House of the Dragon season 3 has reached its endpoint. Indeed, with its final episode due to air on numerous TV networks and streaming platforms shortly, we'll be bidding farewell to the Game of Thrones spin-off until its fourth and final season arrives in 2028.

But, let's deal with the here and now. Last week's chapter was full of explosive moments, including the revelation that Sunfyre is alive, Rhaenyra learning that Rhaena was responsible for Jace's death, and Ulf the White all but defecting to the Greens ahead of the long-awaited Battle of Tumbleton, among many other plot points. In short: this season's finale has got plenty of storylines to tackle and/or wrap up.

Thankfully, we don't have long to wait to see if it'll cap off the series' fieriest season yet. So, when will season 3 episode 8 premiere?

What is the launch time for House of the Dragon season 3 episode 8?

Unless the HBO TV Original's release is unexpectedly brought forward, the final episode of House of the Dragon's third season will come out on Sunday, August 9 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET.

Well, that'll be the case in the US and Canada. Viewers in other nations will need to tune into their platform of choice on Monday, August 10 at the following times instead:

• US — Sunday, August 9 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada — Sunday, August 9 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK — Monday, August 10 at 2am BST
• India — Monday, August 10 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore — Monday, August 10 at 9am SGT
• Australia — Monday, August 10 at 11am AEST
• New Zealand — Monday, August 10 at 1pm NZST

Where can I watch House of the Dragon season 3 episode 8?

Just like every other entry, House of the Dragon season 3's next installment will premiere on HBO Max, aka one of the world's best streaming services, wherever it's available.

Admittedly, the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) platform hasn't launched in every country yet. Nevertheless, there are other channels and streamers that it'll drop on across the globe.

Unsure of where you'll be able to find season 3 episode 8? Check out the list below:

• US — HBO and HBO Max
• Canada — Crave
• UK — HBO Max, Sky Atlantic, and Now TV
• India — JioHotstar
• Singapore — HBO Max
• Australia — HBO Max
• New Zealand — HBO Max

Will there be a fourth season of House of the Dragon?

Yes. As I mentioned up top, House of the Dragon season 4 is not only already in development, but will also be the program's last hurrah.

Last November, House of the Dragon was one of many HBO TV shows that were renewed for another season. As part of that announcement, it was revealed that the Thrones prequel's final season will be ready to go at some point in 2028, too. Whether that's still the case remains to be seen but, if filming gets underway on House of the Dragon season 4 in early 2027 as expected, a 2028 launch will be more likely than not.

August 2026 has arrived, and we're starting the new month off strong with a whole heap of new movies and TV shows to enjoy on the world's best streaming services.

So, which seven projects have we highlighted for this weekend? For one, fans of cosy comfort TV will be delighted that Ted Lasso is back on Apple TV. Don't worry if you don't care for the sports comedy-drama series, because there's plenty more genre fare to peruse below. So, happy scrolling and streaming! — Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

Ted Lasso season 4 (Apple TV)

It's time to believe in the popular Apple TV Original once more. That's right, Ted Lasso has returned for its fourth season — and, this time, the titular soccer coach is being tasked with managing AFC Richmond's newly-founded women's team. Fans will not only be reunited with established characters in Ted Lasso season 4, then, but also introduced to a whole new line-up of fresh faces.

Want to know how it compares to the hit show's first three seasons? Read my Ted Lasso season 4 review before you make use of that free Apple TV trial you've been holding onto. Ted Lasso season 4 episode 1 is out now, by the way — and, with new episodes dropping weekly for the foreseeable future, there's lots more to look forward to in the weeks ahead. — TP

• Watch Ted Lasso season 4 on Apple TV

The Last House (Netflix)

Louis Leterrier's creepy new sci-fi thriller follows an ordinary family who become trapped in their home after torrential rain mysteriously seals every window, door, and exit point.

Their optimism begins to dwindle when days turn into months and then, frighteningly, years. I do wish the above trailer hadn't spoiled that reveal, but hey ho.

With limited supplies and an unknown threat looming outside, Riley, Jason, and their two children must fight to stay alive. They soon learn that they aren't the only ones affected, but can the other victims be trusted? You'll have to watch The Last House on Netflix to find out. — Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

• Watch The Last House on Netflix

Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi (Disney+)

What if I said that The Ninth Jedi looks like Star Wars meets Studio Ghibli?

More anime than animation, this Visions spin-off follows Kara and her ragtag Jedi crew as they seek out to find worthy Jedi to fight against an increasingly powerful warlord. She's literally Spirited Away's Chihiro armed with a lightsabre, and I'm all for the flavors of nostalgia we're getting on Disney+.

It's been tipped as a new and exciting "animated triumph," and I'm inclined to agree. If nothing else, The Ninth Jedi proves that Stars Wars is literally unstoppable, and can be easily reinvented until the end of time. — Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter

• Watch Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi on Disney+

Sterling Point (Prime Video)

Prime Video is back on its young adult drama game, baby. This time it's with Sterling Point, coming straight to us from the minds behind Gossip Girl (and that's how you immediately know that it's going to be worthwhile).

17-year-old Annie Jacobson (was raised in New York City with her twin brother and loving adoptive father, until her life takes a turn when she inherits her mysterious grandfather's island in Canada.

We've got some brilliant escapist TV across its eight episodes, feeling a lot more authentic in its delivery than the mundane repetition we've been seeing in other teen dramas of late (naming no names, of course). If you're going to commit to a book-to-Amazon TV adaptation, make it this one. — JV

• Watch Sterling Point on Prime Video

Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Paramount+)

Have I still got FOMO over not being invited to interview Billie Eilish and James Cameron during the bonkers London premiere for Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour earlier this year? Yes, I have, but that doesn't mean I won't vouch for the epic concert experience that's out now on Paramount+.

Initially captured in 3D, we follow Eilish's sold-out 2025 arena tour through a blend of stripped-down live performances from Manchester with backstage access. Whatever we're watching, Eilish's connection with her fans remains the central focus.

If you didn't get tickets or had some towards the back of the stadium, now's your chance to be front row. Personally, I'm just glad she left the Charli XCX Guess remix in the setlist. — JV

• Watch Billie Eilish: Hit Me Soft and Hard: The Tour on Paramount+

Alley Cats (Netflix)

Ricky Gervais returns to Netflix with six-part adult animated series, Alley Cats, which follows a group of strays who take in a lost kitten, helping her to navigate the brutal human world and find her way back home.

Gervais voices Gus, and he's joined by some great British talent like Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley, and Tony Way. If you're expecting anything like his previous Netflix series After Life, you may be disappointed as Alley Cats has already received several poor reviews. But, if you like crude adult animation and Gervais' controversial brand of humor, then this could be right up your, ahem, alley. — LB

• Watch Alley Cats on Netflix

The Shards (Hulu/Disney+)

Ryan Murphy's back on top form with The Shards, where he collaborates with thriller novelist Bret Easton Ellis to bring the latter's semi-autobiographical story to life on Hulu and Disney+.

The Shards follows a group of privileged teenagers in their final year at an elite prep school, with a fictionalized version of Ellis among them. Their lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Robert Mallory, whose unsettling yet charming presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler.

The first two episodes are now, but you'll want to read my review of The Shards first to see if it's worth watching. — LB

• Watch The Shards on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)

As of writing, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has become the highest-grossing movie of 2026 by bringing in $1.155 billion worldwide during its first week in theaters.

I knew that people were excited to get their cinematic Spidey senses back, but I didn't predict just how well the new Marvel movie would perform. I certainly don't think it's the strongest superhero movie we've seen in the last few years (more on that later), but Brand New Day's different format choices are certainly helping its appeal.

It's understandable that we're lapping up cinema being a more immersive experience when we're paying out for it — just look at how well Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey performed in both its original IMAX 70mm format and in 4DX. But surprisingly, Brand New Day is the first feature-length movie to be shot purposefully for another format: ScreenX.

But before we dig deeper into that what actually means, I come bearing a warning. Unless you're specifically trying to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day in every possible format as a personal challenge, ScreenX is one to be avoided.

In fact, I'd urge to to pay out quite a lot extra to experience flying through New York's skyscrapers in 4DX 3D instead.

How many formats can you watch Spider-Man: Brand New Day in?

The full list of Spider-Man: Brand New Day cinema formats look something like this:

• Standard DCP (Digital Cinema Package), 2D and 3D
• IMAX
• RPX (Regal Premium Experience) or Superscreen
• 4DX and 4DX 3D
• Dolby Cinema
• ScreenX

Not all of these formats are going to be available to everyone, so let's use a local example. I'm based in the UK, and my beloved Cineworld membership means that I have access to DCP 2D and 3D within a 20-minute drive of my house.

If I'm happy to pay the travel fares for a trip into Central London, this also means that I can see Brand New Day in Superscreen (which is the British equivalent of RPX) and ScreenX if I pay an "uplift" fee on top of my membership's monthly direct debit.

Annoyingly, I've got to wait for IMAX as The Odyssey is still selling out most venues across the South of the UK.

Cost-wise, this is what non-members are looking at:

• Standard: £16.99
• Superscreen: £20.99
• ScreenX: £21.99
• 4DX 3D: £30.99 (with an extra £1.25 for 3D glasses)

With my membership and "uplift" fee, my costs are this:

• Standard: no uplift fee
• Superscreen: no uplift fee
• ScreenX: £4
• 4DX 3D: £6

In the US, these costs will roughly look like the following:

• Standard: $16-$20
• RPX: $23-27
• IMAX: approx. $27
• ScreenX: approx. $29
• 4DX 3D: approx. $33

ScreenX: the basics

So what is ScreenX? Essentially, it's a multi-projection cinematic technology that expands movies onto the left and right side walls of a theater (like you see in the above video).

This creates a 270-degree panoramic viewing experience using extra ceiling-mounted projectors — I counted two for each side during my Brand New Day screening.

Unlike 4DX, you're not actually moving. Depending on which cinema you choose to go to, you'll have the choice of regular or luxe recliner seating. As I was treating myself for the purpose of this piece, you can guess which one I decided on (and it was genuinely incredibly comfortable).

Currently, there are There are over 430 ScreenX auditoriums operating across 40 countries worldwide, which means, like me, you might have to pay extra travel fares to get to your closest theatre.

Up until now, ScreenX has typically been used for "key action or landscape scenes." But surely this would change for the first feature film shot in the format... right?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day in ScreenX is an underwhelming experience — I'm not sure why Marvel bothered

In a word, no. Despite being filmed specifically for the format, Brand New Day still only uses its ScreenX capabilities in certain scenes — and I've got to wonder why Marvel bothered.

For context, this was my first time ever watching a movie in ScreenX, and I was fully expecting to be blown away. The novelty of watching scenes in 270-degrees lasted for all of a few minutes before I failed to understand what the impact of including my peripheral vision was intended to be.

Simply put, it felt as though ScreenX would hugely benefit from the inclusion of 4DX technology. Much like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios Florida, I wanted to be clinging onto my seat for dear life while being so visually immersed in flying through the air. The effect of ScreenX on its own left me unmoving, only wishing that I'd chosen a 4DX 3D screening across town instead.

The added insult to injury is that the 270-degree immersion didn't last for the duration for the film as I'd hoped for. The constant format changing between 270 to standard was incredibly jarring, and took me out away from the magic of the viewing experience itself, and even what was narratively happening throughout the movie.

For the travel sick among us, I interestingly found that ScreenX made me feel a lot more nauseous than 4DX ever has. Where I had worried about leaving my Kwells tablets at home before Odysseus (Matt Damon) got battered at sea in The Odyssey's 4DX screening, I hadn't even thought about it here — which was a mistake.

It's difficult to know how much of my ScreenX judgement is clouded by the fact that I thought Spider-Man: Brand New Day was merely... fine. Instead of watching the new movie in a standard format first before heading to a specialist format for a rewatch, I took the plunge with ScreenX first time around.

The CGI is often ropey at points, and I found the pacing of Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) re-reveal to MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) to be tortuously slow. However, judging by my TechRadar colleagues' feedback, this was the overwhelming sentiment regardless of which format you watched the film in.

If studios want to film movies in ScreenX in the future, my advice is this: either use the 270-degree projection for the entire duration, or don't bother at all. It feels incredibly non-committal to wheel the technology out as a novelty showpiece for a few minutes before neglecting it, and it doesn't do overall artistry or the immersive experience any favors.

Instead, pour your efforts and resources into making 4DX screenings sing, or do a full Nolan and shoot entirely in IMAX (something which can be sustained for a film's full runtime).

A half-hearted gimmick is one that never works, but maybe that's a marketing ploy in itself — now I only ever want to see action-adventure movies in 4DX, meaning cinemas have secured the highest level of ticket costing possible from me.

• The Legend of Zelda Movie has reportedly found its Ganondorf and Impa
• Uli Latukefu and Dichen Lachmann are set to play the aforementioned pair
• The film also expected to feature Yvonna Strahovski and the late Sam Neill

The Legend of Zelda Movie just got a big cast update — and now we know who'll play the franchise's primary villain in Ganondorf.

Per Deadline, relative newcomer and Australian actor Uli Latukefu (Young Rock, Marco Polo) will play the imposing Big Bad in Sony's live-action film adaptation of Nintendo's beloved videogame franchise.

Deadline's report also claims that Latukefu has inked a multi-picture deal — a crucial detail that implies that, should the Zelda film be a critical and commercial success, Latukefu will return as the power-hungry Gerudo warlock in at least one sequel.

Latukefu isn't the only actor who's all but confirmed to appear in The Legend of Zelda's big-screen reimagining.

In a separate article, Deadline reported that Severance star Dichen Lachmann will portray Zelda's bodyguard Impa in the live-action film. This apparent confirmation comes months after Lachmann was supposedly spotted on set with Bo Bragason's Zelda — the latter of whom was announced as the titular character in July 2025. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth was also revealed to be playing Link, aka The Legend of Zelda's male protagonist and hero, at the same time.

Furthermore, Deadline's sources have suggested that Yvonna Strahovski (The Handmaid's Tale) and the late, great actor Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) are also set to feature, though the identities of their characters is unknown.

Who are Sam Neill and Yvonne Strahovski playing in The Legend of Zelda Movie?

According to Deadline's sources, Strahovski will portray an unnamed queen. Immediately, fans' attentions will immediately turn to Princess Zelda's mother, who's never actually showed up in a Legend of Zelda game.

However, there are numerous other female monarchs who Strahovski could portray. That includes Queen Sonia, who — spoiler — is revealed to be Hyrule's co-founder in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This game, which is the latest entry in Nintendo's long-running and universally adored franchise, is the sequel to Breath of the Wild, which, based on The Legend of Zelda Movie's first-look images, many fans think the film is largely inspired by. If that's the case, it's possible that Strahovski could play Queen Sonia in a flashback sequence if the Zelda film incorporates aspect of Tears of the Kingdom's story into its plot.

As for Neill, who passed away from pneumonia in mid-July after a lengthy cancer battle, he might play King Rauru, aka Queen Sonia's husband. Other alternatives — in my mind, anyway — that Neill could embody in one of his final on-screen performances include King Rhoam, aka the last ruler of Hyrule, the 100-year-old Sheikh scientist Doctor Robbie, or a popular member of the Goron tribe, such as Daruk or Bludo.

Who do you think Strahovski and Neill are playing? Let me know in the comments. Once you have, find out everything we know so far about The Legend of Zelda Movie, which is now set to land in theaters worldwide on April 30, 2027.

• Kit Connor has reportedly joined Marvel's new X-Men movie
• The Heartstopper star is said to be playing Scott Summers/ Cyclops
• He joins Sadie Sink and Samara Weaving as part of the hotly-anticipated MCU film

Marvel has reportedly found the star it wants to portray beloved X-Men member Scott Summers/ Cyclops in its cinematic universe.

Per Deadline, Heartstopper actor Kit Connor has been hired to play the mutant group's in-the-field leader. Typically, Marvel hasn't commented on the report, but Deadline is extremely reliable when it comes to casting updates. It stands to reason, then, that Connor is the latest star to land a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

If true, Connor will be the third actor to sign on for the new X-Men movie. Sadie Sink, who was confirmed to be the MCU's version of Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is all but locked in for a role in Marvel's mutant-starring flick. Meanwhile, Samara Weaving was reportedly cast as popular superhuman Emma Frost on July 31, with Deadline again being the first to break the news of her apparent involvement.

Little else is known about Marvel's X-Men film reboot. According to Variety, though, the comic giant has ambitions on releasing it as the first project of Marvel Phase 7. If true, the untitled flick will precede the Ryan Gosling-starring Ghost Rider and David Jonsson-led Black Panther III, both of which are primed to arrive in 2028.

An ever-evolving line-up

Marvel may have locked in Sink, Weaving, and Connor for its forthcoming X-Men film, but fans are desperate to learn who else will feature alongside them.

Speculation has been rife about which other stars could appear, and you can catch up on the biggest rumors by reading my guide on everything we know so far about Marvel's new X-Men movie. Nonetheless, myriad new rumors have circulated online since news of Connor's involvement broke — and I wouldn't be surprised if there's some truth to all of them.

For starters, comic book creator Rob Liefeld took to X/ Twitter to write he'd heard that Inde Navarrette had officially signed on for the project. Liefeld's comments come weeks after the breakout star of Obsession confirmed she'd met with X-Men movie director Jake Schreier and, more recently, threw her hat in the ring to play Mystique.

Elsewhere, trustworthy industry insider Apocalyptic Horseman has walked back on Tom Pelphrey (Task, Iron Fist) playing Charles Xavier/ Professor X, while another leaker in Caleb Williams has claimed that fan-favorite mutant Gambit won't be part of proceedings.

Meanwhile, on the latest edition of The Hot Mic podcast, the less-reliable Jeff Sneider has suggested Charles Melton (Beef season 2) is set to play Beast. Fellow podcast host John Rocha has also heard that Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus, Beef season 2) has been tapped to portray Rogue, although Sneider believes she hasn't been.

Lastly, Sneider has indicated that Bill Skarsgard (It, Nosferatu), Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight, Blue Moon) and Jonathan Groff (Frozen, Wicked) are all in the running to play Professor X. Rocha, though, has heard Skarsgard isn't being looked at for that highly-coveted position.

As the X-Men casting rumor mill continues to capture everyone's attention, it might not be long until Marvel puts a pin in the speculation.

Indeed, with the 2026 edition of D23 Expo, aka the so-called ultimate fan event for Disney diehards that takes place every two years, being held between August 14 and 16, some fans believe Marvel will announce the film's full roster during said event. Let's hope that comes to pass because, I don't know about you, but I can't take many more months' of conjecture.

Want to see how the latest Spider-Man film tentatively sets up the next X-Men movie? Read my Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained piece. Once you're done, find out how to watch the X-Men movies in order.

The Shards is guaranteed to have audiences talking, for better or for worse, as Bret Easton Ellis' controversial semi-autobiography comes to the small screen.

But, in my opinion, Ryan Murphy teaming up with Ellis has given him the chance to shine once again. Fans of Murphy's work were left disappointed and baffled in recent months after his abysmal Hulu series All's Fair aired, which has a seriously low Rotten Tomatoes score of just 6%.

Thankfully, The Shards feels closer to what Murphy was doing with the anthology series American Horror Story, and the result is an addictive, bloody and over the top series which shows that Murphy and Ellis are an excellent creative duo.

The Shards is certainly not for everyone, but I'm sure it will find a dedicated audience among Hulu subscribers. Those who can put up with intentionally insufferable protagonists are rewarded with a stylish, tasty peek into life as a privileged student in the 1980s, set in a sunny LA neighborhood.

The nine-part series follows a fictionalized version of Bret Easton Ellis, who is 17 and in his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. Igby Rigney, known for his work on Netflix's Midnight Mass, plays this version of the thriller author.

We open with Bret going to see The Shining, smoking a cigarette and driving a convertible, as he narrates all the luxury clothing he's wearing. Rigney's almost bored-sounding narration would feel out of place anywhere else, but here it fits perfectly as he talks about his life, one that many viewers will never have and might desperately covet. Despite having everything, there's no enthusiasm to his voice at all.

Opposite Rigney, Homer Gere stars as Robert Mallory, a new arrival at Buckley whose unsettling presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler. Gere is fantastic in The Shards, dominating every scene he's in, and making us feel very uncomfortable from the moment we see him.

The unsettling dynamic between Bret and Robert forms much of The Shards, supported by an equally good cast playing fellow students around them. Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), is a popular girl and cheerleader who soon develops a thing for Robert, much to the annoyance of her long-term boyfriend Thom (Graham Campbell).

Bret's girlfriend, Debbie (Hayes Warner), is a teen rebelling against her movie director father, adding to the already complex layers of this dysfunctional friend group.

The first two episodes were released together, but unfortunately it's a weekly release from then on. I have a feeling some people might be gutted they can't binge-watch it because it's easy to become invested in what's happening. The Shards is a dazzling experience where you feel like a fly on the wall watching these spoiled teens, wondering what's going to happen to them next, even if you probably should look away.

It's a visceral, no-holds-barred look into this 80s society which finds itself rapidly torn apart, sometimes literally. Indeed, those looking for Bret Easton Ellis' brand of gratuitous violence will find it here, making The Shards an interesting blend of teen drama and horror movie, with some grisly results.

Even if you haven't read The Shards, if you know you're a fan of Ellis' other works like American Psycho, I think this will be right up your alley. It ticks all the right boxes for what we'd expect from him, after all.

At the time of writing, The Shards season 2 has not been confirmed, which means the season finale's ending will prove frustrating if we don't get more. Though Ellis' book has a similar ending, I'm hopeful that The Shards will choose to take the story further as it feels like it's been written with a second season in mind.

As a standalone season though, it's entertaining and shocking in equal measure. The Shards is a welcome addition to Ryan Murphy's filmography, and I hope he does more like this because I have certainly missed him when he's at his bloody best.

Who else has been left reeling after that shocking cliffhanger in the My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 ending? Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) feel more off the cards than ever, with the drag racing accident putting a fatal spanner in the works.

On top of that, Alex (Ashby Gentry) has finally admitted that he has feelings for Kiley (Mya Lowe), but her boyfriend Dylan (Kolton Stewart) has driven a manipulative wedge between them. Still, at least George (Marc Blucas) is very much alive and healthy.

Netflix has some huge questions to answer in My Life With the Walter Boys season 4 — but what do we actually know about what's coming?

Luckily, the core cast and release window have already been teased (and I've got good theories about the rest).

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 release window

Netflix has already confirmed that My Life with the Walter Boys is slated for a 2027 release.

While we don't have an exact date confirmed, the last two seasons have aired in August... and I've got a feeling that the streamer will stick with its tried-and-tested formula.

Filming has been taking place in Calgary since May 2026, which is another key indicator that progress is on track for an August 2027 release.

“I know I speak for the writers, the cast, and the crew when I say that it is beyond exciting to be returning to the world of Silver Falls for a fourth season,” showrunner and executive producer Melanie Halsall said in a press statement. “We are all incredibly grateful and are thrilled to dive in."

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 trailer: is there one?

Don't be silly. It took us until the middle of July 2026 to get one for season 3, so expect the first full trailer to arrive around four weeks before the fourth season does.

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 cast

We're expecting the following main cast members to return for My Life with the Walter Boys season 4:

• Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie
• Noah LaLonde as Cole
• Ashby Gentry as Alex
• Sarah Rafferty as Katherine
• Marc Blucas as George
• Connor Stanhope as Danny
• Jaylan Evans as Skylar
• Corey Fogelmanis as Nathan
• Johnny Link as Will
• Isaac Arellanes as Isaac
• Myles Perez as Lee
• Alisha Newton as Erin
• Mya Lowe as Kiley
• Ellie O’Brien as Grace
• Kolton Stewart as Dylan
• Natalie Sharp as Blake
• Alex Quijano as Richard
• Ashley Tavares as Tara
• Dean Petriw as Jordan
• Alix West Lefler as Parker
• Lennix James as Benny
• Gabrielle Jacinto as Olivia
• Chad Rook as Mac
• Naveen Paddock as Eliot
• Erin Karpluk as Hannah

There are question marks around Fogelmanis and Link's return, as both Will and Nathan were set to leave the family home at the end of season 3.

We can also expect new faces to join the cast, so watch this space.

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 plot predictions

Spoilers for My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 ahead.

“Our story’s about love and romance and love triangles and all those teenage trials and tribulations around those things, and we’re not going to divert from those — so much, much more of that to come in Season 4," Halsall told Netflix.

But what does this actually mean?

Obviously, the first thing we need to find out in season 4 is whether Cole is hurt. His car is flipped enough times for there to be some serious damage, but it's difficult to tell what that is in the season 3 cliffhanger.

Then, of course, there's the question of whether Jackie actually follows through with her kiss with Eliot. I've got a sneaking suspicion that she'll pull away at the last second... but perhaps that's wishful thinking. It's certainly a moment that her future relationship with Cole could hinge on, if he pulls through.

Kiley will hopefully break up with Dylan and finally see that she should have been with Alex all along, but this isn't something that Dylan is likely to take quietly. Expect more overt tension between him and Alex, put it that way.

What is more difficult to tell is whether we'll see how Will and Nathan get on after they fly the nest, but the remaining Walter kids prepping for university is likely to feature heavily.

• A24 dropped the full trailer for Primetime on August 6, ahead of its theatrical release on September 25
• It gives us our first look at Robert Pattinson, who plays To Catch a Predator presenter Chris Hansen
• In addition, the trailer teases roles for The Office star Creed Bratton and singer Phoebe Bridgers

Primetime just got a trailer ahead of its September 25 theater release. It packs a lot into just over 2 minutes, including an appearance from The Office icon Creed Bratton, which has now been confirmed via the actor's Instagram post.

In Primetime, Robert Pattinson stars as Chris Hansen, the host of NBC's To Catch a Predator, which was a hugely popular reality show in the 2000s. But while Pattinson's performance is sublime, there are some other key details to get excited about.

We only see a flash of Creed Bratton's character, and it's not clear who he plays, but it's certainly exciting to see him in a big upcoming movie like this.

Elsewhere, singer Phoebe Bridgers makes her acting debut in Primetime, in another as-yet-unnamed role. Hopefully we'll get more details about both soon.

Take a look at the trailer below and prepare to be blown away.

Primetime is one of my most anticipated new movies of 2026. Directed by Lance Oppenheim, it tells the story of To Catch a Predator's origins as Chris Hansen gets a primetime television slot and makes television history by blending reality TV with vigilante justice.

To Catch a Predator centered around confronting child predators who would arrive at a sting house and typically get arrested as a result of Hansen and his team's intervention, resulting in a show that was as popular as it was controversial.

Primetime feels like a thriller rather than a straight biopic, as even in the short trailer above, there's plenty of tension ahead. I'm hoping it really deep dives into what it was like behind the scenes of this infamous reality program.

For more A24 news, check out my ranking of all the A24 horror movies available on streaming.

The El Capitan Theatre and the Walt Disney Studios lot have long been reserved for some of Disney's biggest moments. Citizen Kane held its Hollywood premiere on that same stage in 1941, and decades later, The Lion King, the Avengers films, and a steady run of Pixar premieres have rolled out the red carpet at the same historic Hollywood venue.

This September, though, Disney is handing the spotlight to a different kind of storyteller… creators. Created in LA is a new two-day creator summit and film festival conceived by creator Jon Youshaei and presented by Disney. The event will bring 350 creators and storytellers together on September 17–18 for a premiere event at the El Capitan Theatre before moving to the Walt Disney Studios lot for a day of conversations.

Arguably, the most exciting part is that the iconic theater will premiere creator originals with the same pomp and circumstance as a studio blockbuster.

After the initial reveal earlier this summer, Disney and Youshaei have now revealed the first wave of speakers: Mindy Kaling, Zach King, AdamW, Jenny Hoyos, Sam Eckholm, and Disney's own Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz.

On the surface, it's another creator event, but the setting makes it something more interesting.

For decades, the technology required to produce Hollywood-quality content was largely reserved for studios with deep pockets. Today, creators can shoot cinematic footage on flagship smartphones, edit on laptops, and publish directly to audiences. The line between a traditional production studio and a creator-led one has never been thinner, and Disney appears ready to acknowledge that.

Speaking with TechRadar, Youshaei said that shift was the inspiration behind Created in LA.

"We're in this moment right now where the quality of videos from creators is just so good that it's become cinema quality for certain creators," he told me. "How cool would it be if we could premiere videos from creators on the big screen, in one of the most historic screens in the world at the El Capitan Theatre?"

Youshaei is in a unique position to make that observation. Before becoming a full-time creator, he spent years working with creators at some of the world's biggest technology platforms before building his own production studio, giving him perspective from both sides of the rapidly evolving creator landscape.

He believes the biggest reason creators are reaching new heights isn't just because audiences have embraced online video — it's because the tools themselves have become dramatically more accessible.

"The fact that the tech has gotten more accessible to the fact that you could hit upload and have millions of people watch your stuff if it's good," he said, pointing to everything from improved production equipment to publishing platforms that have lowered the barriers to entry.

That accessibility has also fueled a new generation of creators who increasingly operate more like production companies than solo influencers. Asked whether the line between creators and traditional studios will eventually disappear, Youshaei doesn't think so — but he does think it's becoming much harder to define.

"I don't think it'll disappear fully; I think it'll become blurrier," he said. "More creators today have full-on studios... I think there's room for both to coexist."

Created in LA is designed to reflect that evolution. The newly announced speaker lineup blends Hollywood veterans with some of the biggest names in online video. Mindy Kaling will discuss building a career by becoming "your own studio," while Zach King, AdamW and Jenny Hoyos will pull back the curtain on the creative processes that helped them build audiences numbering in the millions.

It's also notable timing: while unrelated, the announcement comes the day after Disney revealed a separate partnership with TikTok that will bring select creator-made vertical videos to Disney+. Taken together, the initiatives suggest Disney is expanding how it works with creators across multiple parts of its business — not simply as influencers promoting a movie, but as storytellers with audiences of their own.

That doesn't mean technology is replacing creativity, however. As AI becomes increasingly capable of generating images, videos and editing assets, Youshaei sees it as another tool in the production pipeline rather than a replacement for the people behind the camera. He doesn't think AI makes it harder for creators to stand out, either — if anything, he says it rewards what he calls a "second-mover advantage."

"I think creators today have what I like to call the 'second-mover advantage,'" he said. "...I think nowadays having a second-mover advantage where you can understand what ideas have taken off, why have they taken off, how are they packaged, and then be able to put your own spin on it, is really powerful."

He told TechRadar that his team already uses AI to brainstorm ideas, generate mockups and accelerate creative workflows, but that taste, perspective and authenticity still come from the creator.

Ultimately, Youshaei hopes Created in LA becomes more than a conference. His ambition is for creators to one day aspire to premiere their best work there in much the same way that filmmakers dream of debuting a movie at a major film festival.

Whether it reaches that point remains to be seen. But opening the doors of the El Capitan Theatre and the Walt Disney Studios lot to creators already says something about where entertainment is headed. As the technology behind high-quality video production has become more accessible, Disney appears to be betting that great storytelling can come from anywhere — and increasingly, anyone.

Creators hoping to attend can still apply through the Created in LA website.

Spoilers for My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 ahead.

If you watched My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 with the hope that Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) would be more loved up than ever before, you were sadly never going to get your wish.

Just before the season finale, Netflix pried the two apart once again, with Cole listening to Jackie's uncle Richard's (Alex Quijano) 'advice,' and believing that he was holding Jackie back from fulfilling her full potential.

Not only did this leave Jackie rightly heartbroken, but it's thrust her into the arms of newcomer Eliot (Naveen Paddock), who is all too happy to back Richard's beliefs up. While Jackie and Eliot move in for their first kiss at the community space launch party, Cole leaves his drag race final to try and win her back.

But before he can, disaster strikes. A mysterious car pulls up while Cole is driving to the party, and we see that it's the drag racing contestant who Cole left behind in the final.

He's clearly annoyed that the race has been cancelled, and is looking to take his revenge. Finally, the two cars clip, sending Cole's car into a nearby field, where it continues to roll.

Heading into the already-renewed My Life with the Walter Boys season 4, Cole has been left for dead. Or has he? I'm convinced that the first details Netflix has revealed about the next season have also confirmed that Cole is still alive.

Noah LaLonde will be returning for My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 — and that's good news

According to Netflix, actor Noah LaLonde will be returning for season 4, with filming having started in Calgary in May 2026. He's seen in a new image of him, Rodriguez, and Ashby Gentry (Alex) on set, with the streamer confirming that the trio is "embarking on the next chapter."

Given that the endgame of the Netflix series is surely to romantically unite Jackie and Cole for good — they just have to go through the worst in order to get there. Frankly, it would be ridiculous for showrunners to kill Cole off completely, especially considering that Alex has finally admitted his feelings for Kiley (Mya Lowe).

Hopefully, Cole's accident is the catalyst for bringing him back to Jackie, and will allow Jackie to fully forgive Cole for so coldly dumping her during season 3. Then, of course, there's the question of whether Jackie actually follows through with her kiss with Eliot at the same time that Cole crashes.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that she'll pull away at the last second... but perhaps that's wishful thinking. It's certainly a moment that her future relationship with Cole could hinge on, if he pulls through.

There is a worst-case scenario, however. LaLonde could simply be returning to film flashback scenes, or to communicate with Jackie through visions from beyond the grave. It's not something we can totally rule out, but it certainly would take My Life with the Walter Boys down a much darker route.

But how likely is this? At the moment, it's far too early to make a call. However, my educated guess is that Cole and Jackie will be just fine in the long run... sometimes, it takes the worst kind of tragedy to realize what you really want.

• Hisense TVs with Google TV or VIDAA OS are getting Dolby Vision 2 first — the first models are 2026 TVs including the UX, UR9, UR8 and U7
• The update will roll out soon to customers in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific
• Peacock is the big initial streamer to support it in the US, with and Chinese giant iQIYI is now also on board

Dolby Vision 2, the next generation of the advanced HDR format, is arriving on multiple TVs today — and it's rolling out to more models in the coming weeks.

Hisense is rolling out a firmware update from today for customers in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific countries — and Chinese streaming giant iQIYI is confirmed to be on board as supporting the format, in addition to US streamer Peacock.

In addition to adding compatibility for features unique to Dolby Vision 2, the upgrade to DV2 means that existing Dolby Vision titles will also look better on these TVs, thanks to upgrades in the core image processing engine.

Dolby says that everything produced for first-generation format "will look more captivating and authentic, offering a significant and immediate improvement".

Which Hisense TVs are getting the Dolby Vision 2 upgrade?

The initial rollout is to 2026 Hisense TVs running either Google TV or VIDAA OS, and the first models will be these, which will all get Dolby Vision 2 Max:

• Hisense UX
• Hisense UR9
• Hisense UR8
• Hisense U7 (US)
• Hisense U7 Pro (Europe and other regions)

Exactly which other TVs will get it remains to be announced. It's a little complicated, because support requires a particular chip (the MediaTek Pentonic 800) in the TV, but Dolby told TechRadar that there are more chips coming that can support it, and that the Pentonic 800 is being rolled out more widely than it was previously.

It's also been confirmed that some TCL and European Philips TVs will get Dolby Vision 2 later this year, but there's no exact schedule for that yet.

Media that fully uses Dolby Vision 2's enhanced tools will be able to take advantage of features including Content Intelligence, which enables creators to embed precise instructions in each scene to dynamically adjust the picture, and an intensity slider to customize the Dolby Vision 2 experience to suit your room and personal preferences.

In addition to the standard improvements, Dolby Vision 2 Max can also leverage the processing power of more premium TVs with two key features: Authentic Motion, which delivers cinematic visuals while reducing unwanted judder and "soap opera" effects, which can result from excessive motion smoothing; and Light Sense 2, which can more intelligently optimize picture quality based on the lighting environment so you can see the dark bits when you're in a brightly lit room.

Dolby Vision 2 will be arriving as a firmware upgrade from Hisense today, with the full rollout taking several weeks.

The announcement and rollout have clearly been planned for some time, which suggests that Samsung's announcement of Prime Video supporting its rival format, HDR10+ Advanced earlier this week was designed to steal Dolby's thunder.

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Spoilers for My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 ahead.

Based on the way that season 2 was left, I knew that My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 was going to be a wild ride — but I still didn't see that ending coming.

The Netflix drama picks up as George (Marc Blucas) survives his season 2 health emergency and recovers at home, with Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) seemingly on the road to a proper romantic relationship.

But just before season 3 draws to a close, their happy ever after once again comes dramatically crashing down. Cole suddenly breaks up with Jackie after telling her that he loves her, and moves in with friend Dylan (Kolton Stewart).

With Jackie left reeling, she throws all her efforts into getting the local community space up and running. But when that runs into trouble, can she really scrub Cole from her mind?

I know the answer to that as well as you do. Here's the full My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 ending explained, and what it will likely mean for the already confirmed season 4.

Dylan kicks Cole out for street racing — and takes back the car

As season 3 episode 10 kicks off, Cole is in his full moody boy era. Drag racer Mac (Chad Rook) finds Cole street racing after being tipped off by Dylan, scolding him for taking to the streets rather than being out of the track after Mac hired him.

Mac tells Cole about an upcoming race that has a big cash prize that he'd "easily win," but Cole rejects the offer. As Mac leaves, Dylan admits that he was the one who told him where to find Cole.

In fact, Dylan is so furious with Cole's street racing antics that he takes back "Myrtle," the car Cole has been racing in. As Dylan is technically the owner, Cole has no sway — and Dylan's conditions are that he can only use it for legitimate drag racing.

On top of that, Dylan kicks him out of the house, forcing his move back home. "You can't keep hiding from Jackie forever," he tells Cole.

Jackie's community space launch party is hit by disaster

If Cole moving back home wasn't enough for Jackie to deal with, she soon runs into a huge problem with her community space launch party. While renovations take place, one of the builders is unable to prevent a pipe leak from one of the radiators, causing the first floor to flood so much that it caves in.

At this point, it seems as if the launch party, which is now only a week away, will have to be called off. The builder estimates that it will take between 4-6 weeks to have the leak and its damage fixed, with manpower on the ground incredibly limited.

Jackie is bereft, with the news of Grace's (Ellie O'Brien) parents divorcing only making her feel more guilty. Cole tries to offer to help, but is immediately shut down by Jackie: she's going to make sure the launch party goes ahead, and she'll achieve it by herself.

Cole secretly saves the day — but Eliot's already made his move

What Jackie doesn't know is that Cole goes to see her uncle Richard (Alex Quijano) to ask for help. Cole tells Richard that he listened to what he said and broke up with Jackie in order for her to have a better future without him "dragging her down."

Cole explains that he's here to ask for Richard's help fixing the community center, but doesn't take the credit for it when Jackie finds out. Grace leads her into the room full of helpers clearing up, which includes the rest of the Walter family.

Alex (Ashby Gentry) encourages Cole to tell Jackie that he's here, but Cole refuses. He knows that Jackie is getting closer to Eliot (Naveen Paddock), who begins to make his romantic feelings for Jackie much clearer.

At first, Jackie shuts Eliot down, but the more she realizes the lengths he's willing to go to for her — which includes getting a flight from London to join her on her trip to Greece — the more she opens up to him.

Will and Nathan prepare to leave home while Danny gets the college news he's been waiting for

We already knew that Will (Johnny Link) was going to be flying the nest, but season 3 confirms that Nathan (Corey Fogelmanis) will be too. He's auditioned to play with a band across Europe and has got the spot, with George and Katherine (Sarah Rafferty) encouraging him to go.

However, he's got reservations. He doesn't want to be yet another Walter kid leaving everyone else behind, especially after how ill George has been. Alex says that it's a no-brainer decision to take the opportunity... everyone wants him to. Skylar (Jaylan Evans) is devastated, but promises to stay in contact.

We also find out that Danny (Connor Stanhope) has been accepted into Carnegie Mellon University, after being rejected from Juilliard. Girlfriend Erin (Alisha Newton) doesn't seem phased by the fact that the pair will need to be long-distance, but it's clearly bothering Danny.

Alex admits his feelings for Kiley, but gets shut down

Alex finally has a chance to talk to Kiley (Mya Lowe) at school after the pair kissed. Kiley has been ignoring all of Alex's calls and messages, despite having a school project that they need to complete together.

She finally agrees to talk in private while at school, and the pair agree to put the kiss behind them and move on as if nothing has happened. However, it's clear that both of them have feelings for each other, which is something Cole picks up on when Alex admits to him what happened.

Cole also shares what Richard and Eliot have told him about being with Jackie, revealing that Eliot agrees that Jackie is too good to be with somebody like Cole. Alex tells him to ignore them both and pursue the feelings that are clearly still there.

At the community space launch party (which is 1920s themed), Alex tells Jackie that Cole was behind the drive to get the space fixed after the leak. Jackie tells him that she doesn't want to hear the reason why, but spirals about Cole's intentions as the party continues.

Meanwhile, Kiley spots Alex across the room and chooses to leave, whispering something to Dylan before she goes. She's clearly uncomfortable, but Dylan takes it upon himself to speak to Alex on her behalf. He tells Alex to give Kiley some space for a while, even though the two of them clearly have a lot in common.

Alex ignores this and leaves the party instead to check on how Kiley is. However, Dylan is also with her, shutting the door in his face while Kiley looks sheepishly on.

Cole's road crash leaves his life hanging in the balance

Cole enters the drag race that Mac recommends and wins a place in the final. While waiting, he tells Katherine and George that he doesn't feel good enough to be Jackie's partner, and doesn't want to show his face at the party because of that.

The pair convinces him that he's more than worth it, and that he should tell Jackie the truth and leave it up to her to make her own decisions. Instead of racing in the final, Cole leaves the track and heads for the party.

We see him driving the empty roads to get back to town, with another car suddenly approaching behind him. The car attempts to bump the back of Cole's car, with Cole swerving in order to avoid the other car's manoeuvres.

When the mysterious car pulls up to the side of Cole's, we see that the driver is the drag racing contestant that Cole left behind in the final. He's clearly annoyed that the race has been cancelled, and is looking to take his revenge. Finally, the two cars clip, flipping Cole's car into a nearby field, where it continues to roll.

At the same time, Jackie and Eliot are on the dance floor at the party, about to lean in for their first kiss... and then the episode comes to an end.

Season 4 predictions

Obviously, the first thing we need to find out in season 4 is whether Cole is hurt. His car is flipped enough times for there to be some serious damage, but it's difficult to tell what that is in the season 3 cliffhanger.

Then, of course, there's the question of whether Jackie actually follows through with her kiss with Eliot. I've got a sneaking suspicion that she'll pull away at the last second... but perhaps that's wishful thinking. It's certainly a moment that her future relationship with Cole could hinge on, if he pulls through.

Kiley will hopefully break up with Dylan and finally see that she should have been with Alex all along, but this isn't something that Dylan is likely to take quietly. Expect more overt tension between him and Alex, put it that way.

What is more difficult to tell is whether we'll see how Will and Nathan get on after they fly the nest, but the remaining Walter kids prepping for university is likely to feature heavily.

If you like the aesthetic vibes of colonial gothic horror stories such as Jamaica Inn and Wide Sargasso Sea, new Sky TV supernatural thriller Possession is definitely for you. However, a word of warning — the story is going to touch a much more modern nerve.

We're set to follow Claudia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an ambitious bi-racial lawyer who travels to Jamaica to challenge an inheritance claim made by a local man against a wealthy white aristocrat.

However, she arrives to find the disputed estate is a former plantation that has long haunted her dreams. Cue a terrifying slew of 1800s flashbacks, curses, and misunderstood spiritual connection.

On a surface level, you can see why someone might find this frightening. The drama isn't just tense to the level of consistent jump scares, but is often violently disturbing in its commitment to guts and gore (think Evil Dead levels of supernatural horror).

But then there's a secondary layer of discomfort when you consider the role that different countries have played in the history of colonialism and enslaved people. Culturally and historically, we know how abhorrently the Western world behaved during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, but here, we also understand how regularly spirituality and beliefs were misunderstood and chastised.

With such a distinct 2026 twist, Possession left me shaken in the entirely opposite way to what I expected. But according to star Gugu Mbatha-Raw, it's not the cast and crew's job to make the uncomfortable comfortable.

'The power of drama is posing these lofty subjects in an accessible way'

"I don't think it's our job to make the audience comfortable... I think probably it's more our job to take you on a journey," Mbatha-Raw tells me when I ask her if it's possible to make the uncomfortable comfortable.

"Claudia goes on this massive journey and it's a quest to find out about her identity. She's dealing with justice and legacy. But even though there's some weighty themes in the show around the legacy of colonialism and the complexity of reparations, I think that that's the power of drama. Pose these lofty subjects, but in a more accessible way."

"I don't know that 'comfortable' is the word. I think that we celebrate discomfort in this genre, and I think that that's okay. It's okay to have difficult conversations and to not shy away from uncomfortable subject matter. I think there's a place for that in drama and in society."

She continues, "Good stories a place for discovery, and I think we want people to lean in and be like, 'whoa, look at this lush, interesting, rich, vibrant world.' Once they're in, they grapple with some hard truths."

It's certainly an apt way of describing the intense viewing journey that unfolds over just five episodes, each being under an hour long. Simply put, Possession is the kind of TV show that sits with you for days and weeks afterward, leaving you with the kind of internal conversation that unpicks the things that you think you already know.

That's a lot for anybody to take on, particularly when you've simply sat down to unwind with some TV of an evening. But what is art when it doesn't challenge us? If you want my advice: Possession is more than worth a watch — and if you're left feeling disturbed, then that's all the better.

• Disney is exploring a free Disney+ tier to bring more viewers into its streaming ecosystem
• CEO Josh D’Amaro says a free offering could help drive subscriber growth
• The idea is for Disney+ to become a broader digital hub beyond movies and TV shows

Disney’s TikTok partnership wasn’t the only streaming news from the House of Mouse today. During the company’s earnings call, CEO Josh D’Amaro revealed that Disney is exploring a free tier of sorts for Disney+ — a move that could eventually give more viewers a way into the platform without paying for a subscription.

That doesn’t necessarily mean free access to the entire Disney+ catalog. The service currently houses a massive library of owned content spanning Disney Animation, Disney Channel, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, FX, and more. Disney+ already offers an entry tier with ads, including pre-roll and mid-roll placements during TV shows, movies, and documentaries.

Instead, Disney appears to be viewing a free offering as a potential new funnel to introduce more viewers to the platform and eventually convert them into paying subscribers.

On the call, D’Amaro explained that the idea could help Disney reach a more price-sensitive audience, saying: “First, we see it as a way to expand our reach to a customer segment that’s more price sensitive. Expanding our reach is, as we’ve talked about before, one of our strategic priorities.”

He added that a free tier could also support Disney’s growing advertising business: “Second, unlike a lot of our AVOD competitors, we’re fairly well sold, meaning more inventory would actually help us accelerate our ad revenue growth.”

Finally, D’Amaro noted that a free offering could help drive new subscribers into Disney+: “And then finally, as you mentioned in your question, a free offering could help us drive top-of-funnel Disney+ subscriber growth.”

For now, Disney isn’t committing to a launch date or specific structure. “So nothing specific to announce today, but definitely something that we’re considering,” D’Amaro concluded.

While some of the best streaming services, including Disney’s own Hulu, have offered free tiers, the current market for fully free, ad-supported streaming is largely dominated by platforms like Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, and Roku. Disney+ entering that space could be a compelling move, especially if the company uses its massive portfolio of franchises and recognizable brands to attract viewers.

But the bigger picture may not just be about streaming. D’Amaro also underscored the importance of Disney+ as a “global touchpoint” for the company, suggesting the service could become a much larger gateway into the broader Disney ecosystem.

Today, that ecosystem is still fairly fragmented digitally. Disney+ serves as the primary destination for its streaming content, while other major parts of the company operate through separate experiences — including the My Disney Experience app for Walt Disney World, the Disneyland app for guests in California, Disney Cruise Line’s own digital tools, dedicated apps for international parks, and various gaming platforms including a partnership with Fortnite.

While there have been rumors about Disney+ eventually evolving into something closer to a super app, D’Amaro instead described it as a “digital centerpiece” that could eventually encompass shopping, other brand experiences, and even gaming. The timeline for those expansions may be further out, but it’s clear Disney sees Disney+ as more than just a place to watch movies and TV shows.

A free tier could be the first step in lowering the barrier to entry and getting more people connected to that larger Disney ecosystem — even if they aren’t paying a monthly subscription fee right away

• Disney has a new partnership with TikTok
• Select creator-made vertical TikTok videos will appear on Disney+
• The deal marks a shift toward real creators over AI-generated content after Disney's short-lived Sora partnership

Disney+ is soon going to be home to a new content type in the form of vertical videos, and unlike the original deal between Disney and OpenAI that would have had Sora-created videos using famous characters, this one seems a lot better on paper.

In a new deal between Disney and TikTok, select creators on the social platform will have access to the Mouse's IP and can use it to create videos that could land on the Disney+ app within the Verts tab. It will be pretty all-encompassing in terms of topics, featuring characters and stories from across the Disney umbrella, including Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, and FX.

The idea, it seems, is that Disney is tapping into an already very vocal audience. There are likely hundreds of thousands of Disney creators already on TikTok, sharing thoughts about the Parks or Disney Cruise Line around the world, as well as all the facets of media that Disney creates.

In fact, my feed has been all about theories surrounding Spider-Man: Brand New Day recently, along with Disney World making its switch to Halloween theming — Mickey pumpkins, am I right?

Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer of The Walt Disney Company, is quoted in the release as saying, "The best storytellers are fans first; that has always been true at Disney, and today, fans are celebrating our stories in entirely new ways."

"This collaboration creates a new bridge between the stories we tell and the creativity they inspire, giving creators a bigger stage to share what they've made, and audiences more to discover on Disney+ every day."

It also shows a focus on creator-made content for Disney and a deeper embrace of this type of content. We'll see the first results in the coming months, initially in the United States, with selected content appearing on Disney+ afterward.

While Disney hasn't shared the specific characters and franchises creators will have access to, the release states, "TikTok will offer their creators access to assets related to hundreds of films and series from Disney's vast library of enduring franchises and beloved IP."

Seemingly, if there's a new series or addition to Disney+, the Verts platform could serve up TikToks of people reacting, sharing a viral dance, or really any medium that relates back to the show, helping to inspire more conversation.

The notion of vertical videos within Disney+ is not new, but this deal with TikTok seems to be a swap for the Sora alternative. That is, before Disney pulled away from the OpenAI deal and the AI giant shut down Sora. There, many Disney characters would have been used within Sora to create AI-generated videos. As I wrote back when the deal was announced, it felt like magic lost.

This new approach of working with TikTok — and arguably a community of creators who already post and create content about what's on Disney+ — will likely be a much better combination.

Once approved and accepted into the Disney Creator Ambassador Program within the TikTok x Disney partnership, creators can get access to event invites, increased visibility, and special rewards, though specifics on how to apply or join have not yet been released.

I suspect those details will come in the coming weeks or months, similar to when we see these TikTok-created videos appear in Verts on Disney+. The timing also comes as another arm of Disney is partnering with creators, albeit not just for short-form content but long-form as well.

Dubbed Created in LA and led by the Disney Experiences arm of The Walt Disney Company, this will be a two-day event in Los Angeles. Creators can apply to attend, and it will open with a premiere and screening of creator-made videos — think TikTok creators, YouTubers, and Instagram creators — at the El Capitan Theatre, followed by a summit on the second day at The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank.

Disney is partnering with creator Jon Youshaei on the event, and it shows yet another embrace of and willingness to partner with creators. In this case, it's helping to spotlight creators, big and small, who apply and get approved, giving them a larger stage while also providing access to Disney and insights from the company.

It will be interesting to see if there's any crossover between Created in LA and this new Disney x TikTok partnership, but time will tell. Either way, it's a better direction to have real creators rather than AI-created content in Sora.

Lioness season 3 is only one episode down, but it's already off to a very chaotic start.

We now know that its eight episodes will comprise two simultaneous timelines: one, Joe being kidnapped by unknown Russian operatives and, two, the six months leading up to her capture.

The Lionesses were tasked with extracting a target out of a Ukrainian war space when foreign operatives "offered" him up to the CIA. However, it's now looking like this was a trap for something much bigger.

Will we find out what's actually going on this week? Probably not. Even so, when does Lioness season 3 episode 2 arrive on Paramount+?

What time can I watch Lioness season 3 episode 2 on Paramount+?

Lioness season 3 episode 2 will drop on one of the world's best streaming services in the US and Canada on Sunday, August 9 at 12am PT / 3am ET.

Here's when it will be released in other nations globally:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 1:30pm IST
• Singapore – 4pm SGT
• Australia – 7pm AEDT
• New Zealand – 9pm NZDT

When do new episodes of Lioness season 3 come out?

As mentioned, Lioness season 3 will have a total of eight episodes, with new entries airing weekly. That gives us the following schedule:

• Episode 1: out now
• Episode 2: August 9
• Episode 3: August 16
• Episode 4: August 23
• Episode 5: August 30
• Episode 6: September 6
• Episode 7: September 13
• Episode 8: September 20

Light spoilers follow for Ted Lasso season 4 episodes 1 to 4.

Ted Lasso is back — and so, too, is Apple TV’s hugely popular sports comedy-drama. Three years after the final whistle was seemingly blown on the hit show, it returns not just as a continuation of where its third season left off, but also as a narrative and character-based evolution by way of a squad rebuild.

Even with its new line-up and the multi-year gap between seasons, though, Ted Lasso season 4 is a triumphant return to winning ways for the fan-favorite series — and I say that as someone who didn't dislike its divisive third season as many others did.

Home is where the heart is

Three years have passed since Ted (Jason Sudeikis) ended his AFC Richmond journey with the men's team and returned to Kansas to spend more time with his son Henry (Grant Feely). When season 4 reunites us with the eponymous soccer coach, we learn he's given up on the game entirely and now works as the assistant manager of a local grocery store.

A surprise visit from old friends — Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Director of Football Operations Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), now serving as chief marketing officer for the club's new women's division — soon has Ted questioning his current lot in life, though.

The reason? They want him to manage Richmond's newly founded women's team, work the same magic that he did with their male counterparts, and establish a similar culture of excellence that'll last well past his tenure in the dugout.

Of course, this being the latest chapter of the beloved Apple TV show, it's not a spoiler to reveal that an at-first reluctant Ted eventually accepts their offer. After all, it would be an incredibly short season if he didn't.

Nevertheless, although this is a significant, life-changing choice for Ted, episode 1 spends far too much time grappling with the proposal laid at his feet — so much so, in fact, that I worried it would derail the series' return before it had really begun.

Indeed, with the bulk of episode 1's runtime spent on exploring Ted's inner struggle before its inevitable resolution, this season's premiere feels like a largely superfluous prologue to the main event of Ted actually becoming a Richmond native once more.

That's not to say this narrative set-up isn't necessary, because it's the biggest decision Ted has faced since he left Richmond in the first place. Showing him wrestle with himself over whether he should take charge of Richmond's women's team, and deal with his loved ones' not-so-subtle nudges to do so, then, is a worthy storytelling exercise.

Nonetheless, an insightful subplot where Higgins learns about the Negro Baseball Leagues and Ted's inner conflict notwithstanding, I couldn't help but feel that season 4 episode 1's story could've been condensed and avoided the extraneous plot filler that drags out his prospective homecoming.

We're not in Kansas anymore

Once season 4 properly gets underway in its second episode, though, it's like the show has never been away, nor missed a beat. Indeed, it effortlessly slips back into the purposeful stride that underpinned its first two electrifying seasons and parts of its third — again, a season I still largely enjoyed.

There's a satisfying air of familiarity as Ted — and, by proxy, the audience — reunites with the pillars of the AFC Richmond community, too. Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins aside, other well-known faces like Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) welcome us and Ted back in typically eccentric fashion, and further emphasize the continuity between the show's past and its latest chapter.

By virtue of Ted managing Richmond Women, season 4 also represents a new era for the acclaimed series. With that comes a whole line-up of fresh faces — the first of which we're introduced to is diligent but emotionally cold soccer coach Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds).

Initially resentful of Ted for pipping her to the top job and Rebecca for not even considering a woman for said position, Alice starts out as a — and this'll sound harsher than intended — dollar store Roy Kent. Or, rather, the season 1 version of Kent, who was an antagonistic figure whose sole purpose was to rail against Ted's cheery demeanor.

Thankfully, it soon becomes clear that Alice isn't a Kent knock-off, but a fascinatingly complex and likeable individual in her own right. She also not only comes around to respecting Ted, but also quickly embeds herself as an integral cog in a new-look, eccentric triumvirate alongside Ted and Coach Beard, as well as a fully-formed foil to this established intrepid duo.

Clearly, Ted's capacity to thaw even the iciest of exteriors has no limits, and I'm eager to see how Richmond Women's primary coaching team collectively evolves throughout season 4 amid myriad issues that'll come their way.

New team, new problems

And fall their way, those problems most certainly do.

Indeed, season 4 metes out its share of obstacles, starting with a goal-scoring crisis after Richmond Women's main strikers are ruled out for the season. Meanwhile, in a far cry from their time in charge of the men's team, Ted and Beard no longer have free rein to walk into the locker room whenever they please — an obvious boundary that becomes a recurring, comedic point of contention for all concerned. Ted also finds himself in plenty of awkward one-on-one chats with his new squad, most notably with zany, slightly unhinged goalkeeper Katy 'Boots' Quinn (Jude Mack), who's easily the highlight of this season's new additions.

'Boots' is far from the only unique personality in the Richmond Women squad.

We don't get to meet the vast majority of this rambunctious rabble until episode 3 but, in its follow-up, they manage to do the impossible: make Ted lose his cool and lay down the law amid dressing room splits. Ultimately, though, they're an instantly lovable collection of characters with distinct quirks and personal problems that'll inform their individual character journeys, and I get the impression that viewers will be just as captivated by this group — and their various trials and tribulations — as they were by the men’s team.

Off-the-field challenges also permeate many of season 4's early subplots, many of which give major supporting characters in Waddingham's Rebecca and Temple's Keeley a stage on which to shine.

From gender inequality and pregnancy and motherhood to systemic underfunding and the media coverage gap, Ted Lasso tackles these heavy real-world issues head-on. That's to be expected, but it's nevertheless pleasing to see the show do so with warmth, empathy, and the occasional slice of its trademark irreverent humor.

On the whole, Ted Lasso season 4’s opening four episodes handle their secondary storylines reasonably well. However, a few subplots lean into comedy at the expense of substance and subsequently feel a little shallow due to their flippant execution.

Take episode 2, where Rebecca grapples with perceptions that she isn't much of a feminist. It's a subplot that highlights Waddingham's comedic timing and dramatic range, but falters somewhat by prioritizing quick laughs over meaningful narrative resolution, thereby coming across as unbalanced.

The other major misfire in episodes 1 to 4 is Goldstein's Kent.

His presence remains vital to the series, but he feels oddly overused in a season that has moved away from Richmond's men's team. Of more concern is how the show worryingly appears to be turning his character into a caricature of his signature gruffness. Pair that with his recycled 'will they, won't they' subplot with Keeley — an eye-rolling dance that's run its course — and Roy's evolution feels increasingly sidelined in favor of easy gags. Hopefully, a finer balance will be struck between the Kent of old and his new persona in chapters to come.

My verdict

Noteworthy flaws in Ted Lasso season 4's early episodes aside, it's great to see this wonderfully silly, optimistic, cosy comfort show back on the air.

There was understandable scepticism when Ted Lasso season 4 was officially announced, with plenty of 'cash-grab' and 'who asked for this?' murmurings in the wake of what felt like a definitive finale.

As heart-soaring returns go, though, Ted Lasso's comeback delivers a match-winning performance in its first half, rich in both laugh-out-loud moments and striking emotional notes. Keep up this kind of form, and few will argue against another trophy-laden season of television.

Ted Lasso season 4 episode 1 is out now on Apple TV. New chapters air weekly.

• HDR10+ Advanced will be available on 2026 Samsung TVs models from August 2026, with Prime Video as the launch streaming partner
• Designed to make the most of today's best TVs, offering improved HDR reproduction and 'Intelligent Motion Smoothing' that only applies when it's needed
• HDR10+ is a direct rival to Dolby Vision 2, which includes some of the same features and is also scheduled to launch in 2026, but won't work on Samsung TVs

Samsung has announced the launch of HDR10+ Advanced on Prime Video beginning this month, August 2026 — but it hasn't told us exactly which TVs it's coming to, or what you'll be able to watch in the format. We've asked Samsung for details and we'll update this when we hear back.

HDR10+ Advanced is the next generation of HDR10+, and it's designed to take advantage of the huge processing power of today's best TVs to improve HDR recreation and motion handling, among other elements. It's a direct rival to Dolby Vision 2, and it was announced in November 2025.

Samsung says that "HDR10+ Advanced will be integrated into Samsung’s product lineup starting with 2026 TV models, with support planned for future products as the HDR10+ ecosystem continues to grow."

In summary, then: HDR10+ Adaptive is coming at some point this month to some unspecified Prime Video content to watch on some unspecified new Samsung TVs. But while we'd like some more details, the launch is still very interesting.

1, 2, 3, 4, we declare a format war

As predicted, HDR10+ Advanced has reached the market first: Dolby Vision 2 was announced earlier, in September 2025, but while Peacock has promised to be the first streaming service with Dolby Vision 2 in 2026, there's no launch date as yet.

There were six key upgrades announced for HDR10+ Advanced: HDR10+ Bright, HDR10+ Genre, HDR10+ Intelligent FRC, HDR10+ Intelligent Gaming, HDR10+ Local Tone-Mapping and Advanced Color Control.

Bright, which Samsung now calls Enhanced Overall Brightness, is designed to make HDR look richer on today's brighter TVs, as movies tend to be mastered for 1,000 nit TVs for home release — way below what most of today's TVs can deliver. Enhanced Overall Brightness enables creators to deliver a more consistent experience across TVs capable of much higher brightness levels.

Genre offers genre-specific optimization, while Intelligent FRC, now labelled Intelligent Motion Smoothing, is the equivalent to Dolby Vision 2's Authentic Motion. It enables creators to adjust motion smoothing on a shot-by-shot basis, so judder is avoided, but so is any sign of the hated 'soap opera effect'.

Intelligent Gaming is optimized for — yes! — games, with a particular emphasis on cloud-based gaming; we expect GeForce Now to adopt HDR10+ Adaptive at some point.

Last but not least, Local Tone Mapping promises more precise backlight dimming on mini-LED TVs and Advanced Color Control promises more accurate color reproduction — these could be interesting with Samsung's new RGB TVs.

While HDR10+ Advanced and Dolby Vision 2 have some similarities they are two different formats, and initially there could be a lot of division in terms of which manufacturers and streamers support which format.

For example, Philips (in Europe), TCL and Hisense are going with Dolby Vision 2, while Samsung's sticking with HDR10+ Advanced (though TCL told my colleague Matt Bolton that it would support HDR10+ Advanced when it's able to). LG hasn't sided with either, and instead announced its own Creator Original system, in partnership with Samsung's friends at Prime Video.

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• According to reports, Dave Bautista is in talks to play the lead character, Kratos, in Prime Video's God of War series
• The news comes after actor Ryan Hurst was dropped from the series 
• At the time of writing, the plan is for God of War to start filming again in fall 2026

Prime Video's upcoming God of War series may have found a new Kratos, if reports by Variety and Deadline are anything to go by.

According to the sites, Dave Bautista is in negotiations to play Kratos in the adaptation of the popular PlayStation video game. The role is being recast after original Kratos, Sons of Anarchy's Ryan Hurst, became injured performing a stunt on set in late June.

So whilst Hurst's departure is disappointing news, it does seem like Bautista could be a great choice to take on the iconic brooding, beefy role. He is well known to Marvel fans as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films as well as being a professional wrestler in the WWE, so he's a great choice for Kratos.

We previously predicted that Bautista could be a great fit for Kratos, as well as giving our thoughts about some other God of War theories last year.

We'll have to wait for further updates to see if these reports are accurate and if he will be cast in the highly anticipated God of War adaptation. If so, reports suggest filming could commence in fall 2026.

What else do we know about the God of War adaptation?

Currently, we know that the God of War live-action series' showrunner and writer is Ronald D. Moore, who is known for his work on Battlestar Galactica and Outlander.

God of War "adapts the acclaimed Norse mythology era, following Kratos and Atreus on a quest to spread Faye's ashes at the highest peak, balancing Kratos teaching his son to be a god and Atreus teaching his father to be human", according to an official synopsis from Amazon.

Prime Video's series will closely follow the story of the last two God of War video games, and has been given a two-season order. Filming has been put on hold after Hurst's injury, so right now we don't have much more information.

As I overheard a fan saying at this year's Italian Global Series television festival in Rimini, Star Trek was one of the first TV franchises that you had to own physically in order to see the entire thing.

With so many different iterations of the overarching IP — from the classic 1960s series to Star Trek: Voyager, and more recent additions such as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — it's not surprising that this has been the case for almost 60 years.

But the rise and dominance of streaming services is leading to an increasing reliance on digital services. After all, why spend more of your hard-earned money on discs when so much of Star Trek is available to stream on Paramount+ at the click of a button?

However, with season 1 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy still not having a confirmed release date for Blu-ray, 4K and DVD formats, we're reminded of the reason why physical media is still important.

There's often no guarantee that a show or movie will always be available on a streaming service or in a digital format, meaning the only way to guarantee access to content you want to watch time and time again is buying a physical copy.

But if the studios behind shows such as Starfleet Academy don't confirm physical-media release dates, what then? Should Star Trek fans be worried that the opportunity to invest will be taken away from them?

According to Jeri Ryan, who played former Borg drone Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard, it's unlikely that this will be the case — even if the 'tech bros' are intent on taking over mainstream studios.

'There's a sheer number of collectors who want to have the physical thing'

"I haven't actually heard about this, but I can't imagine that physical media will go away entirely, because there are too many collectors," Ryan replies when she's asked about Star Trek's physical media presence potentially disappearing.

"These studios are primarily IP companies. More so than ever now that all of the studios have basically been taken over by tech bros as opposed to creatives. It's about dollars, and numbers, and if there's money to be made. I think there probably always will be just by the sheer number of collectors who want to have physical things in their possession.

"I can't imagine that it would get entirely done away with. Maybe I'm wrong... I hope I'm not."

This isn't the first time that Ryan has been outspoken about the entertainment industry's relationship with technology. In April 2026, she testified in support of California Senate Bill 1050, which would "target false advertising by requiring clear and conspicuous consumer disclosures whenever a synthetic digital performer is used in state advertisements."

Ryan's certainly right in thinking that many factors, from over-reliance on streaming services to the increased use of AI, could affect the future of the Star Trek franchise in ways we haven't even imagined yet.

But for physical collections, I've got a feeling that Ryan's optimism when it comes to demand means these releases won't be going anywhere. But if Paramount could hurry up and announce a disc release date for Starfleet Academy to put our minds at ease, that would be great.

He's a legendary superhero, a pop culture icon, the star of comic books, movies, TV shows, video games and more, but how well do you really know Spider-Man?

Ever since we've seen the web-slinger's first outing in comic book form, we've seen various takes on the character: different human alter egos, different actors taking the role on, different powers and villains.

There's a lot about the character to get your head around, and you should be sure to brush up on how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order and our ranking of the best Spider-Man movies if you need to do some research.

But how well-read and well-watched a fan are you? To find out, we've designed this 30-question quiz, that'll ask you all about Spider-Man and his (and, sometimes, her) media outings.

The questions will test your knowledge on the breadth of the media empire, more than specific details from Spider-Man's world. You don't need to know what Doc Oc was a doctor of, or when Uncle Ben's bed-time is!

We'll start with 10 easy questions, and then move into 10 medium ones, and finish with 10 difficult ones for the experts. So, let's find out just how much you know:

If you need to brush up on your Spider-Man, let's find you some schoolwork:

Did you expect film and TV's Christine Baranski to be an AI overlord in an alternate universe in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2? No? Me neither.

I wouldn't at all be surprised if this week's episode 3 ups the ante even further. While details are largely being kept under wraps, we can expect Stuart (Kevin Sussman), Denise (Lauren Lapkus), Kripke (John Ross Bowie) and Bert (Brian Posehn) to a more magical realm, with a wizarding world of a comic book store to boot.

Consider me strapped in. So, when does Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 3 arrive on HBO Max?

What time can I watch Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 3 on HBO Max?

For US viewers, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 3 will drop on Thursday, August 6 at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET.

Internationally, you're looking out for these timings:

• US – 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada – 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK – Friday, August 7 at 2am BST
• India – Friday, August 7 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore – Friday, August 7 at 9am SGT
• Australia – Friday, August 7 at 11am AEDT
• New Zealand – Friday, August 7 at 12pm NZDT

When do new episodes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe come out?

New episodes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will make landfall every Thursday in the US and on Fridays everywhere else. Here are the all-important dates you need to know about:

• Episode 1: out now
• Episode 2: out now
• Episode 3: August 6
• Episode 4: August 13
• Episode 5: August 20
• Episode 6: August 27
• Episode 7: September 3
• Episode 8: September 10
• Episode 9: September 17
• Episode 10: September 24

Mild spoilers for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2 ahead.

Even with episode 2 of The Big Bang Theory spinoff bringing back Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and film and TV's Christine Baranski in cameo roles, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has had a rough week of press.

With the title card for the new HBO Max show uploaded to X/Twitter last week, fans wasted no time branding the cartoonish explosion as "AI slop."

"Has everyone just forgotten things are supposed to be pleasant to look at?" one fan replied, with a second adding, "Crazy to build the entire intro around saying 'Don’t skip! Appreciate the work we put into this!' when it’s so clearly AI slop."

As of writing, there has currently been no comment on whether AI was used to help make the title sequence, but now that episode 2 has been released, they will change with each episode.

Regardless, I can't help wondering if the AI-look (real or not) is distracting us from what's really going on in the titles: the fact that there will be a hidden message somewhere along the way.

'The point of the titles was to entertain'

"Yeah, there was," Chuck Lorre tells me when I tell him that I've been psyching myself out over a potential hidden message in the changing Stuart Fails to Save the Universe titles.

"The point of the titles was to entertain and cause more laughter... not to dazzle anyone with our extraordinary ability to do special effects. They had to be worth viewing."

"The only way to not skip the titles was to make each title have a different comic premise. Danny Elfman even went ahead and changed the theme song every week."

"It's great that you had that reaction... that's what we want," Zak Penn adds.

Does Lorre's remark mean that AI definitely wasn't used? It's difficult to say. But the title card script is slowly gaslighting us into believing we're missing something — and without giving too much away, that's going to become more obvious as the weeks go by.

Is there more than meets the eye to the titles that even I haven't spotted? The answer is probably yes. But only Lorre, Penn and Bill Prady know for definite, and I'm not entirely sure if their responses were simply trying to catch me out again.

• Disney Worldbuilders lands on Disney+ on August 20, 2026
• Leslie Iwerks' new documentary goes inside Disney Imagineering
• Expect behind-the-scenes stories from Galaxy's Edge, Pandora, Pixar, and more

If you're a fan of the many franchises under the Disney umbrella — Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, or Disney Animation — or simply love visiting Disney Parks around the globe, the company has another documentary arriving on Disney+ later this month.

I say "another" because earlier in 2026 we got a fresh look at how Disneyland was created with Disneyland Handcrafted. Now, the same director, Leslie Iwerks, has sat down with many of the creative minds behind Disney's biggest franchises, including Kevin Feige, Dave Filoni, Pete Docter, Jon Favreau, Jared Bush, Jennifer Lee, James Cameron, new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, and former CEO Bob Iger.

It's an impressive lineup of people who helped create many of these iconic worlds and, just as importantly, bring them from the screen or page into the physical environments we can actually experience.

From Pixar Pier and Toy Story Land to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Zootopia, Pandora, and countless other destinations, Disney Worldbuilders promises to show how these lands came to life through the people who imagined and built them. It also looks set to tease upcoming expansions and entirely new experiences.

As you can see in the trailer, Worldbuilders explores both these iconic lands and the creative process behind them through interviews with the people who made them possible. Jon Favreau, who most recently directed The Mandalorian & Grogu, says, "We can push the limits of technology to pursue something mind-blowing," and that feels like an apt description of Disney Parks today.

Just look at the recent update to Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland with its new projection-based Audio-Animatronic, or the overhaul of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which now feels even more like a video game thanks to Unreal Engine-powered updates. That same drive to push technology forward can also be seen in the free-roaming BDX Droids in Galaxy's Edge, the walking, talking Olaf robot, and even experiences aboard Disney Cruise Line ships.

There's a good chance Worldbuilders explores many of those innovations. While it will almost certainly lean more heavily on interviews than Handcrafted, Leslie Iwerks' involvement gives me confidence it'll have the same warmth, care, and strong narrative that made that documentary so enjoyable. That's especially true if you're a fan of Disney Parks, Disney's many franchises, or simply enjoy documentaries about how ambitious creative projects come together.

Beyond the technology, it also appears the series will follow the journey from early concept art to construction and finally opening day, while showing how these lands continue to evolve through new characters, refreshed attractions, and entirely new destinations. I'm especially curious whether the Pixar section will include a look at the upcoming Monstropolis land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, as well as The Magic of Disney Animation, which opens there next month.

Disney Worldbuilders premieres exclusively on Disney+ on August 20, 2026. Unlike Disneyland Handcrafted, it won't also be available to watch for free on YouTube. If you're looking for something to watch before then, I'd also recommend We Call It Imagineering, Behind the Attraction, or Disneyland Handcrafted for a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney's magic is made.

• European customers can stream Disney+ in 4K again
• HDR isn't back in affected countries, but Disney+ is working on it
• Affected customers can contact Disney+ to request a partial refund

Disney+ has begun restoring 4K support for Disney+ subscribers in Europe after being forced to remove 4K and HDR in some countries last week. That's good news, but it may cause issues on some devices, and HDR hasn't yet returned in the affected areas.

As Disney+ told us: "We have adopted an alternative technology to enable 4K UHD and HDR following a recent court ruling and have begun restoring 4K UHD support on Disney+. This may cause 4K UHD to be unavailable on some devices. We recognise the inconvenience this may cause and are working to increase device support for 4K UHD and restore HDR as quickly as we can."

What's happening with Disney+ 4K and HDR

Disney+ removed 4K and HDR from its Premium plan in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden. Both features are still available in all other countries where Disney+ operates, and the removal only applies to streaming: downloads aren't affected.

The removal was the result of a court ruling, and while Disney+ doesn't go into detail about that, it looks like another video streaming patent dispute, hence the adoption of a different 4K technology to bring 4K streaming back. HDR is next on the menu, with Disney+ explaining that "We are working to restore it as quickly as we can but cannot yet confirm when it will become available again."

If you're a subscriber in one of the affected countries and HDR is a deal-breaker, Disney+ says that you can switch to a different, cheaper plan. If you want to stay on Premium but aren't happy with the loss of features, you can "request a partial refund for [your] current billing period by contacting Disney+." That only applies to direct subscribers; if you've subscribed via a third party, such as an App Store, you'll need to contact that company instead.

As I've written previously, removing the features wasn't something Disney+ chose to do; it was compelled to do it after a court case. Video and streaming patents are very complicated, and patent owners can be highly litigious, and we've seen a flurry of similar cases across the biggest multiple streamers in recent years. There's an old saying in the entertainment industry: where there's a hit, there's a writ.

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Ready to say goodbye to X-Men '97 season 2 yet? I hope not, because you've got two more episodes to enjoy of the Marvel TV show before its latest season ends.

The first of those episodes, which is this season's eighth and penultimate chapter, will make its debut very soon, too. If you want to know when it'll premiere on one of the world's best streaming services, then you'll want to warm up that scrolling finger and read on. So, hop to it!

What time can I watch X-Men '97 season 2 episode 8?

Season 2 episode 8 will drop on Wednesday, August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET.

That's the case in the US and Canada, anyway, but fans in other countries shouldn't worry about having to wait longer to watch the Marvel Phase 6 TV series' next entry.

Indeed, it'll also drop on August 5 everywhere else, so read on to find out when X-Men '97's forthcoming installment will be released on Disney+ where you are:

• US — Wednesday, August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada — Wednesday, August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK — Wednesday, August 5 at 8am BST
• India — Wednesday, August 5 at 12:30pm IST
• Singapore — Wednesday, August 5 at 3pm SGT
• Australia — Wednesday, August 5 at 5pm AEST
• New Zealand — Wednesday, August 5 at 7pm NZST

When does the final episode of X-Men '97 season 2 come out?

As I mentioned earlier, only one episode remains of this X-Men animated show's sophomore season after this week's chapter.

No matter where you're based, you'll be able to stream the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) adjacent program's next episode on Wednesday, August 12. Make sure you pencil it into your calendar, then, so you don't miss what I expect to be an explosive season 2 finale.

Apple TV's adaptation of Cape Fear saw a chilling finale recently, and it was as grisly as we'd expected it to be. Over the past few weeks we've followed Javier Bardem's take on Max Cady, delivering a performance so scary it's left some of us sleeping with the lights on.

Cady was particularly unhinged in Cape Fear's finale, which saw him killing his own family and taking the Bowdens hostage in one final altercation.

It's an important moment in the series and allows Cady to have a do-over by setting up a mock trial, once again including attorney couple Tom and Anna who were responsible for sending him to prison in the first place.

But what went down, and should we be expecting a Cape Fear season 2? Here's everything you need to know.

Who died in the Cape Fear season finale?

Max Cady kills his half-sister Crystal, his father Robert, and Crystal's apparent son Luke in the season finale. He wanted to eliminate the whole family after what happened to him, as it was revealed that Crystal killed Max's former wife Melissa, the crime that he was wrongfully sentenced for instead.

By killing the family he believes betrayed him, Cady hopes to achieve peace, but instead he ends up with just another tragedy when he finds out who Luke really was. As it happens, when Crystal murdered Melissa, she didn't kill her unborn baby and instead took him to raise as her own child.

So Luke is Cady's biological son, who he murdered in a rage thinking he was actually the son of his half-sister instead. This cruel twist is a shocking one, creating even more pain for Cady.

What happened to Max Cady?

After Cady broke into the Bowden family home, they manage to get free and Anna stabs Cady. She's given the opportunity to kill him, but doesn't, saying that they should "let him die in a cage".

We don’t see Cady after this point, but it’s assumed he’s arrested and sent to back to prison. But Cady's fate could be explored in season 2, if one is greenlit by Apple TV. Right now, though, we assume he's gone.

His presence still lingers, however, because the final scene of Cape Fear shows that the Bowdens are still looking over their shoulder, assuming he's lurking somewhere in the shadows.

Who is Natalie's father?

The family twists don't stop there, as Tom and Anna's daughter Natalie is also going through an identity crisis. Throughout the series it was always assumed that Natalie's father was Anna's ex Paul, and that Tom stepped up as a step-parent after he and Anna got together.

As it happens, Natalie's father could actually be Cady, as he and Anna have a history. Natalie's real father is not revealed to us, but she does receive an envelope at the end of the finale which includes DNA results. We don't get to see these, leaving her true roots a mystery for now.

It is likely we will never know the answer, but Natalie is seen walking over to join the family in the finale's barbecue scene, implying she has made peace with having Tom as a parental figure.

What might happen in Cape Fear season 2?

Even though this story has been wrapped up, there are still loose ends that could well be explored if Cape Fear comes back for season 2. Cady's fate is one of them, of course, especially if he manages to escape once again.

Or, we could take a look at the Bowden family and how they recover from what happened to them. Especially Natalie, and the mystery around who her father is. But right now, nothing has been set in stone and this could be the end of Nick Antosca's take on Cape Fear.

It's nearly time to continue the AFC Richmond journey. Three years after we thought Ted Lasso had ended, the hugely popular Apple TV original is returning for its fourth season — and, this time, the titular soccer coach is set to manage the club's newly founded women's team.

So, will Ted be able to work his magic once more and make AFC Richmond Women a force to be reckoned with? And who among the show's supporting cast is back for Ted Lasso season 4?

I can't answer the former, but you'll want to read our Ted Lasso season 4 guide for more on the latter. Alternatively, you could just read on to find out when the series' next episode will air — so, if that's all you're here for, scroll on!

What time can I watch Ted Lasso season 4 episode 1?

Ted Lasso season 4 episode 1 is expected to make its Apple TV debut on Wednesday, August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET.

'Expected' is the keyword here, too. You see, in recent times, the first episode of numerous other new and returning Apple TV series has actually come out in the US and Canada on Tuesday evenings. If Ted Lasso 4 follows suit, its first episode could drop on Tuesday, August 4 at 6pm PT / 9PM ET.

However, the Ted Lasso season 4 review embargo is scheduled to lift at 12am PT on August 5. It would be odd for this season's first chapter to air before critics have published their impressions of it. So, unless Apple unexpectedly changes the aforementioned embargo details, I'm going to play it safe and say that this season's opening number will come out on August 5.

If that is the case, here's when season 4 episode 1, titled 'Home', will premiere in other countries:

• US — August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada — August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK — August 5 at 8am BST
• India — August 5 at 12:30pm ISY
• Singapore — August 5 at 3pm SGT
• Australia — August 5 at 5pm AEST
• New Zealand — August 5 at 7pm NZST

If — and it's a big if — Ted Lasso season 4 is released in the US and Canada on Tuesday, August 4 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET, all non-North American readers will need to do is shave six hours off the above launch times. So, in the UK, it would arrive on August 5 at 2am BST, in India on August 5 at 6:30am IST, and so on.

Ted Lasso season 4 full release schedule

You'll be pleased to know that there's plenty more Ted Lasso on the way after this week. Indeed, nine new episodes will be released after it, with one new entry expected to debut on one of the world's best streaming services every Wednesday.

Here's a breakdown of the all-important dates you need to know:

• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 1 — August 5
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 2 — August 12
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 3 — August 19
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 4 — August 26
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 5 — September 2
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 6 — September 9
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 7 — September 16
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 8 — September 23
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 9 — September 30
• Ted Lasso season 4 episode 10 — October 7

Netflix is on a generational roll with its cozy dramas in 2026. In the last few weeks alone, we've had Heartstopper Forever, Sweet Magnolias season 5, and Ransom Canyon season 2.

Now, it's My Life with the Walter Boys season 3's time to shine. If you can't remember what happened at the end of season 2, don't panic. We can expect the action to pick up after George's medical emergency, following the open love confession between Jackie and Cole, and Alex finding out.

At this point, we don't actually know if George will survive or not. Regardless, when does My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 arrive on the streamer?

What time can I watch My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 on Netflix?

My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 drops on Thursday, August 6.

As for exact time, it should be the standard 12am PT / 3am ET release time that practically every other Netflix TV Original has.

For fans who don't live in North America, here's when you'll need to tune in for season 3:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 12:30pm IST
• Singapore – 3pm SGT
• Australia – 6pm AEST
• New Zealand – 8pm NZDT

When do new episodes of My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 come out?

All 10 episodes of this season will be released at the same time. Unlike weekly drops on the likes of Prime Video, Apple TV, and Disney+, then, you won't need to wait around for new installment of My Life with the Walter Boys season 3.

As for the series' future, there's currently no public word on whether a fourth season has been greenlit. Hopefully, we won't be made to wait much longer.

Fun fact: whenever I have days that I work remotely, I'll always have an episode of Bob's Burgers on in the background. In fact, I watch all 16 seasons of the hit Hulu and Disney+ animated comedy so often, that I could tell you exactly what episode was on without directly looking at it.

I felt incredibly prepared for the handful of Bob's Burgers quizzes already on the internet claiming to be the hardest, but nobody has yet been able to truly test the reams of random knowledge I've acquired from watching the series so often.

Should I be able to tell recite the lyrics to the song that plays over Tina and Tammy's first time collectively ditching class in season 2? Probably not.

So, behold — the genuinely most difficult Bob's Burgers quiz that I have played to date (because I made it). If you get more than 80%, I'll assume that you're actually a Wharf resident who's somehow found their way into the real world.

I have left out anything that happens in The Bob's Burgers Movie, but you'll need to have seen seasons 1-16 in order to answer all of the questions.

Check back when Bob's Burgers season 17 (hopefully) airs in early 2027... you know that the above will be updated accordingly.

"It takes close to eight months to produce the topiaries," explained Debbie Mola Mickler, area manager at Disney's Horticulture — for installations that were on display for just a few weeks.

On that clock, Disney's horticulture team is likely already deep into next year's lineup — even though this year's International Flower & Garden Festival at EPCOT only wrapped June 1. Mola Mickler oversees production of the living character sculptures that define the festival at Walt Disney World in Orlando. What look like decorative topiaries from a distance reveal themselves up close as something far more complex.

Underneath, engineered steel frames, a moss growth medium, and tightly integrated irrigation work together so that whether it's Mickey, Buzz, Lightning McQueen, or any other character, the topiary presents itself exactly as it should. They're closer to architecture than landscaping, and the timeline to build one reflects that.

That timeline starts long before any planting begins. Disney's horticulture team works directly with Walt Disney Imagineering to decide which characters can even be translated into living structures — a process that blends creative direction with real-world constraints like weight, scale, and maintenance. Once a character is selected, Mola Mickler goes straight to the source and thinks about scale — how big the topiaries need to be, and what plant material can tell that story.

From design, Disney's digital team produces a maquette — a small 3D-printed physical model of each topiary — that serves as the reference guide for everything that follows, from fabrication through final trimming.

That translation from screen to structure is where Disney's topiaries stop being just landscaping and become systems design problems. "Our Imagineers are so creative, they've pushed us towards getting these topiaries with more movement," she explained. The dresses have folds; legs may be bent like a character is mid-dance. That push toward motion and expression has forced a redesign of how internal structures are built — especially as characters become more dynamic and less symmetrical.

Once a design is approved, Disney builds a full production pipeline that starts with digital modeling and ends with custom steel fabrication. "You can't just go to the yellow pages and find a welder to make the frame," Debbie said.

Each topiary begins as a custom-engineered stainless steel structure designed to support weight, shape, and long-term outdoor exposure. Built into each frame are engineered pick points — load-bearing anchors that allow heavy equipment like cranes and forklifts to position the finished topiaries into their beds in the park. Some characters arrive in multiple pieces and are assembled on-site.

Once the steel frame is in place, it's filled with sphagnum moss, which acts as the primary growth medium. For larger characters, Disney builds a secondary cage of chicken wire inside the frame first — since plants only need about two to three inches of growing area, the inner cage reduces the amount of moss required while maintaining the structure's shape.

The moss retains moisture, supports plant plugs, and forms the core structure that everything else grows into. Built into each frame is a segmented irrigation system that allows Disney to control water distribution at a surprisingly granular level.

"We can do arms, we can do the head, we can do the feet," Debbie said. "And then we'll turn it off as needed." That segmentation isn't just for efficiency — it's environmental control. Florida's climate can shift rapidly, and different parts of a topiary may require different hydration levels depending on sun exposure and airflow.

As the plants grow in, the maquette becomes the trimming guide — helping maintain pose accuracy and character shape across months of active growth before the festival opens.

Behind the scenes, Disney operates continuous environmental monitoring across 12 greenhouse facilities, each subdivided into controlled environments that simulate different growing conditions depending on plant type and stage. Debbie described automated alerts that notify her directly if temperatures fall outside safe ranges — a system her team relies on enough that they refer to themselves as "weather watchers."

The foundational methods, though, have deep roots. "Many years ago when I first started in Disney horticulture, we did not have sphagnum topiary," Debbie said. "We only had woody topiaries with single shrubs being trained in a frame, and it can take seven to 10 years to grow one."

Those traditional systems, still used at Disneyland, rely on shrubs trained over lightweight frames and take several years to mature. At EPCOT, the sphagnum system enables faster production cycles and far more expressive designs — but still requires nearly a year of preparation per installation.

Some heritage pieces remain in rotation, including a more than 50-year-old elephant topiary originally built for Magic Kingdom that now makes a special appearance just for Flower & Garden in EPCOT's United Kingdom Pavilion.

Modern festival builds, meanwhile, sit at the intersection of horticulture and fabrication engineering. Materials like palm fiber replicate textures such as Woody's hat and boots; coconut coir matting handles facial detailing. Props like belt buckles and sheriff badges are 3D printed and integrated directly into the structures.

Even animation principles feed into final assembly. "We want to make sure the eyes are always looking at the guest when they take a picture," Debbie said.

It's that kind of detail — designed not just to be seen, but to be experienced — that makes the topiaries something more than seasonal decoration. They're living installations built to hold up across an entire festival, in Florida heat, one carefully engineered character at a time.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has spun its way into theaters — and there's something about the Marvel movie's end credits scene that's dominated my thoughts since I left my screening.

I've already written about the post-credits stinger in my Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained piece, but I didn't elaborate on what it could be teasing. That's because, based on a new theory I have about this Spider-Man film's end credits scene, I deemed that discussion worthy of its own article.

It goes without saying, but full spoilers immediately follow for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. If you haven't seen it yet: bookmark this page, read my Spider-Man: Brand New Day review to see if it's any good, and then watch it at your local theater. Once you've completed those steps, re-open this page — it'll be worth the wait, I promise.

Alright, let's first review what happens in Spider-Man 4's post-credits scene, which centers on the Spidey Tracker app developed by Ned Leeds.

Initially, a flashing marker, accompanied by an automated voice message that says "New Spider-Man sighting", indicates that the titular hero is still in New York City. However, the message soon starts saying "Location unknown", which highlights that Spider-Man's actual whereabouts are, well, unknown. Cue the app zooming out to try to find Peter Parker.

Eventually, the app zooms out far enough that it not only shows us the entire Earth, but also that the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character can't be found. That's until the app moves away from our world, lays down a new pin that indicates Spider-Man is somewhere in space, and ends with the voice message saying "Location found."

What does that mean? The obvious answer is that Spidey is no longer planet-side. I know, shock, horror. What isn't clear, though, is why he's in space. Again, there's an easy answer for this: it's got something to do with Avengers: Doomsday and/or its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars.

That pair, which come out on December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027, mark the end of Marvel Phase 6 and the divisive Marvel Multiverse Saga. And, while current Spidey star Tom Holland isn't confirmed to appear in Doomsday, the fan-favorite A-lister will, by virtue of his popularity, feature in one or both of the aforementioned films. So, it would make a ton of sense if Brand New Day's end credits stinger is teasing his involvement in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars.

Nonetheless, what if — and I realize this is a huge if — the Spidey Tracker isn't picking up Holland's Spider-Man, but one of his fellow webheads?

Now, I know that's a stretch, but hear me out. After all, everything we learn about the Spidey Tracker in Brand New Day suggests it's tailored specifically to the MCU's Spider-Man, so why would it detect another wallcrawler, such as Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield's, instead?

Well, for one, we don't actually know that the Spidey Tracker has been custom-built for Holland's version. If it hasn't, there's no reason why it wouldn't detect one of his multiversal variants.

That multiversal aspect is perhaps the most crucial part of my theory, too.

The next two Avengers movies will be the culmination — and celebration — of every Marvel Universe we've seen on the big screen. That includes the MCU, the original Fox X-Men franchise, and — based on myriad rumors that have been circulating online for months — the realities inhabited by Maguire and Garfield.

Furthermore, Avengers: Doomsday's story synopsis has already confirmed that it'll revolve around the threat posed by Incursions.

These multiversal calamities occur when the barriers between two universes break down, and lead to a collision that permanently destroys one or both worlds. As such, Doomsday will feature heroes from three distinct universes — the MCU, original FoX-Men, and The Fantastic Four — battling to save their realities.

But are these the only universes we'll visit in Avengers 5? It would be a glaring error if Marvel overlooked Maguire and Garfield's worlds in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars, and I don't think anyone believes that the comic giant would.

It's for that very reason, then, that I believe Brand New Day's post-credits scene isn't actually showing us that Holland's Parker has gone off-world. No, I'm convinced that the Spidey Tracker is actually picking up Maguire or Garfield's Spider-Man — and, of the two, it's the former that it's detected.

Think about it. Doomsday's first proper trailer appears to suggest that the FoX-Men have successfully navigated an Incursion. I speculate more on this in my Avengers: Doomsday trailer breakdown article, but essentially, the teaser's first few seconds show Charles Xavier/Professor X shielding his eyes from a humungous, blinding explosion. Of course, this might not be the final moments of the FoX-Men destroying another world to save their own, but what else could cause such a massive and bright blast if not the destruction of an entire universe?

And what's that got to do with Maguire's Spider-Man? Well, maybe it's his reality — aka the Sam Raimi Spider-Verse — that's being annihilated in that scene. If so, it's possible that a giant mega-Incursion involving the MCU, Fantastic Four-Verse, FoX-Men universe, and Raimi-Verse happens at the same time in Doomsday, which results in the FoX-Men proactively destroying the Raimi-Verse because their reality is most at risk of colliding with it.

Should that be the case, it would explain why the Spidey Tracker detects Maguire's Peter Parker instead of Holland's and subsequently backs up my admittedly wild theory.

There's the tiniest shred of evidence that I might be onto something, too. During a cute chat with kids on the Celebrity Surprise YouTube channel, Holland was asked if Maguire would appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Holland's reply? "He's not in the movie [Spider-Man 4], but... yeah, I... yeah, careful now."

The implication here is that Holland knows something about when and where Maguire's version of the character could show up next. Holland is famous for having loose lips when it comes to MCU spoilers, too, so the fact that he stops himself here before he reveals something is, in itself, revealing.

Does he know that Maguire will feature in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars? I wouldn't be shocked if he does. After all, Holland, Maguire, and Garfield all shared the screen in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. If they still keep in touch, it's plausible they've discussed their possible involvement in one or both forthcoming Avengers films, with Maguire potentially telling them — in the strictest confidence — that he's in Avengers: Doomsday. For the sake of my offbeat theory, I hope that's the case.

In the meantime, learn everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday, get the lowdown on Avengers: Secret Wars, and find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

"It is easier, but it's not easy," Story Kitchen co-founder Dmitri Johnson interjects.

I'm midway through an in-depth conversation with Johnson and business partner Mike Goldberg about their pioneering entertainment company when the former clarifies something he alluded to earlier.

The topic in question? Pitching movies and TV shows based on video game properties to other studio figureheads is still challenging. That's in spite of myriad recent examples of popular game franchises being turned into other screen-based art forms that have achieved critical and commercial success.

"We're working every day to continue changing the stigma that games are only for kids and lazy people who still live in their mom's basement," Johnson adds with a wry smile. "These are artists and storytellers in their own right — and their work deserves to be seen by more people."

Press start

You probably haven't heard of Story Kitchen, but you definitely know the video game adaptations they've helped to shape.

From Paramount Pictures' money-spinning Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise and Netflix's animated Tomb Raider show, to Prime Video's forthcoming TV re-imaginings of the aforementioned Lara Croft-fronted game series and Dontnod's beloved first Life is Strange title, Story Kitchen is at the forefront of what's unsurprisingly being labeled the 'golden age' of video game adaptations.

It's a cinematic epoch some believed would never happen — and with good reason. The 1990s and early 2000s are littered with examples of maligned video game movies, including — but by no means limited to — 1993's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 2005's Doom, and 2003's House of the Dead, the latter of which is one the worst-rated films on popular review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.

With so many entertainment giants failing to understand the source material, the 'videogame adaptation curse' — a phrase Goldberg says "sounds really good when stories are written about it" — became a catch-all term for these and similarly crucified productions. Combine that with the notion that, as Goldberg notes, "Hollywood didn't respect the gaming community, developers, or publishers", and it seemed that video games would forever be viewed as the runt of the visual media landscape.

That was until dj2 Entertainment, the precursor to Story Kitchen co-founded by Johnson and Dan Jevons in 2011, took a leap into the unknown.

The company's primary goal was simple: make Hollywood believe that video game stories were worth telling and investing in. Predictably, Hollywood just didn't see the appeal of turning games into movies or TV shows, and countless rejections followed.

Then came the first Sonic the Hedgehog film. After slowly and methodically earning the trust and respect of SEGA, Johnson convinced the Japanese videogame titan and, later, Paramount Pictures that people wanted to see the Blue Blur star in his own movie.

A few notable setbacks, including the titular character's speedy redesign after fans attacked his initial look following the release of Sonic's first trailer, followed. Fast-forward to early 2020, though, and, despite the pandemic bringing Sonic the Hedgehog's theatrical run to a premature end, the action-adventure comedy grossed $320 million worldwide. On a reported budget of $90 million, it more than recouped its production and marketing costs.

"Dmitri always believed that, with education and respect, a different result [video game adaptations being successful] would occur," Goldberg says. "And, he was right."

'It's a new era — but not every game should be adapted'

A lot has happened in the short time since Sonic's big-screen debut, one that Goldberg describes as "an absolute game changer in the Hollywood ecosystem".

He's not wrong. Film adaptations of other iconic and/or hugely popular game series, including Mario and Minecraft, have earned billions at the global box office. Meanwhile, TV retellings of hit franchises like The Last of Us on HBO Max, and small-screen projects that expand on existing game universes, including Fallout on Prime Video and Netflix's League of Legends animated program Arcane, have drawn universal acclaim, won multiple awards, and introduced millions more people to stories, characters, and worlds they would never have connected with otherwise.

Suffice it to say, the explosion of video game adaptations is indicative of an industry-wide paradigm shift that also allowed dj2 Entertainment to level up its own game. Indeed, by investing the metaphorical skill points into the company's evolution from dj2 Entertainment to Story Kitchen, onboarding industry talents like Elena Sandoval, Timothy I. Stevenson, and Dallas Dickinson, and signing first-look deals with Amazon in February 2022 and DreamWorks Animation in May 2024, Johnson, Goldberg, and company are well-placed to help create the next wave of gaming transmedia hits.

At the time of publication, around 30 projects, some of which have already found homes and others that'll be shopped around Hollywood, are in the works at Story Kitchen HQ. That might sound a lot, but it's a mere raindrop in the ever-expanding gaming ocean. So, why doesn't Story Kitchen just take a long list of game titles to film studios, TV networks, and the world's best streaming services, and reel them off until one piques their interest?

"It's a new era, but not every game should be adapted," Golberg replies, "And not every game should be adapted right now. We want to be a friend and advocate for the space, though, because we don't see this as a fleeting moment [for video game adaptations]. We think it's got long-term potential, so we're working to ensure that we see that through."

That's not to say Story Kitchen is only focused on adapting the biggest game franchises. AA and indie titles are as much a part of the pitching process, if not more so, than their flashier, big-budget counterparts.

"We don't go into things like 'how many copies did this game sell?'," Johnson says. "We actually despise that question and refuse to answer it at this point. We respond with 'here's why these characters and stories are incredible' and 'here's why it's something we've never seen before'.

"What it really boils down to is passion," he continues. "What are the things that we can't stop thinking about and have to pursue? Once that process starts, we're convinced something has to be made, and that translates into our meetings with other companies. Initially, it might not necessarily make sense to them, but they all want to hear the pitch because it's coming from a place of passion, so most networks and studios are excited when we take something out to them. This isn't a cash-grab — these conversations are happening because we actually care."

Prime-d for more success?

And care, Johnson and Goldberg certainly do. The multi-billion-dollar-spinning Sonic franchise, which currently comprises three movies and a Knuckles TV spin-off on Paramount+, has improved with each new entry.

As of July 2026, a fourth flick is deep in post-production ahead of its March 19, 2027 release date. An untitled Shadow-fronted off-shoot project is also reportedly in the works, though Johnson and Goldberg declined to speak about it because, as Goldberg rightfully points out, "there are levels of NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) we must respect."

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 isn't the only thing that'll roll off the Story Kitchen production line next year. Indeed, two TV projects are expected to make their Prime Video debuts in 2027, the first of which should be a Tomb Raider TV adaptation that Johnson admits has been "years in the making".

Overseen by Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it'll star Sophie Turner as gaming icon Lara Croft. Amazon revealed a perfect first-look shot at Turner in Croft's classic tank top and shorts combo as principal photography got underway in January and, while filming was halted in March due to a "minor injury" sustained by Turner, there's nothing to suggest it'll delay the live-action series' launch.

Thanks to a partnership Story Kitchen established with Tomb Raider custodians and videogame developer Crystal Dynamics during development on Netflix's Tomb Raider animated show, Johnson says "we had a very clear blueprint of how to move together as partners". So, when Amazon, which already had an agreement with Crystal Dynamics to publish future Tomb Raider games, proposed making a live-action TV show, it seemed like a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for all involved.

"Every decision [on the show] is made with Crystal Dynamics' sign-off," Johnson reveals. "So, season one has their blessing and they're very hands-on, but they also respect Phoebe, who's a super-fan, and her perspective of what a live-action Tomb Raider project should be.

"We've actually just started seeing rough cuts, and we were grinning like 10 year olds the entire time. It's going to be good. By the way, we're not the type of people who hype up their own s**t. It's going to be something that your mom can come across and not know that it's based on a 30-year-old videogame franchise. We don't want it to be a niche adaptation just for core fans, who we absolutely honor and will make feel seen. But, if we do our job right, which we're tirelessly trying to do, newcomers will fall love this show just as much as we have."

Life is Strange is a whole other beast. The 2015 episodic adventure game, which tells the story of a high schooler named Max who discovers she can rewind time, is famous for its branching dialog option-based narrative. Ultimately, though, the choices players make during any given playthrough lead to just one of two endings.

In collaboration with its production partners Amazon, Life is Strange franchise publisher Square Enix, and Margot Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment, then, how is Story Kitchen tackling an evolving tale built on player choice? Furthermore, how did they decide which ending to not only use, but one that, regardless of what happens in Life is Strange: Reunion, aka Deck Nine's 2024 sequel to the first Max-led game, some viewers might interpret as being its true canonical ending?

"We went into Life is Strange knowing that almost all of the major decisions were almost a 50-50 split," Johnson muses. "So, at the start of development, you have to accept that you're not going to make everyone happy. That said, the way we're approaching some of those critical decisions from the games, I think everyone is are going to feel seen, and they're going to be happy and probably emotional [with how things play out]."

It's full steam ahead for Amazon MGM Studios film adaptations of two award-winning and popular Hazelight games in It Takes Two and Split Fiction, too.

Where the latter is concerned, things are still in the early stages of development. However, prolific actor Sydney Sweeney, Wicked duology director Jon M. Chi, and Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are, as confirmed by Goldberg, all involved.

"You play these games with your significant other, friend, or a family member, and everyone has their own experience," Goldberg says. It's been such a fun challenge of interpreting that and turning it into a singular shared experience [for viewers].

"Reese and Wernick even insisted on playing the game, and that's how we want our village to be built. You're not required to be a game, but we loved that they wanted to play and experience it together before they committed to this adaptation, and that's going to influence their own script."

As for It Takes Two's film reimagining, it's been over four years since Dwayne Johnson's Seven Bucks production team boarded the Amazon-led project. Speaking to Eurogamer last March, Hazelight creative director Josef Fares, who's known for not mincing his words, took aim at how long it was taking for the film to move forward.

"Hollywood, there's so much b******t," Fares responded when asked for an update. "I think 90 percent of the meetings are actually b******t, and 10 percent are what actually happens. There's a lot of talk, but not a lot of walk. I don't know what's going on. Hopefully something. It would be cool to get something out of it, but my hopes are not so high."

"They are," Johnson says when I ask him if Fares, Hazelight, and Johnson's company are still involved, before he adds: "We're so close to the Hazelight boys at this point that there's a shorthand with them, and the relationship with them and partners on our side... it's all very fluid."

Days of future past

That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the 30+ film and TV projects that Story Kitchen plans on delivering.

Johnson and Goldberg want to cover as many genre bases and demographics as possible, too. Film adaptations of three Roblox games — Grow a Garden, Steal a Brainrot, and Jailbreak — are in the works, as are Just Cause, Shinobi, and Ruiner productions with Universal.

Elsewhere, Netflix has signed on to bring Sifu and Kingmakers adaptations to its user base, Lionsgate is hard at work on a Streets of Rage movie, and film reimaginings of hit indie games Disco Elysium and Dredge have also been announced. Additionally, a House of the Dead movie led by The Last of Us and Superman star Isabela Merced — "she's our homie," Johnson beams —is just another of Story Kitchen's other planned projects.

It isn't just video games that are being turned into movies, either. Toys 'R Us, a popular toy retailer in the '80s and '90s that's recently enjoyed a resurgence in the US, is getting the live-action film treatment. Meanwhile, Teddy Ruxpin, an animatronic storytelling bear that was a US bestseller in the '80s, will star in a feature that's been described as 'Sonic the Hedgehog meets Elf'.

"I think it's going to go the same way as Barbie," self-confessed Teddy Ruxpin fan Johnson says in reference to the 2023 megahit starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. "I went into that thinking 'ugh, cash grab' and then had a little tear in the eye by the third act.

"It [the Teddy Ruxpin movie] is funnier than it has any right to be," Johnson continues. "We have ridiculous musical numbers when we shouldn't, and it's so brilliantly bananas that it works. I think it's going to catch people off-guard, and kids are gonna walk out of it wanting a Teddy Ruxpin."

But, back to the games — and, perhaps most importantly, Story Kitchen's mission to create films and TV shows not only based on beloved titles from the past and those that are currently popular, but also those yet to be released.

"We're about to pitch a show based on a game that hasn't even been announced," Goldberg teases as an example of the latter. "And, should nothing change, it'll finally be announced at the 2026 Game Awards. But we're already going to take a fully fleshed, packaged, and scripted drama TV pitch on it to studios next month, so we can move as swiftly as possible once the game is officially revealed."

Whatever that soon-to-be-announced game is, its developer will surely hope it performs as well as 2025 surprise hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did.

The first-ever title from French studio Sandfall Interactive, Clair Obscur unexpectedly dominated the gaming sphere last year. With over eight million copies sold (as of April 2026) and numerous award wins under its belt, it's little wonder that this critically and commercially successful title is being turned into a live-action film. As Johnson is keen to point out, though, the Clair Obscur bandwagon isn't one that Story Kitchen jumped on post-launch.

"As a company, we pride ourselves on not chasing heat," he explains. "We're less likely to pursue a game once it's become an established hit, because we don't ever want to be seen as those people.

"We were actually working with Sandfall as early as 2023," he continues. "We read almost 600 pages of scripts, had raw music files [to listen to], [and] art to look at, so we fell in love with it before we saw any real gameplay. Obviously, you don't know how a game is going to perform, so we went into this knowing that it could be a tough sell. Without the massive success it had, it would've been an uphill battle [to pitch our movie adaptation to studios]. But, as I said earlier, once the passion kicks in, we don't take 'no' for an answer. We were convinced three years ago that this was something to be excited about, and... that's all we can say about it right now."

If there's one thing I took from my chat with Johnson and Goldberg, it's this: they genuinely care about what they're doing. Like, a lot. They don't phone in their work, nor did they lazily trot out stock responses to my questions. They are completely committed to telling the world that games are not only great, but that their stories are also worth translating and telling in other mediums.

There's so much more that Story Kitchen wants to accomplish, though. Even with the abundance of productions already on their plate, Johnson and Goldberg have ambitions on adapting even more franchises for the big and small screen. Their dream projects? Mega Man and — surprisingly — Bad Dudes for Johnson, and Nintendo's iconic sci-fi franchise Metroid for Goldberg.

But such wish fulfillment must wait for another day. As we approach the tail-end of what was supposed to be an hour-long interview, Goldberg reveals that he and Johnson are being summoned by Amazon for a meeting — the contents of which he can't disclose.

It's a sign of just how busy the pair have become, but they wouldn't have it any other way. After all, Story Kitchen is no ordinary passion project — it's reshaping the multimedia landscape as we know it.

"We were recently looking back on our list of games to consider for last year's BAFTA Game Awards," Johnson says, "And there's one from a tiny Australian team called The Drifter that, after I came across it in 2025, I couldn't stop gushing about. Anyway, we ended up tracking them down and, in the very first meeting we had with another studio, we were able to find a home for this indie game in the form of a big theatrical movie.

"That wouldn't have been possible five, six years ago, and that's why we're enjoying this moment now. Step one was getting rid of this silly notion that games are cursed. Now, step two, and we say this with a straight face, you'll see Oscars, Emmys, and BAFTAs being won by movies and TV shows that are based on games. That's our next mission: proving that videogames are art. The stories being told, the characters they contain... they're no different to a New York Times best-selling book — and we're ready to show the world why."

Dear Gillian,

When I close my eyes, my version of heaven is you sprinkling rose petals across the bedroom of a deserted log cabin while any song from Sade's Love Deluxe album hums softly in the background. Now, when I open them, I can see exactly that in Teenage Sex and Death in Camp Miasma.

It's an understatement to say that Jane Schoenbrun's third movie was my most anticipated movie of 2026, and that was before I knew anything other than the cast list.

The world's worst-kept secret is that amongst queer women, you're considered to be "lesbian God," thanks to The X-Files, The Fall, Sex Education, and the time you said that the Guess remix featuring Charli XCX and Billie Eilish was your most listened-to song on Spotify in 2024. I'd argue that you've even overtaken Cate Blanchett in that respect.

Add Hannah Einbinder, the woman we've vicariously lived through since season 1 of Hacks, into the mix, and I knew audiences would have something special in their hands. But I really didn't foresee just how profoundly, life-changingly moving the end product would be.

There's a lot of spectacular dynamics at play to make this possible, but I think that the beating heart at the center of it is you. As Billy Presley, the reclusive former 'final girl' of the Camp Miasma horror franchise that director Kris (Einbinder) wants to reboot, we get yet another piece of the never-ending puzzle that is your multi-faceted craft.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is more than just a LGBTQIA+ horror movie — it's an epiphany

On the surface, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma should be a straightforward, almost stereotypical horror movie premise. When Kris is asked to direct a reboot of the disgraced Camp Miasma franchise, she visits original movie final girl Billy, who still lives at the summer camp where it was set. Cue an inversion of reality where the pair are literally running for their lives away from the "big bad," Little Death.

But actually, there are no villains here. This is all just a facade to get you hooked on the true meaty substance of the movie: the subconscious fear in pleasure. For Kris, this manifests in her sexuality, struggling to fully let herself go in the presence of another person. Billy's confident command in leading Kris towards the light (that is, sexual freedom) is... well, satisfying in more ways than one.

Everything is sexy and sensually charged, but nothing is ever gratuitous. It's almost as if Einbinder was inside my own brain before instinctively making her character choices, with every decision Kris makes being the one I'd have chosen myself. She makes no secret of her immediate fascination and hunger for Billy... and isn't that how we react to you as it is?

By now, the internet has worked out that "Little Death" is also how the French describe an orgasm, but I think the significance of the trio's relationship runs so much deeper than just sex. Our spear-wielding villain signifies loneliness, a lack of self-understanding, and a self-imposed inability to give and receive love. Schoenbrun's previous two films, We're All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow, explore these phenomena beautifully, but by God, has she achieved an all-timer here.

Across the board, everything is elevated, from the movie's scale and production design to its soundtrack and grasp on moving through time. Aesthetically, we land directly between fantasy and reality, with hand-drawn backgrounds often representing Billy's romanticized version of her Camp Miasma truth. Kris is the conduit between the two, but when she finally gives herself over to Little Death, she exists in a blissful, ever-moving fantasy that I would now do anything to claim for myself.

The act of pleasure in itself can look like just about anything, and you all innately understand that. As Little Death sits in his video palace with a completely different understanding of what the Camp Miasma movies can mean, I find myself wanting to be brave for them all. I want to scream, cry, and grasp hold of joy for them. I want to meet myself at my most basic, primal level.

But back to you, Gillian

But enough of this... let's get back to you. Armed with a Dolly Parton-esque accent, a bucket of fried chicken and a lifetime's resistance against assimilating back into the real world, Billy Presley is the new-age horror hero I didn't know I needed.

Kris might be the bridge between the world of Camp Miasma and real life, but Billy is our guide between harbored shame and unrelenting freedom. She understands life in a way that most of us never do, perhaps because we've long left our sense of whimsy and suspension of belief behind. To her, Little Death is as real as you and I, and I'm starting to believe the same thing.

You've simultaneously made Billy into the most mysteriously sexy woman alive and an adult posing as the frightened, unsure teenage girl who never grew up after the release of the franchise's first movie. She's a beacon of never-ending wisdom, yet has absolutely no understanding of how the outside world works. She's the embodiment of how people can be everything and nothing all at once, and that is a pleasure to behold in itself.

If she could trap me under that picturesque starlit sky while little on the porch of the cabin she now calls home, I'd never move. If she reached for my hand to stay close through a woodland storm of bloodied clothes and peach skies, I'd walk forever. Kris felt the same way, and now she gets the blissful, blood-soaked happy ever after with her lover that the LGBT+-friendly side of cinema has only let us have a handful of times. The one so many of us long for.

Kris gets it. Einbinder and Schoenbrun get it. And now, I get it too. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma isn't just a movie, but a life-altering experience, and you made sure of that. In a twisted sort of way, sex, death, and the life we live in between the two have never been more appealing.

Thank you for keeping us grounded in our own pleasure, whatever it looks like.

Yours,

Jasmine Valentine

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma arrives in cinemas on August 7 in the US and August 21 in the UK.

The best streaming services have added more new movies in August, and even though we're light on the horrors this month, I've still managed to find seven new arrivals.

Prime Video doesn't have any new horrors this month, but thankfully Paramount+ has stepped up in August to bring us one of my favorites. So despite the lighter selections, there's still enough for the macabre among us.

Ready to dive in? Here are my seven horror streaming picks for August 2026.

10 Cloverfield Lane

When: August 1
Where: Paramount+ (US); rent or buy (UK, AU)

Cloverfield is one of the best found footage movies out there, but if you think the follow ups wouldn't be as good, you're mistaken. In fact, 10 Cloverfield Lane is one of my favorite movies and a worthy addition to the series.

Here, Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a woman who survives a car crash. When she wakes up, she realizes she's been taken in by two men who insist that the outside world is uninhabitable, and they must remain in the underground bunker. It's well worth checking out if you're a fan of the original Cloverfield movie.

Bride of Chucky

When: August 1
Where: Netflix (US); rent or buy (UK, AU)

It's double trouble for Chucky fans this month, as this iconic horror movie sees the murderous doll finding himself a wife. Bride of Chucky is one of my favorites of the franchise, largely due to Jennifer Tilly's great performance as Tiffany Valentine.

Bride of Chucky stands out from the first three movies in the franchise because it relies on self-referential parody and isn't afraid to make fun of itself. In my opinion, it's the funniest entry into the franchise for this reason. So if you want a perfect blend of horror and comedy, it's right here.

Barbarian

When: August 1
Where: HBO Max (US); rent or buy (UK, AU)

Everyone's talking about Zach Cregger's Resident Evil, and his recent feature Weapons won at the Oscars, so now is a great moment to check out his excellent horror movie Barbarian.

It's hard to believe that Barbarian is Cregger's directorial debut because it is terrifyingly good. It starts as a seemingly normal tale of a woman who rents a vacation house, but when she finds out it's occupied by someone else it descends into something entirely unexpected. Believe the hype, it's really good.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

When: August 3
Where: Netflix (US, AU), rent or buy (UK)

Get ready for Freddy, because US and Australian audiences can watch horror sequel Five Nights at Freddy's 2 on Netflix in August. Despite being panned by the critics, the movie and its predecessor have received a loyal following of fans, many of whom loved the famous video game series.

If you're among them, then you can relive Five Nights at Freddy's 2 at home, as we follow Abby Schmidt a year after the first movie as she is manipulated by the Marionette, an animatronic from the original Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, who is plotting revenge against adults. There's plenty of familiar faces here including two Scream icons Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich.

The Yeti

When: August 7
Where: Shudder (US)

Big monster movie fan? Don't miss The Yeti when it arrives on Shudder, as it looks like a promising directorial debut for filmmakers Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta which should tick all the right boxes for those needing a creature feature.

Set in Alaska, The Yeti centers around two people who go off in search for their respective missing fathers who have disappeared without a trace. This journey to locate them is dangerous enough with the weather conditions, never mind a huge yeti prowling the area. Sounds like a nailbiting watch.

The Strangers: Chapter 2

When: August 7
Where: HBO Max (US); Prime Video (UK); Binge (AU)

The recent reboot of The Strangers has proven divisive, with some fans thinking it's not as good as the original 2008 movie. But if you can't get enough of these masked villains, you might be interested in watching The Strangers: Chapter 2.

Set in the fictional small of Venus, Oregon, Maya (Madeleine Petsch) survives being stabbed by the strangers, but discovers that they are still hunting and trying to kill her. The locals are acting strange too, so what's up with this small town?

Buffet Infinity

When: August 21
Where: Shudder (US)

Finally, Buffet Infinity might be the most unique horror movie I've seen in a while. It's told entirely through mock television commercials, as we watch two restaurants who are fighting each other for dominance, which ends up spawning cults, sinkholes, and other apocalyptic consequences.

Buffet Infinity is intended to be a satirical look at consumerism, and it certainly caught my interest. If you're in the mood for something different, I highly recommend giving it a go.

House of the Dragon season 3 doesn't have long left to deliver on the action spectacle front. Indeed, only two more episodes of the Game of Thrones prequel's latest installment remain, so we're going to get the endlessly teased Battle of Tumbleton before it ends, right?

Considering House of the Dragon 3's mid-season trailer confirmed we would, that's a given — but will we get to see it in this week's chapter, or is it being held back for the season 3 finale? That, I don't know. What I can tell you, though, is when the high-fantasy show's next entry will be released, so read on to learn more.

What is the launch time for House of the Dragon season 3 episode 7?

Episode 7 of House of the Dragon's latest season will launch at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Sunday, July 26 in the US and Canada.

Where viewers in other nations are concerned, it'll premiere on Monday, July 27 — and the below release times are when you'll need to tune in to see it as soon as it goes live:

• US — Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada — Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK — Monday, July 27 at 2am BST
• India — Monday, July 27 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore — Monday, July 27 at 9am SGT
• Australia — Monday, July 27 at 11am AEST
• New Zealand — Monday, July 27 at 1pm NZST

Where can I watch House of the Dragon season 3 episode 7?

Just like every other episode of season 3, this week's entry will air on HBO Max, aka one of the world's best streaming services.

Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) super streamer isn't available worldwide, though, so some of you will have to locate it on another streaming platform or TV network. To help you out, the list below reveals where you can catch it in your neck of the woods. You're welcome in advance:

• US — HBO and HBO Max
• Canada — Crave
• UK — HBO Max, Sky Atlantic, and Now TV
• India — JioHotstar
• Singapore — HBO Max
• Australia — HBO Max
• New Zealand — HBO Max

When does the season 3 finale of House of the Dragon come out?

Unless HBO (aka the WBD-owned network that oversees Game of Thrones' TV adaptations) unexpectedly brings the season 3 finale's release date forward, it'll drop in early August.

For US and Canadian readers, it'll launch on Sunday, August 2. Everyone else will be able to watch it on Monday, August 3.

Blu-ray turned 20 this year, and although streaming is now the way most people watch films, physical media is dead is far from dead. Collectors are still buying Blu-rays for their new restorations, special features or limited-edition packages — and younger audiences are discovering the value of owning their films rather than dealing with your favorites disappearing on your all the time.

So if people still want to watch movies on discs at home, is there a Blu-ray successor on the horizon to offer something new?

Every major home video format before it has eventually been replaced. VHS gave way to DVD, then DVD gave way to Blu-ray. As someone who appreciates the quality of Blu-ray films but isn't an expert in the technology behind them, I assumed there would be a straightforward plan for something to come supplant them. Maybe an 8K Blu-ray? Maybe another physical format I've never heard of because home cinema is an interest of mine rather than my specialism?

But after speaking to analysts, hardware manufacturers and the organization behind Blu-ray itself, I discovered that most of them don't think another disc is coming. In fact, there’s no obvious "next format" about to be unveiled, and I wanted to find out why.

Why Blu-ray still has loyal fans

To understand why the future of Blu-ray is such an interesting topic, it's worth first getting to grips with why people still buy it. And the top reason came up in every conversation I had: ownership.

"Ownership matters more now than it did in 2005. When you buy a disc, you own that film. It’s yours, permanently, in its best possible form, sitting on your shelf whenever you want it,” says Victor Matsuda, Chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association, the group behind the development of Blu-ray.

He tells me that people are switching on to the fact that most of what we “buy” digitally today is really a license that can change or disappear. His comments come shortly after Sony removed over 500 purchased movies from people's accounts without compensation, and right at the same time as Disney+ was forced to remove 4K and HDR support in many countries.

“We frequently hear complaints about people losing access to content they thought they’d purchased, and there have even been lawsuits brought on exactly this issue,” Matsuda says. “A disc doesn’t have that problem. Nobody can reach into your home and take it back.”

I've spoken to many physical media collectors over the years, and ownership is almost always the first thing they mention. But the second reason is quality. Ultra HD Blu-ray is still widely considered to be the best technology for watching films at home.

"20 years ago, Blu-ray set the standard for what a movie should look and sound like in the home, and it’s a standard both consumers and the industry recognized,” Matsuda tells me. “Ultra HD Blu-ray remains unsurpassed as the best overall experience for consumers.”

He explains that this has been the case even as streaming services have rolled out 4K and HDR. “The respective Blu-ray formats became the benchmark they chased, and in my opinion they still haven’t caught it. Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray remain the reference,” Matsuda says. “A stream can approximate it, but the disc carries the full, uncompressed picture and sound with nothing thrown away to fit a data cap.”

Olivier Semenoux, Europe head of GTM and Product Management at TCL Electronics, explains that much of that comes down to bitrate. "Blu-ray can be coded up to 128Mbps because that's the disc's technical limit,” he explains. “Streaming is a different story, most popular platforms cap out natively around 25Mbps, with some going up to 40 or 80Mbps.”

Unfortunately, the latter is very rare — when it comes to the big streamers, 16 to 18Mbps is the maximum you can expect.

This means that Ultra HD Blu-rays carry significantly more data per frame than a typical stream, meaning less compression and what you see at home is more of the original picture and sound being preserved. It's one of the reasons discs continue to set the standard for anyone who really loves home theater.

Variations of the same argument came up repeatedly in conversations with manufacturers too. I spoke with Rob Jones, President of Magnetar, a manufacturer of high-end 4K UHD Blu-ray and universal disc players. “When consumers invest in physical media, they get ownership, content preservation, and quality control,” he says. “While streaming is incredibly convenient, it cannot match physical media when it comes to that combination.” Jones says that’s what continues to drive Magnetar’s investment and development in this space.

But that doesn't necessarily mean streaming and Blu-ray are in competition. One of the more surprising things I heard was that several companies see them as complementary rather than competing technologies.

"We see many customers choosing both formats," Kenichi Ikenoue, Head of Strategic Planning at Panasonic Consumer Europe, tells me. "They enjoy the convenience of streaming for everyday viewing while turning to physical media when they want the highest picture and sound quality or want to own their favorite films."

Why 8K isn’t the answer

If Blu-ray still has loyal fans, isn’t the next step an 8K successor? That's what I expected to find, as someone who isn't deep on movie production. Instead, almost every expert I spoke to questioned whether there was any need for a successor at all.

"Honestly, I don't think so, at least not right now," says Victor Matsuda. "From a BDA [Blu-ray Disc Association] perspective, we don't see anything from content creators or consumers to indicate a need for a new format. They’re both extremely satisfied.”

There are signs elsewhere that the industry isn't preparing for another optical disc format either. In 2025, Sony announced that it was ending the production of recordable Blu-ray discs, MiniDiscs and MiniDV cassettes, saying that there would be "no successor models". Now, while that decision applies to blank recording discs rather than pre-recorded movie discs, it seems to reflect a broader shift away from consumer physical media formats.

One obvious reason for a new format would be 8K support, which is a format that would theoretically offer four times the resolution of today's 4K discs. But that wasn't what the experts I spoke to had in mind.

"The resolution race is interesting, but I don't see 8K finding a place with consumers anytime soon," Matsuda says. "The content community, meaning the Hollywood studios, produces its content in 4K and has stated their intent to continue doing so. Additionally, a number of manufacturers have dropped 8K from their lineups."

Jones agreed that 8K isn't ready for the mainstream, but says the challenge goes beyond content. It's also about the wider home theater ecosystem. "8K is a distraction until it's mainstream and the ecosystem simply does not justify it," he says.

He points out that an 8K player wouldn't just require 8K discs, but would also depend on compatible TVs, projectors, AV receivers and processors. "In order to sit down and experience 8K content, a viewer's entire home entertainment chain needs to support 8K," he says. "A consumer would need to replace every single link in their entertainment chain with a component capable of supporting 8K, which is impractical at best."

And it seems as if lack of demand isn't the only reason experts are sceptical. Some argue we've reached the point where higher resolutions matter much less than other improvements we can make to picture quality. "HDR and wide colour gamut make a far bigger difference to perceived picture quality than resolution does," Semenoux tells me.

Which means the challenge facing an 8K Blu-ray isn't just about a lack of content or compatible hardware; it's that the improvement itself may not feel significant enough to justify an entirely new format.

That's exactly how Mark Vena, CEO and Principal Analyst at SmartTech Research, sees it. "Frankly, an 8K Blu-ray would be a technical feat in search of a commercial problem to solve,” he says. “There's still little native 8K content, 8K TV adoption is modest and streaming platforms will almost certainly meet mainstream demand before another optical format ever reaches critical mass."

In other words, it’s not as if we’re all sitting around waiting for a new format to happen, it’s more that it doesn’t really have a reason to exist.

What creates a new format?

Vena’s point made me realize I'd been thinking about this the wrong way. Every major home video format solved an obvious problem. DVD improved on VHS by offering non-degrading video and the capacity for extra features. Blu-ray improved on DVD with the space for higher-quality video. And now we have Ultra HD Blu-ray, which improved on Blu-ray's quality further.

Crucially, each of those steps solved a real technical problem. But right now, there isn’t a real problem that a successor to Ultra HD Blu-ray could actually solve.

Matsuda explained this to me using a framework from his time as a product planner that he calls "needs" and "seeds". A "need" is a problem consumers or the industry want solving. A "seed" is a new technology that has the potential to create that demand in the future.

"I don't see a compelling driver for a new format at the moment," Matsuda says. "I think it's unlikely that a new format would arise out of consumer demand as there doesn't appear to be an expressed need. Similarly, Ultra HD Blu-ray continues to deliver content that takes full advantage of display technologies so I don't see a need arising from the industry side."

Matsuda says that could change. "From a seed standpoint, companies may have some technologies in development that could plant those seeds,” he explains. “But in my view, if a driving factor ever prompts a new physical format, it will most likely be the emergence of content the internet infrastructure simply can't deliver at scale without compromising quality. As long as streaming can handle what people want to watch, I don't see any real pressure for a new disc."

So a technological breakthrough on its own wouldn't be enough, a new format would also need the entire industry to then build around it.

Panasonic’s Ikenoue makes the same point from a more commercial perspective. "A successor format would also depend on significant investment from film studios and content providers. New hardware alone would not be enough. The content ecosystem would also need to support a new format. For the moment it is difficult to see the requirement for a successor."

A successor wouldn't just need a better disc, there’d have to be a need to even build that better disc in the first place. Only then would studios create the content, manufacturers would build the players, TV makers would support it and consumers would decide if it was worth upgrading. But right now none of the experts could identify a good enough reason.

What if the successor isn’t a disc at all?

That doesn't necessarily mean Blu-ray is the end of the story. Optical storage technology is still evolving. Companies are developing discs capable of storing far more data than today's Blu-rays, but the key thing is that they're aimed at archiving data on an enterprise scale rather than at home entertainment. Which means they aren’t about to become the next movie format that you’ll buy.

Instead, several people I spoke with pointed towards a future where the successor to Blu-ray isn't about discs. "If Blu-ray has a successor, it may not be something you can hold in your hand," says Mark Vena. Rather than another physical format, he believes the future lies in premium digital delivery through high-quality, studio-certified, lossless downloads stored locally on home servers or network-attached storage.

"This is why the real successor to Blu-ray, for most consumers, is not another disc at all," he says. "It's the combination of ultra high bitrate streaming, cloud libraries and AI-powered video optimization that's closing the quality gap."

So maybe the future isn't about replacing Blu-ray with another physical format but instead preserving the quality of audio and visuals that enthusiasts value about Blu-ray without even needing a disc in the first place.

One possible future is already beginning to emerge. Kaleidescape, a company specializing in premium digital movie delivery, offers downloads with bitrates to match what Blu-ray is capable of, preserving much more picture and audio quality than traditional streaming services while still providing the convenience of instant access.

Kaleidescape even recently launched a new 'Cinematic 4K' format for movies, which it says will offer even higher-quality bitrates for video, promising over 100Mbps of average bitrate (not maximum), which it compared to 60Mbps of average bitrate for 4K Blu-ray in its own marketing materials.

"In 10 years, the highest-quality movies at home will be delivered digitally, not on disc," Tayloe Stansbury, chairman and CEO of Kaleidescape, tells me. "Consumers will expect instant access, reference-quality presentation, and technology that evolves with each generation of content. That's the future Kaleidescape is building today."

However, for many fans of Blu-ray, the biggest hurdle here is still ownership and Kaleidescape's technical proficiency doesn't address that. It's a digital storefront, and the same concerns of losing access to things you've bought still applies.

Kaleidescape told me that its priority is delivering the best possible digital collecting experience rather than addressing licensing, and it declined to comment on people's increasing concerns about this side of buying movies.

Digital purchases may be able to close the gap on quality, but until they can offer the same promise of permanence as a disc, then physical media will continue to offer something digital can't.

Blu-ray remains resilient

When I first started researching this story, I thought I'd be talking to experts about the technology that’s waiting to replace Blu-ray. But instead, I learned the future is a little more complicated than that.

Every home video format in the past has reached a point where its limitations became too impossible to ignore. But Ultra HD Blu-ray appears to be in a different position. According to the people building and supporting the format, there isn't an obvious problem left for another new type of disc to solve. It still delivers the highest quality experience available to most consumers and continues to attract collectors who are willing to invest in physical media.

Looking at recent sales numbers, the Blu-ray market is much healthier than I expected. Mark Frampton, Senior Commercial Marketing Manager at Elevation Sales, a film sales and distribution company, says the format has remained remarkably resilient.

"We’re forecasting 2026 to be another year where the market stabilizes. Catalogue [older releases] has been very strong and only 2% down year-on-year. This is driven by collector’s editions and steelbooks, particularly on 4K Ultra HD which remains a format in growth."

In other words, older film releases are continuing to sell well, with premium collector editions helping to keep the market strong — and it's not just older enthusiasts buying discs today.

“Although the core buying audience is still people over 35, we’re increasingly seeing younger audiences entering the market,” Frampton tells me. “People aged between 25 and 34 are the second biggest buyers of Blu-ray. But Gen Z and Younger Millennials (aged between 14 and 30) who are experiencing ‘digital fatigue’ are becoming highly engaged in the format as well."

The wider industry paints a similar picture. Kath Summersgill, Group Joint Head of Sales at Key Production Group, an agency specializing in physical music manufacturing and creative packaging, points to figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association showing continued growth. "The current state of the physical movie market is incredibly encouraging, with ERA’s 2025 figures showing Blu-ray sales increased by 19.5%,” she says.

Now, these surprisingly healthy numbers don’t mean Blu-ray discs will be around forever. Streaming will continue to improve, premium digital libraries will become more sophisticated and companies like Kaleidescape are already demonstrating that top-quality movies don't necessarily need to be on a disc.

All of this means another physical format may never arrive. Instead, the next chapter for home theater could be digital — but there's a long way before collectors would be ready to trust digital libraries.

For now, at least you know you won't have to worry about buying your favorite movies yet again on another new disc format in the future.

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As far as Taylor Sheridan shows are concerned, nothing is topping Landman. We all know that the Yellowstone creator is most at home in the Western genre, and we seem to want that from him just as much as he yearns to give it.

But Lioness season 3 is an outlier, and with new episodes dropping from August 2, I can't help but feel it remains that way. Closer in tone to the likes of Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown, viewers are thrown into the governmental deep end, following an off-the-books special operative group of the titular name, which is led by hot-headed Joe (Zoe Saldaña).

In season 3, Joe's working life has gone from bad to worse. By the end of season 2, she looked to jack her perilous and secretive lifestyle in for the sake of her husband Neal (Dave Annable) and their two daughters, but a leopard can't change its spots.

Credit where credit is due: without giving anything away, the stakes have been raised fatally high as season 3 takes off. The emotion feels a lot more genuine, and now that there are finally no new team members to contend with, we've got the space and breadth to fully invest in everyone present.

But as always, the bombardment of military jargon and circumstances that a civilian will never understand — and will hopefully never have to — feels incredibly alienating.

I'm also often taken out of the moment when Cody, a character played by Sheridan, is featured in episodes. Does this entire IP exist purely to indulge his fantasies of playing soldier? The answer frequently feels like yes.

Lioness season 3 raises the dramatic stakes — and takes aim at AI along the way

But let's get back to the action. Unlike seasons 1-2, which involved different Middle Eastern conflicts at their centre, Lioness season 3 pushes the focus to the brooding tension between Russian operatives and domestic US forces.

Interestingly, Sheridan wastes no time at all addressing real-life crises, including Gaza-Israel and Ukraine-Russia. It's the latter that gets the most expansion, with war on Ukrainian land forming the backbone of the storyline that will send Joe to the brink... and beyond.

It also allows for us to fully consider how AI and technology are shaping how fights are fought on the ground. Within minutes, Errol (Martin Donovan) is seen telling Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman) that AI is an undoubtedly bigger threat to us all than the potential end of democracy — and that's just the start of Sheridan's blatant takedown.

Much like we've seen across endless social media clips and news reports, the introduction of drones into a warzone also becomes a point of contention. None of this is an angle to modern warfare that I'd even considered, and I'm both impressed and pleased that Sheridan has created the space for that conversation. The Lionesses are raging, and so should we be.

Even amidst the backdrop of change, our team is as strong as ever, and I continue to be bowled over that the busiest working woman on Earth, Nicole Kidman, has made time for such a heavy screen presence. Personally, I think that speaks volumes about the level of craft Sheridan is operating at, and what Kidman thinks of him in turn.

The action itself is fast-paced and unflinching in who or what it takes prisoner. Deaths happen from the get-go, and Joe quickly finds herself reckoning with two different realities. Things feel elevated from what we've seen in the past, which could often become monotonous and inconsequential.

Sheridan really is his own hero, and I applaud that

You know how watching enough episodes of Grey's Anatomy starts to make you feel like you could be a doctor just through absorbing so many medical terms? Lioness season 3 somehow has the opposite effect.

I don't think there's been one season of the show yet where I've been able to confidently and succinctly explain the overarching narrative of the show. I've never once watched one of the many CIA boardroom scenes and properly been able to follow along with the plan, strategy, or off-the-books mission.

Partly, I wonder if this is down to my levels of practical intelligence, in the same way you sometimes panic during test conditions. But mostly, I think this is a script issue. The dialogue is (rightly) peppered with so much military terminology, but there's rarely a let-up in it. How is the average person supposed to relate to this, unless they've played a lot of Call of Duty?

But my favorite part of Lioness — which is either a positive or negative, depending on how you look at it — is how the show seems to exist simply to fulfil Sheridan's own desires. Once again, episode 1 contains a hefty dose of Delta Force operator Cody, but this time, he's the indisputable hero.

Again, no spoilers here, but Cody essentially leads a mission that is successful almost solely thanks to his own conspiring, and I think of the little boy who must have played with Action Man figures and wanted a slice of combat for himself.

Sheridan has won just as much as we all have with season 3 (except for the many onscreen casualties), in spite of its flaws. The man is allergic to making outright terrible TV, and for that, we should always be thankful.

It's time to bid farewell to July 2026 — and, if you won't be heading out to catch Spider-Man: Brand New Day this weekend, you're going to need something to watch at home instead.

Thankfully, the world's best streaming services have plenty of great-looking new movies and shows for you to check out before Monday arrives once more. Don't delay, then — scroll on to see what you'll be adding to your watchlist ahead of the new working week. — Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Hulu/Disney+)

Gird your loins, people: The Devil Wears Prada 2 is finally available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. As an 11-year old girl who grew up wanting to be Andy Sachs, I can safely say that nothing has changed 20 years later.

This time around, Andy is brought back into the Runway Magazine fold when Miranda comes under fire for printing false information in an article. As the new Features Editor, it's Andy's job to navigate a PR crisis fit for the 2020s, which includes getting a little help from Emily.

With all of the nostalgia and dreamy fashion montages you could hope for, and an new original song by Doechii and Lady Gaga that slaps, I'll be watching this over and again. — Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter

• Watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Peacock)

Yahoo! Almost fourh months after it initially landed in theaters, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has finally made its official streaming debut on Peacock.

Mario's latest animated adventure is way more polarizing than its predecessor, yet it still managed to pull in $1 billion at the worldwide box office. For that reason alone, it's probably worth giving it a whirl — but, seeing as you'll need something to entertain the kids for 90 minutes or so, it's definitely worth putting on.

But, I digress. For those who might not know: this time around, Mario and his allies traverse the cosmos as they attempt to stop Bowser and Bowser Jr from enacting a new masterplan that would see them kidnap Princess Rosalina and drain her cosmic powers to build a super weapon. Expect plenty of Nintendo Easter eggs and references in this multiverse-esque sequel that certainly acts as a jumping off point for a shared Nintendo cinematic universe. — TP

• Watch The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on Peacock

The Drama (HBO Max)

The first of three films that Zendaya and Robert Pattinson appear in this year, A24's dark rom-com drama called, well, The Drama has made its debut on HBO Max.

Starring the aforementioned A-listers, it tells the tale of soon-to-be-newlyweds Emma and Charlie, whose forthcoming wedding is derailed when a particularly dark secret comes to light. The twist in question? Honestly, it's best if you go into the movie knowing as little as humanly possible, because it's such a blind-siding narrative device that it's too good to spoil here. Get it watched ASAP, because I imagine it's all you and your work colleagues will be talking about come Monday. — TP

• Watch The Drama on HBO Max

The Bombing of Pan Am 103 (Netflix)

There are some national tragedies that are so horrifically terrible, history is forever changed. In Scotland and the US, this was the Bombing of Pan Am 103, which is now a Netflix docuseries of the same name.

In a nutshell: on 21 December 1988, flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over Lockerbie, killing all 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans, on board, and spawning an international investigation involving local law enforcement and the FBI.

The community of Lockerbie has definitely never been the same since, with the attack leading to the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990. Be prepared for a difficult yet emotionally poignant watch. — JV

• Watch The Bombing of Pan Am 103 on Netflix

Batman: Caped Crusader season 2 (Prime Video)

Batman is back — well, in Amazon's animated TV show, that is. That's right, season 2 of Batman: Caped Crusader has made its Prime Video debut, so fans of the Dark Knight have some new content to consume while the wait for The Batman Part II goes on.

This season, the eponymous vigilante and friends are forced to navigate an increasingly combustible turf war and the arrival of new iterations of the Caped Crusader's packed rogues gallery. Eager to see the Big Bad Bat go up against Joker, Scarecrow, Riddler, and more for the umpteenth time? Caped Crusader season 2 should be your first streaming port of call this weekend. — TP

• Watch Batman: Caped Crusader season 2 on Prime Video

Furious (Hulu/Disney+)

Female police chasing female serial killers? It's almost as if the glory days of Killing Eve are back. This time, the dynamic comes courtesy of Furious, which has already been described by critics as one of the best shows of 2026, which is seriously high praise.

I've got a hunch that this is mostly down to its leads in Shameless' Emmy Rossum, and Lola Petticrew, who was absolutely astonishing in Trespasses and Say Nothing. What's even better is that it's set in the 1980s and allegedly has a vert satisfying payoff. Ticks all of the great crime drama boxes, if you ask me. — JV

• Watch Furious on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)

Lioness season 3 (Paramount+)

We've been without a new Taylor Sheridan show for the first time in 2026 this month, but never fear... Lioness season 3 is here. And, by here, I mean on Paramount+.

Joe continues to walk the line between duty and home as "unseen forces" circle her world. Frankly, I think this means that we should do a fan sweepstake on just how many minutes of each episode she's going to be shouting for. My guess is 42 out of 48 minutes.

What's even more impressive is how Lioness season 3 has managed to retain Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman in their supporting roles. That's the brilliance of a Taylor Sheridan series, I guess. — JV

• Watch Lioness season 3 on Paramount+

• Disney+ subscribers in some European countries have lost 4K and HDR support, including basic HDR10 as well as Dolby Vision
• This appears to be the result of a court ruling, with the same kind of patent dispute being the cause of Disney+ losing Dolby Vision previously
• Premium customers are paying more for very little advantage now, but there's no word on a refund or compensation as yet

A few months ago Disney+ removed Dolby Vision in parts of Europe after a patent court ruled against the entertainment company, although it brought Dolby back the following month. But now there's a much more serious removal: 4K and HDR10 are gone for many European customers as well as Dolby Vision, and these are pretty core things you pay for if you have Disney+ Premium.

It appears to be another patent issue. In a statement to FlatpanelsHD, The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltic said: "Following a recent court ruling affecting the technology we use to deliver 4K UHD and HDR, we have temporarily removed support for 4K UHD and HDR on Disney+. We are disappointed and share our customers' frustration. We are working hard to restore support as quickly as possible."

We're not sure exactly which countries are affected yet, but it doesn't include the UK (or US) — we'll update with a full list when we can, but it's likely to be the same countries affected by the Dolby Vision removal. The reported list of countries in that case was: Austria; Belgium; Germany; Denmark; Finland; France; Italy; Netherlands; Portugal; Romania; Sweden.

That isn't just frustrating. It's taken away a key reason for subscribing to the most expensive Premium plan (though you will still get Dolby Atmos and the ability to stream to four devices at the same time, and downloads on up to 10 devices).

But still, if you're paying the extra price specifically to upgrade from 1080p to 4K HDR, right now you're paying extra for nothing, there's no sign of any compensation for customers so far.

Maybe we should all go back to Blu-ray

It's no wonder that many movie fans are moving back to Blu-ray. Between price rises, digital deletion of paid-for titles and external issues such as patent disputes taking away picture quality you had access to until two days ago, it's not a great time to be solely reliant on streaming.

This current issue isn't Disney's fault. The major streaming services have all been targeted by patent owners claiming breach of their intellectual property, and this appears to be another one of those cases; if so, it'll probably be resolved relatively quickly.

But it does make me wonder about the bigger picture here, because I think streaming is in danger of losing what made it so popular as we pay ever increasing prices for what we used to get as standard.

In this particular case the loss of 4K and HDR has been imposed by an external issue. But the highest quality options have been moving upwards into the most expensive tiers for a couple of years now, so unless you pay for the premium subscriptions you don't get the best quality.

That means what used to be a one-size-fits-all offer is now much more complicated and more expensive every year. For example, I'm in the UK, where Disney+ has three plans, only one of which gives you Atmos and 4K. Netflix has three plans too, once again limiting 4K to the most expensive tier.

My previously ad-free Prime Video subscription is so stuffed with ads now it's a hilariously miserable experience with me and the kids swearing at the screen, and Dolby Vision and Atmos became paid-for upgrades two years ago.

I'd bet that if you're reading this you probably subscribe to, or use the ad-funded version of, a music streaming service; they're so convenient that looking for pirated songs is more trouble than it's worth. But can you say the same for the movie streamers?

I don't condone piracy at all. But as someone who's been reporting on digital piracy since the days when Metallica didn't know what a Napster was, I've seen piracy ebb and flow in music and in movies, and it's very clear that no matter how hard you try, no matter how much money and how many lawyers you throw at it, you cannot stop digital piracy. What you can do — what Netflix, the OG streamer, did — is offer a better alternative that makes it unappealing.

In a world where perfect digital copies of movies and TV shows are only a few clicks away, the only way to prevent people pirating is to make your product better in ways that persuade people to pay for it, or to accept the advertising that pays for it.

And to me it looks like only one of the major streamers is doing that: Apple TV+. What I'd love to see is the other streamers doing what it does. What I fear, and which is more likely, is that Apple TV is going to end up doing what they do.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has finally swung into theaters worldwide — and I bet you've got questions about Tom Holland's latest Marvel movie.

Haven't seen it yet? Read my Spider-Man: Brand New Day review for a spoiler-light insight into the newly released film. Then, bookmark this page, go and see it, and come back to carry on reading this article, because I'm not kidding when I say full spoilers immediately follow for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Of course, if you have watched it, by all means scroll on — it's worth the read, I promise!

Does Sadie Sink play Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

Yes. One of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood is finally confirmed about 70 minutes into Spider-Man 4: Sink is playing the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) version of iconic X-Men member Jean Grey.

It's a reveal that's been a long time coming. Sink was first rumored to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day last March, so we've had to wait 16 months to learn which Marvel character she was actually playing.

Of course, there's been all manner of speculation about the identity of her character, with everyone from Mayday Parker — aka Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's daughter in the comics — and Typhoid Mary to Firestar and Shathra mentioned as potential candidates.

Now that we know Sink is playing Grey, she's a shoo-in to appear in Marvel's new X-Men movie (more on this later). Her next outing as Jean Grey is expected to be in Avengers: Secret Wars, though, so we'll see her again when that film arrives next December.

Who is the real villain in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

That'll be William Metzger, aka the head of the Department of Damage Control (DoDC).

Metzger is played by Tramell Tillman, the Severance star signing on to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day last August. It's unclear when or where he'll appear in the MCU next, but I have my suspicions about his next appearance, which I cover later in this article.

Anyway, Metzger is revealed to be the Marvel Phase 6 flick's actual villain in its third act. Initially positioning himself and the DoDC as an ally of Spider-Man's, we eventually learn that Metzger was the one who kidnapped, experimented on, and ultimately killed Jean's older sister Sarah. A fellow telepath, Sarah was taken to the DoDC's main testing facility on Staten Island, where she was used as a lab rat for the company's investigations into new tech powered by superhuman abilities.

Of course, as soon as Spidey learns the truth, our friendly neighborhood hero sets out to rescue Jean, whom he naively helped the DoDC to capture earlier in Brand New Day. Little does Peter Parker know, though, that it could've been his last mission...

Does Peter Parker die in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

No, but he comes mightily close to losing his life.

After he infiltrates the DoDC's Staten Island headquarters, Spidey uses his upgraded powers to defeat members of The Hand controlled by an antagonistic Jean — remember, she still thinks Spider-Man is the enemy at this point.

Eventually, Peter tracks down Jean, who's holding Metzger hostage. Metzger tried to experiment on Jean as he did with Sarah, but the test not only goes awry, it unlocks Jean's full powerset. No longer limited by the 33-foot radius that her telepathic abilities had, Jean utilizes her powers to paralyze a large part of New York's human population, and threatens Peter that she'll hurt them all — including his former girlfriend M.J. and best friend Ned, who are caught in her paralyzing telepathic wave — if he tries to stop her from enacting revenge on Metzger.

Being the good guy that he is, Peter manages to talk her down. He does so by allowing the souped-up Jean to enter his mind, where he shows her a very specific memory of Aunt May that helps Jean understand that, despite Sarah's death, she's not alone.

Happy ending, right? Not exactly. Like Spider-Man, Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, sprang into action when Jean used her upgraded powers on New York's residents. Unable to reach DoDC HQ, he heads to a nearby rooftop outside of the impacted zone. There, he uses his marksmanship skills to take a shot at Jean with a heavy-duty sniper rifle.

Sensing the incoming bullet, Spidey shields Jean from the sniper round and is critically injured by it. As he bleeds out, Jean employs her powers to keep him alive before Frank races him to a nearby hospital to undergo life-saving surgery.

Some time later, Peter wakes from his coma. After a heart-to-heart — and some light banter — with an apologetic and remorseful Frank, Peter checks himself out of the hospital.

A crowd of dedicated Spider-Man fans, who've congregated outside the hospital to hold a vigil for his swift recovery, awaits him. Fortunately, Frank stays behind, dons the Spider-Man mask, and waves to the assembled crowd from Spidey's hospital room, allowing a profoundly moved Peter to walk away without anyone knowing he's the real wallcrawler.

Does Jean Grey make M.J. and Ned remember Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4?

No — she doesn't need to, because the pair end up finding out that Peter is Spider-Man.

M.J. learns who he is when she discovers the note Peter had written back in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. Meanwhile, Ned appears to remember Peter when the duo performs their secret handshake in Brand New Day's final scene. Ultimately, then, Jean's possible intervention wasn't necessary.

Which Marvel characters make a cameo in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

We already knew the vast majority of Spider-Man: Brand Day's cast heading into the film, but the MCU's latest movie has a couple of surprises up its sleeve.

For one, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova makes an unexpected yet scene-stealing cameo. Spider-Man meets her at a New York bathhouse to obtain information about the attack on the DoDC in the film's first act. Later on, she appears once more when the eponymous hero starts to suspect Metzger isn't all that he seems and seeks details on Jean's sister Sarah.

The other big cameo is Marisa Tomei's Aunt May. Peter's surrogate mom, who died in No Way Home, appears by way of the memory I mentioned earlier in this article.

"But what about Daredevil?", you might be asking. Given what happened in the final episode of Daredevil: Born Again season 2, some fans had expected Spidey to come across Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and join forces to take on The Hand in Spider-Man 4's prison-set action sequence. Unfortunately, Cox doesn't show up in Brand New Day, so the wait for a Daredevil and Spider-Man MCU team-up goes on.

Is there an end-credits scene in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

Yes. Right at the end of the film's final credits, the Spidey Tracker — an app built by Ned Leeds to, well, track Spider-Man's whereabouts — flashes up on the screen.

As an automated message that says "Location unknown" starts to play over and over, the app zooms out from planet Earth and eventually pinpoints that the webslinger is somehow in space.

What does this mean? I have a wild theory that Spider-Man: Brand New Day's post-credits scene might not mean what we think it does, but the most likely scenario is that Peter Parker has been transported somewhere due to events that'll go down in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. Speaking of which...

How does Spider-Man 4 set up Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars?

In short: I don't know. Spider-Man 4's end credits scene could be related to either of the aforementioned movies, so until Avengers: Doomsday is released this December, your guess is as good as mine.

That said, at this moment in time, Tom Holland isn't slated to appear in Doomsday, and that film is already packed with enough characters as it is. You can find out who'll appear and more by finding out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday.

If Holland doesn't show up in Avengers 5, he'll be a dead cert to star in its sequel. Marvel and Sony won't miss the opportunity to put one of their most bankable characters in at least one of the next two Avengers movies, so the smart money is on him having a substantial role to play in Avengers 6. For more on that flick, find out what we know so far about Avengers: Secret Wars.

How does Spider-Man: Brand New Day set up Marvel's new X-Men movie?

It doesn't. With Doomsday and Secret Wars set to be the next two MCU movies to hit theaters, that pair is far more likely to impact the MCU's first mutant-based film.

Nevertheless, Spider-Man 4's final minutes do show Jean Grey traveling on a bus to an unknown location. Maybe she's attempting to track down more of her fellow mutants? If she is and she's successful, it's possible that whoever she locates will not only have roles to play in Secret Wars, but also form a prototype version of the X-Men ahead of their actual founding/formation in their first dedicated MCU adventure.

While we wait for more news on one of the few confirmed post-Multiverse Saga projects, find out what we know so far about Marvel's new X-Men movie.

Spoilers for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2 ahead.

We've jumped into a completely different universe in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2, waving the Mad Max feel of the initial post-apocalyptic world goodbye (thankfully).

However, there's a new problem in the new HBO Max show. Stuart (Kevin Sussman), Denise (Lauren Lapkus), Kripke (John Ross Bowie) and Bert (Brian Posehn) have landed somewhere where everybody is incessantly nice to each other... a little too nice, if anything.

As Stuart quickly finds out, this is because they each have a device attached to their neck to prevent them from being mean or exhibiting any kind of bad behavior. If they try to fight it, they get tased from the inside, and eventually, shipped off to an AI correctional facility.

After years of rehabilitation (really, it's about two minutes), we find out that Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is leading the rebellion against the AI overlords, eventually helping the gang escape after she trusts them enough.

But while Penny is a Big Bang Theory cameo that fans have been waiting for, it's not the one that I think is the most interesting. For that, we need to look to the universe's AI overlord herself... film and TV's Christine Baranski.

'I think she was forced into it'

Yes, that's right... Christine Baranski is the person in charge of this AI uprising. Via video, she explains to the gang what the neck devices are and why society needs them, giving creators Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady ample opportunity to criticize the growing use of AI in the entertainment industry.

TBBT fans will know that Baranski played Leonard's (Johnny Galecki) absent and standoffish mother Beverly in the original series. But in this universe, Beverly clearly doesn't exist.

"I think she was forced into doing it... not in real life, but in this universe," Penn tells me about Baranski's cameo. "In real life, she was totally willing. But in that universe, I don't think she had a choice but to record that message.

"Maybe it would be better if she was driving that universe... but she's not. She might end up getting accused of collaboration with the AI overlords, but I think that AI made her an offer that she couldn't refuse."

Prady adds, "We'll have to see how the rebellion goes and what happens afterwards. What do they do to her afterwards?"

"She'd be tried," Lorre agrees. "Well there we go — there's something we can do if we get a second season."

Lorre's comment suggests that this is a one-and-done appearance from Baranski in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, but Penn's take on AI is particularly interesting in the week after fans accused the show's title sequence in episode 1 of being "AI slop."

Whether the titles were actually generated by AI is unconfirmed, but episode 2 suggests that the team clearly doesn't think the technology is a good thing.

As I tell the trio, if anybody can lead us through perilous technological times, I'd put all my faith in film and TV's Christine Baranski.

When it comes to long-standing TV franchises that I'm most terrified to cover, Star Trek is easily at the top of the list. With so many seasons, opinions, and legacies developing in popular culture since the mid-1960s and the original series, I feel like I'm a dunce constantly playing catch-up with something complex that keeps slipping from my grasp.

However, if I were to hedge my bets and choose two seasons to binge, I'd pick Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard. Not just because they feel like the two iterations of the franchise that I can't afford to miss out on, but because I'm unashamedly in love with Jeri Ryan.

Trekkies will know her best for playing Seven of Nine in both shows, a former Borg drone who initially joins the crew of the Federation starship Voyager. By the time she tries to leave in Picard, she's promoted to Captain — but as of writing, a story of her time in charge has yet to materialize.

According to Ryan herself [via TrekMovie], she has already turned down a solo spinoff that "wasn't in line with the Star Trek legacy," so we could be waiting a while for the perfect fit... if it ever arrives.

If we can't get Seven of Nine back, let's go with the next best thing: Ryan's own recommendations for what to watch alongside your annual Voyager and Picard binges (it never hurts to freshen things up).

But when I ask her the question, her answer takes me completely by surprise, especially as she's considered the potential long-standing impacts of AI in relation to sci-fi itself.

'People aren't paying enough attention to AI'

"Not that they have anything to do with Star Trek directly, but given the AI situation, I think The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day would be really good things to watch now," Ryan tells me.

"I think they'd be very timely. I feel like a lot of people, or not enough people, have paid attention to AI. I think a few more people could do to listen to how that ended up for humanity."

It's an unexpected and dark suggestion, but I certainly see the link. Like Star Trek, Terminator was ahead of its time, transforming the sci-fi genre into something iconic that would later serve as an archetype for TV shows and movies to come.

In fact, both movies go way beyond Arnold Schwarzenegger saying "Hasta la vista, baby," in dark sunglasses and a leather jacket. His Terminator Borg is the polar opposite of Seven of Nine, working as an assassin from the future intent on killing the woman who will supposedly give birth to a man who will save humankind from extinction.

By the end of Judgment Day, Terminator is a good guy, having been reprogrammed to protect instead of destroy. It's this conclusion, I think, that Ryan would like to reach... or at least remind fans that there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

If you look beyond Star Trek, protection against AI is something Ryan is clearly passionate about. In April 2026, she testified in support of the California Senate Bill 1050, which would "target false advertising by requiring clear and conspicuous consumer disclosures whenever a synthetic digital performer is used in state advertisements."

Would a Seven of Nine spinoff featuring a synthetic lead character flop if Ryan resolutely disagreed to it? Yes. But let's face it... we don't want that kind of spinoff anyway.

At this point, Ryan is leaving us with a lot of food for thought when it comes to what the future looks like, with some iconic sci-fi action sprinkled in for good measure. How can you not love her?

• Watch The Terminator on Prime Video in the US
• Watch The Terminator on Prime Video in the UK
• Watch The Terminator on Prime Video in Australia

I've been bereft without a new Taylor Sheridan show to watch over the last month, but Lioness season 3 is finally on hand to save the day.

Frankly, all hell could be about to break loose if the trailer is anything to go by. As the official synopsis explains, "Joe walks the line between duty and home as unseen forces circle her world. Patterns appear where they shouldn’t, names vanish, and paths rearrange.

"Guided by Kaitlyn and Westfield, Joe confronts enemies operating in the shadows, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life."

That could literally mean anything seeing as Joe doesn't know the meaning of an easy day at work. Regardless, when does Lioness season 3 episode 1 land on Paramount+?

What time can I watch Lioness season 3 episode 1 on Paramount+?

Lioness season 3 episode 1 will drop on one of the world's best streaming services on Sunday, August 2.

Like The Madison and Dutton Ranch, we can expect the episode to arrive at 12am PT. Here's when it will be released in other nations globally:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 1:30pm IST
• Singapore – 4pm SGT
• Australia – 7pm AEDT
• New Zealand – 9pm NZDT

When do new episodes of Lioness season 3 come out?

Lioness season 3 will have a total of eight episodes, airing weekly from the premiere onwards. That gives us the following schedule:

• Episode 1: August 2
• Episode 2: August 9
• Episode 3: August 16
• Episode 4: August 23
• Episode 5: August 30
• Episode 6: September 6
• Episode 7: September 13
• Episode 8: September 20

Wasn't streaming entertainment much easier when Netflix first pioneered the idea? It had a host of new and classic content to stream on demand, to any device, at any time. It felt like the future, and in many ways it was.

However, the 2026 streaming experience is much more frustrating. Movies and shows are now siloed across a multitude of platforms, run by the likes of Apple, Amazon, HBO, and Disney, as well as Netflix. The cost of keeping up keeps on rising, and even if you sign up to multiple subscriptions, there's no guarantee of finding everything you want.

I had a bit of an epiphany a few weeks ago, when I realized the number of streaming subscriptions I had was into double figures — and I still couldn't find anything I wanted to watch. The dishes the algorithms were serving up weren't particularly appealing, and I was wasting money on services I wasn't using.

With that in mind, I decided to hit cancel on a few of these streaming apps, and go back to Plex: while it does offer a streaming component, it also lets you stream local media across your devices, so you can put together your own Netflix — without necessarily having to pay for another subscription.

How Plex works

Open the Plex website today, and the service looks a lot like other FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) services, such as Pluto TV or Tubi. You can tune into plenty of shows and movies for free, but if you look closely there's also a My Media section that you can use to build a library from your own files.

Plex can work with video, but also audio and photos. You set up a Windows or macOS computer as a server where all your media lives, and then the software takes care of streaming it to other laptops, desktops, tablets, consoles, and phones. There's a Plex app for just about every device out there, including Android phones and iPhones.

Streaming content around your home is free, and that's enough for me. If you want to watch something remotely while you're away, that's where the subscriptions come into play. They start at $2.99 / £2.99 / AU$4 a month for a single user streaming content over the internet, and go up from there if you need more features (like offline downloads).

Clearly this means you need to have your movies and TV shows in digital form — which is the case with me after years of buying DVDs and Blu-rays. There is some legal uncertainty around ripping these discs, but personally I've got no qualms about creating backups of movies and shows that I've paid good money for, so that I can watch them on my own on more devices more easily.

Getting back into Plex

I was a serious Plex user years ago, but haven't opened the app for quite some time: so I was faced with having to find my old media library again, remember my Plex username and password, and get everything set up properly as it was before. Thankfully, my movie and show files were still lurking on my main PC, ready to be used.

Google Password Manager remembered my Plex login details, so it was then a case of downloading the Windows server client and crossing my fingers. On Windows and macOS, the bulk of the app's operations are handled in a browser tab, and I was left waiting for several minutes before I was met with an authentication error. However, after a quick restart, I was back up and running.

Understandably, Plex hadn't remembered my media library library settings from my last login (which I think was on an entirely different PC), so I had to point it towards the relevant folders on my system again. However, once this was done, the scanning took less time than I expected, and my films and shows soon popped up, ready to be accessed.

There were plenty of old favorites that I haven't watched in years that I was keen to revisit, all free from adverts and subscription fees, and available to any device in any room — you can simply carry on watching where you left off as you jump between devices. Getting back up and running was thankfully very straightforward indeed.

Plex vs the rest

I'm happier now with my more Plex-centric setup, but there are pros and cons to it. You need to have your own media, and buying a DVD or Blu-ray can cost as much as a month of Netflix — so it's not always going to save you money, depending on how much new stuff you want to watch. A lot of shows made for streaming won't be available on physical media either, though some are (including Severance and Stranger Things).

What Plex does protect you against is shows or movies suddenly disappearing from digital stores and streaming services. Once you've bought something, you've got it for good. All the big streaming platforms have a rotating library of content that changes month to month, but that's not something you need to worry about with Plex.

Another big advantage is how much customization you get. Whether you want to change the thumbnails used for library titles, or adjust the threshold beyond which a movie stays in your 'continue watching' row, Plex lets you personalize your viewing experience in a host of ways. It's a library that you've actually got control over.

It's fair to say it's not for everyone, and setting Plex up from scratch takes significantly more time and effort than I put in going back to it — you need to do a lot more in the way of media organizing and tagging when you first get started, to get everything just right. However, having mostly abandoned Plex, I'm now glad to have it back amidst the rising prices and changing catalogs that come with the big streaming apps.

While Apple TV first showed that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could handle the demands of a live professional sports broadcast during Friday Night Baseball, the company has since expanded their role into Major League Soccer, using the smartphones to capture angles traditional broadcast cameras simply can't.

Nearly a year after Apple first put iPhone 17 Pro Max units into a live sports broadcast workflow, the cameras are back for 2026 MLS All-Star Week in Charlotte, North Carolina. During the July 28 Skills Challenge and the July 29 MLS All-Star Game, iPhone 17 Pro Max can be mounted behind goals, attached to Magic Arms — articulated mounts commonly used in film and broadcast production — and carried on Ronin gimbals by roaming camera operators. If a penalty kick happens, one could even end up just feet behind the player taking the shot, delivering an even more immersive perspective.

I've been on the ground in Charlotte this week and caught up once again with Royce Dickerson, Executive Producer, Live Sports on Apple TV, to see how the company's approach has evolved over the past year. For Dickerson, the mission is no longer proving the iPhone belongs in a live broadcast — it's figuring out what broadcasters can do with it that they couldn't before.

"We’re always looking for ways to innovate and bring fans closer to the action," Dickerson told me. "How do we continue to be creative with the spaces that we have? Where can we stick iPhones that we haven't thought about before?... We're always striving for... what is that perfect shot? I don't think we've found it yet."

That shift in mindset is perhaps the biggest takeaway one year later. Apple is no longer asking whether the iPhone can work as a broadcast camera — it's asking how many more it can deploy and where they can go next.

'Just like another camera'

A year in, nobody on Dickerson's crew treats the iPhone as a novelty act anymore. He pointed back to that first Friday Night Baseball broadcast, when veteran director John Moore ended up cutting to the iPhone shot more often than he expected once he saw the picture quality for himself. Camera operators reached the same place, Dickerson told me that once they're familiar with the iPhone, "it's just like another camera to them."

That comfort is why Apple is running the setup weekly across both MLS and Friday Night Baseball now, rather than treating it as a special event. "I don't think we'd be doing it week-over-week in MLS right now and in Friday Night Baseball if everybody wasn't 100% comfortable with the camera," he said.

The hardware has diversified slightly, too — alongside the now-recognizable Cosmic Orange units, Apple has mixed in some silver iPhone 17 Pro Max cameras as well.

From four iPhones to 15 — and eventually 30?

Ask Dickerson what he took away from that first Fenway broadcast and applied directly to MLS, and his answer is immediate: they needed more iPhones.

That first game ran four units total — one on the Pesky Foul Pole, one tucked into the Green Monster, one on a Ronin gimbal, and one in the dugout. Seeing how unobtrusively that small footprint could be worked into a stadium convinced him the ceiling was much higher than four.

"We need more of them," he told me. "The small-scale size of that just showed me we can put iPhones anywhere. We need to be able to say, like, let's put 20 — what can we do that's crazy in a stadium that just provides full 360 coverage inside of a venue?"

That thinking has already become reality. For a dedicated MLS match shot almost entirely on iPhone, Apple deployed 15 iPhone 17 Pro Max cameras throughout the stadium — and Dickerson doesn't see that as a ceiling.

"I see a world where we have 20 iPhones. I see a world where we have like 30," he said. "With the confidence that everybody has in them now, the envelope's going to start getting pushed a little bit further out."

The workflow has caught up with that ambition. What used to take a full day of rigging and connectivity checks is now, in Dickerson's words, roughly a tenth of the time it took a year ago — purely a result of doing it week after week and building familiarity with the process.

Crews are still using Beastgrip rigs for mounting, but the iPad-based control setup I saw a year ago is gone: camera input and shading are now integrated directly into the truck's standard broadcast system, no separate tablet required.

Geometry is a key difference between capturing MLB and MLS

The biggest difference between MLB and MLS comes down to something surprisingly simple: geometry.

A pitch is the same size in Charlotte as it is in LA, Miami, or New York, and in many soccer stadiums, the stands run right up to the touchline — meaning a Ronin-mounted iPhone can get shockingly close to the run of play.

Baseball doesn't offer that flexibility. The foul lines are a hard boundary, and once you cross onto the field of play, that's it — no matter which park you're in, and no matter how the dimensions shift from stadium to stadium. Soccer's more consistent footprint, paired with sideline access, is letting Apple push cameras nearer to the action than it could at a ballpark.

That proximity has led to placements you wouldn't get near a diamond: a Ronin at the touchline for tight shots, an iPhone on the team benches (Dickerson mentioned catching LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney's face as he made notes on an iPad during a match), cameras tucked into the goal net, in the tunnel, and mounted on field-level advertising boards. None of it blocks a fan's sightline, and all of it is small enough that it goes unnoticed until a broadcast cuts to it.

Dickerson also pointed to a subtler benefit: players, coaches, and managers react differently to an iPhone than they do to a traditional broadcast camera.

"Usually there's a big broadcast camera being shoved in their face, and they immediately kind of retreat within themselves," he said. "But all of a sudden there's just an iPhone 17 Pro Max on a gimbal... and it kind of eases them."

That reaction is helping Apple capture more intimate, unguarded moments without disrupting play or fans' sightlines.

What to watch for in Charlotte

Tuesday's Skills Challenge leaned heavily on mobility with Ronins at the stadium, two of them on RF for full remote control, plus two more mounted on Magic Arms positioned for organic, up-close angles of balls in flight and players running by.

Wednesday's All-Star Game mixes in two Ronins pushed toward the sidelines, alongside iPhones positioned around the halftime stage for Ciara's performance (produced by a separate crew that Apple's broadcast will ingest as a feed).

Dickerson's dream shot for the All-Star Game: a Ronin-mounted iPhone getting a tight angle from behind a player on a penalty kick — a shot that's essentially impossible with a traditional camera rig.

I'll be keeping an eye out for that moment during the match, because if Apple can pull it off, it may be one of the clearest examples yet of why these tiny cameras are changing what's possible in a live broadcast.

Still searching for the perfect shot

Twenty years into a broadcast career, Dickerson isn't interested in declaring victory. He pointed to a shot from the first official MLB game shot on iPhone when Ceddanne Rafaela had a walk-off captured from a phone on the Pesky Pole, as one of the closest things to a perfect shot his team has captured — but he's clear it's not the finish line.

The goal, as he put it, is finding angles nobody's thought to try yet, in stadiums that all start to look the same until you walk them looking for a spot nobody's used before.

With Apple already talking about a "year-and-a-half" of testing and implementation behind it heading into the next MLS season and Friday Night Baseball campaign, Dickerson is promising more of what got Apple here in the first place: more iPhones, more unconventional angles, and continued insistence that the phone in your pocket can shoot alongside — and sometimes replace — a six-figure broadcast camera.

Apple TV in the United States is the broadcast home to MLS, and you get to watch for free as it’s included with one of the best streaming services. The MLS All-Star Game will kick off at 8 PM ET tonight, July 29, 2026, with a pre-show starting before it, and it’ll be easy to know when they call for a shot from the iPhone thanks to a ‘Shot on iPhone’ bug visible on the screen.

Some mild spoilers for The Odyssey ahead.

Normally, when my TikTok FYP causes me to experience an extreme case of FOMO, I do something I regret. That's ranged from buying something cheap and tacky on TikTok Shop to queueing for hours to get sub-par food at a restaurant that influencers say is my area's "best-kept secret".

But that losing streak has ended with The Odyssey in 4DX.

If you've been active on social media in the last two weeks, you might have come across the many viral videos of cinema-goers having popcorn knocked out of their hands while their chair moves at a million miles a minute in Troy, and being sprayed in the face during one of the many seen featuring Odysseus (Matt Damon) at sea.

At first, I thought these clips were performative. I hate the idea that filming in theaters has become as commonplace as it has (which is why I won't be sharing any of those clips here), but surely watching The Odyssey in 4DX isn't like a very dark log flume at Six Flags... is it?

After giving into curiosity and getting myself a ticket, I can happily confirm that the TikToks don't lie. Not only do I think that my 4DX-perience was my favorite cinema visit of 2026 so far, but having seen The Odyssey in three different formats — standard DCP, IMAX 70mm, and now 4DX — I can confirm that 4DX wins out by a long shot.

Before you think I've taken too many Greek beatings to the head — surely Christopher Nolan's original IMAX format is superior? — let me explain my thinking. Here's what you need to know about 4DX, my review of the movie in this format, and the five most brutal scenes, which on their own are, I think, worth the price of your ticket.

The Odyssey in 4DX: the basics

4DX screenings feel almost as few and far between as IMAX 70mm. There are a relatively few 790 screens worldwide, meaning that if you don't live in a big city that has one, you'll have to add the cost of a trip to the admission price.

That price is also the most premium of the three formats. I'm based in the UK, and the cost of my three options for watching the The Odyssey is as follows:

• Standard screening: £16.99
• IMAX 70mm screening: £26
• 4DX screening: £28

In the US, the prices will look something like this:

• Standard screening: $12–$20
• IMAX 70mm screening: $25-$35
• 4DX screening: approx $35

I've left out a few other formats that I haven't seen The Odyssey in, including 70mm, IMAX and Superscreen. It's also worth pointing out that thanks to my beloved Cineworld membership, I only had to pay out an additional £6 for my 4DX screening on top of the monthly direct debit.

Do I think the full price is worth the experience? Yes and no. The cost of 4DX is extortionate, and I don't think the experience would work for a first-time viewing — you'd be too busy worrying where your nachos have gone to keep up with whether Robert Pattinson is Antinous or Agamemnon.

Having said that, I think it has to be done once. As I'll explain below, I think 4DX makes for an ideal second or third viewing of The Odyssey, and I feel quite smug that I've had the chance to experience being enlightened by the Gods (of cinema tech).

What social media has got wrong, though, is the idea that The Odyssey in 4DX is a "three-hour rollercoaster." While you're getting a lot of bang for your buck in terms of movement and effects, a lot of the movie's scenes allow for the stillness you'll feel in desperate need of.

As someone who got battered relentlessly from beginning to end while watching Top Gun: Maverick in 4DX, and was worried because she'd forgotten her travel sickness tablets before heading to Ithaca, this was a welcome surprise.

However, ladies — please don't make my mistake and wear a dress or skirt. I'd recommend long pants, a supportive sports bra. I'd also recommend a minimal amount of snacks, and a maximum amount of drinks; there's ample time and space to go to the bathroom, I promise.

Don't forget: you'll be in control of some of the effects yourself. You can choose to turn water on or off at any time, and you can lean forward to avoid any unwanted back damage during fight scenes.

Review: 4DX allows The Odyssey to compensate for its lack of heart and emotion

My biggest problem with The Odyssey isn't just that it's clearly not Nolan's best movie, but that there's next to no heart or emotion in it.

From a technical perspective, the new film is a genuine masterpiece. Cinematography, score, performances, production design… everything, and everyone, is firing on all cylinders.

But even with all of those things in place, nothing comes through the screen enough to touch your heart. You'll absolutely be impressed… but moved? It's not like you're really rooting for anybody to reunite (and if you are, chances are they'll end up dead).

By seeing The Odyssey in 4DX, you become the character that brings the missing emotion. I defy you not to giggle your way through being slammed about on a Bronze Age boat, weep because you can literally feel the pain of Odysseus being shot by arrows, and gleefully lean into every witch-like stroke as Circe (a magnificent performance from Samantha Morton) turns soldiers into pigs.

Frankly, it's all a riot that neither Homer nor Nolan likely expected when they decided to tell this story. As I said earlier, you'll need to see the film while stationary first to fully grasp the nuances and gravitas of the story, but in 4DX you'll feel as bruised and confused as Odysseus did throughout his 10-year journey home. Bottom line: it's so much fun.

The Odyssey's most brutal scenes in 4DX

Any time Odysseus is on a boat

Let's start with the elephant in the room. With Odysseus and his crew taking 10 years to get home to Ithaca from Troy, we spent a lot of time at sea.

For the most part, this involves of some gentle chair-rocking, not the chaotic assault on the senses you've seen on TikTok. With the effects slowed down and used minimally in these instances, you really understand how impactful the slightest spritz of water or well thought-out vibration can be.

Depending on where you're sitting in the theater, the in-seat water effects will perform differently. As I was sitting in the center of the second row of my section, I mostly got soaked on the lower half of my body. If you sit down and there's a black barrier directly in front of you; I'm sorry to say that you'll be taking some direct hits to the face.

Regardless of where you're sitting, a separate effects system in the ceiling rig of the theater, which takes care of rain, snow, smoke and light effects, will make sure that the rest of you is drenched. And even when the waters aren't choppy, for much of Odysseus' journey home he's pelted by rain storms, so maybe save hair-wash day until the day after your screening.

The cyclops

Our first big action sequence in The Odyssey, the cyclops scenes, are the perfect 4DX starter, getting us ready for bigger and better things to come.

Lots of sudden, juddering movements within the seat are used each time the cyclops decides to have some dinner, with additional smoke effects being used depending on how high the fire in his cave is burning. In an ideal world, I'd have liked a bit of cheese smell-o-vision at this point... but we can't have it all.

Things ramps up a level when Odysseus decides that blinding our cyclops with a hot stick is a good means of escaping. Somehow, the cyclops' painful cries — which made me think that my ear drums were going to burst during my first screening — were more palatable to listen to, perhaps because I was being distracted by the sudden whiplash I'd suffered thanks to the stick's movement.

As Odysseus disguises his men as sheep and successfully gets them out of the cave, you can almost imagine the cyclops' gigantic fingers running down your spine. Things take a more violent 4DX turn when Odysseus decides to provoke the creature with a final arrow to the face (I mean... what was the point of that?), leaving the crew to charge towards the boats on the island's coast.

We feel every tumble, misplaced step and unexpected branch-to-head contact that the boys get — but the real fun begins when the cyclops himself enters the water. Performing a belly flop that could have won him a gold medal at the Jackass Olympics, the cyclops' demise is our first real test of the in-seat water system, combined with some severe shaking as his colossal frame hits the sea.

The 7ft soldiers in silver

The action sequence I was the most impressed by (in terms of both production design and 4DX) is Odysseus' next stop on his ill-fated journey. The gang arrives on another island, only to be met by giant soldiers in silver armor, who remarkably were real 7ft-tall actors.

Given that they fight with machetes instead of Greek bows and arrows and swords, expect some serious upper back damage here. Out of every scene in the movie, this one inflicted the longest sustained impact between my shoulder blades, which I could still feel the next day.

What's also really fun here is the use of air bursts. Two 'air jets' are mounted on either side of your seat's headrest, and are used almost every time a Greek soldier shoots an arrow at his target. It feels exactly like the arrow is zooming past you, just without the pain.

4DX also manages to briefly incorporate the use of the snow machine during this scene, as Odysseus and co come across a woodland shrouded in dense mist.

There's a surprising lack of water effects, despite the soldiers clambering back into their boats mere minutes after they first disembarked. Only one of those boats makes it to freedom, but at least you won't be drowned, like the poor souls who didn't make it.

The final storm

The big kahuna, and the moment you've seen plastered all over TikTok, is the final storm. By this, I mean the scene directly after Odysseus has chastised his men for eating Apollo's cattle when Tiresias (James Remar) specifically warned them not to, and their repaired ship heads out to sea once more when the volatile winds clear.

As we know, this was a trap by Poseidon and Zeus, who mean to kill all the men responsible through a fatal storm. Incredibly, the 4DX experience is exactly as brutal as it looks in all of the social media clips.

The special effects go into overdrive, with the audience bombarded by everything bar the snow machine, and the kitchen sink, at the same time. I was holding onto my seat trying to steady myself through severe turbulence, wondering whether I was the first person in history to consume the story of The Odyssey and almost die laughing in the process.

There are shots to your back and sides, water and winds to the face, rain falling onto your head, constant strobe lighting to replicate the weather (definitely not suitable for those with epilepsy) and enough jostling to give you a mild concussion.

A special shoutout must go to the in-seat air jets by your legs, which begin to be utilized shortly before, when Odysseus must steer his vessel between the whirlpool that is Charybdis, and the six-headed monster, Scylla. If you don't have anything covering your legs, they're about to be whipped so hard that they sting.

Then just when we think it's all over, a brief pause in movement lulls the audience into a false sense of security. The boat splits in half as Odysseus' crew sinks into darkness, and we're back to being pummeled to within an inch of our lives. Make sure your snacks are firmly on the floor in the moments beforehand, or risk covering the person next to you in nacho cheese and guacamole as an unexpected additional effect.

This moment alone is worth the £28, in my opinion... what an experience.

Odysseus' homecoming fight

But we're not out of the woods just yet! Before attending my 4DX screening, I wondered if the effects would be limited to scenes with lots of travel in. I'd only seen Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World: Dominion in the format before The Odyssey, so I didn't have a handle on what happens when you're not flying, driving, or a cretaceous monster.

Turns out, fight scenes are just as thoughtfully rendered to make your back ache for days, even if they're just in a palace hall. Once Odysseus re-fights for Penelope's (Anne Hathaway) hand in marriage at the palace trial, he turns his successfully strung bow on the group of suitors, including Antinous (Pattinson). It's a different kind of chaos, and we're once again immersed in it.

Our seats sway in whichever direction our victim is being attacked from, with our shoulders blades once again jabbed to oblivion as other weapons manage to find their way back into the great hall. The air jets are working 10 to the dozen here, but thankfully just the ones by your head.

There's a particular moment where Antinous breaks an entire chair over Odysessus' back, and it got me thinking that I should really try seeing a chiropractor for the first time. Nothing says 'final farewell' quite like a parting blow that could potentially cause permanent damage — and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Light spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day was meant to signal a fresh era for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. With 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home effectively clearing the narrative slate and stripping away his safety net, this latest chapter had a golden opportunity to chart a bold, unburdened new course for a character whose cinematic journey now enters its 24th year.

And yet, tripped up by familiar Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) shortcomings and weighed down by my own sky-high expectations, Brand New Day yields a final product that is undeniably fun, but ultimately falls short of greatness.

Web of lies

Four years have passed in-universe since No Way Home, whose ending saw Doctor Strange cast a multiverse-saving spell to make everyone, including Parker's girlfriend M.J. (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), forget that he was Spider-Man.

Since then, our friendly neighborhood hero has fully committed to cleaning up the streets of New York City. While that mission has been incredibly successful, it's come at a cost — that being said, the webslinger is practically shedding his civilian identity and becoming a social recluse.

That long-term, self-imposed isolation has seemingly dire consequences for Spider-Man, whose world is not only upended after he sees M.J. with a new man, but also by a sudden metamorphosis — one that super-charges his arachnid-like abilities — that he struggles to control.

Throw in the emergence of a powerful and invisible new threat that only Spidey can apparently stop, and the Marvel icon must turn detective, determine if this new superpowered being is as bad as he's been led to believe, and once again realize that with great power comes great responsibility.

That infamous slogan is one that Holland and director Destin Daniel Cretton hung their proverbial hats on throughout development.

The pair have spoken at length about making a Spider-Man movie unlike anything we've seen before, and that's especially true from an action spectacle standpoint. Whether it's the fights that Spidey's involved in — the Hulk and The Hand battles deserve special mention for being intense and imaginative — or simply giving us a first-person view of him swinging through his hometown, Spider-Man 4 is the webslinger at his acrobatic, wily, and inventive best. Full credit to Cretton, stunt co-ordinator and second unit director Peng Zhang, and his team for delivering some of the best action in a Spider-Man film to date.

Brand New Day isn't as adept at depicting loneliness and other mental health issues, mind you. Indeed, for all of the talk that Brand New Day puts Peter Parker in a mental and emotional echo chamber, that's not entirely accurate.

Sure, Parker spends much of the first two acts lying to himself about why he has to maintain his lone wolf status, a storytelling quirk that allows Holland to further tap into Parker's guilt complex and the volitional burden of responsibility he carries. Even so, he still interacts — and characteristically quips — with everyone who appears in the Marvel Phase 6 flick, and, while it would be a puzzlingly dialog-light film for a usually extroverted character if he didn't, I was disappointed that Spider-Man 4 didn't examine Parker's hermit lifestyle more thoroughly throughout its 142-minute runtime.

In fact, the movie's broader emotional impact didn't hit me as hard as I'd hoped.

Yes, there are myriad moving moments — particularly in the third act — where Holland, Zendaya, and MCU newcomer Sadie Sink deliver emotional gravitas aplenty. Sink, whose much-discussed mystery character in Spider-Man 4 I’ll come back to shortly, gives a performance that easily leaves a lump in the throat

Nevertheless, Thunderbolts* tackles its weightier themes — particularly around mental health — with a sensitivity that Spider-Man 4 lacks. Heck, I'd even say No Way Home and another of Holland's previous MCU outings in Spider-Man: Far From Home hit me much harder emotionally than this fourth entry; a take I certainly didn't expect to have prior to my Brand New Day screening.

Lost souls

Its action notwithstanding, Spider-Man: Brand New Day does a much better job at making New York feel like a city populated by more than one hero and villain at any given time.

That might sound silly for a shared universe like the MCU and for a film franchise that's seen the wallcrawler mingle with other Marvel characters. Still, the fact that he shares the screen with individuals who haven't operated in his orbit before is a positive, especially when, the Avengers movies aside, Marvel appears determined to keep its heroes apart despite their situational proximity.

It's an ingredient characterized best by Spider-Man's quarrelsome, sibling-like dynamic with Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle, aka The Punisher.

Ordinarily, Bernthal's foul-mouthed, unhinged anti-hero would have no place in a family-friendly MCU flick. However, his inclusion in Brand New Day allows Bernthal and Holland's incredibly natural chemistry to shine, and it's no coincidence that sequences involving the pair are some of the funniest and most memorable that Spider-Man 4 has to offer.

The film’s self-contained, 'pick-up-and-read' comic book vibe further extends to Spider-Man: Brand New Day's full cast of characters.

Returning favorites like Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/The Hulk alongside newcomers in Tramell Tillman's Bill Metzger and Liza Colón-Zayas' Jean DeWolff add to its narrative flavor. However, its overstuffed roster leaves a slight aftertaste as few of them get the necessary development or screentime they require.

Among the supporting cast, Sink gets the most substantial character arc. Brand New Day waits until the 70-minute mark to finally confirm who she's playing, but it compensates for the inevitable reveal by soon putting the Stranger Things alumnus at the heart of its tale, albeit with mixed results.

On the upside, Spider-Man 4 thoughtfully draws parallels between Holland and Sink's characters. Driven by opposing worldviews rooted in personal tragedy, their dichotomous dynamic fuels the second act, and I'll readily admit I was completely engrossed by their superhuman tango.

The problem that Brand New Day runs into is that, by placing Sink at its narrative center, it quickly succumbs to the classic MCU pitfall: setting up future storylines instead of concentrating on its actual protagonist.

Indeed, by act three, Spidey becomes something of a passenger in his own film, and it isn't until its admittedly poignant climax that the focus shifts back to the wallcrawler. That's no slight on the talented Sink's performance, but, not for the first time, it's hard to watch another Spider-Man solo movie and not think that the titular hero has, at times, been overshadowed in his own story.

My verdict

From a recency bias viewpoint, it would be easy — and arguably lazy — to label Brand New Day as the best Spider-Man movie of all-time.

In some ways, you can argue that's true. This is the most relatable Peter Parker has ever felt in a live-action capacity; it ditches the weary multiversal shenanigans in favor of returning to the character's classic street-level roots, and is Holland's most mature outing yet as the legendary webslinger.

That said, while its ending strikes an optimistic note for an all-but-confirmed fifth solo film, Brand New Day is an ironic title for a movie that — much like its protagonist for large parts of this flick — refuses to move on from the past. Its sentimental attachment to legacy characters like Ned and M.J., paired with obstructive MCU world-building, reveals a franchise that hesitates to be as progressive as it could and should be. It’s an endlessly entertaining, ground-level Spider-Man story — it just can’t quite bring itself to let that brand new day truly dawn.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out now in the UK, and hits theaters in the US and other regions on Friday, July 31.

Even without being directly tied to The Big Bang Theory, there's an incredibly satisfying reason for why fans should invest in new HBO Max spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: how returnable it is.

By that, I mean the comedy series could easily run for five, 10, or even a million more seasons and not dip in quality or have any continuity issues. Because there's an infinite number of universes to explore, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe could be taken in any number of zany directions and still make complete sense.

In an age where high-quality TV shows are often being axed before they've been in streamable orbit for more than a month, the idea of this alone is refreshing. However, I do have an ulterior motive for wanting Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn's latest creation to last for as long as possible.

Given enough time, I think that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe could course-correct the biggest mistake that the overarching world it spins off from has ever made, affecting both TBBT and subsequent spinoff Young Sheldon before anybody realized it was a huge issue. Frankly, it's a grudge I've held onto tightly for the last two years (at best).

So when I had the chance to interview the creative trio for their new HBO Max comedy, I wasted no time pitching my story idea for future seasons. I knew it was solid, but I wasn't expecting them to genuinely consider it.

The pitch: bring George Cooper back to life

The biggest mistake TBBT ever made was killing off George Cooper before he was even a realized character in Young Sheldon. In fact, the decision was so poorly judged that Lorre publicly apologized for it after George's funeral in Young Sheldon season 7.

Let me explain. When we first meet adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) in TBBT, we learn that his father had died of a heart attack when he was a teenager, and was described as mean, absent, an adulterer and sometimes abusive alcoholic. The less said about him the better, put it that way.

But by the time Young Sheldon took off in 2017, we learned another version of Sheldon's (Iain Armitage) truth. For most of his childhood in Medford, Texas, George (Lance Barber) did everything he could to try and understand a child that seemed so alien to him. Even George's alleged affair was disproved, turning out to be Sheldon's mother Mary (Zoe Perry) in a wig.

George took Sheldon for his first-ever visit to his future academic home CalTech, drove him to NASA's headquarters just so Sheldon could prove their math was wrong, and let him talk about scientific methods beyond George's comprehension for hours on end simply because it made Sheldon happy. If you ask me, he was an incredible dad.

But the fact that George would have to die around the time Sheldon was 14 was hanging over our heads from the moment the prequel spinoff was realized. I don't think anybody expected Young Sheldon to become the gargantuan success that it was, and by the time we got to season 7, the inevitable happened.

Episodes 12-14 of season 7 were dedicated to unpacking George's death, which happened off-screen while he was coaching football at the local high school. It's something that destroyed the rest of the Cooper family for good, with follow-up spinoff Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage continuing to help explore how Mary, Missy (Raegan Revord) and Georgie (Montana Jordan) all ended up becoming the people we meet in TBBT years later.

To me, George's death never actually needed to happen in Young Sheldon. Enough distance had been created between the prequel and TBBT to ignore adult Sheldon's vision of his childhood altogether, even if it couldn't be officially rectified. Worst case, they could have waited until season 7 had finished before implying that the death might have happened at some point between Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.

But instead, I sobbed through Mary breaking down after learning her husband had died, and cried my way through his funeral the next week (watching live at 1am UK time, which was a bad decision). I was so distraught and frustrated by the team's choices that I even wrote George a fake obituary, which actually led to me interviewing Barber himself.

Now that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has come along, we've got a unique chance to change history for the better.

'The universe you're looking for is out there — whether it makes it to TV is another question'

So here's the idea: by the time we get many seasons into Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Stuart will likely know how to control multiverse travel a whole lot better than he does at the moment. Logically, he could then visit a universe where George was never killed and voilà... TBBT's costly mistake is put behind us indefinitely.

If Parsons eventually has a cameo in the show too, all the better. There's no such thing as the "right" version of reality here... any one of them we come across could be where the story anchors down for good. So why shouldn't a universe fans are actually happy with be chosen in that case? It's a no-brainer decision, if you ask me.

"Let's discuss this when we're doing those future seasons," Lorre tells me, like I've just stormed into the HBO Max head office and requested a legitimate pitch meeting. "One thing you need to know is that we're not really thinking that far ahead… we're just trying to solve whatever is right in front of us."

"We'll definitely keep your ideas in mind," Penn follows up with. "There are an infinite number of universes within this universe, so the universe that you're looking for is going to exist by definition. Whether it makes it to TV is another question."

"Actually, there's a mathematical issue with that," Prady adds. "The fact that there's an infinite number of universes doesn't guarantee the existence of a particular universe."

I tell the trio that this isn't the positive mindset that I'm looking for, but even as they laugh at my unhinged fan plan delivered with so much gusto that it could have broken even Sheldon's brain, I'm convinced that I've planted an important seed.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe being renewed for more seasons feels like a given at this point, even if HBO Max hasn't officially confirmed anything as of writing. But the confidence with which the trio talk about the future suggests that we won't be done with the multiverse fun after 10 episodes.

So remember these words if you ever see George Cooper have a surprise cameo in the series, and remember who made the retcon magic happen. You're welcome, in advance.

If your head is still spinning from the first episode of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, I can't say that I blame you.

Not only were we walked through how comic book store owner Stuart managed to break the device that set off the 'multiverse Armageddon' we've since been thrown into, but a huge Big Bang Theory character has already been killed off... in a manner of speaking.

This week, we're going to officially universe jump for the first time. So, when does Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2 arrive on HBO Max?

What time can I watch Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2 on HBO Max?

For US viewers, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2 will drop on Thursday, July 30 at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET.

Internationally, you're looking out for these timings:

• US – 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada – 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK – Friday, July 31 at 2am BST
• India – Friday, July 31 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore – Friday, July 31 at 9am SGT
• Australia – Friday, July 31 at 11am AEDT
• New Zealand – Friday, July 31 at 12pm NZDT

When do new episodes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe come out?

New episodes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will make landfall every Thursday in the US and on Fridays everywhere else. Here are the all-important dates you need to know about:

• Episode 1: out now
• Episode 2: July 30
• Episode 3: August 6
• Episode 4: August 13
• Episode 5: August 20
• Episode 6: August 27
• Episode 7: September 3
• Episode 8: September 10
• Episode 9: September 17
• Episode 10: September 24