| | | | | | What's news: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the noms at The Game Awards. The Critics Choice Awards has added four new categories. Japanese pop idol Ren Meguro has joined the cast of Shōgun. Nintendo has released first-look images of The Legend Zelda movie. And Nate Bargatze’s theme park dreams are inching closer to reality. — Abid Rahman
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THR's Podcaster Roundtable ►Champion yappers. THR's Julian Sancton and six of the industry’s chart-busting talents come together in THR's first podcaster roundtable to do what they do best—talk, talk, and talk. Ben Shapiro, Jon Favreau, Dax Shepard, Keith Morrison, Ashley Flowers and Mel Robbins open up about the secrets of their success, their most excruciating moments, the future of the medium, and who, if anyone, can finally unseat Joe Rogan. The roundtable.
—Dominance. Rogan's not for unseating, just yet, and is now topping Apple’s podcast charts as well. The longtime leader on Spotify ranks as the top show in the U.S. on Apple Podcasts, based on 2025 listenership, with his interview with Elon Musk also charting highly. He took over the spot from The Daily, which is now the second most popular podcast on Apple, and, in turn, saw their episode “Trump, Again” also rank highly. In 2024, The Joe Rogan Experience was the third most popular show on Apple Podcasts. The Mel Robbins Podcast climbed up the charts to become the third most popular podcast of the year, which also moved Crime Junkie, which has often held the first or second spot, down to fourth. The story. |
The Long, Thorny Path to Dasha Nekrasova's Hollywood Shunning ►"And then you have Gersh: ‘We’re going to make her a star.’ These are Jewish agents. What the fuck is wrong with them?" Over the weekend, talent agency Gersh dropped Succession actor Dasha Nekrasova as a client following an interview she conducted with white nationalist Nick Fuentes on her podcast Red Scare. But, THR's Seth Abramovitch reports that Nekrasova's eventual parting of ways with Gersh followed a multi-year campaign by a Jewish indie film producer to get Hollywood to notice the influential podcaster's troubling associations with far-right and avowedly fascist figures. The story.
—🏆 Congrats to all. 🏆 The Game Awards announced its 2025 nominees Monday. Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 led all games with 12 nominations, the most of any game in the award show’s decade-long history. Among other categories it was nominated for Game of the Year, alongside Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment), Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo), Hades II (Supergiant Games), Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry), and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver). The nominees.
—Chelsea's back. The Critics Choice Awards has added four new categories to this year’s celebration of critics’ picks for the best in film and TV: best variety series, stunt design, casting/ensemble and sound. The additional categories were announced Monday along with news that Chelsea Handler would return to host the annual awards show for the fourth year in a row. Also, the Critics Choice Association has consolidated the announcement of its film and TV nominations, all of which will be revealed on Friday, Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. PT ahead of the awards show on Jan. 4, 2026. The story.
—No joke. Nate Bargatze’s theme park dreams are inching closer to reality. On Tuesday, at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ preeminent industry conference, the IAAPA Expo, Bargatze announced that his company is partnering with Storyland Studios, a Southern California-based themed entertainment architecture and design firm. Together, they’ll explore both the concept and the feasibility of a theme park in Bargatze’s native Nashville, which he and his Nateland Entertainment CEO Felix Verdigets teased extensively in THR’s early September cover story. The story. |
Sundays Are (Empirically) for Football ►Only game in town. The NFL being the biggest driver of TV viewing for broadcast networks is nothing new. The league continued fueling broadcasters to a third straight month of growth in October. Along with its monthly Gauge snapshot, though, Nielsen also released some data showing just how big a difference the NFL can make both for networks and the streaming services that regularly carry games. On Mondays through Saturdays in the October reporting period (which ran from Sept. 29-Oct. 26), broadcast nets averaged 22 percent of all TV viewing in the U.S. On Sundays, with nine or more hours of NFL telecasts on CBS, Fox and NBC, that share jumped to 27.3 percent. Viewing shares on other platforms, meanwhile, fell by 2.7 points (cable) and 1.3 points (streaming) on Sundays compared to the other six days of the week. The story.
—All set. Jack White, Post Malone and Lil Jon will headline the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day games. On Thursday, Nov. 27, Detroit-native White will perform during the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Halftime Show powered by Verizon when the Lions take on the Green Bay Packers at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. (The Lions are usually one of two teams to play every year on Thanksgiving as part of NFL tradition, alongside the Dallas Cowboys.) Renowned gospel musician CeCe Winans will perform the national anthem. Malone will take the stage at halftime of the Cowboys versus the Kansas City Chiefs at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Malone’s performance will mark the official launch of The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. Lil Jon will perform live at the Baltimore Ravens game against the Cincinnati Bengals at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry will sing the national anthem at the Ravens-Bengals game. The story. |
Neve Campbell Boards 'Black Doves' S2 ►🎭 London calling. 🎭 Netflix’s spy thriller Black Doves is adding several new faces as it begins filming its second season. Neve Campbell, Ambika Mod, Babou Ceesay, Sam Riley, Sylvia Hoeks, Goran Kostic and Samuel Barnett have joined the series, which stars Keira Knightley as an operative for the spy organization of the title. Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire will also reprise their lead roles in season two; Andrew Buchan, Kathryn Hunter, Ella Lily Hyland, Gabrielle Creevy, Agnes O’Casey and Molly Chesworth are also returning. The story.
—📅 Mark it down. 📅 Saturday Night Live has set its first roster of hosts and musical guests for season 51. Coming off its 50th anniversary season, the NBC sketch comedy show will premiere its 51st edition on Oct. 4. Bad Bunny will host the season premiere, marking his second time as host, and Doja Cat will make her first SNL appearance as musical guest. Former castmember Amy Poehler is set to host on Oct. 11 — her third time hosting and second solo gig (she also hosted once with Tina Fey) — with musical guest Role Model. Sabrina Carpenter will take on both the host and musical guest roles on Oct. 18. The story.
—Overload. CBS will give a sizable portion of its February schedule over to the 50th season of Survivor. The milestone season is a centerpiece of the network’s midseason slate, which also includes the Yellowstone spinoff Y: Marshals, FBI offshoot CIA and a pair of unscripted shows in Harlan Coben’s Final Twist and America’s Culinary Cup. In addition to a three-hour premiere for the all-star Survivor season on Feb. 25, CBS will re-air 10 episodes from the show’s past highlighting key moments from the season 50 cast’s previous times playing the game. Repeats of Survivor on the network are a rarity, although some prior seasons stream on Paramount+. The story.
—🎭 Ready to shoot. 🎭 The Hunting Wives are ready to stir up more trouble. The Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman-starring series that became a breakout hit for Netflix this summer has started production on season two. Filming in the U.S., the eight-episode season will release exclusively as a Netflix branded series in nearly all countries the platform is available. The streamer also confirmed three more returning stars: Karen Rodriguez, who played Deputy Salazar, and Hunter Emery, who played Deputy Flynn, are back as series regulars, while guest star Branton Box will return as Sheriff Johnny. The story. |
Heavyweights (and Horny Puppets) Pull Fall TV Back From the Brink ►"It was a fall where people were constantly coming up to me begging for TV recommendations and for a while, I was forced to recommend favorites from the first half of the year." THR's TV critics Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han chop it up over fall TV. In a lackluster stretch for the small screen, the few home runs came mostly from established voices like Vince Gilligan (Apple TV's Pluribus), Sterlin Harjo (FX's The Lowdown) and Raphael Bob-Waksberg (Netflix's Long Story Short). The critics' conversation.
—🎭 Idol worship. 🎭 Japanese singer and actor Ren Meguro is the latest name to join the season 2 cast of FX's Shōgun, which starts production on the new season in January in Vancouver. Meguro, a pop idol who is a member of the boy band Snow Man, has a burgeoning acting career and recently nabbed lead roles in the films As Long as We Both Shall Live and Trillion Game: The Movie. He joins recent cast additions Asami Mizukawa, Masataka Kubota, Sho Kaneta, Takaaki Enoki and Jun Kunimura who were announced last week. Returning castmembers include Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Fumi Nikaidô, Shinnosuke Abe, Hiroto Kanai, Yoriko Dôguchi, Tommy Bastow, Yuko Miyamoto, Eita Okuno and Yuka Kouri. The story.
—Ominous. A shortform, AI-led series is on the way from the creator of synthetic character Tilly Norwood. Eline van der Velden of the AI-powered production company Particle6 said on Monday that Straten van Toen (Streets of the Past) is coming to the History Channel in the Netherlands. Made in partnership with Hearst Networks, the 10-part show will see a Dutch historical investigator, author and reality star Corjan Mol transported back in time. With the help of AI, the program will tell stories associated with some of the Netherlands’ most famous streets, squares and canal sides. The story. |
'Zelda' Movie First-Look Revealed ►It's real! Nintendo has offered fans their first glimpse of The Legend of Zelda’s leap into live action. Images released Monday on the Nintendo Today app showcase young actors Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as the magical Princess Zelda and the green-clad swordsman Link, respectively, in Sony and Nintendo’s upcoming big-screen adaptation. The stills show the pair standing in a sun-drenched meadow, Zelda gripping her signature bow and arrow, while both wear faithful recreations of the characters’ classic Hylian costumes — complete with pointed ears. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The big screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel Sense and Sensibility — starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as one of the Dashwood sisters — has landed a prime fall film festival release date. The movie will open in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2026 and in the U.K. on Sept. 26, just as awards season kicks off. Focus Features and Working Title Films are backing the fresh take on the iconic novel. Georgia Oakley is directing from a script by author Diana Reid. The story centers on the impoverished Dashwood family, and portrays the romantic experiences of sisters Elinor and Marianne as they and their widowed mother navigate life for the once-wealthy family after the death of the father and husband. The story. |
An MTV Mogul's Wild Tales ►From sex clubs with Sumner Redstone to advising David Ellison. Despite his 26 years in a traditional media job, ultimately rising to CEO of what was then Viacom, Tom Freston had no interest in writing a traditional business book. Instead, Unplugged: Adventures From MTV to Timbuktu, published by Gallery Books, is a story of one former mogul’s adventures around the world. THR's Lacey Rose spoke to Freston about his new book and also the incredible stories from his long career at the top of the media industry. The interview.
—"He can be a white knight in his own mind." THR's Hilary Lewis spoke to actor Jake Lacy about his new show, the Peacock limited series All Her Fault. After years playing nice-guy love interests in projects (Girls, The Office and Obvious Child) before segueing into darker roles (The White Lotus and multiple Peacock thrillers), the actor opens up about his "daunting" move into writing and directing: "I'm trying so hard to not be as scared as I am." Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I don’t think we’ll beat those [anti-AI] allegations. There’s things about AI that resonate with how the Others operate." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Gordon Smith, the writer-director/executive producer of Apple TV's buzzy new show Pluribus. Smith addresses the anti-AI subtext, and acknowledges another prominent theory that the show is commenting on political division. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
'Last Samurai Standing' Star On Making of Netflix Series ►"Shōgun meets Squid Games." Yours truly spoke to birthday boy Junichi Okada about his much-talked about new Netflix series Last Samurai Standing. Okada, who stars in, produces and choreographs the fight scenes in the intense period samurai drama. Okada-san discusses the making of the show, breaks down key scenes and where a second season would likely go. The interview.
—"Landman is one planet in [Taylor's] galaxy, but it's a fun one to be on." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Landman co-creator Christian Wallace about the return of Paramount+'s mega-hit oil drama. Wallace talks all about what’s in store for season two, while also weighing in on the seismic news about prolific hit-maker Taylor Sheridan’s new deal (and eventual jump from Paramount to NBCUniversal), how they tackle the oil industry without getting political, and his hopes for many, many more seasons of Landman. The interview. |
Film Review: 'Come See Me in the Good Light' ►"Earns your tears." For THR, Jourdain Searles reviews Ryan White's Come See Me in the Good Light. Chronicling the Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson's relationship with Megan Falley, work and battle with cancer, the Sundance-premiering doc is available to stream on Apple TV. The review.
In other news...
—Moana live-action trailer reveals first footage of Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson
—Glinda and Elphaba reunite to confront the wizard in early Wicked: For Good scene
—Wake Up Dead Man trailer: Josh O’Connor is a murder suspect and Daniel Craig’s sidekick
—Disney+ scores NBA deal in basketball-mad Philippines
—Disney+, CJ ENM’s TVING launch Korea streaming pact
—Sabrina Carpenter dazzles on opening night of L.A. run
What else we're reading...
—Jessica Winter highlights the darkest thread found in the Epstein emails [New Yorker]
—Stephen King has had four movie adaptations out this year. A.A. Dowd suggests the projects share a unifying theme in more ways than one [Ringer]
—Michael Billington looks at why it took 40 years for Stephen Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along to soar [Guardian]
—The staff at Vulture suggest this year was the stupidest year ever, and judging by their 12 signs of cultural decline in 2025, they are probably spot on [Vulture]
—A little niche and navel-gazing, but Ryan Lizza's piece on his relationship falling apart with scandal-plagued "journalist" Olivia Nuzzi is a must-read only for the twist at the end [Telos News]
Today...
...in 2005, 20th Century Fox unveiled the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line in theaters. The film went on to earn five Oscar nominations at the 78th Academy Awards, winning one for Reese Witherspoon in the best actress category. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Owen Wilson (57), Chloë Sevigny (51), Delroy Lindo (73), Elizabeth Perkins (65), Oscar Nuñez (67), Linda Evans (83), Julia Ducournau (42), Mike Epps (55), Dana Gonzales (62), Steven Moffat (64), Mathew Baynton (45), Junichi Okada (45), Allison Tolman (44), Nasim Pedrad (44), Mekia Cox (44), Christina Vidal (44), Sian Reese-Williams (🏴44), Damon Wayans Jr. (43), Tim Guinee (63), Jocelyn Hudon (31), Miranda Raison (48), Susan Sullivan (83), Brenda Vaccaro (86), Robert Kazinsky (42), Steven Pasquale (49), Nick Chinlund (64), Kevin Nealon (72), Peta Wilson (55), Han So-hee (32), Daphne Rubin-Vega (56), Romany Malco (57), Jake Abel (38), Josh Heuston (29), Georgia King (39), Jessi Case (26), Lia McHugh (20), Bria L. Murphy (36), Dan Bakkedahl (56), Nathan Kress (33), Rich Fulcher (57) |
| Dawn Little Sky, an actress who appeared onscreen in Gypsy, The Apple Dumpling Gang and Rawhide and worked as an artist at Walt Disney Studios, has died. She was 95. The obituary. |
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