2026 is the year of Lara Croft. Besides the pistol-packing adventure hero returning to her original adventure by way of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Ms. Croft will also be brought to life once more by way of Amazon Prime Video’s Tomb Raider television adaptation starring Sophie Turner. The former Game of Thrones stars donned the shades and the shorts of the beloved adventurer and certainly nailed the look of Croft. But while fans chimed in on the debut appearance, one person who was quick to give the seal of approval was another Lara Croft.

Alix Wilton Reagan, who will be lending her vocal cords to both Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst (set for 2027), took to Instagram to praise the other impending iteration and backed Turner’s look. “Lara looking mighty fine / fire / fierce these days,” the voice artist wrote, as well as adding “@sophieturner - I AM HERE FOR IT.”

It’s great to see praise blossoming between stars who have taken on such iconic characters, but the question will be whether Turner can honor the hero she’s playing as well. Thankfully, it’ll be a team effort in bringing the Tomb Raider world to life, with a cast including Jason Isaacs as Croft’s uncle, Atlas DeMornay, Bill Paterson as Winston, the Croft family butler (who should be wary of walk-in freezers), and Martin Bobb-Semple as Lara’s tech pal, Zip. Former Avatar star and alien eradicator, Sigourney Weaver, will also appear as Evelyn Wallis, a brand new character to the franchise who crosses paths with Lara and is keen to see what she’s capable of. Naturally, we don’t trust her at all.

Other cast members include Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Celia Imrie, Patterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, August Wittgenstein, and Juliette Motamed. When we’ll see them on Lara’s adventure is unknown, as the show hasn’t announced a release date yet. In the meantime, though, here’s a list of some of the best shows heading our way this year.

Netflix's hit animated series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, returns to our screens next week. But, while the streamer initially ordered two seasons of the show, with the second batch of episodes now due, that doesn't mean the show is definitely ending with this season.

"We'll see by the end where it takes us," showrunner Tasha Huo told SFX magazine. "There are always more stories to tell with Lara. It's never a closed book."

Elsewhere in the piece, Huo explained how the second season, which boasts MCU-star Hayley Atwell as the voice of Lara Croft, will explore more of the character's journey to becoming the experienced adventurer that we all know from the games. Part of that, it seems, will involve Croft opening herself up to other people. "To start to rely on people is very difficult for someone who is so fiercely independent," Huo said. "But for a show where we're trying to tell a more human story, a part of her arc is saying, 'Hey, maybe I don't always have the right answer. Maybe I need to have a community of people behind me.'"

The new series will also continue to have a globe-trotting aspect, with Lara travelling to destinations previously unexplored in the show, including New Orleans, Brazil and Cuba.

"One of the things I really loved in playing the video game was how Lara Croft has these secret communities all over the world," Huo explained. "People she seemingly had adventures with off-camera somewhere, and she relies on them to provide information, to provide housing, all these different things as she goes around the world. A big part of season two is building one small part of that community for her, so we can see what was going on behind the scenes."

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft season 2 will be on Netflix from December 11. For more great TV, check out the best Netflix shows to stream right now.

2025 is proving to be a great year for One Piece fans, as in addition to Netflix keeping us fed with a whole host of season 2 teasers, the streamer has now confirmed that One Piece season 3 has started filming.

The news was confirmed by One Piece's Twitter page, with the caption, "Production on Season 3 has started, Straw Hats!" This is all before One Piece season 2 hits screens, which will be on March 10, 2026. However, the most interesting part of the announcement is the image, which you can see below, showing the One Piece season 3 script lying in the desert surrounded by a skull, a compass, and a dagger.

If we're heading to the sandy dunes for season 3, it will no doubt adapt the Arabasta Arc from the manga, which sees the Straw Hats come across the desert kingdom of Arabasta located in the Grand Line. The dagger belongs to Portgas D. Ace, otherwise known as Fire Fist. We already knew that Ace was going to be brought to life in season 3, played by Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña. However, One Piece fans will know that Monkey D. Luffy's relationship with his brother Ace marks one of the most formative and gut-wrenching storylines in the One Piece series.

So what about the skull and the compass? One fan on Twitter suggested the compass might actually be the Log Pose. This is a special compass-like device belonging to Ace that uses magnetic fields to navigate the Grand Line. The fan also said that the skull might be the same one from the St. Briss ship that falls out of the sky in the beginning stages of the Skypiea Arc.

However, although we can see how similar the compass in the picture is to the Log Pose from the One Piece anime series, other fans don't seem to agree about the skull. "The skull is the famine Alabasta is currently suffering," replied one fan, and another suggested, "The skull is a symbol of Crocodile's devil fruit." We will just have to wait and see.

No plot details for season 3 have been released just yet, but season 2 will take us to the Grand Line, where our favorite band of pirates will set sail and navigate new territories, such as Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, and Little Garden.

One Piece season 2 hits Netflix on March 10, 2026. Season 3 does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows.

Get ready to set sail, mateys, as One Piece season 2 has just revealed its first look, with the first trailer set to follow in a matter of days.

The first look image, posted on Twitter, shows main cast members Emily Rudd (Nami), Taz Skylar (Sanji), Iñaki Godoy (Monkey D. Luffy), Mackenyu (Roronoa Zoro), and Jacob Romero (Usopp), all in character, seemingly aboard the Thousand Sunny ship. Check out the picture below.

However, the most interesting part of the post is the caption, which reads, "The seas are restless and rumors from the Grand Line speak of something BIG approaching for ONE PIECE DAY!" With that, we can guess that the show will be dropping either a release date or some type of teaser to celebrate the occasion this weekend. We might even get to see the first trailer.

Fans seem to think so too, as one replied, "Season two trailer? I can feel it," and another said, "Not me clearing my schedule like I’ve been summoned by the Pirate King himself." The excitement is real, as this is the biggest One Piece announcement we have seen since the series revealed the first look at Tony Tony Chopper at Netflix Tudum 2025 in May.

One Piece Day is an annual celebration of Eiichiro Oda's original One Piece manga. The event has been running for four years now, and this year, it will take place on August 9 and 10. Although the physical event will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan, the franchise will also be celebrated online.

Although Netflix is keeping plot details for One Piece season 2 tightly under wraps, we can guess that the new season will adapt the Loguetown arc (chapters 96-100), the Reverse Mountain arc (101-104), Whisky Peak (106-114), and Little Garden (115-129) from the original manga. This makes sense as the show has already cast The Wheel of Time star Callum Kerr as Smoker, who appears in those chapters.

Since season 2 has already found manga character Dr. Kureha in Sons of Anarchy’s Katey Sagal, we expect the series to also adapt the Drum Island arc. New cast members also include David Dastmalchian, Joe Manganiello, and more.

One Piece season 2 is expected to release in 2026. For more, check out our guide to all the best Netflix shows and best Netflix movies streaming now.

One Piece season 2 was present at Netflix's Tudum festival, and we finally know who'll be playing the fan-favorite character Tony Tony Chopper in the live-action adaptation of one of the best anime series ever.

Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Taz Skylar, and Jacob Romero took the stage to introduce the sweet little guy via interactive screen performance – and I may or may not have started crying immediately. The cast also promised that the season would be bigger than ever, and we believe them. You can watch the announcement below.

Actor Mikaela Hoover will both voice and provide the facial capture for the adorable Tony Tony Chopper. Hoover has appeared in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, and she'll soon be seen in this summer's Superman as Cat Grant.

Production on season 2 wrapped back in February 2025, while season 1 was released way back in 2023. More news on season 2 has been a long time coming, then. However, there's still no trailer or release date for the beloved show, though Chopper did confirm a 2026 release window.

Plus, season 2 might not even be here yet, but it sounds like season 3 is already in the works (though that's unconfirmed for now). "We've taken a break between season 2 and season 3, so yeah, I'll be heading back later on this year, and we'll be working on the next part of the story. So that's about all I could say," Joe Manganiello, who plays Mr. 0/Sir Crocodile in the show, said recently.

Season 2 will see the return of Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Emily Rudd as Nami, Mackenyu as Zoro, Taz Skylar as Sanji, and Jacob Romero as Usopp.

Newcomers include Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Charithra Chandran as Princess Vivi, and Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine.

While you wait for One Piece season 2, check out our guide to all the best Netflix shows and best Netflix movies streaming now.

Netflix has yet to officially confirm One Piece season 3, but it seems plans to start filming are already in place. One of the show's stars, Joe Manganiello, has offered a very promising update, revealing he will be back on set very soon.

"We've taken a break between season two and season three, so yeah, I'll be heading back later on this year, and we'll be working on the next part of the story. So that's about all I could say," he told Cinemablend last week.

Manganiello, who plays the popular villain Mr. 0 (also known as Sir Crocodile), is not the only cast member who has addressed plans for a third season. Last year, Patty actor Brashaad Mayweather revealed in an interview that new episodes were already set to be filmed after season 2. "Hopefully there's a flashback scene with Patty," he said. "We'll see if they flashback to it, because they're filming two seasons – season two and three – back to back starting soon."

Those quotes are now almost a year old, however, so plans can change any minute. For now, we know that filming for season 2 wrapped last February, and the main cast is returning, including Iñaki Godoy (Monkey D. Luffy), Emily Rudd (Nami), Mackenyu (Zoro), Taz Skylar (Sanji), and Jacob Romero (Usopp).

The hugely popular live-action anime adaptation, which quickly broke a major record for the streamer in 2023, is set to return bigger and better. New cast members include Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, and Bridgerton star Charithra Chandran as Princess Vivi (aka Miss Wednesday).

We still don't know when season 2 will land on streaming, but everything points at late 2025 or early 2026 – you can check out all the information announced so far in our guide for One Piece season 2.

While you wait, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows to stream now to fill out your watchlist.

Amazon Prime's Tomb Raider show starring Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner has reportedly been canceled.

The series was first revealed to be in development in January 2023, and it was set to be scripted by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

But, according to British tabloid the Daily Mail, the show is, per the publication's sources, "dead."

"I hear that it is not going ahead," the Daily Mail quotes a source. Though, Amazon hasn't officially commented on the story, so take the report with a grain of salt for now.

Waller-Bridge signed an exclusive Amazon deal way back in 2019. It was renewed this year, but it moved from exclusive to a first look deal. Tomb Raider officially ordered to series last year and Turner's involvement in screen tests was reported in October 2024.

"If I could tell my teenage self this was happening I think she'd explode," Waller-Bridge said when the show was ordered to series. "Tomb Raider has been a huge part of my life and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators. Lara Croft means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can't wait to go on this adventure. Bats 'n all."

While Amazon might not have a Tomb Raider project coming any time soon, they do have the next James Bond movie in the works from producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal. That was only just announced in March 2025, though, so it'll probably be some time yet until we see 007 back on our screens.

You can fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best shows on Prime Video and the best movies on Prime Video.

One Piece co-showrunner Matt Owens has announced he's stepping down from the Netflix show.

"The last six years working on the live-action One Piece have been a life changing journey," Owens wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. "A dream come true. It's also been A LOT. So I'm stepping off the Going Merry to take a break and focus on myself and my mental health. Thank you so much to [creator Eiichiro] Oda, Shueisha, Tomorrow Studios, Netflix, and the entire cast and crew for your trust, partnership, and hard work. For now I'm gonna take a breath, do some therapy, try and rank up in Marvel Rivals, and come back refreshed for the new adventures that await. Thanks to everyone who has supported me. See you real soon!"

Owens worked alongside Steven Maeda for season 1 and Joe Tracz for season 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tracz will continue to oversee post-production for the upcoming season.

One Piece season 2 has wrapped filming, but there's no release date just yet – and, since the show isn't part of any of Netflix's 2025 marketing, we can guess we'll have to wait until 2026 to see the next chapter.

A first look at the new season has been revealed, though, which shows the gang in a new location – which is potentially Loguetown.

"Yes, the live-action One Piece is currently in production, with filming well underway. The story will cover Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island!" creator Eiichiro Oda has previously said of season 2.

"Just as with last season, they've gone out of their way to promise that they won't put the show out until I'm satisfied,” he continued. “This isn't in the contract, you know. It's a verbal pledge. I hope you can appreciate how amazing and determined they are for keeping their word. And they've certainly proven their ability to bring this world to the screen. I just can't wait to see it!"

While you wait, check out our guide to all the best Netflix shows to stream now.

MrBeast has admitted to losing tens of millions of dollars on his reality show Beast Games, which streams on Prime Video.

"I lost a ton of money filming this show, that came out of my pocket," MrBeast said on the Diary of a CEO podcast, referring to a moment when a coin was flipped to increase the prize pot. "We spent way too much money on it. I lost tens of millions of dollars on that show. I'm an idiot."

"That I have been advised not to say," MrBeast added when asked how much the whole show cost, though he did say it was "of course" more than a hundred million, estimating that the first two episodes alone cost $50 million. For reference, Prime Video's fantasy epic The Rings of Power season 1 is estimated to have cost $58 million (that's $62 million adjusted for inflation).

"Tens of millions," MrBeast answered on how out of pocket he is after the show. "It was not a good financial decision to make Beast Games. I lost money. I would have more money if I didn't film it."

Though, he did say he didn't regret making the show, and he wouldn't be drawn on viewership before Amazon makes the announcement. The streamer has previously said the show was its most-watched unscripted series ever.

Beast Games is a game show in which 1,000 people compete for a $5 million prize, which ultimately went up to $10 million – the biggest prize in TV history (other prizes were also awarded).

You can fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best shows on Prime Video, or see our guide to all the most exciting upcoming TV shows for everything the year has in store.

The team behind Netflix's One Piece has confirmed season 2 has finished filming, with a bunch of behind-the-scene snaps from their wrap party in South Africa. 

Per Comicbook, Cape Town-based stuntwoman Natalie Walsh, who acts as a double for Nami star Emily Rudd, took to Instagram recently to share a photo of herself and three other crew members alongside the caption: "Wrap party vibes, let's gooooo". While the selfie was stuntperson-heavy, it seems safe to assume that if the stand-ins' work is all done and dusted, then the actors and directors are likely to be, too.

The streamer has yet to announce when the second season of the live-action anime adaptation, but Vincent Regan, who plays Vice Admiral Garp, previously revealed at Vienna Comic-Con that "the show will be ready for Netflix before Christmas next year." Season 1 wrapped in August 2022 and didn't release on Netflix until August 2023, so it seems almost certain that the follow-up chapter will land in December 2025.

"I guess they'll start filming season 3 pretty soon, and I think they are doing -- I think it's called the [Alabasta] story arc," Regan teased at the same time. "I think it's going to take two seasons. What I've seen of the designs, drawings, and when I was there, there was some really fun stuff being shot there at the moment."

Also starring Mackenyu, Taz Skylar, Morgan Davies, Iñaki Godoy, and more, One Piece follows a group of pirates led by enthusiastic adventurer Monkey D. Luffy, as they explore a fantastical world of endless oceans and exotic islands. Known as the Straw Hat Crew, their overarching mission is to find the world's ultimate treasure, and become the next Pirate Kings.

One Piece season 1 is streaming now. For more, check out the best Netflix shows and best anime on Netflix you can watch right now.

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has enthusiastically given his blessing to Netflix's One Piece season 2, particularly to the new cast members.

Also an executive producer on the show, Oda visited the set in Cape Town, South Africa, where the new episodes are being filmed.

"I got to see firsthand the hard work of so many crew members across various fields!! The sets? Huge! The attention to detail? Insane! The crew’s love for the project? Off the charts!! And the food? Amazing!!," he wrote in a statement.

Oda said he now feels "an even greater sense of responsibility" for his role in this live-action adaptation of his legendary manga.

During this set visit, Oda was able to meet the new cast members of season 2, which include The Suicide Squad star David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3 and Bridgerton breakout Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday.

"My own casting selections were made from Japan over photos and videos, but seeing them all in person convinced me: they were absolutely the perfect choice!!!

"The vibe on set was just the best, too! Trust me, this is going to surpass season 1! Stay tuned for season 2!".

One Piece is also welcoming this season Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, and Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, who are members of the criminal syndicate Baroque Works group.

Also joining the cast of season 2 are Clive Russell as Crocus, Werner Coetser as Dorry, Brendan Murray as Brogy, Julia Rehwald as Tashigi, Ty Keogh as Dalton, Ro Colletti as Wapol, and Callum Kerr as Smoker.

We will also be reunited with the main cast, Iñaki Godoy (Monkey D. Luffy), Emily Rudd (Nami), Mackenyu (Zoro), Taz Skylar (Sanji), and Jacob Romero (Usopp).

One Piece season 2 is currently filming, and Netflix has yet to confirm an official release date. In the meantime, check our list of best Netflix shows.

Outer Banks, a hit Netflix show with a stellar Rotten Tomatoes score, has been renewed for a fifth and final season. 

The adventure series follows a group of teenagers seeking lost treasure. The show is due to drop part 2 of season 4 imminently, but co-creators/executive producers Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke have announced that the next season would be its last.

In a letter to fans, the trio discussed the origins of the show – a photo of teenagers on a beach during a power outage – and reflected that, "at the time, seven years ago, it seemed impossible that we would really get to tell the whole five season story, but here we are, at the end of our fourth season still chopping away."

They went on to describe season 4 as the "longest and hardest – but most rewarding – to produce," and added that the finale is a feature-length episode that they believe to be "our best, most powerful episode." 

"Now, with a little sadness, but also excitement, we're putting season four behind us, and are turning to season five, in which we hope to bring our beloved Pogues home in the way we imagined and planned years ago," they continued. "Season five will be our last season, and we think it will be our best yet. We hope you'll join us for one more paddle out to the surf break." 

Outer Banks season 4 stands at a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes so far, with the show as a whole at a healthy 79%. 

There's no release date for Outer Banks season 5 just yet, while season 4 part 2 lands this November 7. While you wait, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to fill out your watchlist. 

Netflix has shared a behind-the-scenes look at One Piece season 2 – which reveals the title of the first episode.

In the photo, which can be viewed below, a copy of the season 2 script sits on what appears to be a boat. Accompanying the script are Nami's compass, Luffy's (Inaki Godoy) straw hat, Zoro's (Mackenyu) sword, Sanji's (Taz Skylar) pepper shaker, and Usopp's (Jacob Gibson) goggles. The episode, penned by showrunner Matt Owens and screenwriter Ian Stokes, is titled, "The Beginning and the End."

The long-awaited live-action adaptation of the beloved manga and anime of the same name by Eiichiro Oda hit Netflix in August 2023. The show became the number one TV series in 84 different countries around the globe during its first weekend – beating a record previously set by Stranger Things. 

The streamer recently announced a slew of new actors to the cast, including David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, Rob Colletti as Wapol, Clive Russell as Crocus, and Callum Kerr as Smoker – who is set to be the big bad of season 2. We were waiting for them to announce Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Kureha, but she's currently filming Freaky Friday 2 with Lindsay Lohan.

It was also announced back in April that Steven Maeda would be stepping down as co-showrunner and Percy Jackson and the Olympians writer Joe Tracz taking over.

One Piece season 2 does not yet have a release date, but is expected to hit Netflix in 2025. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix shows to add to your streaming queue right now.

Filming has officially begun on One Piece season 2 and to celebrate, Netflix has shared a cute, behind-the-scenes video of the cast heading out to Cape Town for the shoot.

"It's happening, Nakama!" the show's Twitter said, alongside a pirate flag emoji. "From around the world, our Straw Hats have reunited to begin filming their epic season 2 adventure!" Watch the featurette below...

"Hey Siri, how do you get to South Africa?" Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy, who plays lead Monkey D. Luffy in the show, says in the clip, before he throws his guitar up onto his back, looks directly into the camera and adds, "here we go again".

Other stars assembling in the video include Mackenyu (Roronoa Zoro), travelling from Tokyo, Taz Skylar (Sanji), heading out from Las Vegas, and Jacob Romero (Usopp) and Emily Rudd (Nami), who are both swapping Los Angeles' beaches for the wooden deck of the Going Merry.

"To the Grand Line!" Godoy shouts, after the group reunite on the "ship", referencing the entire world-wrapping ocean route from the anime and manga series it was inspired by. 

Just recently, Netflix confirmed a whole bunch of names joining the show for season 2, including Warrior's Jazzara Jaslyn, Raised by Wolves' Daniel Lasker, and David Dastmalchian. All three mentioned are set to play members of the Baroque Works group, a criminal syndicate whose ultimate goal is to take over the Arabasta Kingdom.

One Piece season 1 is streaming now. For more, check out the best Netflix shows and best anime on Netflix you can watch right now.

The first trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off show Knuckles has dropped, and it's super fun. 

The show, which was announced back in February 2022, is set between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the upcoming threequel. 

The trailer shows Knuckles hilariously adjusting (or not adjusting, really) to regular life, but even outside of turning the living room into a gladiator arena, it's not all smooth sailing. There are some sinister villains after Knuckles, but luckily, he seems powerful enough to go toe to toe with them. Most excitingly, though, Knuckles has his iconic cowboy hat from the Sonic the Hedgehog OVA that debuted in '96. Yay! See the trailer below. 

Idris Elba will reprise his role as Knuckles for the series, with the rest of the cast including Adam Pally, Ellie Taylor, Julian Barrat, Edi Patterson, Scott Mescudi, Rory McCann, and Tika Sumpter.

Pally is playing Wade Wipple, as he does in the movies, and the series is set to see Knuckles agree to "train Wade as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior," according to the logline (H/T Variety). 

Sonic the Hedgehog 3, meanwhile, is coming this December 20. Jim Carey is back as Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, with other returning cast members including Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails, Elba as Knuckles, James Marsden as Tom, Sumpter as Maddie, Natasha Rothwell as Rachel, and Shemar Moore as Randall. 

Newcomers to the cast are Krysten Ritter, Cristo Fernández, Jorma Taccone, Sofia Pernas, James Wolk, and Ayla Browne. Who's playing Shadow in the movie is a mystery for now, though. 

While you wait for the Sonic threequel, check out our guide to all the upcoming major movie release dates to get planning your theater trips for the year. 

It’s time to return to the land of the Gods as Disney Plus has renewed Percy Jackson and the Olympians for its second season - which is pretty impressive to say season 1 only hit the streamer less than two months ago.

As reported by Variety, the announcement was made by Disney boss Bob Iger during the company's latest quarterly earnings call, after mentioning that season 1, which hit the streamer on December 19, 2023, has been streamed for over 110 million hours across both Disney Plus and Hulu. That’s a staggering 20.6 million views in total. The adaptation also proved to be a big hit with critics earning a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The show, adapted from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson book series, follows a 12-year-old demigod named Percy (Walker Scobell), who after being accused of stealing a lightning bolt by Zeus, has no choice but to use his powers for good and trek across America with his friends in an attempt to restore order to Olympus. Cast also includes Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, and Lance Reddick who sadly passed away earlier this year. 

However, this is not the first time Riordan’s Greek-themed literary adventures have been brought to life on the screen, as way back in 2010 20th Century Studios released their version of the story with Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief and then Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in 2013, both starring The Perks of Being a Wallflower’s Logan Lerman as the titular hero.

It is unclear what storyline season 2 will follow, but if the series stays true to the books, we are in for one crazy mythological adventure. Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 does not have a set release date at this time. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 is available to stream right now on Disney Plus, as well as Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. For more, check out our guide to the other best new TV shows coming your way.  

After a thirteen-year hiatus from the TARDIS, Russell T Davies is back doing what he does best, showrunning Doctor Who. But in a recent conversation with SFX, the screenwriter and producer revealed that he was once asked to run a Marvel show too.

"I got asked to showrun a British Marvel show, but [they said] 'We can’t tell you what it is,'" Davies tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features David Tennant as Doctor Who on the cover. The director laughs loudly, "To this day, I watch them and I can’t work out which show that was going to be. Obviously planning to make a British Marvel show that I haven’t seen. Has that happened?"

Aside from his work on Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010, Davies is also known for a plethora of other great British TV shows, including It's A Sin, Years and Years, and Queer as Folk. So it's no surprise really that he was approached by Marvel too, and although Davies didn't confirm which show it was, it's interesting to think that a British Marvel series was once on the cards. We'll keep our eyes peeled for that one. 

However, it looks like there will be little time for overseeing any Marvel shows for Davies. After the upcoming anniversary specials, Davies has his hands full with the latest season of Doctor Who, starring Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th doctor. 

The first of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials, starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, will air on the BBC on November 25.

Not a subscriber to SFX? Then head on over here to get the latest issues sent directly to your home/device!

The above is just a snippet from our interview with Russell T Davies, which you can see more of in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, November 1. Keep up to date with all things SFX by signing up to the newsletter, which sends all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.

Following the runaway success of One Piece, Netflix might have another massive hit on its hands with its next live-action adaptation of a beloved manga. 

The streamer has set the release date for its version of Yu Yu Hakusho, based on the manga series of the same name by Yoshihiro Togashi. The manga's story follows a boy named Yusuke Urameshi, who, after being fatally run over, is brought back to life as an Underworld Detective – which means investigating supernatural goings-on involving ghosts and demons in the regular world. 

"More than three decades after Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi first captured the imagination of readers, the beloved manga gets a live-action adaptation," Netflix wrote on Twitter, along with a short teaser for the series that shows off its logo. The show will be arriving this December 14. 

The cast includes Takumi Kitamura as Yusuke, Jun Shison as Kurama, Kanata Hongo as Hiei, and Shuhei Uesugi as Kazuma Kuwabara. 

As for One Piece, Netflix has confirmed that One Piece season 2 is in the works – though it doesn't have a release date just yet. 

"Without saying too much, and speaking to any new characters that we might meet, I would say a major theme that we're working with in season 2 is the challenge of leadership," co-showrunner Matt Owens has said of the second season. "From Luffy's perspective, he’s got his crew now, and they are setting out to the Grand Line. They're doing the thing, and there are a lot of challenges that come with that responsibility. And that theme ties into some other stories and characters that I won't give away just yet. But the challenge and leadership is a big theme for us in season 2."

Owens has also revealed that he's trying to manifest Jamie Lee Curtis joining the season 2 cast as Doctor Kureha. 

While you wait for Yu Yu Hakusho, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist. 

One Piece co-showrunner Matt Owens really wants Jamie Lee Curtis to join the One Piece crew. 

Curtis has already shared her interest in playing Doctor Kureha, sharing a post on Instagram of the character with the comment: "ONCE the STRIKE against the greed of the AMTPT is SETTLED with a FAIR CONTRACT, I will lobby along with the growing fan frenzy to become Doctor Kureha in @onepiecenetflix"

"Mommy dearest, that's why we sent you that figure!" Owens commented. "No need to lobby. Once we get what we deserve and get back to work let's talk!"

Doctor Kureha would be introduced in One Piece season 2, and Owens spoke to Deadline about the possibility of Curtis joining the cast. 

"We have opportunities to stunt cast some roles, some rules that are very important, and it came out that Jamie Lee Curtis is a One Piece fan," he shared. "As soon as she said that, we were like, okay, we have to try and get her on the show. What can we do? And Doctor Kureha, very luckily, is a character who is coming up in our story, and is someone who is perfect for Jamie Lee Curtis.

"So we tried to start manifesting this dream of ours," he continued. "After she won her Oscar, the writers' room sent her a figure of Doctor Kureha with a nice note that said, 'Congratulations on your statue, here's another one to put next to it. Hope to speak to you soon.'"

Curtis' Instagram post also helped matters. "When she reposted that, it got a lot of fan interest, and I commented on it," Owens added. "We're trying to manifest it. Yes, as of right now, SAG is still striking so there have not been real conversations. But as soon as there can be, I'm ready. I will take her out to dinner, we'll talk about it. We'll do all of it because at this point we're writing for her – we really, really want her to come and play with us in season 2."

One Piece season 2 doesn't yet have a release date, but we could be seeing new episodes as soon as a year after the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' strike comes to an end. 

While you wait for more One Piece, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows to stream now. 

Disney Plus has canceled National Treasure: Edge of History after just one season, per a report from Deadline. 

The show was a spin-off of the movie series that followed Lisette Olivera's young DREAMer Jess, who learns from a mysterious stranger that ancient treasure could be linked to her late father. She ends up going head to head with a black-market antiques dealer in the hunt to find the lost treasure and uncover the truth about her family's past. 

The cast included Catherine Zeta-Jones, Zuri Reed, Antonio Cipriano, Lyndon Smith, Jordan Rodrigues, Breeda Wool, Jake Austin Walker, and Armando Riesco. While franchise star Nicolas Cage never made a cameo, Harvey Keitel and Justin Bartha – who both featured in the movies – made appearances in the show, which ran for 10 episodes. 

All hope for more National Treasure projects is not lost, though. In August of last year, producer Jerry Bruckheimer gave a very promising update on a third movie. "Let's hope we're working on the script right now," he told ComicBook.com. "Hopefully [Cage] likes it, but it's really good. So I think we'll get it to him shortly." Here's hoping another update comes along soon. 

Edge of History is far from the first Disney Plus original to be canceled: Turner & Hooch, Diary of a Future President, and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers are all among the TV shows axed by the streamer. 

If you're looking to fill out your watchlist, check out our guide to the best shows on Disney Plus and the best movies on Disney Plus to stream now.  

The Recruit season 2 is happening at Netflix, with Noah Centineo returning for the new episodes. The show debuted on Netflix in December 2022, which makes this renewal particularly speedy. 

Centineo plays a lawyer for the CIA in the series, whose life is thrown into dangerous turmoil when an asset tries to reveal her association with the organization. 

"I'm thrilled to dive back into the fun, funny, action-packed world of The Recruit. Seeing how invested our audience became in the show's adventurous take on the spy world and Noah's turn as Owen has been incredibly rewarding, and I can't wait to turn it all up to '11' in season two," creator, showrunner, and executive producer Alexi Hawley said of the renewal (H/T The Hollywood Reporter). 

Added Centineo, who also executive produces: "I know I speak for our entire cast and executive team at eOne and Netflix when I say that we are thrilled to be returning to The Recruit for a second season. I'm looking forward to seeing what Alexi Hawley has in store for us all."

Netflix has garnered quite the reputation for canceling shows ahead of their time, lately, which makes the news of The Recruit's renewal fairly surprising. The show was a hit for the streamer, though, charting on Netflix's global top 10 list for five weeks. 

"We have never canceled a successful show," Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has said of the streamer's cancelations. "A lot of these shows were well-intended but talk to a very small audience on a very big budget. The key to it is you have to be able to talk to a small audience on a small budget and a large audience on a large budget. If you do that well, you can do that forever."

If you're up to speed on The Recruit, check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist. 

Indiana Jones could be coming back to the small screen. Disney is said to be interested in developing a spin-off TV show for Disney Plus, per a new report from Variety, and is described as "actively" trying to get a series in motion. 

According to the report, Disney and Lucasfilm have been floating the idea during general writers' meetings. At this point, the companies are still seeking a writer, so there are no specifics to be known just yet. It's also not clear if the show would be a prequel or a spin-off, or if it has any connection to Indiana Jones 5, which is set to release next year. The show is also described as "set in the world" of Indiana Jones, which could mean the archeologist himself won't feature. 

Of course, this wouldn't be the first TV show about the famed explorer. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles followed the adventures of – you guessed it – young Indy and aired two seasons in the '90s. 

The Disney Plus show might not be the only extension to the franchise, either. The report adds that Disney is "exploring" other options to keep the Jones-verse alive, meaning we could be getting even more shows and movies, or projects in "other media."

Indiana Jones 5 will see Harrison Ford don his fedora once again, with Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, and Toby Jones joining the line-up. James Mangold directs, taking over from Steven Spielberg, who remains on board as a producer. Plot details remain firmly under wraps for the moment, but the trailer was screened behind closed doors at D23. 

The film arrives June 30, 2023. In the meantime, check out our roundup of all the upcoming major movie release dates to get planning those theater trips. 

For Simpsons fans, Treehouse of Horror is just as much of a Halloween tradition as pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating. The past three decades has seen The Simpsons scare us silly and slice into pop culture’s biggest names across over 100 segments. They’ve not only brought us some of the best Simpsons episodes ever made, but also its most iconic moments. Who could forget Homer having a donut for a head? Or the show’s pitch-perfect parody of The Shining?

But which is the best Treehouse of Horror episode? It’s something we revisit every Halloween, and this year is no different. We’ve rewatched all 32 traditional Treehouse of Horrors (discounting the Halloween of Horror special and season 34’s full-fat It parody episode ‘Not It’) and put them in what we hope you’ll find is a very cromulent order.

So, get ready for all the monsters, mayhem, and mystery that Springfield can throw at you. Because no ranking makes GamesRadar+… something something. Go crazy? Don’t mind if we do! Here are the best Treehouse of Horror episodes, ranked from worst to first.

32. Treehouse of Horror 22

Worst. Treehouse of Horror. EVER. It's never nice to actively hate on The Simpsons, but every segment in the 22nd Halloween special leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Seven minutes of fart jokes is bad enough, but the first vignette is also a cruel, niche parody of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, a real-life, tragic story of locked-in syndrome. Flanders as a serial killer sounds like fun, but is delivered like terrible fan-fiction with a weirdly mean-spirited take on religion. There's even an Avatar parody with Bart having tentacle sex. Because that's exactly what we wanted.

31. Treehouse of Horror 29

Nearly every criticism thrown at modern-day Simpsons can apply here. The episode feels simultaneously rushed, yet lazy in its execution, and there’s barely a joke that lands without another quickly coming along to try and tickle our funny bones before inevitably falling flat.

There’s an Invasion of the Body Snatchers parody that doesn't rise beyond a couple of mildly amusing sight gags (Otto transforming into a marijuana leaf is a decent highlight) and a bizarre Split-style short with Yeardley Smith rattling through a bunch of passable impressions and kooky accents after Lisa loses the plot over getting a Bart-concocted F.

At least "Geriatric Park" – a suitably lazy Jurassic Park rip-off – offers up a pretty hilarious (literal) flyover of the Jurassic Park parks and their increasing ludicrousness, plus the elderly-turning-into-dinosaurs bit surprisingly doesn’t outstay its welcome. But, all in all, this feels like an episode that barely knows what to do with itself. If later episodes didn't go against the grain, this would feel like the dying embers of a Treehouse of Horror formula rapidly wearing thin.

30. Treehouse of Horror 19

You would think someone on The Simpsons staff would do their research. Not only does this episode kick off with a skit surrounding a toy that's not what it seems, it also murders other toys. You're not suffering déjà vu: they've both been done before on the show. "How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising" at least brings the traditional guts and gore, even if it's a standard Mad Men parody. The Charlie Brown homage, however, manages to tick all the right nostalgia boxes, but this episode is filled with montages and corner-cuts everywhere. One to avoid. 

29. Treehouse of Horror 27

Oof. It's always a bad sign when an episode is stalling for time just three minutes into its runtime. It doesn't get much better from there. "Dryhard" is a try-hard Hunger Games parody about a drought. Apt, then, that it's running dry on jokes. "BFF RIP" is almost as painful to watch as the various murders Lisa's imaginary friend Rachel commits. And if you're expecting a funny and smart Bond parody from "Moefinger", you'll be overjoyed to know all you're getting is a one-dimensional Kingsman parody. The Bond theme send-up, to celebrate 600 episodes, just about keeps this one from plummeting to the very depths of the Halloween canon.

28. Treehouse of Horror 16

The warning signs are there from the beginning. A two-minute long preamble about how boring baseball is gives way to a trio of uninspiring and downright unfunny tales. "Bartificial Intelligence" seems to have been a case of come up with bad pun first, story second. And "Survival of the Fattest" doesn't know whether it wants to have a jab at reality TV, FOX, or hunting (it fails at all three). At least "I've Grown a Costume on Your Face" is fun to look at, even if it comes packed with, in hindsight, one of the most awkward jokes in the show's history. You'll know it once you hear it.

27. Treehouse of Horror 26

I would really love to recommend this episode. Yet, homages and tributes to other properties have been done countless times already in Treehouse of Horror episodes, and none were as borderline offensive (what's up with those Japanese accents?) or unfunny as Homerzilla. Sideshow Bob killing Bart isn't nearly as funny as you would hope, and "Telepaths of Glory" is a pale imitation of Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl. Boo-urns.

26. Treehouse of Horror 28

The Simpsons equivalent of a well-worn jacket. It's comfortable, you know what you're getting, but you really want that looser, more free-fitting one from a few decades ago. This episode reads like a checklist of typical Treehouse of Horror segments: an old movie property? Check. Different animation styles on occasion? Check. Meta moments and callbacks? Double check. After so many of these, it becomes difficult to be shocked, let alone scared by the classic anthology series. Later Treehouse episodes innovate but this, sadly, is not one of them.

25. Treehouse of Horror 21

If the opening segment – "War and Pieces," a fun frolic through board games past – was in any other episode further up the list, it'd make for an instant classic. It's just that the rest of the episode doesn't stack up. "Master and Cadaver" is a tired old plot that limps through its seven minutes, and why the writers thought it'd be a good idea to ape Twilight, I'll never know. 

24. Treehouse of Horror 17

This feels like an early-season Treehouse of Horror wrapped in modern-day sensibilities. But that's not quite the compliment it sounds. The stories cut to the chase far quicker than some of the show's later episodes, but that still doesn't excuse the crude, shock humour more akin to Family Guy. However, the show's use of older, more traditional sci-fi and horror influences, such as Golems and War of the Worlds, feel far more refreshing than they would have had this aired during the first nine seasons.

23. Treehouse of Horror 30

One of the most recent efforts on this list, Treehouse of Horror 30 again goes back to the well of semi-recent parodies for “Danger Things,” a light-hearted spoof that sends up Stranger Things (and the '80s) with several precisely-aimed jokes. The 666th episode, though, doesn’t quite get out of first gear, with the Shape of Water-style romance between Kang and Selma being a particularly bad offender. Still, there are plenty of smirks and snickers to be had here, with a little jab at new corporate overlords Disney being the highlight of this season 31 episode.

22. Treehouse of Horror 32

Parodies have been the bread and butter of Treehouse of Horror for decades now, but The Simpsons' send-up of The Ring (complete with TikTok references) acts like something that was probably left over from a much older episode. Parasite fits the mold a lot better and is genuinely terrifying in places. That's modern-day Simpsons in a nutshell: not afraid to push the boundaries and experiment more in its latter-day Treehouses, even if it leans a little too heavy on spoofing existing properties. It's the same again here – a decent anthology of horror that scares in places but won't split your sides.

21. Treehouse of Horror 9

Treehouse of Horror 9 is a strange beast. On one hand, it features a perfect fit with Itchy and Scratchy bringing the blood and guts. But, on the other, it presents a show in the death throes of its most creatively fulfilling period. "Hair Toupee" is a fairly decent effort, if a little too reliant on a tertiary character, but "Starship Poopers" gives us a glimpse at a Simpsons future that relies heavily on guest stars and shock value. This being The Simpsons, it's still 22 minutes of great animated fare, it's just a middle-of-the-road Treehouse of Horror outing.

Continue to Page 2 for more of the best Treehouse of Horror episodes

20. Treehouse of Horror 23

For all the talk about The Simpsons' switch to a more sterile HD look, this is one of the most gorgeous Treehouse of Horrors to date. "The Greatest Story Ever Holed" involves some really great animation and – for once – a recent parody (in this case, Paranormal Activity) doesn't descend into a shoulder-shrug of a knock-off. Bart's foray back into 1974 is pretty bog-standard in the grand scheme of things and, yet, it still amounts to one of the more fun Halloween episodes of the past decade.

19. Treehouse of Horror 11

Treehouse of Horror 11 makes such a solid start that you'd be forgiven for expecting it to be much higher on this list. Unfortunately, the fantastic first act of "G-g-g-host D-d-d-ad" is quickly supplanted by a lazy fairytale parody that offers nothing in the way of particularly amusing material. Adding on to that, "Night of the Dolphin" just meanders along and is all too predictable. It's still not bad, per se, but there are plenty of Treehouse of Horror episodes you should watch before this one.

18. Treehouse of Horror 20

This episode kicks off with a critique on the modernisation of Halloween costumes. It's fitting, then, that this episode spotlights a triumvirate of traditional tales: Hitchcock – an influence the show loves to mine – musicals and, *sigh* zombies again. If you thought that well ran dry a decade prior then, boy, have I got news for you. For a big anniversary, this episode feels fairly standard – but Moe's deliberately terrible song and dance numbers bring the pizazz and cap off a nice episode.

17. Treehouse of Horror 24

Guillermo del Toro's couch gag and the Dr. Seuss tribute are overflowing with such joyous creativity that it's a real kick in the teeth that the rest of the episode doesn't live up to the ridiculously high benchmark set in the opening 10 minutes. Dead and Shoulders's concept has been done far better in the show's cousin Futurama and, ironically, isn't given room to breathe because of the clipped runtime. The circus segment is a series of one-shot jokes and visual gags that don't quite knit together the threadbare plot it comes with. Still, this is a real animation tour-de-force, and well worth a watch.

16. Treehouse of Horror 13

Number 13: Unlucky for some, but the thirteenth Treehouse of Horror shows that the format still dazzles well beyond the 'classic' era. "Send in the Clones" in an inspired story and – as we inch closer to the number one spot – the trend of entertaining characters carrying stories rather than vice-versa becomes readily apparent. The imagery of the Island of Dr Hibbert is also very strong, but the second story not only glamorises gun violence, it also steals a premise from eleven years earlier. Two out of three ain't bad, though.

15. Treehouse of Horror 25

Fittingly for such a big milestone, the 25th Treehouse of Horror works as a fine-tuned microcosm for the changing face of the Simpsons' Halloween anthology. Parodies, again, are the name of the game and "A Clockwork Yellow" is one of their better efforts. Bart going to Hell, surprisingly, took this long – and it doesn't disappoint, with gruesome gags aplenty. "The Others" is also a neat, knowing nod for classic fans, which is nice. A terrific effort all round.

14. Treehouse of Horror 31

Whisper it, but The Simpsons has improved at a steady pace in recent years. Treehouse of Horror 31 is indicative of that upwards trend with a delightfully devilish CGI take on Toy Story which is about as bloody as the show has ever been. Into the Spider-Verse parody “Into the Homer-Verse” is the most skippable of the three shorts, but still entertains in places with its warped take on various Homers. Russian Doll, meanwhile, is in the firing line for the final act’s “Be Nine, Rewind” as Lisa (and Nelson) get caught in a time loop littered with brutal deaths and a wonderfully meta exchange with Comic Book Guy focused on one of the most overused tropes in sci-fi.

13. Treehouse of Horror 8

Following on from such a brilliant run of Treehouse of Horror episodes in the mid-to-late '90s, the eighth instalment feels like a slight letdown, but it's not without its moments. Homer – at his most obtuse – carries "The Homega Man" and its paper-thin premise. He also gets the best moments in "Fly vs. Fly" and "Easy Bake Coven", but the former lacks Jeff Goldblum and the latter feels like, for better or worse, a more restrained Halloween effort after previous years shambled onto the scene. A good effort, if not a great one in places, from The Simpsons' Golden Age.

12. Treehouse of Horror 3

Probably the most disappointing of the early Treehouse of Horrors, though an average season four Simpsons episode is still better than most shows ever produced. "King Homer" may be beautifully animated, but it rarely strays from full-on homage. "Clown Without Pity" is an instant improvement, featuring one of the show's most unsettling images in a knife-wielding Krusty the Clown doll. The cursed frogurt scene has now lived on in meme folklore (that's good). The final segment, "Dial Z for Zombies" bring you guessed it, zombies into the Treehouse of Horror fore. Except the shambling undead will be covered in far funnier and fateful Treehouse of Horrors further down the line.

11. Treehouse of Horror 12

Season 13 really marked the point where the show reached such a downturn that it was seen as the end of many fans' love affair with the longest-running animated show in history. Treehouse of Horror 12, though, is a strong start to the season. Gypsies curses, Pierce Brosnan playing a knockoff HAL, and a half-baked Harry Potter knock-off (saved by the serpentine Smithers) all come together to form an episode that is a bit all over the place thematically, but still proved the writers weren't (and, frankly, still aren't) as creatively bankrupt as many would have you believe.

Continue to Page 3 for more of the best Treehouse of Horror episodes

10. Treehouse of Horror 14

A kinda meh Frink story aside, this is a great collection, and well worthy of a spot in the top 10. Homer taking up the mantle of the Grim Reaper, and trying to fool God, is as hilarious as it is dark. Milhouse and Bart getting a watch that stops time is perhaps the least scary Halloween story to date up to this point, but it still makes for a genuinely intriguing plot based around Bart's subservient blue-haired best friend Fun fact: This is also the first Treehouse of Horror to use a "Treehouse of Horror" title card in the actual episode – and it's painted with Homer's blood.

9. Treehouse of Horror 18

Treehouse of Horror 18 is a love letter to the show's past. Not only is it a fitting tribute to The Simpsons Halloween canon, with neat spins on well-established narratives, it has some fantastic references for long-time fans of the show, too. The Kodos/Homer shower scene is awkward as hell and you'll be laughing throughout, "Mr. and Mrs. Simpson" is a parody that lets the action and Marge's chemistry with Homer do the talking, and "Heck House" is joyfully anarchic, finally shining a spooky light on Springfield's kids. Don't let the season number fool you, this is just as good as the classics.

8. Treehouse of Horror 15

Treehouse of Horror 15 is the best Simpsons Halloween episode in the last 20 years. It's a sorry state of affairs that over half the show's output has been relegated to constant comparisons to its older, funnier brother, but this entry proves it still has jokes and scary scenarios in abundance. Flanders steals the show with his futile attempts to stop Homer from dying; the Jack the Ripper parody has enough of that sweet, sweet Simpsons flavour to keep it fresh, and Homer *ahem* entering Mr. Burns through a shrunk-down ship is just as joyfully silly as you'd imagine.

7. Treehouse of Horror 2

God bless Bonerland. The second serving of Treehouse of Horror mines its Twilight Zone influences to good effect as Bart's mind-bending powers steal the show with multiple alternative history test answers about the good ol' US of A. Homer's misuse of the monkey paw is only made funnier by the kicker that his last wish being a turkey sandwich, one that he curses for being a little dry. Oh, the humanity. Mr. Burns' robot slave story, though, is barely played for laughs and stops this episode from cracking the top five.

6. Treehouse of Horror 4

While "Bart Simpson's Dracula" and "Terror at 5 ½ Feet" rarely stray away from tried and tested material – including a William Shatner Twilight Zone episode – it's Homer's deal with the Devil that generates the most laughs and raises it from a very good Treehouse of Horror to an outstanding one. It certainly stakes (ahem) a claim for the best one-shot Halloween story in the show's history; Flanders as the Devil is a genius concept and the animation – including the Devil's Fantasia-style flourish – is up there with the show's very best. Phil Hartman's Lionel Hutz, though, steals the show. He's at his most brilliantly incapable here – and proves the format works best when it leans on Springfield and its characters rather than real-world horror influences.

5. Treehouse of Horror 7

The best seventh instalment of a beloved franchise since Rocky 7: Adrian's Revenge, Treehouse of Horror 7 does away with its framing device altogether to craft an episode packed with some of the show's best, most ghoulish work. Misdirection a-plenty is the name of the game with both "The Thing and I" and "The Genesis Tub" but, while they both provide irony and scares in equal measure, it's Kang and Kodos' first full short in years that ranks as the high point. Filled with one-liners that are still used today, and a genuinely funny commentary on American politics, "Citizen Kang" is worthy of appearing on Treehouse of Horror's Mount Rushmore. 

4. Treehouse of Horror

The original Treehouse of Horror, if not quite the best, still stands the test of time – and then some. "The Raven," is, for my money, the definitive version of Edgar Allan Poe's poem. Elsewhere, "Bad Dream House" is a bit tame by later standards but features some delightfully spooky imagery and one of the show's greatest jokes: a haunted house that would rather implode than live with The Simpson family. The debut of Kang and Kodos is also wrapped up in a nice bait-and-switch story, in what would prove to be a longstanding Treehouse of Horror tradition. 

3. Treehouse of Horror 10

I know, I know. Putting something from post-season 10 this high up the list may amount to sacrilege for many a Simpsons stalwart, but Treehouse of Horror 10 deserves it. Being one of the most consistently fun (and funny) episodes isn't enough for you? There's Homer accidentally spilling the beans on Ned's death, a madcap Y2K story, and a campy comic book caper to boot. All in all, this well-rounded anthology proved The Simpsons hadn't missed a step in the Halloween department as its lustre began to fade.

2. Treehouse of Horror 6

The sixth Treehouse of Horror not only had some of the most inventive imagery found in any Halloween spin-off, it carries with it a playful, brighter tone that puts it head and shoulders above most episodes, old and new. "Attack of the 50ft Eyesores" and "Homer3" showcase Homer's selfish arrogance in a way that sees him get an entertaining comeuppance and, in case you thought things were getting too light, Groundskeeper Willie's there to give you the heebie-jeebies in a Nightmare on Elm Street homage. This episode is, Halloween or otherwise, a classic. It even comes with some great advice: "Do not touch – Willie."

1. Treehouse of Horror 5

Simply put, this is the best Treehouse of Horror. The love and care put into "The Shinning," with its litany of Kubrickian nods, would ordinarily be enough to elevate it to greatness on its own. Beyond that, every story is filled with belly laughs and increasingly gory deaths. Groundkeeper Willie's trio of axe-related murders will still make you laugh over 25 years later, as will Moe playfully poking at his brain matter, Homer leaving Grandpa at the gas station, Skinner's groan-worthy murderous puns, and much, much more besides that. If you watch this and don't think it's the best, I owe you a Coke.

The first details of Netflix’s Horizon Zero Dawn TV show have been revealed – including confirmation that Aloy will be the main character. Steve Blackman, who helped bring The Umbrella Academy to streaming, will be writing the show alongside Michelle Lovretta, who created the Canadian cult hit Killjoys.

The adaptation of Guerrilla Games’ open-world series isn’t straying too far from its PlayStation source material. The original game, which spawned a 2022 sequel, focused on Aloy and the remaining population struggling for survival in post-apocalyptic 31st Century Earth. There, they worship the preceding human race – The Old Ones – and battle against large machines.

Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, Blackman confirmed the series "takes place a thousand years in the future, in a world completely remade by massive machines." He added, "Suffice it to say, yes, Aloy will be a main character in our story." No casting details have been announced for Aloy as of writing.

Intriguingly, Blackman said both Horizon Zero Dawn and another of his projects – spacefaring Orbital – will "be using the newest technologies available to bring these projects to screen." Given Horizon Zero Dawn’s trademark lush landscapes littered with mechanical beasts and dormant structures, this could be a feast for the eyes for viewers on Netflix.

Blackman’s other Netflix baby, The Umbrella Academy, is all set to end after its fourth season. From there, he’ll put all his energy into Horizon Zero Dawn and Orbital.

There are also more PlayStation adaptations on the way. The Last of Us TV show, a Twisted Metal series and a God of War TV series are on all various stages of development. For more from Netflix, here are the best Netflix shows you should be watching right now.

Harvey Keitel is set to reprise his National Treasure role in Disney Plus spin-off series National Treasure: Edge of History. 

The Oscar-nominated actor will be back as Peter Sadusky, the FBI Special Agent who investigated the theft of the Declaration of Independence in the franchise's existing movies – and he won't be the only returning face, either. Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that Justin Bartha will be seen again as his character Riley Poole, the best friend of Nicolas Cage's cryptologist Benjamin Franklin Gates. 

The news came during the show's panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday (July 21), where comedian and influencer Jenny Lorenzo chatted with its stars and executive producers Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, writers and producers of the National Treasure films.

At the event, Disney Plus also unveiled a very brief first teaser for the series. In it, Lisette Olivera's Jess Morales, a resourceful young DREAMer, sets out to uncover the truth about her family's mysterious past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.

Zuri Reed (as Jess's ride-or-die Tasha), Antonio Cipriano (as conspiracy theory nut Oren), Jordan Rodrigues (as Jess's childhood bestie Ethan), Jake Austin Walker (as musician Liam), Lyndon Smith (as FBI Agent Ross), and Catherine Zeta-Jones (as villainous billionaire Billie Pearce) round out the supporting cast.

Rick Muirragui, who also serves as a writer, is executive producing alongside the Wibberleys, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jon Turteltaub, Jonathan Littman and Kristie Anne Reed. Mira Nair is directing and executive producing.

As it stands, there is no official word on when National Treasure: Edge of History will land on Disney Plus. While we wait to hear more, why not check out our list of the best new TV shows coming our way in 2022 and beyond. And, you can keep up to date on all things Comic-Con with our complete SDCC 2022 schedule. 

An animated Grounded TV show is in the works from Star Wars: Clone Wars writer Brent Friedman.

According to Deadline, the Grounded TV adaptation will take place in the same terrifying world as the Xbox backyard survival game, which was developed by Fallout: New Vegas studio Obsidian and follows a group of teens who have to survive after being shrunken to the size of ants.

The TV series is based around a similar premise, with four high school friends planning "big things" who inadvertently end up shrinking themselves. Just like the game, they'll be tasked with surviving against now-enormous predators like ants and other common backyard inhabitants, as well as untangling a big ol' corporate conspiracy that threatens the safety of their whole town.

The Xbox game is being adapted for TV by Friedman and Brien Goodrich, who worked on the Halo video game series as art lead and cinematic director from 2008-2019. Other details, like the cast, the rest of the creative team, and specific plot details are still under wraps.

It's hard to keep with all the video games being adapted for film and TV lately, from the recently released Resident Evil Netflix series and Halo TV show to the Chris Pratt-led Mario movie and the Borderlands film adaptation, as well as so, so many more.

Grounded the video game, meanwhile, is finally getting its full launch in September 2022.

For a complete list of big screen adaptations, here are all of the upcoming video game movies we know about and, for what to watch now, check out the best video game movies ever.

Tom Hiddleston is set to star in The White Darkness, a new series from Apple TV Plus.

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann, The White Darkness is inspired by the true life account of Henry Worsley (Hiddleston), a father, husband, and former soldier who made an epic adventure across Antarctica on foot. 

The series comes from Pachinko showrunner Soo Hugh and Black Swan screenwriter Mark Heyman – Pachinko is currently streaming on Apple TV Plus after releasing last month. The historical epic follows a Korean family trying to build a new life for themselves in 20th Century Japan and stars Minari's Youn Yuh-jung. 

As for Hiddleston, this is also his second project for Apple TV Plus – he's starring in the upcoming period drama The Essex Serpent, based on the novel of the same name, opposite Claire Danes, which is set to premiere on the streamer next month. 

Elsewhere, the actor has Loki season 2 in the works at Disney Plus, in which he'll reprise his role as the titular, multiverse-hopping trickster. Along with his work in the MCU, he's also appeared in movies like Kong: Skull Island, High-Rise, and Crimson Peak. 

Apple TV Plus has plenty of star-studded projects in the works, including Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jesse Plemons, and Ridley Scott's Napoleon biopic, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby.

While we wait for The White Darkness to arrive on Apple TV Plus, fill out your watch list with our picks of the best TV shows of 2021.

Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes has joined the upcoming Life is Strange TV show as an executive producer, as well as overseeing the series' music, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

The production company Anonymous Content has also recently boarded the project – its previous output includes True Detective and Mr. Robot. The other companies already involved, Legendary Television and dj2 Entertainment, are also working on the Tomb Raider anime series for Netflix. 

The first Life is Strange game was released in 2015 and prequels, sequels, and spin-offs have since followed. The newest installment, Life is Strange: True Colors, is set for release on September 30. A TV adaptation was first announced a year later in 2016, but this is one of the first major updates on goings-on behind the scenes since. Casting still hasn't been confirmed, though. 

Life is Strange is not your standard video game adaptation source material – the games are a series of story-driven adventures, which see ordinary people juggle supernatural powers and everyday situations and challenges. The first game follows Max, a high school senior who discovers she can rewind time in order to save her best friend and investigate the disappearance of a fellow student. It won the BAFTA Game Award for best story in 2016.

As for Mendes, he's been nominated for three Grammys and has had multiple top 10 singles. This is his second venture behind the camera – he was also a producer on In Wonder, a Netflix documentary about his world tour. 

While we wait for Life is Strange to arrive on the small screen, check out our list of the best video game movies of all time.

The broadcasting network, The CW, has ordered a revival of the '90s Nickelodeon game show Legends of the Hidden Temple. Instead of children competing against one another, the revival will feature adult competitors, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. 

The show will keep the same elements of the original game, but instead of a course built inside a studio as the '90s version, the obstacle course will be moved outside onto a "jungle" set.  The revival will also keep the same team names and colors, Purple Parrots, Blue Barracudas, Orange Iguanas, Red Jaguars, Silver Snakes, and Green Monkeys. Like the original members from each team will compete in a series of mental and physical challenges, and Olmec, the talking Mayan head, will be there as well. 

Legends of the Hidden Temple was part of a staple of game shows on Nickelodeon in the '90s. Other game shows included Double Dare, Figure It Out, GUTS, Nick Arcade, and Get the Picture, to name a few. Legends of the Hidden Temple was on the air from 1993-95 with Kirk Fogg as host.  

There is currently no premiere date for Legends of the Hidden Temple, but it joins a slew of unscripted shows coming to The CW. Shows that include old favorites like Whose Line Is It Anyway?. There are also new shows including Killer Campe and Would I Lie to You?. 

If you're curious about Legends of the Hidden Temple you can stream the original now on Paramount Plus. You can also check out our picks for the best summer movie some of which are available to stream on Paramount Plus. 

Sonic the Hedgehog is speeding over to Netflix. The blue blur is getting his own 3D animated series on the streaming service and it's set to arrive in 2022.

As revealed by Netflix on Twitter, Sonic’s animated series will go by the name “Sonic Prime.”

The Sonic series will be produced by WildBrain, whose WildBrain Studios offshoot has had previous history in terms of video game adaptation with a Mega Man series. Also on the development side is the entertainment group Man of Action. It has worked on big names in the past, too. Disney and Marvel characters have fallen under their purview, with 2012’s Ultimate Spider-Man being its biggest household name.

Ironically, we already had an inkling this announcement was coming – because the Sonic Netflix series had previously sped out of the blocks too quickly. In late 2020, an initial announcement on Sonic Prime was swiftly deleted and, until now, there was a telling radio silence on the project.

For the avoidance of doubt, this is unlikely to have any relation to the fledgling Sonic movie series. On the movie side, the Sonic sequel (with Ben Schwartz voicing Sonic) is likely to get rolling this March with a view to a release on April 8, 2022.

So, 2022 is gearing up to be a fantastic year for Sonic fans. A new movie, a new series. Could a new game be just around the corner too?

While we wait for the Year of Sonic, fill out your watchlists with the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is undergoing a mini-revival. The original Nickelodeon series and the Legend of Korra spin-off have been among Netflix’s most-watched series since their arrival on the streaming service in the past few months.

That added attention has led creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino to put to bed any speculation that a season 4 was ever in the works, though teased that there’s always space for “future stories” in the universe.

No spoilers here but, despite being only three ‘Books’ long, Avatar: The Last Airbender was a self-contained story that certainly had scope to go beyond that, particularly with members of The Fire Nation. While some threads are picked up much later in the timeline in Legend of Korra, Konietzko and DiMartino told Polygon that season 4/Book 4 was never on their minds at the time.

“There was never going to be a season 4, not from us and not from Nickelodeon,” Konietzko said. “Mike and I planned [The Last Airbender] to be a three-season arc as far back as our initial pitch in 2002, and in 2008 we finished the story we set out to tell.” DiMartino added, “We finished the show exactly as we had intended.”

But DiMartino offers hope for those who want new stories in The Last Airbender’s world, especially given the popularity of the franchise's comics and books. “There are many seeds we planted through both series and in the graphic novels that could be expanded on and explored,” he hinted. “The Avatar universe is a big place and has a long history so there’s a lot of potential for new stories.”

A new live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series is in the works, though the creators departed the project earlier this year. The closest we'll get to seeing something new from Aang and the gang is this unaired pilot. For now, the direction of the airbenders lay in Netflix’s hands, but who knows what the future might hold?

• Everything new on Netflix this month 
• The best Netflix movies 
• The best Netflix shows 

Want Netflix for free? Short of borrowing your housemate/family member/friend’s Netflix account, this is the next best thing: the streaming service has launched a ‘Watch Free’ section, with a selection of movies and shows you can watch – without having to sign up.

Head on over to Netflix’s Watch Free page to see the selection on offer. It doesn’t appear to differ by region and only includes Netflix-produced movies and shows so far. Among the headline acts are Stranger Things season 1 – at least, the first episode – as well as Bird Box.

There’s also the Adam Sandler-starring Murder Mystery, Elite, the first episode of When They See Us, reality series Love is Blind, The Two Popes (which received acting nods for Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce at this year’s Oscars), Grace & Frankie, nature documentary Our Planet and, uhh, Boss Baby: Back in Business. Each of the TV shows only has the first episode of the first season available as of writing.

All told, it’s a nice spread of what to expect if you do end up getting a Netflix subscription off the back of this curated collection. Stranger Things alone should reel people in, though The Two Popes and Bird Box show off just how far Netflix has come in its movie output over the past few years.

It’s not yet known if more will be added to Netflix’s Watch Free list but there are already a dozen or so hours for you to dip your toe into the streaming waters for now. You can’t beat free.

If you want more from Netflix, check out our lists of the best the service has to offer, including what’s new this month.

• Everything new on Netflix this month 
• The best Netflix movies 
• The best Netflix shows 

The anime series based on Capcom's Dragon's Dogma is coming to Netflix September 27. The news was revealed alongside the first official poster and some screenshots from the series.

First announced all the way back in 2019 - which I've just remembered was last year - the Dragon's Dogma anime has a short and simple premise on its Netflix landing page: "Ethan sets out to vanquish the Dragon that took his heart, but with every demon he battles, the more he loses his humanity." The Twitter announcement below is even more vague.

The Dragon's Dogma Twitter account also posted a separate announcement that included some shots of the characters and a dragon, which seems to have been rendered in 3D. You can check those out below.

2012's Dragon's Dogma has become a bit of a cult classic, just last year finding its way on the portable Nintendo Switch. Netflix partnered with Sublimation for the adaptation, and the studio's comments at the time of announcement give more hints as to what we can expect from the visual style.

"Sublimation team has long dreamt of working on our own title," said representative director Atsushi Koishikawa. "We have oftentimes worked with partner studios to create partial CGI portions within a given title, so we feel very fortunate to work with Netflix through this production line deal. We're excited to bring our unique cel shaded animation that carries hand-drawn textures to anime fans around the world."

Flip the script and play the best anime games out in 2020.

Disney Plus is giving us The Simpsons in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, starting May 28, the streaming service. 

That's a big deal for Simpsons fans. The series switched from 4:3 to 16:9 back in 2009, but Disney Plus streams every episode in the latter aspect ratio, meaning consequential visual cues from earlier episodes have been cropped out. That can make jokes confusing and even muddle certain story details. Here's a good example:

Fortunately, Disney heard the collective cries of Simpsons fans everywhere and is making the first 19 seasons of Simpsons stream in 4:3. Seasons 20 and onward will still stream in 16:9 as intended. It's been six months since the streaming service acquired the rights to the cartoon and began streaming episodes, but better late than never, right?

Another big boon for the Disney-owned streaming service is The Mandalorian, and the news that Timothy Olyphant is joining season 2 rocking Boba Fett's iconic armor. That followed equally compelling reports that Rosario Dawson would be playing Ahsoka Tano, filling out the series already excellent cast with even more big-name talent.

While you wait for The Simpsons to return to its former 4:3 glory, here are the best Disney Plus movies and shows to stream right now.

The Westworld season 3 ending may have been inching towards feature-length territory at 74 minutes long, but it still found time to add in a post-credits tease. The final stinger not only helps set up the next chapter for Westworld but proved to be utterly unmissable as it seemingly featured the death of one of the HBO series’ long-standing characters.

Below, we’ll run through exactly what happened in the Westworld season 3 post-credits (in case you missed it), how it ties into the ending, and what it all means for season 4 moving forward.

Spoilers for Westworld season 3 follow

A whole lot happened by the end of the Westworld season 3 finale: Dolores apparently died, Serac himself was left for dead, Rehoboam was destroyed by Caleb, and Maeve was freed from being a pawn in the ongoing war between Delos and Incite. But it’s two major players who didn’t factor into the episode’s final 20 minutes that ended up playing the most intriguing part, though you had to stick around until after the credits to find out for yourself.

Westworld season 3 post-credits scenes explained: what the ending means for season 4

In the post-credits scene, William – having seen the light and now intent on ‘saving the world’ (whatever that may entail) – is seen travelling to a Delos facility and killing a security guard. He makes his way down to the depths of an underground lab, only to be met by Charlotte Hale’s Dolores (Tessa Thompson).

There, ‘Halores’ tells William that he will indeed be the one saving the world but, in a surprise twist, The Man in Black steps out of the shadows and cuts William’s throat, supposedly killing him.

A second, briefer post-credits scene features what appears to be a significant time skip. Bernard, having spent an undefined amount of time in The Valley Beyond looking for answers to how the hosts, including James Marsden’s Teddy, have been spending their time in the robotic equivalent of the afterlife, jerks his head forward and re-awakens. Gibbs is nowhere to be found and a heavy layer of dust covers Bernard as the screen cuts to black, indicating he’s been out of commission for several years.

Westworld season 3 post-credits: the biggest questions

We have questions. So many questions. Not least of which, what does this all mean for the recently-announced season 4?

If indeed Evan Rachel Wood departs the show – and nothing has been confirmed in terms of casting just yet – the post-credits sets up Charlotte Hale’s version of Dolores (who says she’s now something not-quite-Dolores) as the Big Bad, with the host version of William at her side.

The shock death is ironic considering actor Ed Harris’ remarks on how he didn’t sign up to play the Man in White – he’s now set to be playing the Man in Black for good. While we didn’t quite see William slip away (drama 101 dictates you've got to see a body for a character to be dead, and even then don't be so sure), we wouldn’t bet on seeing the soft, fleshy human version of Ed Harris' character surviving that attack.

Potentially, even more previously-dead characters could also be returning as hosts to help Halores wrestle control back to the side of the machines after the free will-inducing destruction of predictive AI Rehoboam. Expect that to form the crux of some of next season’s big mysteries. Don’t be surprised to see the OG Dolores brought back under Hale’s control, either.

So, who’s on the side of the angels? Westworld is never quite that black-and-white, but Maeve and Caleb are primed to lead a rebellion, especially given Aaron Paul’s position as de-facto leader of any possible resistance. When coupled with the fact that Bernard is now kitted out with some secrets behind either the Hosts’ designs or what awaits them in The Valley Beyond, Westworld season 4 could see host and human working in tandem to bring down Halores and her vision of the new world.

Phew. Five minutes, two post-credits scenes, and an infinite number of possibilities involving some of the show’s key characters. Some may not look like anything at all right now – but the shift in power dynamics on display here could be the key to next season and whatever the future holds beyond that.

Need something to watch in a post-Westworld world? Check out these picks of some of the best series Netflix and Amazon Prime have to offer.

• Best shows on Amazon Prime
• The best Netflix shows 

In 1995, the world was caught up in one mystery: who shot Mr. Burns? Twenty-five years later, a newly discovered Simpsons Easter egg is sparking fan theories about who almost shot the billionaire.

As first posited by Game_of_Jabrones on Reddit, the moment at the end of the first episode in the "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" two-parter – a cliffhanger that spanned the entire summer of 1995 and into the seventh season – sees Mr. Burns sprawled out over a sundial with the residents of Springfield surrounding him. Inexplicably, one person is Homer quite clearly disguised as Krusty the Clown.

While we know that (spoilers?) Maggie was the one who shot Mr. Burns, this hidden background moment points to Homer wanting to do the deed himself before her baby daughter pulled the trigger – all while trying to frame Krusty, a ploy that Sideshow Bob also used in the season 1 episode “Krusty Gets Busted.”

Bill Oakley, who was co-showrunner on The Simpsons in seasons seven and eight, has poured cold water on that theory, however. In the original version of the script, which he posted on Twitter, it’s made abundantly clear that “none of the prime suspects” should be visible on the streets and in the crowd at the end.

So, sorry, folks. While it’s undeniably a piece of cromulent evidence that suggests Homer was planning to shoot Mr. Burns, it appears that this was just an animator either making a mistake, goofing around, or wanting to add further fuel to the fire. Maybe we'll never know.

• The best Simpsons episodes... ever

Pokemon Journeys: The Series is coming as a Netflix Original in June, and you can watch its first trailer right now.

You probably noticed that it still stars Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, the perpetual child/electric mouse duo who have been crisscrossing the world of Pokemon for more than two decades now. While Pokemon Journeys is a fresh start for their tale, it's also the 23rd season of the Pokemon animated series that started with Ash leaving Pallet Town back in 1997.

Pokemon Journeys will give Ash a new traveling companion named Goh, a lad whose singular goal is to catch one of every single Pokemon. That includes Mew, so Goh is going to have to get tricky if he wants to achieve his dream. The show also has a new theme song from Canadian pop band Walk off the Earth.

Previous Pokemon seasons have all followed the trajectory of the games - recently plotting Ash's path through the Alola Region - but it looks like Pokemon Journeys may not focus on Pokemon Sword & Shield's Galar region exclusively. That said, adorable new starter Scorbunny seems to have a prominent role.

The first 12 episodes of Pokemon Journeys will debut on Netflix on June 12, 2020. Another 12 episodes will be added to the series every three months for the rest of the season. If you space it out, you could watch a new episode every week - or you could just marathon each chunk of the series as soon as it arrives.

If you want more Galar adventures, make sure you check out Pokemon: Twilight Wings.

Hi-diddly-ho quarantineos. Springfield’s favourite family is taking its lockdown extremely well – as the new Simpsons couch gag for its latest episode shows.

“The Extremesons” will air before season 31 episode “The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby” and sees Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and even Maggie taking part in some high-octane extreme sports

Homer kicks off the adrenaline-fuelled fun by skydiving into an icy-blue sky, with the animation style a world away from the trademark Matt Groening drawings we’ve come to know and love since the Fox show’s debut in 1989.

In a cute twist on the traditional couch gag, Bart carves out his ‘lines’ into the snow instead of the Springfield Elementary chalkboard, while Marge goes surfboarding. It all ends with Homer crashing into Springfield and – the kicker – that he’s been safely at home wearing a VR headset this whole time and keeping things locked down.

If you haven’t tuned in to The Simpsons in a decade or two (hey, it happens), you might be pleasantly surprised to know that the couch gag has morphed from its humble beginnings into a tour-de-force showcase of artists and animators flexing their creative muscles.

We’ve had openings from Guillermo del Toro, Claymation clips, and even a Rick and Morty cameo thrown in for good measure. “The Extremesons,” though, might just take the couch gag crown – and it even shows you how much fun you can have staying at home, which is handy in the current climate.

• Take a trip down memory lane with the best Simpsons episodes... ever

Westworld season 3 has recaptured the imaginations of all those Redditors and social media snoops who take pride in dreaming up weird and wonderful fan theories. We’ve already had the ‘Who is Hale?’ debate definitively ended, and now one actor has put paid to another fan-favourite suggestion in a recent interview.

Possible Westworld season 3 spoilers follow.

So, Serac: the grey-haired business mogul that’s trying to pull the strings at Delos. What’s up with that guy? Many people believed he is less man than machine, with some, such as Redditor TheLadderGuy, even theorising that he is a physical manifestation of the hard to spell, even harder to pronounce AI program Rehoboam.

Vincent Cassel, who plays Serac on the hit HBO sci-fi series, isn’t so sure.

“Well, I think that the show proposes such a crazy world where everything is possible. I think it can drive the audience to think that would be a possibility, because there is stuff like that in the show” Cassel told SyFy when faced with the theory.

In a show full of misdirects, it would have been easy for Cassel to be decidedly ambiguous with what he said next. Instead, he chose to dispel rumours outright.

“It’s not the case,” Cassel said, before re-affirming that Serac “is a real guy.”

Maybe that’s what he wants us to think; maybe not. Everything we’ve seen from Serac so far – hologram aside – makes him seem real and that he merely controls the program, rather than being part of it.

But it says a lot about Westworld’s return to form in season 3 that an actor outright saying a theory isn’t true might not mean anything at all. We’ll have to tune in to the remaining four episodes to find out for certain.

Catch up on every episode with our guide on how to stream Westworld online

In a S-M-R-T move, Disney has announced that ‘classic’ episodes of The Simpsons will be fixed on Disney Plus following complaints about the show’s switch to widescreen. Several hundred episodes from the animated series' golden era will, therefore, be available to stream in the original 4:3 ratio from next month.

“We appreciate our fans’ patience and are working to make the first 19 Seasons (and part of 20) of The Simpsons available in 4:3 versions on Disney Plus,” Disney said on Twitter. “We expect to accomplish this by the end of May.”

The Disney Plus US launch late last year was met with an outcry from fans who set about streaming The Simpsons, only to find seasons 1 through to 19 (and every season 20 episode up until “Lisa The Drama Queen”) in widescreen 16:9 format without the option to watch episodes in the original, more letterboxed 4:3 ratio. 

This led to slightly stretched characters in places and – in some cases – entire visual gags being cropped out of the show. At the time, Disney expected the changes to roll out in “early 2020”

However, even with the forthcoming changes, it still won’t be a complete collection of every episode of The Simpsons. As pointed out by several in the tweet above, “Stark Raving Dad” is missing – and it’s sure to stay that way due to the controversy surrounding Michael Jackson, who played Leon Kompowsky in the season 3 episode.

Urge to binge, rising. Here are the best Simpsons episodes… ever!

Charlotte Hale has been many things during her short stint in Westworld: Tessa Thompson’s duplicitous character has worn the hat of Delos board member, Incite mole, and – most intriguingly – as a new host, one who replaced the ‘original’ Hale during the season 2 finale.

If Westworld fans love one thing, it’s a mystery that needs cracking. After Dolores smuggled a literal handful of her robot pals out of the park in sphere-shaped modules containing their programming, one was placed in Hale. As of the third episode of Westworld season 3, this unidentified host is struggling to come to terms with their new life – and role – in the real world.

But who could it be? Someone fresh? Familiar? We’ve trawled social media, Reddit, and scoured our own knowledge banks for the answer, including some of the weirdest and wildest Westworld season 3 theories so far. Some of these may not look like anything at all at first glance – but just one could be the key to cracking the whole thing wide open.

• Stream Westworld online: how to watch the latest episodes

Caleb

Cards on the table. This is the most ‘out there’ Westworld season 3 theory yet. But it’s not entirely implausible.

Redditor meregodly posits that Westworld is once again playing with time and that every scene involving Dolores befriending Caleb (and vice-versa) takes place at some unknown point before Dolores instructs Hale to find the mole in Delos.

There are also some odd consistencies between Caleb and host Hale that stick out and make this theory a lot more realistic than it first seems.

Episode 3 shows that Caleb will likely kill himself in a decade according to Robohaman’s projections, while Hale is seen self-harming on several occasions. That self-destructive tendency could be Caleb’s true self breaking through, while Dolores’ face-to-face with Hale in the hotel room also included one telling line of dialogue: that she “trusts” the host. Why else would the show dedicate so much time to building up the pair’s relationship if it wasn’t for the ultimate betrayal?

Whoever it is, Dolores feels like they can pull off her plan; the show has made it clear that Dolores clearly cares about Caleb and vice-versa. Plus, it would be a fulfilling twist in a show that’s been known to pull off more than one Reddit-breaking rug-pull in its time. What’s one more to add to the collection?

Teddy

Teddy, the former cowpoke lover of Dolores Abernathy played by James Marsden, is perhaps the most obvious candidate for the host inhabiting Charlotte Hale’s body, despite being uploaded to The Valley Beyond. After all, Dolores would do anything to stay with Teddy, even smuggling her beau out of Westworld and into the real world. That would also explain why Hale looks so thoroughly confused in her new body – Teddy never could quite acclimatise to the world falling down around him.

Then, there are interesting parallels picked out by those on social media. That includes this mirror picked out on Twitter – with Dolores cradling Teddy as he lay dying in one, and spooning the host Hale in another. Look familiar?

But this is almost too obvious. Westworld is many things, but it’s not predictable. The narrative and logical reasons may be compelling, but Dolores’ cold, cold heart may want someone a little more pliable and without a major emotional attachment to rely upon. Someone like…

Clementine

Who else could’ve been swiped from under the noses of Delos? As Dolores has five hosts, there’s every chance that those she was close to during her time both as character and liberator are fair game. That includes Clementine, one of the first-generation hosts that Dolores would likely be more ‘in sync’ with.

Perhaps Dolores is more forward-thinking, though, than simply deciding to bring back a steady old hand. Clementine could be used as an effective pawn in what we now know (thanks to the Westworld season 3 trailers) is an impending showdown between Dolores and Thandie Newton’s Maeve. If her grand reveal stops Maeve in her tracks, then she and Serac’s schemes potentially fall by the wayside, leaving Dolores to kickstart her robotic revolution.

William/The Man in Black

A couple of social media sleuths have arrived at the same conclusion: that William, better known as The Man in Black, has either had his data copied over into a host thanks to the Forge or is now a host. Period.

One suggests that The Man in Black is Hale, which could be in tune with the host’s current volatile nature. That could theoretically be an after-effect from being produced by the Forge. Remember, season 2 left open the possibility of any guest in the park being duplicated into a host. The (real) William having to hunt down the Man in Black is a story almost too good to pass up.

Another feeds into our final theory: that Dolores is Hale and, in a mind-bending twist, The Man in Black (either an original host or a copy of William’s guest data) is playing the part of Dolores. Confusing? You bet. But it’d carve out its own place on the show’s Mount Rushmore of twists in record time if that’s the path the show decides to head down.

Dolores

“Who knows you better than me?” Dolores asks Hale in the first half of season 3. Well, quite. Who knows Dolores better than herself? A perfect (or imperfect, as the case may be) copy of Dolores is not only a terrifying thought, but it makes the most sense when you think about just how many multi-layered plans and double-crosses Dolores will undoubtedly have planned. The players unwittingly being moved around the board in her little game can barely deal with one Dolores, so two is downright unfair on her part.

Whether you can duplicate a host so readily is open for debate, though Ford would likely have had a backup held in storage. So, if such an opportunity were to arise – and given Dolores’ close relationship to both of her makers in Ford and Bernard – then she’d certainly be able to pull it off. It also expands upon the show’s concerns with trusting AI. A twist involving Dolores not being able to put her own clone on a leash could finally make her see the light and leave her feeling more human than host at the prospect of a technological takeover.

We may have gotten a surprise Westworld season 3 crossover in the shape of Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (plus Drogon!) showing up in Sunday’s episode, but the show’s creators have revealed that George R.R. Martin wanted to go bigger, even pitching an entire world dedicated to Westeros.

“George had consistently since the first season said, ‘We’ve got to do a tie-in with Game of Thrones,’” co-showrunner Jonathan Nolan told Variety. “People forget that George was originally a TV writer and he came up in the TV world in which you’d occasionally have these crossover shows, which the fans would fucking freak out over. So George had always been pitching the crossover show.”

How would it have played out? Lisa Joy said it would have been “like a ‘full situation world’. Game of Thrones world or something!”

Game of Thrones may have ended with a whimper, but the thought of Maeve and Dolores going face-to-face with Dany, Arya, and the Night King would have surely included the sorts of violent delights (and violent ends) that both shows revel in.

Instead, this week’s Westworld episode included an equally unlikely nod to the fantasy HBO series. As Bernard and Stubbs roam the halls of the tech labs, two workers – played by Benioff and Weiss – concoct a plan to smuggle the dragon host, Drogon, out to Costa Rica.

“I pitched it to them, as sort of, ‘How would you guys feel about this?’” Nolan explained of the Easter egg scene. “And they thought it was great fun.”

We’ve had Westworld, War World, Medieval World, and even the real world. What’s one more world to add to the simulation?

Here are all the new TV shows you have to look forward to in 2020 and beyond...

After the Westworld season 3 premiere offered more questions than answers – what is Rehoboam? What’s Dolores’ master plan? What will Incite do next? – the “In the Weeks Ahead” trailer released by HBO has only added to the mystery, as well as heavily hinting that major characters will return to the park.

“Where am I?” asks whichever Host is currently taking the form of Tessa Thompson’s Charlotte Hale. The focus across the next few episodes, it seems, is deciphering which five Hosts Dolores left the park with during the Westworld season 2 finale. Judging by how close Dolores gets to Hale in one scene, we could be looking at a new body for James Marsden’s Teddy, despite him making it to The Great Beyond.

It’s those who could be making their way back to the park – or still in it, it’s fairly ambiguous at this stage – that could make the biggest impact.

Maeve is seen going face-to-face with a mysterious oracle-like man who has been waiting for all the pieces to fall into place. Her predictable response speaks volumes: “Who the fuck are you?” That’s one way of putting it and, as she makes her way through the previously-unseen World War 2-themed park, it’s clear that the only definitive thing about the upcoming run of episodes is that she’s going to be just as entertaining as ever.

The Man in Black and Bernard, meanwhile, are each shown in new, different locations, yet each united by a singular goal: to stop Dolores.

As the net begins to close on the robot revolutionist, we might finally be getting the answers we’ve craved since the first season teased violent delights and, crucially, violent ends.

Here are all the new TV shows coming your way in 2020 

The first batch of episode titles and plot synopses for Westworld season 3 have been revealed and, while they may not look like anything at all at first glance, they allow for an intriguing peek into what’s to come in the HBO series.

Only the first half of the episode title and synopses reveals have emerged so far – that’s four out of eight for those of you who haven’t caught up on the news that season 3 will be slightly shorter than previous seasons. Here they are (via Collider):

• Episode 1: “Parce Domine” – If you’re stuck in a loop, try walking in a straight line
• Episode 2: “The Winter Line” – People put up a lot of walls. Bring a sledgehammer to your life.
• Episode 3: “The Absence of Field” – If you don’t like what you see in the mirror, don’t blame the mirror
• Episode 4: “The Mother of Exiles” – The truth doesn’t always set you free

Typical Westworld. Namely, it’s hard to parse anything from those – but there are still some clues worth picking up on. The premiere’s title is perhaps most intriguing, especially as it’s a Latin phrase, roughly translated to “Spare us, Lord.” Who’s playing God in that scenario? Dolores? Delos? And who are the ones begging for mercy? We’ll find out on March 15.

The rest seemingly deal with much of the themes that we’ve come to know Westworld for: introspection, breaking free, and grand reveals. The trailers have shown Dolores out of the park, and a showdown with Maeve in her immediate future, so the fight for control over the future of the Hosts should carry on well beyond these first four episodes. 

Just don’t expect to find out any proper answers before then, if these teasing episode details are any indication.

Here are all the new TV shows coming your way in 2020

We've finally got a tangible Westworld season 3 trailer, and it looks like this season may be the wildest one yet.

Aaron Paul's Caleb has been recruited by Dolores, who claims the two are "a lot alike" – not because Caleb's necessarily also a robo-killer, but he's been "put in a cage" by people who have chosen his life path. It's clear that Caleb has been on Dolores' radar for some time, and the two of them teaming up to go after "the person who took [his] future", whoever that may be. Whatever happens, if all else fails, Dolores is ready to initiate her back up plan: kill everyone. 

We also see the return of Thandie Newton's Maeve, who sacrificed herself at the end of season 2. Looks like she's been resurrected in a new park, Warworld, and she, too, is being recruited – to track down and kill Dolores. The face-off we've been waiting for is coming. 

A piano version of Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" plays throughout the latter half of the trailer, as we get glimpses of Tessa Thompsons' Hale, who was hijacked by Dolores last season, but seems autonomous now. There's also Jeffrey Wright's Bernard, who seems to still be trapped within one of the parks, and Ed Harris' The Man in Black is back and apparently going to "save the fucking world". Sure...

The trailer confirms reports that much of Westworld season 3 will take place outside the main park, and it looks like the world has been through some serious shit. We know from earlier teasers that the show's lore includes "divergences" that took place across the world, includes the ecological collapse of Indonesia and the assassination of the President-Elect of the United States. The city shown in the trailer is half in ruin, with plants overtaking skyscrapers and giant mechs walking around. 

Many complained that the second season of Westworld was too confusing, but have no fear. ScreenRant reports that season 3 will be easier to follow, according to co-creator Jonathan Nolan. Westworld Season 3 debuts on HBO in the US, and Sky and NOW TV in the UK, on March 15. 

Check out the best new TV shows coming your way in 2020 and beyond. 

Steamed Hams, the ever-popular meme from the golden age of The Simpsons, will be back on the menu later this year for a season 32 episode. May you see it? No. Not yet, anyway.

Speaking at the Television Critics’ Association (via SlashFilm), executive producer Matt Selman opened up about the autumn’s slate of episodes, including one “that’s basically just a [Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers] road trip show because we know those characters can sustain. Their own relationship is so interesting and compelling and fucked up that we could do that. I’m always on the lookout for that kind of thing.”

But when you put Skinner and Chalmers together, minds inevitably drift elsewhere to the three-minute Steamed Hams clip from the season 7 episode “22 Short Films About Springfield.”

The absurd sketch saw Skinner pass off a slap-up meal from Krusty Burger as his own home cooking. It saw a latter-day revival that has spread like wildfire (or was it just the Northern Lights?) across the internet in recent years. Selman is happy to announce that it’s returning.

“The Steamed Hams will make an appearance,” Selman confirms, but cautions against it being the focus of the adventure: “We don’t want to try to overcapitalize on the Steamed Hams because then it seems like we’re desperate to try to take old internet passion and feed off of it. It’s more I would say in an Easter egg area. Easter ham. Right? Everyone loves Easter hams.”

While nothing will surely ever spoil the Steamed Hams magic, let’s hope this will be a perfectly cromulent comeback rather than something resembling reheated leftovers. We’ll find out when the episode airs this Fall.

Mmm… listicles. Join us as we rank the best Simpsons episodes ever.

After what feels like an eternity of waiting, Westworld season 3 finally has a release date. The HBO show is returning on Sunday, March 15 – so get that in the diary now! In the UK, you can watch Westworld season 3 on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on March 16.

That release date's a little earlier than what we were expecting. With Game of Thrones having concluded last year and Westworld season 2 having debuted in April, season 3 was expected to release in April. 

We know surprisingly little about Westworld season 3, and that's despite there being three trailers already available to watch. There's also a new teaser, which debuted alongside the release date announcement, though it features no actual footage from the show.

The majority of the main cast are returning – including Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores), Thandie Newton (Maeve), Ed Harris (The Man in Black), Jeffrey Wright (Bernard), and Tessa Thompson – plus a couple of high profile newcomers, namely Aaron Paul, Vincent Cassel, and Lena Waithe.

Westworld season 3 will take us out of the main park, with co-showrunner Jonathan Nolan previously saying: "We’re very excited about where the third season goes. It’s been a long build-up to get outside the park. And we’re incredibly excited about what that looks like and sounds like and what exactly our Hosts discover out there.” 

Before Westworld finally arrives, check out all the new TV shows coming our way in 2020.

Did you fire up Disney Plus in the hope that you’d be able to enjoy a cromulent slice of The Simpsons? They’re there – all 30 seasons – but what most would call ‘classic’ Simpsons look decidedly different. That’s because the streaming service is using the more modern 16:9 aspect ratio instead of the 4:3 ratio used by the non-HD era of The Simpsons.

Originally airing in 4:3 from 1989 to 2009, the show changed into a HD 16:9 format with season 20’s “Take My Life, Please,” complete with a new opening. It’s stayed that way ever since.

As pointed out by writer Tristan Cooper on Twitter, certain jokes are even being cut out by the aspect ratio changes. A visual gag from season 4 episode “Duffless” which sees Duff Lite, Duff Dry, and ordinary Duff coming from the same vat of beer is essentially missing from the Disney Plus version.

That’s not all. Other visual moments, background characters, and even how the characters look have all been affected by the move to 16:9 for seasons 1-19. The network FXX originally got around this with its ‘Every Simpsons Ever’ marathon by putting up borders so the screen stayed 16:9 but the actual episode was intact in the middle at 4:3. That isn’t currently available as an option on Disney Plus.

Star Wars has also received some tweaks on Disney Plus – Greedo now says “Maclunky” before being shot by Han Solo, a change apparently requested by George Lucas. So, if you want to watch The Simpsons as it was originally intended – it might be best to swerve Disney Plus (at least for now) and crack open the boxsets. 

Mmm... nostalgia. Take a trip down memory lane with the 25 best Simpsons episodes. Or, while you’re here, why not check out the best movies on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus here, complete with a seven-day trial.

The Westworld season 3 trailer is here, courtesy of SDCC 2019. You can watch it down below but, I warn you, it's just as mind-melting as you've come to expect from HBO's hit show. Even a trip to the outside world isn't making things much clearer.

Here's what we do know: Dolores, inevitably, is being framed as the Big Bad of Westworld season 3. We've even been clued in a little more as to Aaron Paul's character, Caleb: he's shadowing Dolores, and could be in league with his robot brethren. But, with this show, who knows?

Thandie Newton's Maeve, meanwhile, is traipsing around a Second World War-themed Park. After season 2's Shogun reveal, it's nice to have yet another themed world to lark about in - even if it is filled with robot Nazis.

It's a real looker of a trailer, too. Maybe we had gotten so worn down by the dusty confines of the original Westworld park that a change of scenery was all-too-needed, but this is seriously stunning. Expect to be wowed at every turn in Westworld season 3, if this trailer is any indication.

Oh, and Bernard's new look? I dig it - though it will no doubt open up a whole new box of theories. After all, multiple timelines are in vogue right now, and a fresh haircut could be the closest we'll get to revealing secrets at this stage.

HBO did not treat is to an exact Westworld season 3 release date, though we know the series will return in "2020". Before then, we can expect the Watchmen TV series, a trailer for which was also released at SDCC.

Want more from SDCC? Here's all of the San Diego Comic Con 2019 trailers released so far - all in one place.

While Westworld season 1 was fairly straight forward for a television show from a Nolan brother and executive producer JJ Abrams (who, lest we forget, helped create the twisty television show Lost), the second season was somewhat confusing for many fans.

The producers have certainly realized this and are trying to reset things a little for Westworld season 3. In an interview with EW, showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy spoke about how season 3 is very different to the previous seasons. “This is season is a little less of a guessing game and more of an experience with the hosts finally getting to meet their makers,” Nolan says.

Season 2 ended with Dolores leaving the park after a massacre, bringing the CPUs for several other characters with her. We don't know which characters will show up in the new season, or what kind of situation they will be in. 

“I love shows that find a groove and hang with it for 100 episodes — that was never this show,” Nolan says. “We always wanted every season to find our characters in radically different circumstances. And with a cast this talented, watching the metamorphosis of all these characters is one of the most fun parts.”

Nolan did talk a little about Aaron Paul, part of the infamous Breaking Bad duo, and his new role in season 3. Paul plays a Los Angeles construction worker who interacts with Dolores, teaching her a bit about the reality of the world outside Westworld. 

“Aaron’s character will challenge Dolores’ notions about the nature of humanity,” Nolan says. “He’s the type of person who doesn’t get to go to Westworld.”

Looking to get the inside info about where things left off after the second season of Westworld? Check the explanation behind Westworld season 2's post credit scene.