Entertainment
Netflix Gets The Best Dystopian Sci-Fi Franchise Of The Last Decade
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Over a decade after the release of the first film, and nearly 20 years since the debut of the first novel, people still can’t get enough of The Hunger Games. The dystopian sci-fi franchise that turned death games into entertainment has stood the test of time. It was a record-setting classic before the end of the first film’s opening weekend, and now, all five films in The Hunger Games franchise are on Netflix.
The Hunger Games Set The World On Fire
The Hunger Games turned Jennifer Lawrence into a star as Katniss Everdeen, the volunteer tribute from District 12. Her fight for survival during the nationally televised Hunger Games kickstarted a revolution that would eventually take down the corrupt government lording over the remains of North America. It was also so packed with stars, you forgot that Jack Quaid played the Tribute from District 1.
Compared to the Japanese cult-classic Battle Royale, The Hunger Games took the existing genre of death games and took it to the next level. Catching Fire, the second film, went back into the arena for another go, while the final films in Katniss’ story, Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2, put the focus on the raging Panem civil war. Every single one of them was a hit, and every single one of them has been among Netflix’s top movies since joining the service.
The One Franchise That Does Prequels Correctly
The outlier is 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel focused on the backstory of President Snow (Donald Sutherland in the first few movies, Tom Blyth in the prequel), and his love for Lucy (Rachel Zegler), a District 12 tribute. It proved that the dystopian world could expand beyond Katniss Everdeen, and that the movies didn’t need Jennifer Lawrence to sell them. It’s also available on Netflix right now, slipping in and out of the Netflix Top Ten.
A new film, Sunrise on the Reaping, will arrive on November 20th, and this time it’s the story of Haymitch (Woody Harrelson in The Hunger Games, Joseph Zada here). McKenna Grace plays Maysilee Donner, who joins Haymitch as another Tribute from District 12. The novel has been out for awhile, but if you saw the first few films, you know Haymitch is a man haunted by his past, so it’s safe to say that things don’t go well during the 50th Annual Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games Has Outgrown Its YA Roots
The Hunger Games franchise has gone from Young Adult novels to the big screen since 2009. Most studios would kill to have five films of this quality, and a lot of that can be attributed first, to the original author, Suzanne Collins, and secondly, to the franchise’s director, Francis Lawrence.Lawrence has directed all but the original film and he’s been so good at bringing the teenage death games to life that he was the first one to figure out how to adapt Stephen King’s The Long Walk.
All five of The Hunger Games films are the best of the 2010’s young adult adaptation trend. Yes, there’s a love triangle, but as the stakes get higher it fades into the background. What’s left is a dystopian franchise that embraces its cruel, callous setting with open arms, puts all of its heroes through the wringer, and always remembers that there’s hope for a better tomorrow.
The Hunger Games franchise is now streaming on Netflix.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 22, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watch college football.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Places Where an Errant Golf Shot Lands
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Green: Sports Films, With “The”
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Blue: College Football Stadium Nicknames, With “The”
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Purple: ___Break
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #667 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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Places Where an Errant Golf Shot Lands: BUNKER, OUT OF BOUNDS, POND, ROUGH
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Sports Films, With “The”: FIGHTER, KARATE KID, NATURAL, WATERBOY
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College Football Stadium Nicknames, With “The”: BIG HOUSE, FLATS, HORSESHOE, SWAMP
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___Break: FAST, HYDRATION, SERVICE, TIE
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for July 22, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Possessive.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
WHOSE
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Hurdle Word 2 hint
A small, round fruit.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
GRAPE
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To intrigue.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
PIQUE
Hurdle Word 4 hint
To follow.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
ABIDE
Final Hurdle hint
To yearn for.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
COVET
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
Netflix Horror Thriller Series Brings Fan-Favorite 90s Books To Life
By Charlene Badasie
| Published
The 2022 horror mystery-thriller The Midnight Club is one of Netflix’s most overlooked originals. Created by Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong, the 10-episode series adapts Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel of the same name while weaving elements from 27 of the prolific YA author’s other books into a single haunting story. Set at Brightcliffe Hospice Care for Teenagers, it follows a group of terminally ill young adults who gather each night to share terrifying stories and unravel the institution’s darkest secrets.
The Patients Of Brightcliffe
Set in the mid-1990s, the series begins when Ilonka (Iman Benson), a bright and ambitious young woman battling terminal thyroid cancer, chooses to live at Brightcliffe Hospice Care. She befriends Kevin (Igby Rigney), a leukemia patient, and clashes with her roommate Anya (Ruth Codd). One night, Ilonka stumbles upon a secret gathering of the Midnight Club.
The secret society, comprised of the patients of Brightcliffe, tries to communicate with the dead and shares eerie stories that intertwine with the hospice’s ominous history. As Ilonka delves deeper into the story of a former patient named Julia Jayne (Larsen Thompson), the supposed healer from the past, she uncovers a sinister cult, symbolized by the number “292.13,” and drawings that hint at a dark past.
21 Jump Scares
Julia, the founder of the original Midnight Club in 1969, had connections to Paragon, a cult that practiced unsettling rituals. The plot thickens as Ilonka, with Kevin’s help, discovers a hidden floor beneath the hospice. Records of the original club and evidence of a cult terrify the group. The final episodes bring closure for some characters, while others meet tragic ends.
The Midnight Club quickly captured the attention of Netflix audiences, recording an impressive 90.31 million hours viewed between October 2 and October 23, 2022, securing its position in the platform’s top 10. The series’ debut episode also made history by breaking the Guinness World Record for the most scripted jump-scares in a single episode, with 21 hair-raising moments.
The series was initially supposed to run for multiple seasons but was unexpectedly canceled in December 2022. Despite its premature ending, The Midnight Club earned critical acclaim and currently holds an 85 percent approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised Flanagan’s heartfelt approach to horror and the unique blend of individual stories with the overarching plot.
Other Horror Titles On Netflix From Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan has made a name for himself with his Netflix shows, including The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher. These series are known for their focus on the human condition rather than jump scares and loud noises. Flanagan’s nonlinear approach to horror works very well, and he often tells parallel stories in the past and present.
The Haunting of Hill House became a huge surprise hit and remains a fan favorite. The Fall of the House of Usher, Flanagan’s most recent Netflix project, is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s vast bibliography and is up there with his best efforts. While The Midnight Club may have been axed prematurely, its chilling tales, stellar cast, and impressive viewership numbers are cemented into the annals of Netflix’s haunting offerings.
Fever's defense trending up ahead of visit from Sun
Report: Georgia RB Dante Dowdell injured in accident
