To All the Boys star Lana Condor plays a basketball coach’s girlfriend on CBS’s Elsbeth season three, episode eight. “Basket Case” will air on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 10pm ET/PT.
“Basket Case” Plot: Elsbeth goes from the squad room to the locker room when a campus murder rocks the world of college basketball after an athletic director winds up dead following a heated confrontation with his basketball coach’s 22-year-old girlfriend. Eric Randall wrote episode eight and Mary Lou Belli directs.
Carrie Preston returns to star as the titular character. Wendell Pierce is also back as Captain C.W. Wagner for the series’ third season.
Emmy Award winner Carrie Preston returns as Elsbeth Tascioni, the cunning yet unconventional consent decree attorney working with the NYPD to track down New York’s most well-heeled murderers utilizing her unique intuitive insight. The critically acclaimed series enters its third season with fresh cases, new characters, and unexpected challenges for Elsbeth and the 11th Precinct, led by her boss, Captain C.W. Wagner (Pierce).
CBS’s Tracker season three, episode seven opens with a woman watching a program about sharks when she hears loud banging. She grabs a fireplace poker and opens the front door. There’s a fierce wind blowing, and she sees what she believes is causing the noise. However, once she steps back inside, someone breaks through the door and grabs her.
(The following is a recap of season three, episode seven and there are spoilers!)
Meanwhile, Colter (Justin Hartley) meets with Andy, the son of Walt Fleming, at a shooting range in Boston. Colter explains he’s tracking down info on David Pearson, who used to work with Walt. He shows Andy a photo of his dad, Ashton, and asks if he recognizes him. Andy remembers Ashton stayed with them one summer when he was a kid. David used to stay with them often. Andy also recalls Ashton taught him how to shoot a gun.
Walt Fleming was a neurologist, and Colter gives a brief rundown of his dad’s occupational history. Colter believes David was with the DoD and that he died the same year as his dad—2003. Andy was never close to his dad, so he doesn’t know what they were working on, except that they had meetings in his garage. He recalls that he saw them watching tapes of a man hooked up to a machine.
After Andy leaves, a man nearby overhears their conversation and introduces himself as Dale (Benito Martinez). He wonders if Colter can help him find his daughter, Noelle, who’s been missing for two days. The police haven’t done much, and he’s worried because her phone was left behind. There weren’t any signs of foul play. Only the e-bike that she uses for work was missing.
Dale confesses the Boston PD found drugs in her apartment, so they’re not actively searching for his daughter. However, Dale swears his daughter doesn’t drink or take drugs. She was last seen at work on Friday night at Boston Blaze, a weed dispensary. Dale spoke to Noelle’s manager, who wasn’t helpful. Apparently, the manager and Noelle got into it last week when he was late with her paycheck.
Dale is desperate for help and will find a way to pay Colter if he takes the job.
Colter touches base with Reenie (Fiona Rene) and learns Noelle’s boss is Vince Unger. Vince is on parole and has a prior for assault. An ex-girlfriend also took out a restraining order on him. After Reenie hangs up, the camera pans to show there’s a man in her bed and they’ve definitely been drinking.
Colter walks into Boston Blaze and immediately gets into a fight, which isn’t his fault. He gets Noelle’s boss to confess that Noelle didn’t finish her deliveries and never returned with his money. Vince is forced to admit Noelle changed where she was supposed to deliver and went to do drops at the harbor. He has no idea why, and she was acting strangely before she left. Vince thinks she no-showed on at least five deliveries that night. Colter warns Vince never to touch Noelle or her father again, or else…
Colter gets Noelle’s delivery schedule and finds Noelle’s e-bike at the first stop he checks out. Colter heads to the back of the building where deliveries are made, looks at a sign-in sheet, and goes to the unit that was expecting a visitor when Noelle should have been making her delivery. He enters the office of criminal defense attorney Lyle Voss and finds a Boston Blaze bag. Colter dials the number on Voss’ business card and a phone rings nearby.
He tracks the sound and finds Lyle slumped over on the toilet. Colter speaks with Officer Crosby about the death and informs her she’s looking for a missing woman. He found her e-bike and noticed that the window in the office was open from the inside. Noelle or someone else exited via the window.
Crosby thinks Lyle died of natural causes, but Colter points out the bathroom stall door was unlocked. He believes someone might have given Lyle something that brought on a cardiac event. Crosby humors him and says she’ll order a tox screening.
Randy accesses Lyle’s call log and notices there was an outgoing call to a taxi service on Friday. Colter believes Lyle called a cab for Noelle and then instructed her to go out the fire escape. Also, Randy discovered a voice mail Lyle never heard. It’s from Noelle and she sounds scared. Noelle reveals she’s at Lyle’s place, and Colter thinks Lyle wouldn’t have sent her to somewhere so obvious. Randy sees Lyle has a rental property and that’s where Colter heads next.
It’s obvious someone beat Colter to the location. There’s glass from the broken front door on the floor, and Colter slowly walks around, gun drawn. Noelle isn’t there.
Randy calls with news that Lyle’s search history was wiped after he died. However, his LexisNexis account wasn’t erased and the cases he looked at recently all involve the wealthy Bennings family. Colter recognizes the name and looks at Noelle’s recent delivery records. She worked at a party for the Bennings at the Rosewood Chateau on the night before she went missing.
Randy dives a little deeper and finds waiter Aaron Delaney was found dead outside the Rosewood right after that party. Maybe Noelle saw the waiter being murdered and whoever did it followed her and took her.
Reenie’s one night stand showers and prepares to leave, but first he writes down his number. Colter calls and Reenie explains that the Benning family is very influential in Boston, even among the cops and politicians. The case files Randy found are basically NDAs and gag orders, meaning they want to protect their privacy, making it hard for anyone to dig up dirt on them.
Colter’s on his way to the Rosewood when he discovers his brakes have been tampered with. He’s forced to maneuver through traffic, honking at everyone to get out of his way. His truck finally stops when he deliberately drives over spikes.
Reenie meets with Enzo Sousa (Charlie Gallant) to discuss what he knows about the Bennings. Enzo reveals he no longer manages the Bennings’ assets. He’s suddenly nervous and warns Reenie not to mess around with the Bennings. Reenie talks him down, and Enzo says the Benning patriarch, Gene, would do anything to protect his family. However, he wouldn’t have had anything to do with the Rosewood party. That would have probably been Gene’s son, Graham, who has a lengthy history of getting in trouble.
Reenie asks for the name of the person the Bennings turn to to make their problems disappear.
Colter’s brake line was cut and while he’s examining it, an armed man approaches from behind. Colter sees his reflection and takes him down, shooting him with his own weapon. He grabs the man’s keys and looks through his car. Colter looks through his navigation history just as Reenie calls with news that the Bennings’ fixer is MC. She’s a private family attorney, along with being their fixer. Colter reveals his brake lines were cut and the GPS nav shows the man he just shot was following Noelle. Another address on the GPS indicates it’s the Benning estate.
Reenie sends Colter a photo of Graham Benning, the son who’s probably responsible for all of this. Colter drives to the estate in the dead man’s car.
Meanwhile, Graham (Tyler Johnston) tries to force his way into the room where Noelle’s being held, certain he can convince her not to go to the police. Milo (Tobias Jelinek), who seems to be a bodyguard/protector for the family, reminds him Noelle already went to a lawyer so she’s definitely not going to keep quiet. Noelle apparently saw Graham strangling the waiter, and Graham admits he was high and didn’t know what he was doing.
MC (Italia Ricci) walks up and Graham is still upset that they’re going to hurt Noelle. She promises they won’t but after she and Graham walk off, Milo returns to the room where Noelle’s tied up to a chair. He’s keeping her doped up and gives her more pills while she begs him to stop. She insists no one will believe she’s a junkie, but Milo assures her they will.
Graham knows MC’s cleaned up after him over the years, but this time he thinks they should call the police.
Security doesn’t give Colter a second look when he drives up in the dead man’s car. He’s looking around when Gene (Clay St. Thomas) orders him to get to work. Colter explains he’s looking for Graham, just as MC walks up. She claims she hasn’t seen Graham, and Colter refuses to identify himself before walking off. Milo wants to follow him, but MC suggests he get back to Noelle.
Colter grabs glasses from the catering truck and walks through the mansion. He drops them off and looks through different rooms until he comes across Graham, dead in a blood-filled bathtub. Colter calls Randy and reveals he’s certain Graham didn’t commit suicide; it was just staged that way. He believes Graham wanted to come clean, so MC had him taken care of. Colter has Graham’s phone and it has his confession plus a photo of Noelle tied up.
Randy accesses Graham’s phone via Bluetooth and tracks where in the house the photo was taken. They learn it’s from a secure room behind a gate in the northwest corner of the estate. Colter races there and uses Graham’s key to unlock the room. As soon as he opens the door Milo starts shooting. Colter hides behind boxes and makes his way around Milo, killing him. He confirms Noelle’s still barely alive just as MC walks in, saying she heard gunshots and called the cops.
MC hands Narcan and that brings Noelle around. MC doesn’t say much and doesn’t stop Colter from walking out with Noelle.
Noelle reunites with her dad, Dale, and they hug, both in tears. Colter assures them that she’s safe. After she leaves, Dale can’t thank Colter enough and wonders what Colter wants in payment. (Dale doesn’t have much.) Colter asks for the gun Dale was firing at the range as payment. Dale hopes Colter finds whatever it is that brought him to Boston. He offers to buy him dinner, but Colter’s got another stop to make.
Colter returns to Benning estate and speaks with MC. She confirms Graham strangled his friend, the waiter, during a dispute. Noelle witnessed it. MC lies and says it was Graham who hired Milo to kidnap and overdose Noelle. She also says it was Milo who dumped the waiter’s body in the alley. MC claims the cops have the texts that prove all of this.
Colter confronts her about the man who cut his brake lines; she doesn’t dispute it when Colter says she knew who he was when he first showed up at the estate. Colter thinks MC had Graham killed, with Gene’s permission, because he was a troublemaker. After all of this, Colter warns MC that Noelle needs to be left alone. She’s covered her tracks well, but if she messes with Noelle that’ll point to the Bennings.
Colter assures MC that one day she’ll slip up and get caught. He hopes he’s there when that day comes.
The coroner and other first responders are working on what remains of the train that was set on fire by the Colombian cartel as Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown season four, episode six opens. Mike (Jeremy Renner) informs Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) they found the spot the cartel used to watch Bunny’s men load the train. Mike and Frank Moses (Lennie James) realize the Colombians aren’t worried about being discovered.
(The following is a detailed recap of season four, episode six and contains spoilers.)
Lamar’s driving Bunny on the way to meeting Mike and Frank when someone follows them. They drive over a spike strip and straight into an ambush. Bunny’s car is shot up. They’re outnumbered and outgunned, and Bunny’s hit.
Back at the train, Stevie (Derek Webster) has learned the train was halted a mile away and that’s where the engineer and conductor were shot. The dead man’s switch was tampered with, allowing it to keep rolling.
Mike and Frank believe the Colombians did it to show power. They didn’t remove anything and instead let it all burn. Frank thinks he’ll be able to take care of the cartel before KPD can find them. Ian (Hugh Dillon) calls with the news that Bunny was shot multiple times and is on route to the hospital.
Mike and Frank head to the hospital, while over at the prison, Kyle (Taylor Handley) is keeping his eyes open and head on a swivel in general population. Kyle and the rest of the prisoners march out of the large holding area single file, and the guy behind Kyle suddenly recognizes him as a cop. Kyle delivers a sharp elbow to his nose to get him to back off.
Kyle moves with the rest of the prisoners through the chow line, and the prisoner who hands him his food tells him he’s not alone.
Warden Hobbs’ right-hand man, Deputy Warden Torres (Clayton Cardenas), confronts guard Kevin Jackson – Bunny’s inside man – throwing him against the lockers and searching for his phone. Jackson (Denny Love) was ordered to leave it behind as he starts his shift, but Torres finds it in his jacket. Torres smashes it and walks off, warning Jackson to remember who he works for.
Mike and Frank discuss Bunny, with Mike confirming KPD will watch the hospital entrances and exits. Frank’s men will take care of the streets. Frank’s going to start looking for a target.
Mike asks Ian about the “sicario kid,” since he’s their best shot at finding out who the shot caller is. Ian thinks he’s at the diner and Mike tells Ian to meet him there.
Stevie enters the diner’s back door while Mike and Ian enter from the front. Mike takes a seat opposite Cortez (Derek Rivera), suggesting he’s just cannon fodder and wondering why he keeps being put in the line of fire. Cortez calls him Mr. Mayor, so Mike knows this guy understands who’s who in town. Mike holds his gun under the table and demands the name of the person who put the hit on Bunny. Cortez refuses and Mike says he’ll allow him to live if he gives up the name. Cortez responds, “Bunny Washington’s a pawn. We’re beyond the locals. We’re after knights and rooks, mayors and kings.”
Mike asks him to pass a message to his bosses that the local pawns will kill them.
DA Evelyn Foley (Necar Zadegan) learns her witness is a no-show. She’s forced to release the grand jury.
Bunny’s hooked up to machines and his sister, Whitney (Khalilah Joi), holds his hand and tells him he’s strong. She won’t pray for him because she knows he’s got this.
Cindy Stephens (Laura Benanti) starts her shift in Ad Seg and is shocked that Kyle’s cell is empty. She calls for backup and Breen (Matthew Del Negro) shows up. Cindy asks him to watch the Ad Seg while she tries to figure out Kyle’s location. No one updated the count board, and it still shows he’s there.
Cindy finds Torres and informs him that she’s missing prisoner #081693, a police officer. Torres doesn’t seem concerned but promises to track him down. Cindy steps into the restroom and calls Mike, alerting him that Kyle’s not in Ad Seg. Mike tells her to stay away from Torres because he’s in bed with Hobbs. Cindy can’t believe the whole place is so corrupt.
Kyle walks through the yard, keeping his eyes on everyone. He tells a guard he’s supposed to be in Ad Seg and fears for his life. The guard doesn’t care. It feels to Kyle like all eyes are on him as he calls Mike on one of the phones in the yard. Mike promises to figure it out and warns Kyle to stay away from the whites. He should try and find Raph. As they’re talking, guards come to retrieve Kyle, telling him he’s going back to his cell. Mike screams at him not to go with them, but Kyle hangs up.
Kyle’s placed in handcuffs and escorted out of the yard. Raph and his men have just entered the yard, and Raph realizes Kyle’s being taken to the slaughter, not his cell.
Clayton Cardenas as Torres and Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky in ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ episode 6, season 4 (Credit: Dennis P. Mong Jr./Paramount+)
Mike arrives at the prison as Kyle fights back while being forced into a room. Mike tries to barge past the guard at the entrance but can’t. Torres arrives with additional guards who hold Mike back. Mike demands that he call Hobbs just as Hobbs calls Torres.
Kyle’s dumped in a room where the Colombians are waiting and beaten and nearly raped. Suddenly, the Aryans appear and attack the Colombians, pulling Kyle out of the room. One of the men tells Kyle that Callahan has his back.
Mike’s locked in a holding cell when Hobbs shows up, and the warden admits she’s working with the Colombians. Since Mike’s so powerful in town, she’ll make a deal. She’ll watch over Kyle if he has Frank Moses arrested. Mike agrees but demands that Kyle be placed back in Ad Seg and Merle moved to gen pop. Hobbs thinks it’s a mutually beneficial deal but remands Mike the clock is ticking.
Kyle declines a visit with Mike. He looks ready to give up on life.
Evelyn’s told her witness has fled the area and his car is in Indiana, or at least it was 12 hours ago. Evelyn realizes he’s probably changed plates. (She has no clue that he’s dead.)
Mike visits Frank and tells him the KPD is set to arrest him that night. Mike says it’s because of the deaths on the train and advises Frank not to leave. If he flees, then KPD will look harder for a reason to chase him down. Frank’s never been arrested before and Mike says if he complies, he’ll make sure he’s walked through the front door. Frank will do it, but says he’ll bring his lawyer.
After he leaves Frank, Mike calls Ian and tells him to hold Frank as long as he can. It needs to look like Ian will do what Mike says. Mike’s next stop is at Bunny’s driver Lamar’s house. Lamar won’t talk to the cops but doesn’t mind speaking with Mike. He believes there were four or five men shooting at them from the woods. They left when he shot back. He’s not sure if he hit anyone.
Mike realizes Lamar’s hiding something and lies and says Bunny’s awake, suggesting Bunny will fill in details Lamar missed. Mike immediately informs Ian and Stevie that Frank Moses flipped Lamar. He realizes Frank’s been wanting Bunny removed from the start, something he didn’t catch sooner because he was focused on the cartel. Mike thinks Frank’s guys will try taking out Bunny at the hospital, so Ian’s going to call in reinforcements.
Mike still wants Frank brought in but believes they should still release him fairly quickly. They’re not prepared to really make a move on Frank yet.
Later that night, Merle asks Kyle how he’s doing. Merle advises him that they protect their own and that it’s not bad having him as a neighbor. Kyle doesn’t respond.
Frank’s picked up and taken to the station, with Ian and Stevie in charge of getting him there safely. Frank’s lawyer accompanies them. Just as they’re walking into the station, a man pulls a gun from his sock and begins shooting. Ian’s quick enough to warn Frank about the gun and moves Frank into a safe area. Ian then kills the shooter, who managed to shoot Officer Keno before being taken down.
Mike takes a seat in Bunny’s hospital room, pulling watchdog duty over his friend.
Toss out any accolade you can think of, and they still won’t begin to describe the sheer brilliance of Hamnet. Director and co-writer Chloé Zhao delivers a stunning period drama, brimming with career-defining performances. Hamnet, based on co-writer Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, takes the faintest hints of history and expands them into a poignant exploration of love, grief, and the creation of timeless art.
Hamnet brings the little-known Agnes Hathaway (who is known historically as Anne) into the spotlight. This towering period drama challenges the historical neglect that has relegated William Shakespeare’s wife to a mere footnote. The facts – that Will and Agnes/Anne married and had three children – are known, but who Agnes was and how she truly influenced his writing has been criminally left to speculation. If they wrote while William was in London working on his plays, that correspondence is lost. Nothing exists to indicate how they felt about each other over the decades of their marriage.
O’Farrell’s novel and the film adaptation position Agnes as the daughter of a forest witch, or at least that’s how the community labeled her. Proficient at potions and far more literate than her female peers, it was her unique spirit that captured William’s heart.
The gorgeous period drama centers on the passionate, unconventional courtship between William Shakespeare (Oscar nominee Paul Mescal, Aftersun) and Agnes Hathaway (Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter). William’s working as a Latin tutor when he spies the spirited, nature-loving Agnes. Will’s like a moth drawn to Agnes’ flame, and their fervent whirlwind romance quickly leads to a handfasting that consummates their relationship. Neither Agnes’s nor Will’s families embrace their relationship. Only Agnes’ beloved brother Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn, The Brutalist) sides with the young couple’s decision to marry.
The film explores the difficulties of their life together and the tension that arises when William, restless and ambitious, seeks his fame and fortune in London. Will leaves Agnes alone much of the time to care for their three young children – the oldest, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. It’s during one of his extended London trips that young Hamnet becomes deathly ill with the plague. His death and the family’s subsequent grief are the catalysts for Will’s Hamlet.
Hamnet‘s emotional core is the lingering effects of a family’s tragic loss. It examines how an artist processes unimaginable pain, but more importantly, it gives weight and value to Agnes – a woman relegated to just the barest of descriptions in history texts.
The powerful, career-defining performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are raw, complex, and intense. Buckley is riveting as Agnes, portraying this forgotten figure as strong, deeply connected to nature, and unafraid to speak her mind. Buckley’s Agnes is fierce and capable, filled with extraordinary strength of character. When she suffers a devastating loss, you feel her pain deep down in your soul.
Paul Mescal matches Buckley’s intensity as William Shakespeare. Mescal delivers a revelatory performance, seamlessly moving from the eager, infatuated young lover to the tormented writer grappling with unimaginable sorrow. His transition from earthly passion to intellectual and emotional anguish is mesmerizing. And the chemistry between Buckley and Mescal is electric.
The young supporting cast are all excellent, in particular Jacobi Jupe, who plays young Hamnet. Many of the film’s most heartbreaking moments involve the twins, Hamnet and Judith, and Jupe and Olivia Lynes do a fantastic job of portraying their close bond.
Two-time Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) masterfully creates a world that feels removed from modern days yet strangely contemporary. Though the film may not be based on verifiable facts, it is a stunning, complex, and emotionally moving work that makes you hope this version of Agnes’ life is close to what she experienced. And if not, then at least it restores her to something beyond a footnote.
GRADE: A
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes
Release Date: November 26, 2025
Studio: Focus Features
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, Jacobi Jupe, Olivia Lynes, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, and Noah Jupe
The much-anticipated, long-awaited fifth and final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things has finally arrived. Or at least Part One of the series’ final season is now available to stream, just in time for Thanksgiving.
The cast and showrunners have done a fantastic job of keeping pre-release spoilers to a minimum. And that held true during the string of press conferences held leading up to the November 26, 2025 debut of Stranger Things’ fifth season.
Netflix grouped executive producer Shawn Levy with series stars David Harbour (“Jim Hopper”), Millie Bobby Brown (“Eleven”), and Noah Schnapp (“Will Byers”) for a lengthy Q&A. The following are highlights from the panel, and I promise they’re spoiler-free.
On stepping onto the set for this final season:
Millie Bobby Brown: “I can’t obviously speak much to the sets, because it’s a dead giveaway. But I would say a lot of the show has been quite practical in terms of, I mean, even Vecna. But our sets this year have felt insane. There’s one specific set that I just was kind of in shock that it was even built. And it’s just unbelievable.
I think that’s the privilege that we as actors get to have, which is just not having to imagine absolutely everything and being able to actually work with a world and space, and not having to imagine much is a joy.”
David Harbour: “So, you know, in a band you have like a bassist, a lead guitarist, a guy on keyboards, a guy on drums, whatever, blah, blah, blah. Like the guy who plays guitar doesn’t really need to understand the meaning of the song to like enjoy playing his part of guitar very well, or like what he loves about his particular thing. And I did find that for me, you know, it still comes back to the same thing. It doesn’t matter if there’s a huge green screen or a huge set or something like that. It’s like I’m playing guitar, what I love to do, and trying to bring my element and my voice, which is, as Shawn says, there is the epic and the intimate. And I much prefer the intimate.”
Millie Bobby Brown: “We’re all, in our own way, outcasts. And I think like if you see or meet any of us, which I’m sure you will, you’ll know how strange we are in our own way. I think that’s what speaks so well to the ensemble, but also us as individuals and us as actors. I think when you bring that together, I think that is also the DNA of our show.
I think that is also what makes our show so great, is that people and audiences can feel connected to that flawed person, that person that just brings a little bit of Robin or El or Harbour or Joyce. You go, ‘Wow, I feel incredibly connected to this person.’
[…] When we’re on set, I don’t feel like there’s any perfect person. And that’s what’s exciting, is that you are able to be entirely vulnerable because we all are. We’re all entirely ourselves.”
Noah Schnapp: “I think it’s so crucial to have good chemistry, and that was such a major part of the casting and the chemistry reads that we did back in season one, kind of making sure everyone worked so well together. And I mean, it reads. It reads on screen and not just our dialogue that’s scripted, but the improv that kind of happens in the moment that we get to do. Because we love each other and because we feel comfortable with each other, it allows for moments like that to shine.
I’m so grateful that we all do kind of work so well together and get along because it makes the job easier.”
On how playing Eleven’s bravery has affected her life:
Millie Bobby Brown: “[…] I’ve always been quite outspoken and brave in my own way. But as an actor, I’ve always been quite instinctual and based just off of kind of what I feel in the moment. But I do think in this season, I put a lot more thought into it and to speak to Shawn, just because it was the last one. And you question everything you’ve ever done with your character. You’re like, ‘Oh, this is my last go.’
Like last season, season four, I was like, ‘Right, I’m going to really play to the humanity of Eleven this year. And you’re able to kind of explore that. This season I was like, ‘Okay, now I’m playing a superhero. This is my last shot at playing this superhero,’ and being a superhero requires a lot of bravery. And as an actor, I think I threw myself into it.
You kind of have to leave your humility at the door because you are throwing your hands down pretending to fly when you’re not. So, I just really channeled my inner alpha bear. And, yeah, sometimes you look silly, but I think that there has always been a space on this set that makes me feel brave and welcomed. All of that is very welcomed. It’s like a playground where you’re able to just try out new things and see if it sticks.”
On the pivotal bond between Eleven and Hopper:
David Harbour: “[…] There are two people that are both lost, that are both heroic, sometimes beyond their capabilities, that both have such big, broad, deep hearts and are both deeply flawed in how they express themselves and make tons of mistakes. That is right up my alley. I love playing characters like that. I love human beings like that. I love humanity.
So, you know, Millie and I, we really got to do a lot during season two because they really focused the story on us. There was a lot of big broad emotions and stuff. And then season three, she gets lost with Mike in the mall and Hopper drops out and gets a shirt and whatever. Then Hopper goes to Russia. We only had like one scene, I think in season four. And then, so we got to come back together this season. I know that the Duffers were like, we really want to land this plane. It was really important for me that we land this plane too, because of the millions of people that love Hopper and Eleven and love that bond that they share. And they do something so extraordinary this season.
I don’t know if you’ll get the full effect until you see episode eight, which you have to wait until New Year’s Eve for that. Sorry, we’ve ruined every holiday for you – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. […] I will say things happen in the best scripts where it’s perfect and it’s unexpected. And I think that’s what happens to these characters after 10 years, is you don’t expect this to happen. You don’t think it’s going to happen. It happens and it’s perfect. And the payoff is really deep and rich. I was thrilled to be able to do that with you this season.”
Millie Bobby Brown: “Thank you. I couldn’t agree more. I think starting out the show, meeting David, I never knew season one that he would eventually be my dad. [Laughing] It’s just such a weird pair. You know, this show brings the most unexpected characters together.
And to David’s point on season two, our fighting and really intense and emotional scenes of bonding as father and daughter for the first time, maybe unbeknownst to them as well, it built this foundation for me as an actor to just play and to have fun and to find a very, to David’s point, a really deep connection between them both.
I think in season five, it’s very funny how easily we slip into the father-daughter role and immediately, you know, Eleven’s able to bite back at him and he’s able to bite back at her.
They have this shorthand that I think is really unique in the show. […] I think when people come up to me and talk about Eleven, it’s always pretty much within the same sentence that they say that they love the dynamic between Hopper and El. And I think it’s really inspiring because what person has a relationship with any of their parental figures that’s absolutely perfect? And I think we’re able to bring that to screen and show the dynamics of growing up and how hard it is to navigate what that looks like. I think the Duffers wrote that so well this season, and I’m really excited for everyone to see.”
On wrapping up the series while striking a balance between honoring characters and answering mysteries:
Shawn Levy: “We prioritized the need to do both. It’s our last season and it was the North Star of the scripts and of making these episodes that we needed to finally unravel mysteries, give answers, but through the unexpected, become emotionally satisfying. And so, the thing about this gig, from its very beginning, is it can’t just be great three-and-a-half-page character scenes. It can’t just be cool monsters and visual effects. It’s both. They all matter and they matter equally. And it is that combination that is so unique about the show.
But having seen by the way that final episode – having been reduced, and this is in spite of having been in the pitch for it, read the outlines for it, read the script for it, been at the table read for it – that final episode of this final season is so masterfully done by the Duffers and by every actor in this cast. I’m incredibly excited. I’m very proud to be a part of this show, but I’m very excited for the world to experience such moving full-throated storytelling.”
Stranger Things Season 5, Part 1: The first four episodes were released on November 26, 2025, at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
Stranger Things Season 5, Part 2: The next three episodes will be released on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
Part 3 (Finale): The series finale will drop on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2025, at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
Fox’s super short second season of Murder in a Small Town wraps up with episode 10, “Nightshade.” The season finale will air on Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT.
“Nightshade” Plot: Karl and the police force investigate the murder of a man found dead at the bottom of his staircase. During their investigation, Karl’s team discovers an item at the scene of the crime that may be linked to other murders. Karl warns Cassandra to stay out of the case, but her connection to it makes her unable to stop.
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.
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.
Movies are very personal. What I love, you may hate. But we can all agree that sometimes there are moments in a film that make you sit up and go, “Wow!” Or that make you smile when you need it most or least expect. Or that surprise you with bold creativity. So in this season when we are inspired to give thanks, here are my very personal 10 favorite moments I had in the cinema this year. Some are from great films but some merit mention precisely because they are great moments in a less than great film.
1 – The extended juke joint musical number taking us through centuries of Black music in Sinners
Ryan’s Coogler’s Sinners pulls off a tricky high-wire act, delivering a big-budget horror-action film as well as a personal story about Black culture and Coogler’s Southern roots. And while there was a lot in the film to awe the audience, the scene many were discussing around the water cooler the next day was the extended sequence where the music comes pulsing up through the floor so you feel it viscerally in your body as it pierces the veil between time and dimensions, life and death. So while we are in 1932 Mississippi, we also spy a DJ spinning records, a man playing electric guitar, and African dancers. It’s surreal, sensual, and hypnotic.
The sound and music design is also richly layered and as riveting as the visuals. The scene climaxes with Sammie’s music burning down the juke joint (take that as literally as you want in this fantastical moment) and exposing the partygoers to the malevolent demons outside.
Tom Hiddleston stars in ‘The Life of Chuck’ (Photo Credit: Neon)
2 – Tom Hiddleston dancing in The Life of Chuck
Thanks to social media, everyone probably knows that Tom Hiddleston can dance. And not just dance but make you want to stand up and cheer him on to dance forever. I give Christopher Walken the edge as the actor I most love to see break into dance in a film but this unexpected and extended dance scene in Life of Chuck just brought me joy in the same way that Naatu, Naatu did in RRR in 2022. Part of the joy comes from the fact that the character Hiddleston plays is an accountant leading a sort of a ho-hum life and one day while walking and hearing a beat, he breaks into dance, stirring up warm memories of dancing with his grandmother.
The film had flaws, but this scene was sheer perfection.
3 – Jack O’Connell’s Irish song in Sinners
Sorry, but I have to return to Sinners for another stellar moment to be thankful for. In the film, evil arrives in the form of Remmick (Jack O’Connell), a vampiric demon who seems to have been conjured up or pulled from the other side by Sammie’s soul-piercing blues music. The tagline for the film warns, “You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.” And Sammie’s preacher pop warned him that he’s a sinner for playing that music.
Remmick’s arrival seems to be the preacher’s warning manifesting itself. Remmick uses a traditional Irish song as a kind of rebuttal to Sammie’s blues to fire up his vampire horde and as a kind of seductive enticement to the partygoers. The Irish music feels as forceful as Sammie’s, but in this context it also has an ominous edge. Coogler layers ideas about cultural appropriation and colonization into what is also just a heart-pounding and tense standoff between humans and vampires.
Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘One Battle After Another’ (Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
4 – The car chase over hilly roads in One Battle After Another
Car chases have been defined by Bullitt and The French Connection as frenetic and fast-paced, with the editing building the tension. But Paul Thomas Anderson turns convention on its ear to deliver a jaw-droppingly tense chase in which the tension is created not through the speed of the cars or a series of rapid cuts but rather simply through Anderson’s clever use of the landscape and framing. The tension arises from the fact that the hilly terrain prevents us from seeing what is in front of or behind the drivers.
Kudos also to cinematographer Michael Bauman and editor Andy Jurgensen. You could feel people strain to look up over the hills from their seats. That’s superb craftsmanship.
5 – Krypto in Superman
So this moment sort of happened in the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman in advance of the film opening, but when Krypto comes to rescue Superman, all my doubts about the need for another Superman movie flew out the window. In the film, Gunn wisely uses Krypto early to win our hearts.
Indy in Ben Leonberg’s ‘GOOD BOY’ (Photo Courtesy of Ben Leonberg – An Independent Film Company and Shudder Release)
6 – Indy in Good Boy for being a very good boy
And while we are talking about dogs, Indy as the star and protagonist of Good Boy deserves all the doggie treats in the world. Krypto may have been inspired by Gunn’s real dog but he was all CGI in the film.
Indy is a real dog just trying to please his master, filmmaker Ben Leonberg. The moment I loved was when we see a scary moment for Indy and then he suddenly wakes up. Yes! Dogs do dream and now we know.
Also, I loved the little documentary on the making of the film that ran post credits in the cinema. The film itself was flawed but that making-of documentary made me want to love the movie.
Ana de Armas as Eve in ‘Ballerina’ (Photo Credit: Murray Close / Lionsgate)
7 – Flamethrower duel in Ballerina: From the World of John Wick
Len Wiseman is no Chad Stahelski when it comes to action. And try as it may, Ballerina is not on par with even the weakest John Wick entry.
Don’t get me wrong, it was still a fun ride and I appreciate a female lead in an action film. However, it just lacked the innovation and flair of the other John Wick films… except for a dueling flamethrower battle. Now THAT was unexpected and fun.
8 – The tank flip in Sisu OK, the tank flip was amazing and totally unexpected, and you could hear the entire audience react in a combination of glee and WTF astonishment. But seriously, almost any of the elaborate and inspired action scenes instigated by the senior citizen action star Jorma Tommila as Aatami Korpi merit inclusion on this list. The film was just one jaw-dropping action sequence after another. I was a little sad that he was no longer killing Nazis (his new enemy is the Red Army) but revenge served on this scale is always sweet.
Huge thanks to Jalmari Helander for bringing us a joyfully violent sequel with a high body count.
Amy Madigan in ‘Weapons’ (Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
9 – Amy Madigan’s first appearance in Weapons
I had issues with Weapons as a whole. I loved the narrative structure and the buildup, but the resolution was a major letdown. It was a film I enjoyed watching once and will likely never return to because there is nothing new to glean from a second viewing. But… when Amy Madigan appears, I did sit up and take notice because I could not figure out who the actress was! Her voice was familiar. I felt I knew her but I had to wait till the end credits to realize it was Madigan.
The character, the performance, the wacky makeup, the incredible clothes… it all came together for a fabulous moment to introduce her character into the narrative.
10 – Trailer for Naked Gun
As with Superman, the moment from both films that I loved was teased in advance in their trailers. Again, I thought we do not need a remake of a perfect film. Leslie Nielsen was flawless. But the trailer, which as with Superman took from its opening scene, delivers such a hilarious gag with Liam Neeson playing it so Nielsen-deadpan that I was won over. The film had the right spirit and some additional hilarious moments but there were also considerable doldrums where jokes were not paying off and there were not enough of them layered to distract us. But Neeson’s reveal from little schoolgirl to Frank Drebin was comic gold.
Bonus moment: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face on the money in The Running Man. Nice and clever homage to the original running man by Edgar Wright in his remake.
Josh Gates heads to the setting of, as he describes it, “the greatest movie ever,” on Expedition Unknown season 16, episode five. The Expedition Unknown host treks to the Oregon coast on a The Goonies-inspired treasure hunt. A discovery on the coast may confirm the truth behind a local legend and offer additional insight into activity along Oregon’s coast 300 years ago.
Host Josh Gates inspects an artifact with Doug Kenick-Crispin and JB Fisher on ‘Expedition Unknown’ season 16 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Discovery Channel)
Season 16, episode five, will air on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
Discovery Channel offers this description of season 16 and of The Goonies-inspired episode:
“World explorer Josh Gates embarks on his most ambitious expeditions to date, cutting through myth and legend to unearth lost artifacts and historic treasures across the globe in an all-new season of Expedition Unknown. Leading viewers on high-stakes and off-the-map investigations, Gates teams up with Gold Rush’s Parker Schnabel to chase a multi-million dollar treasure from an infamous stagecoach heist, plunges into the icy Baltic Sea searching for a lost Nazi submarine, braves crocodile-infested waters in Nicaragua to hunt down Cornelius Vanderbilt’s lost steamship and more.
For the 40th anniversary of The Goonies, Josh Gates heads to the Oregon coast to search for the real-life pirate treasure that inspired his all-time favorite movie. On the rocky shores of the Pacific, he finds pieces of a Spanish galleon that wrecked in 1694.”
Dorothy Farinelli (Jamie Lee Curtis), Kay Scarpetta (Nicole Kidman), and Benton Wesley (Simon Baker) in ‘Scarpetta’ – Photo Credit: Connie Chornuk / Amazon MGM Studios
Prime Video has released the first six photos from Scarpetta, based on the bestselling novels by Patricia Cornwell. In addition to releasing the first images, the streamer confirmed the series will premiere on March 11, 2026.
Liz Sarnoff developed the series, which stars Oscar winners Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ariana DeBose, along with Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale and Emmy nominee Simon Baker. Sarnoff is the writer and showrunner and serves as an executive producer along with Kidman and Curtis.
Additional executive producers include Per Saari, author Patricia Cornwell, Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Chris Dickie, Chris McCumber, David Gordon Green, and Amy Sayres. David Gordon Green directed five season one episodes. Amazon MGM Studios and Blumhouse Television in association with Blossom Films, Comet Pictures, and P&S Projects produced the thriller.
Nicole Kidman in season 1 (Photo: Connie Chornuk / Amazon MGM Studios)
Prime Video offers this lengthy description of the thriller and key characters:
From Emmy-nominated writer, executive producer, and showrunner Liz Sarnoff (Barry, Lost) comes Scarpetta, a chilling crime thriller that unfolds across two timelines. This dual narrative explores Kay Scarpetta’s (Kidman) journey from her beginnings as a Chief Medical Examiner in the late ’90s to her present-day return to her hometown, where she resumes her former position while investigating a grisly murder. As Scarpetta pursues justice, she must navigate complicated relationships, including the fraught dynamic with her sister Dorothy Farinelli (Curtis), confront long-held professional and personal grudges, and face secrets that threaten to unravel everything she’s built.
Cannavale stars as Detective Pete Marino, with Baker as FBI profiler Benton Wesley and DeBose as Kay’s tech-savvy niece Lucy Watson. The series’ dual timeline is completed by Rosy McEwen, Amanda Righetti, Jake Cannavale, and Hunter Parrish, who portray the past versions of Kidman, Curtis, Cannavale, and Baker’s characters, respectively.
Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis in season 1 (Photo: Connie Chornuk / Amazon MGM Studios)Bobby Cannavale and Ariana DeBose in season 1 (Photo: Connie Chornuk / Amazon MGM Studios)Bobby Cannavale and Nicole Kidman in season 1 (Photo: Connie Chornuk / Amazon MGM Studios)Jake Cannavale and Rosy McEwen in season 1 (Photo: Connie Chornuk / Amazon MGM Studios)
Teaser for ‘Wednesday’ season 3 (Photo Credit: Netflix)
BAFTA Award winner Eva Green has signed on to season three of Netflix’s Wednesday as Morticia Addams’ sister, Ophelia. Commenting on her new role, Green said, “I’m thrilled to join the woefully twisted world of Wednesday as Aunt Ophelia. This show is such a deliciously dark and witty world, I can’t wait to bring my own touch of cuckooness to the Addams family.”
Green’s credits include Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Dirty Angels, Liaison, The Luminaries, and Penny Dreadful.
“Eva Green has always brought an exhilarating, singular presence to the screen—elegant, haunting, and beautifully unpredictable. Those qualities make her the perfect choice for Aunt Ophelia. We’re excited to see how she transforms the role and expands Wednesday’s world,” said creators, showrunners, and writers Al Gough and Miles Millar.
The popular series launched in November 2022, with season two delayed because of the strikes. It finally arrived in August 2025 and sits as the fourth most watched English-language series in Netflix’s history.
Jenna Ortega stars as Wednesday Addams, Emma Myers plays Enid Sinclair, Hunter Doohan is Tyler Galpin, Joy Sunday is Bianca Barclay, and Moosa Mostafa is Eugene Ottinger. Georgie Farmer is Ajax Petropolus, Isaac Ordonez is Pugsley Addams, Billie Piper is Isadora Capri, and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo is Sheriff Ritchie Santiago.
The series also features Victor Dorobantu as Thing, Evie Templeton as Agnes DeMille, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Joanna Lumley as Grandmama Hester Frump, and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester.
Executive producers include Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Tim Burton.
