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Variety recently ranked the 100 Greatest TV and Film Performances of the 21st Century, and a Star Wars performance to remember made the list of the 100 Greatest TV Performances.

Stellan Skarsgard's masterful portrayal of the enigmatic Luthen Rael in Andor Season 1 came in at 85 on the list of the best television performances of the last 25 years. Skarsgard's career includes memorable roles in Mamma Mia!, Good Will Hunting, Dune: Part One, and Dune: Part Two, among many other roles, including in Swedish language films. Before Andor, Skarsgard gave an award-winning performance as Boris Shcherbina in HBO's mini-series Chernobyl, which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.

Stellan Skarsgård's performance as Luthen Rael in Andor named in Variety's 100 Greatest TV Performances of the 21st Century pic.twitter.com/dJaVjXdadT

— Star Wars Explained (@StarWarsExplain) February 13, 2025

Then came Andor, where his performance as a secret Rebel...

Did You Know Barry Keoghan Once Asked Stan Lee To Make Him A Superhero? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Barry Keoghan’s journey from a fan to a Marvel superhero is a remarkable example of manifestation. He once expressed his desire to join the Marvel universe, and years later, that dream became a reality.

Back in 2013, before Hollywood knew his name, Keoghan took his shot. He tweeted at the legendary Stan Lee, hoping to land a superhero gig. No response. No acknowledgment. Just a young actor manifesting his dream. Fast forward a decade, and boom—he’s in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If that’s not the definition of speaking things into existence, what is?

Keoghan plays Druig in Eternals, a film introducing a fresh batch of heroes and some serious cosmic drama. But what makes this even better? His journey from a hopeful tweet to standing among Hollywood’s biggest stars in a Marvel movie.

There’s really no reason to spend any more time predicting this category than Isabella Rosselini appears on screen in Conclave. BAFTA could still do the most BAFTA thing imaginable and actually hand its prize to Rossellini, whose Sister Agnes holds out longer before handing Ralph Fiennes’s Cardinal Lawrence access to the Vatican’s entire database than has any single U.S. federal branch when Doge has came knocking. But realistically, for months this Oscar has been Zoe Saldaña’s to lose, no more so than when it became painfully clear that Wicked’s Ariana Grande was just about the only alternative choice putting up much of a fight.

Even as Emilia Pérez’s Oscar campaign has gone full Chernobyl, Saldaña has repeatedly been propped up as one of the film’s 13 nominations expected to still sail through unscathed (more on the other one or two in due time). If anything,...

Exclusive: Fifth Season is nearing a deal to produce A Ladder to the Sky, a feature adaptation of the 2018 novel by John Boyne, with two-time Emmy winner Johan Renck (Chernobyl) in talks to direct. Fresh off of eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, for his papal thriller Conclave, Edward Berger is among the other producers.

A Ladder to the Sky is described as a thrilling drama about an ambitious, handsome young writer who manipulates, seduces, and plagiarizes his way to literary stardom. His obsession with climbing the ranks sends him journeying through the Amalfi Coast, Manhattan, London, and beyond — but the higher he climbs, the further he has to fall.

Published by The Hogarth Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, the book was shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the 2018 Irish Book Awards.

Renck will work from a script by BAFTA nominee Andres Heinz (Black Swan) and the...

It’s been 11 years since True Detective season 1 premiered on HBO, and the influential Max-streaming series remains one of the best TV outings of all time. HBO has long gained a reputation for being the home of prestige drama TV, with ‘90s-’00s hits like The Sopranos, Band of Brothers, and The Wire paving the way for 2010s phenomenons like Game of Thrones, Succession, Chernobyl, and, of course, True Detective. The success of HBO’s best TV shows has inspired attempts to recreate their magic with similar concepts or franchise expansions, with some proving more difficult to replicate than others.

True Detective season 1 is one such show that HBO has tried to capitalize on the popularity of since 2014, but has struggled to find that lightning in a bottle again. Created by Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective season 1 is led by Matthew McConaughey as Rust Cohle and Woody Harrelson as Marty Hart,...

The time has come for 9-1-1: Lone Star fans to prepare to say goodbye to the 126.

It’s been weeks since a new episode of the hit Fox drama.

The last one was Episode 9, which was the fall finale and aired on Monday, December 9.

Next week, on Monday, January 20, 9-1-1: Lone Star returns with Episode 10, which kicks off the last three episodes of the series.

There’s a lot to wrap up on the show, including Judd’s (Jim Parrack) alcohol problem, impending parenthood for Tk (Ronen Rubinstein), and Carlos (Rafael L. Silva), and whether or not Owen (Rob Lowe) really turned down the job in New York.

Oh, and let’s not forget several emergencies for the 126, including an asteroid headed for Austin.

Let’s examine everything we know about the final 9-1-1: Lone Star episodes.

9-1-1: Lone Star final episodes...

With a new year comes a fresh slate of HBO shows, from long-anticipated returning favorites like “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us” to new series, from Noah Wyle’s next medical drama to Rachel Sennott’s comedy show.

At the beginning of 2025, HBO will debut “The Pitt,” which centers on a Pittsburgh hospital, while Mike White’s anthology series returns with a new group of tourists in Thailand and one familiar face with “The White Lotus” Season 3. The rest of the year is jam-packed with highly anticipated series, including “The Last of Us” Season 2, “It: Welcome to Derry,” “Game of Thrones” spinoff series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Peacemaker” Season 2 and “Hacks” Season 4, among many others.

One notable series that won’t make it to HBO in 2025 is “Euphoria” Season 3, which is now slated for a 2026 release after delays pushed production to begin in January 2025.

Keep on...

The ending of the new Netflix sci-fi adventure movie Spaceman is somewhat ambiguous, especially regarding the fate of Adam Sandler's Jakub protagonist. The unique and existential Spaceman was directed by Johan Renck, known for his exceptional work on Chernobyl (2019), Breaking Bad (2009–2011), The Walking Dead (2010), Vikings (2013), and Bloodline (2015). Despite Renck's impressive filmography, Spaceman has received mixed reviews from critics off the bat, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 50%.

Spaceman stars Sandler in another notable dramatic performance seen in previous works such as Uncut Gems, Punch-Drunk Love, and Hustle. Sandler's Jakub receives the unfortunate news that his wife Lenka, played by Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan, wants to divorce him while he's halfway on an 8-month solo mission to outer space. Jakub is tasked with gathering samples of the mysterious yet mesmerizing Chopra Cloud that randomly became visible in the Earth's sky. During his trip, Jakub's emotional distress worsens regarding his marital status,...

The best TV shows on Max offer an incredible collection to help ring in the first month of the new year. Drawing from the powerhouse productions of HBO, there is no shortage of incredible shows available to Max subscribers at any time, from the series that helped make HBO what it is, like The Sopranos and The Wire, to more modern hits, like House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. When searching through Max's extensive library, users can find some of the best TV shows of all time.

The last few months of 2024 were a busy one on Max with big shows like The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy making their debuts on the platform. While the new year will see the highly-anticipated return of shows like The White Lotus and The Last of Us, there are still a lot of shows to be excited about that are available to Max subscribers right now,...

TNT is one of the most popular cable channels for good reason. With compelling dramas, hit movies, and sports (namely the NBA), it is a must-have for many TV fans. Thankfully, there are various legal ways to watch TNT without cable, potentially for free. We’ll walk you through all the options!

Watch TNT for free with a trial of a live TV streaming service

Four live TV streaming services carry TNT: Directv Stream, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. If you want to test the waters before committing, you can start watching with a free trial. No contract is required, and you can cancel at any time. You can access these services on a smart TV, a streaming device like a Roku or Amazon Fire Stick, or on your phone, tablet, or computer. As long as you have an internet connection, you can get TNT.

If you...

After years of delays, Stalker 2 finally gave fans the definitive triple-a experience they've waited for years to play. It is also a great gateway for new players to the series. While it will take most players under 60 hours to experience the main story and additional side content, Stalker 2 boasts over a hundred hours of replayability with its branching storylines and quests. Even with the massive amount of content offered by the latest entry in the Stalker franchise, players wanting even more have some exciting options to look out for in the new year.

Even with the excitement of Stalker 2's launch beginning to die down, the future of the iconic post-apocalyptic survival franchise is far from over. The developers have already announced that multiple Dlc expansions and a multiplayer mode are planned to arrive in the coming years, and while details are still somewhat hazy, there's still plenty to look forward to.

Over the past decade or so, the limited series has become one of the most prestigious and highly regarded entertainment formats. Shows like "The Queen's Gambit," "Chernobyl," and "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story," helped establish the limited series as a dominant force in Hollywood, and the accompanying category at the Primetime Emmy Awards has been one of the most competitive over the last several years. Acclaimed series like "I May Destroy You," "Mare of Easttown," "Unorthodox," and "Ripley" — all of which likely would have been shoo-in winners in earlier years — have lost out recently after well-earned nominations

But what exactly is a limited series? The current official rules from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences state that to be eligible for any awards in the limited series categories, a show must have "two (2) or more episodes with a total running time of at least 150 program minutes that tells a complete,...

When it comes to TV, the IMDb rating system is a little strange. For instance, TV episodes tend to have a higher rating range than movies; whereas the #1 movie ever on the platform, "Shawshank Redemption," has a 9.2 rating, it's not uncommon for TV episodes to get a 9.9 rating. Or, in the case of the "Breaking Bad" episode "Ozymandias," it even reached a full 10 out of 10.

There are some other quirks to look out for, like how the early episodes of a lot of shows are rated deceptively low. Why is the first episode of "The Bear" only rated a 7.6, for instance, whereas later episodes of the show are rated much higher? In this case, I don't think it's because the opening episodes were worse in quality, but that the audience members who didn't vibe with the series simply stopped watching after the first few episodes, and were no longer around...

We largely have HBO to thank for all the incredible, genuinely profound work we enjoy in the television medium today. Founded in 1972 as a premium destination for movies and major events, it is now synonymous with its indelible contributions to the art of serialized storytelling -- and we've gathered and ranked several of the network's best shows ever.

Take note that this list doesn't represent the entirety of the network's greatest achievements. We made the difficult decision to omit talk shows and news programs ("Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"), documentaries ("The Jinx"), Max Originals ("Peacemaker"), and those series that lean a little too far toward reality ("How To with John Wilson). What remained were 20 of the greatest stories ever told, together defining in large part the standard we expect from television in the 21st century.

Read more: These Are The 35 Most Disturbing Movies Of The Century So Far

Euphoria...

Once upon a time — before binge-watching and endless streaming queues — the 1980s reigned supreme as television’s wild, experimental playground.

It was the decade that dared to push boundaries, experiment with formats, and redefine what TV could be.

Without it, today’s streaming giants might not even exist.

Cheers (NBC/Screenshot)

From sitcoms that perfected character-driven comedy to serialized dramas that kept audiences glued to their seats, the DNA of streaming owes more to the ‘80s than we often acknowledge.

Think about it: episodic storytelling, serialized sagas, groundbreaking miniseries, and programming for niche audiences — it all started in this golden age.

If streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu are the cool kids of today’s TV world, the ‘80s were the trailblazing parents who laid the groundwork.

Episodic TV Perfected the Art of Character-Driven Comedy

The ‘80s brought us the “hangout show,” where audiences tuned in not just for...

Max's acclaimed period drama from producer Salma Hayek has been renewed for season 2. The streamer is undoubtedly a haven for period dramas, offering audiences a rich tapestry of historical storytelling. Shows like Catherine the Great have delved into the complex legacies of powerful leaders with Helen Mirren's portrayal of the Empress of Russia, while Gentleman Jack captured the revolutionary life of Anne Lister in mid-19th century Yorkshire, an enthralling depiction of the first modern lesbian. Max's period shows have seamlessly blended historical accuracy with modern sensibilities for a resonant and impactful dive into the past for today's viewers.

With intricate period details and captivating performances, Max has established itself as a leader in delivering compelling TV series rooted in true stories. HBO's miniseries Chernobyl transported audiences to the harrowing days of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine, winning Outstanding Limited Series, Directing, and Writing at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards.

After its explosive season 2 finale, Gangs of London season 3 couldn't be more anticipated. Premiering on Sky Atlantic in 2020, Gangs of London is a British crime drama based on the 2006 video game, which is the third game in the Getaway franchise. The show begins with the assassination of Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney), London's most powerful gangster, and concerns Wallace's son Sean (Joe Cole) taking his father's place and fighting to maintain dominance of the city's underworld. With rivals and enemies at every turn, Sean leans on his ally Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati), head of the Dumani Family.

The action-packed Gangs of London has proven to be a massive success for Sky Atlantic, and is the channel's second-biggest original drama series, behind only Chernobyl, with over 2.23 million viewers having tuned in. The show has gained popularity in the United States as well, with AMC assuming broadcasting rights. In December 2022, a graphic...

Still trying to figure out what “Severance” was all about? Worried that you won’t keep up once Season 2 finally starts in the new year? Have no fear because, as with many popular shows of this era, the hit Apple TV+ sci-fi series is getting its own companion podcast.

“The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott” will dive into all the crazy reveals and dangling plotlines, providing in-depth examination and personal background from the director and star of the show themselves. The podcast launches January 7 with two episodes and will release new episodes every week day covering Season 1 of “Severance” until January 16. Once Season 2 premieres on Apple TV+ on January 17, new episodes will be released weekly on Fridays.

In a joint statement, Stiller and Scott said: “We have severed ourselves from the world for five years making this show. While we have no memory of what happened during that time,...

Britain's television landscape has often been linked with gritty characters, compelling storylines, and complex dramas, with no genre embodying those traits quite like an iconic British spy series. The British fiction's fascination with spies and espionage can be traced back to Ian Fleming's iconic James Bond character from 1953, which garnered worldwide attention and acclaim. Though other countries produce quality works in the genre, the British versions tend to have a biting dialogue mixed with intricate, layered narratives that create some of the most intense, thrilling shows of all time.

Uniquely British spy series from older generations, such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, shows the complexity of the genre and the underlying tension and psychological pressures that agents must endure on their missions. Modern series like the beloved Killing Eve show a different layer to the genre, with a more quirky and comical tone that is still punctuated with moments...

Exclusive: Following the success of The Tattooist of Auschwitz drama, a new documentary film is being made with Gary Sokolov, the son of Gita and Lali Sokolov, the protagonists of the series. The Tattooist’s Son: Journey to Auschwitz will chart an emotional journey he undertakes, culminating in a visit to the notorious concentration camp.

Heather Morris’ bestselling novel ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ and the subsequent drama series were inspired by the memories of Jewish Slovakian Holocaust survivor Lali Sokolov. It told of the love story between him and Gita that began when they met as prisoners in Auschwitz.

Filmed in Melbourne, Slovakia, and Poland, the 90-minute documentary will be released next Jan., to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It follows Gary, the only child of Lali and Gita. His journey takes in key sites as well as meetings with Heather Morris and the actors...

The series finale of “9-1-1: Lone Star” will be “apocalyptic,” showrunner Rashad Raisani told TheWrap ahead of the Fox show’s final few episodes. In fact, he said it will be like “Chernobyl” meets “The Last of Us.”

“We wanted to go out with a gigantic bang,” Raisani teased. “Actually, multiple bangs, as a matter of fact.”

The fifth and final season opened with a cataclysmic train derailment that unleashed a toxic chemical cloud: The first responders miraculously survived that, as they have numerous other disasters, but Raisani said that the crew of the 126 — led by Captain Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) — probably won’t be so lucky as the “9-1-1” spinoff comes to a close.

In a wide-ranging interview, Raisani also gave an update about the location where the planned third “9-1-1” series will be set. He confirmed that Hawaii — where the network’s new hit “Rescue: Hi-Surf” is based — is likely out.

When “Severance” returns for Season 2 on Jan. 17, its mysteries and cliffhangers will surely leave fans with plenty of burning questions. Enter “The Severance Podcast With Ben Stiller and Adam Scott,” a companion podcast to the sci-fi series that will provide analysis and weekly insights from the show’s star and director.

The podcast will launch with two episodes focused on Season 1 of “Severance” on Jan. 7. The following Season 1 episodes will be released daily on weekdays through Jan. 16, before the podcast begins to cover Season 2 when it premieres on Apple TV+ on Jan. 17. New episodes will be released weekly on Fridays throughout Season 2 of “Severance.”

Guests on the podcast will include “Severance” creator Dan Erickson; executive producer Jackie Cohn; and stars Zach Cherry (Dylan), John Turturro (Irving) and Britt Lower (Helly). Celebrity superfans of the show, like Jon Stewart, will also make appearances.

Stiller executive produces and directs “Severance,” which stars Scott as Mark Scout,...

HBO's Dune: Prophecy has shown promise as of its first episode premiere, but is a reminder to revisit a landmark series. The Dune spinoff takes place over 10,000 years before the Denis Villeneuve Dune movies, revolving around Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen, the second Reverend Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit Order, played by Emily Watson. The series is expected to depict Valya's plan to prevent "a reckoning" and implements themes similar to one of the best HBO shows created to do it.

HBO's 2019 limited series Chernobyl received high praise and earned many accolades for its depiction of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster in the U.S.S.R in 1986. In Watson's first run with HBO, she portrayed Ulana Khomyuk, a conglomeration of all the scientists who assisted nuclear scientist Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) in uncovering what exactly happened at Chornobyl. The base concept of the series is how lies and deceit can lead to disaster,...

Jane Featherstone, co-founder and chief commercial officer at UK high-end TV production company Sister, senses that the TV market is shifting back to days of old, with big budget shows featuring Hollywood talent on the way out, and comfy long-form returning series making a comeback.

“We’re back to where we were. The names have changed, but everything feels like we’re reversing, not necessarily in a bad or a good way,” said Featherstone while speaking at the British Screen Forum, held yesterday (November 21) in London. She has been in the industry for around 30 years, with credits ranging from ITV...

“Dune: Prophecy” is prepping to expand the franchise by 10,000 whole years.

The new series, set in the distant past, serves as a prequel to the mainline films starring Timothy Chalamet. It follows the true rise of the Bene Gesserit and House Corrino leading the Imperium only years removed from the Butlerian Jihad against the “thinking machines.” With a new “Dune” series comes a slew of new characters to remember.

Here’s a complete list of the biggest names to remember while watching the upcoming HBO sci-fi prequel.

Emily Watson in “Dune: Prophecy” (Credit: HBO) Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen

Emily Watson plays Valya Harkonnen – current leader of the Bene Gesserit.

Watson also starred in “Gosford Park,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” “Red Dragon,” and “Breaking the Waves.” More recently she appeared in HBO’s acclaimed series “Chernobyl” and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.”

Olivia Williams in “Dune: Prophecy” (Credit: HBO) Olivia Williams as Tula...

Eddie Redmayne’s The Day of the Jackal is now streaming and its entrance was not a quiet one! The spy thriller is the biggest Sky Original ever, that’s a nice feat! Do you know what the other most popular Sky Originals are? Check them out below and see if you’ve watched them all.

According to Televisual, The Day of the Jackal enjoyed a huge launch, breaking “a record audience of three million in its first week.” The action-drama premiered on Peacock on Thursday, Nov. 7, with its first five episodes. Episode 6 then dropped on Nov. 14, and there are four more episodes to go. So if you’re not already watching, you can still catch up!

In addition to Eddie Redmayne, The Day of the Jackal also stars Lashana Lynch, Ursula Corbero, Charles Dance, and others. The British series is based on the Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name.

Everything old is new again, according to Hollywood. Pretty much everything in the current entertainment sphere seems to be based on or a reboot of existing intellectual property — in the sense that studios are apprehensive to commit to new ideas, preferring to stick with things that have a better guarantee of making a lot of money — and saying that this approach provides mixed results is a severe understatement. Sure, shows like "The Penguin," which cuts out the "main" character of Batman to focus on the vicious crime families inhabiting Gotham, works — but if I'm going to stay in the same cinematic universe for this comparison, look at the overwhelmingly middling to bad reviews of "Joker: Folie á Deux," a sequel nobody particularly wanted. This is all to say that some things should probably be left alone, and that includes the "Harry Potter" franchise.

I'm fighting a losing battle here because like it or not,...

Dune: Prophecy is an upcoming sci-fi series based on Frank Herbert’s Dune universe and serves as a loose prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film adaptation. It explores the origins of the Bene Gesserit, a society of women with mysterious and supernatural abilities who have a large influence on the world’s politics.

Emily Watson plays Valya Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy (Credit: HBO).

In the series, actress Emily Watson plays Valya Harkonnen, leader of the Sisterhood. During an interview, Watson opened up about her role in the upcoming series and revealed taking inspiration from an iconic Star Wars actor. As a result, Watson and the late actor have more in common than meets the eye, and here is everything you need to know in that regard.

Dune: Prophecy‘s Emily Watson Talked Taking Inspiration From Alec Guinness’ Star Wars Role

Actress Emily Watson is set to play Valya Harkonnen in the upcoming series Dune: Prophecy.

The Day of the Jackal has hit the target for Sky.

Eddie Redmayne’s glossy assassin series premiered last Thursday in the UK and has tracked down 3M viewers in seven days.

Sky said this figure, which includes repeats and streaming on Now, makes The Day of the Jackal its highest-rated original on record.

The Carnival Films drama, based on the Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name, beat Fortitude (2.5M), Gangs of London (1.75M), and Chernobyl (1.4M).

Co-starring Lashana Lynch, and Úrsula Corberó, the series has also topped the premiere episodes of HBO originals The Last of Us (2.6M) and The House of the Dragon Season 2 (1.75M).

The rating is a big win for Sky Studios CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz, who has refocused the Comcast-owned unit on fewer and more impactful series since joining in 2021.

Sky made five episodes of The Day of the Jackal available to UK audiences,...

To prepare for her starring role in “Dune Prophecy,” a sci-fi series set thousands of years in the future, Emily Watson turned to the Tudor dynasty. She spent hours at London’s National Portrait Gallery looking at paintings of Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and Anne Boleyn, women who, at least for a time, learned to successfully navigate a society dominated by men.

“It’s amazing to gaze at these portraits of these quietly powerful, terrifying women,” Watson says, during an interview at HBO’s Hudson Yards offices last month. “They don’t give too much away — they’re sort of ciphers, which gives them this sense of control. And you think about how they were surrounded by intrigue while living in this incredibly brutal, paranoid police state. Everybody in their life either wanted to kill them or or marry them.”

In many cases, both fates awaited them.

Signature Entertainment has released the official UK trailer for Reawakening, the latest British psychological thriller from BAFTA-nominated writer-director Virginia Gilbert. Set to launch on digital platforms on 18th November, the film stars Jared Harris, Juliet Stevenson, and Erin Doherty in a haunting story that explores the devastating effects of grief and the complexities of familial bonds strained by tragedy.

Reawakening follows John (Harris) and Mary (Stevenson), a couple whose lives have been consumed by grief since their daughter, Clare, vanished without a trace a decade earlier. When Clare (Doherty) suddenly reappears, Mary is overcome with relief and joy, eager to reconnect with the daughter she thought she had lost forever. But John remains sceptical, suspecting that the young woman who has returned is not their Clare. As the couple’s opposing emotions clash, the story delves into a dark mystery, testing the limits of love, memory, and trust.

Virginia Gilbert...

The actor on making a ‘cracker’ of a film with Cillian Murphy, the new female-led Dune TV series, and knowing when to give people the shark eyes

The British actor Emily Watson made one of the outstanding film debuts when she starred in Lars Von Trier’s Breaking the Waves in 1996, aged 29. She was Oscar-nominated for that role, then again two years later for playing the cellist Jacqueline du Pré in Hilary and Jackie. She is known for her fierce, fearless performances: she won a Bafta for her part as a social worker in Appropriate Adult, ITV’s 2011 Fred West drama, and received Emmy and Golden Globe nods for the Sky Atlantic miniseries Chernobyl. Watson is 57 and lives in south London with her husband and two children.

When you got an Oscar nomination for your first film, did you find it a lot to take in?

I was very, very...

Barry Keoghan's feature film follow-up to Saltburn arrives in the form of Andrea Arnold's latest directorial effort, Bird. Arnold is known for her previous works Fish Tank (2009), American Honey (2016), and Big Little Lies (2019). Bird premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2024. Ahead of its wide release in the U.S. and U.K. on November 8, 2024, Bird earned positive reviews and a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 76%, continuing an impressive streak for Keoghan of critically acclaimed films that includes Dunkirk (2017), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), and The Banshees of Insiherin (2022).

Bird follows a budding teenager named Bailey who lives with her reckless and unconcerned father, Bug. She and her brother Hunter live with Bug illegally as squatters in northern Kent, England. As evidenced by the Bird trailer, Bug doesn't have a lot of time to devote to his kids, more interested in making it...

The desire to blend reality and fiction in film predates the Found Footage genre by literal decades, with classics like The Legend of Boggy Creek and even the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre dipping their toes into documentary-inspired filmmaking long before in-universe-cameras became popular.

Of course, it was only after The Blair Witch Project that creators would realize both the creative and financial potential of making movies like this – and when it comes to lucrative Pov thrills, very few could compete with Oren Peli and his DIY Paranormal Activity franchise. For over a decade, these films dominated the box-office with formulaic yet consistently entertaining scares made on a budget, with their success allowing the programmer-turned-filmmaker to invest in other spooky projects. And while I’ve already covered Peli’s over-hated Area 51 on a previous edition of The Silver Lining, today we’ll be discussing one of his most unique...

This article contains mentions of violence, murder, and sexual assault.

There's a reason that thrilling TV shows have started to become one of the most produced series formats in recent years. With the continued rise of streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, there is a high demand for fast-paced and action-packed thrilling content that can be binged in the hours after work or over a weekend. This style of content lends itself to intriguing characters, cliffhanging episode endings, and high-stakes situations that keep the viewer pressing 'next episode'.

Some of the best TV shows of all time follow this format, immersing the audience in its story like the jaded realism of a real-life disaster series like Chernobyl or a captivating, small-town mystery drama like Mare of Easttown. They provide a thrilling ride from beginning to end, and creators are now tailoring the episode length and structure to account...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.

The most heartbreaking moments in The Last of Us season 2 will be in safe hands thanks to a brilliant director joining the show from a different Emmy-winning HBO drama series. The Last of Us season 1 was the brainchild of Neil Druckmann, the creator of the video game franchise, and Craig Mazin, the mastermind behind Chernobyl. Druckmann and Mazin co-wrote the entire season without the assistance of a writers room as a more or less straightforward adaptation of the first game, with a few minor tweaks along the way.

But as they begin to tackle the gargantuan nonlinear narrative of The Last of Us Part II in season 2 and beyond, theyve brought in some additional help. Theyve opened a writers room with Halley Gross, the co-writer and narrative lead of Part II (who understands these characters better than anyone besides Druckmann), and Bo Shim.

Jared Harris is going full circle and returning to the Royal Shakespeare Company for the first time in 34 years to play Claudius, the treacherous uncle in Hamlet. It is a play much-loved by his father Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies and Marcus Aurelius in Ridley Scott’s original 2000 Gladiator.

Harris said that when he and his brothers, thespian Jamie and director Damien, were kids, their stage-struck parents — dad Richard and mum Elizabeth Rees-Williams — would sit around the dinner table and discuss the productions they’d seen and “Dad would actually get up from the table and act them out for us boys.”

His father “adored” Hamlet and many of Shakespeare’s other plays. “I saw his version of [Laurence] Olivier’s death scene in Coriolanus quite a few times,” he chuckles from his hotel room in Iceland, where he’s shooting...

Netflix has revealed the official trailer and key art for the spy thriller Black Doves, which will premiere globally on December 5, 2024. The streaming service previously confirmed that the series will return for a second season.

The trailer features new music from award-winning British singer Raye, who has recorded a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” This song will be featured throughout the first season of Black Doves.

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves.

When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in...

Keira Knightley is a spy now.

The actress will lead Netflix’s “Black Doves,” created by Joe Barton, opposite Ben Whishaw. It marks the actress’ first live-action TV role since she first rose to fame in “Bend It Like Beckham” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” as a teenager. Whishaw was last seen on TV screens on the BBC/AMC 2022 hit “This Is Going to Hurt.”

“‘Black Doves’ is a very exciting spy thriller set at Christmas in London,” Knightley said at a Netflix event earlier this year. The first season will contain six episodes, and Netflix has already renewed it for a second season (so: It sure feels like a cliffhanger is coming).

Per a press release, “Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, ‘Black Doves’ is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

Mark Lewis Jones and Nia Roberts have joined the cast of upcoming S4C/Sundance Now anthology series “Still Waters” (“Y Golau:Dŵr” in Welsh).

It is the second instalment of the Welsh psychological thriller, which starred Sian Reese-Williams, following “The Light In The Hall” (“Y Golau”).

Reese-Williams (“Wolf”) returns for the second chapter of the six-episode season, which will be filmed in both English and Welsh. She will also be joined by Robert Glenister (“Spooks”), Tom Rhys Harries (“White Lines”) and Maeve Courtier-Lilley (“The Red King”).

Written and created by Regina Moriarty (“Murdered By My Boyfriend”), the new season picks up two years after the first, with Caryl Huws (Reese-Williams) still living in Llanemlyn. But she’s decided to start a new life, retraining as a journalist.

Her first story is one that immediately leads her into a mystery. Fascinated with the newly announced expansion of the local reservoir, she stumbles across an old case,...

Max (formerly HBO Max) was often called the place for best TV and streaming shows. Well, Colin Farrell’s The Penguin is exactly there, to prove that very point!

Colin Farrell in a still from The Penguin | Credits: DC Studios

Although people know that Farrell’s The Penguin has reached new heights of fame for its awesomeness, they don’t know exactly how much. That’s why we are here. To tell you just how iconic the show is.

Fans Fell In Love With Colin Farrell Back in 2022

Back in 2022, the world was introduced to the grim and dark world of Gotham City in Matt Reeves’ iconic film The Batman. Starring Robert Pattinson in the lead role, the film featured Colin Farrell as The Penguin.

Colin Farrell portrayed the role of the Penguin in The Batman | Credits: DC Films

At that moment, the world knew that Farrell’s Penguin was something different.

Chernobyl was a masterpiece of a project for many reasons. On top of the mastery of its makers and its actors, the series had one thing that made it bone-chillingly horrifying; it was a dramatization of real-life events. True events continue to haunt humanity as a whole. With this, the series was able to focus on every minute detail and hypnotize audiences, despite only consisting of five episodes.

A still from Chernobyl | Credit: Max

With this in mind, it is not surprising that the 2019 series was extremely critically acclaimed. Not only did it have a 95% rating on Rotton Tomatoes, but the show has also been labeled one of the best series of all time. Considering how much acclaim the project has gotten, it has naturally broken several records.

One record, among these, hasn’t even been touched by Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brothers, despite being in the same categories as Craig Mazin’s series.

Netflix has announced the premiere date for the spy thriller Black Doves alongside a first look at the series starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire.

Black Doves Season 1 will premiere globally on Netflix on December 5, 2024. The streaming service has already confirmed that the series will return for a second season.

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves.

When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe.

Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to...

“Black Doves,” a spy thriller starring Keira Knightley, is set to premiere on Netflix on Dec. 5.

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, the series follows Knightley as Helen Webb, a a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy – who has been passing on her politician husband’s secrets for 10 years to a shadowy organization she works: The Black Doves.

When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.

(Netflix/Ludovic Robert)

Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw in “Black Doves”

(Netflix/Ludovic Robert)

Sarah Lancashire in “Black Doves”

(Netflix/Ludovic Robert)

Keira Knightley...

Today, Starz and BritBox launched a complementary bundle that allows new customers the ability to access both digital platforms easily from a single subscription through the Starz site. A first-of-its-kind for the platform, the offering provides customers with a seamless way to access the vast, premium libraries of both networks.

The launch coincides with the debut of new series from Starz and BritBox, offering audiences access to Starz’s extensive lineup of premium action, thriller, and female-driven programming alongside BritBox’s expertly curated selection of classic and contemporary British television.

“Partnerships have always been key for us as a complementary premium service, and we are excited to now offer bundles through our own retail platform,” said Alison Hoffman, President of Starz Networks. “We believe this expanded offering adds value for adult audiences seeking prestige, high-quality premium programming and provides an incredibly seamless and low-friction consumer experience.”

“It’s a transformative time in the industry,...

Angel Studios has added “Brave the Dark,” a true story inspirational drama, to its 2025 release slate. The film will hit theaters on January 24, 2025.

The film is based on the true story of co-writer Nathaniel Deen, who took the last name of the teacher Stan Deen, who changed his life. The film stars “Chernobyl” Emmy nominee Jared Harris as Stan, who sees Nathan (Nicholas Hamilton) arrested outside his classroom.

Determined to help Nathan turn his life around, Stan finds the teenager living alone in his car. Their encounter challenges Stan’s convictions as they embark on a life-changing journey together.

Angel Studios burst onto the theatrical scene with the 2023 indie smash hit “Sound of Freedom,” which grossed $250 million at the global box office. Since then, the studio has rolled out plans to release 4-6 films per year, with most set around major holiday release periods.

Among the films “Brave the Dark...

HBO brings some great dramas that focus on historical events. Chernobyl is a five-part miniseries that told us of the events during and after the real nuclear disaster.

Of course, when the Chernobyl disaster happened, the Soviet Union would try to hide it all. It ended up being one of the biggest disasters at the time, showing the realities of radiation not just to those in the immediate vicinity, but those around the disaster.

The series then focused on the clean-up efforts, while people looked to figure out what really happened that night. Not only was this important to help people in need, but it was essential to prevent it from happening again. Chernobyl offers us a mixture of drama and history. There are many shows just like it, and here are five to watch next.

Band of Brothers

The first to check out is another that was a HBO drama.

Step Into The Walking Dead: Dead City, a gloriously gruesome and gripping new spinoff from one of television’s best-loved franchises. Breathing fresh life into the undead, the brand-new series sees show favourites Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) and Lauren Cohan (The Boy, The Vampire Diaries) reprise their roles as Negan and Maggie, only this time, their apocalyptic adventures take them into the heart of a zombie-infested Big Apple.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 is a must-watch for fans old and new and with a second series on the horizon, now is the perfect time to discover this new incarnation as it arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and digital on 7th October 2024 courtesy of Acorn Media International, following its transmission on Sky Max.

Picking up many years after The Walking Dead left off, Maggie (Cohan) is the brave and fearless leader of her own community and spends her days trying to...

Historical accuracy in movies and TV has been a source of fierce debate for decades, with some period dramas getting it surprisingly right while others eschew accuracy at the risk of criticism. In 2023, for example, Napoleon director Ridley Scott clapped back at British historian Dan Snow, after the latter had listed the movie's many historical inaccuracies, telling him to "Get a life" (via The Slate). Of course, historical accuracy is not necessarily the factor that makes any given movie or TV show good, but it can help to add to an atmosphere of authenticity and realism that many audiences look for.

Some period dramas in both movies and television have been extremely successful at impressing audiences with their historical accuracy. Whether that is in the way that a certain historical event is portrayed, or just how the culture of the time is depicted, these productions have been greatly praised for...

When the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us hit the streamer, HBO didn’t just birth a miracle. The dystopian apocalyptic series went above and beyond the expectations of a world deprived of moderately good content after decades of witnessing the likes of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and Assassin’s Creed.

The Last of Us [Credit: HBO]

From Super Mario Bros. – the very first video game to live-action adaptation released in 1993 to Borderlands – the latest one to hit the big screen, critics and audiences have mercilessly trolled the genre due to the studios’ inability to get it right. There exists an inherent difficulty in juxtaposing the two entirely separate media of film and gaming together in a way that would satisfy the attachment of hardcore gaming fans while also serving the taste of cinephiles.

HBO’s The Last of Us cracked the secret code that balanced the two extremes and Neil Druckmann finally reveals how.