Entertainment
Jet Li's New Martial Arts Epic Is Like Mad Max On Horseback, Incredible
By Chris Sawin
| Published

Blades of the Guardians is a martial arts film adaptation of a 12-volume manhua (Chinese manga), Biao Ren (Guardian), which was also adapted into a 15-episode donghua (Chinese anime) in 2023. The film is directed by Yuen Woo-ping, who is one of the most well-known Hong Kong action film directors and action choreographers, and has been an active filmmaker for the past five decades.
Some of Yuen Woo-ping’s directing credits include Drunken Master, Iron Monkey, and Tai Chi Master. Some of his action choreography credits include Fist of Legend, the original Matrix trilogy, Kill Bill, Unleashed, The Grandmaster, and Ip Man 3 & 4.

The film follows a bounty hunter named Dao Ma (Jing Wu, the Wolf Warrior films) traveling with a little boy named Xiao Qi (Charles Ju). In the opening of the film, Dao Ma becomes the second most wanted fugitive in the land. The leader of the flower rebellion, Zhi Shilang (Sun Yizhou), is the most wanted fugitive. Dao Ma is entrusted with an escort mission to take Zhi Shilang to Chang’an. They must travel across the desert as every clan and bounty hunter wants a piece of Zhi Shilang’s gargantuan bounty.
As a general rule, you never go into a martial arts epic with the expectation that the story will be well thought out or even coherent. Blades of the Guardians has this Journey to the West meets Mad Max-on-horseback kind of ambiance that generally works. At just over two hours, the film feels a little long in places, especially in the second half. It feels like the story purposely stalls as well to cram in a few more action sequences and leave room for a potential sequel if the film does well enough to become a franchise.

The general idea is that the story is always moving. These characters are constantly traveling and encountering a plethora of other eccentric characters along the way. The action isn’t a detour where everything stops as it’s purposely intertwined into the narrative. The action is meant to emphasize a character’s motivation or alliance, as each punch, kick, and weapon swing carries meaning.
Every shot of Blades of the Guardians is gorgeous thanks to cinematographer Tony Cheung Tung-Leung (14 Blades, Drunken Master II). The film has a $100 million budget, and it shows. Visual effects are extraordinary throughout, but the way Blades of the Guardians makes desert terrain look so colorful is even more wondrous. The film was shot in the real desert regions of western China, so most of the environments are genuine and not green-screen. Taking place in the desert, you’d expect Blades of the Guardians to be a dull kind of tan throughout, but it’s surprisingly lush-looking with nearly every color you can think of.

The action is interesting, not just because it’s visually impressive, but the training and preparation for Blades of the Guardians sounds rigorous and extensive. Actors performed their own stunts whenever possible and constantly trained in horseback riding, weapon handling, and hand-to-hand combat. Most of the cast brought their own experience in martial arts, sports, and even opera, but the training continued even after shooting began.
Blades of the Guardians is being touted as a film reviving wuxia (a genre of Chinese fiction). However, the longer action sequences float and fly in the air, the more of a turnoff it is. Wirework should be used to enhance the action while remaining as grounded as possible. Blades of the Guardians is a great balance, as most of the more superhuman moments revolve around the impact of a punch or kick, trailing behind or on the side of a horse while it’s running, and a spectacular move or two.

Jet Li’s introduction in the film shows him using a sheath to catch a sword thrown at him from across the room, without looking. The two-on-one action sequence that he’s a part of shows that the 62-year-old actor can still go, which should be incredibly exciting for anyone who’s a fan of Hong Kong cinema.
Yuen Woo-ping’s action sequences are of another breed compared to American or other Hong Kong action films. Every sequence is perfectly framed, not too close and not too far away, with everything you need to see in precise view. It’s amazing that Yuen Woo-ping has come up with such fresh ideas after doing this since the early 1970s. There’s a crucial one-on-one fight that takes place in a sandstorm, a fight in the snow while someone is holding a baby, and weapons covered in fire being swung around so beautifully it’s as if you’ve never seen anything like it before.

The film doesn’t shy away from blood either. Limbs and heads are cut off regularly, as blood is splattered in every direction in every fight. Dao Ma is a character who will kill, but prefers not to. He shows mercy more often than not throughout the film. However, there’s one sequence where he swings an axe into the side of someone’s neck, and they fall to their knees before he roundhouse kicks their head off their shoulders.
Blades of the Guardians is one hell of an action film and easily a contender for one of the best films of the genre in the first part of the year. Yuen Woo-ping continues to showcase his legendary talent as a director while four generations of Hong Kong action cinema deliver nonstop badassery over two relentless hours of pure, uncut awesomeness.

Blades of the Guardians is now playing in select theaters.
Entertainment
AdultFriendFinder vs. FetLife: Which is better for exploring specific kinks?
So, you want to explore kink but you’re not sure where to begin. Finding a dating app that’s kink-friendly and full of likeminded kinksters is hugely important, and regular dating apps might not cut it on that front. So, how do you find your people?
Perhaps you have a foot fetish, or you’re into spanking or BDSM. Maybe you have no idea what you might be into but want to find a safe, non-judgmental space to explore your options and go on a journey of sexual self-discovery.
Well, we’ve got good news for you: thanks to the magic of the internet, there are at least two places purpose-built for you to let your freak flag fly: AdultFriendFinder and FetLife. Spend even a few minutes on either site and you’ll see they have a lot in common, from the abundance of nudity to the kink-friendly design of the interface and search functions.
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AdultFriendFinder
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readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder
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Hinge
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popular choice for regular meetups
Another major point of commonality between the two sites is the user demographics. Though both skew male, the major standout difference is age — the average user on FetLife in 25 and AdultFriendFinder users tend to be in their 30s. That having been said, both sites boast a very wide range of genders, sexual orientations, ages, and kink communities, so it’s safe to say there’s something for everyone here.
But while both sites are designed to accommodate sex-positive communities, they don’t operate in the same way, and you may find one suits your needs and goals better than the other. Here are the major differences in how AFF and FetLife cater to kinksters:
Credit: AdultFriendFinder
Where AdultFriendFinder excels
Faster connections
FetLife is great and very popular, but it also takes time to build a following, earn credibility, and be taken seriously on the site. In fact, while you can message strangers, the culture of the site discourages it, and it’s common for unsolicited messages to go ignored. On AdultFriendFinder, on the other hand, the opposite rule reigns. In fact, it’s much more like a traditional dating site, in the sense that connecting with strangers online is closer to the site’s purpose, whereas FetLife is more of a social media website for building local kink communities.
And in addition to the one-on-one aspect, AdultFriendFinder also hosts live webcam shows and community discussion forums, offering users multiple different ways to connect and connect quickly.
Better site interface
This one might be controversial, since the AFF site is notoriously dated, but FetLife’s interface is downright confusing, a mix between Facebook and Instagram, with much more limited search functionality. While both sites will allow you to search by specific kinks (and both sites offer exhaustive lists of kink options), the search functionality and filter options on AdultFriendFinder are more comprehensive and more user-friendly.
This isn’t an accident, by the way. FetLife deliberately disables search by age, gender and sexual orientation because, in their words, they are “a social network and not a dating site.”
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Live shows
FetLife allows users to host videos, but it doesn’t have a dedicated, live webcam service. Some users do offer that, of course, but they do so on third-party sites, and usually behind a paywall. AFF, on the other hand, makes live streaming a significant part of their community experience, and allows you to search through the webcam shows based on the location of the streamer or the interest/topic of the show, which often revolves around a specific kink.
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In other words, if you’re content to watch, AFF delivers some excellent, kink-centric live action, and much of it is accessible without upgrading to a paid subscription.
Where FetLife excels
Free accounts have more freedom
The most noticeable difference between FetLife and AFF is how much more freedom is afforded to non-paying accounts. On AdultFriendFinder, profiles are locked behind a paywall, so only paying members can read bios, scroll through photos, or see a comprehensive list of kinks. FetLife, on the other hand, operates more like Instagram for kinksters, delivering large photos, comprehensive bios, and even a web of connections comparable to what you might see on Facebook, from friends and romantic partners to subs, doms and mentors, if applicable.
Even more important, free FetLife users can contact each other in one-on-one messages without having to give up their credit card information, which definitely makes it easier to establish a personal connection.
One major limitation of free accounts is that they’re prevented from watching videos, and because raunchy videos are a mainstay of many profiles, this is definitely a hindrance, but not an especially annoying one.
The site promotes in-person events
Perhaps the biggest benefit of FetLife over AdultFriendFinder is the former is much more focused on real-life connections, whereas AdultFriendFinder seems content to let people play in the virtual world.
The Events tab at the top of the FetLife banner allows you to see, at a glance, all of the nearby, kink-friendly events, from informal meet-and-greets to full-on costume and masquerade balls. Best of all, you can filter by sub-type (Party, Educational, Social, Conference/Festival, Sex Party) or just look for events that your FetLife friends are attending.
These in-person events are such an important part of the FetLife experience, even when they’re not officially affiliated with the website, that they should be considered integral to the site itself. In fact, it’s pretty common to see people indicate, in their profiles, that they won’t message or “friend” anyone that they haven’t already met at an IRL event.
Kink discovery
Because of its community emphasis and dedication to exploring sexuality in a safe, consensual and informed way, FetLife offers users not only the means to connect with others but also to better connect with themselves. There’s the community-sourced Kinktionary, for example, a Wiki-like resource covering topical aspects of human sexuality from the ins and outs of gay culture to a comprehensive list of sex toys and their uses, as well as dedicated groups to not only explore kinks but also introduce people to the BDSM lifestyle (we recommend you check out the Novices & Newbies section if you’re a first-time visitor).
AdultFriendFinder isn’t totally without these resources, but they’re not as user-friendly or as accessible to total newcomers to the world of kink.
The bottom line
Both AFF and FetLife are premier destinations for internet kinksters, and you can’t really go wrong with either. Both sites have large user bases, comprehensive kink-based spaces, and the kind of non-judgmental atmosphere that makes it easy to let loose.
That having been said, if you’re looking for the fastest possible connection or are content to confine your kink to the digital world for the time being, AdultFriendFinder does a better job connecting people quickly. If, on the other hand, you want to integrate into your local kink community and maybe discover the underground nightclubs and VIP parties reserved only for the naughtiest of the naughty, FetLife will do right by you.
Entertainment
Where NASAs Dragonfly mission is going, We dont need roads
By trading wheels for helicopter blades, NASA is upping its game for the Dragonfly mission, a flying machine intended to explore Titan, an icy moon of Saturn.
The team has started assembling the honeycomb panels for the aircraft’s main body, completed a series of drop tests on the parachute system, and demonstrated that its compact chemistry lab can pick out tiny amounts of target molecules in test samples.
This NASA robot, expected to launch as early as 2028, is no space orbiter. Dragonfly will be an SUV-size, eight-rotor aircraft, designed specifically to navigate the hazy orange skies of Titan, a world larger than the planet Mercury. It will explore the alien landscape much like NASA’s fleet of rovers, except Dragonfly will have a much faster way of getting from Point A to B. In the words of Back to the Future‘s Doc Brown: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”
Titan, about 886 million miles from Earth, is the only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere. But Titan’s air is thick — about 1.5 times the pressure at Earth’s sea level and roughly three times as dense, said Charles Malespin, who leads the team that built the hardware for analyzing Titan’s samples. Because it is so cold in this alien world, gases like methane become liquids, and the atmosphere turns into a heavy blanket. Meanwhile, the moon has just one-seventh Earth’s gravity.
“That’s why an octocopter is primed for that, because you could fly very easily through it,” Malespin said. “We could cover a huge amount of terrain and explore a much larger area.”
Scientists see Titan as a kind of time machine for understanding how life begins. Its methane‑rich atmosphere constantly produces complex organic molecules that dust the icy surface, creating dunes and deposits of carbon‑based material. On early Earth, similar chemistry may have helped make the building blocks of life, but our planet’s surface has since changed dramatically because of life and geology.
Titan, by contrast, stays frozen and preserves that chemistry. By flying from dune fields to an ancient crater where water and organics could have mixed, researchers hope Dragonfly will allow them to study how simple ingredients evolve into more complex molecules.
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“There was a melt pool that may have lasted up to about 1,000 years. That is a lot of time for chemistry to happen between the organics that are depositing in it and the water,” said Melissa Trainer, a planetary scientist and the lead for Dragonfly’s DraMS instrument, a quasi-acronym for its mass spectrometer. “Who knows what we could make in a 1,000-year chemistry experiment?”
For a handful of reporters at Goddard Space Flight Center in April, NASA walked through how the $3.35 billion mission will drill into Titan’s rock-hard ice, analyze samples with its built‑in chemistry lab, and then lift off again to explore a new spot. The device will use a carousel of 40 sample cups, tiny ovens, and a laser to study the Saturn moon’s plentiful organic material.
It’s the opposite of what the tiny drone Ingenuity, which went kaput two years ago, faced on Mars. There, the air is about 100 times thinner than Earth’s. To lift itself, Ingenuity needed very long blades and a featherweight body, leaving hardly any wiggle room to carry instruments.
But for Dragonfly, engineers can exploit its larger body to stuff it full of tools.
“If you had cardboard wings, you could fly just by pushing because the atmosphere is pretty much so thick there,” Malespin said.

NASA Dragonfly team members begin integrating the sample carousel into the DraMS mass spectrometer instrument.
Credit: NASA / Mike Guinto
Mobility is the other key reason NASA built Dragonfly as an aircraft. Rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance on Mars move slowly, perhaps half a football field in a day. Dragonfly, on the other hand, could traverse miles.
Researchers will use the mission’s measurements collected over three years to study prebiotic chemistry, the steps that occur on the way to making life. They are looking for familiar building blocks, such as amino acids, nucleobases, and fatty acids.
But one limitation for the mission is that Dragonfly can’t explore Titan’s lakes or seas of liquid methane and ethane at the north pole. Instead, the robot is built to explore an equatorial region of dunes. That’s fine with the team, said deputy project scientist Shannon MacKenzie, because some of the materials scientists are looking for on Titan don’t dissolve well in liquids anyway.
“We want to go to the sand,” MacKenzie said. “Those organic sand particles are probably the end result of a lot more of that chemistry than what we would be able to slurp up out of the lakes.”
Awaiting those detections will take a great deal of patience for the team. The journey alone to get to Titan in the outer solar system will take nearly seven years.
Entertainment
2026 Summer TV preview: Every TV show you need to know about now
What will your summer TV obsession be this year?
Will it be a returning old favorite like House of the Dragon, The Bear, or Ted Lasso? Or will it be a new show, like Netflix’s sci-fi series The Boroughs or Apple TV’s thriller remake of Cape Fear?
Whatever your preference, 2026’s summer TV offerings are here to satisfy any genre craving you may have. Hang out with rock star vampires in The Vampire Lestat, or zip along with superheroes in offerings like Spider-Noir and Lanterns. Get some animated action in with a new season of The Legend of Vox Machina or the upcoming raunchy comedy Mating Season. Looking for romance? Check out the hockey-focused Off Campus or summery drama Every Year After.
That’s just the start of what you can expect from TV over the next few months. Here, in chronological order, are the TV shows you should keep an eye out for this summer.
May 2026 TV releases
Lord of the Flies
A new miniseries from Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne, based on William Golding’s legendary novel Lord of the Flies? Count us in. Following a group of school boys who are forced to survive on a deserted island after their plane crashes, this new adaptation is every bit as brutal as the 1954 book. Expect coming-of-age friendships, rivalries, and a piercing exploration of just how quickly society can fall apart when things enter life-or-death territory. — Sam Haysom, General Assignment Editor, UK
Starring: Winston Sawyers, Lox Pratt, David McKenna, Ike Talbut
How to watch: Lord of the Flies premieres May 4 on Netflix.
The Other Bennet Sister
What do you know of Mary Bennet, the overlooked sister of Pride and Prejudice? Jane Austen’s beloved novel spends ample time with Lizzy and Jane, but what of the more reserved, observant, and bookish of the Bennet family? Based on Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name and set after Pride and Prejudice, BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister gives Mary the respect (and screen time) she deserves.
Call the Midwife‘s Ella Bruccoleri takes on the unsung fictional heroine, whose sisters are now all married, which means she’s under pressure from her ever-theatrical mother (Gavin & Stacey‘s Ruth Jones) to do the same. However, thanks to the encouragement of the Gardiners (Indira Varma and Richard Coyle), Mary decides to travel across England to figure out her own path — whether it involves potential suitors or not. — Shannon Connellan, Senior Editor
Starring: Ella Bruccoleri, Ruth Jones, Richard E. Grant, Indira Varma, Dónal Finn, Tanya Reynolds, Varada Sethu, Maddie Close, Poppy Gilbert, Richard Coyle, Laurie Davidson, Grace Hogg-Robinson, Molly Wright, Lucy Briers
How to watch: The Other Bennet Sister premieres May 6 on BritBox.
M.I.A.
Ozark co-creator Bill Dubuque shifts states for some score-settling South Florida crime in Peacock’s new drama, M.I.A.. Heir to a family drug business, Etta Tiger Jonze (Shannon Gisela) finds herself literally adrift on the ocean when they’re brutally murdered. Once back on dry land in Miami, the one that got away has one mission: Revenge, what did you think? However, she’ll have to find this cartel before they find her — or the cops do. Sounds like it’s time for a flamboyant new identity and the brutal deployment of those specialised hunting skills. — S.C.
Starring: Shannon Gisela, Cary Elwes, Danay Garcia, Brittany Adebumola, Dylan Jackson, Alberto Guerra, Maurice Compte, Gerardo Celasco, and Marta Milans
How to watch: M.I.A. premieres May 7 on Peacock.
Off Campus
Heated Rivalry got you craving more hockey romance? Then Off Campus may be just up your alley. Based on the bestselling books by Elle Kennedy, the series centers on Briar University’s hockey team and the women they fall for. The first season is all about womanizing hockey all-star Garrett (Belmont Cameli) and quiet tutor Hannah (Ella Bright), who kick off a fake dating ploy in order to make Hannah’s crush jealous. Of course, all that fake dating turns into real feelings, with the potential for a romance hot enough to steam up the ice rink. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Starring: Ella Bright, Belmont Cameli, Mika Abdalla, Antonio Cipriano, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Josh Heuston, and Stephen Kalyn
How to watch: Off Campus premieres May 13 on Prime Video.
Nemesis
Folks, it’s a heist series! We love a heist: rogue mastermind versus the law, niche skills against high security, inevitable montages. In Netflix’s Nemesis, Power Universe creator Courtney A. Kemp presents a Los Angeles–set crime caper with co-creator Tani Marole and pioneering New Jack City director Mario Van Peebles. Insecure‘s Y’lan Noel plays a master thief the LAPD hasn’t been able to catch; Abbott Elementary‘s Matthew Law plays the hard-boiled detective who lost his partner thanks to the elusive mastermind. What’s that? It’s time for…one last job? Involving a colossal diamond haul? Let’s absolutely go. — S.C.
Starring: Matthew Law, Y’lan Noel, Cleopatra Coleman, Tre Hale, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jonnie Park, Ariana Guerra, Gabrielle Dennis, Michael Potts, Sophina Brown, Cedric Joe, and Jeff Pierre
How to watch: Nemesis premieres May 14 on Netflix.
Dutton Ranch
Yellowstone heads, this one’s for you. This spin-off and sequel to Paramount+’s hit neo-Western picks up with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and her husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) as they try to build a future on their Texas ranch. However, a rival ranch may put a stop to that future before it can even begin. Saddle up for some serious Western drama, along with star power in the form of new additions to the Yellowstone-verse like Ed Harris and Annette Bening. — B.E.
Starring: Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Finn Little, Jai Courtney, J.R. Villarreal, Juan Pablo Raba, Marc Menchaca, Natalie Alyn Lind, Ed Harris, Annette Bening, and Morgan Wade
How to watch: Dutton Ranch premieres May 15 on Paramount+.
Game Changer Season 8
Last season on Game Changer, host (and Dropout CEO) Sam Reich took this ever-changing game show to unpredictable places, including a sobering Traitors parody, a big-hearted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire variant, and Antarctica. What’s next?
It’s not like Reich’s going to tell us. (That’d spoil the fun.) But what we do know is that this season welcomes back Dropout stars like Demi Adejuyigbe, Ally Beardsley, Jacob Wysocki, Oscar Montoya, Jiavani, Ify Nwadiwe, Zac Oyama, Lou Wilson, Vic Michaelis, Josh Ruben, Anna Garcia, Lily Du, Kimia Behpoornia, Jeremy Culhane, Grant O’Brien, Siobhan Thompson, and Brennan Lee Mulligan. Whether you’re new to Game Changer or you’ve been here the whole time, this line-up alone should have you giddy. We can’t wait to see what this crack team of improvisers has in store. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
Starring: Sam Reich, Demi Adejuyigbe, Ally Beardsley, Jacob Wysocki, Oscar Montoya, Jiavani, Ify Nwadiwe, Zac Oyama, Lou Wilson, Vic Michaelis, Josh Ruben, Anna Garcia, Lily Du, Kimia Behpoornia, Jeremy Culhane, Grant O’Brien, Siobhan Thompson, and Brennan Lee Mulligan
How to watch: Game Changer Season 8 premieres May 18 on Dropout.
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
Tatiana Maslany leads the new dark comedy Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. She stars as newly divorced mom Paula, who’s convinced she witnessed a terrible crime. Her independent investigation takes her down a slippery slope of blackmail and murder, two things that are very inconvenient to be thinking about when you’re also dealing with a custody battle and an identity crisis. Will Paula crack the case and rediscover her sense of self-worth? And just how, exactly, does youth soccer fit into all this? Find out when you tune in, for what is hopefully a maximally pleasurable viewing experience.* — B.E.
Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Jake Johnson, Brandon Flynn, Murray Bartlett, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg, Nola Wallace, and Dolly De Leon
How to watch: Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed premieres May 20 on Apple TV.
The Boroughs
If you hated the Stranger Things finale, let the Duffer Brothers try to win you back with The Boroughs. The pair executive produce this supernatural series, created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, which is set in a quaint New Mexico retirement community. The community’s residents include an all-star cast of Geena Davis, Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters, and Denis O’Hare, who join forces to investigate the otherworldly threat lurking over their home. The cast alone is worth a watch, but The Boroughs‘ trailer teases even more goodies, like some seriously spooky creatures and its ensemble gearing up to kick monster butt in a sewer, Losers Club from IT-style. — B.E.
Starring: Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman, Carlos Miranda, Jena Malone, Seth Numrich, and Alice Kremelberg
How to watch: The Boroughs premieres May 21 on Netflix.
Mating Season
The creators of Big Mouth are back with another raunchy comedy about love and sex. This time, they turn their focus from teenagers and their hormone monsters to wildlife having a tough time coupling up during mating season. Follow along with bear Josh (voiced by Zach Woods), raccoon Ray (voiced by Nick Kroll), deer Fawn (voiced by June Diane Raphael), and fox Penelope (voiced by Sabrina Jalees) as they search for a mate in the very horny animal kingdom. Seriously, the trailer is already at a 10 in terms of animal horniness (see: a joke about a skunk expressing her anal glands), so I’m expecting the full show to take that to an 11. — B.E.
Starring: Nick Kroll, Zach Woods, June Diane Raphael, and Sabrina Jalees
How to watch: Mating Season premieres May 22 on Netflix.
Spider-Noir
It’s impossible to single out just one highlight in the Academy Award–winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but hearing Nicolas Cage voice the ultra-broody Spider-Man Noir is certainly up there. This year, Cage takes that portrayal into live action with Spider-Noir, which audiences can watch in black and white or color. The series takes place in 1930s New York, where Cage’s Ben Reilly is a grizzled private investigator who also happens to be the city’s only superhero. Here’s hoping he gets to drink all the egg creams and punch all the Nazis he wants. If it’s even half as fun as Spider-Man Noir’s appearance in Into the Spider-Verse, I’m all for it.* — B.E.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Brendan Gleeson, Abraham Popoola, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, and Jack Huston
How to watch: Spider-Noir premieres May 27 on Prime Video in 2026.
The Four Seasons Season 2

Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, and Will Forte in “The Four Seasons.”
Credit: Emily V. Aragones / Netflix
Celebrate the start of summer with some televised vacations thanks to the return of The Four Seasons. Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield’s spin on the 1981 Alan Alda film follows a friend group — played by Fey, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani, Steve Carell, and Kerri Kenney-Silver — over the course of four vacations. Season 1 ended with the loss of Carell’s Nick and the dramatic news that his younger girlfriend Ginny (Erika Henningsen) is pregnant. How will Nick’s friends come together to help Ginny, and what gorgeous new locales will they visit next? All will be revealed in Season 2. — B.E.
Starring: Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani, Kerri Kenney-Silver, and Erika Henningsen
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How to watch: The Four Seasons Season 2 premieres May 28 on Netflix.
Deli Boys Season 2

Saagar Shaikh, Asif Ali, and Poorna Jagannathan in “Deli Boys.”
Credit: Disney / James Washington
What happens when your multimillionaire father’s death unveils a secret drug empire? That’s the problem Mir and Raj Dar (Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh) face in Season 1 of Hulu’s delightful crime comedy Deli Boys. In Season 2, the stakes are even higher: The Dar brothers are swamped with dirty cash, which draws the attention of the shadiest characters in Philadelphia. Among them is Max Sugar (Fred Armisen), who catches the attention of Deli Boys scene stealer Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan). If the fun of the first season somehow isn’t enough to draw you back, then surely the promise of the pairing of Armisen and Jagannathan will do the trick. — B.E.
Starring: Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, Poorna Jagannathan, Fred Armisen, Andrew Rannells, Kumail Nanjiani, Lilly Singh, Robin Thede, and Tan France
How to watch: Deli Boys Season 2 premieres May 28 on Hulu.
Star City
Apple TV’s For All Mankind presents an alternate history of the Space Race, one where the Soviet Union became the first country to send a man to the moon. The show’s upcoming spin-off, Star City, rewinds the clock to examine the early days of the Soviet Union’s space program. Behind the Iron Curtain unfolds a thriller steeped in paranoia, as the program’s cosmonauts, engineers, and more weather moles and leaks in their efforts to push humanity farther than it’s ever been before. — B.E.
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey, Alice Englert, Solly McLeod, Adam Nagaitis, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Josef Davies, and Priya Kansara
How to watch: Star City premieres May 29 on Apple TV.
June 2026 TV releases
Not Suitable for Work

Ella Hunt and Will Angus in “Not Suitable for Work.”
Credit: Disney
With Never Have I Ever, Mindy Kaling portrayed the perils of high school. With The Sex Lives of College Girls, she dove into the chaos of finding yourself in college. Her new project, Not Suitable for Work, examines yet another defining life stage: your early twenties. Co-created with showrunner Charlie Grandy, Not Suitable for Work follows five work-obsessed twentysomethings as they hunt for professional success — and a personal life, if time allows — in Manhattan’s Murray Hill neighborhood. — B.E.
Starring: Ella Hunt, Avantika Vandanapu, Will Angus, Jack Martin, Nicholas Duvernay, and Jay Ellis
How to watch: Not Suitable for Work premieres June 2 on Hulu.
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4
Season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina ended with the titular crew scattering to the winds in search of their own individual goals. But a year later, in Season 4, the call of adventure (and the threat of a growing death cult) will bring them back together.
Every season of The Legend of Vox Machina has grown darker and stronger, and Season 4 looks to be no exception. This time around, Critical Role’s bawdy bands of heroes will come face to face with their most dangerous foe yet: the Whispered One, also known as Vecna in Dungeons & Dragons. (And yes, he’s very different from Stranger Things‘ version.) Don’t expect Season 4 to be all doom and gloom, though. It will also feature Critical Role fan-favorites like Taryon Darrington (voiced by Wayne Brady) and his mechanical servant Doty, who are bound to bring some laughs to the fight for Exandria. — B.E.
Starring: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, Wayne Brady, Kevin Michael Richardson, Debra Wilson, and Tom Cardy
How to watch: The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 premieres June 3 on Prime Video.
Cape Fear
Who’s ready for a remake? Apple TV reimagines Martin Scorsese’s 1991 film Cape Fear, itself a remake of the 1962 film of the same name. The series centers on married attorney couple Anna and Tom Bowden (Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson), who are about to face a vengeful reckoning from Max Cady (Javier Bardem), the killer they put behind bars. Will the series live up to its source material? Or, at the very least, The Simpsons‘ “Cape Feare” episode?* — B.E.
Starring: Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, Javier Bardem, Joe Anders, Lily Collias, Malia Pyles, and Anna Baryshnikov
How to watch: Cape Fear premieres June 5 on Apple TV.
The Vampire Lestat (Interview with the Vampire Season 3)
AMC’s exceptional Interview with the Vampire gets a rocking rebrand in Season 3. Now titled The Vampire Lestat, this season focuses on everyone’s favorite French vampire train wreck (affectionate). Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) has stepped into the spotlight as a rock star, and he’s using his music to tell his side of his relationship with Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson). But as he goes on tour, he’ll confront “muses” from his troubling past, who’ll show us a whole new side of Lestat. Expect more heart-wrenching angst, vampire spats, and several bangers performed by Lestat himself. (Stream “Long Face” for clear skin.) Trust me, you’re going to want a front row seat to this concert.* — B.E.
Starring: Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman, Jennifer Ehle, Ella Ballentine, Jeanine Serralles, Christopher Heyerdahl, Damien Atkins, Sheila Atim, Noah Reid, Ryan Kattner, Seamus Patterson, and Sarah Swire
How to watch: The Vampire Lestat premieres June 7 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC.
Every Year After

Matt Cornett and Sadie Soverall in “Every Year After.”
Credit: Cate Cameron / Prime Video
The Summer I Turned Pretty may be over (until the film, that is), but Prime Video is not giving up its hold on summer-tinged YA romances. Enter Every Year After, based on Carley Fortune’s bestselling 2022 novel Every Summer After. The series introduces Persephone “Percy” Fraser (Sadie Soverall) and Sam Florek (Matt Cornett), two friends who spent six summers growing inseparable, falling in love, then falling apart. Now, it’s been years since they’ve seen one another, but when a tragedy brings them crashing back together, will they be able to rekindle the love they once shared? — B.E.
Starring: Sadie Soverall, Matt Cornett, Aurora Perrineau, Abigail Cowen, Michael Bradway, and Joseph Chiu
How to watch: Every Year After premieres June 10 on Prime Video.
House of the Dragon Season 3
The dragons are still dancing in House of the Dragon Season 3, which continues the war of succession between Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her nephew, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). Between the massacres by dragonfire and full-on child murder, the war has already been catastrophic enough. But it’s about to get even more fraught, as the Battle of the Gullet is on its way. In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the Battle of the Gullet is a naval bloodbath that will launch a calamitous new chapter in the Westerosi history books. Brace yourself for epic action, family betrayals, and of course, tons of dragons.* — B.E.
Starring: Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, Matthew Needham, James Norton, Tom Bennett, Kieran Bew, Kurt Egyiawan, Freddie Fox, Clinton Liberty, Gayle Rankin, and Abubakar Salim
How to watch: House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres June 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2
It’s Toph time! Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender returns for Season 2 in 2026, where it will introduce everyone’s favorite earthbender (Miya Cech) as Aang’s (Gordon Cormier) newest teacher. On top of that, we’ll hopefully be revisiting some of the original show’s best moments: the increased involvement of Princess Azula (Elizabeth Yu), the political intrigue of Ba Sing Se, and the true beginnings of Prince Zuko’s (Dallas Liu) redemption arc. That’s an embarrassment of riches, but Toph is still at the top of my list of things I’m most excited to see this season. You know that first “twinkletoes” is going to hit just right.* — B.E.
Starring: Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Miya Cech, Elizabeth Yu, Ty Lee, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Maria Zhang, and Daniel Dae Kim
How to watch: Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 premieres June 25 on Netflix.
The Bear Season 5

Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri in “The Bear.”
Credit: FX Networks
Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) may have quit the restaurant life at the end of The Bear Season 4, but don’t think for a second that the series is done. FX announced that The Bear will return for a fifth and final season this summer, meaning we’ll see what the Bear restaurant looks like under the supervision of Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Sugar (Abby Elliott). I’m especially intrigued to see what Carmy gets up to when he’s not in chef mode. Maybe he gets really into watercolors, or hiking. Maybe he’ll finally learn to relax! But something tells me he’ll be back in the kitchen before too long — hopefully after he’s done some serious healing.* — B.E.
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, Edwin Lee Gibson, Corey Hendrix, Oliver Platt, Molly Gordon, Ricky Staffieri, and Jamie Lee Curtis
How to watch: The Bear Season 5 premieres this June on Hulu.
July 2026 TV releases
Elle

Lexi Minetree in “Elle.”
Credit: Prime Video
Prime Video made a Legally Blonde prequel. What, like it’s hard? The series follows Elle Woods (Lexi Minetree) as she navigates high school and blossoms into the bubbly fashion expert-turned-law student viewers came to adore in Legally Blonde. It’ll be fascinating to see what kind of backstory Elle engineers for its heroine, given that so much of Elle’s growth comes after making it to Harvard Law. However, it seems like Prime is confident in Elle‘s path ahead: The show has already been renewed for a Season 2. — B.E.
Starring: Lexi Minetree, June Diane Raphael, Tom Everett Scott, Chandler Kinney, Jacob Moskovitz, Gabrielle Policano, Zac Looker, and James Van Der Beek
How to watch: Elle premieres July 1 on Prime Video.
Silo Season 3
After the many, many cliffhangers Silo Season 2 left us on, the third season has been a long time coming. Fortunately that time has indeed finally come, with the Season 3 teaser taking us back into the world of Hugh Howey’s book series while hinting at the silo’s origin story. Which is all very good and exciting, but we still have many additional questions that need answering: What exactly is the safeguard procedure? What’s going to happen to Sims (Common) and his family? Will Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) and Bernard (Tim Robbins) survive that fire? Tell us already. — S.H.
Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Rick Gomez, Billy Postlethwaite, Clare Perkins, Ashley Zukerman, Jessica Henwick, Laura Innes, Jessica Brown Findlay, Morven Christie, Reed Birney, Matt Craven, Colin Hanks, and Steve Zahn
How to watch: Silo Season 3 premieres July 3 on Apple TV.
Little House on the Prairie
A childhood classic comes to Netflix this summer with Little House on the Prairie, based on the beloved series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Like the books, the TV series introduces the Ingalls family, who uproot their lives in the big woods of Wisconsin and begin a new life on the prairie. The show looks to introduce Wilder’s work to a new generation, but let’s be real: Plenty of adults will also be checking it out to make sure it stays true to the story they grew up loving. — B.E.
Starring: Alice Halsey, Skywalker Hughes, Luke Bracey, and Crosby Fitzgerald
How to watch: Little House on the Prairie premieres July 9 on Netflix.
The Five-Star Weekend
Elin Hilderbrand’s novel The Five-Star Weekend arrives on Peacock this July, bringing summery vibes and an all-star cast along with it. Jennifer Garner plays Hollis Shaw, a cook and food blogger trying to recover from a devastating loss. As part of her grieving process, she decides to host a weekend getaway at her Nantucket house. Her guests? Friends from different stages of her life (and one extra surprise invitee), played by D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, and Chloë Sevigny. — B.E.
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, Gemma Chan, D’Arcy Carden, Harlow Jane, and Timothy Olyphant
How to watch: The Five-Star Weekend premieres July 9 on Peacock.
Lucky
Anya Taylor-Joy enters heist mode in limited series Lucky, based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Marissa Stapley. Taylor-Joy plays Lucky Anderson, a con artist raised in a life of crime. When a multimillion-dollar heist goes awry, she’ll have to put up the fight of her life in order to escape the FBI agents and crime boss on her tail. Will she live up to her name, or will her luck finally run out?* — B.E.
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins, Jr., and William Fichtner
How to watch: Lucky premieres July 15 on Apple TV.
August 2026 TV releases
Ted Lasso Season 4
You better BELIEVE, because Ted Lasso is back. Turns out Season 3 was not the end of Ted’s (Jason Sudeikis) time in Richmond. The lovable soccer coach has returned to England to lead a second division women’s football team, and he’ll be joined by familiar faces like Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), and Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). What are you waiting for? Grab some shortbread and settle in for the resurrection of one of Apple’s biggest shows.* — B.E.
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsay, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern, and Grant Feely
How to watch: Ted Lasso Season 4 premieres Aug. 5 on Apple TV.
Lanterns
The televised DC Universe expands in a big way this year with Lanterns, based on the Green Lantern comics. Don’t expect many space shenanigans, though. The series is primarily set on Earth, pairing new Lantern Corps recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) with longtime Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) to investigate a murder right in the heart of America. Our very first look at the show features Hal jumping out of a moving car in order to encourage John to use the ring, so expect a lot of banter in this mentor-mentee relationship. (And maybe a few car crashes.)* — B.E.
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Nathan Fillion, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Ulrich Thomsen, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, Sherman Augustus, Chris Coy, Paul Ben-Victor, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Cary Christopher, and Jasmine Cephas Jones
How to watch: Lanterns premieres this August on HBO and HBO Max.
Adults Season 2

Owen Thiele, Malik Elassal, Amita Rao, Jack Innanen, and Lucy Freyer in “Adults.”
Credit: Pari Dukovic / FX
FX’s Adults was one of 2025’s most fun new comedies, mixing hangout vibes with the perils of young adulthood in the 2020s. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long to get a second dose of the show’s chaotic housemates, as Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Anton (Owen Thiele), Issa (Amita Rao), and Paul Baker (Jack Innanen) return to our screens this August. In Season 2, we’ll hopefully find out what’s next for the Anton-Issa-Paul Baker love triangle, as well as see the gang struggle with new questions about adulthood. How do you admit the embarrassing truth that you love your boring office job? Why does spending time with family always turn you into the worst version of yourself? And how can you make sure that you never, ever hurt your friends’ feelings? Whatever answers the Adults crew finds, I believe in them! — B.E.
Starring: Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Owen Thiele, Amita Rao, and Jack Innanen
How to watch: Adults Season 2 premieres this August on Hulu.
The Hawk
Will Ferrell hits the links in The Hawk, a new golf comedy from Netflix. (Between this and Apple TV’s Stick, it’s a big time for golf on TV.) He plays Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins, once the world’s top golfer, now a washed-up old-timer. But Lonnie refuses to lay down his clubs. He only needs one more major win to complete a golf Grand Slam and become a true legend of the sport. Can Lonnie pull off the comeback of all comebacks? With the help of his support system, played by a promising ensemble of Molly Shannon, Jimmy Tatro, Fortune Feimster, and Katelyn Tarver, anything is possible. — B.E
Starring: Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Jimmy Tatro, Fortune Feimster, Luke Wilson, Chris Parnell, Katelyn Tarver, and David Hornsby
How to watch: The Hawk premieres this summer on Netflix.
(*) means a blurb comes from a previous list.
