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.”
The team is on the hunt for stolen works of art on CBS’s FBI season eight episode two. “Captured” will air on Monday, October 20, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT.
Missy Peregrym stars as Special Agent Maggie Bell, Zeeko Zaki plays Special Agent Omar Adom “OA” Zidan, Jeremy Sisto returns as Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, Alana De La Garza is Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille, and John Boyd stars as Special Agent Stuart Scola.
“Captured” Plot: When paintings from a high-profile international cultural exchange are stolen—leaving a security guard dead—the team races to recover the priceless artworks. Meanwhile, Maggie turns to a friend for help profiling suspects. Aaron Ginsburg wrote the script and Carlos Bernard directs.
FBI is a fast-paced drama about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This elite unit brings to bear all their talents, intellect, and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep New York and the country safe. Born into a multigenerational law enforcement family, Special Agent Maggie Bell commits deeply to the people she works with as well as those she protects.
Her partner is Special Agent Omar Adom “OA” Zidan, a West Point graduate via Bushwick who spent two years undercover for the DEA before being cherry-picked by the FBI. Overseeing them is Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille, who operates under intense pressure and has undeniable command authority.
The team also includes Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, the nerve center of the office whose ability to easily relate to and engage with both superiors and subordinates makes him a master motivator, as well as Special Agent Stuart Scola, an Ivy League-educated Wall Streeter-turned-FBI agent. These first-class agents tenaciously investigate cases of tremendous magnitude, including terrorism, organized crime, and counterintelligence.
Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata in ‘High Potential’ season 2 episode 5 (Disney/Mitch Haaseth)
ABC’s High Potential season two episode five kicks off with two kids arguing over control of a drone, causing it to accidentally crash into Shea Ranch Pond. It’s still filming as it enters the water, and the kids are shocked to see there’s a dead body inside a car underwater.
(This is a recap of season two episode five and there are spoilers ahead!)
Morgan (Kaitlin Olson), wearing super cute boots, surprises Arthur (Mekhi Phifer) as he’s wrapping up landscape work. He’s been ghosting Morgan after checking on her and the kids for Roman. Prior to their recent contact, he hadn’t spoken with Roman in 15 years. Roman used a burner phone and Arthur admits he never saw him. When he doesn’t immediately agree to handing over Roman’s backpack, Morgan threatens to have his business investigated. He has no choice but to agree to meet up again.
Lt. Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) addresses her unit, complimenting them for being tenacious. She introduces Captain Nick Wagner (Steve Howey), also describing him as tenacious. Nick’s there to support the team and looks forward to getting to know each of them. He’s doing one-on-one chats, takes over Selena’s office with her permission, and starts off with Oz (Deniz Akdeniz).
Daphne (Javicia Leslie) and Adam (Daniel Sunjata) fill Morgan in on Nick’s background, describing him as being part of a family dynasty who’ve all made captain. Morgan doesn’t learn much more before heading to the Shea Ranch Pond crime scene with Adam.
Although the driver’s license doesn’t look like the victim, Morgan concludes they’re one and the same. (Tori must have had some work done recently.) The victim is 31-year-old Tori Nolan, and she has two bullet holes in her chest along with what looks like steam or chemical burns and red dye. They examine her car, and Morgan finds a gun and a key to a storage unit.
Tori’s keychain had a Hula Hound fob, so Morgan believes she used the storage company next to it. They discover her unit is full of file cabinets and has a workstation setup, but the laptop is missing. Labels on the filing cabinets match the fake passports with different identities that Adam finds on the desk. Morgan realizes each of the locations was the site of a big scandal. The trashcan is full of shredded paper with red symbols that Morgan decides are editing marks, and the numbers on the file cabinets are dates and issue numbers. Apparently, Tori was an investigative journalist. It’s possible whatever she was recently investigating got her killed.
Later, Daphne and Oz investigate Tori’s financials and Daphne confirms Tori worked for Takedown Magazine. Oz confirms she wrote under pseudonyms and that she’d go off the grid when she was working on a story. Her outlet always had her check in to make sure she was safe, and Daphne forwards a recent photo Tori sent them. Morgan spots poodle dog plants in the background.
Morgan has Adam head to the site of a recent fire in the hills. These bushes sprout after fires, and based on the size of the plant, this area fits the timeline. Morgan’s right, of course, and they find the exact spot where Tori took her recent proof-of-life photo. There’s a no trespassing sign on the hill, and up above is an impressive house.
Morgan explains it’s a “content house” where influencers shoot videos. Tori must have gone undercover as an influencer and one of the influencers recognizes Tori’s photo but calls her Darla. Adam and Morgan gather the dozen or so influencers and learn Tori had been living there for a few weeks. She concentrated on autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos, and they all liked her.
Morgan looks around as Adam learns the last time she was home was probably at least a day ago. Morgan believes all the influencers are under a tremendous amount of pressure to make content that generates views and that the guy who runs the house, Phineas, is running the place like a sweatshop.
A couple of the influencers barge in as Morgan’s looking at a dye and confess they killed her. But they take it back when they learn she was shot. Apparently, Raquel and Pranks set up the “devil’s toothpaste” prank in the backseat of Tori’s car. Right after Tori got into her car, the dye exploded, and all her windows blew out. They immediately told Phineas what happened, and he claimed he spoke with Tori. She was fine but angry and was going for a drive to cool off. Adam says that isn’t possible, as Tori had to have been concussed and unable to drive anywhere.
The explosive ingredients were dye, soap, peroxide, and yeast. Morgan realizes Tori’s steam burns were from the peroxide. Plus, the peroxide would have cleaned up the blood from the gunshot wounds that should have been in the car.
Raquel confesses they pulled the prank because Tori stole her L3 protein powder that was supposed to be used for an exclusive video shoot.
Morgan and Adam search the nearby hillside and find red dye and tire tracks. It’s probably where Tori was shot. Phineas drives up, spots them, and races off, with Adam’s first instinct to chase the car giving Morgan the laugh she needed.
Morgan gets home early for once and sends Elliot out of the room to check on the baby so she can tell Ava (Amirah J) she tracked down Arthur. Ava wants to go with her mom to get the backpack, but Morgan won’t let her because it might be dangerous.
Kaitlin Olson, Deniz Akdeniz, Daniel Sunjata and Judy Reyes in ‘High Potential’ season 2 episode 5 (Disney/Jessica Perez)
Back at the station, Oz and Adam are letting Phineas stew a bit before interrogating him. Captain Wagner speaks with Daphne and Selena and suggests that Daphne should take the sergeant test. Her work’s impressed him, and he’ll even set up the test for her if she agrees.
Morgan joins them and Nick wants to have their one-on-one chat. She wants to postpone, preferring to listen to Adam and Oz’s interrogation. Adam asks Phineas why he shot a reporter who was embedded in his house, and Phineas claims not to have any idea what they’re talking about. Oz whips out Phineas’ financials and suggests he was skimming from the creators. Oz notes that Phineas was charging them $50,000 a month each, and Morgan uses the mic to tell Adam she needs to see his watch. Adam holds it up to the two-way mirror and Morgan says it’s obvious the titanium inside has come in contact with corrosive fluids, like peroxide.
Oz and Adam believe Phineas was in Tori’s car after he shot her and got the peroxide on him when he moved her body from the driver’s seat. Phineas confesses he moved the body but didn’t even realize she was shot until he got to the pond. He moved her to keep his landlord from finding out and evicting them.
Phineas claims he was busy buying bots to increase Tori’s channel’s views when Raquel and Pranks told him about the devil’s toothpaste prank. He wouldn’t have bought bots if he was going to kill her.
Later, the team’s looking at the murder board when Oz joins them and reveals Phineas turned over Tori’s bag in exchange for leniency. (He was booked for evidence tampering.) Tori’s laptop is in the bag, but it’s encrypted. Raquel’s protein powder is also in the bag along with lab results of the powder. Morgan thinks the only interesting ingredient is castoreum—beaver butt secretion, which is used as a flavoring agent.
Tori was investigating L3 because the person in charge is Bobby Romano, an old classmate who doxed her and forced her into hiding after she wrote an exposé of his business. Morgan and Adam pay him a visit at his warehouse and he’s super excited about his upcoming powder release. Lamar, the operations manager, joins them and asks if they have a warrant to look around. Bobby doesn’t think that’s necessary; he’s super chill about the whole thing. He assures them Lamar’s just being vigilant since he pretty much runs the operation.
Morgan and Adam point out that Bobby’s former businesses were all scams and that Tori Nolan got them all shut down through her investigative reporting. He claims he regrets doxing her and forcing her to leave school. “I was a stupid kid and I did stupid things,” says Bobby, sounding pretty convincing.
They make it to his office and inform him that Tori is dead. He’s shocked and then suddenly realizes they think he killed her. Bobby admits she called him a week ago and said she was going to take him down for good. He hung up on her and doesn’t know how she was going to do that. Bobby truly believes L3 is legit.
He invites them to look around because he’s an open book and Morgan immediately takes him up on it. She snatches his phone, and he doesn’t really care. Morgan quickly determines he has an alibi for the time of the shooting. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he didn’t kill Tori.
Adam has his one-on-one with Nick and Nick reveals he didn’t even bother reading his file. Adam has a terrific reputation. Nick asks about Morgan, and Adam says they work well together. The chat ends less than a minute after it began.
Bobby’s phone included mention of a Serenity Arms that he visited once a week. It’s a halfway house for ex-cons and the guy in charge of it, Gavin, agrees to meet with Adam and Oz.
Amirah J, Kaitlin Olson and Mekhi Phifer in ‘High Potential’ season 2 episode 5 (Disney/Mitch Haaseth)
Arthur catches up with Morgan at a diner to discuss handing over Roman’s bag. Ava pops in unexpectedly and demands to be a part of the conversation. Arthur chuckles and says Ava looks like Roman when he’s digging into something. Arthur also confirms he and Roman have known each other for a long time and used to be practically inseparable. Ava explains that she needs to understand why Roman left her, and Arthur says he hadn’t talked to her dad in 15 years. Ava pleads with him to hand over the bag so that her mom can piece together clues. Arthur finally agrees.
Morgan’s so angry she refuses to speak with Ava as they leave.
Gavin tells Adam and Oz he’s never met anyone like Bobby. He says Bobby believes in the protein powder and believes in making the world a better place. Gavin claims Bobby wasn’t angry at Tori after getting out of prison, but recently she showed up at his warehouse and threatened to send him back to prison for life. Following that, Bobby missed a group session and told Gavin he should have taken care of “this” 10 years ago.
Adam and Oz return to Bobby’s warehouse and find him at his desk, dead from a drug overdose. Selena joins them at the warehouse and Adam explains an employee said Bobby was upset after speaking with the police. He sent everyone home and overdosed on the party drug Dazzle Kitty, which is five times more potent than Ecstasy.
Adam confirms the L3 powder was a cover for shipping the drugs. Bags were hidden in select canisters. Oz reveals they found a gun that matches the wounds on Tori’s chest in Bobby’s desk. However, Morgan finds beef and barley soup on Bobby’s t-shirt and his breath smells like it, too. He consumed the soup and then died, but there’s no soup container in the trash cans. There’s a carrot and a half-melted Dazzle Kitty capsule in the drain, which means someone else drugged the soup and killed Bobby. The killer also murdered Tori.
The team converges on a delivery truck driven by Bobby’s counselor, Gavin. Drugs are found in the canisters, and it turns out the Serenity Arms center was the root of the conspiracy. Bobby had no idea about the drugs, but Gavin and Lamar cooked it up together. Lamar has alibis for the time of the murders. Gavin doesn’t and was apparently the mastermind.
The day ends with Nick chatting up Morgan while she puts coolant in her car. She admits she’s not sure about whether he’s a cop who abuses his power, but she has determined he’s smug, misses being part of the action in the field, and likes to keep people guessing why he’s interested in them. Nick admits she got two out of the three correct and that she’s better at this game than he is. He knows if she’s given a puzzle, she’ll obsess until she completes it.
Morgan finally makes it home and is still upset with Ava for following her to the meeting with Arthur. They argue over trust issues, and Ava calls her mom embarrassing. Episode five ends with someone (probably Arthur) dropping off Roman’s backpack at Morgan’s front door.
New seasons of Discovery Channel’s Expedition Files and Expedition Unknown will air back-to-back in November 2025. Season 16 of Expedition Unknown premieres on Wednesday, November 5 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by season three of Expedition Files at 10pm.
Expedition Unknown‘s new season debuts with an episode that takes explorer Josh Gates to the Great Pyramid in Egypt. And Expedition Files kicks off with an episode focusing on missing Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa.
“This season, I’m taking viewers on the kinds of adventures I dreamt about as a kid,” said Gates, commenting on Expedition Unknown. “I never imagined I’d actually get to seek out the real Spanish treasure that inspired The Goonies or crawl through pitch-black tunnels under the Great Pyramid of Giza. I’m even hunting for a gold rush fortune with a Gold Rush star, Parker Schnabel. These are the kinds of stories that remind us the world is still full of wonder.”
Discovery Channel released the following description of Expedition Unknown:
“With exclusive access to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Gates unravels long-held conspiracy theories about how this marvel of engineering was truly built. Using first-of-its-kind 3D scans of a mysterious tunnel system, Gates executes a daring experiment to replicate the Pyramid’s construction, uncovering a labyrinth of secrets buried deep beneath the stone.
Throughout the extraordinary new season, Gates leads viewers on high-stakes and off-the-map investigations. He teams up with Gold Rush’s Parker Schnabel to chase a multi-million dollar treasure from an infamous stagecoach heist, scours the Oregon coast on a real-life Goonies quest on the 40th anniversary of the iconic film, plunges into the icy Baltic Sea searching for a lost Nazi submarine, and braves crocodile-infested waters in Nicaragua to hunt down Cornelius Vanderbilt’s lost steamship.”
Both series are produced by Ping Pong Productions.
Poster for ‘Expedition Files’ (Photo credit: Discovery Channel)
“Gates reveals fresh evidence and striking, new revelations that could rewrite history as we know it. In the season premiere, Gates examines an explosive new theory about the fate of vanished Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa. He also reveals the extraordinary artifact that may finally end the age-old hunt for the Holy Grail and sets sail to unravel a maritime mystery—the disappearance of German inventor Rudolph Diesel, the man whose engines changed the world,” reads Discovery Channel’s Expedition Files’ synopsis.
“Upcoming episodes will also examine a chilling new hypothesis behind the frenzied paranoia of the Salem Witch Trials, a high-tech analysis of the most legendary Bigfoot footage ever captured, a shocking new twist in Cleopatra’s untimely death, the confounding fate of Russia’s Amber Room—the so-called 8th Wonder of the World, and so much more.”
Nominees announced for the 2025 ‘Critics Choice Documentary Awards’ (Photo Courtesy of CCA)
Raoul Peck’s Orwell: 2+2=5 tops the list of the 10th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominees, earning seven nominations, including Best Documentary Feature. The Perfect Neighbor, also a Best Documentary Feature nominee, followed close behind with six nominations.
“The nominated films and series this year remind us how documentary storytelling can illuminate truth, inspire empathy, and deepen our understanding of the world,” stated Christopher Campbell, Critics Choice Association’s VP, Documentary. “We’re thrilled to recognize the filmmakers whose vision and dedication keep the art form evolving.”
The 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards will honor Ken Burns with the Critics Choice Impact Award, presented by Christine Baranski. Per CCA: “The prestigious award recognizes documentarians whose work has illuminated our shared story, made complex issues accessible to broad audiences, and sparked meaningful dialogue that inspires reflection and action. Ken Burns exemplifies this impact through a career that has brought the American experience vividly to life and deepened the nation’s understanding of itself.”
Filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady will be awarded the CCA’s Pennebaker Award (formerly the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award), with Pennebaker’s widow/collaborator, Chris Hegedus, presenting the honor.
Aasif Mandvi is hosting this year’s awards ceremony taking place on Sunday, November 9, 2025. The 2025 ceremony will be available to watch live on the Critics Choice Awards’ YouTube channel beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
2000 Meters to Andriivka (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
The Alabama Solution (HBO Max)
Apocalypse in the Tropics (Netflix)
Cover-Up (Netflix)
Deaf President Now! (Apple TV)
Orwell: 2+2=5 (Neon)
Pee-wee as Himself (HBO Max)
The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Riefenstahl (Kino Lorber)
The Tale of Silyan (National Geographic)
BEST DIRECTOR
Mstyslav Chernov – 2000 Meters to Andriivka (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Petra Costa – Apocalypse in the Tropics (Netflix)
Nyle DiMarco & Davis Guggenheim – Deaf President Now! (Apple TV)
Geeta Gandbhir – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Andrew Jarecki & Charlotte Kaufman – The Alabama Solution (HBO Max)
Raoul Peck – Orwell: 2+2=5 (Neon)
BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Art for Everybody (Tremolo Productions)
Grand Theft Hamlet (Mubi)
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (HBO Max)
Seeds (Interior Films)
Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost (Apple TV)
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror (Margot Station)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ben Bernard – Architecton (A24)
Jean Dakar – The Tale of Silyan (National Geographic)
Elizabeth Lo – Mistress Dispeller (Oscilloscope)
Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo & Tor Edvin Eliassen – Folktales (Magnolia Pictures)
Brittany Shyne – Seeds (Interior Films)
Toby Strong, Doug Anderson (Underwater Photography) – Ocean with David Attenborough (National Geographic)
BEST EDITING
Michael Harte – Deaf President Now! (Apple TV)
James Lester & Oz Rodríguez, John MacDonald (Music Montage) – Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music (NBC)
Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Page Marsella – The Alabama Solution (HBO Max)
Michelle Mizner – 2000 Meters to Andriivka (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Alexandra Strauss – Orwell: 2+2=5 (Neon)
BEST SCORE
Alexei Aigui – Orwell: 2+2=5 (Neon)
Kris Bowers – The Eyes of Ghana (Breakwater Studios / Higher Ground Media)
Laura Heinzinger – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Claudia Sarne – Love + War (National Geographic)
Sam Slater – 2000 Meters to Andriivka (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Paweł Szymański – Trains (EPF Media / Drygas Film Production)
BEST NARRATION
2000 Meters to Andriivka (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Written by Mstyslav Chernov, Performed by Mstyslav Chernov
The American Revolution (PBS)
Written by Geoffrey C. Ward, Performed by Peter Coyote
The Americas (NBC) Written by Michael Gunton, Holly Spearing, Steve Cole, Kathryn Jeffs, Matt Richards, Giles Badger, Victoria Buckley, Alex Griffiths, Hannah Hoare, Poppy Riddle, Gillian Taylor, Nikki Waldron, Evie Wright, Charlotte Bostock, Victoria Bobin, & Ingrid Kvale, Performed by Tom Hanks
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Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision) is stuck with a difficult decision that affects her afterlife in A24’s second trailer for Eternity. Apparently, once you pass away, you’re only allowed to choose one significant other to pass eternity with.
Miles Teller (The Gorge) stars as Olsen’s longtime husband, and Callum Turner (Masters of the Air) plays her very first love. The romantic comedy also stars John Early and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
David Freyne co-wrote the screenplay with Pat Cunnane and directs. Producers include Tim White and Trevor White. Freyne’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Ruairí O’Brien, production designer Zazu Myers, editor Joe Sawyer, and costume designer Angus Strathie.
“I’ve dreamed all my life of making rom-coms in the vein of Lubitsch, Wilder, and Sturges,” said Freyne. “I adore that era when people believed rom-coms could say everything, could be the deepest films, no matter how feathery their touch. And here was my chance. Eternity might be set in the afterlife, but what mattered to me is the characters are caught up in conflicts that feel very human and very true to our experiences.”
A24 offers this synopsis: “In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Teller) and her first love (Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.”
Opens in theaters on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
