Lucifer‘s Tom Ellis and Chicago Med‘s Nick Gehlfuss team up to star in CBS’s new drama CIA. The first-look teaser sets up the dynamic between Ellis, as a CIA agent who marches to his own beat, and Gehlfuss, playing an FBI agent who prefers sticking to the rules.
Season one also stars Necar Zadegan (Mayor of Kingstown) and Natalee Linez (Power Book III: Raising Kanan).
CBS offers this description of the upcoming new addition to their primetime lineup:
“When by-the-book FBI Special Agent Bill Goodman (Gehlfuss) is loaned out to a clandestine CIA/FBI task force, he finds himself teamed up with secretive and roguish CIA case officer Colin Glass (Ellis). Together, they will work covert operations in New York, uncovering international plots, terrorist cells, and geopolitical secrets.
On CIA, Bill will learn the rules of this murky world on the fly as Colin leads him deeper into spy games where only one thing is clear—their work keeps America safe, even if no one will ever know what they did in the shadows.”
The latest drama from Emmy-winning executive producer Dick Wolf will premiere on February 23, 2026. New episodes will air on Mondays at 10pm ET/PT.
Sinners earned 12 nominations from the San Diego Film Critics Society and emerged from the December 15, 2025 voting session as the big winner. Sinners scored four awards—Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Director (Ryan Coogler), Best Use of Music, and Best Picture—followed by Weapons and It Was Just an Accident with two each. In all, the San Diego Film Critics Society gave 20 films at least one award.
2025 San Diego Film Critics Nominees and Winners
Best Picture
HAMNET
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
MARTY SUPREME
Runner-up: ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER WINNER: SINNERS
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER WINNER: Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Runner-up: Yorgos Lanthimos, BUGONIA
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, MARTY SUPREME
Leonardo DiCaprio, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Runner-up: Joel Edgerton, TRAIN DREAMS WINNER: Michael B. Jordan, SINNERS
Wagner Moura, THE SECRET AGENT
Benicio del Toro, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Jacob Elordi, FRANKENSTEIN
Runner-up: Sean Penn, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER WINNER: Stellan Skarsgård, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Jeffrey Wright, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion, MARTY SUPREME
Runners-up: Nina Hoss, HEDDA WINNER: Amy Madigan, WEAPONS
Runners-up: Wunmi Mosaku, SINNERS
Teyana Taylor, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Best Comedic Performance
Will Arnett, IS THIS THING ON?
Runner-up: Molly Gordon, OH, HI!
Liam Neeson, THE NAKED GUN WINNER: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, ETERNITY
Tim Robinson, FRIENDSHIP
Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
WINNER: Cary Christopher, WEAPONS
Shannon Mahina Gorman, RENTAL FAMILY
Runner-up: Jacobi Jupe, HAMNET
Alfie Williams, 28 YEARS LATER
Nina Ye, LEFT-HANDED GIRL
Best Original Screenplay
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Zack Cregger, WEAPONS
Runner-up: David Koepp, BLACK BAG WINNER: Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Best Adapted Screenplay
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, TRAIN DREAMS
JT Mollner, THE LONG WALK
Maggie O’Farrell, Chloe Zhao, HAMNET WINNER: Will Tracy, BUGONIA
Best First Feature (Director)
Drew Hancock, COMPANION
Scarlett Johansson, ELEANOR THE GREAT
Ben Leonberg, GOOD BOY
Runner-up: Kristen Stewart, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER WINNER: Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY
Best Documentary
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
Runner-up: BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES
JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME WINNER: ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5
PREDATORS
Best Animated Film
ELIO WINNER: KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
Runners-up: LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS Runners-up: ZOOTOPIA 2
Best Foreign Language Film
WINNER: IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
LEFT-HANDED GIRL
THE SECRET AGENT
Runner-up: SENTIMENTAL VALUE
SIRAT
Best Editing
WINNER: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, MARTY SUPREME
Barry Alexander Brown, Allyson C. Johnson, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
Affonso Goncalves, Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Runner-up: Andy Jurgensen, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stephen Mirione, Patrick J. Smith, F1: THE MOVIE
Best Cinematography
Autum Durald Arkapaw, SINNERS
Runner-up: Michael Bauman, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Dan Laustsen, FRANKENSTEIN WINNER: Adolpho Veloso, TRAIN DREAMS
Lukasz Zal, HAMNET
Best Production Design
Runners-up: Hannah Bleachler, Monique Champagne, SINNERS
Cara Brower, Stella Fox, HEDDA
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton, HAMNET WINNER: Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau, FRANKENSTEIN
Runners-up: Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Alexandra Byrne, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Runners-up: Ruth E. Carter, SINNERS
Runners-up: Kate Hawley, FRANKENSTEIN WINNER: Paul Tazewell, WICKED: FOR GOOD
Malgosia Turzanska, HAMNET
Best Sound Design
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
Runner-up: F1: THE MOVIE
FRANKENSTEIN
SINNERS WINNER:WARFARE
Fallout fans have one less day to wait for the arrival of season two. Prime Video’s upped the premiere date from December 17, 2025 to December 16 at 6pm PT.
The sci-fi action series based on the incredibly popular game premiered in April 2024. The eight-episode second season will release new episodes on Wednesdays, leading up to the February 4, 2026 finale.
The Exosphere of Sphere in Las Vegas was the appropriate venue to help spread the word of Fallout season two’s early arrival:
Returning season one stars include Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Walton Goggins (The White Lotus), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island), and Frances Turner (The Boys).
“The new season of Fallout will pick up in the aftermath of season one’s epic finale and take audiences along for a journey through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas,” reads Prime Video’s synopsis. “Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.”
Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner created the series and serve as executive producers and showrunners. Additional executive producers include Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, Athena Wickham, Todd Howard, James Altman, and Margot Lulick.
Amazon MGM Studios and Kilter Films produce in association with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.
Netflix’s official trailer for Stranger Things 5 Volume 2 turns the world of the Upside Down upside down. “This whole time, everything we’ve ever assumed about the Upside Down has been dead wrong,” says Dustin, confirming this second part of the final season is going to knock our socks off.
New photos were released from Volume 2 along with the trailer.
Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 premiered on November 26, 2025 and Volume 2 debuts on Christmas Day at 5pm PT. The final episode will premiere on New Year’s Eve at 5pm PT, both on the streamer and in select theaters.
Season five stars Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, and David Harbour as Jim Hopper. Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield, Natalia Dyer is Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton is Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery is Steve Harrington, and Maya Hawke is Robin Buckley.
Rounding out the ensemble are Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair, Brett Gelman as Murray, Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna, Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler, Amybeth McNulty as Vickie, Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler, Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow, Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers, and Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay.
“The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished—his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming—and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone—the full party—standing together, one last time.”
The Duffer Brothers created the series and serve as executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen.
Discussing Will’s epic twist at the end of Volume 1, co-creator, writer, and director Ross Duffer said, “We’ve always known that Will has a connection to Vecna and the Upside Down. In season two, we started to delve into it, but one of the earliest ideas in the new season is, ‘What if Will were able to harness this connection and use it against our villains?’ We also felt it very natural to re-center the story on Will. He was the kid who was taken in season one, so it felt right for the story to come full circle. If anyone [was] going to be the key to ending Vecna, it needed to be Will.”
CBS’s Tracker season three, episode nine heads to Tacoma, Washington, and opens with a murder. A man checks on his cattle in the dead of night and doesn’t have time to react before being shot twice.
(This is a recap of season three, episode nine and contains spoilers.)
Reenie (Fiona Rene) is working on a case that she believes would be perfect for John Keaton to check out. The timing’s perfect since Colter (Justin Hartley) has just arrived in Tacoma to meet up with Keaton. He promises to pass Reenie’s request on to Keaton.
Keaton (Brent Sexton) needs Colter’s help because he hasn’t heard from his old partner Nat Dobbs in a couple of days. He popped into Nat’s house and there’s no sign of him. Keaton describes Nat as a sucker for broken women, but his latest ladies haven’t seen him. He has a bad feeling about this, and Colter agrees to help.
Nat’s house is unlocked and the sliding back door is slid open. Colter glances around and finds cat food in the trash. Keaton hasn’t seen the cat. Colter keeps looking through the trash and finds a newspaper article about the murder in the opening scene. Keaton doesn’t know why Nat would have ripped it out of the paper.
Randy (Chris Lee) calls with news that Nat’s phone is offline and sends Colter the phone’s last known location from two days ago. Colter and Keaton discover it pinged at farmer Clive Sherman’s house, and Colter believes Clive’s murder must have been important to Nat. Keaton has no idea why.
Colter confirms Clive was a dairy farmer and wonders why he would have a new excavator 100 yards or so from the barn. There’s no reason to have one, so Colter thinks it was brought in after the murder; someone was searching for something specific. It’s possible that “someone” was Nat.
There are lots of footprints around the excavator, and Colter spots a place where the ground is more compact. Colter uses the excavator and digs up the compacted area, uncovering a dead body that’s not Dobbs. Just feet away is another body, and it’s possible there are more. Whoever killed Clive knew about the killing field, and that person might have grabbed Hobbs while he was searching the area.
It turns out they’re right. Nat (Dean McKenzie) was taken and is currently tied to a chair and gagged. Nat’s kidnapper places a wire around his toe, rips off his gag, and asks who sent him to the farm. The man doesn’t believe no one sent him to the farm and demands to know where “they” are. Nat continues to deny any knowledge of the place, other than what was in the papers. That earns Nat a shock that causes him to scream in pain.
The police scour the area and reveal the freshest body is a week old, and some are as old as six months. It’s definitely a body dump. Keaton introduces Colter to the officer in charge, and she has no idea why Nat would have been investigating the murder.
Apparently, all the dead people are criminals. The cops have identified three bodies so far and they each have long rap sheets.
Keaton and Colter aren’t welcome to assist with the investigation and in fact Keaton is summoned to Police Commissioner Ross Beaugard’s office. Keaton thinks he just wants his input on the case.
Reenie ran the dead criminals’ names and there doesn’t seem to be a connection. Randy discovered the murdered farmer was making huge deposits every month, up to $100,000. They all come from shell company Oak Park Holdings, which belongs to Zhan Menassian, an Armenian crime boss in charge of Tacoma’s south end.
Reenie recognizes the name and he’s a scary dude. It seems Zhan was using Clive’s farm to dispose of bodies. They must have had a disagreement that resulted in Clive’s death. Nat must have put the pieces together and got taken.
Randy tracks Zhan’s driver, his nephew Narek, and Colter heads to its location. Meanwhile, Keaton meets with Ross (Grimm’s Sasha Roiz) and Ross asks what they’ve got so far on the murders and Nat’s disappearance. Ross confirms Zhan Menassian’s involvement and that the Russians probably killed Clive to rattle the Armenians. Ross claims he’s putting his best guys on the case and wants Keaton to step aside. Keaton reluctantly agrees.
Colter takes a seat in the back of Zhan’s car and disarms Narek. Colter demands a meeting with Zhan and orders Narek to take him there. They arrive at Zhan’s location and Narek warns Colter there will be bodyguards. Narek’s shocked when they approach the door and it’s open.
Narek calls out for help and Colter knocks him out. Colter looks around and quickly discovers Zhan dead on the floor. He calls Randy and asks about security cameras. Randy can’t find one, but Colter finds one hardwired and follows the cord. It leads him to a storage room. Colter finds a locked cabinet with the security system, and Randy has him send photos of the router’s back. Colter escapes unnoticed as the bodyguards arrive.
He meets up with Keaton and together they watch as Randy taps into the security system. The footage shows Nat confronting Zhan, appearing to shoot him before seizing his phone. But Colter notices a reflection in the window and Keaton confirms it’s contract killer Emile Lang (Mark Engelhardt). Keaton believed Lang was dead, and Randy shows he’s been off the grid for five years.
Colter wonders if Nat is working with Lang, but Keaton knows Lang is a lone wolf. Randy sees Zhan’s phone is still pinging and that’s where Colter and Keaton head next. Colter believes Keaton isn’t telling him everything about Nat, but Keaton doesn’t want to talk about it.
Colter and Keaton arrive at the phone’s location and find an overturned car and Nat in dire condition nearby. Nat’s in shock and as Colter calls 911, Nat tells Keaton that Lang killed Clive. He wasn’t working for the Russians. Nat indicates where Zhan’s phone is and apologizes before dying.
Colter tracks Lang as Keaton remains on the scene and calls the cops. It’s still daylight as he follows the blood trails, but it’s pitch dark when we see Lang carjack someone and steal a getaway car. It’s also pitch dark when Keaton makes the call to Ross to tell him Nat’s dead, breaking the news even though dozens of cops have been on the scene for hours.
Ross is surprised Nat said Lang wasn’t hired by the Russians. He says he’ll meet Keaton at the scene. Colter calls with an update that Randy discovered a Honda was carjacked nearby, and Keaton heads out to pick him up.
Lang stops in a store to pick up duct tape, a tarp, and a rifle.
Randy provides an update that the Honda is heading to a lake just as Lang enters a home pretending to be a worker checking on a gas leak. After the man lets him in, the homeowner gets a text saying, “SOMEONE KNOWS. GET OUT.” He races to his safe and gets his gun, but Lang is just steps away, suggesting they have a talk.
Colter and Keaton arrive at the house, which Randy says belongs to Bradley Weitz (Trevor Hinton), an accountant. They approach, guns drawn, and find the door unlocked. Colter finds Bradley’s housekeeper tied up and gagged, and she reveals Lang took Bradley to the garage. She also reveals Lang was asking about Cassie Lindstrom, a name she doesn’t recognize.
Keaton looks around outside and spots the Honda as Colter walks through the garage. He finds Bradley dead, shot in the back of the head. There are dozens of file boxes in the garage, but Colter doesn’t have time to look at them. Shots are exchanged outside and Colter runs out just as Lang drives off. Keaton’s been shot and tells Colter to follow Lang. Colter refuses. There isn’t any cell service, so his first priority is getting to a hospital.
Neither Reenie nor Randy can reach Colter, and Reenie’s worried because she found old records indicating Nat was on the take and getting paid by Zhan.
Keaton’s in horrible shape and apologizes for getting Colter into this as they head to the hospital. He manages to say Cassie Lindstrom might be related to the cop Lang supposedly shot at a nightclub.
Colter begs Keaton to hang on as they head to the hospital. Suddenly, shots ring out and Colter’s car is hit. It drives over an embankment and flips over onto its hood. And that’s it for the first part of Tracker season three. Episode 10 is scheduled to air on March 1, 2026.
CBS’s FBI season eight heads into the winter break with a special two-part storyline. Episode nine, “Lone Wolf,” will air on Monday, December 15, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT. Episode 10, “Wolf Pack,” follows at 9pm ET/PT.
Part 1, “Lone Wolf” Plot: As the holidays approach, the team finds three slain sex workers inside a brownstone—they uncover the murderer has a larger plan in place that they must rush to stop. Meanwhile, Jubal receives a concerning call from his son Tyler.
Part 2, “Wolf Pack” Plot: Chaos erupts in the city when an attack disrupts cell, internet, and emergency services. As the team races to uncover the culprits, they learn the group responsible is a radical accelerationist movement fixated on resetting society.
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, John Boyd stars as Special Agent Stuart Scola, and Juliana Aidén Martinez plays Eva Ramos.
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.
Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky and Tobi Bamtefa as Deverin “Bunny” Washington in ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ episode 8, season 4 (Credit: Jeremy Parsons/Paramount+)
Warden Hobbs (Edie Falco) is having a rotten day, which she deserves, as Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown season four, episode eight begins. Callahan’s gone missing, and that news comes hot on the heels of the hijacking of the cartel’s shipment.
(The following is a recap of season four, episode eight and there are spoilers.)
Ian (Hugh Dillon) cruises by Robert’s house and doesn’t see any movement. He joins Stevie (Derek Webster) at the diner, while Mike (Jeremy Renner) heads to Bunny’s hospital room with a treat from Dairy Queen. Frank (Lennie James) and his right-hand man, LJ (Verlon Brown), are already there, and Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) says he’s ready for some payback. Frank claims he’s going to take care of it himself, while Mike suggests KPD’s on the case. Frank will put his army on the case and take care of business.
Bunny demands to be the one who handles the person who shot him.
Mike, Frank, and LJ discuss the situation after leaving Bunny, and Mike informs them one of the Colombian cartel’s guys inside Anchor Bay has been taken care of. Frank hopes the KPD will help them get the job done. He admits he doesn’t want to hang around Kingstown any longer than he needs to.
Mike returns to Bunny’s room alone and Bunny confesses that it took all the restraint he could muster not to attack Frank. Bunny also confesses he’s learned ambition comes with risks and since Mike’s not ambitious, he trusts him the most. The doctor told him he was dead on the operating table for 67 seconds, and he confesses he didn’t see any light or family members waiting for him on the other side. Mike believes Bunny’s supposed to be here and that’s why he didn’t stay dead.
Guard Cindy Stephens (Laura Benanti) arrives at work just as the siren goes off at the prison. The noise is heard all over Kingstown, and Ian and Stevie don’t even have time to finish their breakfasts. Cops race over to the prison while Merle Callahan (Richard Brake) and his pyromaniac minion, Pete McDonough (Johnny Dinan), arrive at Shaver’s place. He’s been handling the Brotherhood since Callahan was locked up, and he hands over a stack of cash. Callahan informs Shaver he’s heard disturbing things about how he’s running things. Callahan has Shaver set on fire—and it’s a grisly death.
Hobbs orders her guards to keep searching and questioning the prisoners. She flips over David Torres’ nameplate after giving him up as a scapegoat to the cartel.
Mike barges into Bunny’s driver Lamar’s house and demands to know what Frank gave him to set up Bunny. Lamar confesses he was busted in Detroit and Frank got the charges dropped. Mike warns him that he’s basically a dead man; either Frank or Bunny is going to get rid of him. Lamar begs Mike to let him run and even offers Mike the cash Frank gave him. But Mike has a different plan that’s Lamar’s only real way out of this.
Warden Hobbs calls Mike with the news of Merle and Pete’s escape, claiming he’s the first outsider to know. Merle’s been out at least 10 hours and Hobbs promises Mike she’ll do whatever he needs. He asks to have all the Aryan prisoners gathered in one place.
Mike’s next call is to Rebecca (Nichole Galicia), warning her to leave immediately. Next, he calls Ian and Ian tells him not to go to Shaver’s. But Mike knows that’s where Merle would head to get money.
Shaver’s place is unlocked and Mike finds Shaver’s newly crisp dead body.
Callahan and Pete take off in a truck, with Merle happy to be free.
Ian and Stevie look around Shaver’s, and Ian points out the meth and money are gone. Mike’s certain Merle is already in Canada, but Ian believes Merle’s coming for Mike. He wouldn’t have left town yet.
Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky and Edie Falco as Nina Hobbs in ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ episode 8, season 4 (Credit: Jeremy Parsons/Paramount+)
Mike meets Hobbs at the prison to make sure the cartel’s still okay with her after the shipment was hijacked. She insists they just need to get through today. Mike, Ian, and Stevie join the Aryans in the yard—the same location where Warden Kareem Moore was murdered—and Mike asks their leader, Marc, where Merle might be. Marc reminds him he just saved Kyle and then picks a fight with Stevie, ready to go at it if they’ll just remove his cuffs.
They take him up on it and Marc advances on Stevie, but Stevie isn’t a lightweight. Stevie wants revenge for Kareem’s death. That, plus the fact Marc’s a raging white supremacist, is enough to light a fire under the normally mellow Stevie. Marc doesn’t get in any hits, but Stevie lands vicious punches. Ian finally has to pull him off before he kills Marc.
Marc’s taken a beating, and Mike’s threat that he’s putting him in the hole where he’ll get savagely abused is enough to make him confirm Merle’s hanging around. Marc says that wherever Mike is, that is where Merle will be. Even though he talked, Mike assures him he’s going to the hole, so he better stretch and get ready for what’s coming.
Ian knew Merle wouldn’t leave town without coming after Mike first. Mike replies, “Let him f**king come. Saves me the trouble.”
Hobbs stops Cindy on her way to Ad Seg, asking if she noticed anything about Merle that might give away where he’s heading. Hobbs warns her to watch out for every man there because they will try and take advantage of her. Cindy doesn’t tell her about Mike or offer anything useful.
Frank and LJ reminisce and relax, and LJ suggests that maybe it’s time to take things a little easier. Frank chuckles but doesn’t respond. A short while later, LJ retrieves the car and as he’s stepping out of it, Lamar pumps multiple rounds into his chest. Frank emerges from the building and sobs while scanning the street.
It’s late at night when Mike makes it to his office and finds the door broken in. Merle and/or his men have destroyed the office (and Mike’s bedroom), and there are Nazi symbols on the wall. They didn’t take his gun, so Mike calls them amateurs. As he’s looking around, Lamar calls and says it’s done. Mike tells him to meet him at the Outreach at 10.
Hugh Dillon as Ian, Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky, and Derek Webster as Stevie in ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ episode 8, season 4 (Credit: Jeremy Parsons/Paramount+)
Ian calls with the devastating news that Pete set Mike’s house on fire. By the time Mike arrives, flames have consumed the house. Ian notices that Pete just ran back in the house and Mike goes after him, smothering the flames and pulling him back outside. He tells Ian to clear everyone away as he asks Pete where Merle went. Mike tortures him and Pete coughs out, “He gonna reckon with you, Mike, but he gonna make you hurt first.”
Cindy wheels the phone to Kyle’s cell, saying it’s a call from Tracy. Tracy (Nishi Munshi) says her husband’s name, but it’s Merle who has the phone. He’s also holding their baby. Merle taunts him that he has everything Kyle loves in his hands.
Kyle begs him to let Tracy go, but Merle says it’s too late. Kyle wants to know what he wants, and Merle replies with a smile in his voice, “This. Exactly this is what I want.” Merle hangs up as Kyle screams that he’ll kill him.
Kyle yells to Cindy and tells her to call the Belleville, Ohio, cops and tell them there’s a murder in process in the house and that Merle has his wife.
Merle quiets the baby while pointing a gun at Tracy, claiming it’s not personal. It’s all just to punish Mike. Tracy suggests that he head back to Kingstown and kill Mike, but spare her son, Mitch. (Merle’s surprised about the baby’s name.) She cries, begging for her baby’s life. Merle doesn’t know what she really deserves, but no one gets what they deserve.
Merle says she can close her eyes and tells her to just breathe as she continues to beg for her baby’s life. Mitch starts crying and Tracy makes a move. The scene switches to the exterior as a gunshot rings out. Mitch is alive and crying as Merle gets back in his truck and drives away.
Ian tries to assure Mike there’s nothing he could have done. Mike’s sure Kyle is going to kill himself; he refused sedation. But Ian thinks Kyle will stay alive for Mitch’s sake.
Cindy calls Mike on his way to the prison but he doesn’t pick up. Hobbs is waiting outside and escorts him in.
Fox revealed the 14 contestants set to compete on the first season of Fear Factor: House of Fear. Among the contestants are a retired NYPD detective, a stay-at-home mom, a flight attendant, and a soccer player.
Johnny Knoxville hosts the competition, which will premiere on January 14, 2026. Season one episodes will air on Wednesdays at 9pm ET/PT.
Fox offers the following synopsis for the upcoming new take on Fear Factor: “Dropped into an unforgiving, remote location, a group of strangers will live together under one roof and face mind-blowing stunts, harrowing challenges, and a twisted game of social strategy where trust is fleeting—and fear is a weapon. Only one contestant will conquer all their fears and walk away with the massive grand prize!”
Zachary
Occupation: Unemployed Coalminer
Hometown: Benton, IL
Age: 33
Kevin Lee serves as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Anthony Carbone, Sharon Levy, Michael Heyerman, and Sean Loughlin. The series is produced by Endemol Shine North America.
Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson will return for season two of Apple TV’s Down Cemetery Road. The streamer announced the critically acclaimed thriller has been renewed for a second season.
The renewal announcement included a description of what viewers can expect in the upcoming season: “Season two reunites Zoë Boehm (Thompson) and Sarah Trafford (Wilson) chasing down another twisted mystery. After a woman falls in front of a train, Zoë is called in to investigate, but this seemingly simple case soon upends her life as she and Sarah find themselves navigating the glamorous but ruthless world of black market antiquities. Matters take a deadly turn when they stumble into the path of a brutal serial killer who will stop at nothing to cover up his crimes.”
The series is based on Mick Herron’s bestselling “Zoë Boehm” book series. Morwenna Banks writes and executive produces, with author Herron involved as an executive producer. Additional executive producers include Emma Thompson, Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, and Tom Nash. Down Cemetery Road is produced by 60Forty Films.
“I’m so thrilled that Down Cemetery Road has been enjoyed enough to warrant a second season. The thought of working with the team again, with wonderful Morwenna Banks in the writer’s seat and the indomitable Ruth Wilson, who is the best and most brilliant co-star any aging Dame could desire, is frankly far more than I feel I deserve,” stated Emma Thompson. “Zoë Boehm is a punkishly delicious avatar and I can’t wait to pull on her knockoff Doc Martens again. Thanks to everyone who watched! We are go for the next one and it’s all down to you.”
Börkur Sigþórssen (Insomnia) will be the lead director for season two.
The San Diego Film Critics Society’s 2025 nominee list includes awards season favorites—Sinners, One Battle After Another, and Hamnet—along with a batch of films that haven’t made many end-of-the-year lists. Highest 2 Lowest, 28 Years Later, Warfare, Oh, Hi!, Eternity, Good Boy, Companion, and Rental Family each earned at least one nomination. In fact, more than four dozen films earned one or more nominations from the So. Cal group that’s known for bucking trends.
Sinners topped the list with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Director (Ryan Coogler), Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku), Original Screenplay, Production Design, Cinematographer, Costume Design, Sound Design, Use of Music, Stunt Choreography, and Ensemble. One Battle After Another scored 10 nominations, Hamnet earned nine, Frankenstein picked up six, and Marty Supreme received five.
Winners will be announced on Monday, December 15th.
2025 San Diego Film Critics Nominees
Best Picture
HAMNET
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
MARTY SUPREME
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
SINNERS
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Yorgos Lanthimos, BUGONIA
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, MARTY SUPREME
Leonardo DiCaprio, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Joel Edgerton, TRAIN DREAMS
Michael B. Jordan, SINNERS
Wagner Moura, THE SECRET AGENT
Benicio del Toro, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Jacob Elordi, FRANKENSTEIN
Sean Penn, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stellan Skarsgård, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Jeffrey Wright, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
Best Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion, MARTY SUPREME
Nina Hoss, HEDDA
Amy Madigan, WEAPONS
Wunmi Mosaku, SINNERS
Teyana Taylor, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Best Comedic Performance
Will Arnett, IS THIS THING ON?
Molly Gordon, OH, HI!
Liam Neeson, THE NAKED GUN
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, ETERNITY
Tim Robinson, FRIENDSHIP
Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Cary Christopher, WEAPONS
Shannon Mahina Gorman, RENTAL FAMILY
Jacobi Jupe, HAMNET
Alfie Williams, 28 YEARS LATER
Nina Ye, LEFT-HANDED GIRL
Best Original Screenplay
Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
Zack Cregger, WEAPONS
David Koepp, BLACK BAG
Jafar Panahi, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, TRAIN DREAMS
JT Mollner, THE LONG WALK
Maggie O’Farrell, Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Will Tracy, BUGONIA
Best First Feature (Director)
Drew Hancock, COMPANION
Scarlett Johansson, ELEANOR THE GREAT
Ben Leonberg, GOOD BOY
Kristen Stewart, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER
Eva Victor, SORRY, BABY
Best Documentary
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES
JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME
ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5
PREDATORS
Best Animated Film
ELIO
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS ZOOTOPIA 2
Best Foreign Language Film
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
LEFT-HANDED GIRL
THE SECRET AGENT
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
SIRAT
Best Editing
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, MARTY SUPREME
Barry Alexander Brown, Allyson C. Johnson, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
Affonso Goncalves, Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Andy Jurgensen, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Stephen Mirione, Patrick J. Smith, F1: THE MOVIE
Best Cinematography
Autum Durald Arkapaw, SINNERS
Michael Bauman, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Dan Laustsen, FRANKENSTEIN
Adolpho Veloso, TRAIN DREAMS
Lukasz Zal, HAMNET
Best Production Design
Hannah Bleachler, Monique Champagne, SINNERS
Cara Brower, Stella Fox, HEDDA
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton, HAMNET
Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau, FRANKENSTEIN
Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Alexandra Byrne, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Ruth E. Carter, SINNERS
Kate Hawley, FRANKENSTEIN
Paul Tazewell, WICKED: FOR GOOD
Malgosia Turzanska, HAMNET
Best Sound Design
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
F1: THE MOVIE
FRANKENSTEIN
SINNERS WARFARE
