relationship

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly moving back across the pond, six years after their dramatic exit from the Royal family stunned Americans and Britons and exposed scandal in Buckingham Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will return to British soil along with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, for an extended period starting this month, People reported last week. While the pair’s decision may be unsurprising to some, Prince Harry and Meghan made clear in 2020 that their personal Brexit was because of several factors, ranging from severe scrutiny by the British media to alleged racism and bullying from the royal family.

Meghan, during the couple’s memorable tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, spoke plainly of her experience among the royals: “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was very clear and real and frightening.”

King Charles III is aware of the plans for his son and Meghan‘s U.K. return and “welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity,” People reported. The spouses are also said to retain their property in the affluent Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito, and vacation home in Portugal while also making a “private, non-royal” home in Britain. This retrospective tracks the early years of the highly scrutinized pair’s relationship, the fallout from their royal exit, their media ventures and more.

When Harry met Meghan

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games 2017 at Nathan Philips Square in Toronto, Canada.

(Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)

“Personally, I love a great love story.”

That’s what Meghan Markle, formerly of “Suits” fame, told Vanity Fair in October 2017. By then, more than a year of media speculation and rumors surrounded the L.A.-raised actor and activist’s romance with Britain’s Prince Harry, younger brother to Prince William and the second son of Charles and the late Princess Diana, who was killed at age 36 in 1997 after the car she was in crashed while fleeing paparazzi in Paris.

Meghan and Prince Harry kindled a romance in 2016 at that year’s edition of his veteran-centered Invictus Games, held in Orlando. Markle quickly found herself in the beloved “bad boy” Royal’s orbit — including the tireless swarm of tabloids and paparazzi who have captured almost his every move from childhood. The pair was already subject to media frenzy early in their relationship, prompting Harry via Buckingham Palace to plead with reporters to respect his then-girlfriend’s privacy and to condemn the “outright sexism and racism” in online comments. Markle had also remarked early on that she was disheartened that so much coverage of her romance focused on her ethnicity.

News of their engagement in 2017 further raised eyebrows among the public and even more so with established British tabloids, including the Daily Mail, which had once described the pair’s relationship as a “VERY unlikely romance.” In the context of the longstanding (and almost exclusively white) British monarchy, Meghan was an outsider: American, mixed-race (she is half white and half Black), an outspoken public figure and a divorcée (she was previously married to film producer Trevor Engelson).

Prince Harry and Meghan married in May 2018 and were named Duke and Duchess of Sussex. At the time, Prince Harry was sixth in line to the British throne. During the wedding ceremony, the Rev. Michael Bruce Curry heralded the pair’s union with calls for justice and equality — amid the country’s early steps into leaving the European Union — and made references to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

“When love is the way, there’s plenty of room for all of God’s children,” Curry said during the ceremony. “When love is the way, we actually treat each other — well, like we are actually family.”

Between the newlyweds and the British royals, family ties proved only so strong.

Buckingham Palace faces a new era of controversy

As new parents, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex pose with their newborn son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019 in England.

(WPA pool / Getty Images)

Marrying into British royalty did not shield Meghan from criticism, speculation and attacks by the press — it appeared to have the opposite effect. Sound familiar?

British tabloids and several media personalities continued taking aim at Meghan, portraying her as a rude “trailer trash” personality amid a rumored riff with Princess Kate and using racist imagery to mock the arrival of her firstborn son, Archie, in 2019. The public ridicule remained ceaseless, but alleged tension was also brewing behind palace walls.

Less than a year after their first heir’s arrival, the Duke and Duchess announced in a shocking personal statement in 2020 that they would step down as senior members of the royal family and would work to become financially independent. They also announced at the time that they would split their time between the U.K. and North America. A year later, the spouses announced they would not return to royal duties. Shortly after, they memorably shed light on their decision in a bombshell CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey, unleashing a disturbing look into their life as members of the royal family.

Meghan claimed that while pregnant with Archie, she and her husband were informed their son would not have the title of prince or princess, which she said deviated from longtime protocol, and would not be entitled to security. The actor also implied that during discussions about her son’s title, there were “also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”

“They were concerned that if he were too brown, that that would be a problem?” Winfrey asked.

“If that’s the assumption you’re making,” Meghan replied, “I think that’s a pretty safe one.” She did not identify the person who made the remarks: “I think that would be very damaging to them.”

Winfrey later clarified that Harry said neither his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II or his grandfather Prince Philip “were a part of those conversations.”

Meghan also spoke about her struggles with her mental health while part of the royal family. She revealed that she was suicidal while pregnant with Archie, citing isolation and helplessness amid ceaseless attacks by the press.

“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought,” she said, adding that she went to the palace’s corporate institution for help. “I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.” At the time of the interview, Harry and Meghan revealed they were expecting a baby girl. Lilibet was born June 2021.

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement responding to the spouses’ interview. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

Royal fallout

Prince Harry with Meghan, standing behind Prince William and Kate, during the funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

(WPA pool / Getty Images)

In addition to Harry and Meghan’s self-demotion, Buckingham Palace faced tragedy and additional criticism in the following years. Prince Philip died in April 2021 and long-reigning Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 at age 96. Prince Harry and Meghan both attended the queen’s funeral, but under close watch by the British media.

Charles ascended to the throne after Queen Elizabeth’s death, marginally moving up Harry and his children with Meghan — the children later received their royal titles of prince and princess. — in the line of succession to the British throne.

When 2023 arrived, so did a fresh batch of revelations about the Windsors. Prince Harry published his memoir, “Spare,” providing readers an unflinching look at his family but an even more unforgiving description of the paparazzi. In the book he recalled needing to ask his grandmother’s permission to propose to Meghan, wrote that older brother Prince William had “been pretty discouraging about my even dating Meg” and accused queen consort Camilla of making shady deals with the press.

Months after the memoir’s publication, Prince Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate their British home of Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Reportedly, King Charles began the eviction process the day after his son published the memoir.

Meghan, left, and Chrissy Teigen in an episode of Netflix’s “With Love, Meghan.”

(Jake Rosenberg / Netflix)

As Meghan and Harry moved to separate themselves from the royal family and from life in the U.K., they settled down in California in the affluent neighborhood of Montecito and into new business ventures. Among their earliest post-palace endeavors was the creation of multimedia company Archewell Productions, which in September 2020 inked a multiyear deal with Netflix to produce series, docuseries, documentaries and other programming.

For Netflix, the spouses have put forward numerous projects, including documentary series and reality shows “Harry & Meghan,” “Heart of Invictus” and cooking show “With Love, Meghan.” The pair opted last year to maintain its relationship with the streaming giant, signing another multiyear, first-look deal.

Additionally the ex-royals’ Archewell Audio inked a multiyear deal with Spotify to produce podcasts and shows for the platform in a deal that was reportedly worth $20 million. Archewell Audio released a 30-minute holiday special in 2020 and one audio series — “Archetypes” — hosted by Meghan in August 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s podcasting endeavor at Spotify ended in 2023.

Unsurprisingly, Prince Harry and Meghan, who have also busied themselves with various philanthropic causes, faced backlash for their Spotify departure. Meghan was also accused of faking some “Archetypes” interviews.

In addition to big-swing media ventures, Meghan launched a lifestyle and food business that had undergone multiple name changes. She initially launched her brand under the moniker American Riviera Orchard, specializing in artisan jams she notably gifted to celebs, including Kris Jenner, Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling. She later rebranded the line to As Ever, following a minor roadblock with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

“I was figuring it out in real time,” she told People of the naming debacle in 2025. She also said she now sees herself “as an entrepreneur and a female founder.”

According to recent reporting, Meghan can add “actor” back into that description. She is reportedly in talks to join the third season of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series “The Gentleman.” That would be her first acting gig since the end of “Suits” and marrying into the royal family.

Traitors star Freddie Fraser, who found fame when he took part in the third series of the BBC hit, has been supported by fans after coming out and revealing his new relationship

Traitors star Freddie Fraser has been supported by fans after coming out and announcing his relationship. The reality star, 22, found fame when he competed on the third series of Claudia Winkleman’s BBC hit, which aired in early 2025 and was eventually won by Jake Brown Leanne Quigley.

Over the weekend, former politics student Freddie took to social media to announce that he is in a relationship with model Bailey Ramsden, and posted a black-and-white photo strip of them both.

He simply captioned the post with a heart, but several of the TV star’s followers were quick to congratulate him over the happy news. One said: “LOVEEEEE!!!! SO CUTE,” and another wrote: “Gorgeous, so happy for you.”

A third wrote: “this is the best news xx” Amanda Lovett, who appeared on the first series of The Traitors, said: “Aww I’m so happy for you,” whilst former X Factor star Jack Remmington simply left a string of heart-faced emojis.

Freddie, who before finding television fame was a top-ranked sprint hurdle athlete in the years before he signed up for The Traitors, was a Faithful on the BBC show before being recruited as a Traitor by Charlotte Berman in episode 10.

But in a shock twist, he was banished from the castle following a slip up involving Minah Shannon less than a day later, and hastily exited the castle.

When he was banished – and had to reveal he was a Traitor – he told the group it had been “the honour of my life” to take part in the TV series.

Since then, he has carved out a successful career as an influencer, with a combined following count of almost 250,000 across various social media platforms.

His new relationship comes more than a year after it was reported that he had split from Nisha Davenport, whom he had met at university, and it was claimed that his new career had made it tricky to keep things going.

A source told The Sun: “Freddie quietly split from Nisha earlier this year, shortly after a loved-up trip to Budapest. She’d been by his side throughout his Traitors fame but Freddie soon found himself living a showbiz lifestyle that he’d always dreamed of.

“They were also both incredibly aware that after university it would be more difficult than ever to keep the romance going strong. The split was very amicable and there was no drama on either side”.

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Choose your own adventure: would you rather travel vicariously with Sean Duffy or Conan O’Brien as your guide?

“Great American Road Trip,” the reality series from the Department of Transportation starring Secretary Duffy and his family, finally launched this week on YouTube after months of delays. Originally set to premiere in June, ahead of the nation’s 250th celebration, it follows Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” and their nine children as they travel through seven states. While the couple has roots on MTV’s “The Real World,” their new TV venture doesn’t seem destined to have the same cultural impact. The six episodes of the series — as of publication time — have just over 14,000 views combined.

Meanwhile, over on HBO Max, O’Brien is back for more unpredictable cross-cultural exchanges with the return of his travel series. Now in its third season, “Conan O’Brien Must Go” follows the comedian and podcast host around the world as he interacts with fans and provides glimpses of everyday life abroad with his blend of improvisational comedy and an affinity for situations that embrace the absurd. The season kicks off with a trip to India, a major feat considering the show has faced years of permit delays related to a remote segment for “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” that aired in 2004. I spoke with executive producer and director Mike Sweeney about the latest stops in the show’s world tour.

Plus, our writers recommend two TV dramas that feature formidable women — one is a former city slicker solving mysteries in the Montana wilderness, the other is a detective trying to untangle a missing woman’s case while her personal life is falling apart.

But before I set you on your streaming way, I want to also share our guide to some of Hayden Panettiere’s most notable work. When news broke this week about her sudden death at age 36, it came as an extraordinary shock. Panettiere had been working in front of the camera since she was in diapers, appearing in commercials and, by age 4, making the rounds in the soap opera circuit. Like many millennials, my first exposure to her talent was in Disney’s 2000 sports drama “Remember the Titans,” where she (at age 10) played the spunky, football-loving daughter of a high school assistant coach — and delivered the line that helped signal the prep sport was bigger than Christmas in Virginia. Though her career was cut far too short, she was part of some memorable projects, including “Heroes” and “Nashville,” that are worth revisiting.

Her influence, though, extends beyond her screen work. In her appreciation of Panettiere, culture critic Mary McNamara wrote of the Panettiere’s candidness about her mental health struggles, which included bringing awareness to the realities of postpartum depression: “Panettiere spoke up when she could have remained silent. She called out a truth that has been too long ignored and gave millions of women a chance to ask for help. She might not have saved the world, but she threw a big part of it a lifeline.” — Yvonne Villarreal

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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Tracy Spiridakos as Anna Pigeon and Paulina Alexis as Zoey Bear Child in “Anna Pigeon.”

(Michelle Faye / USA Network)

“Anna Pigeon” (USA Network)

This highly watchable, lightly addictive, woodsy episodic procedural dishes up meat and potatoes entertainment, or perhaps one should say “poutine,” given that almost all the talent involved is Canadian, as is the impressive scenery. Tracy Spiridakos (“Chicago P.D.”), just the right number of hairs out of place, plays Anna, a New York City stage manager turned federal park ranger after a personal tragedy. In Nevada Barr’s series of novels, the heroine works at a new park from book to book; here, we’re in Montana’s Glacier Park (it does run right up to Canada), the setting of the 2001 “Blood Lure,” with Anna apparently ready to stay put as long as the TV series lasts. (The first Pigeon novel, “Track of the Cat,” from 1993, informs the pilot, directed by Leah Thompson, not Canadian.) Missing persons, bank robbers, litterbug campers and an aggressive grouse bring the trouble. And murderers, of course. Community is a theme; there’s a handsome bartender for romance, a rich villain to hiss. There’s a talent show. The cherry on this sundae is Paulina Alexis, Willie Jack from “Reservation Dogs,” as Anna’s sidekick, enlivening the ensemble with her centered, serious, quietly humorous energy. — Robert Lloyd

Eve Myles as Annie Cassidy and David Morrissey as Michael Polly in “Gone.”

(James Pardon / Britbox)

“Gone” (Britbox)

Like many British murder mysteries, “Gone” opens in a picturesque portion of that green and pleasant land, in this case the rugby pitch of a stately boys school outside Bristol. Overseeing the home team is headmaster/rugby coach Michael Polly (David Morrissey) who has the mien and manner of a perpetually disappointed tyrant. When Polly’s wife, Sarah, cannot be found at the home they share with their adult daughter, Alana (Emma Appleton), it’s difficult to tell how he’s feeling, if anything. He certainly will not allow a missing wife to interfere with his task of molding boys into men, not with exams and a Very Important rugby final coming up. When he finally reports her absence to the police, it is pretty clear to everyone, especially Det. Sgt. Annie Cassidy (Eve Myles), that he knows more than he’s telling. But is it British reticence, or something more sinister?

Those accustomed to the speedy lab results and instant deductions of a standard police procedural may find themselves, at least initially, shouting out instructions and demands — how can the forensics report be so scanty? why is [fill in the blank] not brought in for questioning? But the show is, essentially, a psychological drama wrapped in a murder mystery. Anchored by splendidly counterintuitive performances by Morrissey and Myles, “Gone” will wrap up its case over six tense and twisty episodes. But the questions it raises — about the insidious power of abusive relationships, the complexity of human emotions and the peril of considering secrecy as protection — linger long after immediate justice is served. — Mary McNamara

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Conan O’Brien in a segment filmed in Morocco for Season 3 of “Conan O’Brien Must Go.”

(Team Coco / HBO)

As a member of the growing subgenre of celebrity travelogue, Conan O’Brien has cuddled with Javier Bardem in Spain, dressed up as Sigmund Freud in Vienna and faced off against a Muay Thai fighter in Thailand. The new season of “Conan O’Brien Must Go” has the frequent flier funnyman visiting India, the Netherlands, Morocco and the Philippines — meeting his international fans and testing how well his improvisational humor translates. I spoke with his longtime collaborator Mike Sweeney, co-writer and director on every episode, about this season’s locations and O’Brien’s SPF needs. — Y.V.

The series is a chance for Conan to interact with international fans, particularly those that have been on the podcast. Why do you think Conan’s style of humor travels so well?

He’s fearless. I think that helps. He genuinely loves people, and he has to make people laugh. He has to make people laugh all the time in the United States. And then if you put him in another country, he’s going to figure out how to get his laughs over there, even if no one speaks English. It’s literally like being thrown in a room where he’s got to find his oxygen, and he’s gonna find it by getting laughs everywhere he goes. I’m sure the fact we have a camera with us, people are curious. They tend to attract people who want to open up and play around. People can spot him from a mile away. That also helps. That’s another key to a good travel show — have a really tall orange-haired host.

The first episode is set in India. Things start with him trying to get on a crowded commuter train. What were some moments from that episode that stand out to you?

Yes, we wanted to go in the famous Mumbai commuter trains. Boy, the amount of red tape to get permission to even go down on the platform was crazy. We had to do it several months out. But we loved that [segment]. We loved playing street cricket. He had a young man teaching him, named Veer [Pandey], who was very funny and kind of dismissive of Conan, and that’s kind of Conan’s sweet spot.

Some countries have incredible restrictions — you might need permits to talk to people in the street, you’re dealing with curveballs. And a lot of what Conan does is improvised and you don’t want rules to get in the way. How how do you deal with that?

It varies from country to country. You get a feel for it early on and go, “Oh, we need figure things out far in advance here. You’re getting to a very important point, which is: How much red tape is there in each country? India — a ton. We knew that because we almost shot there in 2018 [for “Conan Without Borders”] and it fell through ultimately because of all this red tape. We knew we really had to have a running start with India. But the Philippines, they were pretty cool. Same with the Netherlands. You know what the big issue is nowadays? Drones, where they let you shoot with drones.

Conan O’Brien during a Bollywood segment in his travel series.

(Team Coco / HBO)

What’s it like doing a travel show as the current administration puts stress on international relations? Did you notice any shifts this season on how you were either received or what’s possible to get cleared because you’re an American show?

Not overtly. Nothing was represented as like, “Oh, you want to come shoot here? Well, we’ll teach you a lesson.” I’d say really surprisingly, it was business as usual in terms of getting permissions to shoot. What’s going on in the crazy United States really wouldn’t come up that much because the things we’re doing are apolitical, which is usually how we like to do it. It’s Conan connecting with people and, in a way, be a political statement because it comes down to respecting other cultures and wanting to learn about other cultures and bridging gaps that way.

There was that moment on the commuter train where a passenger rebuffs Conan by saying, “Fake a— liberal media.” And Conan just rolls with it.

Yes, it’s just like, “Oh, they they even have people calling stuff out like that over here.” It was almost like, “OK, I feel at home. Thank you.”

We all saw that Conan, famous for his red pompadour hairstyle, recently made headlines for a slick, oily hairdo, which was the result of a severe scalp sunburn. In the Morocco episode, there’s a sun-heavy segment. Were you worried about his scalp then? How much budget goes to Conan’s SPF needs?

He’s self-regulating because he has to be that way in California. He has to be that way on a cloudy day in Cape Cod. It’s just ingrained in him, his sun protection. I don’t even think about it. It was business as usual for him in Morocco.

What’s a show you’re currently obsessed with or recommending to people?

We loved “Widow’s Bay” [Apple TV], of course. I sound like everyone else, but also Katie Dippold is great. She was an intern at “Conan,” and I’ve seen her a few times over because we kind of lived near each other in Los Feliz. But she’s just delightful. We’re so happy for her, and plus that show was just amazing. And my wife and I dipped back into “Slow Horses.”

ICYMI

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Grammy-winning singer Jill Scott brought her “To Whom This May Concern” album — her first in more than a decade — to life at Inglewood’s YouTube Theater last week. Backed by a razor-sharp 11-piece all-male band (including background singers fittingly dubbed “Freeman”), Scott moved effortlessly through a two-hour set filled with songs from the genre-expansive album along with several fan favorites like “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)” and “Gettin’ in the Way.”

Enforcing a phone-free policy at her personal request, the North Philadelphia native kept the audience intensely locked in — hanging onto her every word and every seemingly impossible note she struck with ease. Before long, it was easy to forget that we didn’t have our devices. Smiles filled the intimate room. Couples danced together. Strangers sang to each other in joyful unison, while others closed their eyes or held their hands on their chest in complete awe of witnessing a veteran artist in her element.

Jill Scott is on tour for “To Whom This May Concern,” her first album in over a decade.

(Jada Imani M)

In her only interview during the tour thus far, we caught up with Scott backstage to talk why she never performs a song the same way twice, how removing devices makes concerts better and why she thinks “To Whom This May Concern” deserves several accolades.

I’m still coming down from all of the energy from the show. How are you feeling post-show?

I am hot from the inside, and it’s gonna take me hours to calm down. [Laughs]

You’ve always described music as an intimate, two-way conversation between you and the audience. For this tour, you created a strictly phone-free space. Why did you decide to do that and how did this shift the experience for you as a performer?

In a couple of ways. One part is that it’s terrifying because there’s no buffer between me and them, so that’s actually scary, but I embrace it. The other part of it is that it’s wonderful because people initially come in kind of nervous about not having a buffer between myself and the space or themselves and space. Then I watch them gradually release, and I get a kick out of that every night. That’s my favorite part.

I’m surprised to hear that it’s scary for someone like you who’s been performing at such a high level for so many years.

Because I care. It matters to me. I really want them to have a good time. I really want them to release some things, allow themselves to be. If you want to make out, if you want to dance, if you want to cry, if you want to shout, or put up your hands in the air, or sit still, I want them to be able to do that. I think it’s important. That’s the relationship. That’s the real relationship between artist and fans of the music. It’s the connection between the music. I’m here to [be of] service. I’m here to push the ship along, but it’s really their relationship with the music and I’m a conduit. That part is probably one of my other favorites. You have to relinquish your id and allow the thing to be the thing. I think sometimes you can practice the joy and the life out of a thing. We practice a lot, but then we forget everything we practice so that it’s alive. My musicians’ freedom is mandatory. It’s a part of the job. So if they show up and play the exact same thing in the exact same way every night, they’re probably not going to be around very long. I need them to be wide open and to rediscover the music every night from their perspective. It’s their 11 perspectives on stage, and then of course there’s the lighting designer. I need him to be free. Don’t give me the same light at the same time every night. Even front-of-the-house sound engineer as well as our in-ear monitors, everybody is playing a part. “What does she need? Let’s read her. Let’s, you know, pay attention. What does she want?” It’s a lot of fun.

You could see really feel that from you and your entire band.

Tonight was a different audience. They were very attentive. Last night they danced all night long from the very beginning. I couldn’t even see the floor. Tonight they were listening. I know it’s a Wednesday night. Everybody’s got to go to work [the next morning], but they were beautiful. The listening audience is probably my favorite. They get quiet and I’m like “Oh, it’s so scary. Am I doing the right thing?” [Laughs] But that means they’re listening. Who doesn’t want to be heard?

Your son came out with you tonight. How was that experience for you?

It’s beautiful to see. He told me Tierra Whack is not traveling with us because she has a new album out, “Whack’s Museum,” so she’s a little busy. He was like, “Mom, how do you feel about me doing the second verse?” and I was like “Be at sound check tomorrow with a mic in your hand.”

He looked so comfortable on stage.

He does. It’s kind of scary. Super exciting. I don’t know what he’ll want to do, but he’s working our set, so he’s a part of the crew. So after he does his performance, he puts back on his blacks and he does his job, and I love that for him, to have that sense of responsibility. He’s exceeding anybody’s and everybody’s expectations. He’s so good at this. All the clothes you see, he steamed up.

He’s really working his way up.

Yes, you must earn your way.

Your album “To Whom This May Concern” released in February, and it feels like a love letter from your favorite auntie. There’s lessons about learning from your mistakes, honoring your ancestors and loving yourself. Now that your fans have been living with these songs for several months, I’m curious if performing them live has shifted your relationship with them at all?

No. On a great night, I like telling the stories that I’ve read. I like embodying them in front of other people. I like watching them experience them in a new way. I’m a fan of that. It just makes it more and more true. Then I see how many people are singing along and how many people are looking at me, and I’m like “Yesss.” It’s reaching the people and I know it’s going to be different because there’s a different audience every night. So I’m thrilled about the project and how it’s touching people. You hope you don’t work this hard at a thing for it to fall on deaf ears, and I know how microwavable music has been, but I believe the cream rises to the top. It’s been a beautiful 26 years. I look forward to 26 more — in my way.

Your album has been receiving a lot of praise from fans and critics. There’s still a few months before the Grammy nominations are announced, but at this point in your career, how important is that recognition to you? Is it as important as it was when you first started your career?

I think I deserve it. That’s all. [Flashes a smile]

I mean everything about this project from beginning to end is blood, sweat and tears. I stayed up many nights just to write, a hunger in my belly and a savage appetite. And I mean it. Everything is true and I love that for me. That’s the kind of thing that takes time and I think musically, it’s incredible. I think the stories are awesome and intentional, and everything about it, from the planning of it to the marketing, has been from my soul, and I think it deserves several.

Sandra Bullock has opened up about her late partner Bryan Randall’s private battle with ALS.

The “Practical Magic 2” star discussed what it was like to care for Randall while honoring his request to keep his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis a secret for years during her appearance on the “SmartLess” podcast.

“I wasn’t allowed to speak about it,” Bullock told hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes in a clip of the episode posted by TMZ. “That was the request, and I honored it. … He asked me not to share … and it isolated me in the process.”

She explained that Randall, who died in 2023 at age 57, had been ill for half of their relationship and that his diagnosis came amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bullock and Randall had also kept their relationship fairly private. The couple started dating in 2015 after they reportedly met at Bullock’s son Louis’ fifth birthday party. Randall, a photographer, had been hired to capture images of the celebration. Bullock also has a younger daughter, Laila, whom she adopted in 2015. The couple was also raising Randall’s older daughter, Skylar.

Over the years, Bullock and Randall debunked rumors about their engagement and marriage numerous times.

“I don’t need a paper to be a devoted partner and devoted mother,” Bullock said in 2021.

The “Ocean’s 8” star described Randall’s diagnosis as “traumatic” and that she had started grieving him four years before his death. Bullock’s sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, had been the only person who had known about Randall’s diagnosis “for a while” although the actor eventually also confided in friends Jennifer Aniston and Bateman’s wife, Amanda Anka, according to People.

“My person left a lot earlier than the body left,” Bullock said in the podcast. “I don’t think I ever dealt with that until after he passed.”

Bullock’s episode of the “SmartLess” podcast will be released on Aug. 24 but is available now to SiriusXM early access subscribers.

THEY’VE been soaking up the Ibiza sunshine, while wrapping their arms around one another like two lovesick teenagers at a beach rave.

So it’s only natural that fans have begun asking whether former glamour model Katie Price, 48, and party king Wayne Lineker, 64, could be embarking on a new romance after a trying year for Pricey – who ditched her wedding ring for the Ibiza bash.

Pictured on a sunbed at the O Beach Ibiza last week, with Katie wearing a barely-there bikini, the tactile displays of affection between the two showbiz veterans had everyone asking the same question: what on earth is going on here?

Indeed, one insider told me: “It certainly got everyone talking. Naturally people started to wonder if there could be a romantic spark between the pair.

“While many questions have been raised about Katie’s husband Lee Andrews and the reality of his finances, Wayne is the real deal.

“He’s raking it in with all his Ibiza businesses and he’s not ashamed to show off the rewards of his hard work.”

It’s no secret that Katie’s love life has been a rollercoaster of late.

After a whirlwind romance and shock January wedding to Dubai-based businessman Lee, recent months have brought a storm of drama.

Self-proclaimed “millionaire” Lee is back in a Dubai prison for unpaid debts and Katie has voiced her frustration to The Sun’s Clemmie Moodie over the “ridiculous” drama surrounding him.

Wayne, brother of football legend Gary Lineker, is known as a party boy, and many wondered if the newlywed was seeking comfort in his famously welcoming arms.

After all, he has a taste for models – with his past girlfriends including model Danielle Sandhu and the late Love Island star Sophie Gradon.

But before anyone starts buying a wedding hat for another Pricey trip down the aisle, we can reveal the real truth behind their close connection.

According to those close to Katie, the pair are strictly platonic and the tactile body language is simply the result of two larger-than-life personalities who love letting their hair down together.

“Katie and Wayne are just brilliant mates, plain and simple,” a close insider spilled to us last night.

“People look at the photos of them cuddling up or whispering during the eclipse, and because it’s Katie, they instantly assume there’s a massive romantic scandal brewing.

“But honestly? It’s completely innocent. They just get each other.”

My source continued: “They are both veterans of the showbiz scene and they both love a massive party.

“When Katie is in Ibiza, Wayne is her go-to guy. He treats her like royalty and ensures she has a great time.

“There is zero romantic spark there. She sees him like a fun, cheeky older brother who knows exactly how to throw the best parties.”

Katie’s recent trip to the Mediterranean wasn’t just a wild solo getaway to escape the exhausting Lee Andrews saga back home. It was a fun-filled adventure for her beloved eldest son Harvey, 24, who joined her on the Spanish island.

And it’s actually Wayne’s bond with Harvey that has cemented his status as one of Katie’s most treasured pals.

Harvey, who has Prader-Willi syndrome and is also autistic and blind, was also at the sprawling Ibiza resort dancing away to his favourite tunes.

For protective mum Katie, seeing the entrepreneur go out of his way to ensure her boy had a spectacular time meant the absolute world.

“Wayne is absolutely brilliant with Harvey, and that’s the fastest way to Katie’s heart. Not romantically, but purely as a loyal friend,” my insider revealed.

“Wayne rolled out the red carpet for them and even made sure he had his favourite meal of Spaghetti Carbonara.

“He makes Harvey feel so special, safe, and included in all the fun. Katie is endlessly appreciative of that.”

This supportive dynamic is especially poignant for the mum-of-five, given the well-documented absence of Harvey’s biological father.

Former Premier League footballer Dwight Yorke has played no part in his son’s upbringing, leaving Katie to deal with all of Harvey’s very complex needs on her own.

“It genuinely breaks Katie’s heart that Harvey’s real dad has never done a thing for him, so when she sees men like Wayne stepping up just to be kind, patient and supportive, she is so touched,” the pal explained.

“Wayne doesn’t have to go out of his way for Harvey, but he does it because he has a big heart. That’s why Katie is so loyal to him. She will defend their friendship to the hilt.”

So, while the pictures of them cosying up under the sun might scream new romance to the untrained eye, the reality is far sweeter.

It is clearly a feeling shared by Wayne, who took to Instagram to pay tribute to Katie.

He wrote a “special message” to the businesswoman, writing: “We’ve certainly had our moments over the years, you more than anyone knows that.

“We’ve faced obstacles, made mistakes and sometimes been our own worst enemies.

“But through it all, there’s one thing I believe we’ve always shared: our two hearts and our genuine love of helping other people.”

With the baggage of her recent marital woes weighing heavily on her mind, Katie wanted a place to let off steam with her son.

And the O Beach did not let her down. The club’s waitresses, wearing skimpy outfits, added to the upbeat party vibe, showing off their best moves on the stage and holding up cards spelling ‘Harvey’ as partygoers chanted his name.

Harvey looked over the moon and threw his hands up in the air with joy.

“Katie knows exactly what she’s doing,” our insider laughed. “She knows people will talk when she wraps her arms around Wayne in a tiny bikini. But she doesn’t care anymore.”

Whether her husband Lee, who remains in Al Awir prison, will be equally nonchalant remains to be seen.

GILLIAN Anderson has opened up about a ‘secret’ early relationship with ‘an older girl in high school.’

The Sex Education and X-Files actress, 58, has been open in the past about her relationships with women.

In a new interview, Gillian discussed her youthful romance and the sensitivity around it.

She told The Sunday Times: “One of my first relationships was with an older girl in high school.

“It felt secretive and illicit and wrong and we had to hide.

“Later on I had a boyfriend who found out and broke up with me.”

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Continuing, Gillian said she’d had “a couple of boyfriends”, so didn’t think of herself as gay.

She added: “But I definitely felt I didn’t have the language for it.

“Even later on when I had other relationships with women I’m not sure I ever thought of them as being potentially for ever.”

She concluded: “The person I consider my life partner happens to be male.”

Gillian has reportedly been in a relationship with screenwriter Peter Morgan, 63, on and off since 2016.

Peter is perhaps best known as the creator and showrunner of Netflix smash-hit The Crown.

A new young adult series has entered the chat.

“Sterling Point” has all the hallmarks of your usual YA obsession — yearning, an awkward love triangle, a lack of adult supervision, an enviable waterfront setting and complicated friendships. Unlike most other YA series of the moment, it’s an original story that isn’t based on a book. Created by Megan Park, the writer-director behind Sundance hit “My Old Ass” and an actor with roots in the coming-of-age circuit in shows like “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” the heartfelt drama centers heavily on the complex relationship between two teens who discover they’re half sisters after a death exposes a deep family secret.

It’s the latest series helping Prime Video step further into its WB/The CW era as a go-to destination for younger audiences, joining hits that include “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “Every Year After,” “We Were Liars” and “Off Campus.” Not to show my millennial wrinkles, but unless the streamer invests in a campaign that evokes the spirit of late ‘90s marketing push known as “The Faces of WB,” what’s even the point of it all? Until then, in this week’s Guest Spot, we spoke with Park about the series that has teen drama enthusiasts hooked.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend a six-part British television drama that recounts the tragic 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and a 2007 stoner comedy directed by Gregg Araki that will help you mellow out and pregame this weekend’s latest addition to the genre. — Yvonne Villarreal

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Phyllis Logan, left, Molly Geddes and Cora Bissett in “The Bombing of Pan Am 103.”

(Netflix)

“The Bombing of Pan Am 103” (Netflix)

Admittedly, I didn’t know a lot about the Pan Am flight disaster that this miniseries depicts, but I’m glad that’s no longer the case. This BBC production (it debuted in the U.K. last year) depicts the stories of American and Scottish investigators who spent more than a decade combing through evidence, clues and tips to bring justice to the families affected by the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. In 1988, the commercial jetliner was transporting 259 people, including 190 Americans, when it exploded over the skies of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing everyone on board and 11 Scots on the ground. Until the events of Sept. 11, 2001, it was one of the most lethal acts of air terrorism, according to the FBI. In the series, we see the gravity of the disaster, but also a deep layer of humanity, showing how Lockerbie and its citizens were irrevocably changed, yet their compassion never wavered, whether for each other or the victims’ families, who formed a lasting bond in an unlikely place. The main characters in the show are based on real-life people: Connor Swindells is DS Ed McCusker, who helped lead the investigation in Scotland; Patrick J. Adams is FBI Agent Dick Marquise, who led the American investigation; and the brilliant Merritt Wever is Kathryn Turman, a tireless advocate whose work led to reforms and services for families of victims. Be prepared to watch with a box of tissues. — Maira Garcia

Anna Faris, John Krasinski, center, Michael Shamus Wiles in 2007’s “Smiley Face.”

(Lacey Terrell / First Look Pictures)

“Smiley Face” (Prime Video)

This has been a stand-out summer for highbrow discourse about Homeric adaptations. As a reward, let’s get stupid with Gregg Araki’s 2007 stoner flick “Smiley Face,” a giddy, silly romp about a slacker (Anna Faris) whose troubles start when she snarfs a plate of pot cupcakes for breakfast. Her misadventures treat us to a tour of L.A. — from a Hollywood casting office to the Venice Beach boardwalk, with a pit stop at a meat-packing plant in El Monte. Even better, it’s a tour de force performance from Faris, who plays an impulsive mess with the fearlessness of a clown leaping into a kiddie pool of pudding. She deserved to make a dozen more movies just like it. (The “Scary Movie” franchise only halfway counts.) If “Smiley Face” gives you the munchies for a great new comedy, check out “The Wrong Girls” with Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat and Araki’s latest farce, “I Want Your Sex,” which stars a ferociously funny Olivia Wilde. — Amy Nicholson

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Ella Rubin and Amélie Hoeferle in “Sterling Point.”

(Prime Video)

The enemies-to-lovers romance trope in a teen drama? It’s been done. “Sterling Point” anchors its premise on an enemies(ish)-to-sisters storyline. The coming-of-age drama opens with 17-year-old twins, Annie Jacobson (Ella Rubin) and her twin brother Connor (Keen Ruffalo), who were raised in New York City and inherit a Canadian island following the death of their estranged grandfather. The series follows Annie as she sets out to the island and encounters Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle), the half sister she didn’t know existed until she arrived there. Their initial friction gives way to a tight bond as they piece together emotionally heavy family secrets.

The series hails from Megan Park, who has become known for her nuanced stories about young people with films like “The Fallout,” a drama starring Jenna Ortega about the aftermath of a school shooting, and the Aubrey Plaza-led “My Old Ass,” about a teenager who meets her older self while on a mushroom trip. Over video call, Park discussed the “Sterling Point’s” origins, her hopes for Season 2 and the coming-of-age stories that she admired growing up. — Y.V.

Many series about and catering to young adults right now, some of which are part of Prime Video’s lineup, are based on books that have built-in fan bases. Did that make “Sterling Point” a harder sell? What was your experience of pitching it?

Yes, I think people are always more nervous to take a risk on something brand new when you’re like, “This is just a weird idea I had in my brain, but trust me I think it’ll work.” But I was really lucky with Amazon being so supportive because they had just acquired “My Old Ass” and I think they understood the voice and the stories that I was wanting to tell with the show. I was shocked that people were willing to take the risk of being like, we’re going to go in a writers room and we’re going to figure out the show in an old-school way; we’re not going to rely on any kind of built-in audience or IP. I’m very thankful for Amazon for taking that chance on us. It’s not that I’m against adapting IP. I’m sure I would do that at some point, but I had an idea and somebody still wanted to listen to it, so I feel very grateful for that.

What inspired this story ?

I wanted to try [writing for] TV because I was like, “Well, eight hours is a lot more content than just making a movie.” That was a fun challenge to me. When I was acting, I spent so many years doing TV, so it felt like home. For me, it was the sisterhood story and sort of the the idea of these two young women who are connected by this woman that they don’t know and don’t feel like her death has necessarily affected either one of them, and it has very much affected both of them. I thought it was an interesting idea to explore, nature versus nurture. I come from a family where there’s a lot of adoption, and I had also never really seen a character like Annie where they were adopted and they didn’t have the desire to seek out their biological family, and that was just something they were fine with. That’s been an experience of a lot of people in my family. Oftentimes, [we see] stories about you know people wanting to find their biological family. Both of them exist, but I hadn’t seen the latter in a lot of things. I was excited to explore that.

Daniel Quinn-Toye, Bo Bragason and Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie in “Sterling Point.”

(Prime Video)

Identity, and how that’s shaped by our parents, drives so much of the story. What interested you in that parent-child or just familial dynamic?

I’ve always just loved stories that are about that; family dynamics are the most interesting to me because they’re so full of triggers, and everybody has some kind of crazy story within their family, or a mystery. At that age, you’re finally realizing your parents are just people too, and they maybe don’t know everything. And maybe you have different ideas or thoughts about how the world works than your parents, and that can sometimes not go over very well. It is an interesting time. And as a mom now with children — I have a 2- and 6-year-old — you think a lot about like, “Wow, how are my kids going to feel about A, B, and C when they’re this age? What’s my relationship going to be with them as teenagers and adults?” It’s so wild to think about. I was also writing it, thinking about a lot about the mom and the parents POV as well.

The show has romance or feelings of infatuation that are a hallmark of young adult dramas, but it’s not the focus of the show. It’s the relationship between the sisters. There’ve been studies saying that teens want less sex in TV and movies, that they prefer watching stories about deep friendships or platonic relationships. Was that top of mind for you at all?

You’re the first person who’s asked me that, and I feel like yes. We love a love triangle, we love a love story — it’s so fun and such an escape; it’s almost like an essential part of a show in a way. But especially this generation, their friendships are deeply important and they live at home longer, statistically. Their relationships, their parents, are a lot different than maybe millennials’. When I was in high school, I was never involved in romantic relationships. That was a later part of life, and I feel like I’ve talked to a lot of people, they were like, I wasn’t dating really in high school. I was not ready and not there yet. You don’t often see that. And so it was fun to have this this North Star that the real love story and the real heart of the show is the sisterhood, and I hope that sets the show apart in an exciting way, because it felt that way when we were writing it.

The season ends with Annie and Ramona essentially swapping locations. What are you interested in exploring in a Season 2 with these characters?

I have a whole bunch of ideas left, so we shall see. There’s a lot between these two young women having now experienced each other’s lives fully that is going to be really interesting to explore and pick up, hopefully, if we get the chance to. Listen, eight hours seem like a lot, but once you get into it, you’re like, “Wait, man, there’s eight hours more that I think I could get deeper into A, B, and C.” And there’s so many great supporting characters in the show, and we had stuff [for them] that we wanted to fit in for them in Season 1 that we just couldn’t fit in. Season 2 could be fun in that way, where you know these people and know the world, and now you can go more into [who they are.] Who is Oona’s mom? There’s all these other characters who we can get more into their world as well.

The YA genre is thriving right now. And it’s not even just young people tuning in — I feel like I see so many TikToks from millennials and Gen X talking about their obsession with them. Why do you think we’re still turning to these types of stories later in adulthood?

Because it’s nostalgic. It’s such a defining time in every single person’s life. It’s why young people are finding shows that we grew up on, like “One Tree Hill” or “Dawson’s Creek.” And why women in their 50s or 60s are still relating to the newer shows like “Off Campus” and and “Elle.” It doesn’t matter the era; it’s just the unique sort of idea that it’s the first this, the first that; the defining moments of our lives in so many ways.

In the spirit of this series, what were some of the coming-of-age films, TV series or books that shaped you?

I grew up in like the era of such great coming-of-age comedies — “Clueless” was a big one for me — and really epic rom-coms like “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Those movies really stuck with me. I would say that Chris Columbus, as a filmmaker, makes movies like “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Step Mom” — those movies that are such wild ideas or really sad things, but you’re also unexpectedly crying. In “Mrs. Doubtfire,” you’re like, oh, this is a story about a dad who misses his kids, but it’s so heartfelt but also funny at the same time.” I want to make things that are heartfelt, which isn’t necessarily a cool word to some people. I think it’s cool because I want to make things that are meaningful but also lead with their heart, and you’re surprised when the emotion comes. It’s not just super, super dark or super, super light and fluffy; it hopefully falls perfectly right in the middle.

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Jelly Roll is taking a break from performing after a highly publicized split from Bunnie XO.

Last week, the “Save Me” singer paused his Salt Lake City concert to announce the hiatus. “This has truly been a lifetime experience for me,” Jelly Roll told the crowd at the Rice-Eccles Stadium, per Country Now. “And in a couple of nights, I go to Colorado Springs and do my last show for a year or two. I’m fixing to take some time off and heal. Thank you for the opportunity.”

The Grammy Award-winning country star (born Jason DeFord) and “Dumb Blonde” podcaster (Alisa DeFord) finalized their divorce last month after nearly 10 years of marriage.

The country music star filed for divorce from his wife in Tennessee’s Williamson County on May 18, citing irreconcilable differences. The announcement shocked country fans who had followed the couple through podcast appearances and acceptance speeches that painted a rosy picture of the pair’s relationship.

Jelly Roll’s the Little Ass Shed Tour concluded last week in Colorado after two months of shows; he also co-headlined several stadium concerts with Post Malone. The musician released his latest single, “Hands Up,” on June 24, followed by the music video on July 17, which was filmed at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center and incorporated inmates from the facility. Details on a forthcoming album have yet to be released.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO were regulars on the podcast circuit and spoke candidly about the ups and downs of their relationship. In Bunnie’s 2026 memoir, “Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic,” she wrote about Jelly Roll’s 10-month affair in 2018 and her subsequent emotional unraveling.

The couple also has been open about their struggle with IVF in recent years. In a since-deleted podcast episode, Bunnie XO said the pair still planned to get pregnant post-split.

The creator of “New Girl” has a dark, twisty new show about a … female serial killer?

Since the end of her breakout sitcom, Liz Meriwether has imbued her sharp and charming brand of funny in network comedies like “Single Parents” and “Bless This Mess.” But she’s steadily embraced darker tones in her work — first, with the Emmy-winning Elizabeth Holmes biodrama “The Dropout,” then with last year’s FX miniseries “Dying for Sex,” a delicate dance between laughter and sorrow in its exploration of a woman’s commitment to live her best sexual life following a terminal cancer diagnosis. “Furious,” though, may be her darkest project yet.

Loosely inspired by the 1987 neo-noir “Black Widow,” which starred Theresa Russell as a serial killer who marries and poisons wealthy men for their inheritances, and Debra Winger as the investigator obsessed with tracking her down, the Hulu crime drama deepens the cat-and-mouse dynamic. It follows an FBI rookie and her search for a female serial killer seeking vengeance against the men who abused her as a teenager. And still, it manages to find moments of levity. The first three episodes are currently streaming, with new episodes released every Monday until the finale Aug. 31.

“I’ve just been loving trying different things with my writing,” Meriwether told me during a recent video call. “When this came up, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, a crime thriller, a serial killer show.’ It was so different than what I’d done before. It’s like the shows that I love, so I was excited to try to write one, somewhat naively. It’s funny because I would always roll my eyes a little bit when drama writers thought they could write comedy and then I found myself in the flip side of that being like, ‘Oh, this is so hard.’”

Check out more of my conversation with Meriwether in Guest Spot. And yes, as a devoted “New Girl” re-watcher forever trying to retain my Youths! status, I asked about about the reboot discourse that’s become its own comedy.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend the return of a detective comedy that has its schoolteacher-turned-self-taught P.I. on another wild adventure and a Spanish-language limited series that takes place during the 1986 World Cup. — Yvonne Villarreal

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Diarra Kilpatrick as Diarra Brickland and Shannon Wallace as Chris in Season2 of “Diarra From Detroit.”

(BET / Paramount+)

“Diarra from Detroit” (Paramount+)

Diarra Kilpatrick (“Perry Mason”) created and stars in this smart, sparky mystery as a middle school teacher, also named Diarra, who turns self-described Black Nancy Drew when a man she was dating (Shannon Wallace as Chris) disappears. The new season, which sees the series folded into Paramount+ along with other BET+ series, finds them together again (retrospective spoiler alert: she rescues him at the end of Season 1), with issues — he’s got trauma to navigate, she’s sorting out her identity and desires — and mysteries still to solve, including the identity of the Chief, the city’s Mr. Big. The new season, which feels even more self-assured, picks up old themes of friends and family, as the search for a missing antique desk leads Diarra and friends and accomplices Aja (DomiNque Perry) and Tea (Bryan Terrell Clark) into fanciful new territory, including encounters with Black Freemasons and bikers, the history of Prohibition and a treasure hunt. Local food culture (Superman ice cream, coney dogs, Faygo) gets its due. The mix of suspense, romance and comedy is deft; small details keep the characters surprising and lifelike.— Robert Lloyd

Rafaella Lopez as Barbara, Ian Andrade as Salvador, Aldo Emiliano Navarro as Miguel, Damian Vergara as Tono and Regina Arroyo as Maria in “I’m Not Afraid.”

(Julieta Horak / Netflix)

“I’m Not Afraid” (No Tengo Miedo) (Netflix)

The dilapidated La Esmeralda coffee estate in Mexico’s Veracruz mountains is a lush, beautiful and spooky place — the perfect setting for a kidnap mystery. But in “I’m Not Afraid,” it’s also the wonderfully imperfect backdrop for a compelling tale about friendship and family bonds as seen through the eyes of a child. Set in 1986 during FIFA World Cup fever and a blight that’s ruined the region’s coffee crops, 10-year-old Miguel (played with depth and authenticity by Aldo Emiliano Navarro) first discovers boy captive Felipe (Yago Andreu) hidden and chained in and overgrown area that’s said to be haunted. He’s sure it’s the work of a witch spoken about in local folklore until it’s revealed his beloved parents may have something to do with the abduction. Poverty has driven them and the other families on the estate to make desperate choices. Adapted from Niccolò Ammaniti’s acclaimed novel by Ernesto Contreras (“The Secret of the River”), this six-episode series explores what happens when adults do desperate things in the hope of securing a better future for their children, but it’s the kids who end up saving the day. — Lorraine Ali

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Emmy Rossum as FBI agent Alice Black in “Furious.”

(Sarah Shatz / Disney)

“Furious” feels like a crime story for the Epstein age. The eight-episode psychological thriller stars Emmy Rossum as Alice Black, a troubled rookie FBI agent who left her job as an NYPD detective to escape a violent and traumatic relationship with a fellow cop. She gets enlisted to help track down a female serial killer, played by Lola Petticrew, whose targets are the wealthy men who exploited and trafficked her for sex. But the series isn’t as concerned with its ripped-from-the-headlines relevance. Over video call, creator Liz Meriwether discussed what she was interested in unpacking in TV’s latest addition to the crime drama genre and contributing to the red flag roles played by Jake Lacy. —Y.V.

The series is loosely based on the “Black Widow” film. But how much did current events, specifically stories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the powerful men in his orbit, inform what or how you wanted to explore here?

It really did start as a “Black Widow” adaptation. This female serial killer and this female FBI agent in this cat-and-mouse game that has this very weird third act, where they just end up hanging out together on a beach, being friends. I loved that part of it. In the midst of this very exciting female killer-female FBI agent crime movie, there was this story about two women connecting who don’t have anybody else really in their lives to connect with. I dug into that and quickly saw that if the serial killer was just a black widow like she is in the movie, that it wasn’t going to give me enough story for eight episodes. I did a lot of research about real-life female serial killers, which are pretty rare. Female serial killers are almost all victims of horrible violence at different times in their lives. That really got me going, OK, what does it mean if you’re a victim of violence and you start being perpetrator of violence? What are the things that we can forgive and understand, and what are the things that we can’t?

And yes, when I looked out into the wider world and current events and what I was thinking and feeling, I definitely scooped up a lot of a lot of stories that are out there. But it’s not the story of a specific predator. There’s a lot to choose from right now. It should feel relevant. It should have echoes of what’s going on out there. But I wanted the focus to be on these characters, not the men that did these acts.

The parallels between Alice and Catherine — what they each have survived and the different ways they deal with it — come into focus. What were you interested in exploring about the traumatic and lingering effects of abuse through these two women?

Initially, when we were casting Catherine, the question of age came up because all of my writer instincts were like, “Oh well, we need to have Catherine be very young and closer to when she was actually a victim of this predator.” But as I started thinking about it, I was like, I don’t think we’ve seen as many stories about the long-term effects of this violence. There’s no flashbacks in the show. I’m not interested in showing what was done to either one of them [Catherine and Alice]. I really was interested in the aftereffects.

I spoke to a social worker, a psychologist and a trafficking victim, which was one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had, and also a beautiful conversation. Her name is Jay Benke, and she has an organization that helps people that have been trafficked. She made a really interesting point that stuck with me, which is that when these FBI agents and law enforcement officials build cases, they’re looking at putting the traffickers in jail; they’re not looking at what the people who have been trafficked need for their lives to heal. There’s also an amazing website that a lawyer pointed me to called thelifestory.org, which is videos from different people who’ve been trafficked telling their story — from their childhood, all the way through having been trafficked and then coming out — and it’s in the shape of a circle. Those two resources for me were incredible. On the Alice side of things, we tend to think of the experience of being a [domestic violence] victim as being much more cut and dry than it is for a lot of people. The victim’s relationship with violence and love is very complicated and violence and intimacy can become linked in their brain. It was something that I started to learn about in my research for “Dying for Sex” and continued on with “Furious.”

Lola Petticrew as Catherine in “Furious.”

(Sarah Shatz / Disney)

We see these very girly things, stickers and gemstones, that Catherine holds onto. It reminds us of her emotional or mental stasis.

I don’t know what Lola would say about this, but my thought about the character of Catherine was she was a bit trapped. The choice to go on the path of vengeance feels like a very active choice, but in some ways it’s really limited. It makes your whole life about what happened to you. I feel like Catherine’s story is about breaking out of that trap a little bit, almost trying to give her character a chance to to grow up in some ways. That was definitely a struggle for me going into this because I was like, how am I going to give a serial killer an emotional arc? Catherine is trapped and needs to put the pieces of her memory and her life together in order to move forward.

The thing I love in Episode 3 is the bag that Catherine puts on the bed. That was a big breakthrough for me for Catherine’s character in that her history is something that she’s had to piece together and hold on to, and there’s big gaps in her memory, so she holds on to these material objects in order to just feel like she’s a person. Then in looking at Alice’s character, we felt like she was the opposite in a lot of ways. She had run out of her life with Marshall and [did] not really bring that much. Her whole life is her job; her apartment is really bare.

I don’t mean to sound glib in regard to the subject matter, but you mentioned Marshall, played by Jake Lacy. Why has Jake cornered the market on playing toxic dudes who seem like nice guys?

I haven’t seen “All Her Fault” yet — it’s something that I really need to see. He’s extraordinary in the show [“Furious”], and I had a long conversation with him before he signed on. It’s a very tricky part to play. It was very important to me throughout the process that none of the characters were easily put into bad or good categories — hopefully, we’re constantly making the audience question their feelings and their judgments about people. There’s an incredible documentary called “A Better Man” that is impossible to find. I had to pay like $50 to rent it. It’s this couple that dated when they were in high school, and he was abusive toward her. She got out of the situation, and they’re coming back in their 30s, meeting again and talking about what happened. It’s an unbelievable documentary. I had Jake watch it because I really wanted him to think about Marshall as a human. He really contributed to that, and you can see it in his performance. He’s [Jake’s] a very nice guy.

You know I can’t let you go without mentioning this “New Girl” reboot — or at least the talk of it. It’s become a bit at this point — Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson pointing fingers at each other. You posted a video on Instagram confessing to sending explicit messages that have caused some tension.

In some ways, I feel like the videos and the interviews and stuff is maybe better than a reboot. If we can see that as the reboot, maybe that would be good for everybody. [The video] came from me getting this question from journalists during the [“Furious”] junket, It was like Hour Eight of the junket, and my brain just disappeared, and I started talking like a stream of consciousness — like I don’t have any more stories to tell or something. And then I went home that night and texted the cast and I was like, “I really messed up the question.” It had been this running joke on our text threads about how they just constantly blame each other, but a lot of the times they blame me like I’m the one that’s like holding up the reboot. I find it so annoying, but then I like answered this question in a horrible way, and then I was like, “Oh, I am going to be the one who has to answer to this.”

If it does happen, it’s going to be a really dark “New Girl” reboot, given the tone of recent projects.

[Laughs] I don’t even know if fans would want what would come out of me at this point.

Last question: What have you’ve watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone?

I love “Taskmaster” [YouTube, Pluto TV]. It’s the thing that brings me joy when I need it and so I always recommend that to everybody — but with the caveat that you have to love British humor. If you love joy and British humor, I highly recommend “Taskmaster.” And Kumail [Nanjiani] was on this last season, which was like really fun.

I’m very behind. “Widow’s Bay” [Apple TV] is No. 1 on my list. I need to watch it. I love Katie [Dippold, the show’s creator] so much.

ICYMI

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A LOVED-UP Pete Wicks has made a rare romantic comment amid his Olivia Attwood relationship – just a week after they went official.

The couple have been trying to keep their relationship under wraps for months, but thrilled fans recently when they finally hard launched their romance.

In the latest episode of his latest Staying Relevant podcast that he co-hosts with best pal Sam Thompson, 33, a smitten Pete, 37, talked about what makes him happy in a relationship.

The usually gruff reality star was asked what his “love languages are”, to which he replied: “Mine I would probably say are physical touch, quality time, and acts of service.”

Co-host Sam then agreed, and said that his was also “physical touch”.

The latest revelation comes just a week after Pete and his girlfriend Olivia, 35, FINALLY went Instagram official.

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The couple had been keeping fans guessing ever since the beginning of the year, but had been spotted out on several cosy dates.

It came when the former Towie star flew out to Ibiza as Olivia filmed a new series of her show, Bad Boyfriends.

Loved-up Pete then shared a series of black and white shots, which saw them cuddled up together.

In a perfect hard launch, he captioned the snaps with: “I guess someone has to go first…IBIZA” followed by a black heart emoji.

Best pal Sam was quick to comment: “Never thought I’d see the day YOU hard launch!! couldn’t be happier for you brother.”

Their romance started after Olivia revealed she had split from her husband Bradley Dack, 32, at the beginning of the year.

An aide involved in an affair with Gavin Newsom more than 20 years ago, when he was mayor of San Francisco, detailed their relationship and her journey to sobriety in an essay published by Vanity Fair on Tuesday.

Although Ruby Rippey, 54, has spoken previously about her relationship with the now-governor, her first-person essay offers the most intimate description yet of the affair. It comes at a time when Newsom is wrapping up his final year as California governor and considering a presidential run in 2028.

Rippey, who had worked as Newsom’s appointments secretary, was married to Alex Tourk, the then-mayor’s close friend, campaign manager and prior deputy chief of staff, when the affair became public in 2007. Tourk resigned after Rippey told him that she had been sleeping with their boss, she writes.

At the time, Newsom was newly divorced from Kimberly Guilfoyle and he apologized in front of a gaggle of reporters who packed his office for a news conference, admitting “everything you’ve heard and read is true.” Later, he said he was seeking treatment for alcohol abuse.

In the essay, Rippey details that the affair with Newsom happened when she was a new mother and when her drinking, which had been a problem before the relationship, spiraled out of control.

Rippey writes that their relationship began in July 2005 after a wedding at a Napa Valley estate and spanned months, with intermittent sexual encounters until she entered rehab in May 2006.

They met at his penthouse in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, at a private back room in a bar in North Beach and at the W Hotel in Los Angeles, she writes.

“We meet and we drink. There is sex, but it isn’t the point. The point is proximity — to power, to being chosen, to feeling newly visible — no longer muted by pregnancy, by new motherhood, by the strain of white-knuckling long stretches of sobriety,” she writes. “It isn’t love. It isn’t romance. It’s intoxication.”

Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said on Tuesday that Newsom acknowledged his role and publicly apologized for the affair nearly two decades ago.

“In the time since, he met his wife, started a family and has focused on serving Californians. He addressed this chapter of his life, including in his memoir, and out of respect for everyone involved, does not have anything further to add,” Gardon said.

The affair occurred while Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Francisco.

(San Francisco Chronicle / Hearst Newspapers)

Newsom faced renewed criticism for the affair during the 2018 governor’s race amid a larger reckoning over sexual misconduct in politics, corporate America and Hollywood. But Rippey has said she doesn’t see herself as a victim of a powerful man.

“Yes, I was a subordinate, but I was also a free-thinking, 33-yr old adult married woman & mother. (I also happened to have an unfortunate inclination towards drinking-to-excess & self-destruction.),” she wrote on Facebook at the time.

She still doesn’t place blame on the governor for what happened, but noted in her essay that in the post-#MeToo era she came to realize that her then-boss had a responsibility to “hold the line.”

“That didn’t happen. But I didn’t stumble into the space left open — I saw a possibility and went for it,” she writes. “Both things are true: I am responsible for what I did. Power does not distribute consequences evenly.”

For Newsom, she writes, the affair is merely a “footnote in a longer arc of ascent. For me, it is the fracture that split my life into before and after.”

In his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,” published this year, Newsom acknowledges the liaison with Rippey, describing it as “the briefest of affairs.”

He also writes that he admitted the betrayal to Tourk, a detail that Rippey takes issue with in her essay. She says she was the one who first broke the devastating news to her husband via email while she was at her parent’s house in Napa and he was home in San Francisco with their young son.

“But resentment is a luxury I can’t afford,” she writes. “Instead, I return to gratitude, not for the affair, not for the pain I caused Alex, but for the totality of what followed. I required something catastrophic to change direction. Something that made the cost of going back — of drinking again — unthinkable.”

After the affair, Rippey and Tourk divorced but continued to co-parent their son, who is now an adult. She’s been sober for 20 years, she writes, remarried and now has a son with her second husband.

“The damage was mine,” she writes at the conclusion of her essay. “But so is the life rebuilt in its wake.”

Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.

OLIVIA Attwood’s plan to beat Pete Wicks’ ‘friends to lovers’ curse has been revealed as the couple’s romance becomes ‘special and serious’.

Pete, 37, has long been close to various high profile women, but it seems his relationship with ITV golden girl Olivia, 35, is far different from the rest.

Pete and Olivia’s eight-year-long friendship has recently developed into a romantic relationship, and there’s a clear sign that she is keen to protect herself from the “friends to lovers to exes” arc that Pete has often become embroiled in.

In a bid to ensure their relationship doesn’t end in the same way as his splits from other high profile women, Olivia has protected herself by doing one key thing.

Olivia hasn’t hard-launched Pete on social media, and is clearly letting him do all the leg work – with her keen to focus on herself, her career and the empire she is building.

Although there have been very subtle hints here and there, like when they went on a staycation together, and when they walked their dogs in the same place – Olivia has been reluctant to reveal, outright, that they are in a relationship.

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Olivia Attwood strips to pink bra & thong as she makes cheeky joke to stylist

Pete hard-launched their relationship on July 16, with Olivia not returning the favour with a blatantly obvious post since.

Unlike Liv, he’s also spoke candidly about his romance – with his pal Sam Thompson on their Staying Relevant podcast.

Last week, Sam cheekily asked Pete: “You were on your holidays?”

“Yes, I hadn’t seen Liv for two and a half weeks, so I went to see Liv,” replied Pete.

He quickly added: “Don’t make this a thing,” with Sam jokingly feigning shock.

“So I went to see Liv, it was wonderful to see her, been two and a half weeks. We had a fabulous time. I have really hurt my back because I was backflipping off boats.

“We went for lovely dinners, we went to clubs, we drank a lot, it was magical in probably the best way to describe it.”

Olivia has however only posted a video on TikTok, which features her and Pete’s dogs being fed on a rooftop, with Pete’s tattooed arm coming into shot momentarily.

She also shared a photo of their dogs together on her Instagram stories, which Pete reposted to his and penned: “Hard launch no.2.”

Speaking to The Sun about Olivia’s decision to keep things as private as possible, a source revealed: “What they have right now is special.

“Because her other relationships have played out so publicly, she’s making a conscious effort to keep it close to her chest.

“She’s aware that in the industry she’s in, people want to know details, but this time she wants to keep something back, to herself.

“It’s serious and a more grown up relationship.”

In contrast, PeteHe has also said rather a lot about Olivia, which is something he would never normally do with girlfriends.

Throughout his several years of fame, Pete has gotten close to a number of stunning reality stars.

In his days on The Only Way Is Essex, Pete was close to Chloe Sims, with them publicly known as “best friends”.

Pete and Ella Rae Wise also had a close bond on Towie, with them even referring to one another as “special friends”.

He also struck up a very close relationship with Maura Higgins, which transitioned from a long-time friendship into a private romance.

But they parted ways after she publicly spoke about their romance while appearing on I’m A Celebrity, and later worried that he might have been “messing around behind her back”.

Meanwhile, Olivia was in a relationship with Bradley Dack for an on-and-off period of 10 years, from when they first met in 2015 until their final split in January 2026.

Olivia and Pete met in 2017 at the Specsavers Awards in London, which was six years before she married Brad.

On the night she and Pete met, they were seated at the same table and spent the entire night chatting and joking around.

They remained friends for years before they launched their radio show, The Sunday Roast, on KISS FM.

But things heated up between them in 2025 when they went on holiday to Ibiza, and people started to get suspicious of their bond.

At the time, photos emerged of Liv and Pete looking close and cuddling on a yacht, which sparked rumours they were more than friends.

It was later revealed, following Olivia’s marriage split, that Bradley had long suspected something.

“He’s suspected things for the past year but she’s always denied it,” a source told The Sun in March 2026.

When cosy pictures of the pair on an Ibiza yacht trip first sparked rumours of something more than friends, Olivia brushed off speculation by saying: “I think it’s to be expected when you’ve got two straight people working together.”

She added at the time: “It happened when I first joined Towie and Pete and I became very close. We spent a lot of time together and there was a rumour mill spinning back then.”

Olivia had always downplayed her friendship with Pete, and even branded him “repulsive” two years before they got together.

Speaking on Olivia’s podcast Olivia’s House with her ex Bradley, the pair discussed some of the listeners’ dilemmas.

One listener shared how they were worried about how their boyfriend was texting one of their female friends every day.

Olivia shared her thoughts on the situation and said: “I am very sceptical about female and male relationships when they are both straight.

“I just feel like one side would always let it be more.

“One exception to this rule is Pete. No because we both find each other repulsive.

“But at the same time, Pete and I are friends. We don’t talk every day.”

She added: “I don’t like it personally.”

Love Island fans have been left furious after dramatic scenes played out between Aidan and Priya and he tried to salvage his relationship with her after his “disrespectful” comment

Love Island fans have been left furious after dramatic scenes played out between Aidan and Priya. The couple had been going strong on the ITV2 reality dating show, but things went awry when Aidan made a comment about his significant other, claiming that she “pounced” on him when they were in bed.

The property broker, 23, came under fire from the public and his fellow contestants for the way he spoke, and swept the board on Wednesday night’s episode during the Graftie Awards, scooping up publicly voted titles of Flirtiest Performance, Plot Twist Award, and Raunchiest Moment.

After it all played out, Priya and Aidan had a heart-to-heart about where they are at as a couple as they went on their first date, with Aidan trying to explain that he doesn’t necessarily have feelings for the business development manager, 25, but still hopes to build some sort of future with her.

Speaking about his comment directly, she told him: “It makes a girl feel a certain type of way… it’s nasty.”

Later on, around the makeup table, the girls tried to persuade Priya that Aidan’s comment was “disrespectful” and opined that he would never have said it if he really did love her.

Taking to X, one fan said: “this series is just a priya humiliation ritual atp, and another said: “Priya… Calm down!”…. SORRY!???? Aidan bro dont piss me off”

A third wrote: “I’m sorry but Priya is not in the wrong. What Asian said is digusting.” A fourth said: “you definitely did deserve them aidan”

Other Islanders, including Jasmine, have accused the couple of being “fake” and viewers certainly had a lot to say about that as well.

One said: “Why can’t we vote couples out? I am so sick of mica and samraj and Aidan and priya they really don’t need any more time in there blowing their own horns saying there still there. ITS CAUSE WE CANT PUBLICLY VOTE.”

Another said: “Jas I like you but Julia’s opinion has f*ck all to do with her wanting to see Aidan and Priya together. We can all see that their connection isn’t real by the way Aidan carries himself. Please REST.”

Another said: “Jasmine wants Aiden’s validation so bad and it’s so disgusting to watch. This is a well educated woman embarrassing herself on live TV for bunch of losers. “

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NEW YORK — The WNBA has grown at an exponential rate during Cathy Engelbert’s tenure as commissioner, a stewardship that at times has been tumultuous during her nearly seven years at the helm.

Engelbert, the second-longest tenured WNBA president or commissioner, helped negotiate a transformative collective bargaining agreement this past spring that gives the WNBA its first core of million-dollar player salaries.

“There’s not a lot of jobs where you can make over 30-plus millionaires instantly, right?” Engelbert said in a phone interview with the Associated Press heading into this weekend’s WNBA All-Star festivities in Chicago. “It just doesn’t exist in most companies, except if you’re like a stock-option company, and your stock does really well. Most of them are under the age of 30 and there are more to come.”

Even with the financial gains, the WNBA’s growth has come amid a strained partnership between the commissioner and players. Engelbert has been criticized for how she has handled various situations, including for being out of touch or not doing enough to help combat social media vitriol.

Engelbert will meet with the executive committee of the players’ union on Tuesday to discuss the recent uptick in online hatred and threats directed toward players.

New York Liberty All-Star Breanna Stewart, vice president of the WNBA players’ union executive committee, said there is a respect for Engelbert among the players, just not much of a relationship.

Her Liberty teammate, Sabrina Ionescu, said she talks more to NBA commissioner Adam Silver than Engelbert.

WNBA business is booming

While the commissioner continues to try and strengthen her relationship with players, the business of the WNBA has thrived.

Engelbert was involved in talks that led to a record media rights deal worth over $3 billion. The league has had record ratings, attendance and team valuations, and will expand to a record 18 teams by 2030.

“We’ve been in hypergrowth mode now for two or three years and companies, if you look back in time, you are not in hypergrowth mode forever,” Engelbert said. “We’re preparing ourselves now for the next version of ourselves, which probably isn’t as hypergrowth.”

From a business standpoint, though, the league has grown, including navigating the coronavirus pandemic that could have crippled the WNBA.

“Give Cathy credit, as she advocated for the season,” Seattle Storm owner Ginny Gilder said. “We had no idea what was going to happen. People had to make decisions. Cathy pushed the Board of Governors to not only have a shortened season, but to fully pay the players. Don’t bicker. We were going to figure out the finances.”

Expansion fees have gone up five-fold over the past few seasons. Golden State paid $50 million to join the league and Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — all joining the league over the next four years — each paid $250 million.

“Look at the financial side in such a short period of time — Cathy with all the work she did and the staff she hired deserves a tremendous amount of credit for that,” Gilder said. “If you look around the league from 2015 to 2020 to now, you know it is a completely new day.”

Valuations of teams were around $5 million to $10 million a decade ago and now the average is around $460 million, Engelbert said.

“When you’re CEO, when you’re commissioner, you’re going to have good days and bad days. But if you just looked at the overall scorecard, you’d have to say we’re doing great,” Washington Mystics owner Ted Leonsis said.

More endorsements for WNBA players

It’s nearly impossible to turn on a major sporting event over the past few years without seeing a WNBA player featured in a commercial. From Gatorade to State Farm, Nike and CarMax, product ads feature some of the league’s top newsmakers, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu.

Engelbert said when Clark was drafted, it created a “domino effect, because they started seeing the value of putting players in their ads and then separately endorsing the players. I’m really proud of that because when I came to the league, absent a few sneakers ads, I don’t remember any players in spots. Maybe there were a few.”

The commissioner has seen the trend continue with younger players coming into the league, including Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Olivia Miles.

“Everybody sees the W is here to stay,” the commissioner said.

The commissioner’s future and what’s next for the WNBA

Engelbert deflected questions about her future other than to say she’s turning 62 this year and that was the mandatory retirement age at her old job at Deloitte, where she was the president.

“I haven’t given it a ton of thought. We’ll think about it,” Engelbert said of how long she will stay in her current role, adding she is “focused on the whack-a-mole that is our season. I always tell people don’t focus on me, focus on the rest of my team.

“You always want to leave an organization better than you found it. Internally we’re proud of the team we’ve built.”

Silver said in Las Vegas that he supports what Engelbert is doing.

“I think Cathy continues to do a strong job building that league,” the NBA commissioner said. “We’ll have ongoing discussions about what the future looks like.”

With media rights stable for the next decade as well as labor peace achieved and expansion finished for the immediate future, Engelbert said her list of priorities includes a look at officiating, with WNBA referees finding themselves at the center of questions from frustrated players, coaches and fans. She also wants to help teams with lower attendance improve those numbers, and expand the league’s international footprint.

Feinberg writes for the Associated Press.

SINCE stepping out of the stand-up spotlight, Johnny Vegas has embraced a calmer life running an antiques business – and now his long-term partner is getting involved.

In a new interview, the Benidorm star has opened up about Vikki Jones in a rare glimpse int his love life.

Johnny, 55, has been dating Vikki for three years and says the pair love working together.

He told The Times: “They say never work with your partner, but it’s great. She and Bev make fun of me most of the time.”

Bev is Johnny’s self-described “long-suffering” childhood friend and assistant, who appears alongside him in his Quest series Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop Of Antiques.

Explaining why he rarely speaks about Vikki publicly, Johnny said: “I wasn’t keeping it under cover, but I don’t share much about it on social media.”

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His antiques venture, Vintage Vegas, began as a pop-up shop at Dagfields Craft and Antique Centre near Nantwich, Cheshire.

It featured in his eight-part TV series, which followed Johnny and Bev as they hunted for unusual treasures to sell.

Johnny describe his business venture as “collectable things of all sorts, really.

“I have a very dangerous bit of knowledge on lots of things. I couldn’t tell you about 18th-century furniture or anything, but I have to think I like it and hopefully I have an eye for this stuff.”

The Benidorm star admitted he was initially unsure whether customers would visit just to get a selfie.

He said: “It’ll be an interesting experiment to see if people come in not just to see me.

“We’ll find out if it’s viable down the line when the circus has left town, so to speak. We’re learning as we go. I never thought I’d see myself as a shopkeeper.”

Johnny has also opened up about stepping away from stand-up comedy after years of struggling with nerves.

He said: “Stand-up was great, but it was manic. The nerves took their toll. Never say never, but I just see that as a project that needs to rest.”

Johnny was previously married to Kitty Donnelly from 2002 until 2008, and they share an adult son, Michael.

He wed his second wife, Irish broadcaster Maia Dunphy, in 2011.

The former couple, who share 11-year-old son Tom, announced their separation in 2018 and later briefly reconciled before splitting again.

It feels like the World Cup started only yesterday, but we’re quickly approaching the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday. Even if soccer isn’t a sport you typically watch, it was hard not to get sucked into the enthusiasm of the game and cheer for the teams, whether you had a connection to a particular country or not. If you’re among the viewers who are going to feel a little melancholy after it’s all over, you’re not alone. Culture critic Mary McNamara has been enthusiastically following the matches, and if you’re feeling more globally minded as a result, she came up with a list of international TV shows to watch when the the World Cup is over.

My colleagues at De Los, who, like many of us, have been watching the matches on Telemundo (I count myself among them), might be following up their World Cup viewing with some episodes of “El Señor de los Cielos,” the network’s long-running series starring veteran Mexican actor Rafael Amaya. The ads for the show have been a constant between timeouts and matches, and I’m intrigued. And I’ll admit the racy ads for “El Turco” also caught my eye — Telemundo knows exactly what it is doing.

And as the global event winds down, if you’re still hankering to watch something sports related, you’re in luck because Netflix released its latest comedy starring Will Ferrell, “The Hawk,” in which the comedic actor plays Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins,” the greatest golfer in the world. The series, which Ferrell created with longtime collaborators Harper Steele and Chris Henchy, reunites him with fellow “Saturday Night Live” alums Molly Shannon and Chris Parnell. However, the person you’ll see him most with onscreen is his co-star Fortune Feimster. The stand-up comedian and actor dropped by Guest Spot to chat about the new series, her experience with golf and what it was like to go toe-to-toe with Ferrell, one of her comedy heroes.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend a romance horror film that set the internet ablaze earlier this year and a classic British spy series. — Maira Garcia

Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in “Obsession.”

(Focus Features)

“Obsession” (Peacock)

After earning $428 million worldwide at the box office (on a $750,000 budget) and sending shock waves through Hollywood, the cautionary love story in this romance horror film hits streaming. Directed by YouTuber-turned-horror-auteur Curry Barker, the film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a shy, hapless guy who, after being unable to summon the courage to confess his feelings for friend and co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette), dubiously turns to a one-wish willow toy and hopes for her to “love him more than anyone else in the world.” And, well, the results are chilling — in large part due to Navarrette’s ability to go from completely charming to completely frightening with just her face. If you want to understand some of the online discourse the film has ignited — what it says about consent, its plot holes, whether it’s worthy of the hype or just what the heck was up with that walking backward moment — here’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about. — Yvonne Villarreal

Patrick McGoohan stars in the 1967 TV series “The Prisoner.”

(ITC Entertainent)

“The Prisoner” (Criterion Channel)

The 17 episodes of “The Prisoner,” Patrick McGoohan‘s 1967 existentialist, anti-authoritarian, anti-nationalist, mod-a-go-go avant-garde ode to individualism, have been given a deserved berth in the cinematic pantheon that is the Criterion Channel, looking clean and crisp and immediate. Created in an era rife with screen spies — including the one creator-star McGoohan had previously played in the show aired here as “Secret Agent” — its hero is a British operative who resigns his job in the opening credits, only to find himself imprisoned in a fanciful seaside village — a kind of Baroque hilltown impression of a holiday camp. His unidentified jailers believe there must be a darker reason for his resignation and spend the series attempting it to extract it with elaborate charades, gizmos and gadgets, while our hero spends it trying to bring them down and/or escape. (A giant floating white ball provides creepy security.) Unwilling to bend, impossible to break, McGoohan at once upends the James Bond mythos and provides a dashing hero, clever, witty and terribly attractive. — Robert Lloyd

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

In “The Hawk,” Fortune Feimster plays Sam, who becomes the caddie for Lonnie (Ferrell).

(Colleen E. Hayes / Netflix)

“The Hawk” gives us a tour of the golf world through the eyes of the titular Lonnie Hawkins (Ferrell), whose better days in the game appear to be behind him. With his trusty caddie Old Henry (Keith David) by his side, he’s feeling like things are looking up — until Old Henry dies suddenly. Lonnie is heartbroken, but he’s not deterred, choosing to continue his ambitious return to the PGA Tour, leading him to be extremely late to Old Henry’s funeral and making a disastrous entrance.

But who will be his new caddie? Enter Sam, played by Feimster, a drifter Lonnie meets in a Walmart parking lot when he pulls over his tour bus. Sam’s late-model Cadillac is broken down in the parking lot, but that doesn’t get her down. Lonnie and Sam strike up a fast friendship, and before you know it, she’s driving his bus and working as his caddie on the course, encouraging him as he goes up against foes like Golden Fisk (Luke Wilson), Anton (Parnell) and even his own son, Lance (Jimmy Tatro), with whom he has a difficult relationship. Her methods are unusual — Sam doesn’t know much about golf, but their mutual love of fast-casual dining and pickles (a running gag in the show) gets them through.

“I’m excited for people to see another big broad comedy,” she says about “The Hawk.” “You know, we need to laugh. That’s what’s been missing, I think, from our current times is we need some more laughter, some more levity.”

The actor spoke about hers and Ferrell’s onscreen friendship, which has become a real-life friendship thanks to their mutual love of sports, how a silly musical moment in the finale came together and why you might see her and interior designer Jeff Lewis together again soon. — M.G.

I feel like a lot of your comedy has some sensibility of who you are as a person and where you come from — the South. How did you relate to Sam in this series?

The heart of Sam was something I really responded to. I love that this was a really silly, wacky character where I got to show off the broad comedy that I often enjoy doing. But I appreciated the trajectory of the character, that they allowed me to have this range where I got to show emotion and be disappointed and angry and just go through a mix of emotions as an actor. That was a really cool road to get to go down. But I love the heart that she had. And I think that’s something that I try to incorporate in my own life, positivity and cheering people on and that belief in people that they can do it.

How much did you know about golf before taking role?

Not much, honestly, other than a few rounds at Top Golf. [Laughs] I’m a sports gal. I love sports. I played sports my whole life, but for whatever reason, golf was the one sport I did not partake in … I even played college sports. This was the one I didn’t have much knowledge of, but luckily my character did not need any knowledge of golf. It almost was beneficial that I did not know what I was talking about. So when Will’s character needed a club, and I had no clue which one it was, that was all very real.

Do you think the show helps make golf more relatable? Golf is presented as a highbrow sport, but Sam and Lonnie, they’re grounded. He found Sam in a Walmart parking lot.

I definitely think it makes it more palatable for people that aren’t familiar with that world. I think that’s why you start rooting for this character, because he’s the outsider that doesn’t necessarily fit in that world. You kind of like that chaos that he brings to this very posh, very put-together sport. That’s why I think you find a lot of comedy in the juxtaposition of that. Comedy’s all about tension and release, and you have a lot of tension with that stuffy golf world and that competition, and then the release is this fun comedy, ridiculous people, crazy outfits — it’s fun to watch the two worlds collide.

I’m so glad you mentioned crazy outfits because there’s this scene where Sam gets herself a leather suit as a reward. Was it hot to wear?

As a comedian, the suit was incredible because it was so ridiculous. And of course, my character would waste her money on something like that right away instead of being responsible with it and saving it. As an actor, that suit was so, so hot. We were filming in the hottest parts of the Valley of L.A. and they did everything they could to make it not just like … my body sweated every two seconds. It sure was rough at times. But for the look of it all and the comedy of it all, it was worth it.

There’s another great moment, in the finale, where you’re trying to motivate Lonnie and you start singing the Chili’s “Baby Back Ribs” song. Was that in the script?

That was in the script, mainly just because anything song related had to have clearance. But there was a lot of riffing between him and I about fast food restaurants and about restaurants in general, and a lot of that was off the cuff, he and I just talking as people about all the fast food restaurants we love. The Chili’s song is that iconic jingle that everybody knows. We took it very seriously getting to sing it with each other … and we were practicing like, “OK, you take this part,” and he’d be like, “OK, no, you keep going, and then I’ll come in.” It felt like a real musical situation that we were prepping for.

Oh, my God, I need to see that outtake. I would be dying.

Luke [Wilson, who plays Golden Fisk] said he had passed by us practicing, and he said it was such a surreal moment seeing how serious Will and I were taking this song.

Fortune Feimster as Sam and Will Ferrell as Lonnie in “The Hawk.”

(Colleen E. Hayes / Netflix)

Speaking of Will, I went through our archives and you told one of our writers in 2023 that you hoped to one day have a career like Will Ferrell’s. Now you’re starring in a show with him. What was it like working with him, and do you feel like you’re getting closer to that goal?

The experience of working with him was definitely a dream come true — he and Molly Shannon, the fact that I’m with both of them on the show is pretty crazy. I feel like everyone growing up has their “SNL” cast that they are like, “That’s my cast, that’s who I watched every Saturday,” and they were definitely my cast. My early knowledge of comedy comes from them, and I’m sure there’s a big influence of them in my comedy now, having watched them religiously. To now be on a show with the two of them does not feel real at times.

What’s nice is I’d done two movies with Will, like very small parts, and had hoped that that would lead to something more in the future and was so lucky that it did. But we really got to know each other a lot better on this show, obviously, because I was basically his right-hand person the entire show. I would say 85% of what I filmed was with him. We just hit it off right away. Our energies are very similar. We’re very similar in our outlook. Our sensibilities of comedy are very similar.

We became genuine friends. He’ll pick me up and take me to a Lakers game. We just went to the World Cup game together. We definitely have a bond of sports. It’s so cool to not only get to be working with someone I admire so much and a comedy hero, but to now be genuine friends, it’s pretty incredible. I’m so lucky that I’m in that position.

What World Cup game did you guys go to?

We went to USA vs. Turkey here in L.A. He wore his visor that says “Hawk” on it. We kept trying to get the camera guy’s attention because we weren’t sitting in a box. We wanted to be in the mix … with the fans, and so no one expected to see Will sitting there amongst the fans.

After halftime, they go around and show different [celebrities] like, “Leonardo DiCaprio is here.” I said, “Will, the camera guy’s looking at us.” Everyone in our section got really pumped about it. We show up on the Jumbotron, and our whole section starts going nuts. And I’m pointing at Will’s hat, he’s dancing, and we didn’t know that it was also on TV. My phone blew up for like the next 30 minutes because everyone and their mother was watching this soccer game. We ended up inadvertently promoting “The Hawk” on this really big world stage.

What’s a TV series or film that you’ve watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone?

I feel like it’s not something that I have to recommend, so many people know of it, but I really loved “Hacks” [HBO Max], and especially this last season of it, I felt like they wrapped it up so beautifully. Sometimes these shows have this good run, and then they sort of fumble it at the end, and I just thought the way they ended that show really serviced all of their characters in such a great way and highlighted this really beautiful friendship from people of different generations.

What’s your comfort watch, a TV show or film that you love to return to and watch over and over again?

A movie that I could watch no matter what … is “Bridesmaids” [Peacock, Hulu]. That movie never gets old. I just think it’s one of the best comedies. Of course, as a female comedian, I love a group of women doing funny things together. And those particular women are just so incredible. I’ve gotten lucky enough to work with Kristen [Wiig] and Annie [Mumolo] — I did “Barb and Star [Go to Vista Del Mar]” with Kristen and Annie. Even though I was a tiny part of that movie, I can watch that movie over and over again. I just love their sensibilities as writers as well.

I promised my colleague I would ask you one more question, about getting your house renovated by Jeff Lewis on “Flipping Out” and what that was like.

That always cracks me up how many people saw that show. I’m working with him right now. I have a new house that he is helping with at the moment.

I mean, listen, he’s a big personality. There’s a reason why they gave him “Flipping Out” for so many years that he has a radio show now [“Jeff Lewis Live” on SiriusXM], and they’re actually bringing his “Flipping Out” show back [“Still Flipping Out” on Bravo], which I did a little bit of that show as well. But as an interior designer, he definitely has this — he kind of walks into a space and you see him calculate things, like “A Beautiful Mind,” where he’s seeing everything in front of him, and he’s very decisive. I’m very indecisive with interior design. Even though he has this … over-the-top personality, as a designer, he’s so gifted. And when you see his work, you’re like, “Oh, my God, this is incredible.”

Obviously he and I have a funny rapport with each other, but now also doing this house, I feel like I’ve learned even more to the point where I know when to give it back to him a little bit. He likes that little ribbing of each other.

ICYMI

Must-read stories you might have missed

Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky have reportedly split.

The comedy power couple are calling it quits after 18 years of marriage, according to TMZ. A source told the outlet that the pair separated a couple of months ago but remain amicable and plan to continue co-hosting their podcast, “Your Mom’s House.”

Reps for Segura and Pazsitzky did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

Segura, 47, and Pazsitzky, 50, tied the knot in November 2008. Segura told “TigerBelly” podcast in 2018 that he met Pazsitzky while they were both doing open mic nights around Los Angeles. She was in a relationship with someone else (whom she lived with), so Segura and Pazsitzky were just friends. According to Segura, there was no flirtation in the early days, and he treated her with the respect he did any other fellow comic.

“I always thought she was attractive, but she was taken,” he said. “And then I got the call from one of my spies. … They broke up. And I was like, ‘I’m gonna swing in there, see what’s up.’”

According to Segura, he tried to ask Pazsitzky on what he thought was an L.A.-appropriate date — a hike — and she said no. He thought that meant she wasn’t interested in him, when, really, she just wasn’t interested in hiking.

“I called her the next time, and she’s like, ‘Hey, I know this bar you can still smoke at. Do you want to go there?’ And I was like, ‘OK. This is why she doesn’t want to go on a hike.’ So then, yeah, we went on dates and it just continued.”

Both comedians have used their marriage as source material for their comedy routines over the years and discuss their relationship on various podcast appearances, but especially on their own podcast, “Your Mom’s House,” which debuted in 2012.

In 2024, Pazsitzky told The Times that when they launched the podcast “we lived in a crummy two-bedroom apartment, we were newlyweds and we had no money. We got a mixing board, two mics and a computer, and at that point, we slept in one room and used the other room as an office. It bordered this other house where this lady would cook the smelliest food and have aggressive sex.”

“Oh, yeah, she was newly divorced and very performative with orgasms too,” Segura added.

The couple, who have two children, also spoke about their relocation from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, in search of a slower pace and easier travel while touring. “Our lives are very normal, and we’re grounded family people. At the end of the day, we come home, our kids fart on Tom’s head, and I make dinner.”

Mothers and daughters are often caught in a double bind: biologically kindred yet divided by competing claims on identity and selfhood. In Cay Kim’s debut novel “The Future Perfect”, that bond is tangled by cultural discontinuity.

The novel’s mother has been reared in a South Korean household that places a high value on academic rigor and head-down discipline. She devotes all of her energy to grinding that work ethic into her daughter (Kim’s characters are unnamed), who is shuttled between her native Seoul and Minnesota, and grapples with finding the one true way for her to navigate the world.

I spoke with Kay, a native of Seoul who relocated to the States, about mothers, daughters and the unstoppable power of language.

✍️ Author Chat

Author Cay Kim

(Margaryta Bushkin)

This is your first novel. Did you start writing it in college?

This actually originated from a long poem that I wrote. I didn’t know I was going to turn it into a novel at the time. I just had the idea, the summer before my MFA, to expand each stanza into a chapter. That made the writing process relatively easier for me because it was such a straightforward process. I already had the frame of it.

Even though the novel is grounded in a very specific milieu — that of a child who is ensnared between Korean and American cultures — it’s very much a universal story, of a mother who feels the burden of raising a perfect daughter and is resentful when the daughter rebels against her ministrations.

It’s something that occupies so much of my head space. I wanted the mother to be portrayed as a victim of her society. The way that people choose to parent isn’t something that they learn in a vacuum. She has deep-seated beliefs about suffering and self-abnegation. But there’s a point at which an act of service risks inverting into a selfish act.

A big concept for the mother is endurance.

Exactly. It’s a generational trauma the mother is dealing with. She has had such ingrained beliefs passed down to her, and she’s unable to recognize when her methods result in her own mental and physical splintering, as well as her daughter’s.

Is it a function of the mother’s ego, or some kind of twisted narcissism?

She is putting herself through so much suffering because she believes she is doing the right thing. And there’s an extent to how much you can excuse that self-unawareness.

Yet despite this, the daughter feels tied to her mother, even when they are at loggerheads and she is living thousands of miles away.

The mother is such an integral part of the daughter’s consciousness that severance is impossible. They have a shared history and the daughter wants to share things with her mother, even when they are fighting. When she feels lonely at Stanford, the daughter verbalizes the fact that she has learned loneliness from her mother.

There are a lot of scenes in the novel tied to meals prepared by either the mother or the grandmother.

I do a lot of thinking about how cooking plays a role in our everyday lives. It’s something that people can spend hours preparing, only to have it disappear. It’s her mother’s domain. It is so opposed to the way the father thinks, which is very much tied to capital, to amassing and saving money.

The daughter really comes into herself when she is exposed to American culture.

Minnesota is where she acquires language for the first time. Language is so important to this character. Then she is shuffled back to Korea, and this disjunction is the thing that propels her narrative development. But as the story goes on, the daughter reaches a point where she has such mastery of expression and that is a power she acquires.

“The Future Perfect” is written in a very precise and concise way. What fiction writers do you admire, or who may have served as models?

I love writers whose use of language jolts the mind. My favorite writer of all time is Marguerite Duras. “The Lover” reads so easy but when you pay attention to the language, it’s very precisely engineered. I also love Clarice Lispector, for the way she expresses human spirituality.

Is this book drawn from your life? I ask that only because your protagonist winds up attending Stanford, as you did.

When I first started learning how to write, my teacher always used to say that writing shouldn’t necessarily contain the factual truth, but it should have emotional truth. And I feel like that has been the core of my writing practice throughout my life, and that even for those that don’t think consciously about it, that’s often the case.

This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.

📰 The Week(s) in Books

Country music performer Kenny Chesney sat down with Holly Gleason, the co-author of his new memoir, to talk about writing the book.

(Jill Trunnell)

The state of Ohio is celebrating America’ssemiquincentennial by offering a statewide reading project that features Toni Morrison’s fictional oeuvre, thus providing a vivid alternative history of the country. “Not only does her work re-center African Americans in the story of our country, it also tackles major events from our founding, through slavery, to the impact of Jim Crow, to the great migration and beyond,” Literary Cleveland Executive Director Matt Weinkam tells Leigh Haber.

Chef-Podcaster-Author etc. Eddie Huang has written his first novel, a lightly autobiographical twirl through the foodie-verse called “Come Undone.“ “This book was very much about breaking up with your family to start your own,” he tells Mariella Rudi.

At a time when teen literacy is declining, Rudi polled five high school teachers to find out what books students should be reading now.

Gabrielle Korn’s novel “Long Island Girls” is a Millennial coming-of-age story that drips with Y2K nostalgia and the ways in which youthful optimism and hope can drift into middle-aged cynicism. “One thing I wanted to capture about early adulthood is the constant humiliation,” Korn tells Emily St. Martin. “The thing about being young is that people are so resentful of your youth, but you don’t understand that it’s resentment, you just think everybody hates you.”

📖 Bookstore Faves

The Loved Ones bookshop

(James Alan Duran)

J.C. Gabel, the owner of local book imprint Hat and Beard, has opened a new bookshop called The Loved One, and it already feels like an essential anchor for Historic Filipinotown’s burgeoning cultural scene. The store, which is also a gallery and events space, is expansive (5,000 square feet) and inviting, with patinated hardwood floors and a wall of picture windows that bathes the interior in natural light. I spoke with Gabel about his future plans for his new space.

What is the mission statement of The Loved One?

The Loved One reflects our ongoing commitment to independent publishing, original exhibitions, and the belief that books (and ideas within them) are best experienced in conversation with one another, in-person, whenever possible. In our post-post digital age, the serendipitous nature of organically curating physical objects is, in a sense, the point of the entire operation. We envision The Loved One as a space where everyone can exchange ideas, free from data-mining tech overlords, AI slop and click-bait tomfoolery.

What kind of books are you selling?

We’re going to focus mostly on new books about the visual arts, but we’ll also have several curated tables of fiction and nonfiction organized by subject and publisher, to highlight and promote the work of publishers we admire. Moreover, our genre-based book clubs and live author events — which will run weekly by August — will also influence the titles carried in the shop, too. Lastly, we’re bringing back Big Table, our books and conversation podcast — which we started with Dub Lab during COVID — now that we have a physical space to host and record these conversations.

It’s a very large space. What are your plans for it?

We are really keeping the space as modular as possible so we can change the interior of both storefronts to exhibit art and photography, as well as host author events, artist talks, live music, comedy, book clubs, etc.

You’re also a publisher, with Hat and Beard. How will that tie into The Loved One?

At least half of the arts programming I bring to the table will tie back to Hat and Beard’s original publications; the other half will be curated by Aubrie Wienholt and her team, working in tandem with myself and the H&B family. H&B will, of course, continue to program events all over the city regularly, but it will be nice to have a storefront again for the publishing house. We also intend to sell our rare and limited edition bundles of our books at TLO. There will finally be a physical space where one can come see this work in person before purchasing.

What about Historic Filipinotown? The Loved One is such a cool addition to what is becoming a vital cultural hub for L.A.

We are honored and thrilled to be working out of Historic Filipinotown. So much has opened in and around this neighborhood since COVID. It is a really vibrant community. There is a great camaraderie among all the small businesses in and around our cluster off Temple Street and Glendale Boulevard. Our immediate neighbors, Couplet Coffee and the bar 1642, are both actively involved in our programming monthly: Couplet has sent over a pop-up barista to serve coffee and tea at our literary events, and most of our after-parties are now held at 1642, two doors down.

Some of us are booked and busy six days a week traveling to the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji by way of the current season of “Love Island USA.” But sometimes an escape needs an escape. Peacock has a new beachy series that adapts Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling 2023 novel, “The Five-Star Weekend.”

Now streaming, the series stars Jennifer Garner as Hollis, a lifestyle influencer grieving the death of her husband who decides to host a getaway to Nantucket with old and new friends — played by Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, D’Arcy Carden and Gemma Chan — to try to heal. It’s primarily a story of grief, resilience and female camaraderie. But there are glimmers of romance, too, courtesy of Hollis’ childhood boyfriend Jack, played by Timothy Olyphant. It reunites Olyphant and Garner two decades after they starred in the 2006 romantic comedy “Catch & Release.” And it’s not the only series that features Olyphant this month. He’ll also appear in Apple TV’s “Lucky,” which premieres Wednesday with two episodes, as a con artist father to the titular character (Anya Taylor-Joy). Olyphant stopped by Guest Spot to discuss both series.

But this week didn’t just bring new summer launches. A look back at some of the standout series and performances from the recent season of television arrived Wednesday when 2026 Emmy nominations were announced. HBO Max’s “The Pitt” and “Hacks” led the pack — you can check out the full list of nominees here. But you may have more fun reading what our awards czar Glenn Whipp considered a snub or a surprise — come for his pitch-perfect Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding comparison, stay for his astute observations. We also checked in with some of this year’s nominees: Rhea Seehorn (“Pluribus”), Sepideh Moafi (“The Pitt”) and Matthew Rhys (“Widow’s Bay”). (And, hey, if you’re a fan of “Widow’s Bay,” be sure to check out TV critic Robert Lloyd’s brilliant spotlight on K Callan, who has received well-earned praise for her turn as Ruth, the town’s forgetful secretary with a secret.)

Elsewhere in Screen Gab, our writers recommend two animated series that expand two beloved franchises. One focuses on the early days of your favorite “Adventure Time” duo, Finn the Human and Jake the Dog, the other revisits Marvel’s band of heroic mutants.

Meanwhile, I’ve been on my own nostalgia kick, revisiting episodes of “Tales From the Crypt” on Shudder. That decaying Crypt Keeper’s maniacal laugh, I fear, makes me feel like a kid again. Let’s see how long that lasts. See you next week!

— Yvonne Villarreal

Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Finn and Jake in “Adventure Time: Side Quests.”

(Cartoon Network Studios)

“Adventure Time: Side Quests” (Disney+, Hulu)

We return to the Land of Ooo in the days when Finn the Human (now voiced by Sasha Knight, Jeremy Shada being almost 30) had not yet turned 13, and the order of the day was to go out and fight things. You’d think reviving a cartoon was easy — just draw the characters, make some similar voices — but we are talking about one of the greatest epics of this century, and I approached this revival with some trepidation. First, I looked to see whether longtime showrunner Adam Muto was still in charge, and he isn’t. But new captain Nate Cash is a veteran of the “Adventure Time” art department, wrote more than 40 episodes of “SpongeBob SquarePants” and was the supervising director on Patrick McHale’s great “Over the Garden Wall,” whose art director Nick Cross is the art director here. The new visual style, which dispenses with the usual outlines and detailing in favor of a sort of painterly Little Golden Book look, is jarring at first, but it grows on you — I mean, I’d buy an “Adventure Time” Little Golden Book — and keeps “Side Quests” from reading like a retread. The stories are good, the new monsters inventive. It’s got spunk. Most importantly, John DiMaggio is back as Jake the Dog, along with Tom Kenny as the Ice King, Olivia Olson as Marceline and Hynden Walch as Princess Bubblegum. Even series creator Pendleton Ward popped in to voice Lumpy Space Princess and write an episode — a seal of approval. — Robert Lloyd

A scene from Season 2 of Marvel’s “X-Men ’97.”

(Marvel)

“X-Men ‘97” (Disney+)

Regardless of whether you attribute it to “fatigue,” it’s no secret that comic book superhero stories have struggled to draw audiences to theaters these last few years. But some of the best offerings of the genre have been on TV. “X-Men ‘97” is a revival of one of my formative media experiences — “X-Men: The Animated Series.” Boasting some returning talent among the cast and creatives, “X-Men ‘97” continues the story of the iconic mutant team as they navigate being superheroes in a world that doesn’t always accept them for who they are. The first season leaned into some signature X-Men themes around tolerance, xenophobia and extremist violence while trying to thwart a superpowered genocidal human-android hybrid that wields an army of killer robots. The second season, which premiered earlier this month, picks up after the cliffhanger that saw members of the X-Men team scattered across time to cross paths with different versions of the powerful supervillain Apocalypse. Expect plenty of action, interpersonal tensions and philosophical dilemmas around destiny and morality. — Tracy Brown

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Timothy Olyphant in “Lucky.”

(Jessica Brooks / Apple TV)

Is it even July if Timothy Olyphant isn’t on your screen? Whether you prefer a breezy watch or a grifter thriller, the veteran actor has it covered. In Peacock’s “The Five-Star Weekend,” he plays the cool and charming high school sweetheart who softly orbits the show’s grief-stricken protagonist (Jennifer Garner) as she tries to heal from the death of her husband. The green flags are less obvious with his turn in Apple TV’s crime thriller “Lucky” as John Armstrong, an imprisoned father whose daughter (Anya Taylor-Joy) is on the run after the multimillion-dollar heist he got her caught up in collapses. It has the pair caught between a determined FBI agent (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) and the ruthless mob boss (Annette Bening).

And there’s more Olyphant in the pipeline. Production on Season 2 of FX’s “Alien: Earth” is underway. And later this year, he can be seen reprising his “Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood” character James Stacy — the true-life star of late-1960s western show “Lancer” — in David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth.” When does he sleep? When we caught him by phone in mid-June, he assured us he had just completed a lengthy nap. He discussed what it was like sharing screen time with Bening, reuniting with Garner and the small-time sports event that had his attention. — Y.V.

In “Lucky,” you’re playing a con artist who has brought his daughter into a criminal underworld. What did their father-daughter dynamic reveal to you?

There is something compelling about exploring a relationship in which a man has done a lot of damage to his kid without even seemingly knowing it. The idea of hurting your kids is like just the worst nightmare possible. The idea of doing it without even being aware of it makes it even worse. I knew [creator Jonathan] Tropper was behind it all, and he’s an extremely good writer, so I knew it was in good hands with exploring that material in a really elegant way.

You’re known for playing lawmen, but you have also played antagonists — both types of characters are often willing to cross lines or bend rules or sacrifice things to achieve what they see as the greater good. How do you think about those two types of figures?

I do find it compelling exploring the conflict between of feeling like you have to break rules in order to enforce rules and this idea of the original sin. Any interesting character has to be aware they’re capable of sin, except for maybe on “Law & Order,” but for the most part, life is complicated.

In the first two episodes of “Lucky,” your interactions are strictly with Anya and with Annette — both are dynamic performers at different stages in their careers. What stands out to you about sharing scenes with them?

Anya is really impressive because she has a composure and a strength to her that just seems beyond her years. I certainly didn’t have it when I was her age, and I just have a tremendous amount of respect for her and how she handled things on the other side of the camera,. And Annette is just a wonderfully unpredictable actor, take to take. You never see the same thing twice, and you never feel like you’re not playing in the right sandbox. It’s just a honor and a pleasure to work with her.

There’s a moment where Annette put her hand on your cheek — it terrified me.

Can I tell you? Only one take. And I’m smart enough to know, when that she did that, I thought to myself, “This is going to be on TV.”

Let’s also talk about “Five–Star Weekend.” Its focus is not necessarily on romance, but of friendship between women, but you do factor in as a flirtation of sorts for Jennifer Garner’s character. You’ve worked together before in 2006’s “Catch and Release.” How was it to reunite with her for this?

A pleasure. She’s a pro and gave just a wonderful performance in that show. It was easy-peasy working with her. I show up. They gave you a lot of cool things to say, and somebody hands you really cool wardrobe, the acting partner is really good, and so it makes the job pretty simple.

Timothy Olyphant as Jack and Jennifer Garner as Hollis in Peacock’s “The Five-Star Weekend.”

(Greg Gayne / Peacock)

You’re also reprising your “Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood” character James Stacy in David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth.” What’s it like being directed by him? How does he deliver a directing note?

That’s just that experience is really high up on the bucket list, and I just thank my lucky stars I had that opportunity. It was a very special experience.

He gives them [notes] out quite generously, is what he does. He gives you many and often, it’s really unlike anything I’ve experienced. I really enjoyed. It felt like a workout; it was this intense exploration of of the work. I hope I get another opportunity [to work with him]. I’d be thrilled.

You’re beginning production on Season 2 of “Alien: Earth.” What has it been like playing this android with bleached hair and eyebrows in this fictional world? The level of artistry of that set is quite something; I can’t imagine what it’s like being on that set.

It’s essentially child’s play, but sometimes it feels like you’re saying that with capital letters — this falls under that category. So many of the effects are practical, so many of the creatures are practical, so it’s a kick to be around that stuff. It’s a lot of oohing and aahing when you’re working with practical effects. And it’s about something. It’s got something to say. That’s pretty special when those two things come together.

Being on a set with those monsters that I watched as a kid, that I was thrilled watching those movies — to now wake up one day, and you’re part of that, you pinch yourself a little bit.

What can you tease about the new season?

It’s gonna get weird. There’s a lot going on on the surface and under the surface on this one.

Before I let you go, what show has your attention? I know you’ve been busy, so if you can’t tell me what you’ve watched recently, is there something you plan to watch on your long plane ride?

Does the World Cup count? I’ve got the World Cup fever. It’s just one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

Are you primarily rooting for us? Who are you going for?

What do you mean, am I rooting for us?

I mean, when we’re not playing, who are you rooting for?

I root for Brazil. My wife grew up in Brazil, so there’s a lot of Brazilian enthusiasm here in this house. I root too for our people to the north; I’m a fan of the Canadians. I just love that event. I love that it’s all these countries and everything evens out on that grass. It’s pretty great.

ICYMI

Must-read stories you might have missed

Entertainment power couple Margaret Qualley and Jack Antonoff have reportedly gone their separate ways for now.

“The Substance” and “Maid” star Qualley, 31, and Taylor Swift and Lorde collaborator Antonoff, 42, split and are going through a “rocky” time in their relationship, a source confirmed to People on Wednesday. Neither representatives for Qualley nor Antonoff immediately responded on Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.

Speculation about the pair’s split began late Tuesday, with internet sleuths noting that Qualley — daughter of actor Andie MacDowell and Paul J. Qualley — apparently scrubbed photos featuring the Bleachers frontman from her Instagram page. Qualley in March shared photos from her A-list marriage to Antonoff to promote his upcoming song “Dirty Wedding Dress,” according to a social media page dedicated to the “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” actress. Those intimate black-and-white images are no longer visible on the actor’s page.

Reports of the Qualley-Antonoff split also come less than a week after Antonoff attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s lavish, but secretive, wedding bash in New York City sans Qualley. In addition to Antonoff, his fashion designer sister Rachel Antonoff and his ex-girlfriend Lena Dunham, models Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss, Sabrina Carpenter, Ashanti and Nelly were also in attendance at the Madison Square Garden spectacular.

Notably, Dunham in her latest memoir “Famesick” — released in April — wrote about Antonoff’s alleged romance with a “teen pop star” during their own romance. Many pop fans suspect the pop star, whom Dunham did not identify — to be “Melodrama” artist Lorde. When the rumors of the relationship publicly surfaced in 2018, Antonoff denied “seeing anyone” and dismissed the chatter as “dumb hetero normative gossip.”

Qualley and Antonoff tied the knot in August 2023, a little over a year after they got engaged in May 2022. Their nuptials at Parker’s Garage on Long Beach Island counted Cara Delevingne, Lana Del Rey, then-item Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum and Swift among the attendees.

Qualley and former fun. member Antonoff were first romantically linked in August 2021 when they were spotted kissing while on a date in Brooklyn, People reported. Their relationship gradually entered public consciousness, between Instagram posts, joint appearances at red carpet events and tidbits about their romance in various interviews.

“I am so happy that I found my person,” Qualley told Harpers Bazaar in September 2023. “And it’s real. It’s amazing. It’s the best feeling in the world. I’m so excited and so at ease all at once.”