After CBS’s Matlock season two’s second episode, Olympia seems to be in control. However, the promo video for episode three shows Olympia and Matty forced to work together. “Tomorrow is Still Tomorrow” will air on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT.
Kathy Bates leads the cast as Madeline “Matty” Matlock. Skye P. Marshall stars as Olympia Lawrence, Jason Ritter plays Julian Markston, David Del Rio is Billy Martinez, Leah Lewis stars as Sarah Franklin, Sam Anderson is Edwin Kingston, and Aaron Harris is Alfie Kingston.
“Tomorrow Is Still Tomorrow” Plot: Matty and Olympia find out that the executive committee has flown in after learning of a security breach at the firm. Also, the team takes on a case involving competing hot chicken restaurants. Damani Johnson and Lizzie Perrin wrote the episode, with Gina Lamar directing.
“Matlock stars Emmy and Academy Award winner Kathy Bates as Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock, a brilliant septuagenarian who achieved success in her younger years and rejoins the workforce at a prestigious law firm with a hidden agenda, using her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases. Matty is assigned to Olympia (Marshall), a senior attorney and key rainmaker with a thirst for justice; Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Ritter), the son of the head of the firm, is intrigued by Matty and her clever skills. As Matty endeavors to establish herself in her new high-stakes world, she works alongside the firm’s younger associates—the charismatic Billy (Del Rio) and the uber-ambitious Sarah (Lewis).”
CBS’s Ghosts kicked off season five answering the lingering question from season four: will Jay wind up in Hell? Now that that storyline’s concluded, and the series bid goodbye to a ghost, the fifth season’s second episode has what sounds like a Thor-centric plot. “Viking Wedding,” written by Joe Port and Joe Wiseman and directed by Richie Keen, airs on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 8:30pm ET/PT.
Season five stars Rose McIver as Sam, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay, Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, and Richie Moriarty as Pete. Danielle Pinnock is Alberta, Asher Grodman is Trevor, Román Zaragoza stars as Sasappis, Rebecca Wisocky plays Hetty, Devan Chandler Long is Thorfinn, and Sheila Carrasco plays Flower.
“Viking Wedding” Plot: Sam and Jay try to impress their trendy city friends while a misplaced bookcase threatens Thor’s ability to deliver an important speech. Also, Isaac rallies the ghosts to help the couple navigate a tough customer service ordeal.
Ghosts is a single-camera comedy about Samantha and Jay, a cheerful freelance journalist and chef from the city, respectively, who threw both caution and money to the wind when they decided to convert Woodstone Mansion, which Sam inherited, into a bed & breakfast—only to find it was inhabited by the many spirits of deceased residents who now call it home.
The departed souls are a close-knit, eclectic group that includes a saucy Prohibition-era lounge singer (Pinnock); a pompous 18th-century militiaman (Scott Jones); a ‘60s hippie fond of hallucinogens (Carrasco); an overly upbeat ‘80s scout troop leader (Moriarty); a cod-obsessed Viking explorer from 1009 (Chandler Long); a slick ‘90s finance bro (Grodman); a sarcastic and witty native from the 16th century (Zaragoza); and a society woman and wife of a 19th-century robber baron who is Sam’s ancestor (Wisocky), to name a few.
The opening of the B&B and Jay’s new restaurant are a source of intrigue, anxiety, and curiosity among the spirits, but they will gladly put up with the commotion as long as they can continue to interact with a living inhabitant.
Teen Wolf‘s Tyler Posey guest stars on Fox’s Murder in a Small Town season two episode six, “Strangers Among Us.” Episode six will air on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT.
Rossif Sutherland stars as Karl Alberg and Kristin Kreuk plays Cassandra Lee. Mya Lowe is Corporal Edwina Yen, Savonna Spracklin is Isabella Harbud, Aaron Douglas is Sergeant Sid Sokolowski, Fritzy-Klevans Destine is Constable Andy Kendrick, and Marcia Gay Harden is Mayor Christie Holman. The series also features Bethany Brown, Marci T. House, and Joshua Close.
“Strangers Among Us” Plot: A troubled high schooler discovers a wounded body in the woods, leading investigators to look for the attempted murderer. While trying to find the culprit and the missing weapon, Karl and the team uncover evidence in an unsolved case involving the victim’s daughter from years ago. As the detective force connects details between the two crimes, Cassandra dives deeper into her own investigation related to the mysterious deaths around Gibsons.
Murder in a Small Town Description, Courtesy of Fox:
Murder in a Small Town follows Karl Alberg (Sutherland), who recently moved to the quiet coastal town of Gibsons to be the new police chief and quickly learns that this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets. As a world-class detective, Karl calls upon all his skills to solve murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore. Meanwhile, his deepening relationship with the town librarian Cassandra Lee (Kreuk) is challenged as her career and community involvement take her in new and unexpected directions.
In the second season, Karl’s jurisdiction expands, and he has to contend with an increased caseload and limited resources, investigating cases like a body found at a local wedding between members of two feuding families; a double kidnapping that may mask an even bigger crime; a pop star who retreated to Gibsons for a quiet vacation only to be followed by a dangerous stalker; and many more.
Academy Award-winner Marcia Gay Harden joins the cast as Mayor Christie Holman, a practicing doctor, beloved figure in the community, and a consummate political operator. She has the best interests of the people of Gibsons at heart but sometimes lets her personal interests take precedence, as she complicates life for Karl and Cassandra.
Aziz Ansari as Arj and Keanu Reeves as Gabriel in ‘Good Fortune’ (Photo Credit: Eddy Chen / Lionsgate)
Angels watching over and helping people has been a popular plotline in Hollywood since silent films. Classic films The Bishop’s Wife, Heaven Can Wait, and It’s a Wonderful Life have delighted moviegoers from generation to generation, inspired future filmmakers, and created the unforgettable angels Mr. Jordan, Dudley, and, of course, Clarence.
Now comes Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) in the 2025 comedy film Good Fortune. Gabriel is a well-meaning but rather inept angel whose job is to stop drivers who are texting on their cell phones while driving from causing accidents, but Gabriel yearns for more. He aspires to be an angel who can inspire those who have lost hope and show them that their lives are worth the struggle. (Sounds familiar, right?)
Gabriel focuses on Arj (Aziz Ansari), a struggling gig worker who mainly drives around delivering food and running other errands for wealthy people but is still living in his car, unable to keep his head above water. Things start to look up for Arj when he meets and begins working as an assistant to Jeff (Seth Rogen), a wealthy venture capitalist.
Unfortunately, when Jeff fires Arj for a slight indiscretion, he becomes worse off than before taking the job. So, Gabriel decides to take it upon himself to show Arj that having all that wealth wouldn’t solve all of his problems by swapping Arj and Jeff’s lives.
This approach doesn’t work, however, as having a beautiful home and riches beyond his imagination does solve most of Arj’s problems. Gabriel’s noble intentions lead to Jeff struggling to convince Arj to switch back, which in turn leads to the well-meaning angel being in big trouble with his superior, Martha (Sandra Oh).
Written, directed, and co-starring Aziz Ansari, Good Fortune is an uneven social comedy that has few laughs and not enough heart. It’s also not original, lifting its plot and themes from classic films such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Trading Places.
As an actor, Ansari’s got terrific timing. However, as a feature film director, Ansari has much to learn about pacing and subtlety. Good Fortune’s pacing is choppy and clunky while moving from scene to scene. There’s a noticeable lack of rhythm and flow.
The film’s message about the well-off being dismissive and uncaring of those struggling to survive in today’s economy is presented and even preached about multiple times, with Ansari’s screenplay taking a heavy-handed approach to its presentation. The comedy’s only saving grace is Keanu Reeves’ performance as Gabriel, the likeable but not too smart angel who only wants to help both Arj and Jeff but always seems to just make matters worse. The best scenes in the film are between Reeves and Rogen. When they’re not together, the film suffers from a lack of laughs.
Good Fortune has its heart in the right place with its timely social message, but the movie just doesn’t work and completely misses the mark.
GRADE: C-
Rating: R for language and some drug use
Running Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
Release Date: October 17, 2025
Studio: Lionsgate
Part two of the 9-1-1: Nashville series premiere finds the team dealing with Mother Nature’s fury. Episode two, “Hell and High Water,” will air on Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT.
Chris O’Donnell stars as Don Hart, Jessica Capshaw plays Blythe Hart, Kimberly Williams-Paisley is Cammie Raleigh, and LeAnn Rimes plays Dixie Bennings. Hailey Kilgore stars as Taylor Thompson, Michael Provost is Ryan Hart, Juani Feliz is Roxie Alba, and Hunter McVey plays Blue Bennings.
“Hell and High Water” Plot: A tornado’s path leads the Station 113 team to an intense rescue at a water tower. Ryan and his wife reach a turning point, while Dixie has an assignment for Blue. Cammie coaches a distressed teenager through her mother’s childbirth.
Hunter McVey and Michael Provost in episode 2 (Disney/Jake Giles Netter)
9-1-1: Nashville Plot, Courtesy of ABC:
“9-1-1: Nashville is a high-octane procedural about heroic first responders, as well as their family saga of power and glamour set in one of America’s most diverse and dynamic cities.”
Chris O’Donnell and Michael Provost in episode 2 (Disney/Jake Giles Netter)LeAnn Rimes in episode 2 (Disney/Jake Giles Netter)Hailey Kilgore and Hunter McVey in episode 2 (Disney/Jake Giles Netter)Hunter McVey in episode 2 (Disney/Jake Giles Netter)
Robert Carlyle continues his guest-starring role as Sherlock Holmes on CBS’s Watson season two episode two. “Back from the Dead,” directed by Michael Narducci, airs on Monday, October 20, 2025 at 10pm ET/PT.
Morris Chestnut leads the cast as Dr. John Watson, Eve Harlow stars as Dr. Ingrid Derian, and Peter Mark Kendall returns as Dr. Stephens Croft and Dr. Adam Croft. Ritchie Coster plays Shinwell Johnson, Inga Schlingmann is Dr. Sasha Lubbock, and Rochelle Aytes is Dr. Mary Morstan.
“Back from the Dead” Plot: When a microbiology university researcher returns from an expedition to Siberia, she and her team members fall ill from a possible revived pathogen or “zombie virus.” Meanwhile, Watson catches up with his friend Sherlock Holmes after finding out he is alive, and Ingrid unexpectedly finds herself on the team’s floor.
Watson is a medical show with a strong investigative spine, starring Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson, in a modern version of one of history’s greatest detectives as he turns his attention from solving crimes to solving medical mysteries. While Watson’s team of “doc-tectives” may have defeated Moriarty last season, they remain determined in season two in their mission to investigate and treat the world’s most rare diseases for their clinic’s patients.
With his eyes fixed on the future, Watson faces an unexpected twist when Sherlock Holmes, who was presumed dead, resurfaces, forcing him to confront a buried secret from his past – one that lies hidden within his own body.
Of course, Hen and Athena’s special trip into space isn’t going to go off without a hitch. It’s 9-1-1 and pretty much nothing ever goes as planned. 9-1-1 season nine episode two, “Spiraling,” will air on Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT.
Returning series stars include Angela Bassett as Athena Grant, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Han, Oliver Stark as Evan “Buck” Buckley, and Kenneth Choi as Howie “Chimney” Han. Aisha Hinds stars as Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, Ryan Guzman plays Eddie Diaz, and Gavin McHugh is Christopher Diaz.
“Spiraling” Plot: As a geostorm ravages Earth, Athena and Hen’s space mission teeters on the edge. On the ground, the 118 battles chaos when technology goes rogue. Mark Consuelos guest stars.
Angela Bassett, Rio Mangini, and Aisha Hinds in ‘9-1-1’ season 9 episode 2 (Disney/Christopher Willard)
9-1-1 Series Description, Courtesy of ABC:
The series explores the high-pressure experiences of first responders—including police officers, firefighters, and dispatchers—who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking, and heart-stopping conditions. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives.
The show draws from the real lives of first responders who regularly face situations that are often unpredictable, intense, and uplifting at the same time.
Aisha Hinds in season 9 episode 2 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Kenneth Choi, Oliver Stark, Anirudh Pisharody, Corinne Massiah, Elijah M Cooper, and Ryan Guzman in season 9 episode 2 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Ryan Guzman, Oliver Stark, and Kenneth Choi in season 9 episode 2 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Max Carver, Briana Venskus-Vazquez, Jim Holmes, and Mark Consuelos in season 9 episode 2 (Disney/Christopher Willard)
The Expedition X team takes on a Stephen King-inspired investigation when they head to Bangor, Maine, for the season 10 finale. Phil Torres and Heather Amaro venture into Bangor’s underground tunnels on the finale, airing Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT.
Discovery Channel offers this creepy description of season 10’s final episode:
“Phil Torres and Heather Amaro travel to Bangor, Maine—former hometown of famed author Stephen King—to investigate multiple locations that served as the real-life inspiration behind his terror-filled novel IT. The pair explore the town’s dark and deadly history, along with frightening ghost stories that locals claim are terrifyingly real and an eerie tunnel system beneath the city with reports of ominous activity.”
Expedition X‘s synopsis: “The boundary between reality and the unknown blurs once again when Expedition X returns with an all-new season of eerie adventures and chilling encounters. Exploring the stranger side of the unknown, adventurer Josh Gates and his team—paranormal researcher Heather Amaro and scientist Phil Torres—chase down answers to the world’s most spine-tingling legends and mysteries, from haunted prisons to supernatural hotspots and mystical creatures.”
In 2021, horror filmmaker Scott Derrickson channeled his Sinister style into one of the best movies of that year – The Black Phone. Even though the movie wrapped itself up nicely, Derrickson still apparently felt there was more story to tell, because now we’ve got Black Phone 2.
Set in 1982, Black Phone 2 picks up a few years after the events of The Black Phone. Finney (Mason Thames) is dealing with the psychological torment of life after escaping (and in the process killing) serial killer The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). His sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is similarly tormented, still by the dreams that lead her to help rescue her brother. This time around, the dreams lead Gwen and Finney to a Christian youth camp in the Colorado mountains where they discover that, even in death, The Grabber is not done with them. And neither is The Black Phone.
Derrickson and his writing partner C. Robert Cargill use this opportunity with Black Phone 2 to tell more of The Grabber’s story, so the movie functions as both a sequel and prequel. It’s the continuing story of Finney and Gwen, but their journey to the camp winds up revealing the origins of The Grabber, and Gwen’s dreams at the camp uncover his first few victims. It’s an ingenious way to both move the story forward and look back at its beginning.
While The Black Phone was Finney’s story, Gwen takes the lead in Black Phone 2. Of course, Finn is there, just as Gwen was in the first movie, but the sequel uses more of Gwen’s psychic powers and allows her to become more of a central character than a supporting one. And both the character and Madeleine McGraw as an actor are here for it.
The first half of Black Phone 2 leans pretty hard into Derrickson’s Sinister roots, so it’s stylistically similar to The Black Phone. But once the plot shifts to the camp, it turns into a more surreal experience. It’s reminiscent of those late-eighties slasher movie sequels where the killers started becoming supernatural. In death, The Grabber turns into a Freddy Krueger-like entity. In fact, one scene is so much of an homage to A Nightmare on Elm Street that it’s almost a rip-off. But in the context of the movie and The Grabber’s new identity, it works. Very well, actually.
Which brings up to The Grabber himself. Like his apparent Freddy Krueger inspiration, he has seamlessly transitioned from child serial killer to spectral tormentor. He seems to have mastered his new reality and can invade not only his victims’ dreams but their waking experiences as well. Ethan Hawke is back, but between the horrifying mask and a crazy makeup job, he’s physically unrecognizable, relying only on his voice and body movements to terrify. The Grabber character that he created in The Black Phone is dialed up to eleven, and in the process, he’s become a new horror icon.
Black Phone 2 is more of a mystery than a horror movie. Gwen, Finney, and new friend Ernesto, who is Robin from The Black Phone’s little brother (and played by the same actor, Miguel Mora), need to solve the mystery of Gwen’s new dreams in order to free themselves from the paranormal grip of The Grabber. It’s like a Goosebumps version of Se7en. Only scarier. And despite that description being a little tame, the movie is anything but. Like The Black Phone, Black Phone 2 goes hard.
One thing of note – Black Phone 2 relies heavily on The Black Phone for its mythology, so if one has not seen the first movie, a lot of the sequel won’t make sense. It tries to organically explain things, but there’s only so much that can be done without feeling like the movie is spoon-feeding exposition. It’s a fine line, and Derrickson and Cargill do their best to make it natural, but the truth is – the viewer should watch The Black Phone before going into Black Phone 2. That’s if they haven’t already. Chances are, most people who are interested in Black Phone 2 are already caught up.
Black Phone 2 isn’t the same kind of movie as The Black Phone. Well, it is, but it’s more layered and complex, with more to think about. And more to think about means more to haunt the audience when it’s done. It’s not as overtly scary, but it’s just as disturbing. Whether there will be any more Black Phone movies or not probably depends on the box office performance of this one, but this does feel like a natural progression towards a franchise. And for Blumhouse, there are worse properties to franchise.
GRADE: B
Rating: R for language, gore, strong violent content, and teen drug use
Running Time: 1 hour 54 minutes
Release Date: October 17, 2025
Universal Pictures’ new behind-the-scenes look at Wicked: For Good features Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and director Jon M. Chu discussing the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda. The video’s release comes a few days after the studio confirmed Erivo will be competing in the Best Actress category and Grande will be submitted in the Best Supporting Actress category for the upcoming 2026 Oscars.
The film also stars Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard. Grammy nominee Sharon D. Clarke voices Elphaba’s childhood nanny, Dulcibear.
Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox wrote the screenplay, based on the musical stage play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the novel by Gregory Maguire. Marc Platt and David Stone serve as producers, and Stephen Schwartz, David Nicksay, Jared LeBoff, Winnie Holzman, and Dana Fox are the executive producers.
Wicked: For Good opens in theaters on November 21, 2025.
Universal offers this description of part two:
“The final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz begins with Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) estranged and living with the consequences of their choices. Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Goldblum).
Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.
As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives.
As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.”
