal" upbringing when they became famous early. So it makes sense that they quit the business or retired to do something else. And show business can be rough—so it's understandable when actors want to take a break or lose the love of acting. A number of these actors also continued to work and still can be found on our screens today. You just may not have realized it!

Marla Sokoloff

Stephanie's frenemy on Full House (who also appears in Fuller House) actually almost played Topanga on Boy Meets World. (She also played Joey's sister on Friends!) These days, she's a mom of three. She still acts on smaller projects, and in 2022 she directed Rosé All Day.

Pauly Shore

Believe it or not, Shore was a '90s comedy legend, from Encino Man to A Goofy Movie and Son in Law. (He was also an on-camera VJ during a time when MTV was being watched by every single teen in America.) He's continued to act, and he's also a filmmaker (including Pauly Shore Is Dead, about his decreasing popularity. He's got a sense of humor!).

Fairuza Balk

With a name like Fairuza, Balk seemed destined for stardom—she was the best part of The Craft, and also had parts in American History X and Almost Famous. She's also released music and done visual art since 2010 and has starred in Ray Donovan and Paradise City. She's still in the industry, in other words.

Barry Watson

There are a ton of '90s heartthrobs on this list (and, if you didn't live through it, you might not understand how obsessed teen girls were with male celebrities). Watson is one of these, from his role on 7th Heaven to Teaching Miss Tingle. He's continued to act, including on Samantha Who? and The Loudest Voice.

Jenna von Oÿ

Dorothy "Six" LeMeure from Blossom and Stevie from The Parkers and Stacey from A Goofy Movie: von Oÿ had a prolific career in the '90s. She launched a music career in the 2000s and has continued to do some acting as well as some impressive writing. Fun fact! She came out as gay in 2023.

Moira Kelly

Kelly's list of acting credits from this era is long and impressive: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, One Tree Hill, The West Wing, and (a role I didn't realize until just now) Nala in the original Lion King! She continued to act, including on the TV show Citadel and My Southern Family Christmas.

Mike Vitar

"You're killing me, Smalls!" Benny the Jet from The Sandlot and Luis from the three Mighty Duck movies retired from acting in 1997. Not much is known about him beyond that, other than that he has done work as an EMT and firefighter and that he has not shown up to film reunions.

Skeet Ulrich

If you happened to watch Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), you'll know that Skeet Ulrich is back in the Scream franchise reprising his role as the murderous Billy Loomis. (Spoiler alert for the original Scream, and I guess the other movies, lol.) How, you ask? He comes back as a de-aged ghost!

Tatyana Ali

The erstwhile Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a sensation in the '90s; She also parlayed that fame into a role on The Young and the Restless in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2023, she released holiday music and starred in Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story.

Jason Behr

This might be the first of a couple times you say, "Oh yea, that guy!!" for people on this list. The first season of Roswell made Behr immediately recognizable and in hindsight became a fan fave. He married fellow actor Katherine Dee Strickland in 2006; He's acted since, including as Zor-El in Supergirl.

Rachael Leigh Cook

To be clear: Rachael Leigh Cook has continued to act, including in some very fun Hallmark movies. But she was a '90s on-screen darling thanks to She's All That (fun fact: She also had a role in the remake, He's All That) as well as the cult classic Josie and the Pussycats.

Billy Baldwin

One of the Baldwin brothers (brother to Alec!), Billy had his biggest hits in the '90s (Backdraft, Flatliners); He also did early work as a Calvin Klein model. He's continued to act in smaller projects (including Northern Rescue). He has three children with singer Chynna Phillips.

Thora Birch

Child stars have it tough! The actor who appeared in Clear and Present Danger, American Beauty, and Ghost World later said she found the expectations of her transition from child to adult actor "distasteful." Birch has acted more recently, included in The Last Black Man in San Francisco.

Tahj Mowry

The brother of Tia and Tamera Mowry had his own show (Smart Guy) and a similar role on Kim Possible. He stopped acting for a time in favor of school and football, later turning to singing and acting in smaller roles. In 2023 he began starring in Disney+'s The Muppets Mayhem.

Devon Sawa

Teenage girls absolutely raved over Devon Sawa in the '90s (remember his role in Casper?? Because I sure do!). He also starred in films like Now and Then and Final Destination; He then sought to get away from his heartthrob status. He's returned to acting, including horror films and TV like Chucky.

Rider Strong

Fun fact about Rider Strong, who was a part of the hit show Boy Meets World: "I did not want to be associated with the show, which is crazy to me now," he told Business Insider. In a fun twist, now he co-hosts the Boy Meets World rewatch podcast (and he's voiced Brick in Kim Possible, too).

Andrea Barber

In hindsight, I actually love Kimmy from Full House (people thought she was annoying at the time, but...she's actually kind of adorable?). After the show ended, she retired from acting, but did return as Kimmy in Fuller House and acted in Nickelodeon's That Girl Lay Lay as the principal.

Nate Richert

Harvey Kinkle was a huge part of the success of Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Everyone loved Nate Richert and Melissa Joan Hart together and were rooting for them throughout the will-they-won't-they dynamic of the series. He since got into music and has talked about doing carpentry and improv (as well as reunion appearances for that show).

Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple has absolutely continued to make music, so she hasn't disappeared—but her '90s fame, including "Criminal," was the stuff of legend (recently, it was featured in the Jennifer Lopez film Hustlers and was introduced to new audiences!). Check out her latest stuff if you like her.

Macy Gray

"I try to say goodbye and I choke—try to walk away and I stumble." Macy Gray's extremely singable "I Try" is still a classic, although her subsequent musical work was never quite as popular. Gray has appeared on Dancing With the Stars and The Masked Singer in Australia; In the 2020s, she's had multiple film projects.

Andrew Keegan

If you love 10 Things I Hate About You (iconic, classic, would watch right now), you're familiar with Andrew Keegan—who plays the extremely unlikeable Joey with the exact right level of douchiness. He took a break from acting but since returned to it in the 2020s, both TV and film.

Larisa Oleynik

We probably know Larisa Oleynik best from 10 Things I Hate About You, but she first starred in Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack (which, if you're unfamiliar, she's very good in). While her roles might not be as splashy, she has continued to act since then, including a small role on Mad Men.

Bridget Fonda

This '90s queen (who comes from a famous acting family—Jane Fonda is her aunt!) appeared in The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, and Jackie Brown. After marrying Danny Elfman and having a child, she stopped appearing in public. (In the '00s, she was in a car accident and broke one of her vertebrae, which may have influenced the decision.)

Rick Moranis

The prototypical '90s funny man had an amazing run of hits, including Ghostbusters (and the sequel!), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and (my personal favorite) Spaceballs. Tragically, his wife passed away from cancer, and he stopped working in Hollywood to be a single dad. (In the late 2010s and 2020s, he's made forays into the industry again.)

Mara Wilson

If you loved Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda, you loved the sweet innocence of Mara Wilson (she basically had every 90s kid's dream job). Wilson took a break from acting and is actually a phenomenal writer who has spoken eloquently about, among other things, the difficulties of being a child star.

Macaulay Culkin

Culkin was the child star of the '90s. His most notable hits included My Girl, Home Alone (plus the sequel!), The Good Son, and Richie Rich. He retired from acting but has since has come back to the industry as well as done musical work. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023!

Shane West

Technically Shane West probably falls under "'00s forgotten icons," since his most famous film, A Walk to Remember, came out in 2002. But his career began in earnest in the '90s, including with Once and Again and The Cider House Rules—and a guest spot on Buffy, naturally. He may be more under the radar now, but he still acts!

Monica

If you heard and loved "The Boy Is Mine," you're familiar with the duet between Monica and Brandy. After the massive success of that single and her third album, she never quite hit those heights again, although she did act, including on Felicity, and did reality TV and worked on The Voice.

Emilio Estevez

Estevez comes from a famous acting family (Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen) and had a real heyday in the 1980s—but he still had major roles in the '90s, including with Mission: Impossible and The Mighty Ducks movies. Since then, he's written and directed several films, and did appear in the 2021 series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.

Sinbad

The Coneheads and Jingle All the Way actor (who was also a viral comedian) even had his own sitcom in the '90s. He hasn't worked as much since then—partially due to a stroke in 2020 as well as filing for bankruptcy—but did appear as himself in season 4 of Atlanta and has done voice work and music.

Brandy

A highly prolific singer (see also: "The Boy Is Mine") and actor (the titular lead on Moesha), Brandy has continued to work as a singer, public figure, and actor (including on TV with Queens and on Broadway with Chicago). But she spent time away from public life after Moesha, including dealing with the aftermath of a fatal car crash.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

The teen heartthrob to end all heartthrobs, JTT (as he was affectionately called) had massive early success on TV (Home Improvement) and movies (voicing Simba in the original Lion King). He quit his TV show to focus on school, but he did venture back on screen in 2013 and has directed.

"Training Season" is over for Dua Lipa, as she has apparently found herself a new boyfriend in Callum Turner.

The singer and the actor have been sparking romance rumors since January, when they were spotted dancing together after the premiere of Turner's new Apple TV+ series, Masters of the Air.

Since then, they've confirmed their item status with some heavy PDA and dates in Beverly Hills.

Most recently, Turner and Lipa were spotted attending a BAFTAs afterparty together. They held hands and seemed to only have eyes for each other.

Lipa changed out of the dramatic caped red Valentino gown she had worn for the event into a sleek black Valentino gown. She paired this with a glittering statement necklace and black clutch. Turner was dapper in a simple double-breasted black suit and tie.

In honor of their romance, Lipa even released her new song on his birthday. (Can you think of a better birthday gift?) The song, "Training Season" discusses all the bad dates she had to go on in order to find the right man, which just might be Turner.

“I had been on a string of bad dates, and the last one was the final straw," Lipa said as to the inspiration behind the track. "The next morning, I arrived to the studio to [songwriters] Caroline [Ailin] and Tobias [Jesso Jr.] asking me how it all went and I immediately declared ‘TRAINING SEASON IS OVER,’ and, like the best ‘day after’ debriefs with your mates, we had a lot of laughs and it all quickly came together from there."

Lipa made sure to include Taylor Swift-style Easter eggs in the music video, seemingly referencing her previous boyfriends. The video starts with voicemails that seem to be from Aaron Piper, who she was linked to in 2022. She is then seen enjoying a cup of tea in the restaurant where she was first spotted with Noah Trevor over two years ago. 

As the camera pans, you can see a man seated behind Lipa, who closely resembles her ex-boyfriend Anwar Hadid, the younger brother of Bella and Gigi. The art on the wall appears to be cinema posters, which is an interest she shared with her ex-boyfriend Romain Gravas. A source close to her has also previously said that Gravas used to complain about her level of fame, which may be why she is surrounded by onlookers and cameras in the video.

Growing up in the spotlight isn't easy—just ask any of the former child stars from Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. But aside from long hours and mistreatment by the industry and fans alike, there's a less-discussed factor at play. How do you differentiate yourself from the character you've come to be known for?

Maisie Williams, for instance, signed on to play Arya Stark in Game of Thrones when she was only 12. "I was so lost for so long and I knew that I was, and when I couldn't pin down what I felt my identity was within that, it brought me a lot of discomfort,” the actress said to The Sunday Times (via People). "It's hard to even put myself back there and talk about how tough it was just because I think it's done."

The HBO series ran for eight seasons, coming to a close in 2019. Since then, Williams has appeared on a number of other TV shows, the most recent being Apple TV's The New Look, where she plays legendary designer Christian Dior's sister, Catherine. She's also experimented with daring new style looks, including a Matrix-inspired getup for the 2021 Met Gala and a slicked-back pixie cut.

And while Williams told The Sunday Times that she's now "a lot more comfortable in my own skin," that feeling of being "lost" affected her auditions for non-GOT projects.

"It was at its absolute worst when I also was the most out of touch with myself—not knowing your identity and that kind of thing—I think rejection at that point felt so personal, so painful," Williams told the U.K. outlet. "I'd solely compare myself to other actresses, and the way people looked, and all of the most destructive ways that you can compare yourself."

Williams' post-GOT journey hasn't always been easy, but the show did bring her lifelong friendships. She was one of two maids of honor at her costar Sophie Turner's wedding to Joe Jonas. The pair attended Kit Harington and Rose Leslie's 2018 wedding, too.

When you’re Kaia Gerber and your mother is Cindy Crawford, it’s impossible to not know that you’re from famous stock. After all, Crawford is one of the supers, a 1990s supermodel whose legend is only rivaled by fellow supers like Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington.

Even after Gerber herself began modeling years and years ago, apparently she still didn’t realize exactly how big of a deal her mom is in the modeling industry—and didn’t until about a year ago, Page Six reports. 

In fact, it wasn’t until Gerber watched The Super Models on Apple TV+, released last September, that she fully realized just how well-regarded Crawford really is. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Gerber admitted that her own successful modeling career was no doubt shaped because of Crawford’s, but after watching the docuseries, she finally got the full scope.

“I was like, ‘I didn’t realize,’” Gerber told the outlet. “‘I knew you were iconic, but…’ I didn’t understand when I was younger. I was starstruck in front of her after.”

After all, to the world she’s Cindy Crawford, but to Gerber? She’s just mom. The mother-daughter duo of Crawford and Gerber are lookalikes—it’s a near copy/paste—and Gerber said watching The Super Models opened her eyes to all that Crawford had to go through to provide the life she did for their family, which also includes Gerber’s dad, Casamigos cofounder Rande Gerber, and brother, Presley Gerber.

“What she made of her career, there wasn’t really someone’s footsteps to follow,” Gerber said. “And I thought it was so cool that she always had that ambition, and she did things where people told her, ‘This will ruin your career. Don’t do this.’ And she trusted her instincts.” She further praised her mother for being so “smart and focused and ambitious” from “a very young age,” despite “coming from a very different background" than Gerber herself did.

Gerber obviously did have someone’s footsteps to follow and told The Wall Street Journal that she is well aware of her privilege and leg up into the modeling industry. “I don’t think it’s a topic that will go away, so I’ve clearly reached a point of acceptance,” she said of being a so-called nepo baby. “I personally am very aware of all the wonderful things it has done for me, and I would never, ever say anything negative about it, because that is my truth about it.” 

While her mother’s name may have gotten Gerber’s career started, her hard work and talent has kept it going; her resume includes work with the likes of Valentino, Prada, Chanel, Fendi, Givenchy, Miu Miu, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang, and Coach, among others. She said she feels fortunate because “I can actually ask my parents [for] advice on career things, on business things,” Gerber said. “That’s very rare, to have parents who are in the same industry or career as you, whose advice you actually can trust.”

While it's a cliché that celebrities love to spend extravagant amounts of money (though it has a basis in truth), there are also many instances where celebrities took their initial fame and made smart business decisions. Those decisions are wide and varied, from investment firms to clothing and lifestyle brands to literally having ownership stakes in sports teams.

Each person on this list took their most marketable assets and parlayed them into unique kinds of success. There's no set playbook to celebrity business wealth, in other words, except that it includes a smart and individualized strategy (and, while they're not recognized as often, a really smart team of people helping bring it to execution).

Below, 32 times celebrities proved to be impeccable at business.

Kim Kardashian

The obviously smart business decision for Kim Kardashian is SKIMS, which she co-founded in 2019 and was valued at over $4 billion in 2023. But she was making smart business decisions before then, including strategic endorsements and shoutouts to dermatologists and other members of her beauty team, long before it was cool.

Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest already feels like the host for about a thousand TV and radio shows, but if you're unfamiliar, he also launched a clothing line called Distinction in 2014 with Macy's, which expanded to sportswear in 2017. This was the same year he announced he'd be partnering on a skincare line, FYI.

Bono

Amongst a number of investments, Bono was a managing partner for a private equity firm named (appropriately) Elevation Partners from 2004 to 2015, and co-founded impact investment fund named The Rise Fund, working with the UN on sustainable ventures.

Ellen Degeneres

Ellen Digital Ventures, a 2023 venture that expands Ellen Degeneres' franchise to multiple platforms, is just the latest in Degeneres' business ventures, including her own record company, lifestyle brand, and production company (and that doesn't even include being a spokeswoman!).

Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson has set the bar high for celebrity entrepreneurs, particularly with his ownership stake in sports team (including formerly as a part-owner of the L.A. Lakers and founder of the managing entity that owns the L.A. Dodgers) and successful career as a TV personality.

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez launched her beauty brand in 2020 (based of her album at the time), with the aim to promote inclusivity and highlight mental health initiatives. According to Business of Fashion, in 2024 it was worth more than $2 billion, with its hero product being the liquid blush.

Reese Witherspoon

Nothing makes more sense than Reese Witherspoon making clothing with tiny hearts on them, as befitting her perky, cheerful personality. Draper James was launched in 2015 and drew very clearly from the actor's personal style as well as her Southern roots.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow really got in on the modern high-end beauty space before a lot of people did. While people might have originally mocked the strange-sounding "Goop," various sources point to the company currently being worth between $200 and $250 million.

Shay Mitchell

Here on a Revlon photoshoot, Shay Mitchell has made some savvy business decisions. Her most notable one might be cofounding her luggage and bag line, Béis, launched in 2018, swiftly followed by cofounding canned sparkling tequila brand Onda. She told Hollywood Reporter she was motivated by "the gaping white space and the incessant itch that told me I could do it better.”

Sofia Vergara

You may know Sofia Vergara from film roles or her character on Modern Family, but Vergara has business ventures that include underwear, cosmetics, and fragrances. She launched a big Walmart collection that expanded to including home decor alongside clothes, and she also launched a reading-glasses line.

Jimmy Buffett

The song "Margaritaville" was successful all on its own, but when Jimmy Buffett had the brilliant idea to sell merchandise and open restaurants of the same name, it helped propel him to massive monetary success—literally millions per year in its heyday.

Ariana Grande

Referred to Vogue as "perfume tycoon," Ariana Grande parlayed her great success as a musician and actor to quietly build a huge perfume business. With the first launching in 2015 and including more than a dozen, her scents are apparently the perfect mix between sharp and sweet (which tracks with her personality!).

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston has known about the power of endorsements for a long time (see also: Her long, fruitful relationship with SmartWater, among others). She's also an entrepreneur: Her investments have included Echo Films and LolaVie (haircare), and she has ownership stake in other brands.

Jennifer Lopez

No one works harder than Jennifer Lopez—especially since (even after her film career took off) she remained firmly entrenched in her career as a singer. She made history as the first female artist to have a number one album and film at the same time! In 2023, she expanded into the beauty space as well.

Dr. Dre

Beats by Dre, started by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, was acquired by Apple in 2014 for $3 billion(!!). Iovine recounted that Dre was lamenting the sound quality of cheap headphones (pertaining to the experience of listening to his music), and their efforts to fill the gap in the market were born.

Diddy

Diddy started with a clothing line, but Combs Enterprises expanded to include liquor, a film and TV network, restaurants, sports accoutrements, and gaming infrastructure. In 2023, he rebranded to Combs Global to denote international business expansion.

Robert DeNiro

Sometimes known as a sushi "empire," Nobu began in part because Robert DeNiro convinced the mononymous sushi expert to open a restaurant in New York City with him. DeNiro had to wait years until Nobu was ready to launch Nobu New York, but it was worth the wait.

George Clooney

In 2018, Clooney's tequila brand Casamigos was sold to Diageo—and Clooney reportedly walked away with $233 million, per Forbes. But even before that, he's been smart with endorsements, including pocketing $40 million to star in Nespresso commercials.

Francis Ford Coppola

Wine is not the only one of Francis Ford Coppola's business endeavors (including launching multiple hotels), but because he's a winemaking connoisseur and he's owned wineries since the 1970s, he's very successful at parlaying his identity as a filmmaker into the eponymous success of his wine.

Taylor Swift

In the follow-up to Taylor Swift's "worst-case scenario" (Scooter Braun acquiring the rights to her early songs) Swift re-recorded her classics—introducing her music to a new, younger generation, giving her back creative control, and evolving the sound of her music. Brilliant.

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson's most recent "smart business decision" was to release a very candid memoir that really laid out important aspects of a dramatic life. But her first smart business decision was to launch her own namesake brand (and then buy it back in 2023).

Beyoncé

When Queen Bey released her full album Beyoncé in 2013 with no advance marketing, it established her not just as a powerhouse artist who could command huge sales, but an incredibly savvy businesswoman who, quite frankly, didn't need to do marketing anymore if she didn't want to.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe had an exceptionally smart business head. In a feud with 20th Century Fox over their inability to cast her in roles she wanted, she protested and went on a wildly successful PR tour—giving her the bargaining power to negotiate. This would happen again, allowing her even more money and creative control.

Jessica Alba

If you only know of Jessica Alba as an actor, you're really undervaluing her impressive turn as an entrepreneur. And if you're a parent, you probably know her story about becoming a mom, wanting better baby products, and founding the highly successful The Honest Company.

Martha Stewart

It feels like Martha Stewart has gone through endless evolutions of her business, but the cooking, entertaining, interviews, TV work, and general hustle that led to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) were proof of the genius that would last decades.

Kathy Ireland

It's not every day you hear of a supermodel-turned-mogul, but that is exactly what Kathy Ireland did with her early Sports Illustrated success. It's all thanks to her brand licensing company, kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW), which started life as a marketing company, evolved into a brand, and eventually included several thousand products.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan's made a bunch of smart business decisions, including a sneaker deal with Nike that Front Office Sports reported paid him $256 million just in 2022. But his smartest might have been his 2023 $3 billion sale of basketball team the Hornets, netting him a reported $2+ million profit.

Paul Newman

Here with partner A.E. Hotchner, Paul Newman debuted a line of pasta sauces. Technically Newman's Own started in 1982 with salad dressing, but it quickly expanded (and if you've ever been to a grocery store, you've probably seen the products with Newman's face on them). Technically the profits go to a nonprofit, but this was also a second career for Newman after acting.

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds has made a bunch of smart business investments, including ownership stakes in Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile. Fun(ny) fact: In 2023, it was revealed that Reynolds and business partner Rob McElhenney lost about $12 million on the Wales soccer team they bought, Wrexham A.F.C., leading to some comical reactions from Reynolds, but their promotion to the English Football League (and accompanying docuseries) was thought to help with that.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton has made some cool, interesting investments—including Dollywood, a theme park in Tennessee, and other parks and chains—but the coolest decision she's made recently was a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help develop the coronavirus vaccine.

Rihanna

When Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty in 2017, she said she was hoping to make makeup inspiring and fun for everyone "so that women everywhere would be included.” Forbes has estimated that Fenty Beauty alone is (conservatively!) worth $2.8 billion.

Oprah

It might be impossible to count all the smart business decisions Oprah's made, from her brilliant and popular conception for The Oprah Winfrey Show, to her Favorite Things list and book club, to the diversification of her career, to her status as a media mogul. The limit does not exist?

Lily Gladstone has made Oscars history. The breakout star of Martin Scorsese's latest epic Killers of the Flower Moon received her much-anticipated Academy Awards' nod for Lead Actress, making her the first ever Native woman of American descent to be nominated in the category. While other Indigenous actresses have received noms before, including Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes and Roma star Yalitza Aparicio, Gladstone makes history as the first Indigenous woman from the U.S. to receive the honor.

Gladstone is the formidable heart of the Apple TV+ film which is based on the 2017 book of the same name and chronicles a string of murders among the oil-rich Indigenous community in 1920s Osage County, Oklahoma. The actress plays Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman who is determined to bring national attention to the killings of her family and friends, even as her own health fails.

Gladstone was in the Osage Nation when she heard the news of her nomination, speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the historic moment.

"I always say this, but [the honor]’s not fully mine," she said. "It belongs to so many people: the Osage Nation, the Blackfeet Nation, the Nez Perce Nation, every Indigenous actor whose shoulders I stand on. It’s circumstantial that I’m the first, and I’m so very grateful. I just know that I’m not going to be the last, not by a long shot."

If you want to learn more about the Oscar frontrunner, read on for a breakdown of Gladstone's early acting inspiration, her previous acclaimed roles, and her penchant for honoring Indigenous style on the red carpet.

She grew up in the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, and she was inspired to act by a 'Star Wars' character.

Gladstone was born in 1986 in Kalispell, Montana, and lived on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana, until she was 10. Her father is of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, and her mother is of European descent. She graduated from Mountlake Terrace High School, near Seattle, Washington, and got her acting start in school plays and youth theater. She later graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Theater and a minor in Native American Studies.

In a 2012 interview, Gladstone cited a surprising inspiration for her acting career: the adorable, vicious Ewoks from the Star Wars franchise. "I loved the concept of living in tree houses, and I knew my only shot at being an Ewok was to become an actress," she shared.

She won 'Most Likely to Win an Oscar' in high school.

It turns out that Gladstone's high school classmates may have foreseen her awards run all the way back in 2004. In a since-resurfaced photo that went viral earlier this year, the Oscar nominee poses for her senior-year award: “Most Likely to Win an Oscar,” alongside her friend and fellow theater kid, Josh Ryder.

Since the picture resurfaced, Ryder (who now co-owns a restaurant in the Seattle area) has publicly cheered on Gladstone. In an interview with The Daily Beast, the restauranteur revealed he's still close with the actress, and even shared some memories from their high school days.

"I first met Lily doing theater in high school. She and I were in a production of 'Our Town' by Thornton Wilder. Then, I think we did three productions together over the years. That’s where our friendship grew," he told the outlet. "For both of us, our people were weird theater kids. We both still probably gravitate to that community."

She was cast for 'Killers of the Flower Moon' after Scorsese saw her performance in 2016's 'Certain Women.'

Gladstone made her feature-film debut in the 2013 films Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian and Winter in the Blood. Her breakout role was playing The Rancher in Kelly Reichardt's 2016 drama Certain Women, which earned her nominations from the Gotham Awards, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and several critics' groups.

Killers of the Flower Moon director Martin Scorsese said in November 2023 that he knew Gladstone was perfect for his film after seeing her performance in Certain Women. "I couldn’t take my eyes off of her," he told the outlet. "Lily’s character was quiet, she spoke very little, but she commanded the screen with her presence, with every move, every gesture. There are very few actors around who know how to hold the screen like that, and it was perfect for the character of Mollie."

Gladstone's co-star Leonardo DiCaprio also praised her work on Flower Moon in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "Lily has amazing presence and strength," he told the outlet. "She spent months studying Mollie Burkhart and her family, working extensively to understand the intricacies of this woman, her relationship with Ernest and her legacy within the Osage community. As a Native actor, in a lot of ways, she became a source of guidance for all of us, Scorsese included, in terms of how we told the story."

She was about to quit acting when she received the call about 'Killers of the Flower Moon.'

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the audition for Killers of the Flower Moon came during a challenging period for the actress. In August 2020, during a professional dry spell brought on by the COVID pandemic, she was considering quitting the entertainment industry. "You just wonder if it’s going to be sustainable," she told the outlet. "So I had my credit card out, registering for a data analytics course."

She told the outlet that she'd planned to apply for seasonal work with the Department of Agriculture, tracking the murder hornet surge (she is "a self-professed 'bee nerd'"). But as destiny would have it, while she was in the check-out process, she got an email notification requesting a Zoom meeting with Scorsese.

She gave her historic Golden Globes speech in the Blackfeet language.

Gladstone took home her first major award in January, when she won Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama at the 2024 Golden Globes. The actress began her acceptance speech by speaking in the Blackfeet language, an Algonquian language spoken by the Blackfoot or Niitsitapi people. She completed her speech in English, while emphasizing the importance of speaking the Indigenous language and showing love to the Native community.

"I love everyone in this room. I don't have words," she said. "I just spoke a bit of Blackfeet language, a beautiful community nation that raised me, that encouraged me to keep going, keep doing this here with my mom, who, even though she's not Blackfeet, worked tirelessly to get our language into our classroom so I had a Blackfeet language teacher growing up."

She continued, "I'm so grateful that I can speak even a little bit of my language, which I'm not fluent in, up here because, in this business, Native actors used to speak their lines in English and then the sound mixers would run them backwards to accomplish Native languages on camera."

"This [win] is a historic one. It doesn't belong to just me. I'm holding it right now. I'm holding it with all my beautiful sisters in the film at this table over here and my mother, Tantoo Cardinal, standing on all of your shoulders. Thank you," she added.

After thanking Scorsese, her co-stars, Chief Standing Bear, and the Osage Nation, she added that her win is for "every little res kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented in our stories told by ourselves in our own words with tremendous allies and tremendous trust from within from each other."

She promotes Indigenous designers on the red carpet.

Throughout Flower Moon's festival and awards run, Gladstone, along with her stylist Jason Remberthas, has showcased and supported Indigenous designers, primarily through her jewelry. So far she has worn pieces by designers including Lenise Omeasoo, Shelby LeeAnn Gorman, Jennifer Younger, Weomepe Designs, and El Techichi Jewelry. She has also nodded to Indigenous style with her hair, which she regularly wears in braids, paying homage to its spiritual and traditional significance in many tribes.

She uses both she and they pronouns, as "a way of decolonizing gender."

In a December 2023 interview with People, Gladstone revealed that her Indigenous heritage and childhood on the Blackfeet reservation led her to rethink gendered pronouns at an early age.

"I remember being 9 years old and just being a little disheartened, seeing how often a lot of my boy cousins were misgendered because they wore their hair long," she told the outlet. "It happens to a lot of kids, I think, especially Native boys leaving a community where long hair is celebrated [and then] just kind of getting teased for it. So I remember back then being like, Everybody should just be 'they.'"

The actor went on to explain that most Indigenous languages use only "they" pronouns, and that Blackfeet members' genders are "implied" in their name. She also noted that it's not meant to be binary, as Gladstone’s grandfather was named "Iron Woman" despite his gender because "he kind of carried himself, I guess, the way that women who have that name do."

"And there were lots of women historically and still now who are given men’s names," she continued. "They fulfill more of a man’s role in society as far as being provider, warrior, those sort of things. So, yeah, my pronoun use is partly a way of decolonizing gender for myself."

It’s Barry Keoghan’s moment—if you’ve seen Saltburn, you understand—and the actor is giving another of our favorites, Timothée Chalamet, a run for his money on the red carpet when it comes to bold looks.

Keoghan wore a white crop top and a whole lot of biceps to the L.A. premiere of his latest project, the Apple TV+ limited series Masters of the Air. The off-white sleeveless suit set is from Dolce & Gabbana and featured a double-breasted V-neck crop top and trousers. To accessorize, Keoghan “wore a single, delicate gold drop-chain around his neck,” People reports. “A pair of bracelets appeared on one wrist, while he donned a watch on the other. The actors completed his red carpet look with a pair of black Christian Louboutin shoes.”

Keoghan costarred with Jacob Elordi in Saltburn; Elordi also played Elvis Presley last year in the film Priscilla, about Presley’s wife of the same name. In Masters of the Air, Keoghan stars alongside another Elvis, Austin Butler, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Presley in the eponymous biopic Elvis. 

In the series, Keoghan stars as a World War II fighter pilot alongside Butler, with whom he sparred with off-screen, he told GQ. Butler “was pretty good,” Keoghan said, adding that he taught Butler some tricks. “I learned him how to box,” he added.

Masters of the Air allowed Keoghan to fulfill a long-held dream: “I always wanted to play a pilot,” he said, adding that he was also inspired by his previous role in Christopher Nolan’s war drama Dunkirk. 

It has been a busy week in fashion for Keoghan, who wore Louis Vuitton to the Golden Globes a week ago. He was nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture—Drama for his show-stopping role in Saltburn. The Globes outfit was from the fashion house’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection, and he paired it with numerous accessories, including a Tiffany & Co. earring.

The first two episodes of Masters of the Air drop on January 26. 

The action genre needed a reboot in 2024. Throughout much of 2023, superhero movies arrived in theaters to middling reviews and disappointing box office numbers, and while some beloved, long-running franchises held their own, there was still space for more original, high-octane blockbusters.

Thankfully, a handful of captivating action movies took their wild car chases, explosions, and deft fight choreography straight to the multiplex and streaming in 2024. From highly-anticipated spinoffs of properties like Mad Max to genre-defying action movies that delved into comedy territory, many great flicks bolstered our adrenaline throughout the year. Below, we're rounding up the best action movies of 2024 and where to watch them. (For even more recommendations, see our list of the best action movies of 2023.)

'Baby Assassins 2'

This fun action-comedy sequel follows a pair of teenage roommates (Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa) who make a living as assassins. When suspended from the Assassin's Guild, the girls are forced to take part-time jobs while evading a rival pair of killers.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Bad Boys: Ride or Die'

In the fourth installment of their action-comedy series, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's detective duo set out on a dangerous path to clear their late police captain's (Joe Pantoliano) name, after he's falsely linked to the cartels.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'The Beekeeper'

Jason Statham plays the titular beekeeper Adam Clay—also a retired assassin for a secret organization (because of course). When his caring landlady Eloise (Phylicia Rashad) loses her savings in an online scam, he fights his way up the chain of the scammer ring in a highly entertaining quest for vengeance.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F'

40 years after the original buddy-cop comedy, Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills. After his daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened, the father-daughter duo team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and some old friends to uncover a conspiracy.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Boy Kills World'

A deaf-mute man (Bill Skarsgård) with a vivid imagination—and an inner voice (H. Jon Benjamin) inspired by his favorite childhood video game—is determined to take down the crime family matriarch (Famke Janssen) who killed his family.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Carry-On'

Per the description, this Netflix action-thriller that's a part of the streamer's 2024 holiday slate "follows a young TSA agent (Taron Egerton) as he fights to outsmart a mysterious traveler who blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip onto a Christmas Eve flight."

WATCH ON NETFLIX ON DECEMBER 13

'Damsel'

For her latest Netflix project, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown plays a "damsel" who has to rescue herself when she discovers she's meant to be sacrificed to a bloodthirsty dragon.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Deadpool & Wolverine'

The third Deadpool movie introduces the Merc with a Mouth into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a multiverse-hopping plot involving the TVA (from Loki) and the MCU debuts of several X-Men characters, including Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

'Dune: Part Two'

The sequel to the Oscar-nominated film finally came to the big screen this year, as director Denis Villeneuve continues to adapt the acclaimed sci-fi novel—this time with much more Zendaya and several new stars, including Austin Butler and Florence Pugh.

WATCH ON MAX

'The Fall Guy'

This blockbuster inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name stars Ken, er, Ryan Gosling, as Colt Seavers, a retired stuntman who's drawn back into the business when his ex Jody (Emily Blunt) asks for his help to find the star of her studio film, who's gone missing.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'

Nine(!) years after Charlize Theron stole the show in 2014's Mad Max: Fury Road, her character Imperator Furiosa is getting a prequel, with Anya Taylor-Joy stepping into the role. After being abducted from her home into a savage Biker Horde, led by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), Furiosa faces many trials as she plots a way back home through the Wasteland.

WATCH ON MAX

'Gladiator II'

The star-studded sequel to the iconic 2000 action film follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the nephew of Commodus, who is now a grown man after being saved by Maximus (Russell Crowe) in Gladiator.

WATCH IT IN THEATERS

'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire'

In this sequel to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong (with Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dan Stevens reprising their roles), Godzilla and Kong must team up to defeat a "colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own," per the film's description.

WATCH ON MAX

'Hit Man'

Richard Linklater's new action comedy—based on the wild true story first reported in Texas Monthy—follows a professional killer (Glen Powell) who works for the cops. When he breaks protocol to help a desperate woman (Adria Arjona) flee her abusive husband, he starts falling for her and toys with the idea of becoming a full-out criminal.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Kill'

In this brutal, gory Bollywood flick, army commando Amrit (Lakshya) boards a New Delhi-bound train to go after his true love, hoping to stop her arranged marriage. When ruthless bandits attack the train, he takes them on in "a death-defying kill-spree to save those around him," per the film's description.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'The Killer'

Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy star in John Woo's remake of his own 1989 action-thriller of the same name. When the titular contract killer (Emmanuel) forms a special connection with a young woman who gets blinded during a shootout, the assassin finds herself on the run from both the police and her employers.

WATCH ON PEACOCK

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'

The latest film in the Planet of the Apes franchise continues nearly 300 years after the events of the 2010s trilogy, at a time when ape civilizations rule and humans have regressed into a feral state. "As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike," per the film's description.

WATCH ON HULU

'Kraven the Hunter'

Another Spider-Man antihero is getting a standalone movie. In this one, Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays a Russian nobleman who sets out to become the world's best big-game hunter.

IN THEATERS DECEMBER 13

'The Lord of the Rings: The War of The Rohirrim'

The world of Lord of the Rings is returning to the silver screen in animated form! This prequel will be set 261 years before The Two Towers and stars Brian Cox as the legendary king Helm Hammerhand (a.k.a the namesake behind Helm's Deep).

IN THEATERS DECEMBER 13

'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare'

The Gentleman director Guy Ritchie's latest blockbuster is based on the true story of a secret group of WWII spies who use "ungentlemanly" tactics to fight Nazis.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Monkey Man'

Dev Patel's long-awaited directorial debut finally made its way to theaters this year, thanks to producer Jordan Peele. The Lion actor also stars as Kid, an underground fighter who seeks revenge against the corrupt power brokers who caused his mother's death.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Rebel Ridge'

This tense drama follows Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), a former Marine who's run off the road and shaken down by the local police of a small Southern town named Shelby Springs. When the cops seize the money he's raised to bail his brother out of jail, Terry wages a one-man war against the corrupt department, led by Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson).

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Road House'

This remake of Patrick Swayze's cult classic '80s film follows Jake Gyllenhaal as an ex-UFC fighter who takes a job at a bar in the Florida Keys and gets to work taking down a local gang (featuring real-life UFC fighter Conor McGregor).

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Thelma'

When Thelma (June Squibb), a 93-year-old grandmother is scammed out of $10,000 by a caller pretending to be her grandson, she "sets out on a treacherous quest across L.A., accompanied by an aging friend (Richard Roundtree) and his motorized scooter, to reclaim what was taken from her," per the film's description.

WATCH ON HULU

'Transformers One'

This new animated Transformers movie will tell the origin story of how a young Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry) went from "brothers-in-arms turned into sworn enemies," per Variety.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Trigger Warning'

Jessica Alba stars in this brutal flick as a Special Forces commando who's called home after the tragic death of her father. When she takes over the family bar, her search for answers puts her in the crosshairs of a violent gang.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

'Twisters'

The 1996 disaster movie Twister is the latest '90s classic to get a 2020s revival. The new version follows storm chasers, but this time around, it's a group of scientists and tornado-wrangling YouTubers competing against one another on the Oklahoma plains. Prepare to be blown away by the fun cast (led by Glen Powell and Daisey Edgar Jones), the storm sequences, and the fun country music soundtrack.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO

'Venom: The Last Dance'

The third Venom film brings the unlikely buddy comedy duo of reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his ruthless alien symbiote back to the big screen.

WATCH IN THEATERS

Among the historical biopics and blockbuster comedies, Yorgos Lanthimos' latest film Poor Things offers a wholly unique origin story, starring Emma Stone as a new spin on Frankenstein's creation. Lanthimos' follow-up to 2018's The Favourite—and his second collaboration with Stone—takes place in a surrealist version of Victorian London, where Bella Baxter (Stone), a woman with the brain of a child, lives with her mad-scientist father figure (Willem Dafoe). When the fiercely-independent Bella becomes determined to explore the world herself, her adventures take her on a powerful journey of self-discovery that examine the dynamics of sex, gender, and society through a frank, distressing, and at times horrific, lens.

This movie is best entered with as little knowledge as possible, but what viewers should expect is a stunningly strange visual treat, with sets evoking Europe's famous cities and bold cinematography that shows the world through Bella's eyes. And as Bella, Stone leads the film with a fearless, wholly-dedicated performance. The film has already found tons of devoted fans and huge amounts of awards buzz for Stone, so it's time to make plans to see this film before Oscar weekend. Here's what we know so far about when Poor Things will arrive online.

How to Watch 'Poor Things'

Poor Things is currently available to own digitally on platforms including Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and more. It was released on digital platforms on February 27, three months after its nationwide theatrical release on December 22, 2023. Per Decider, the film will become available to rent on March 12, the same day of its DVD/Blu-ray release.

When will 'Poor Things' arrive on streaming?

Per Variety, Poor Things will arrive on Hulu on March 7, 2024. Ahead of the announcement, we already know which streaming platform would host the film, as both its distributor Searchlight Pictures and Hulu are owned by Walt Disney Studios. The March 7 release also means that Poor Things will hit streaming just three days before the 2024 Oscars, where its nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture, director, and lead actress for Emma Stone's performance.

Supermodel Christy Turlington turned 55 yesterday, and fellow supermodel Naomi Campbell took the time to wish her “BFF” Turlington a happy birthday, sharing a series of photos of the two and calling her “chosen family.”

Campbell wrote a heartfelt tribute to her longtime friend and colleague on Instagram, highlighting some of her favorite qualities about Turlington in the process. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO , My BFF my 1st room mate ever , chosen family of 37 years .. @cturlington!!” Campbell wrote. “#QUEEN One of the Most beautiful in the world inside and out, intelligent, hardworking, loyal, caring and Kind..always consistent, SO PROUD OF ALL THE GREAT WORK YOU DO @everymomcounts SAVING MOTHERS AND BABIES FROM MATERNAL MORTALITY. Enjoy your special day .. we love you always as we celebrate you Turly.” She signed off with three hashtags: #family #bff #happybirthday—and crown, birthday cake, and heart emojis.

In addition to a current photo of the two of them hugging, Campbell also shared images of their modeling shoots from yesteryear.

Turlington and Campbell—along with fellow supermodels Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista—appeared last September in the Apple TV+ docuseries The Super Models. “My sisters Christy, Linda, Cindy, and I are extremely thrilled to share our story with the world,” Campbell wrote in a post about the series. “We hope our journey seen in the docuseries will encourage, motivate, and inspire young people around the world.” 

In addition to appearing as the subjects of the docuseries, the four women also executive produced the show, People reports, and they appeared on the cover of Vogue and British Vogue’s September issues. “I am so excited to reunite with @cindycrawford , @naomi , @lindaevangelista for the September cover of @voguemagazine @britishvogue which played a huge role in each of our careers from the start,” Turlington wrote about the covers on Instagram. “Being together on a shoot again brought back so many fun memories. Thank you #AnnaWintour @edward_enninful #Sally Singer @rafaelpavarotti_ @stephane_marais_officiali, @eugenesouleiman and everyone who helped make these days so special.”

In a behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot, Campbell told Vogue “My reaction was, is this really happening? Just to get us all together shooting with Edward [Enninful, former editor-in-chief of British Vogue] and Anna [Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue], it was a joy.”

In the cover interview, Campbell referenced her fame in the 1990s said “I’m blessed that I came up at that time. I wouldn’t have wanted to come up at another time. There was a sisterhood there, defined by caring and loyalty. When one is down, you pick the other one up.” 

Selena Gomez is the true definition of a multihyphenate—singer, actress, entrepreneur—but she is hinting that perhaps one of those titles could be put on pause (or retired permanently, which we would hate to see happen).

On the forthcoming January 7 episode of the “Smartless” podcast (which was obtained by E! News) Gomez said she has “one more album” in her before she calls it quits musically. “I started having a lot of fun with music and then touring was really fun,” she said. “But I was doing my TV show [Wizards of Waverly Place] at the same time, and I just found it really fun, so I just kept going. But the older I get, the more I’m kind of like, ‘I would like to find something to just settle on.’” 

She added “I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting. I am gonna want to chill because I’m tired.”

Gomez released her first solo album Stars Dance in 2013, followed by Revival in 2015 and Rare in 2020. She has starred on television in both a scripted series (Only Murders in the Building, for which she has earned two Emmy nominations) and a non-scripted series (Selena + Chef), and is set to star in the upcoming musical comedy film Emilia Perez, which was shot in Paris last year. Gomez hasn’t toured since her 2016 “Revival” tour, Page Six reports; she cancelled the tour midway through its run because of mental health struggles amidst her lupus diagnosis. Gomez performed 55 shows before having what her former assistant Theresa called a “psychotic break”: “At one point she’s like, ‘I don’t want to be alive right now. I don’t want to live,’” Theresa said in Gomez’s Apple TV+ documentary My Mind and Me. “And I’m like, ‘Wait, what?’ It was one of those moments where you look in her eyes and there’s nothing there. It was just pitch black. It’s so scary. You’re like, ‘F—k this. This needs to end. We need to go home.’”

Gomez was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and sought treatment at a mental health facility following the tour; since seeking treatment, Gomez has become an advocate for mental health, even speaking at a mental health forum at the White House in May 2022.

In addition to her advocacy work and her dual careers in music and acting (we get why she’s tired!), Gomez is also an entrepreneur—she founded cosmetics company Rare Beauty in 2019. Amongst all of her many pursuits, Gomez once said “I think of myself more as an actress. I do my music because I’m very passionate about my music. I love making music. I love inspiring people. I love making great songs that are just really fun. But that’s all it usually is for me. I do work really hard when it comes to acting, and I want to do that for a long time. So that’s where I hope to be recognized professionally most.”

On the “Smartless” podcast, Gomez revealed that, when she was starring in Wizards of Waverly Place, Disney wanted her to become a “triple threat,” which was the origin of her musical career. “I wanted to be an actress,” she said. “I never really intended on being a singer full-time, but apparently that hobby turned into something else.” Of Disney, she added “Disney is, it’s safe to say, a machine, and, in a way forcefully requires that I know how to sing so I could sing the theme song [of a show]. They know how to package someone and make it a whole triple threat thing.” 

She told the hosts “I don’t think I’m the best singer, but I do know how to tell stories, and I love being able to make songs.” Gomez also referenced her mental health struggles, which she experienced because of overworking: “I went to a mental institute and canceled one of my tours,” she said. “It just got to me because I love working, and it distracts me from bad things.”

Though Gomez hasn’t released an album since 2020, she released “Single Soon”—presumably the first single off of her upcoming (and possibly final) record—over the summer. She told Vogue Mexico that she had written “no sad songs” for her forthcoming album and, though it’s a career she might be willing to give up, she certainly has enjoyed success in music—in 2023, Gomez and Afrobeats star Rema’s song “Calm Down” was one of the top 10 songs of the year and was certified triple-platinum. 

Calling all Bridgerton fans who want more girl squad power in their irreverent period drama: it's time to check out The Buccaneers. Apple TV+'s show, inspired by Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel of the same name, stars an ensemble including Kristine Frøseth and Christina Hendricks and follows a group of young American women who turn London upside down when they debut in the old-fashioned social scene ready to find eligible husbands. The beloved first season, which concluded on December 13, 2023, wrapped up eight episodes of whirlwind romances, coming-of-age soul-searching, anachronistic needle drops, and Gilded Age fashions. Thankfully for fans, just days later, Apple TV+ announced that the witty series has been renewed for a second season.

"It’s been a complete thrill to watch people all over the world fall in love with these characters, who’ve been brought to such vibrant life by our spectacular cast," series creator Katherine Jakeways said in a statement. "We know season one left audiences desperate to know what’s next for our buccaneers, so I’m absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to explore the further adventures of this smart, joyful, messy sisterhood."

With more of the hit romance series on the way, we're breaking down everything we know about The Buccaneers season 2 below.

When will 'The Buccaneers' season 2 come out?

We finally know when The Buccaneers will return to Apple TV+! In mid-March, the streamer announced that the series will premiere on Wednesday, June 18. Along with the announcement, Apple TV+ confirmed that season 2 will feature eight episodes, each airing weekly until August 6.

The news was announced with an enticing teaser trailer featuring the cast in costume, looking like they're up to no good in a luxurious mansion. The only dialogue uttered is by Theo (Guy Remmers) and Guy (Matthew Boome), who say in a voice-over, "She chose me," and, "Did she?" respectively. We can't wait!

Which of the cast will return for 'The Buccaneers' season 2?

Apple TV+ has confirmed that the main ensemble cast will be returning, including Kristine Frøseth (Nan St. George), Alisha Boe (Conchita Closson), Josie Totah (Mabel Elmsworth), Aubri Ibrag (Lizzy Elmsworth), Imogen Waterhouse (Jinny St. George), Christina Hendricks (Mrs. St. George), Mia Threapleton (Honoria Marable), Josh Dylan (Lord Richard Marable), Guy Remmers (Theo, Duke of Tintagel), Matthew Broome (Guy Thwarte), and Barney Fishwick (Lord James Seadown).

Are there any new cast members in 'The Bucaneers' season 2?

Yes! On October 1, 2024, Apple TV+ shared the thrilling news that an icon from another hit TV show has joined The Buccaneers season 2. Gossip Girl alum Leighton Meester is among the stars of the forthcoming season in an undisclosed role.

The streamer shared the casting news with a heartwarming Reel on Instagram, featuring the caption, "Darlings, welcome Leighton Meester to The Buccaneers Season 2." The cast puts on their best Gossip Girl as Boe hears the news over a phone call and promptly tells her costars, who spread it to the other cast members on set. At the end of the clip, the stars go to answer a door to find Meester smiling on the other side, already dressed in costume in a pink gown.

In a February interview with TV Insider, Meester teased her top-secret role, assuring fans that the new season is "worth the wait."

"The truth is, being a fan of the first season, I was so happy to come on to play any role!" she told the outlet. "That being said, this is the best possible role that I could have ever asked for, and it’s going to be a secret until it comes out. Trust me, it’s worth the wait."

Deadline announced the rest of season 2's new cast in December 2024, including newcomers Jacob Ifan (A Discovery of Witches), Grace Ambrose (Amen), and Maria Almeida (The Strays). English actor Greg Wise also joins the Apple TV+ series, three decades after he originally played Guy Thwaite in the BBC's 1995 adaptation of Wharton's novel.

What will 'The Buccaneers' season 2 be about?

Apple TV+ has shared an official logline for season 2: "In the first season of The Buccaneers, a group of fun-loving young American girls exploded into the tightly corseted London of the 1870s…setting hearts racing and kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash. Now the Buccaneers are no longer the invaders—England is their home. In fact they’re practically running the place. Nan is the Duchess of Tintagel, the most influential woman in the country. Conchita is Lady Brightlingsea, heroine to a wave of young American heiresses. And Jinny is on every front-page, wanted for the kidnap of her unborn child. All of the girls have been forced to grow up and now have to fight to be heard, as they wrestle with romance, lust, jealousy, births, and deaths...themes consuming all women of any age, no matter what year it is. Last time we got a taste of England. This time we’re in for a veritable feast."

More specifically, fans may be able to recall that the season 1 finale wraps up the main arc of Nan St. George's love triangle (are you Team Theo or Team Guy?) with her lavish wedding. However, several cliffhangers tee up the second season, including Jinny's abusive marriage, Mr. and Mrs. St. George's divorce, and the identity of Nan's birth mother. Readers of Wharton's source novel will know that Nan's marriage came very early on in the pages, so there's still plenty of drama in store for all of the girls to deal with after they say, "I do." Since the book was famously unfinished, Jakeways and the creative team have plenty of room to apply their spin to the story.

Is there a trailer for 'The Buccaneers' season 2?

You bet there is! A little less than a month before the premiere, Apple TV+ dropped the full trailer for The Buccaneers season 2. Soundtracked by Chappel Roan's "Good Luck, Babe!" the clip promises more sisterhood, passionate love affairs, incredible gowns and immaculate makeup looks, and melodramatic horseback riding on the beach to come. Much of the trailer is centered around the ramifications of Nan's difficult decision to marry Theo and let Guy go, to help her sister Ginny get away from James. "I really want to make this version of my life work," she says. "Theo thinks this is real. He thinks I chose to marry him."

Still, Nan seems to be wrestling with her agency and continuing to want to protect her sister—and her heart. "No man should be allowed to own his wife," she later says.

If that's not enough to get you intrigued for season 2, the trailer also gives a first look at Meester's new character, Nell. At the very end, she asks Patricia to introduce her to Nan. We're certainly excited to make that introduction!

What have the cast and crew said about 'The Buccaneers' season 2?

In an interview with Town & Country, Frøseth told the outlet that she hopes the season 2 plot goes "back to [Edith Wharton's book]."

"I think Nan and Theo have a really interesting relationship in the book and I'd actually really like to see that translate into screen," she said. "They have an awful marriage, and just the subtleties of that and how their dynamic is forced, and how she secretly wants Guy. But she also miscarries a lot, and there's a lot of pressure for her to have a baby, to have a baby boy. So that's interesting."

Kaia Gerber: model. Actual twin of mom Cindy Crawford. And burgeoning actress—which we’ll get to see on full display this spring in Apple TV+’s Palm Royale, where Gerber plays Mitzi, a Palm Beach manicurist, alongside an all-star female ensemble cast including the likes of Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, and Carol Burnett (Josh Lucas and Ricky Martin also star). The premise? A woman works towards attaining a place in Palm Beach high society in 1969; the show is based off of the 2018 novel Mr. and Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel. (A surefire pick if there ever was one for Gerber’s digital book club on Instagram Live.)

This isn’t Gerber’s first acting role—among other credits, she was in 2021’s American Horror Story: Double Feature, where she played the character Kendall Carr in four episodes of the show, and she earned recognition in 2022’s Babylon and 2023’s Bottoms. We don’t yet know a whole lot about Gerber’s character other than that she is a manicurist, and we have certainly fallen in love with an onscreen manicurist before (hello Jennifer Coolidge’s Paulette Bonafonté in Legally Blonde). It’s the continuation of an acting career that isn’t just a side project but a true calling for her.

“Acting has always been my passion, though,” she told Elle UK earlier this month. “It feels fulfilling and I would love to keep doing it. I can’t believe how lucky and fortunate I am. I did an Apple TV show last year [Palm Royale] where I got to work with a lot of my heroes, like Laura Dern and Kristen Wiig. I was on set with wide-open eyes, hardly able to believe I was there. I got to learn so much from working with them and I’m excited for people to see that. I hope they like it.” 

As to the difference between acting and modeling—perhaps heretofore the career she’s most known for—“With modeling, I learned the power of transformation,” she said. “When I started acting again, I had to completely forget that the camera was there, which is really the opposite of what you do as a model. But I think both go hand in hand.” Even before she began modeling, she told Elle UK, she was acting in school, “and that made my innately shy personality a little bit more outgoing. It made me more comfortable being around people.”

Just as she no doubt has discussed her modeling career with her mother, Crawford—you know, only one of the most renowned supermodels of all time—Gerber has her boyfriend, Oscar nominee Austin Butler, to discuss acting with if she so chooses. The two stepped out this week in New York City for a screening of George Clooney’s latest, The Boys in the Boat, and hopped over to the Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan after the movie, where Gerber wore a silky black dress with a flowy, subtly pleated skirt that she wore underneath a navy coat with black buttons (and looked identical, by the way, to her mom). She added black leather square-toe boots and a small brown and black trapeze shoulder bag by Celine to complete the look. (Side note that you can take to your next dinner party: Clooney is a longtime family friend of Gerber’s; he cofounded the popular tequila Casamigos with Rande Gerber—her father—in 2013.)

Also this past week in New York City, Gerber stepped out with Crawford in a long brown plaid Ralph Lauren coat over a black top, paired with dark jeans and black sneakers. Other than being each other’s exact doppelganger and being successful models, Crawford herself had a hit on Apple TV+ this past year, with September’s The Super Models. Let’s hope Palm Royale is as well received—it premieres on March 20. 

“My childhood was focused around quality family time,” Gerber told Elle UK. “My parents both worked very hard, but when they were home, they were really home with us, giving us all of them. I look up to my mum’s career so much, but I look up to her as a person even more.”

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After several months living together while filming The Buccaneers, Kristine Froseth, Mia Therapleton, Imogen Waterhouse, Josie Totah, and Aubri Ibrag are as tight-knit as their counterparts on Apple TV+'s hit series. In the period drama based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel, the five actresses play young women dealing with a major culture clash as free-spirited bachelorettes from America traveling to England to find suitable husbands. (Think The Gilded Age's old vs. new money clashes crossed with Bridgerton's dating scenes.) Froseth, Waterhouse, Totah, and Ibrag play the American St. George and Elmsworth sisters, respectively, while Therapleton's Honoria Marable is a reserved Brit who comes out of her shell after spending time with the new arrivals.

As the first season wraps up, we sat down with Froseth, Therapleton, Waterhouse, Totah, and Ibrag to test their friendship with a trivia game we call How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star? In the game, the five actresses attempt to answer questions about each other's first jobs, childhood pets, and on-set wardrobe malfunctions. The girls took the game very seriously, breaking down each of the possible answers and sharing how they bonded through dance rehearsals and swimming trips. All-in-all, the five ended the game with a neck-and-neck score, showing they're a real-life friend group we'd love to hang out with any day.

Watch the full challenge, above, then head to Apple TV+ to catch season 1 of The Buccaneers, streaming now. 

One of the best things about fall—besides changing leaves, dropping temperatures, and the arrival of cozy season—is the two-month span where all of the year's most highly-anticipated drama movies finally arrive in theaters ahead of awards season. To start off the busiest time of the year for cinema fans, A24 released Sofia Coppola's highly-anticipated biopic Priscilla, which chronicles the early life of Priscilla Presley. Based on Presley's memoir Elvis and Me, the movie depicts the private life of Priscilla and the late Elvis Presley, showing their years at Graceland in Coppola's signature dreamy style and offering a frank look at the relationship, which began when Elvis was a 24-year-old international star and Priscilla was just 14.

Priscilla has received wide acclaim since its release on November 3, with critics and viewers lauding Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi's performances as Priscilla and Elvis, respectively, as well as Coppola's haunting look at one of America's most iconic celebrity couples. The film broke box-office records for Coppola, becoming the first of her movies to land in the weekend box-office top five, as well as her second most-successful opening weekend after Marie Antoinette. Though countless fans have already made plans to head to the theaters, some are wondering when the movie will be available to watch at home. Here's what we know so far about when Priscilla will arrive online.

How to Watch 'Priscilla'

Priscilla is currently only available in theaters, after arriving in cinemas nationwide on November 3. A24 will maintain this exclusive theatrical window for several weeks before the film becomes available to watch digitally. Cinema fans can head to Fandango to find out where the film is screening and grab tickets.

When will 'Priscilla' arrive on streaming?

We now know which streaming service will host Priscilla, as well as the rest of A24's stellar film catalog. On December 6, A24 and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the production company's films will stream exclusively on Max after their theatrical debuts, listing Priscilla among the upcoming releases under the deal. (Other movies under the deal include The Iron Claw, Dream Scenario, Dicks: The Musical, The Zone of Interest, and many of A24's past releases like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Past Lives.)

Priscilla's debut date on Max is still unknown, as well as the date it will become available to rent or purchase on-demand through platforms like iTunes, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. It's highly likely that the film will be made available ahead of the 2024 Oscars, which are currently set for March 10.

Netflix's latest historical drama is a story of perseverance and community among the dark days of World War II. All the Light We Cannot See, the streaming giant's adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by the same name, takes place primarily in the French seaside town of Saint-Malo, where a young legally blind woman named Marie-Laure LeBlanc (Aria Mia Loberti) broadcasts a radio show despite such programs being forbidden. As the series unfurls her life in Nazi-occupied France, the series also follows Werner Pfenning (Louis Hoffman), a young German soldier who's tasked with tracking down illegal broadcasts. As American soldiers began their operation to liberate Saint-Malo, Marie and Werner's fates become intertwined via an unknown connection as well as a shared faith in humanity.

To bring the beloved novel to life, director Shawn Levy (of Stranger Things fame) gathered an international cast of both acclaimed, prolific actors and rising newcomers, led by Loberti making her screen debut. Read on to meet the stacked cast of All the Light We Cannot See.

Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure LeBlanc

Marie-Laure is a courageous, intelligent, legally blind young woman who grows up living with her father, Daniel, in Paris. When German troops occupy Paris during World War II, she and Daniel flee to the seaside town of Saint-Malo and become part of the French Resistance. Her most prized possession which makes the journey? A radio, on which she listens to a children's science program narrated by "The Professor."

Before landing her debut role in All the Light, Loberti—a 29-year-old actress and academic from Rhode Island—graduated with a her triple major in philosophy, political science, and communication studies in 2020, and went on to study in the UK as a Fulbright Scholar. She also briefly pursued a PhD in ancient rhetoric at The Pennsylvania State University. She is a legally blind woman who has spent years as a human rights and disability advocate. In an interview with Marie Claire, she said of her rising fame, "I’m in a position where I’m representing people who have been voiceless and unrepresented for hundreds of years in the media. It’s intimidating, but I can finally open so many doors. I never had someone like me to look up to."

Instagram: @ariamialoberti

Louis Hofmann as Werner Pfenning

Werner grew up in a German orphanage where the sensitive "genius" discovered his aptitude for fixing radios and escaped from his reality by listening to the same (illegal) radio broadcast as Marie. He eventually got enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts, but as he's slowly broken down by the brutality of war, he remembers the Professor's lessons.

Hoffman is a German actor who has won several international awards, including Best Supporting Actor at Denmark's Bodill Award and a Special Award for Acting at the German Film Awards. He previously starred as Jonas in the acclaimed German-language Netflix series Dark. He's set to appear alongside Bella Ramsey in the film Monstrous Beauty, and he's also a part of the sprawling cast of Steven Spielberg's Apple TV+ war drama Masters of the Air.

Instagram: @lewishoffman

Mark Ruffalo as Daniel LeBlanc

Marie's father Daniel is a curator at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. The devoted dad spends his life protecting Marie while also helping her navigate the world with independence. However, he brings his small family into the German army's crosshairs when he flees Paris with the most famous gem in the country.

Ruffalo is a prolific actor who rose to fame in beloved films including 13 Going on 30, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zodiac, Begin Again, and Now You See Me. He's now best known for playing Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His other films and TV shows include HBO's I Know This Much Is True, Spotlight, The Normal Heart, Shutter Island, The Kids Are All Right, and 2022's The Adam Project, which was also directed by All the Light's Shawn Levy.

Instagram: @markruffalo

Hugh Laurie as Uncle Etienne

Daniel's Uncle Etienne is a World War I veteran who developed agoraphobia and now lives as a recluse in Saint-Malo, where he records clandestine radio broadcasts from his attic as part of the Resistance. Once Marie arrives in town, Etienne's relationship with his grand niece prompts him to slowly re-enter the world.

Laurie is a British actor, comedian, and writer who's best known for starring as the titular character on the long-running Fox medical drama House. He rose to fame in the UK as part of a comedy double act with Stephen Fry, and he went on to star in several sketch comedy shows, as well as films including Sense and Sensibility, 101 Dalmatians, The Man in the Iron Mask, and Stuart Little. Recently, he has appeared on prestige shows including The Night Manager, Veep, and Avenue 5.

Twitter/X: @hughlaurie

Lars Eidinger as Reinhold von Rumpel

Reinhold von Rumpel is a cruel Nazi officer in charge of finding Europe's most precious jewels for Hitler. However, the terminally ill soldier is really spending his final days ruthlessly hunting down a legendary diamond rumored to give its owner eternal life.

Eidinger is a German stage and screen actor; some of his English-language credits include the HBO miniseries Irma Vep as well as the films Clouds of Silas Maria, Personal Shopper, High Life, Dumbo, and White Noise. Fun fact: Adam Driver actually recommended Eidinger for the role in All the Light, telling director Shawn Levy, "You have to meet him. He’s the German me," Tudum reports.

Marion Bailey as Madame Manec

Madame Manec, Etienne's sister, is a formidable woman and fierce protector of both her country—via her role and the Resistance—and her loved ones.

She's played by Bailey, an English actress who has worked as a prolific performer since the 1970s. Most recently, she portrayed Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown.

Luna Wedler as Jutta

Werner's sister Jutta grew up with him at the orphanage, where she was his fierce protector. After Werner's taken away to the military, his wish to reunite with Jutta helps lift his spirits.

Wedler is a Zurich-boen actress and dancer, who began appearing in Swiss films as a teen. She's best known in the U.S. for starring in Netflix's German-language series Biohackers.

Instagram: @lunawedler

Ed Skrein as Herr Seidler

Playing Herr Seidler (above, center)—the sadistic German lieutenant who delivered Werner to the military academy—is Skrein, a familiar face to superhero and fantasy film fans. The London-born actor is best known for playing the villain Ajax in 2016's Deadpool, as well as Daario Naharis in season 3 of Game of Thrones. He's held supporting roles in If Beale Street Could Talk, Alita: Battle Angel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and Midway. He'll next appear Zach Snyder's Netflix film Rebel Moon.

No, you’re not imagining it—if Jennifer Aniston’s gown on The Morning Show looks familiar, it’s by design. The dress, which Aniston’s character Alex Levy wears to the Valentino party in season three of the show, is a replica of the gown Aniston herself wore to the 2010 Golden Globes.

In episode seven of season three of The Morning Show, Alex finds herself at a party put on by Valentino and creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli himself. “Alex makes a grand entrance wearing a one-shoulder black dress with a dramatic slit that looks like something that Aniston would actually wear,” People reports. “And if you did a double take upon watching the scene, asking yourself if the dress is familiar, that’s because it is.”

“It’s interesting—I had brought several dresses in, and while we were having the fitting, [Aniston] was like, ‘You know what I want to wear? I want to wear the dress that I wore to the Golden Globes, I think it was in 2010, that Valentino designed for me. I want that dress,’” Debra Maguire, one of The Morning Show’s costume designers, told People. “So we went to Pierpaolo to see if that was possible, if they would make that for her. And they did. That’s really what she wanted to wear. It’s very Jen. It’s very Alex. It’s very everything. It’s very Valentino.”

The dress in the scene “is an exact replica of the one Aniston wore on the red carpet at the award show 13 years ago—down to the train that trailed in her wake as she walked by,” People writes. 

Many at the party were outfitted in pink, channeling Valentino’s PP Pink Collection, said another of the show’s costume designers, Sophie De Rakoff. “When we were approaching the Valentino gala, it was right from the very beginning that we wanted it visually to have a really, really cohesive look,” she said. “That was the perfect intersection of what Valentino was doing at that moment and what we needed for the show because they were just coming off the back of the PP Pink Collection.”

This decision not only made the party feel very current, but it made Aniston as Alex—in her black gown—stand out. That was the costume designers’ intention in the “beautiful scene,” People reports. 

Maguire, speaking to Harper’s Bazaar last month, said of her and Aniston’s professional relationship “There’s just this flow to it that doesn’t exist with other actors,” she said. “Jennifer is quite exceptional in that she knows exactly what works. I trust her instincts in a way that I [don’t] with any other actor. Just look at her personal decisions she’s made in terms of red carpet looks—she’s never had a mistake.”

And though the 2010 Golden Globes certainly wasn’t the first time Aniston had donned Valentino on the red carpet (nor would it be the last), it is her favorite, she said. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in August, Aniston was asked which red carpet look she wishes she could rewear. Her response? “Valentino 2010, Golden Globes. I loved it.”