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Articles by Max Gao
Canadian comedy giants ‘SCTV’ and Norm Macdonald celebrated in new Netflix films
For a country with roughly the population of California, Canada has historically punched absurdly above its weight class in comedy. Now, two new Netflix documentaries are honouring some of the nation’s most iconic comedians while reintroducing their genius to a new generation. Director Judd Apatow’s “Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald,” which debuted on Friday, uses archival footage and rare home videos to offer an intimate look at the late “Saturday Night Live” alum. And on Oct.
Canadian comedy giants ‘SCTV’ and Norm Macdonald celebrated in new Netflix films
For a country with roughly the population of California, Canada has historically punched absurdly above its weight class in comedy. Now, two new Netflix documentaries are honouring some of the nation’s most iconic comedians while reintroducing their genius to a new generation. Director Judd Apatow’s “Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald,” which debuted on Friday, uses archival footage and rare home videos to offer an intimate look at the late “Saturday Night Live” alum. And on Oct.
The Diplomat Showrunner Explains Kate's Big Decision in the Season 4 Finale
Keri Russell, The Diplomat Nick Wall/Netflix [Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Season 4 finale of The Diplomat, "Warships." Read at your own risk!] The Diplomat's Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) is the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom no longer.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Boss Unpacks Season 23 Premiere and Teases Dolly Parton Episode, Texas Spinoff and Whether This Really Could Be the Final Season Original
Courtesy of Disney SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains major spoilers from “Collide,” the Season 23 premiere of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” streaming on Hulu. There’s a new sheriff in town at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. In the Season 23 premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy,” the doctors of TV’s most indomitable hospital are convened for the grand opening of a lavish new VIP floor.
Kerry Washington Knows ‘Animals’ Raises More Questions Than Answers Original
Kerry Washington and Ben Affleck in Animals. Warrick Page/Netflix [This story contains spoilers for Netflix‘s Animals.] In the eight years since wrapping up her run as political fixer Olivia Pope on ABC’s Scandal, which made her the first Black woman to lead a primetime network drama in nearly 40 years, Kerry Washington has focused largely on producing, stepping into acting roles only when they push her range. But lately, she has been actively searching for strong directors to collaborate with.
Jacob Tierney’s New Book I’ll Believe in Anything Takes Fans Inside the Creative Process Behind Heated Rivalry’s Breakout Success
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. Jacob Tierney is ready to take Heated Rivalry fans back to the cottage. Less than a year after the Crave hockey romantic drama became a cultural phenomenon, the Canadian actor-turned-showrunner is ready to pull back the curtain on his acclaimed adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changer novels.
‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Star Harriet Slater on Ellen’s ‘Home Alone’ — With Knives! — Adventure Original
Harriet Slater (Ellen) in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood.' Starz [This story contains spoilers from the third episode of the second season of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, “Rabbits Don’t Swim.”] The writers of Outlander: Blood of My Blood like to describe the most recent installment of the Starz historical romantic drama as “Home Alone, but with knives.” In last Friday’s episode of the Outlander prequel, written by Toni Graphia and directed by Azhur Saleem, Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater)...
9-1-1 Season 10: Release Date, Trailers, Cast, and Everything Else We Know
Oliver Stark and Jennifer Love Hewitt, 9-1-1 Disney/Christopher Willard Just when you thought 9-1-1 couldn't get any wilder, co-creators and executive producers Tim Minear and Ryan Murphy prove they still have plenty of tricks — and emergencies! — up their sleeves. For the opening emergency of the show's milestone 10th season, the first responders of television's most outlandish procedural will tackle a massive downtown sinkhole that unleashes, of all things, an active volcano.
‘East of Eden’ Boss Zoe Kazan on That Devastating Ending, Why Florence Pugh’s Cathy Is Both a ‘Murderer’ and ‘Survivor’ and Making Lee a Central Character Original
Courtesy of Netflix SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains major spoilers from “East of Eden,” now streaming on Netflix. Zoe Kazan has spent much of her life thinking about family legacy on and off screen.
Vincent Jamal Hooper on Ellington’s Major Reveal and A Different World Season 2 Hopes
Vincent Jamal Hooper has been keeping a huge secret ever since he landed his role in Netflix’s A Different World sequel this past January. In the new iteration of the beloved HBCU series, which follows a new generation of students at the fictional Hillman College, Hooper plays Ellington Kendall, the youngest child of Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet)—the second-born Huxtable child who inspired the original Cosby Show spinoff—and Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips).
A Different World Boss Untangles All Those Messy Relationships and Previews Season 2
Alijah Kai and Maleah Joi Moon, A Different World Netflix [Warning: This story contains major spoilers for Season 1 of A Different World. Read at your own risk!] Class is back in session at Hillman College. Exactly 39 years to the day after A Different World debuted on NBC, a long-awaited sequel to the beloved spin-off of The Cosby Show has launched on Netflix — bringing a new generation of students at the most famous (fictional) HBCU back into the cultural zeitgeist.
In The Love Hypothesis , Lili Reinhart Becomes Her Own Kind of Romantic Lead
8 min read Lili Reinhart knows that movie studios don’t make romantic comedies quite like they used to. In her opinion, the shift from film to digital cinematography has drained many modern films of their warmth and rich color palettes, leaving them looking sterile, glossy, and two-dimensional. Beyond the visual aesthetic, she argues, most recent rom-coms feel like formulaic copy-and-pastes that prioritize plot over genuine character development.
In “The Love Hypothesis,” Lili Reinhart Becomes Her Own Kind of Romantic Lead
Lili Reinhart knows that movie studios don’t make romantic comedies quite like they used to. In her opinion, the shift from film to digital cinematography has drained many modern films of their warmth and rich color palettes, leaving them looking sterile, glossy, and two-dimensional. Beyond the visual aesthetic, she argues, most recent rom-coms feel like formulaic copy-and-pastes that prioritize plot over genuine character development.
Peter Krause Enters the ‘Line of Fire’ and Opens Up About His Shocking ‘9-1-1’ Exit Original
Peter Krause as Mike Hollingsworth in 'Line of Fire.' Scott Gries/NBC Peter Krause has spent almost his entire adult life working on television. Ever since landing his first small-screen role in 1990 opposite Carol Burnett in Carol & Company, Krause has built an impressive résumé defined by acclaimed family dramas — both biological and chosen — including Sports Night, Six Feet Under, Parenthood and, most recently, 9-1-1.
Congestion is a problem on the American Legion Bridge. Maryland’s toll lane plan won’t solve it.
American Legion Bridge in May 2026. Image by Google Maps. There’s a major bottleneck in my marriage: the American Legion Bridge. My spouse lives in Bethesda; I work as a software engineer near Ashburn. I split my nights between the two sides of the river, and which side I end up on often comes down to the bridge, which carries heavy Beltway traffic across the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. The problem of congestion on the bridge isn’t easy to solve.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Cast Break Down Female Rage, Vomiting, and the Making of Season 4
Ella Beatty, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Netflix In the latest installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's Monster, Netflix's divisive true-crime anthology series resurrects one of America's most infamous unsolved mysteries — a bloody 19th-century double homicide best immortalized by a grim schoolyard rhyme: Lizzie Borden took an axe, And gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, She gave her father 41. Andrew Borden now is dead, Lizzie hit him on the head.
An Exclusive First Look at Unaccustomed Earth , Netflix’s Sweeping Adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Beloved Story Collection Original
10 min read Few authors have captured the interior lives of the Indian-American diaspora with the delicate, devastating precision of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri. Straddling two worlds, her characters—mostly first- and second-generation Bengali immigrants—are often defined by a quiet, persistent sense of displacement as they navigate the emotional gap between their ancestral heritage and adopted Western lives.
Scott Speedman Has Finally Settled Into Leading Man Status With ‘R.J. Decker’ Original
Scott Speedman in 'R.J. Decker.' Disney/Dana Hawley Scott Speedman has finally settled into his status as a true leading man. Nearly three decades after breaking out as the brooding Ben Covington on the WB college drama Felicity — and following years of playing second fiddle on shows such as Animal Kingdom and Teacup — the Canadian actor is finally at the top of the call sheet as both the star and executive producer of R.J. Decker.
Meet Summer H. Howell, the Scream Queen Embodying a New Kind of ‘Carrie’ Original
Carrie star Summer H. Howell has a theory about why she is often cast in horror. Since landing her first onscreen role at age 9 in filmmaker Don Mancini’s Curse of Chucky, Howell has unwittingly carved out a niche for herself within the genre, capitalizing on a youthful look that works heavily in her favor (especially when combined with her penchant for towering performances). “I’m aware that I seem very innocent,” Howell says. “The way people view me, they still see a child.
‘The Gentlemen’ Star Theo James Is Ready to Talk About That Bloody Season 2 Ending
[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from season two of The Gentlemen.] When The Gentlemen first introduced Eddie Horniman (Theo James), he was a reluctant aristocrat who unexpectedly inherited his late father's dukedom, only to discover that his old man had been involved in a vast weed empire for years. Back then, the dutiful former Army captain was just trying to extricate his family from the criminal enterprise and protect the Halstead country estate.
‘The Gentlemen’ Star Theo James Is Ready to Talk About That Bloody Season 2 Ending
Theo James of 'The Gentlemen.' Netflix [This story contains MAJOR spoilers from season two of The Gentlemen.] When The Gentlemen first introduced Eddie Horniman (Theo James), he was a reluctant aristocrat who unexpectedly inherited his late father’s dukedom, only to discover that his old man had been involved in a vast weed empire for years. Back then, the dutiful former Army captain was just trying to extricate his family from the criminal enterprise and protect the Halstead country estate.
‘The Gentlemen’ Star Theo James Is Ready to Talk About That Bloody Season 2 Ending
[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from season two of The Gentlemen.] When The Gentlemen first introduced Eddie Horniman (Theo James), he was a reluctant aristocrat who unexpectedly inherited his late father's dukedom, only to discover that his old man had been involved in a vast weed empire for years. Back then, the dutiful former Army captain was just trying to extricate his family from the criminal enterprise and protect the Halstead country estate.
Meet Alex Eala, the Tennis Player Creating a Sensation With Every Match
Earlier this month at the Canadian Open in Toronto—home to the largest Filipino diaspora in Canada, with more than 270,000 residents—the 21-year-old tennis star Alex Eala, ranked 18th in the world, drew sold-out crowds of more than 10,000 for each of her night matches, including a high-profile doubles appearance alongside Venus Williams.
‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Returns — and Reunions Don’t Last Long Original
Season two of 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood.' Robert Wilson/STARZ By the end of the first season of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, the two central couples — Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), along with Julia (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) — had finally found their way back to each other in 18th-century Scotland. But as any Outlander fan knows, reunions rarely last long.
How Ontario native Jack Innanen traded astrophysics for a breakout TV comedy career
Earlier this year, Jack Innanen found himself filming the second season of FX’s “Adults” on Peter Street in Toronto — directly across from the apartment building where, in his early 20s, he had called his parents to announce his dream of becoming an actor. It was a full-circle moment for the now-27-year-old Ontario native. After building a massive online following through his absurdist one-man sketches, Innanen has quietly emerged as the secret weapon of two hit TV comedies.
How Ontario native Jack Innanen traded astrophysics for a breakout TV comedy career
Earlier this year, Jack Innanen found himself filming the second season of FX’s “Adults” on Peter Street in Toronto — directly across from the apartment building where, in his early 20s, he had called his parents to announce his dream of becoming an actor. It was a full-circle moment for the now-27-year-old Ontario native. After building a massive online following through his absurdist one-man sketches, Innanen has quietly emerged as the secret weapon of two hit TV comedies.
An Exclusive First Look at How The Hunting Wives Goes Even Bigger in Season 2 Original
11 min read When Netflix quietly acquired and released The Hunting Wives last summer, few could have anticipated that the soapy, sexed-up satire about a clique of gun-toting East Texan housewives would become the cultural phenomenon that it did.
An Exclusive First Look at How The Hunting Wives Goes Even Bigger in Season 2
When Netflix quietly acquired and released The Hunting Wives last summer, few could have anticipated that the soapy, sexed-up satire about a clique of gun-toting East Texan housewives would become the cultural phenomenon that it did.
‘Lucky’ Creators on Deciding Who Dies in the Finale, Why the Show Really Is Over and Not Knowing About Drew Starkey’s ‘Avid’ Fandom ‘Until We Killed Him’ Original
Home TV News Aug 19, 2026 4:00pm PT Courtesy of Michael Becker/Apple TV SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains major spoilers from “All Good Things,” the finale of Apple TV’s “Lucky.” Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong (Anya Taylor-Joy) has just pulled off one last con on the most important person left in her life: her formerly incarcerated father, John (Timothy Olyphant).
TV’s Neurodivergent Casting Reckoning
Tal Anderson as Becca King with Patrick Ball as Dr. Langdon on HBO Max’s The Pitt Warrick Page/HBO Max Television’s portrayal of neurodivergence has long suffered from a persistent blind spot. By casting neurotypical actors to play stereotypical — and often heavily coded yet undiagnosed — white male savant archetypes, Hollywood built a rigid standard that has largely erased women, people of color and the broader diversity of real-world neurodivergent experiences.
Why the notoriously reserved Rafael Nadal bared his soul for Netflix's 'Rafa'
Throughout his career, Rafael Nadal was famously a man of few words. But in Oscar-nominated director Zach Heinzerling 's four-part Netflix series “Rafa,” which juxtaposes Nadal's farewell season with a rich trove of archival footage, the Spanish tennis legend opens up about the emotional and physical costs of greatness. “For me, if you do a documentary, it's about telling the real story; you don't want to create a story of just roses,” Nadal says on a video call from his home office in Mallorca.
Why the notoriously reserved Rafael Nadal bared his soul for Netflix’s ‘Rafa’
1 day ago Taylor Fritz needed just one game, three minutes and 52 seconds to let his frustration out. After playing a poor first service game against compatriot Alex Michelsen at the Cincinnati Open, the American dashed his racket into the court twice, contorting the frame and strings into a piece of art. It …
Workplace Comedies Are Having a Major Emmy Moment
Sheryl Lee Ralph (left) and Quinta Brunson in 'Abbott Elementary.' Disney/Gilles Mingasson There are few genres that remain as evergreen and accessible as workplace comedies, especially since the average adult living in the U.S. will reportedly spend one-third of their lives at work. “You are thrust into this very intimate setting where you have to work with people to accomplish something, but they’re not people you get to choose,” says Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat showrunner Anthony King.
Inside 'Hollywood Arts,' the 'Victorious' spinoff introducing a new wave of young talent
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Inside ‘Hollywood Arts,’ the ‘Victorious’ Spinoff Introducing a New Wave of Young Talent Original
Last fall, Daniella Monet had what she describes as a “surreal” experience. She was again walking the halls of Hollywood Arts, the fictional elite performing arts high school that set the scene for her breakout role as Trina Vega on the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious. But instead of being surrounded by her former costars on a soundstage on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, she found herself among a new generation of fresh-faced actors on a set that had been eerily re-created in Vancouver.
This Is Camp Rock 3 Stars Malachi Barton and Liamani Segura's Most Chaotic Interview Ever Original
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Camp Rock 3. While Disney Channel shows held undeniable star-making power in the 2000s, no made-for-TV movie solidified that era of pop-culture dominance quite like Camp Rock, which launched Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers to global stardom. Now, 18 years after introducing audiences to that iconic fictional music camp, Lovato and the Jonas Brothers are spearheading Camp Rock 3, blending classic nostalgia with a fresh crop of young talent.
‘Coven Academy’ Stars Malina Pauli Weissman, Malachi Barton Usher in a New Witchy Disney YA Series: Exclusive
“I wanted [Coven Academy] to have the grit, the wit, the music, and some of the more sophisticated themes and visuals of, frankly, some of the competitor streamers without getting overly gratuitous,” Federle continues. “But it’s still got a Disney heart. It’s optimistic, even in the gore.
This Muskoka-set TV mystery series brings thrills and romance to Ontario cottage country
Megan Park never set out to become one of Hollywood’s most prominent tellers of young adult stories. But through her indie films, “The Fallout” and “My Old Ass,” and now a new TV series, the Ontario-born actor-turned-filmmaker has tapped into the universal angst of coming of age. With “Sterling Point,” premiering Aug. 5 on Prime Video, Park returns to the Muskoka shores where she spent her childhood summers.
This Muskoka-set TV mystery series brings thrills and romance to Ontario cottage country
Megan Park never set out to become one of Hollywood’s most prominent tellers of young adult stories. But through her indie films, “The Fallout” and “My Old Ass,” and now a new TV series, the Ontario-born actor-turned-filmmaker has tapped into the universal angst of coming of age. With “Sterling Point,” premiering Aug. 5 on Prime Video, Park returns to the Muskoka shores where she spent her childhood summers.
This Muskoka-set TV mystery series brings thrills and romance to Ontario cottage country
Megan Park never set out to become one of Hollywood’s most prominent tellers of young adult stories. But through her indie films, “The Fallout” and “My Old Ass,” and now a new TV series, the Ontario-born actor-turned-filmmaker has tapped into the universal angst of coming of age. With “Sterling Point,” premiering Aug. 5 on Prime Video, Park returns to the Muskoka shores where she spent her childhood summers.
Ken Burns Reopens America’s Founding Wounds in ‘The American Revolution’ Original
From left: Director Sarah Botstein. Scenes from PBS’ The American Revolution. Courtesy of Alvin Kean Wong; Mike Doyle; Courtesy of PBS In his latest documentary, The American Revolution, Emmy-winning filmmaker Ken Burns argues that America’s founding conflict was not a tidy, unanimous march toward independence, but a messy, agonizing civil war defined as much by its profound contradictions as its high ideals.
In Netflix’s A Different World , a New Generation of Hillman Students Comes of Age Original
In a crowded TV landscape dominated by the double-edged sword of revisiting classic IP, few shows demand a revival quite like A Different World—a sitcom that remains a defining cultural touchstone for the Black community. During its six-season run on NBC from 1987 to 1993, the Cosby Show spinoff—originally built around the Huxtables’ bohemian daughter Denise—followed the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia.
In Netflix’s A Different World, a New Generation of Hillman Students Comes of Age
Now OSNABURG TWP., Ohio − The legend of William Powell stands tall nearly 16 years after his death. For starters, there's a 7-foot statue in his hometown of Minerva, where he famously played on the unbeaten and unscored upon 1932 high school football team. His daughter, Renee Powell, said he would have …
'Heartstopper Forever': The creator and stars bid farewell to Nick, Charlie and their love story
This article contains many spoilers for "Heartstopper Forever." In the early minutes of "Heartstopper Forever" — the feature film finale of Netflix's hit teen romantic dramedy series — Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) notices a crooked photo strip on his boyfriend Nick Nelson's (Kit Connor) bedroom wall.
‘The Five-Star Weekend’ Creator on Changes From the Book, Jennifer Garner’s Input on the Infidelity Story and Wanting to Do More Seasons With the Same Cast Original
Courtesy of Greg Gayne/PEACOCK SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains major spoilers for “The Five-Star Weekend,” now streaming on Peacock. For “The Five-Star Weekend” showrunner Bekah Brunstetter, women’s stories only get richer as they age. “There’s so much change that happens in your 40s and 50s — and I don’t just mean menopause and perimenopause, which has become what we’re talking about recently,” Brunstetter tells Variety. “Big life changes continue to happen.
'The Five-Star Weekend' boss on changes from book, doing more seasons
Max Gao SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains major spoilers for "The Five-Star Weekend," now streaming on Peacock. For "The Five-Star Weekend" showrunner Bekah Brunstetter, women's stories only get richer as they age. "There's so much change that happens in your 40s and 50s - and I don't just mean menopause and perimenopause, which has become what we're talking about recently," Brunstetter tells Variety . "Big life changes continue to happen. Some women are still trying to have children.
How Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Reboot Reframes Its Iconic Story Through Indigenous Eyes Original
[Editor’s note: The following interview contains some spoilers for the first season of “Little House on the Prairie.”] In developing her new Netflix adaptation of “Little House on the Prairie,” showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine knew from the outset that she wanted to expand the narrative beyond the scope of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic children’s novels.
Crew girl on Netflix sets out to be Gossip Girl and Friday Night Lights on a boat
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Crew Girl on Netflix Sets Out to Be Gossip Girl and Friday Night Lights on a Boat Original
Netflix’s Crew Girl is a new teen drama series that thrusts the intense, insular world of rowing straight into the mainstream spotlight—and the show's stars and creator know there's nothing like a little competitive edge to liven up a coming-of-age romance. After all, there are few sports that demand the full-body strength and conditioning of rowing.
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