If there’s one takeaway from the official trailer for Netflix’s Stranger Things season five, it’s that the final season is going to pack an emotional wallop. The trailer checks in with all of the key players and ends on a threatening note, with Vecna declaring, “William, you are going to help me…one last time.”
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.
In support of the final season’s official trailer drop, the stars of the critically acclaimed sci-fi series described exactly where we catch up with their characters:
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) – “Eleven is in training mode. She’s in a warrior state, which is the first time you see Eleven like that at the beginning of a season. As for her mindset, all she is thinking about is protecting her friends. Her friends are her chosen family, so she will do whatever it takes to protect them and we’re going to see that.”
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) – “Dustin is kind of in a bit of a funk. I think everybody probably is considering the state that Hawkins is in, and it’s getting a little bit harder for the gang to keep all the pieces together. We’re all dealing with the day-to-day issues of what it is to try to keep everybody safe and figure out where Vecna is, while having a lot of unpacked baggage from the events in the previous season.”
Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) – “It’s always been in the beginning of a season that everything is all good, but this is the first season we come into it and the stakes are the same as where we left off. We haven’t defeated Vecna and the problem is still there. We’re still trying to figure it out and we may not be able to figure it out, so you feel that burden on Lucas as well as everyone else on the show. Everyone is on edge and we’re all just trying to keep hope alive.”
Noah Schnapp (Will) – “Will is back in Hawkins this season. He was out of Hawkins for the last season, so now we’re seeing the effects of him being back in that realm. We kind of hit the ground running right away this season, which is really exciting and not how we’ve started any other season. Everyone is all in one place and we all have the same objective.”
Sadie Sink (Max) – “We ended Season 4 in a tough place for Max. Her final moments were her in a hospital bed. Eleven was searching for her in the void and couldn’t find her, so Max is definitely not the way she once was. There’s still a small glimmer of hope, though, and her friends are hanging on to that.”
Finn Wolfhard (Mike) – “Mike is back in leadership mode, and he’s kind of taken it more upon himself to help plan out these missions, and he and the whole gang are devoted to finding Vecna and ending this.”
Volume 1 of the fifth and final season premieres on November 26, 2025, followed by Volume 2 on December 25th. The eighth episode of the season (and series finale) debuts on December 31st at 5pm PT. The finale will screen in 350+ theaters on December 31st, also beginning at 5pm PT, and run through January 1st.
Netflix offers this description of Stranger Things season five:
“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.
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.”
Colin Farrell in ‘Ballad of a Small Player’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Oscar nominee Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) stars as a high-stakes gambler down on his luck and living on the edge in Netflix’s Ballad of a Small Player. Based on Lawrence Osborne’s novel and directed by Edward Berger, the psychological thriller follows Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle, a delusional gambling addict who believes he needs just one big jackpot to set things right.
Netflix recently hosted a press conference in support of the film’s limited theatrical release and October 29, 2025 streaming premiere. The following are highlights from the press conference.
On whether Ballad of a Small Player is a story of redemption or addiction:
Colin Farrell: “All of the above. I suppose it’s open, like any decent story, it’s open to piles of interpretation. I don’t know what it’s about. I honestly never really claimed to know what anything I’ve done has been about in the grand sense of the story’s purpose or its meaning. You know, you just focus on what you have to do, existing as a character within the world that’s being presented. And then you just kind of let it go and leave it open the audience’s participation and engagement, hopefully, with the story.
Different people find different things in every tale, of course. But yeah, for sure addiction is certainly not touched upon but battered, really. And greed, avarice, looking for meaning in all the wrong places. You know, I suppose we do, particularly the Western civilization that we all share, there’s an ever-increasing importance placed on achievement—and I’m not against achievement—but identifying one’s worth solely through achievement or through material acquisition and such things, and so I suppose that’s looked at as well in a very kind of, as the film is, operatic in a hugely unsubtle manner.”
On his own gambling experience and if he believes luck exists:
Colin Farrell: “I am not much of a gambler. I have gambled in my time, back in the day in my infant years in Vegas in my early 20s. But I was never much good at it. I never really cared for it much. Played a bit of blackjack. But, yeah, gambling never got its talons into me at all.
Do I believe in such a thing as luck? I mean, depends on the day. Some days I do, some days I don’t. Some days I say yes there’s a such thing as luck and chance, and other days I feel all things are connected and luck is what you make it. And, you know, as they say, opportunity multiplied by preparation is luck. So, I do not know, but I believe, I suppose, in synchronicity. I love things that some people might understandably call coincidence, and I’ll gladly refer to as a sign.”
On working with director Edward Berger on Ballad of a Small Player:
Colin Farrell: “I loved working with Edward. He’s an extraordinary storyteller and he has an attention to detail that is second to none. He’s got possibly the biggest engine. He’s got a huge engine. He can just go and go and go and doesn’t seem to let up. I mean, as is very clearly obvious by the amount of work that he’s doing now and, I mean, he did All Quiet, and that was coming out when he was shooting Conclave, and then we went and shot Ballad, and while we shot Ballad, he was flying on his own to promote Conclave and then back to Ballad. He’s just relentless, and he’s like that on the set as well.
His curiosity is something that I feel propels him forward with that energy that I speak of, that engine that I speak of. He’s super kind. Really bright. I just think he’s an extraordinary storyteller, and I loved working with him.
[…] He’s very wise. He surrounds himself with a wonderful cabal of artists that he trusts completely. But I had a blast. I felt like the two of us were hand in hand going through this what has been referred to as this kind of fever dream, this Macanese fever dream. And I felt we were in step with each other all the way.”
On maintaining and sustaining a high energy level for the duration of the shoot:
Colin Farrell: “Nervousness and anxiety has its own fuse and its own match, you know? […] It was just the nervous energy and the compulsion to kind of just turn up and honor the script. It’s the same kind of compulsion or the same worry or agitation, journey of curiosity that you have every time you go to work.
This one was fairly…the energy was—it’s a bit manic from start to finish. I was fairly raw by the end of it, I suppose. All things being equal, I find it hard to say, you know, ‘It was a tough time doing what I do,’ because I love what I do for a living so much. I really do. And I get so much from it, and et cetera, et cetera, truly, but I suppose it was as raw at the end of this as I’ve ever been at the end of anything, I suppose.
But yeah, just nervous energy feeding into itself. And loving it and buying into it and believe in it. And also, the energy you get, the juice you get, from just collaborating with people, actually. It’s a really extraordinary thing. I’ve been an actor for 25 years or something, and I am in no way inured to the magic of working really intensely with a bunch of people in a collaborative fashion with creativity on their minds and having a shared goal. You don’t always see eye to eye. It’s not to say you always see eye to eye, but it’s an extraordinary thing, whether it’s a film or whether it’s a TV show; it’s all one in the same, really. And it’s amazing. It’s a kind of a self-galvanizing experience.”
Colin Farrell stars in ‘Ballad of a Small Player’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
On past performances he drew on for inspiration:
Colin Farrell: “There was no particular performance or film I was aware of drawing from. But I said this when I was asked before, did this thing, The Penguin, and people would ask me, ‘Were you inspired by Jimmy Gandolfini in Sopranos or Bob DeNiro in Untouchables?’ and I’d say no. Like, not consciously. But I’m fully aware that everything I’ve ever seen or heard or felt or smelt is all part of the inner rolodex of your experience. It inevitably finds its way into every single time you go to work.”
On shooting in Macau:
Colin Farrell: “I didn’t find it as aggressive as I find Vegas, and I love Vegas. I go with the kids once a year, and we see a Cirque du Soleil show, get a steak dinner, and call it a day. But I loved it. It was strange living in a casino hotel for eight weeks. One only knows those environments for three days at a max, so eight weeks was a bit strange. But it was lovely as well in the same way, because you were constantly surrounded and within the environment that Doyle was inhabiting in the story. So, in a way, I’m sure it was helpful. You just allow your mind to go on flights of fancy sometimes and you’d see something in the casino and wonder how the character would see that as opposed to just you.
There were touchstones for the story everywhere, even when I wasn’t shooting or working around the set. I was on the set. I found that very helpful, whether it’s In Bruges or The Banshees of Inisherin or this, I love shooting somewhere where the place is a really significant part. You know, it’s overused now, Macau’s a character in the film. […] When that happens, it’s really lovely. I suppose it just helps you suspend your disbelief to a certain degree.”
The team is faced with an outbreak of flesh-eating bacteria on CBS’s Watson season two, episode four. “Happy When It Rains” will air on Monday, November 3, 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.
“Happy When It Rains” Plot: Watson and the team jump into action when four new patients are brought to UHOP with wounds that appear to be infected with a flesh-eating bacterium following a tornado. Meanwhile, Shinwell searches for meaning as a nursing student and Adam’s wedding to Lauren risks being halted.
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.
Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. Whether you love him or hate him, you have to admit that you never know what he’s going to do next. Will it be a Frankenstein reimagining like Poor Things, a quirky period piece like The Favourite, or a brain-teasing thriller like The Killing of a Sacred Deer? This time around, the enigmatic director is taking a stab at science fiction with Bugonia.
Bugonia is about a pair of conspiracy theorist cousins named Teddy (Jesse Plemons from I’m Thinking of Ending Things) and Don (newcomer Aidan Delbis) who believe that aliens from the Andromeda Galaxy are living on Earth and are bent on destroying it. And they believe that they have found one, a high-powered Fortune 500 CEO named Michelle Fuller (La La Land’s Emma Stone), so they kidnap her and try to force her to “take them to her leader.”
The screenplay for Bugonia was written by Will Tracy (The Menu), and it’s an English-language adaptation of a 2003 South Korean film called Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan (Hway! A Monster Boy). It feels like the next logical step for Yorgos Lanthimos in his progression as a true Hollywood filmmaker, as it is a very accessible movie, yet still feels very much like a Yorgos Lanthimos movie. It’s absurdist black comedy as only Lanthimos can do it, but it’s also very relatable and engaging.
Bugonia is a movie that kind of makes fun of itself. The characters of Teddy and Don are stereotypical conspiracy theorists—all that’s missing are the tin foil hats. But they’re played completely straight, so it’s the craziness of their beliefs that becomes comedic. Michelle is similarly an archetype of the success-driven female executive, right down to her no-nonsense wardrobe and self-defense training. The two worlds colliding is a power struggle that shouldn’t be entertaining, but somehow, it is. It’s a life-or-death situation, but it’s still both amusing and compelling.
The biggest difference between Bugonia and Lanthimos’ other films is the actors’ performances. Usually, Lanthimos gets straight-faced, wooden line readings out of his actors—it’s sort of his trademark. But here in Bugonia, he lets his actors go, and the results are terrific. Jesse Plemons’ Teddy is as intelligent as he is misguided, and he walks a tightrope between being strong and vulnerable. Emma Stone’s Michelle shows a similar dichotomy, trying to be fierce in the face of adversity but breaking down in private when she realizes the hopelessness of her predicament. Aidan Delbis’ Don is the closest to a normal Lanthimos performance there is in Bugonia. Don is developmentally challenged, so he does have a bit of the Yorgos stiffness, but it works with the character.
Together, the three play off of each other in a way that’s reminiscent of a contained thriller stage play. Each character is constantly trying to manipulate the other two and exploit any weaknesses that they suspect, with differing results depending upon the circumstances. It’s a fun little three-way fiasco, full of twists and turns, and even an untwist and unturn tossed in for good measure. It’s not really hard to see where Bugonia is going, but it’s hard to predict how it gets there.
The other immediately remarkable aspect of Bugonia is the score. Composed by Jerskin Fendrix (who also scored Kinds of Kindness and Poor Things for Lanthimos), the music is more traditional Hollywood than science fiction. It’s mostly fanfaring horns and soaring strings as opposed to spooky synthesizers and whooshing theremins. It shouldn’t work in the context of a movie that is ostensibly about tracking down aliens on Earth, but it does. It works very well.
Bugonia will not be for everyone. There are those who will think it’s silly, maybe even stupid. But people who get Yorgos Lanthimos will get this movie. And frankly, that’s probably the audience for which it was made.
GRADE: B+
Rating: R for bloody violent content, suicide, grisly images, and language
Running Time: 1 hour 58 minutes
Release Date: October 31, 2025
Studio: Focus Features
We’ve finally reached the conclusion of ABC’s 9-1-1 season nine’s four-part premiere with episode four, “Reentry.” The promo video shows Athena putting herself in danger, unwilling to lose anyone else she holds dear. Episode four will air on Thursday, October 30, 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.
“Reentry” Plot: As Athena and Hen navigate their way back home, Athena will be forced to confront what it means to live without Bobby. Mark Consuelos guest stars.
Aisha Hinds and Angela Bassett in ‘9-1-1’ season 9 episode 4 (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.
Corinne Massiah and Elijah M. Cooper in season 9 episode 4 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Corinne Massiah and Ryan Guzman in season 9 episode 4 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Kenneth Choi and Jennifer Love Hewitt in the “Reentry” episode (Disney/Christopher Willard)Angela Bassett in season 9 episode 4 (Disney/Christopher Willard)
A bear is blamed for a death, but it’s possible the attack was actually a murder on Fox’s Murder in a Small Town season two, episode six. “Trust, But Verify” will air on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT.
Rossif Sutherland stars as Karl Alberg and Kristin Kreuk plays Cassandra Lee. Mya Lowe is Corporal Edwina Yen, Savonna Spracklin is Isabella Harbud, Aaron Douglas is Sergeant Sid Sokolowski, Fritzy-Klevans Destine is Constable Andy Kendrick, and Marcia Gay Harden is Mayor Christie Holman. The series also features Bethany Brown, Marci T. House, and Joshua Close.
“Trust, But Verify” Plot: Karl and the team investigate a reported bear attack, leading to questions about foul play due to inconsistent stories. Meanwhile, Karl’s daughter and friend continue to work on solving their own case, as they discover new evidence pointing them to believe that the separate murders around town may be more connected than anyone suspected.
Rossif Sutherland and Bethany Brown in ‘MURDER IN A SMALL TOWN’ season 2 episode 6 (Photo by Kailey Schwerman / 2025 Fox Media LLC.)
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.
Danny gets bit by a crab in the promo for CBS’s Boston Blue episode three, but that’s definitely not going to be the only trouble he and Lena encounter. Episode three, “History,” will air on Friday, October 31, 2025 at 10pm ET/PT.
Season one of the Blue Bloods spinoff stars Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan, Sonequa Martin-Green as Lena Silver, Marcus Scribner as Jonah Silver, Maggie Lawson as Sarah Silver, and Mika Amonson as Sean Reagan. Gloria Reuben stars as Mae Silver and Ernie Hudson plays Reverend Edwin Peters.
“History” Plot: A body found on the Boston wharf pulls Lena and Danny into a tense drug investigation alongside Lena’s former partner, Detective Brian Rodgers (Ryan Broussard), sparking personal and professional friction. Jonah and Sean chase down a missing man tied to a scavenger hunt, while Sarah and Mae navigate emotional challenges at home and in court.
Alex Zakzrewski directs from a script by Rebecca Cutter.
Donnie Wahlberg reprises his role as NYPD detective Danny Reagan in a universe expansion of the long-running top drama Blue Bloods. In this new series, Reagan takes a position with the Boston Police Department and is paired with Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.
The Silver family is comprised of Boston district attorney Mae Silver (Reuben), Boston PD detective Lena Silver, police superintendent Sarah Silver (Lawson), rookie cop Jonah Silver (Scribner) and renowned Baptist pastor Reverend Edwin Peters (Hudson). As Reagan settles into his new city, he also hopes to reconnect with his younger son, Sean (Amonsen), who is beginning his own career in Boston.
Executive producers include Donnie Wahlberg, Brandon Sonnier, Brandon Margolis, Jerry Bruckheimer, and KristieAnne Reed.
Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata in ‘High Potential’ season 2 episode 7 (Disney/Bahareh Ritter)
ABC’s High Potential season two, episode seven—the midseason finale—has the team investigating the case of an art heist. Which is an unintentionally timely storyline, given the recent theft at the Louvre.
(The following recap of season two episode seven contains spoilers!)
Arthur (Mekhi Phifer) calls Morgan (Kaitlin Olson), worried that someone’s been tailing him. He believes it is somehow connected to Roman and the backpack. Morgan claims she hasn’t really learned anything from the backpack, and Arthur suggests that she should hide it. He warns her to be careful.
Morgan’s already looked through the backpack but has Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) and Lt. Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) do a thorough examination. Nothing looked familiar to her. Captain Nick Wagner (Steve Howey) interrupts with news that Adam and Morgan need to head out on a high-profile case, so Selena’s on her own examining the backpack. (Nick looks curious, but they don’t tell him anything.)
Morgan and Adam learn the stolen painting is “Young Girl Leaning on a Windowsill” by Rembrandt. Adam wants info on museum employees, and the museum director reveals it’s on loan from Greg and Linda Foster. They purchased it for $20 million. Morgan’s eyes nearly pop out of her head.
Oz (Deniz Akdeniz) confirms one guard was knocked out and the other couldn’t see anything because the thief deployed a smoke canister. Daphne (Javicia Leslie) adds that the material on the floor’s been sent for testing. The point of entry/exit was a skylight. The rope that was used is still dangling from the roof.
Morgan wonders why the thief entered so far away from the stolen painting, passing by paintings worth much more. One was valued at $150,000,000, so why didn’t the thief steal it? The thief wanted that specific Rembrandt and removed it with precision. It wasn’t about the money; they wanted “Young Girl Leaning on a Windowsill.”
Back at the station, they fill Nick in on Morgan’s theory that this was personal. The Fosters’ insurance company hired art recovery specialist Rhys Eastman (Aiden Turner), and Morgan’s not thrilled he’s joining the investigation. Rhys disagrees with Morgan; he’s certain it was stolen for money, like every other art theft. Of course, Morgan doesn’t back down, insisting this time it was personal.
Neither Adam nor Morgan is happy that Rhys accompanies them to the Fosters’ house. The Fosters say they fell in love with the painting at auction and think of the girl in the painting as their daughter. (They don’t have children.) Which leads Morgan to point out they loaned their child to a museum.
Rhys believes he’ll learn the thief’s whereabouts when they talk to someone about selling the painting. The investigation gets sidetracked by Morgan and Rhys’s argument over whether the girl in the painting is a servant or a prostitute, and Adam gets it back on track.
Mr. Foster turns over a folder with all the past owners of the painting, and Morgan looks through it back at the station. She summarizes the key points for Adam and confesses she really doesn’t care about keeping an insurance company from paying a check to people who definitely don’t need more money.
Kaitlin Olson, Deniz Akdeniz, and Daniel Sunjata in ‘High Potential’ season 2 episode 7 (Disney/Mitch Haaseth)
The material on the museum’s floor had aluminum oxide, which melts glass. That’s why there weren’t any glass shards from the skylight on the floor. Oz learned the same MO was used in a heist two years ago involving a Matisse in Rotterdam.
Daphne does additional research and discovers 19 heists matching their case. In each of the cases, the paintings were worth $10-30 million. The first painting stolen was “A White Duck” by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, taken 12 years ago. More research shows the thief, commonly referred to as “Jean-Baptiste,” was shot in the shoulder five years ago while trying to steal a Picasso in Madrid. Morgan wonders why he hasn’t been caught, and Rhys suggests it could even be 10 different thieves using the same MO.
Daphne discovers Ari Weissman sued for the Rembrandt, but the court ruled against him. Selena pulls Oz and Daphne briefly off the case to help with the Roman investigation, while Morgan, Adam, and Rhys head to Ari’s place.
Ari’s grandmother explains her dad bought the painting in 1932 and hung it on the wall in their home in Krakow. She was the only one in her family who survived the war. The Nazis took their possessions, including that painting. Since then, they’ve kept an eye on auction catalogs until they found it up for sale. The owners offered to sell it to them for $20 million, but they’re middle class and don’t have that kind of money. And the courts ruled against them because they couldn’t prove it was theirs.
Adam notices a framed photo showing Ari is—or was—a gymnast. (The thief went up and down a long rope.) Adam doesn’t mention it but asks for Ari’s alibi. Morgan reveals she saw Ari’s name on the museum’s visitor logs and Ari says he went there to take a photo to show his grandmother.
Back at the station, Selena, Oz, and Daphne bag up and photograph everything in Roman’s backpack. She wants everything tested by forensics, including data extraction on the BlackBerry. The photos in the backpack will go through facial recognition. Selena advises them that if the captain asks about the case, they should refer him to her.
Meanwhile, Morgan’s rejected all babysitter applicants and has hired Ava (Amirah J) to take care of Elliot and Chloe. Ava asks if the cops have found anything about the bag, and Morgan promises to tell her as soon as they do.
Adam questions the museum staff and one employee remembers a guy hanging out by the Rembrandt a few times. She recognizes the photo of Ari that Adam shows her.
Morgan places Ari and his grandmother’s photos on the Suspect side of the crime board and Morgan moves them to the Victims side. She adds a new column to the board and labels it 1939, when the painting was stolen by the Nazis. If they find the painting, Morgan wants it returned to Miriam Weissman, not the Fosters.
Adam tries to explain that’s not how any of this works, but Morgan’s not having it. Rhys takes a phone call and tries to leave, but Morgan stops him. He reluctantly admits someone called and thinks they know the whereabouts of the painting. Morgan insists on going with him.
They wait for the guy outside the museum and he’s late, which gives Rhys time to explain that he’s the only person who does what he does. Since they have time, they head to the museum’s roof to see how the thief got in. Morgan’s just pointing out the glass has a reflective covering when the museum director delivers an envelope addressed to Rhys. Inside is a Polaroid of the painting with a current newspaper to date it. Instructions on the back tell Rhys to bring $500,000 to Woodley Park at 1pm.
Selena’s in a rotten mood even before Daphne reports that forensics is backed up. Oz has better news; one of the photos came back to a man who has a criminal record.
Steve Howey in ‘High Potential’ season 2 episode 7 (Disney/Mitch Haaseth)
Nick’s angry that Morgan and Rhys went to the crime scene at the museum without a police escort. He thinks she’s trying to sabotage the investigation, but Morgan claims she’s not. Rhys hands over the photo and instructions, and Nick springs into action setting up a surveillance operation.
Morgan apologizes, but Nick’s really upset and calls her reckless and insubordinate. He expects her to follow his commands and takes her and Rhys off the case. “Detective Karadec and I can handle it from here. Our consultants have done enough,” says Nick.
The Fosters arrive and Karadec briefly meets with them, while Morgan grabs Rhys and says they’re going for a drink. Morgan can’t believe Nick yelled at her and kicked her off the case, and Rhys tries to change the subject to her kids. She knows what he’s doing and won’t go there, continuing to rage about Nick’s dismissive behavior.
Ava discovers Arthur’s card in her mom’s jacket and calls him to talk about her dad. Arthur thinks they should have a talk about Roman, but not right now. He suggests that he can meet her and Morgan at the diner again sometime. The only thing he’s willing to say now is that Roman always did the right thing and is a stand-up guy.
Nick and Adam have a revealing chat while driving to the meetup spot. Nick admits that he trusts Morgan but needs to know everything going on so that he can protect her. He feels that way about all the detectives in the unit. Adam sticks up for Morgan and warns Nick to find a different way to handle matters when he’s upset with Morgan. If Nick doesn’t, then he and Adam will have issues.
Nick and Adam wait for the person who sent the Polaroid to show up, and Nick confesses he’s waiting for Adam to tell him about Roman. He’s observant and knows something’s up. Suddenly, they spot a man breaking into a car and although Nick wants to ignore it, Adam can’t.He yells at the guy to get away from the car, and the man pulls out a gun. Adam and Nick both draw their weapons, and finally the man puts his down.
The person they’re there to meet speeds away and Nick speeds after him, leaving Adam behind. Adam grabs the car thief’s gun, pushes him away, and drives off after Nick. Nick and Adam argue over the phone as they chase down the person they’re supposed to meet.
The high-speed chase continues as Nick and Adam continue to fight. They wind up losing the suspect but hitting each other’s cars.
Morgan’s downing a beer and yet still won’t stop talking about how much Nick irritates her. She’s convinced it was either nepotism or the fact that Nick’s tall that got him the promotion. Rhys knows Morgan’s trying to figure him out and reveals his dad was a trash collector and his schoolmates used to make fun of him. But when he went to a museum, it didn’t matter about his social class. It’s a poignant story that Morgan misses most of because she’s still fixated on her anger at Nick. However, it’s obvious there’s a spark between them, which leads to a visit to Rhys’ hotel room.
A hot and heavy makeout session follows, but of course that’s interrupted when Morgan notices a gunshot scar on Rhys’ now bare left shoulder. (That’s where the guard shot Jean-Baptiste five years ago.) Her mind races through the clues, which now point to Rhys. Morgan’s phone buzzes so she pulls away for a moment but doesn’t let on to what she’s thinking.
The call’s from Adam telling her to get to the museum. A dead man is lying on the garage floor in a pool of blood. Adam says, “Our case just got blown wide open.”
Episode seven ends on a cliffhanger. Selena looks through everything that was removed from Roman’s backpack. She picks up the photo Oz showed her of the man they can’t ID just as Arthur gets in his car to leave a job site. He sits behind the wheel, and the unidentified man pops up in his backseat, asking about the backpack.
High Potential will return from its winter break on January 6, 2026.
ABC’s midseason lineup will include the return of Will Trent and The Rookie, along with season 24 of American Idol. The network’s new Scrubs series and a new season of The Bachelorette also debut in early 2026.
“Across ABC and its streaming home on Hulu, we have the best shows on television, from acclaimed dramas to standout comedies and unscripted hits,” stated Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group. “Our midseason schedule underscores our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional storytelling and engaging content to audiences wherever they choose to watch.”
SUNDAY, MARCH 22
8:00 p.m. The Bachelorette (Season 22 Premiere)
Scrubs Preview: JD and Turk scrub in together for the first time in a long time: Medicine has changed; interns have changed; but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart, and some surprises along the way.
The 30-minute revival comedy series stars Zach Braff as John “J.D.” Dorian, Donald Faison as Christopher Turk, and Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid.
Sir David Attenborough narrates BBC America and AMC+’s Kingdom, premiering on Saturday, January 24, 2026. The six-part nature series follows four African animal families as they struggle to survive.
BBC America offers this synopsis: “Filmed across five years in a single spectacular location, the lives and fates of our four families—leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, and lions—are inextricably linked as they strive for a foothold in a remote and fertile river valley in Zambia. As well as the intense power struggles between these top predators, the series shows how a colorful supporting cast, from powerful elephant herds to flocks of hamerkops to troops of marauding baboons, impact our central characters in surprising ways.”
Felicity Lanchester serves as the producer, Mike Gunton executive produces, and Simon Blakeney is the series editor.
